@@Anticommunism99 No -- much, much, much better than Soderling (moves considerably better, power slightly less [but generates power more easily], more spin, better defense, but most importantly: MUCH more mentally tough). Jannik is a Tomas Berdych with a slightly weaker serve, and MUCH better movement/mental toughness/defensive work -- he is what so many thought Berdych was gonna be like (way back when Tomas was a much talked-about junior just starting his ATP career) ...
Sloppy first set for both guys. Sinner still has a lot to learn but that will come with age. Rafa still looks rusty. Hopefully he will go far to fine tune for the French Open.
@@patricksweeney5308 Yup, he plays much better in the second set but still not yet reached vintage Nadal. I know Sinner really wanted the win bc Nadal keeps on beating him in their last few meetings, probably because he is in his home country and of course, beating Nadal is always a great feat, especially for Sinner. He will be a great player on all court. His clay skills is growing with every tournament.
@@peace4myheart Yeah, if you watch some older footage of Nadal on clay it's truly incredible. Like that final against Stan in 2017 at Roland Garros. That was almost perfect clay tennis. Age does eventually catch up to us, but his level may still be good enough. He needs to get a bit more consistent with keeping the ball deep.
@@patricksweeney5308 At best you could say it'd be a toss up with Thiem. But seems you're putting him (Thiem) at Big 3 level, and I'm sorry, but he just hasn't proven that yet...
@@donquixote... Thiem went 2-0 against Nadal last year, almost beat Djokovic in the AO and has a pretty close head to head with Djokovic and Nadal. He beat Djokovic in the last two World Tour Finals and is leading the head to head with Federer as well. Make no mistake, Thiem at his best level is the real deal.
Are you saying Federer can't handle him lol. Well fuck you then, Fed would give him the Nadal treatment, just as bad, when he plays his best tennis, he can beat Nadal and Djokovic on clay, he just needs to control his anxiety, and not get tight, he will try and get his 21st slam in Nadal's backyard.
@@Anticommunism99 ahah he is 19 and you're talking of a 'good player'. JUST look at his face when he shakes hands with Rafa at the end... you'll understand what he has in his mind ;)
Rafa taught me a valuable lesson in life: Persevere...Persevere...Persevere. He's not at his best lately, for sure. But still used all his skills to get through today. RESPECT.
Jannik never ceases to amaze me, what an incredible player. Sad that he lost, but what a performance against Rafa, he certainly is learning from this matches.
Let's face it, he'll probably never beat Nadal on clay, until Nadal reaches 50, just like Med will probably never beat Novak on hard court, until Novak turns 40.
@@pauljohnson6019 WHAT?! He beat Novak in Cincinnati 2019, 2020 Nitto ATP Finals and the USO final 2021. And here I thought you "knew everything" about tennis, but it clearly turns out to be the other way round
Sinner had the right strategy early on, which was to play deep looping shots that forced Nadal back and prevented him from putting a lot of weight on his returns. But, later, for some reason, he abandoned that strategy and tried to beat Nadal in a slug-fest, which was never going to happen.
Well depends where. Rome and RG are similar venues whereas Madrid is like playing on a hard court cuz of the altitude. I think Sinner wud have won if this was in Madrid. It was very Similar playing style as Zverev today.
@@bbcc133 He had a few forehands at 4-4, that he totally went apeshit! Anywhere is the court, with normal pace, would have won his the point, Nadal baited him, he took it, and got himself in a deep hole, which he never recovered.
yes on slow clay like italian open and french open it's difficult to beat nadal, but on fast clay like madrid plus altitude, it's not difficult to beat him, perfect example was last week in madrid. nadal lost convincingly in straight sets to zverev.
once again very impressed by sinner - and i love how upset he was after the matchpoint, he is hungry for more. he will get more with that talent, hunger, hard work and passion for the sport. looking forward.
I think I've finally understood Rafa's routines before and after points and during changeovers. It's about his mental submission to the process. These aren't vague superstitions. It's what keeps him grounded. When he's playing outrageously good, this humbles him and reminds him that it's his commitment to the process that enabled him to play that way. And when he's not playing well by his standards, it helps him put things in perspective and refocus on the process to see if it can potentially win him the match. He doesn't see himself as greater than the game or a master of the game, more a lifelong, ever-evolving student. I've been a lifelong passionate Federer fan, but in my humble opinion, these are undeniably the attributes of THE GOAT.
Sinner has played the 2 best players on the planet (probably ever) in a couple of week's time...now he knows where he stands and what he needs to improve upon.
Absolutely. But Sinner is future world no 1. I've never seen any teenager playing at this level on clay against Rafa. Sinner actually served better at RG against Rafa. Sinner's serve is letting him down. Broke twice in the first couldn't consolidate then again in the second the same thing happened. If he improves his serve he will turn into a beast in the next couple of years.
@@spiceup356 How is this about Sinner? Sure he's probably the best next gen player so far, but this is Rafa's victory which he deserved and simply played the better tennis today.
I think Jannik needs these losses to grow, he had a comfortable 4-2 lead in the second set and ended up losing 4 straight, it’s only up from here you often forget he’s only 19!
