Daniil Medvedev defeated Rafael Nadal to reach the final at the ATP Finals on Saturday, beating our champ 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-3 at the O2 Arena. It was his first triumph over Rafa in their four H2H meetings.
Rafa served for the match at 5-4 in the second set but the Russian, after blowing the chance to go 5-1 up in the same set, just produced some outstanding hitting to force a tie-break and then take the decider.
The Russian, who has won nine consecutive matches, will play Dominic Thiem for the title.
‘I don’t know. I think I achieved enough to not find an excuse about the pressure,’ said Rafa, who denied he had any physical issues in the back end of the match.
‘I know I won enough matches and enough tournaments in an even more difficult situation than this one and even in more important matches than tonight. So I don’t feel that way.
‘I feel I played a bad game. Of course you are nervous to win the match. But not me. Everybody. Is normal to have the tension. I think he played some good points and I make a couple of mistakes.
‘And that’s it, and then he played a good tiebreak. Yeah. And I played, I should be winning my serve in the third, the one that I lost. I had easy volley to close the game.
‘Small details makes a big difference. Just well done for him and not enough good for me.’
Source: metro.co.uk
Just some perspective the morning after…
Last year Rafa trailed 1-5 against Medvedev in the third set of their match at the O2… yet he saved match point and found a way to win.
Same story this year but a different outcome. If we could be happy for what happened last year, we can definitely stomach Rafa’s loss yesterday. It’s just life being life:):)
Meh… i’m still sore about the result! Now I hope Thiem wins it all… but somehow I think Med will take it. And good on him, that guy is one resilient m0f0. Kinda reminds me of a certain player from an island in Spain:):)
Rafa is ok you are a human one day is ok in the next can happen too anyone have a bad day your fans are with you all the way Rest and have a great holiday and happy new year’s vamosssssss too 2021 🎾❤️👍😘🎾❤️👍😘🎾😘👍❤️🎾🇺🇸
MAVING READ ALL THE COMMENTS..I JUST WANT TO SAY THANKYOU RAFA FOR ALL YOUR WONDERFUL MATCHES ,YOU HAVE ALWAYS MADE ME FEEL GOOD ,,NO WORRY ABOUT THE MATCH ,,JJST ENJOY CHRISTMAS WITH YOUR FAMILY ,PUT THIS ASIDE. ,LOVE YOU AND YOUR AMAZING KINDNESS ,,GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY ,,GOOD LUCK IN AUSSIE LAND XXXX
Rafa,
I just can’t believe it you lost! To me and many other fans of yours you are a star and a great inspiration to everybody and you still rate as a champion by me and many others so keep going. Please don’t give up but when you do you will be sorely missed by us al
Have a lovely Christmas and lots of love from your greatest fan in the world and see you next year I can’t wait!
Ouch, the loss was such a bitter pill to swallow!
But what can you say, that’s life, nothing really last forever. You can’t eat your cake and still have it. At a time, it used to be all about Bjorn Borg and it was like it would never end, then John McEnroe came long and then Ivan Lendl, Pete Sampras…..and the baton is now with Roger, Rafa and Novak.
As it is, the invincible trio of Roger, Rafa and Novak are gradually and surely beginning to make way or to hand over to the next gen of players. Its an order of Nature and must always happen whether we like it or not. The invincible trio have entertained us so much that we would rather have them continue to reign forever! No, Nature is not selfish like us; new talents must be allowed to express themselves while the invincible ones take rest after such a glorious career.
Yes, what if Rafa had closed out the match at 5 – 4 in the 2nd set? On the other hand, what if Daniil ”The Professor” had consolidated on his 4- 0 lead? Oh, what if Djokovic in typical fashion had consolidated on consolidated on his 4-1 lead in the tie break of the 3rd set? If, if and if…..we can go on and on and on…….if, if, if.
But I agree 100% with good, old Margo – Rafa overplayed the backhand slice (a device he uses to spoil opponent’s rythym or force an error) and The Professor was later able to decode and hit through it. But then again, something must happen for something to happen as Nature abhors a vacuum, innit?
