(AFP) – Rafael Nadal was knocked out of the Rome Open in the second round on Saturday with a 6-1, 6-3 loss to Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz. Rafa held his own in the first two games in the first set, which took 26 minutes to complete, but then fell away as errors handed Hurkacz points. Our champ twice gave away breaks of serve with miscued drop shots in the first set which Hurkacz closed out in 49 minutes as he blew through five straight games. And the match was as good as done when Hurkacz, who did not drop a single service game, broke Rafa in the third game of the second set to set up a famous victory.
Rafa, best of luck and health at Roland Garros! We know there is something magical at the RG venue that brings out your best tennis (not to mention the beautiful Rafa statue outside Philippe Chatrier Court)! We know you can do well, and we will cheer for you all the way to victory!
While it will seem like a more open Roland Garros this year (due to Rafa getting back into the groove and injuries to top contenders such as Alcaraz and Sinner), Rafa should always be considered in the potential titlist conversation. Looking forward to Rafa doing well and gaining strength and confidence throughout the event. I expect there will huge crowds wanting to see him play one more time at Roland Garros, along with a huge swarm of supportive fans much like the thousands and thousands cheering for Rafa at the Rome fans send off… Rafa deserves the best!
Thanks David. Like you, it was no surprise to hear that Rafa will be playing RG.
I also listened to Gill Gross’ analysis of the match and he was spot on as he usually is. Hurkacz not only absorbed all the pace from Rafa’s fh shots comfortably, he successfully attacked with strong groundstrokes and powerful serving. All this just added to Rafa’s insecurities, which led him to resort to inappropriate dropshots and net rushing at times.
I hope that Rafa makes some adjustments and he can have a positive RG tournament. Fingers crossed that he doesn’t encounter Hurkacz or a player like him early on.
Carlos Moya gave an interview to esports IB3 yesterday saying that Rafa wants to play Roland Garros but nothing has been decided yet. It is posted on their Twitter. Always best to hear the news directly from Rafa or his coach rather than believing rumours.
Yes, the world and Rafa’s fans are anxiously awaiting Rafa’s decision to play or not play at RG this year. I hope Rafa plays and wins it all!
I expect Rafa will play RG and leave it all out on the court. He won’t hold back for fear of injury. He will play the style of fearless tennis that we are all accustomed to seeing him play well and win!
Everyone has probaby heard the news by now that Rafa’s travel plans have “leaked” and he is traveling to Paris next week. Nothing official from Rafa or his people but no surprise to me that he will play Roland Garros. Go Rafa!
I just watched Gill Gross on You Tube comparing the losses of Djokovic and Rafa in Rome. Gill says Djokovic looked a lot worse than Rafa and in fact Rafa looked good physically to him. Gill mainly praised Hurkacz. He noted the mistakes Rafa made in not breaking Hurkacz in that very first game and all the problems Rafa had in not getting free points off of his serve. A lot of that was credit to Hurkacz and his return game.
Rafa has a lot to work on to be ready but I firmly believe that he will look worlds better in Paris than he did in Rome. I know he will do his best.
I was overcome with emotion when I heard the fans chanting Rafa’s name after the match, then seeing the thousands of people waiting for him outside the stadium. What a tribute. It was lovely to see the smile on Rafa’s face as he saw the sea of faces and heard the applause. Glad to see the smile back on his face after a heavy defeat.
Djokovic lost heavily yesterday too, but didn’t seem try his hardest or care and left laughing as he was booed off court. Compare the passion and humility of one man to the arrogance of the other. Just saying…
Loved it! It was priceless, almost like winning the event! Rafa stated that madrid is the last time but seems he left the door open for another Rome attempt in the future? We shall see…he’s not done yet.