Sinner proving once again the praise is well given. He is working hard, no fuss about it and just strikes the ball so damn clean. With his attitude, he ll find ways to win the easy and the important points soon. Next Gen should be well aware - they may outlast Rafa, Roger and Novak agewise, but they cant outlast the sinnerman
I'm one of guys who doubted Rafa's ability to get past Sinner, due to his relative slump in play recently. I still think he has (temporarily) lost that intimidation factor on clay, Sinner was supremely confident trying to force the play, by taking the ball early. But say what you want about Rafa, the man is always trying. With due respect to Novak and Roger (who are the two greatest front-runners in tennis) but when chips are down, i'll bet of Nadal out of the BIG 3. The man is capable of even rising from his coffin, to win Roland Garros for one final time.
People don't get that Madrid is like playing on a hard court because of the altitude TOTAL opposite of RG. It's why Rafa has won RG 13 times. It is the absolute perfect setting and clay court and altitude and speed for his game. Madrid isn't. Whereas Rome is similar to RG and Barcelona too. Monte Carlo is very similar to Madrid. Faster clay court. RG is the slowest and heaviest. It's why he loves it there! I wudda bet the farm he wasn't gunna win Monte or Madrid. But Barcelona and Rome yes! Or better chance and of course RG Is very very likely he will win it for a 14th time. Point is, not all clay courts are made equally. Yes he is the king of clay! But the slower and heavier venues.
@@Aman-nk5uq well ya!!! Exact opposite surface to Madrid!! Of course he will. It's why hes won it 13 times and Madrid only 5. RG is perfect clay court conditions for his style of game. Madrids altitude makes it like playing on a hard court! Monte Carlo too. Too fast of a clay court. RG Is slowwwww. Hahha Rafa thanks the gods that The GS isn't played in Madrid😅😅
@@kjbennie9245 Most tennis enthusiast or aficionados, must be aware that Madrid plays almost like a hard court. It's in fact faster than some hard courts. But being clay, it has a higher bounce. That's why Rafa has won it more than anyone else -- 5 times. But you are mistaken about Monte Carlo. It is one of the slowest surfaces, even slower than RG and Barcelona. And he's won it 11 times, why would you bet against him there? The point is, if it's on Clay, irrespective of the speed, Rafa is still the man to beat. But considering he's past his prime and has lost some of that legendary foot speed, i'll bet on him winning on slower surfaces, rather than the faster ones. But Prime Rafa (2008-2011) was untouchable on clay.
@@Zeus-ei1ik yep! Good points!! Idk why I felt Rafa wud not win in Monte Carlo. He hasn't produced there in a while. He's turning 35!! He's not the 22 yr old anymore so I don't really expect him to win every clay court he signs up for... except RG cuz that's the only Tournament he puts 110% his heart and soul into!. Very good insight though 👏
Great match. Sinner will be a huge player if he improves his serve and some tactical decisions that he will learn with the experience throught the years.
He was 30:0 many times but still he lost the games. Almost every time he broke nadals serve he started to play differently and that was a mistake. He has huge potential but he has to improve his game in crucial moments. Everybody is impressed but didnt win a single set against rafa yet
@Avinash Anand He's started dedicating to tennis only (he was in the national skiing team as well) at age 14. Compared to his peers, he's got little tennis under his wheels. Give him a little bit of time. Looks like he's fast learner.
Sinner's game style fits perfectly with all the normal players, but not to aliens. Unbelievable level of tennis from both, if only the italian had a bit of serve he would have more chance to win matches like this.
GOATdal only hit half his first serves... far from an unbelievable performance from him. He was broken a gazillion times... he didn’t convert hardly any of his break points. He needed 7? match points... it was a great scrappy performance but far from a great performance
@@johntsela2525 obviously, but this isn't only lack of esperience... If u saw the match u saw that Sinner hasn't got a good first serve or a good volley, maybe he will improve this in the next years but it won't be as good as his groundstrokes that looks very clean and powerful in any position of the court
He isn’t even physically mature yet, not like a roided up 19 yo Kneedull who also beat a proven juicer in the final. FFS the fuqen naivety of the world to what is real and what is fake is just rediculous anymore. Every freaking casual believes in real life super heroes....
@@goldwolf0606 It was actually a great performance from Nadal. Had it not been great Sinner would have won ot hands down. NADAL used his experience to perfection to withstand the pressure. The level that Sinner produced today against Rafa on clay was outrageous. Sinner is an insane talent. He would've won this match against any opponent today with this level barring Nadal on clay. But at the end of the day I would say that Nadal played a brilliant match otherwise he would have lost
A great match from both men. Hopefully this will be the match that will finally get Rafa going in this Clay court season. Still many forehand errors but the fighting spirit will never die! Vamos!
This really was a great match. Nadal going back into his "king of clay" mode. Sinner keeps impressing me each time he plays a top performer, it's only a matter of time (and not much time!) until he regularly starts to win important titles. For today, great match, and was good to see Rafa perform at his level again (serving excluded).
What a delightful match. Enjoyed from start to end. Still bad choice of strokes by Sinner, but he's a real deal on clay. Very unlucky to meet Nadal in Paris and so early in Rome.
Nadal is finally playing as Nadal. Great match to watch. Nadal has to tweak his forehand a bit. Sinner has to learn to curl the ball on clay. Sometimes, Sinner goes for too much. Nadal is clearly stepping up his game. No double faults, not missing overheads, backhand is looking great and forehand need fine tweak's.