MY GREATEST CONSOLATION: THE BIGGEST DEAL OF ALL TIME
My greatest consolation in all of these remains the fact that at the end of the day, Rafa is the only one that achieved a record is unbreakable. It will probably take forever or an aeon (1000 years from now) if at all to break Rafa’s record of an incredible 13 RG title. However, a sad part to Rafa’s over-illustrious career is that his incredible record at RG has tilted opinion to see him as only a clay court expert (”KING OF CLAY”) whereas, of a truth, he is also an expert on all the other surfaces (indoor and outdoor). Nature has just fated him to dominate on clay more than other surfaces.
His other competing GOAT or Legends, Roger and Novak, do not have such an incredible, unbreakable record like Rafa and they know it. What will it take to win all Masters 1000 again or all the slams twice – why, i’m sure even Jannik Sinner replicate that at some point in time. Yes, it’s a big deal, but Rafa’s 13 titles (and still counting)
at the FO remains the biggest deal of all ages living or dead.
Not to mention the match against fognini at the us open 2015 third round where he gave 2-0 sets lead away. I am amazed that after 4 years of coaching by Moya rafa is mentally still not at his strongest.
I am very dissapointed about the loss against medvedev. Rafa had it in the bag why did he lost his serve at 5-4 in the second set what happend did he panick knowing he would not face djokovic in the final and that would have give him the opportunity to win the title finally in his career. Or did medvedev played a unbelievably game.
Rafa confirm these two tournaments (paris and london) his status as the worst indoor player of the circuit only won two indoor tournaments in his career. What is it with rafa that he is unable to play his best tennis indoor.
Rafa is the greatest clay court player of all time but I think right now he is not the best player of all time because for that you need to do well on all surfaces. Federer and Djokovic won more indoor titles.
They also won the atp finals and djokovic won all master series titles. The other conclusion that you can drawn is that rafa is very vunerable against big servers when it comes to best of three matches. I am convinced in a best of five match he would have beat medvedev.
This loss is going to hurt rafa he was very close and at his age he would not get more opportunities to win the atp finals this was his chance to win paris and london and the fact that he didnt should make him very angry.
I dont not believe in you win some you lost some. At this age you wanna win all the remaining titles you havent won in your life. and for rafa it is: Miami, Sjanghai, Paris and London
Rafa lost very important matches in his life where he was up a break in the deciding set: Australian open final 2012 and 2017 where he was up a break in the fifth set and couldnt close out the match and now also in this match. Perhaps rafa is not mentally that strong as he was before
Medvedev is a handful for any player. He’s everywhere and like a wasp that won’t go away. Unlike Margo, I don’t think Rafa’s use (or overuse) of the slice was the problem, but rather it was his serve. His first serve percentage of 56% was poor and he failed to execute in two crucial service games. Added to this, Rafa didn’t have the luxury of free points (aces : Medvedev 13, Rafa 3).
It’s left to Rafa and Moya to analyse the match and decide what to focus on in the off season. Rafa’s mindset when it comes to closing out sets/matches is certainly one thing that needs attention.
Yes, Rafa, the devil was in the detail.
Bet you, Daniil felt so lucky with the little misses.
I really thought Rafa was going to win. It felt like the downturn crept up on him like a thief in the night.
Never mind, next time then.
Hopefully Premier Andrews relents with respect to the hard and fast rules re quarantining; perhaps move the start date to the 25th Jan? Or something, anything at all – a compromise….
I do understand the hard stance the Victorian government is taking, after the hard-earned zero covid infections achieved by way of great effort on the government’s part and restriction to individual/business freedoms suffered and borne by Victorian residents.
One has to experience it to appreciate it.
Juliet, “One has to experience it to appreciate it” is so true for those who are taking a laissez faire attitude toward this virus. I believe in personal freedoms but not the freedom to infect others. It’s a hard balancing act. So many lives lost needlessly.
Margo, I’m referring to the previous paragraph in my comment. One has to be in lockdown to appreciate the difficulty of freedoms taken away…. and therefore I can’t and wouldn’t give away these very same freedoms snatched away from us because of certain tennis players speaking out in opposition of Andrews’ hard stance, which if Victorian authorities succumb to, may spell a return to lockdown and more importantly, the loss of precious Australian lives.
I was a staunch supporter of Premier Andrews – definitely have not assumed a laissez-faire attitude to this pandemic.
Love Rafa’s comment: ‘it’s their country, no’. Our Sports Minister Martin Pakula was appreciative of Rafa’s understanding.
