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Opinion: Why & How Rafa Has Regained Mental Edge On Djokovic
23 Comments · Posted by Scoop Malinowski in Articles, Scoop
I don’t think it’s anything technical or any certain shots, Nadal simply wants it more than Djokovic. He has more adrenaline and fury than Djokovic and this seems to propel him above Djokovic in the crunch.
Nadal is a very very unique creature in how he can raise his intensity levels to abnormal heights.
Djokovic can’t match him. In order for Djokovic to regain the edge he had on Nadal in 2011, I feel he must somehow want it more than Rafa, if that’s humanly possible. Rafa has clearly altered his mental and physical arsenal since suffering through those seven consecutive defeats to Djokovic two years ago.
Now Djokovic has suffered through two straight losses to Rafa and it has to be eating him up inside. He once had control of this incredible rivalry, now he’s the pigeon.
To my senses, the tell-tale sign of the match was the end of the third set and the tiebreak. Just listen to the two player’s grunts on shots at the climax of the match, Nadal is playing as if his life is on the line, grunts of desperation, passion and ultimate determination.
Djokovic’s are different, normal, regular, his facial expression is almost stoic while Rafa seems possessed by something. The way I see it is clear — Djokovic doesn’t quite want it as desperately as Rafa does.
That’s the difference, that’s the fine line between winning and losing these incredible matches between two marvels Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Who wants it the most.
Right now, it’s Rafa.
(Nadal sketch art by Michigan-based artist Stephen Burkett.)
Scoop Malinowski · August 11, 2013 at 9:48 am
A few more points. I now believe Rafa is the greatest player in history. The overal record on all surfaces. OLY gold. Davis Cups. Head to head on Fed. And the latest highlight for his legacy is overcoming Djokovic. I have never seen a top player lose SEVEN times in a row to another top player and then regain the mental edge, like Rafa has. This is another aspect of Rafa’s greatness. It’s like the boxer who is KOed multiple times and comes back much better stronger and smarter (like Lennox Lewis and Wladimir Klitschko for two examples). Rafa has now overcome Djokovic who overcame Rafa and Fed. Rafa has taken tennis to a new higher level. Djokovic has got to be in disbelief that he has lost his stanglehold on Rafa — and is now caught in the stranglehold himself 🙂
Dan markowitz · August 11, 2013 at 12:17 pm
Are you jumping the gun a bit. What happens if Djoko wins the Open and beats Nadal? Nadal played a great match last night but Djoko can play better and over 5 sets on hard courts, I still like him over Nadal. But let’s see…
Scoop Malinowski · August 11, 2013 at 2:33 pm
This is twice in a row Dan, a pattern has become apparent, Rafa is outwilling and outfighting and outlasting Djokovic. Rafa is asking the questions and Djokovic isn’t coming up with the answers. Djokovic must up the ante, up the adrenaline, find a way to want it more than Rafa. It remains to be seen if he can do that.
Dan Markowitz · August 11, 2013 at 5:31 pm
Nadal was amazing again today, Scoop. Do you rate Milos the Missile a top-flight player?
And what about in Cincy. A guy named McKenzie McDonald beat Nicolas Mahut. Have you ever heard of McDonald? He’s American. And get this, Robbie Ginepri beat Bernard Tomic!! Like 2 and 4. What is with this Tomic? Does he just only get up for isolated events? Who will he lose to next–Alexandra Stevenson?
JMNeubie · August 11, 2013 at 6:45 pm
I’d like to think that Rafa has solved the Novak Riddle but two victories is not enough of a sample. If Rafa beats him at the US Open, then we may be witnessing a true swapping of fortunes. But not just yet. Novak is a very powerful and formidable player but I swear he couldn’t miss in 2011. That aura is not there any more. But just 2 years ago, I think he truly felt he absolutely could not lose. I saw him make some absolutely insane shots that he would have missed 99 times out of 100. Those were frustrating days for Rafa fans. Now he’s only super human instead of tennis Demi god.
Looking forward to more excitement in Cinci and NYC before the grand slam season concludes!
Scoop Malinowski · August 11, 2013 at 9:01 pm
Dan I think Milos is evolving into a top player, but it will take time. This was a big week for him, to make the finals of a Masters Series is a big achievement. This is a beginning. There’s still a ways to go, Milos is a smart guy with a major weapon and he will find his way to be a top flight player.