His serve was horrible... he is still not looking like himself. His average level is just that damn good. When he finds his serve, not even the second best on clay, Novak, has a chance... Bagelvic happens when GOATdal is firing on all cylinders.
Rafa hits with an open stance - which works great - except sometimes he doesn't 'lean in' to his groundies, so they land short and sit up for flat ball hitters. Then he has to run and defend, the point just got longer and harder. Rafa needs to lean in to his groundies early and move his opponents backwards, then play from there. I suspect the easy fix for his serve is to just relax a little at the top of his swing through contact. ;)
After this match, I'm once again sure that sinner will become the future Number 1 and the true successor of big 3. He needs to improve a lot his serve, especially the First serve, he needs to get obvioulsy more experience, he needs to learn to use better the variations, but he's improving a lot on this point. But the guy will arrive, he has the good attitude and when he will arrive it will be tough, really tough, for the other players to beat him. C'mon jannik, the future Is yours
Sinner has such a fluid game, such easy power. There are shades of Berdych, Djokovic, Federer. He was playing ping pong on clay at times. I know the match was played at night, hence a lower bounce but he was taking everything on the rise. On clay? Against Nadal? Damn. They were even on 0-4 shot rallies but Nadal edged the medium 5-8 and long 9+ rallies
Fantastic match!! Sinner was simply incredible, without much experience he did put Rafa under pressure.... absolutely!! Also Rafa is a big bully on court!! And when he started winning... Sinner was born! So well done to Sinner! JMHO
@@Leslie_-xm2vq ??Why do you say that? do you think sinner is not up to it? he is 19 years old ... and he will certainly not remain number 18 all his life ... we all think he will reach the top 3 in the world (including tennis players)
@@emanuelecovuccia8292 If with people you mean italians that support him just because he's italian, yes. But outside of your country there are better promises
Excellent match from both sides. A big step forward from Nadal who played a very solid match (B+) despite struggling with his down the line forehand and some key missed opportunities (set, match and break points). Thought he was in prime mode for the last half of the second set so that's certainly a big plus to build on. One positive in this clay season is that Rafa has faced a lot of power players with the game to give him problems so he should be well acclimated by Roland Garros.
I had predicted that Sinner would win in two sets, but he lost in two. Nonetheless, it was a great match. I think Sinner should have hit more backhands down the line whenever Nadal hit him higher balls to his backhand. Taking that ball early and hitting it down the line would break Nadal's rhythm (however, this is far easier said than done).
Listen to me. If Rafa's down the line FH is working half the time as it worked tonight, no one (not even Djoker) can beat him on any surface. It's just unreal!!!!
Nadal probably only played at 60-70% today from what I can tell, and still turned over this lad who's meant to be a future superstar, just shows you how formidable he is.
I mean come on Sinners dbl backhand at 19, in all honesty, looks even more insane than zverev and djokovic and thats saying something. Unfortunately not his day but what a display of quality being able to break Nadal's serve several times
Both of them were playing a ton of cross courts. I think it came down to who drew the biggest angle with that crosscourt and who effectively drew a down the line shot
This guy has improved from basics to super pro in 4 years. If this is the speed jannik is rank 1 in 4 years. If sinner was a stock I would surely invest in it.
It's very good for sinner, that he is angry after losing, because of many players don't get upset, when they lose rafa. "Because its RAFA!" No, no idols on court, if you want to be the best ! Look at Rafa for example, he hate opponent on court.
I don't mind saying I predicted Jannik would win, so yes, I was wrong. And yet, what an instructive match. I think Jannik is every bit as strong technically, but the big difference was the tactical side to the match. Rafa is a master. The young guns are coming. If Jannik can learn from this match (and I'm sure he will), he will do even better in future. And that, is scary!
Nadal is a great star with an almost 20-year experience on tour, there's really no use comparing an experienced player who's still around the top of his game, and on his best surface, to a 19-year-old, who's showing his incredible skill and match readiness every single time he's on court. Nadal won a slam when he was 19? sure, that's another "great comparison". When Nadal was 19 there was no experienced Nadal to compare him to so this conversation has no depth at all. Professional endurance sports change constantly, technology, training, body care and all of this is getting more and more advanced, which also affects longevity of a pro athlete, so players like Nadal can stay on tour for such a long time and still win. He wouldn't be able to keep it up on talent alone, obviously. And Sinner's playing against Nadal like a true pro, he'll go places and veeeery shortly too. And when he builds up some more muscle, and still better movement, he'll be indestructible. His face expression after this match shows he knows it too, he had chances, it was a close match, he's very ambitious and aware of his incredible capabilities. Time will tell of course, but he's been consistent enough so far, so fingers crossed for his development into a champion.
Groundstrokes/skills only offer you so much, but mental toughness gives you titles, sinner doesn't have that yet. It is tough mentally to maintain at very high level, just watch thiem this year.
Un resumen de jugadas impresionantes sinceramente. Y te queda una clara sensación, y es que si a Rafa no lo crucificás cuando tenés la opción para obtener y capitalizar ese momento, después sos boleta. Igualmente... Jannik demostró una calidad excepcional, hizo todo bien y aún así perdió...se vió ofuscado y enfrentado al GOAT en polvo de ladrillo🐐👑🎾
Its not age ( see Becker, Chang, Nadal, Borg, Mac, Wilander et al ) its MATURITY. It takes more than brainless bashing to defeat Big Three ...bashing is timing and its tough to see how that timing is being disrupted by variable spin and pace. Fastballs are easy to time - breaking balls are difficult. Experienced competitors know timing attacks are the most sophisticated and subtle of attacks. Its mentally taxing to have to calculate different timing on every shot and this becomes decisive when fatigue and pressure mounts. Experience does not guarantee maturity. See Nextgens et al.