There may seem to be no reason to endure the training, the suffering, and the crushing losses at this stage of his career. But perhaps in the future, that adorable Bebe in the
bucket hat will hear the echo of thousands of fans who serenaded Rafa with “Ole, ole,
ole”, and know what Papa achieved❤️
There’s always hope that Rafa will put it all together at Roland Garros and play much better. It seems consistency and mental clarity have not paired together yet in 2024. I really look forward to him playing much better there in 2024 and will remain optimistic. Don’t forget that in 2022 Rafa badly injured his foot in Rome right before Roland Garros but still managed to win the title and get his 14th Roland Garros trophy!🏆 As Rafa has said, in sports things can change quickly (for the better), and Rublev (who idolizes Rafa) proved that to be the case in Madrid this year by winning the title after 4 straight first or second round losses before Madrid.
Looking back at 2022, Rafa did not win a title on clay that year until winning his 14th Roland Garros trophy. Rafa sustained injuries at Indian wells and Rome, and it seemed all was almost lost for the French Open. But Rafa sure surprised the world with that spectacular performance to be win his 14th at Roland a Garros. 😀🏆🍷☀️❤️
Isn’t Rafa having rotten luck being drawn against such high ranking players so early in the tournaments . He seems anxious which is understandable after such a long absence and it is only by playing he can rebuild his confidence .It’s still a privilege to watch him and how great for all the tournaments that he is in .No one else commands that love and respect
You have to remember that Rafa is unseeded at these tournaments and will be at R.G. as well if he plays. The fate of unseeded players is that they can face one of the top seeds as early as the second round as those men get a bye in the first round.
All we can rely on is that Rafa will play the best he is capable of regardless who is across the net.
The Rome Masters event posted a video showing a very spectacular tribute to Rafa. Literally thousands of fans lined outside the “sky bridge” to await Rafa after his match to pay their regards, and they were singing “Ole, Ole” to Rafa, who waved to all of them. How amazing and memorable, so much love for Rafa, and well-deserved after all the historic titles in Rome!
The fans recognize they will never see anyone as special and successful in Rome as Rafa. Amazing display of affection from all the tennis fans and Rafa fans in Rome! Grazie Rafa!
Nadal reminds of a student, who keeps studying and keeps failing. The more he studies, the worse he gets. His only solution is keep dreaming.
REALLY?!!! What a stupid comment to make!
Younger_voter is delusional and hallucinating. Go away, you loser!
Your stupid remarks are very revealing of your character. Only very bitter people derive any pleasure from insulting others. Such negativity will destroy your soul, if it hasn’t already, and deservedly so!
Despite his impressive records, Djokovic will never be loved and admired as much as Rafa and Roger. Try as he may, he just doesn’t have what it takes and there is nothing you can do to change that. That fact must be unbearable for you. Hence all the hate-filled remarks about Rafa. Truly pathetic.
What a brainless comment. You really have no idea. Just disappear because you’re not welcome here or maybe you get off on being disliked.
Usually, I do not dignify you with a response however, since Rafa is retiring, I’ll respond to you this time. You are an idiot. Only someone with a very low IQ would make a statement like that! We are all so privileged to be watching Rafa on his final tour before he retires… it’s time to celebrate his spectacular career …time to thank him for all the years of entertainment and joy that he has given to all of his fans.
Have some compassion and respect as you will not achieve even a fifth of what Rafa had
Younger voter is a deranged fan of someone else who just wants to stir up lies and anger. Young voter won’t even achieve one tenth of one percent of what Rafa has achieved globally.
I feel badly for Rafa as he wanted the chance to get through a field rounds in Rome, so he could build up his confidence and feel more competitive. And to go out in the first round was not part of his plans. It’s interesting but the people calling the match were saying that Rafa’s shots looked strong (he made some great ones) and that the match was closer than the score indicated. But it is true that he is struggling alot with his serve and gets very few points off of it, which seems to make him have to fight more to win his games. And Rafa himself has said his game is “up and down” these days, which I’m sure must be frustrating for him. I support Rafa in whatever he decides to do, but I do hope I get to watch him play abit more this season!