Scoop Malinowski · August 11, 2013 at 9:05 pm
JM I believe it’s 5 out of 6 for Rafa vs. Djokovic. That’s a big problem for Djokovic to overcome. He has to be doubting himself now vs. Rafa. It’s back to the old pattern of Rafa edging these close matches like last night and Paris. But I do believe Djokvoic will respond to these losses and figure out how to regain the upperhand on Rafa. He can do it, he has done it. It’s possible that Djokovic is simply not the same player he was in ‘ll there has been a drop off and Nadal has capitalized. This Rafa-Nole rivalry is absolutely fascinating and perhaps the most intriguing rivalry of all time.
Dan Markowitz · August 12, 2013 at 8:48 am
Djoko has been a bit of a disappointment losing to Nadal, Murray and Nadal again in his last clay, grass and hardcourt finals. It seems as if the Big 4 is really only the Big 3 and they have separated themselves from the field even more than usual.
Del Po always breaks down. It’s a miracle he won the one slam.
Fed is creaky.
Berdych is losing to Pospisil.
Tsonga is probably on the French Riviera now swilling red wine.
Would anyone not be shocked if Djoko, Nadal or Murray wins the next five slams?
Scoop Malinowski · August 12, 2013 at 8:52 am
Danny; That’s the way it will bee, domination by the Super Three. Djokovic seems to have lost his edge but maybe this latest loss to Rafa will spark something inside him.
JP · August 12, 2013 at 10:28 am
Has Djokovic significantly improved any part of his game the last 2 years? Maybe slightly better coming to net, otherwise what? He is less consistent than before and his main rivals are ready for brutal physical matches.
Scoop Malinowski · August 12, 2013 at 10:44 am
Djokovic seems to wilt under Rafa’s intensity JP. Rafa is playing with a grudge and fury, almost as if the ATP Tour stole something from him ) Djokovic has seemed to subconsciously tank a few matches in the last year or two. Djokovic has to get his hunger back. It’s not strong enough the way it is now to beat this version of Rafa. Though Rafa could be mentally and physically fresher after all the time off and the early loss at Wimbledon. JP how did it go at USTA sectionals? Was that in SYracuse?
JP · August 12, 2013 at 12:42 pm
I feel like Djokovic is trying to concentrate too much on the majors, but with his playing style needs more time on court to sharpen his game, then his confidence will follow. He missed a real chance to give another big blow to Nadal’s ample ego. Djokovic adjusted his schedule after he wore down in 2011, maybe he needs to adjust it again.
Pacific Northwest, Scoop. Had a great time but played the number 1 seed in round one, a bunch of upwardly mobile 20 somethings (with USTA ratings that weren’t quite accurate) against our team of middle age guys. My doubles match was a hard fought 7-5, 6-4 loss, but we played about as well as we could, and it was the closest match of the five.
Patrick · August 12, 2013 at 1:30 pm
I agree with Scoop’s point in the first comment about Rafa being the greatest player in the history of the game. The argument for Federer is simply that he’s won more majors. But if all we’re doing is pulling up wikipedia pages and comparing the number of majors won, then why even have the conversation at all?
I think Rafa is the best ever for multiple reasons, possibly the biggest one being his record against top ten players. Rafa owns EVERYBODY. Djokovic is his closest rival, and he’s up on him like 22-15 or something. Also the Masters 1000 numbers are telling. Also the Olympic Gold. Also the fact that he came in and continually stole the lunch money of the guy who had already been anointed as the GOAT.
Methinks said anointing was premature. I think Rafa is the greatest player in history.
But I have to disagree with Scoop’s assessment that Djokovic can’t match Rafa’s intensity. He sure matched it in the Australian Open final in 2012. Djokovic wasn’t giving an inch. Now I do agree that Djokovic hasn’t been as mentally tough in some recent matches against Rafa and that has cost him the match (e.g. his obsession in the French Open final with whether they were going to water the courts). But that’s a different deal from intensity. And I think that if Djokovic can keep his cool for five sets, that he will more likely than not end up beating Rafa in the USO final if that’s where they end up meeting (or semifinal…either way).
