The in-form Russian Andrey Rublev has pulled off a big upset today, ending Rafael Nadal’s bid for a record-extending 12th Monte Carlo title with a three-set win over our champ in the quarterfinal. Our champ lost 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 in the match that lasted two hours and 32 minutes.
Rublev won the first set in 38 minutes but our champ then pocketed the last four games of the 73-minute second set to level the contest. In the decider, Rublev held his nerve, breaking Rafa three times on his way to a famous win.
After the match, Rafa said:
For some reason I had problems with my serve. I don’t know understand why because I was not having problems on the practices at all. But today was one of these days that my serve was a disaster.
He played well. That’s true. He played great. He played aggressive, as I knew. Well done for him. Happy for him. He’s a great guy. Wish him all the best.
I think my backhand today was not enough well. Lots of mistakes. I was not able to open the court with my backhand then.
I’m always sad to lose here. It’s an important one for me. I missed an opportunity… but I can’t complain. The only thing I can do is go to Barcelona, keep practising and fix the things that didn’t work well.
I see only a couple of players who can beat nadal in a best of five in Paris
djokovic
fognini
tsisipas
wawrinka
I am afraid I must disagree with Mr. Castro’s comments below. Rafa had a bad day, which is unusual for him, but I don’t believe it has anything to do with his coaching set up or his personal life. As he said himself, he served badly, which contributed heavily to the loss. It was surprising because his serve is a much improved shot. However, I agree with fanforlife, at 34 (he will be 35 in a couple of months), we can’t reasonably expect Rafa to beat all-comers all of the time, as he used to do routinely, when he was younger. (Federer and even Djokovic sometimes lose to players these days whom they would never have lost to in their youth.) Rafa was up against a very good, in-form player yesterday, a rising star, who has played a lot of matches this year already; unlike Rafa, who has hardly played. As players age, they naturally find it harder to find their best tennis every time they step on court. Regrettably, they will have off-days. We must be realistic and adjust our expectations accordingly. Let’s hope that Rafa is able to find his best tennis in time for the French Open, as he did for last year’s French Open. Who would have predicted the trouncing he gave Djokovic in the 2020 Final? A fantastic achievement.
Well said….
While I was watching Rublev/Agut I had hoped Agut would take the match…. Not only because I like him but because I thought that Rublev, considering the year he is having, would be a tougher opponent for Rafa… The young players are starting to put chinks in the armour of the top 3….It’s a natural progression and we’re seeing more often….
I remember when Rafa was struggling 4-5 years ago… He had made it to the finals of many matches and couldn’t close it out… Rafa at 50% was still beating most of the field. That is no longer the case.
Barring any physical challenges the day of this match against Rublev….I’m chalking Rafa’s loss to having just a crappy off day. His serve failed him along with the rest of his game.
As Rafa says before each match…. In order to win he needs to bring his best….
Here’s looking forward towards Barcelona….
VAMOS RAFA