@XRP SNIPER i am blonde with green eyes and i am italian. probably u don't that much about us.Most of my friends are pale with blond hair , what is your point ?
@XRP SNIPER I'm just as pale as him and I'm 100% italian. You don't base nationality on skin colour. But other than that, one can say he's not like any "average" italian because he was indeed born from a german speaking family and grew up in a mostly german (austrian) region of Italy
Sinner has a Super Cool name, & just evaporates the ball off both wings & he's only like 42lbs. Lol, he's definitely going to have an AwesomeSauce Career!! ✌🤣
So interesting to see, something I noticed compared to now is how short Jannick’s groundstrokes are. He’s hitting the majority of them basically mid court around the service line. If you watch him now, they’re mostly going to the baseline, really interesting little comparison
Sinner's groundstrokes are just fantastic and he's only 19... Incredible future
Yeah...hes kinda a between generations phenom.
Real extreme grip on both wings - crazy see how much pace he gets
His main skill is hitting the ball very hard
Soderling number 2
@@Anticommunism99 No -- much, much, much better than Soderling (moves considerably better, power slightly less [but generates power more easily], more spin, better defense, but most importantly: MUCH more mentally tough). Jannik is a Tomas Berdych with a slightly weaker serve, and MUCH better movement/mental toughness/defensive work -- he is what so many thought Berdych was gonna be like (way back when Tomas was a much talked-about junior just starting his ATP career) ...
What a highly entertaining match that was between Rafa and Sinner! I'm so impressed with Sinner's composure on court!
Sloppy first set for both guys. Sinner still has a lot to learn but that will come with age. Rafa still looks rusty. Hopefully he will go far to fine tune for the French Open.
@@patricksweeney5308 Yup, he plays much better in the second set but still not yet reached vintage Nadal. I know Sinner really wanted the win bc Nadal keeps on beating him in their last few meetings, probably because he is in his home country and of course, beating Nadal is always a great feat, especially for Sinner. He will be a great player on all court. His clay skills is growing with every tournament.
@@peace4myheart Yeah, if you watch some older footage of Nadal on clay it's truly incredible. Like that final against Stan in 2017 at Roland Garros. That was almost perfect clay tennis. Age does eventually catch up to us, but his level may still be good enough. He needs to get a bit more consistent with keeping the ball deep.
Very high-level tennis from Sinner! With that level of tennis, he probably would have beat anyone else on Clay except Nadal!
Not Djoko , also ..
Not djoko
@@patricksweeney5308 At best you could say it'd be a toss up with Thiem. But seems you're putting him (Thiem) at Big 3 level, and I'm sorry, but he just hasn't proven that yet...
@@donquixote... Thiem went 2-0 against Nadal last year, almost beat Djokovic in the AO and has a pretty close head to head with Djokovic and Nadal. He beat Djokovic in the last two World Tour Finals and is leading the head to head with Federer as well. Make no mistake, Thiem at his best level is the real deal.
Are you saying Federer can't handle him lol. Well fuck you then, Fed would give him the Nadal treatment, just as bad, when he plays his best tennis, he can beat Nadal and Djokovic on clay, he just needs to control his anxiety, and not get tight, he will try and get his 21st slam in Nadal's backyard.
Sinner played very well today, he just had trouble keeping the advantages he earned by breaking. Overall a great match
Just is not enough. That's the difference between a good player and a great player!
@@Anticommunism99 no! Youg great player vs exp great player
@@Anticommunism99 ahah he is 19 and you're talking of a 'good player'. JUST look at his face when he shakes hands with Rafa at the end... you'll understand what he has in his mind ;)
@@andreapirovano764 Rafa won his first grand Slam at the age of 19 so obviously he is not more talented than Rafa.
@@brunocardoso8583 Rafa (great player) won his first slam at 19. Sinner(good player) hasn’t
Rafa taught me a valuable lesson in life: Persevere...Persevere...Persevere.
He's not at his best lately, for sure. But still used all his skills to get through today. RESPECT.
This was Clay. He hardly loses on Clay anyway even at 35. 13 FO for a reason.
@@codegeek-il5fm Not true. Current Rafa is susceptible on faster clay court surfaces like Madrid. Prime Rafa is beast on clay, yes.
The best lessons come from Christ.
@@MadCapMag Tennis is my religion and Rafa is my God.
@@MadCapMag The best lessons come from Demon Pazuzu :)
Jannik never ceases to amaze me, what an incredible player. Sad that he lost, but what a performance against Rafa, he certainly is learning from this matches.
Only sad if you support Sinner.
Not sad that he lost!!! Happy Rafa won!!
Let's face it, he'll probably never beat Nadal on clay, until Nadal reaches 50, just like Med will probably never beat Novak on hard court, until Novak turns 40.
@@pauljohnson6019 These are baseless statements.