The reason I think that is that Djokovic does have a bit of a tactical advantage against Rafa. He is the one guy that will get the better of Rafa in a baseline rally, and that forces Rafa to adopt an aggressive style that is very much against his nature. He did it in 2010, and that was some of the best tennis I’ve ever seen him play, but he doesn’t usually play like that. He usually resorts to his clay court style and plays well behind the baseline, and the result of that is that Djokovic just runs him all over the court.
I hope I’m wrong, and I hope that Rafa does show us some of that 2010 US Open hardcourt form. I really like Rafa, and so I’d love to see him get another US Open title. And of course if he does, that will just further strengthen his argument as the best ever.
Regarding Raonic: that guy is miles away from being elite. He has one shot. I repeat: he has one shot. Every other part of his game is weak. His return of serve blows. His movement blows. His groundstrokes blow. His volleys blow. I just don’t think he’s particularly good at the game of tennis. Just good at serving.
HOWEVER, I really like Pospisil. I think he has more upside than Raonic. He can really move. Montreal was the first time I had seen him play, but I really enjoyed watching him, and was impressed with his game.
Scoop Malinowski · August 12, 2013 at 2:22 pm
Agree Patrick, but Djokovic almost seems to be playing Rafa now as if he thinks he’s entitled to beat him, as if he knows he’s better and will beat him when he really puts his mind to it. Like he’s trying to beat him now, thinks he can beat him in fourth gear. Now after this loss, he will have to crank up the intensity gear to fifth gear. Rafa has upped his game since 20ll, clearly he’s more ferocious and hungry, he’s made some changes. Now the ball is in Djokovic’s court, he has to modify his game slightly and his mental approach. I reckon he will. Gonna be interesting.
Scoop Malinowski · August 12, 2013 at 2:31 pm
And that loss really hurts his quest for no. l JP. Rafa could be in the driver’s seat now for the top ranking. Maybe this year it will come down to London which would finally make the WTF very interesting as the last few races were settled before WTF. Sounds like a good time at USTA Sectionals JP. I was in that for 4.0 a few years ago and it was ultra competitive. So many good teams, you need almost a miracle and good luck to make nationals. As long as you threw the kitchen and bathroom sinks, and maybe a few random objects at em, hahah, that’s all you can do. Gotta take your hat off to em (if they played fair).
JP · August 12, 2013 at 2:39 pm
Djokovic’s success against Nadal was based on his ability to fit the ball into either corner from almost anywhere on the court, and he changed direction almost at will. At the French his backhand let him down, here is was his forehand (and double faults). He still almost won both matches, despite not playing his best. If Novak is playing his precision ground stroke game then Nadal can act like Magilla Gorilla, it won’t matter.
I do feel Djokovic needs a bit more power in his game though, both Nadal and Murray hang around in too many rallies with defense and too often Novak has made an error. Maybe weight training in addition to all the stretching?
JP · August 12, 2013 at 2:48 pm
Yes the competition is fun and even for us 3.5 weekend warriors there is a lot of intensity. Before the match I mentioned, a spectator said to a teamate of mine that the opposition would blow us off the court. Instead people from the other team were coming up to me after the match congratulating us on our performance.
At this point in my life, small victories count for a lot, lol.
