ATP Masters 1000: Madrid

Sublime tennis from Nishi!

King of clay made to look like a B grade hitting partner....

Nishi is playing well..but almost messed up that 2nd break....glad Nadal gave it to him at the end. Nishi needs to win with minimum energy.

Nadal starts moonballing...I mean really moonballing.

I can't believe now quick Nishi is able to play on clay, it's beautiful to watch.

Rafa is such a nervous player. He is full of fears. I don;t understand how some coudl say he is strong mentally.!

Plus he is able to do it all in this wind, impressive!

very lucky there Nadal....he is so rushed...he hates it. That's what bothering him. The fact he is forced to stay close to the line!

noleisthebest wrote:Plus he is able to do it all in this wind, impressive!

Yes Nishi seems now used to Nadal's ball.

Tenez wrote:Nishi is playing well..but almost messed up that 2nd break....glad Nadal gave it to him at the end. Nishi needs to win with minimum energy.

I think he knows it. Playing really smart refusing to be sucked in Nadal's energy sapping rallies.
Did you see just now how he dropshotted him after about 5-6 shots?
Ok, he netted it, but sending the right message to Nadal that's he's thinking clearly.

Very smart also from Nishi to play the middle .

What do you reckon, T?

noleisthebest wrote:

I think he knows it. Playing really smart refusing to be sucked in Nadal's energy sapping rallies.
Did you see  just now how he  dropshotted him after about 5-6 shots?
Ok, he netted it, but sending the right message to Nadal that's he's thinking clearly.

Or telling Nadal that he is really tired.

noleisthebest wrote:What do you reckon, T?  

I think Nadal will start to play better...and after that...it's all down to how much energy Kei has in the tank.

One thing is certain. Nishi won't be in Nadal's draw in the FO!

What a great play from Kei. I think Nadal is finding it hard to adapt on evening session as well. He played all week in the middle of sunny afternoon.

Fantastic tennis and heart from Nishi!
Real, proper talent....look what he's able to get out of that tiny body in this physical era!

The crowd ... pure scum.

Nishi is swinging, twisting, rocking and rolling, what a player!

GO NISHIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!   

Nadal breaks. I don't know who is more desperate him or the crowd...

Come on, Nishi, break him back and shut that ugly crowd up!

As soon as Nadal is able to activate his bicep kerosene, he is starting to sweat like mad.

noleisthebest wrote:The crowd ... pure scum.

LOL! like all home crowds...more or less...

What is pathetic is Nadal's revival and boost of confidence. He clearly doesn't care how he wins......winning ugly at its best!

Nishi's back is done for tonight. Seized up.

c'mon, /Nishi, give up...that's all they deserve.

Nishi should retire asap.

...and he does...so sad for him.

Well, if there is any good from this miserable match, it's that Nadal will go to to Rome with even less confidence.
Because he and the whole world have seen tonight how crap he is!

Tenez wrote:What is pathetic is Nadal's revival and boost of confidence. He clearly doesn't care how he wins......winning ugly at its best!

What is even uglier is those enjoying this "win" tonight...and I am not talking only Nadal fans here.

lol....Yes he played with such fear.

Nishi probably lost it yesterday when he should have closed it in 2.

Tenez wrote:One thing is certain. Nishi won't be in Nadal's draw in the FO!

Just checked...he is not in Nadal's half even in Rome...they managed to stick him as close as possible into Nole's quarter...it's a joke, isn't it?
Shame it's not funny...

Well Nole will be happy too then.

Nishi played a bit like Davydenko in his good days. It's good to know he is only 24 and will improve from there....except that he tends to be injured quite a lot....and what a drama queen when he is injured!

Tenez wrote:Well Nole will be happy too then.

Nishi played a bit like Davydenko in his good days. It's good to know he is only 24 and will improve from there....except that he tends to be injured quite a lot...and what a drama queen when he is injured!

I don't think he was a drama queen. Probably just embarrassed he had to retire again, a bit like Nole in his early days. Nole did it in style, though, and I love him for that!




We all know who the real drama queen is...

No I think he was showing it too much.

Funny you show that clip. I was thinking about this very interview when Kei was bullying Nadal on the court...."it's easy to beat Nadal..."...they all think so but over the distance...it's a very different matter.

But once again, after Bautista Agut, Nishi also proved he is much more talented than Nadal. When I say Nadal would struggle being a top 50 talent wise on this current era alone, not many believe it, but it's there for all to see once again.

Likewise about his mental strength....he showed a lot of it when he realised Nishi was dead...but before that he was all over the place.

As far as I am concerned, this is just another fake trophy for the fake king of clay.
In that RG 2006 clip, Nole did what the child did in the story of Emperor's New Clothes, proclaiming the Emperor is naked, and that all the fake clothing was just a spin of words, just like all these tennis commentators do with Nadal.

