Will Nadal lose a set on clay this year?

With Djokovic a shadow of himself, no Stan, and the next generation looking completely hopeless, I honestly don’t see where Nadal loses a match this year.

Injury seems the only way he fails to clean up.

he looks once again as good as ever. But I don't think he can go the whole clay season without losing. It never happened and I don;t think he can do it at 32.

I think Fognini, Goffin and Nishi can beat Nadal on clay this year. Let’s see how close in Nadal’s draw they are going to be...
Nole as well but he needs more matches to get himself going.

Does Nadal only need one loss to lose his number one ranking?

nope as he lost last year too.

It would be good if he lost that number one ranking somehow.
I suppose it can only happen in RG as points are bggest there.

Would be cool if he bumped into Nole in QF again like in ‘15.

No it can happen anywhere before Rome I think.

Brutal vs Thiem.  And Thiem is arguably 2nd or 3rd best player on clay nowadays - at least when playing well.

I still think Rafa will not go unbeaten - if nothing else he will tank a match somewhere.  Even he will not be keen on playing 3 Masters + Barcelona in full before RG.

If Rafa keeps mauling everyone like this, I doubt Fed will show up at RG.

Fed‘s ruled it out anyway hasn’t he? 

Why would he want to drag himself through 7 rounds of 5 setters on clay when he can set himself for grass?

I guess Nadal will plan his loss in Rome: of all clay tournaments this is his favorite time and place to tank.

Will he will lose one he didn't plan? Of course not, the opposition is extraordinarily pathetic. Nadal will feel like a heavy weight against bantamweights. They are trying to hurt him with a water gun. Not even type super soaker, but just a tiny one. It's all good fun for ol' Raf.

It's a shame Federer blew his sunshine double, Nadal now can even afford to plan another tank and keep his ranking.

gallery play wrote:I guess Nadal will plan his loss in Rome: of all clay tournaments this is his favorite time and place to tank.

Will he will lose one he didn't plan? Of course not, the opposition is extraordinarily pathetic. Nadal will feel like a heavy weight against bantamweights. They are trying to hurt him with a water gun. Not even type super soaker, but just a tiny one. It's all good fun for ol' Raf.

It's a shame Federer blew his sunshine double, Nadal now can even afford to plan another tank and keep his ranking.

i really can’t explain why they all fold to him so quickly. At least show some teeth!

gallery play wrote:Not even type super soaker, but just a tiny one. It's all good fun for ol' Raf.

LOL, this is good.  And so accurate.

bogbrush wrote:Fed‘s ruled it out anyway hasn’t he? 

I know he has, but I have this crazy theory that he is just bluffing and might show up at RG.

He’d be stupid to do it.

We want to see W#9

Nadal's default position going into the clay season was to be 100 points ahead of Federer.  He has matched last year's MC win, if he matches the rest of last year he will stay 100 points ahead at the end: namely Barcelona W (500), Madrid W (1,000),  Rome QF (180), RG W (2,000).  

Therefore, as between Rome and Madrid he must win one of them but can afford to go one round worse than last year's Rome QF at the other, namely R16, which would net him 90 points and his points lead at the end of RG would go down to 10 (although he would temporarily lose #1 if he went Madrid R16, Rome W instead of the other way around).

Nadal has gone unbeaten on clay twice - 2006 when he did not play all three Masters, and 2010 when he won three three Masters but did not play Barcelona - he has never gone unbeaten through 5 clay tournaments in the April-June clay season (27 wins on the trot, 29 if you include the DC).  He may look unbeatable on clay now, which is not an unfamiliar sight, but it's likely that by default or design he cannot achieve at the age of 31 something he's never managed before however lily-livered his main opponents may look.

let's see what happens in Barcelona. I think he will meet a fiercer opposition than in MC. Hopefully the conds will be cooler as the hot conds certainly favour him.

Ok, I revise the title.

Will Nadal lose a set on clay this year?

He will tank in Rome.  Other than that, I am worried.  Nobody has yet won more than 4 games in a set against him this year.

No chance is he tanking. He’s on a mission here to set new standards at a time when only one man could give him a match, and he’s sitting it out.

At worst he’ll withdraw but no way does he intend to walk off a clay court a loser in 2018.

No need for him to tank in Rome presently. These matches are taking nothing out of him. He will want as big a points lead over Fed as possible before he basically takes the grass season off to recuperate for the US Open.

Agree, these matches are nothing more than training for Nadal.

Yes, he will lose on clay.  And his body is going to one day never recover.  I can't wait.

Title edited as per my 26th April post.

He will lose where it matters most i.e. at RG and will lose 3 of those(sets).

raiders_of_the_lost_ark wrote:He will lose where it matters most i.e. at RG and will lose 3 of those(sets).