@@pauljohnson6019 WHAT?! He beat Novak in Cincinnati 2019, 2020 Nitto ATP Finals and the USO final 2021. And here I thought you "knew everything" about tennis, but it clearly turns out to be the other way round
Sinner played great and still lost in straight sets. Just shows you how difficult it is to even win a set against Nadal on clay, let alone beat him.
Yes, I'm sure that the "big 3 generation" will not be matched for a long time, but nonetheless Sinner did well in this match
Sinner had the right strategy early on, which was to play deep looping shots that forced Nadal back and prevented him from putting a lot of weight on his returns. But, later, for some reason, he abandoned that strategy and tried to beat Nadal in a slug-fest, which was never going to happen.
Well depends where. Rome and RG are similar venues whereas Madrid is like playing on a hard court cuz of the altitude. I think Sinner wud have won if this was in Madrid. It was very Similar playing style as Zverev today.
@@bbcc133 He had a few forehands at 4-4, that he totally went apeshit! Anywhere is the court, with normal pace, would have won his the point, Nadal baited him, he took it, and got himself in a deep hole, which he never recovered.
yes on slow clay like italian open and french open it's difficult to beat nadal, but on fast clay like madrid plus altitude, it's not difficult to beat him, perfect example was last week in madrid. nadal lost convincingly in straight sets to zverev.
once again very impressed by sinner - and i love how upset he was after the matchpoint, he is hungry for more. he will get more with that talent, hunger, hard work and passion for the sport. looking forward.
I think I've finally understood Rafa's routines before and after points and during changeovers. It's about his mental submission to the process. These aren't vague superstitions. It's what keeps him grounded. When he's playing outrageously good, this humbles him and reminds him that it's his commitment to the process that enabled him to play that way. And when he's not playing well by his standards, it helps him put things in perspective and refocus on the process to see if it can potentially win him the match. He doesn't see himself as greater than the game or a master of the game, more a lifelong, ever-evolving student. I've been a lifelong passionate Federer fan, but in my humble opinion, these are undeniably the attributes of THE GOAT.
smart comment
Spot on.
This kid is incredible, his backhand is outstanding and his focus and maturity is impressive for his age.
He's going far.
He’s 19. He’s not a kid. He’s a grown bloody man.
@@MadCapMag At 19 you are still a teenager and your body is not grown up at all
@@bisquitmacchiavelli-larsso3013 Grown. Bloody. Man.
He's devine
Nothing i use to play with him and beat him always
Sinner has played the 2 best players on the planet (probably ever) in a couple of week's time...now he knows where he stands and what he needs to improve upon.
Gotta hope he plays Federer then
That was epic ! Sinner was amazing but rafa....King of clay for a reason
Absolutely. But Sinner is future world no 1. I've never seen any teenager playing at this level on clay against Rafa. Sinner actually served better at RG against Rafa. Sinner's serve is letting him down. Broke twice in the first couldn't consolidate then again in the second the same thing happened. If he improves his serve he will turn into a beast in the next couple of years.
Sinner is a Beast! What a power!
The beast got trampled by the bull
@@goldwolf0606 yes Nadal is better so what? This is about Sinner and what a brilliant future he will have!
@@spiceup356 How is this about Sinner? Sure he's probably the best next gen player so far, but this is Rafa's victory which he deserved and simply played the better tennis today.
So what else can he do besides hit the ball very hard?
@@spiceup356 he got put in his place by an old man that’s what 😂
Sinner backhand is Djoko level.....two of the best Backhands in the game. He has all the tools to be number 1 someday
Lol djoko level
For sure.
One guy is a fellow goat and the other guy has probably not even hatched
@@danielcormier4813 Sorry what was that? Do you even still watch tennis or are you too scared to come out of hiding now that sinner owns your djoko?
And here we are
the power of Sinner is impressive
Very impressed with sinners preformamce today. Put on a great show for all of us tennis fans.
I think Jannik needs these losses to grow, he had a comfortable 4-2 lead in the second set and ended up losing 4 straight, it’s only up from here you often forget he’s only 19!
Sinner proving once again the praise is well given. He is working hard, no fuss about it and just strikes the ball so damn clean. With his attitude, he ll find ways to win the easy and the important points soon. Next Gen should be well aware - they may outlast Rafa, Roger and Novak agewise, but they cant outlast the sinnerman
I'm one of guys who doubted Rafa's ability to get past Sinner, due to his relative slump in play recently. I still think he has (temporarily) lost that intimidation factor on clay, Sinner was supremely confident trying to force the play, by taking the ball early.
But say what you want about Rafa, the man is always trying. With due respect to Novak and Roger (who are the two greatest front-runners in tennis) but when chips are down, i'll bet of Nadal out of the BIG 3. The man is capable of even rising from his coffin, to win Roland Garros for one final time.
People don't get that Madrid is like playing on a hard court because of the altitude TOTAL opposite of RG. It's why Rafa has won RG 13 times. It is the absolute perfect setting and clay court and altitude and speed for his game. Madrid isn't. Whereas Rome is similar to RG and Barcelona too. Monte Carlo is very similar to Madrid. Faster clay court. RG is the slowest and heaviest. It's why he loves it there! I wudda bet the farm he wasn't gunna win Monte or Madrid. But Barcelona and Rome yes! Or better chance and of course RG Is very very likely he will win it for a 14th time. Point is, not all clay courts are made equally. Yes he is the king of clay! But the slower and heavier venues.