CS3 · August 12, 2013 at 8:24 pm
When 2 players are as evenly matched as Rafa & Novak are from a physical talent standpoint then the difference in the matches they play comes down to who wants it more & who has the belief that they’re going to win. This is a rivalry that will probably have it’s share of twists were each guy for a period of time has the edge. With Rafa, it’s all a matter of how his knees feel & the confidence & comfort level he has with his game because when he’s on, he is the best player in the world. I also believe Rafa is THE GREATEST PLAYER in history. The all time highest winning % in the open era of men’s tennis, the record number Masters 1000 series titles which figures to keep growing, being other than Mats Wilander the only player in history with multiple Grand Slam titles on all 3 surfaces which totally dispels the false claims uninformed fans make that he can only win events that are plyed on clay & most importantly his head to head record versus quite possibly the best trio of other top players in history makes him the GOAT in my opinion. The way he’s turned things around against his toughest & true greatest rival in the MACHINE that is Novak Djokovic is really unprecedented & is right up there as quite possibly Rafa’s most impressive career achievement which for a career grand slam winner & 12 time Grand Slam champion overall is saying something. The biggest key in this turnaround since the ’12 Australian Open Final for Rafa when it comes to turning the table on the Djoker is the fact that his crosscourt backhand & the angles it produces has gone a long way in neutralizing Novak’s ability to hurt him with the down the line backhand that was killing Rafa in ’11. Rafa is changing the direction of his shots as effectively as Novak now & is often running him around & pushing him back behind the baseline. Also, Rafa isn’t being threatened by Novak’s deep returns nearly as much these days because he’s serving a lot more effectively & is starting to serve more into Novak’s more vulnerable forehand side. Novak has been reverting to some of his error prone ways in big matches in recent months & isn’t holding it together mentally very well either. Nadal is the stronger player mentally & though this rivalry likely will swing back & forth in the next couple of years, Novak’s inability to put Nadal away when he had him reeling is something he will likely regret because it’s probably going to end up costing him at least a few Grand Slams on his final career total when it’s all said & done. Losing to Federer in the ’11 French Open may have cost Novak his best chance to win @ Roland Garros because he had Rafa where he wanted him then. Unlike some of the comments above, I do feel Rafa has the ability to maintain this level in a best 3 out 5 sets hard court slam final against Djokovic because he did it in 2010.I also feel Rafa is an intelligent & adaptable enough tennis player to move forward with this more aggressive style of play on the hard courts for the long haul. If he does, the other players on the ATP tour including Novak Djokovic have real reason to be very alarmed which I’m sure they already are. Rafa is back & looks as good as ever if not better-SCARY!!
Scoop Malinowski · August 12, 2013 at 10:43 pm
Rafa does look as good if not better than ever CS3. Players have told me he makes you suffer physically on the court. He plays to punish the opponent, no mercy. I don’t think one single player has a head to head edge on Rafa. Even Fed and Sampras had guys who had winning head to heads on them – I know Hrbaty is up 2-l on Fed. Pretty sure Krajicek is up on Pete. And there are others. With Rafa I don’t think there is one player up on him, even from early in his career. He’s always been a terror to play, now maybe more than ever. But Djokovic figured out the solution to the puzzle and beat Rafa SEVEN times in a row. He can do it again. I think. But then again, maybe Rafa will slam the door on Djokovic. Boy, that stumble into the net at the FO SF must be haunting poor Djokovic. Welcome to the site CS3.
CS3 · August 12, 2013 at 11:36 pm
It’s my pleasure to be part of this fine site Scoop. I agree Novak has the ability to go on another extended win streak against Rafa but at the same time Rafa has the ability to counter with a streak of his own like he’s doing now. 2011 is really the only time that Novak had the edge in this rivalry. Moving forward, I think it will be pretty even. Once Rafa regained the belief that he could in fact beat Djokovic again, it was a game changer. We both love & cover boxing so we know that you never let a dangerous fighter off the ropes when he’s reeling & ready to be put away because if they get a 2nd wind-LOOK OUT. It was more psychological than physical anyway when the rivalry turned in 2011. Like I said talent wise they are basically even. I do feel Rafa has more weapons in his game that he can hurt an opponent with while Novak is the more technical player. It’s Rafa’s unbreakable will to win, mental toughness, physical endurance & desire to conquer an obstacle that’s the difference I believe. Novak is the most resilient competitor in the game & is never out of a match but he does come apart at times mentally which is something Rafa rarely if ever does. Going to be interesting to watch this truly special rivalry unfold for years to come. Thanks for welcoming me & inviting me to this site. Look forward to discussing future tennis related topics with you & the other followers of this site!!
Patrick · August 13, 2013 at 2:22 am
Scoop,
Davydenko has Rafa 6-5 in the head to head. I wish they would play again so Rafa could set this straight.
Scoop Malinowski · August 13, 2013 at 8:33 am
Yes CS3 I really think this rivalry is something very special for tennis, it is so unique, two simply incredible champions going to all out war, you got one player getting tagged on the chin with a power shot, the other’s dad sniping in the media about Rafa, then the matches are all amazing spectacles to see, just total battles and always a great match. This is the ultimate rivalry of tennis. I’m sure Jack Kramer, Pancho Gonzalez, Bill Tilden, Lew Hoad, Fred Perry etc. have their bowls of popcorn for each match up in Heaven )
Scoop Malinowski · August 13, 2013 at 8:35 am
Whoa, good call Patrick forgot about Davydenko. What a strange player he has been. Rafa has to rectify that anomaly, I’m sure he will.