Incidentaloy, I heard on the radio that Tennis Australia may move the commencement date of the Oz Open 2021 to the 25th January. It is a win-win outcome for the players and the state of Victoria, if it comes to pass. Players can still train a week after the quarantining and before the slam’s start.
Hi Julieta, I agree wholeheartedly with your first comment @ 10:21am.
What I meant in my comment @ 4:29pm was that I am disgusted with those who don’t appreciate the human cost from this virus. Those who won’t follow simple guidelines that can save lives; the whining and complaining going on here in the US and Europe.
And Premier Andrews should be commended; there hasn’t been a recorded infection or death in Victoria since October 29. As much as my governor [NY] tried to eradicate the virus from New York we never reached zero new infections.
Yes, I also read that the Oz may start January 25 or February 1. And Premier Andrews will stick to the two-week quarantine mandate. However, there is talk of a possible compromise of a ten-day quarantine period with the same testing protocols.
A major sticking point is the issue for quarantine for international players and their entourages. Victoria will ease its policy on arrivals on December 7, but players have been told they will not be allowed into the state until January, so as not to overburden the hotel quarantine system. I was not aware of the hotel quarantine-system concerns.
The other major sticking point is that players want to be able to practice before the tournaments begin. They will not be able to stay in a hotel for two weeks and then go play in tournaments without having conditioned their bodies. Andrews’ main concern is keeping the international arrivals from mingling with the public.
Whatever the outcome of negotiations, I hope all involved can agree to keep everyone safe.
I think Rafa was counting too much on his slices. He wanted to keep the ball low to keep Medvedev out of his comfort zone. Medvedev figured it out but Rafa didn’t have a Plan B. Win some, lose some. Sorry it didn’t work out for him.
Looking forward to 2021 to see what Rafa has in store for us. Wishing him good health and a great holiday season.
RAFA ROCKS
Sorry Rafa. It wasn’t your day today. But many more days and opportunities ahead. You are always a winner. I’ve been wondering the last few tournaments what has happened with your fantastic “down the line”. shot you always did so perfectly. It has been absent the past few tournaments. Happy holidays. . Good luck in Australia.
Raffa dosn’t need to win every match to be a winner.
I would just like to give God many thanks for a guy like Rafa he has given me and my family many thrills and excitement love Rafa
You did ok win or lose your in my heart rafa give my love to mallorca and have a nice christmas with your family and will see you next year always keep in touch with your fans we all love you dearly by for now xxxx
This loss will hurt for a while……but congratulations on your achievements this short season, Rafa👏🤗
Your kind and humble nature with positive attitudes make you a very likable person. I am so proud to be one of your many many fans. Wishing you good health and a fruitful year ahead filled with success and glory! You are the best always ❤️
Rest and recharge, Rafael Nadal. Stay safe-we want to see you back on court in 2021. It must be so taxing to focus on tennis with the world in chaos. As you say, it is a sport. There are other priorities. Thank you for all you have given to this sport🙏it has been such an unprecedented year, but you have remained steadfast-a champion and ambassador both on and off the court.🎾❤️
How quickly things can change. Sad to say, but Rafa had the match on his racquet in the second set and threw it away. He looked so deflated and worried in the third. The pain of this loss will stick with him for a long time.
Rafa is superman
Indoor court is his kryptonite…
No matter how well he’s playing, how good he’s feeling, somehow everything just can’t seem to come together for our Rafa in an indoor tournament…
Another new tournament win falls short.
How about a second trophy at the Australian Open Rafa?? Now that would be something else!
If we even have an AO, no decision about it yet 🙁
Rafa looked tired and hurt at the end. Did he say anything at the pressconference?
I can’t believe that he lost this match. He served for the match😔
Take rest and see you in 2021❤️
Rest easy Rafa… Enjoy the holidays and stay safe!!!
It is sad to see so many negative comments here. The positive ones are lovely . We are all sad that Rafa did not close out the match when serving to win, its difficult to understand as he was playing so well.
He doesn’t need criticism or negativity from
so called fans.
Rafa is human and all should realise that sport can be cruel as well as glorious .
He is an amazing person who brings so much to the sport and beyond. We support him in testing times , we celebrate his successes but always stay loyal .