HE WILLL WIN FRENCH OPEN FOR THE 14TH TIME THIS YEAR. A Federer fan here who would be sad when Federer's record will get broken but that's life.
@@Aman-nk5uq well ya!!! Exact opposite surface to Madrid!! Of course he will. It's why hes won it 13 times and Madrid only 5. RG is perfect clay court conditions for his style of game. Madrids altitude makes it like playing on a hard court! Monte Carlo too. Too fast of a clay court. RG Is slowwwww. Hahha Rafa thanks the gods that The GS isn't played in Madrid😅😅
@@kjbennie9245 Most tennis enthusiast or aficionados, must be aware that Madrid plays almost like a hard court. It's in fact faster than some hard courts. But being clay, it has a higher bounce. That's why Rafa has won it more than anyone else -- 5 times.
But you are mistaken about Monte Carlo. It is one of the slowest surfaces, even slower than RG and Barcelona. And he's won it 11 times, why would you bet against him there?
The point is, if it's on Clay, irrespective of the speed, Rafa is still the man to beat. But considering he's past his prime and has lost some of that legendary foot speed, i'll bet on him winning on slower surfaces, rather than the faster ones. But Prime Rafa (2008-2011) was untouchable on clay.
@@Zeus-ei1ik yep! Good points!! Idk why I felt Rafa wud not win in Monte Carlo. He hasn't produced there in a while. He's turning 35!! He's not the 22 yr old anymore so I don't really expect him to win every clay court he signs up for... except RG cuz that's the only Tournament he puts 110% his heart and soul into!. Very good insight though 👏
Great match.
Sinner will be a huge player if he improves his serve and some tactical decisions that he will learn with the experience throught the years.
"Tactical decisions". Spot on.
He was 30:0 many times but still he lost the games. Almost every time he broke nadals serve he started to play differently and that was a mistake. He has huge potential but he has to improve his game in crucial moments. Everybody is impressed but didnt win a single set against rafa yet
@@fib1478 during some games he literally played only against Nadal's forehand and rarely tried to change to move on his backhand, that's what he meant
@Avinash Anand He's started dedicating to tennis only (he was in the national skiing team as well) at age 14. Compared to his peers, he's got little tennis under his wheels. Give him a little bit of time. Looks like he's fast learner.
Sinner's game style fits perfectly with all the normal players, but not to aliens. Unbelievable level of tennis from both, if only the italian had a bit of serve he would have more chance to win matches like this.
Its not about aliens..its about experience..He is still very young and has all the tools to become an "alien" as you say..
GOATdal only hit half his first serves... far from an unbelievable performance from him. He was broken a gazillion times... he didn’t convert hardly any of his break points. He needed 7? match points... it was a great scrappy performance but far from a great performance
@@johntsela2525 obviously, but this isn't only lack of esperience... If u saw the match u saw that Sinner hasn't got a good first serve or a good volley, maybe he will improve this in the next years but it won't be as good as his groundstrokes that looks very clean and powerful in any position of the court
He isn’t even physically mature yet, not like a roided up 19 yo Kneedull who also beat a proven juicer in the final. FFS the fuqen naivety of the world to what is real and what is fake is just rediculous anymore. Every freaking casual believes in real life super heroes....
@@goldwolf0606 It was actually a great performance from Nadal. Had it not been great Sinner would have won ot hands down. NADAL used his experience to perfection to withstand the pressure. The level that Sinner produced today against Rafa on clay was outrageous. Sinner is an insane talent. He would've won this match against any opponent today with this level barring Nadal on clay. But at the end of the day I would say that Nadal played a brilliant match otherwise he would have lost
haven't seen a match lately where I'd be happy with whoever won. Now this showdown - I was rooting for them both!!
Sinner is top 5 quality on a lot of days, so great win for Nadal.
A great match from both men. Hopefully this will be the match that will finally get Rafa going in this Clay court season. Still many forehand errors but the fighting spirit will never die! Vamos!
This guy is very clutch - he saved umpteen break points, some of them on set or match points. He will be top ten in the next 18 months.
18 months? With a decent ranking system he would have been ranked Top10 weeks ago.
This really was a great match. Nadal going back into his "king of clay" mode. Sinner keeps impressing me each time he plays a top performer, it's only a matter of time (and not much time!) until he regularly starts to win important titles. For today, great match, and was good to see Rafa perform at his level again (serving excluded).
That look on Sinner's face at the end of the match when he shakes Nadal's hand is something to behold... Sinner is going to be a great one!
What a delightful match.
Enjoyed from start to end.
Still bad choice of strokes by Sinner, but he's a real deal on clay.
Very unlucky to meet Nadal in Paris and so early in Rome.
Fantastic match full of turn arounds, high quality tennis. Thanks to both players
Nadal is finally playing as Nadal. Great match to watch. Nadal has to tweak his forehand a bit. Sinner has to learn to curl the ball on clay. Sometimes, Sinner goes for too much. Nadal is clearly stepping up his game. No double faults, not missing overheads, backhand is looking great and forehand need fine tweak's.
His serve was horrible... he is still not looking like himself. His average level is just that damn good. When he finds his serve, not even the second best on clay, Novak, has a chance... Bagelvic happens when GOATdal is firing on all cylinders.