There is only one Nole...but I'm glad others seem to have been encouraged by Stan's AO win over him.
How fragile Nadal's confidence disappears when he faces a fearless ball-striker, and now quickly it comes back when he sees a struggling, injured opponent. Utter coward!

Tenez wrote:No I think he was showing it too much.

Funny you show that clip. I was thinking about this very interview when Kei was bullying Nadal on the court...."it's easy to beat Nadal..."...they all think so but over the distance...it's a very different matter.

That is the case with most, but not with Nishi tonight. I really think the back was his problem.
You could see him slow down mid 2nd set.
A funny thought went through my mind - Nadal was not sweating at all during the first set and a half...he had no opportunity to.
This is the first time I've seen it happen.
As soon as he smelt blood though, he was bravely all over the injured Nishi, not only dripping, but pouring sweat.
That's his tennis. Buckets of sweat.

Tenez wrote:No I think he was showing it too much.  

I don't. The bit at the end was just him struggling with the circumstances and the occasion he had to retire in: his first masters 1000 final.
Real drama queens are cowards and Nishi is not a coward.

Nishi too has hired a celebrity coach - Chang, and he seems to have really taken off with him.
I couldn't recognise Chang, he has changed so much.

Maybe Tsonga needs to hire Noah!

The only thing, judging from his latest "hit" you posted here, Yannick is not interested in coaching but politics - probably wants to be French Obama

I know he was struggling, it was obvious he was...but he also emphasised it.

Yannick is a joke. He took on music and was very popular in France with a terrible cheap reggae music...then he supported Holland......The guy is beyond help.

Nadal had sympathy for Nishikori, saying: "I'm sorry for him. When you suffer something like that, it's really tough.

"I suffered a similar situation in Australia this year. So I know what I'm talking about and how bitter it is, especially when you're playing an important match."

  Shameless!

How can he compare? He got lessoned in AO simply because he was outplayed in the first set without being injured!..no different than here when he was also outplayed on clay on his tournament!

Just shows again how the greatest clay player ever has probably the worst clay game ever.....only the distance saved him once again....certainly not his tennis.

Yes, Nadal is another one beyond help.
He thinks he is providing a Show in which he stars as a humble, never-say-die hero...but the reality is - he is nothing but a bad clown in from a small town Circus...

Still, despite the disappointing ending, I'll remember this Madrid by Nishi's brilliant tennis.
It was a pleasure to watch him all week and especially today. He is so smart on the court and such an excellent ball-striker.
Just as I was complaining young players lack light-footedness and quick hands due to their size, here comes Nishi!
You compared him to Davydenko, yes they are similar in speed, but what I like about Nishi, he plays a lot more inside the court than Davy.
If Gutty is the new Ferrer then maybe Nishi can replace Davy.

We don't need a replacement for Nadal, do we?

Don't like to say I told you so, but...  It's not just about "fitness" which has assumed legendary status, but about conformation.  Bodies are different and frailties show up.  Each game must be tailored to the capabilities of the conformation.  Nishikori has a wonderful game but he will always be vulnerable to over-retrieving.  He can hit winners but he is not an initiator, an attacker - he's a responder and he will probably always cave over the long run.  Although he did hang with Ferrer, I give him that.

Classy guy that Nadal... celebrates full of glee when his opponent had to retire after being a set and break up.

bluenose wrote:Don't like to say I told you so, but...  It's not just about "fitness" which has assumed legendary status, but about conformation.  Bodies are different and frailties show up.  Each game must be tailored to the capabilities of the conformation.  Nishikori has a wonderful game but he will always be vulnerable to over-retrieving.  He can hit winners but he is not an initiator, an attacker - he's a responder and he will probably always cave over the long run.  Although he did hang with Ferrer, I give him that.

Do you see Nishi as a retriever? He can be depending on who he plays but v Nadal he is clearly the attacker.

FedererKing wrote:Classy guy that Nadal... celebrates full of glee when his opponent had to retire after being a set and break up.

It doesn't matter for Nadal to break the time rule after every point....as long as he wins
It doesn't matter for Nadal to break the coaching rule ....as long as he wins
It doesn't matter for Nadal to physically bully his opponent....as long as he wins
It doesn't matter for Nadal to use illegal supplements ....as long as he wins
It doesn't matter for Nadal to get rigged draws....as long as he wins
It doesn't matter for Nadal to play an injured opponent ....as long as he wins

Toni is clearly "the brains" of The Team

''We don't deserve the victory, Nishikori deserves it, he played better than us the whole time.
We had a lot of luck today. We didn't really come back, he was hurt.''

I like the "We". Clearly a team work when it comes to Nadal. I cannot imagine Anacone or Edberg talking in the We form when Federer wins something!