In one match?
To me that seems out of the question

gallery play wrote:

raiders_of_the_lost_ark wrote:He will lose where it matters most i.e. at RG and will lose 3 of those(sets).

In one match?
To me that seems out of the question

I would like to believe that a miracle can happen in the QF like in 2015.

raiders_of_the_lost_ark wrote:He will lose where it matters most i.e. at RG and will lose 3 of those(sets).

I wish I had this much optimism.

In one match?  Or over the course of the tournament?  I do not think he will lose 3 sets over 7 matches, let alone in a single match.

I think nadal is in good form, but an accident, a bad day, or even injury can happen anytime anyday, so I wouldnt bet much money on nadal winning every match on clay

only in 2006 and 2010 did he go unbeaten, so I think we can count on nadal losing a match in this clay season

there is also that surprise factor of someone who appears in the scene and that we didnt expect.

I think he will tank Rome.

And of course, anything can happen - even Rafa losing at RG is not impossible if someone plays the match of his life and Rafa is so-so.  But given RG history of the last decade, and given how this clay court season has gone so far, one has to make Rafa a very heavy favorite.

he lost one today

thiem beat him 7-5 in a first set of a training session

summerblues wrote:

raiders_of_the_lost_ark wrote:He will lose where it matters most i.e. at RG and will lose 3 of those(sets).

I wish I had this much optimism.

In one match?  Or over the course of the tournament?  I do not think he will lose 3 sets over 7 matches, let alone in a single match.

I'm not much optimistic, I'm only trying to add some interest to this dull clay season with hope against no-hope.

If Fed winning everything was deemed bad for tennis then this is worse the way Nadal has been winning on clay. Mighty Tennis Lords, where art thou?? Can you do something with clay like what you did with Wimble, Usopen?

raiders_of_the_lost_ark wrote:
Mighty Tennis Lords, where art thou?? Can you do something with clay like what you did with Wimble, Usopen?

Mighty Tennis Lords are sitting in their ATP, TDs and ITF castles counting their pennies selling Nadal, making sure no umpire breathes words:

“Time violation Mr Nadal!”

noleisthebest wrote:

raiders_of_the_lost_ark wrote:
Mighty Tennis Lords, where art thou?? Can you do something with clay like what you did with Wimble, Usopen?

Mighty Tennis Lords are sitting in their ATP, TDs and ITF castles counting their pennies selling Nadal, making sure no umpire breathes words:

“Time violation Mr Nadal!”

Is Nadal more marketable tennis player than Federer ever was or is?

no

raiders_of_the_lost_ark wrote:

noleisthebest wrote:

raiders_of_the_lost_ark wrote:
Mighty Tennis Lords, where art thou?? Can you do something with clay like what you did with Wimble, Usopen?

Mighty Tennis Lords are sitting in their ATP, TDs and ITF castles counting their pennies selling Nadal, making sure no umpire breathes words:

“Time violation Mr Nadal!”

Is Nadal more marketable tennis player than Federer ever was or is?

That’s a good question, rotla.

Every product has its market.

Would I fly abroad in the middle of February to watch Nadal become number one at nearly 37?
Not if they paid me.

Yet, at RG ‘14 final, there was a guy who flew all the way from Oz to watch Nadal...just for the final.

Fed’s awesomeness is irresistible, he doesn’t need marketing, let alone a major rule being broken continually during matches.

Fed is the champaigne of tennis.

p.s.
what’s your view?

This discussion deserves a dedicated thread. I'll create a new post.

Inshallah

wrong thread

This thread has run its course

The question was asked.

It has been answered.

My mission is complete, my work here is done.

bogbrush wrote:The question was asked.

It has been answered.

My mission is complete, my work here is done.

Aye.  All you needed to do was read my answer and you'd have known what was going to happen.

Fed back to #1 for a week at least.  If Nadal wins Rome, he regains #1 by the same 100 points ahead he started with last week; if not then Fed stays #1 until Halle at least.

barrystar wrote:Fed back to #1 for a week at least.

May his reign be long and peaceful.

Tenez wrote:Inshallah

Or, rather, Mashallah.

Lookie there - another set....

next question:

will Nadal get bagelled on clay?

Btw, has Nadal ever been bagelled on clay?

Yes

noleisthebest wrote:Btw, has Nadal ever been bagelled on clay?

gaudio and coria in 2005

federer in 2007

naxroy wrote:

noleisthebest wrote:Btw, has Nadal ever been bagelled on clay?

gaudio and coria in 2005

federer in 2007

I'll try to see the one Fed inflicted on him.

it was an important one, the final of hamburg when it was a masters

and it was the final set 6-2 2-6 0-6