@@goldwolf0606 Kind of agree. But at least he is not double faulting like crazy. I want to see him against Sasha and Karatsev.
Rafa hits with an open stance - which works great - except sometimes he doesn't 'lean in' to his groundies, so they land short and sit up for flat ball hitters. Then he has to run and defend, the point just got longer and harder. Rafa needs to lean in to his groundies early and move his opponents backwards, then play from there. I suspect the easy fix for his serve is to just relax a little at the top of his swing through contact. ;)
@@dgarrido3381 Rafa has a brutal draw... tough match after touch match. Shapo will be his easiest match and he’s a recent top ten guy...
@@danieljohnson309 I can’t serve so I don’t m Le what he needs to do 😂 I just know he needs to fix it
After this match, I'm once again sure that sinner will become the future Number 1 and the true successor of big 3. He needs to improve a lot his serve, especially the First serve, he needs to get obvioulsy more experience, he needs to learn to use better the variations, but he's improving a lot on this point. But the guy will arrive, he has the good attitude and when he will arrive it will be tough, really tough, for the other players to beat him. C'mon jannik, the future Is yours
I like this kid alot! Both had such heavy and buttery hits :)
Rafa still besting these young talents on clay, has every trick in the book. Sinner has a great career ahead of him.
THE KING IS STILL THE KING!!! What a an inspirational guy he is, he never give ups, watch and learn kids!
Sinner has such a fluid game, such easy power. There are shades of Berdych, Djokovic, Federer. He was playing ping pong on clay at times. I know the match was played at night, hence a lower bounce but he was taking everything on the rise. On clay? Against Nadal? Damn.
They were even on 0-4 shot rallies but Nadal edged the medium 5-8 and long 9+ rallies
Sinner will soon have Masters & Slams for Dinner. He's just too good. Come back to this comment in a few years.
Not in a few years but at Sinner's age some players had already a bunch of GS... Sinner is still a promise.
Yeah cause we have nooothing else to do in our lives, we'll for sure think about this comment when Sinner wins a slam
@@Bolotism LOL good one. I guess i got a little dramatic with that come back to the comment thing. Cheers
@@siddharthgollapudi07, you do have a point.
Not so many, just a couple of years and he will challenge anyone for slams.
Fantastic match!! Sinner was simply incredible, without much experience he did put Rafa under pressure.... absolutely!! Also Rafa is a big bully on court!! And when he started winning... Sinner was born! So well done to Sinner! JMHO
I’m deeply impressed by Sinner! Tough battle!
Match bellissimo. Jannik farà strada e sarà il futuro numero 1
Yea, in your dreams
@@Leslie_-xm2vq ??Why do you say that? do you think sinner is not up to it? he is 19 years old ... and he will certainly not remain number 18 all his life ... we all think he will reach the top 3 in the world (including tennis players)
@@Leslie_-xm2vq no in the dream of all people
@@emanuelecovuccia8292 If with people you mean italians that support him just because he's italian, yes. But outside of your country there are better promises
So impressive by Sinner
Top quality tennis from Sinner.
Vamos Nadal! Gaining momentum for French Open. Go Nadal Go!
Sinner has a crazy backhand. He is a solid player.
Top 10 by the end of the year, he's improving so fast.
he's top 10 now. I predict brooksby and alcaraz next.
Great Play from both players!
Excellent match from both sides. A big step forward from Nadal who played a very solid match (B+) despite struggling with his down the line forehand and some key missed opportunities (set, match and break points). Thought he was in prime mode for the last half of the second set so that's certainly a big plus to build on. One positive in this clay season is that Rafa has faced a lot of power players with the game to give him problems so he should be well acclimated by Roland Garros.
this match deserved its own highlight reel
I had predicted that Sinner would win in two sets, but he lost in two. Nonetheless, it was a great match. I think Sinner should have hit more backhands down the line whenever Nadal hit him higher balls to his backhand. Taking that ball early and hitting it down the line would break Nadal's rhythm (however, this is far easier said than done).
Impressif how sinner play.
Nadal finally going for forehead down the line which is such a treat to watch
Listen to me.
If Rafa's down the line FH is working half the time as it worked tonight, no one (not even Djoker)
can beat him on any surface.
It's just unreal!!!!
Yup
Goatdal baby
I really like the Rome center court
Rafa at 70% is still amazing to watch!
Agreed, and Rafa does seem to be far from his best ... I hope he manages to resolve whatever problem it is that he has in time for RG ...
Hahaha, totally felt that 70%, so accurate
How 70%? Nobody in the top 100 is playing at 70% at any point in time cause you would get wrecked by absolutely everybody.
@@LouHillierPsych He'll probably peak at RG like usual.
Nadal probably only played at 60-70% today from what I can tell, and still turned over this lad who's meant to be a future superstar, just shows you how formidable he is.
That % you guesstimate is just laughable...
Thank you for the highlights !
I mean come on Sinners dbl backhand at 19, in all honesty, looks even more insane than zverev and djokovic and thats saying something. Unfortunately not his day but what a display of quality being able to break Nadal's serve several times
Both of them were playing a ton of cross courts. I think it came down to who drew the biggest angle with that crosscourt and who effectively drew a down the line shot
This match with audience in Rome would have been epic!!! And maybe different result!
God damn for such an exciting match we need the audience.