TennisGirl, I agree with what you’re saying. The root of Rafa’s problem is not just his serve, but too many unforced errors (20 compared to 10 by Hurkacz) which I think were mainly due to a lack of confidence and self doubt.
It’s ironic because he had seven break point chances, which he didn’t convert, and made six winners in the fiirst two games, so the opportunities were there.
He hasn’t said what the physical issue is, but I hope it’s nothing serious and we can get to see him at RG.
Agree with all the comments. I think Rafa accepts losing, but is upset when he does not play well. That may be what happened today. I have said that every time Rafa is on court this year is a gift, win or lose.
Losing is never part of any player’s script. Rafa is a realist, and he does not want a news conference to finish
his career. He will fight as he always
has done. Greeting the crowds who
came to cheer him must have delighted him-win or lose, it has been an honour🙏❤️
What can we say about Rafa that has not been said countless times already. There are so many superlatives that apply to Rafa.
Unfortunately, he is not serving at full power because he fears another injury and wants to complete his 2024 Schedule. So he is not able to win his service games with ease as he used to do at his best. Rafa is not a risk taker by nature; so he is being cautious. Understandable of course but the down side of that is his matches are long and draining for a player of his age. I think he is trying to protect his body, in the hope that he can give a good account of himself at the Majors, especially the French Open. Let’s hope and pray that he can do that.
Of course being unseeded means he can meet top players like Hurkacz in the early rounds, as he did today. A fully fit, confident Rafa would have beaten him. We know that. Your dedicated fans will always support you Rafa, despite what must be disappointing losses for you. Best wishes for the French Open.
No matter what happens the rest of the year, Rafa will always be a legend of the sport. Even Hurkacz said this after the match: “Rafa is larger than the sport. He was the best player ever on clay in the sport.” Rafa has always been and always will be an inspiration to those entering and playing the sport for his remarkable fighting spirit. He has inspired the best, including those playing today’s game (Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Carlos Alcaraz, Casper Ruud, Andrey Rublev, to name a few, who have looked up to him). His records at these world-class events (including 11 titles at Monte Carlo, 12 titles at Barcelona, and 10 titles in Rome, and especially 14 titles at Roland Garros) will stand the test of time, and no one will ever come close to matching or breaking those records. Rafa, we are super proud of you and stand by you all the way! Vamos and best of luck and health the rest of the way!
With you all the way till the end No matter what. Thank you Rafa for the Rome Memories
Jeez, listening to Rafa’s press conference made me feel so sad. This defeat was not in his script and he was understandably disappointed with the way he played and thoroughly deflated after the loss.
His confidence must have taken a hard knock and I think his biggest fear will now be to go out at RG early.
Things can’t stay the same forever and even though the landscape of tennis is changing, I wish our champ well and hope that he can pick himself up from this defeat.
Rafa, with you win or lose always!❤️
I think this year was always going to be only a farewell tour for us Rafans… Let’s simply enjoy watching our champ for the last times…
Rafa will definitely give us some fantastic points in matches to come, but that sustained effort that leads to things like Miracle in Melbourne, may be well behind us.
Seeing Rafa dismantled today just made me more awestruck by the things he has achieved in his career. He is truly one of a kind.
Rafa’s post match comments were to the effect that he doesn’t have physical issues that would keep him from Paris so he probably will try his best though his mind is not 100 per cent decided.
Rafa made lots of errors but I think the biggest problem is that he doesn’t win points off his first serve. I suppose that can still be fixed but it will be hard for him to find practice partners ahead of actually arriving in Paris.
If he plays the French and the Olympics could he be talked into coming to New York? I can always hope!
Sky Sports said that a presentation ceremony was planned, but that Rafa didn’t want it and rushed off court … which sadly suggests that he was pretty upset. I hope he’ll play Paris, but we’ll see what happens.
Rafa gave all what he had, as always. But it’s not enough anymore. He and we all have to accept it…although it’s very hard😔
Let us enjoy hopefully some last matches in Paris.
Big love for Rafa❤️
Yes totally agree!!!