Jannik futuro orgoglio italiano 🔥❤🇮🇹
5 years later i think Sinner will also be a really good competitor and a champ. Nadal still has it. Like wow! 👌
Extraordinario partido que jugador Sinner sin duda el futuro del tenis.Tiembla Tsitsipas
The left arm from Nadal is incredible..........
Sinner looks to be a potential future world#1
This guy has improved from basics to super pro in 4 years. If this is the speed jannik is rank 1 in 4 years.
If sinner was a stock I would surely invest in it.
It seemed like a bold prediction 2 years ago, but now it is almost true. Impressive 😱
The Return of the King!!!
sinner doesn't even look him in the eye when he shakes hands hahahahaha
It's very good for sinner, that he is angry after losing, because of many players don't get upset, when they lose rafa. "Because its RAFA!" No, no idols on court, if you want to be the best ! Look at Rafa for example, he hate opponent on court.
imagine beating the king of clay when you're only 19 years old...not there yet but sinner is definitely proving his worth
Darn!!! Sinner is only 19 and he is playing this well??? Yeah he is most definitely going to be in the top three soon.
Nadal could get Grand Slam before he was 20.
@@yuttasakarakkitsakul4288 but Nadal is Nadal.... he shouldnt be compared
Nadal for his first GS when he was 19 years and 3 days old.
nadals screams at the first 200 matches was like (plz stop it bro he whats up?) but now i love them so much ... lets go rafa!!!
All Know Nadal, and you can imagine the high level of young Sinner, that reach to create many problems to Nadal in his favorite red
Even when Nadal is not on top form he still manages to beat such a fierce opponent as Sinner ...
The cross-court backhand to win the point at 2:33 is superfreakingawesome
I don't mind saying I predicted Jannik would win, so yes, I was wrong. And yet, what an instructive match. I think Jannik is every bit as strong technically, but the big difference was the tactical side to the match. Rafa is a master. The young guns are coming. If Jannik can learn from this match (and I'm sure he will), he will do even better in future. And that, is scary!
Sinner looked so disappointed at the end 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
He’s got a huge future
Wouldn’t you? He had GOATdal in both sets and lost in straight sets 😂
Yes, he was, I saw an interview at the exit of the central stadium and he was very sad.
You are right, as always :-)
😭😭😭😭 feel bad for him..
Jason Lee, being 19 yrs old can’t be an excuse to losing a match ,Nadal was that age when he won R G for the first time
but nadal is nadal what did you expect
Nadal was a beast at 19, Sinner is more like Federer who started winning slams at 23
Holy shit Sinner! That level of play would have destroyed the vast majority of players on tour!
Respect to Nadal though, that was a real test!
Sinner needs to improve his serve big time. He won’t wins slams or beat top 10 players with it being the way it is now.
He already beat three current top 10s
He is too predictable too
I would hoped to see this match in one or two rounds more
Hard fought victory for Rafa who ,still, looks vulnerable but should set the house in order before RG.
He will be fine 3 of 5 central court can't be stopped
Nadal is a great star with an almost 20-year experience on tour, there's really no use comparing an experienced player who's still around the top of his game, and on his best surface, to a 19-year-old, who's showing his incredible skill and match readiness every single time he's on court. Nadal won a slam when he was 19? sure, that's another "great comparison". When Nadal was 19 there was no experienced Nadal to compare him to so this conversation has no depth at all. Professional endurance sports change constantly, technology, training, body care and all of this is getting more and more advanced, which also affects longevity of a pro athlete, so players like Nadal can stay on tour for such a long time and still win. He wouldn't be able to keep it up on talent alone, obviously. And Sinner's playing against Nadal like a true pro, he'll go places and veeeery shortly too. And when he builds up some more muscle, and still better movement, he'll be indestructible. His face expression after this match shows he knows it too, he had chances, it was a close match, he's very ambitious and aware of his incredible capabilities. Time will tell of course, but he's been consistent enough so far, so fingers crossed for his development into a champion.
Impression sinner play so well
But nadal is so great the passion !!!
Glad to see Rafa's FHDTL back in action ❤️❤️
That match point: wow. Sinner was ripping backhands, and before you know it Nadal with the winner up the line.
0:56 that disguises backhand is so good it fooled me 😅
Te imaginas ese partido hoy en día, lo que seria a estadio lleno, como es la vida 😅
splendida prestazione di Jannick, ma il grande Rafa è sempre un leone!
Rafa ❤ what a performance by sinner
Sinner is the best player of younger generations behind big 3.
Watching sinner makes me truly appreciate how awesome Rafa was when he was at that age. ❤️
Groundstrokes/skills only offer you so much, but mental toughness gives you titles, sinner doesn't have that yet. It is tough mentally to maintain at very high level, just watch thiem this year.
Un resumen de jugadas impresionantes sinceramente. Y te queda una clara sensación, y es que si a Rafa no lo crucificás cuando tenés la opción para obtener y capitalizar ese momento, después sos boleta.
Igualmente... Jannik demostró una calidad excepcional, hizo todo bien y aún así perdió...se vió ofuscado y enfrentado al GOAT en polvo de ladrillo🐐👑🎾
Its not age ( see Becker, Chang, Nadal, Borg, Mac, Wilander et al ) its MATURITY. It takes more than brainless bashing to defeat Big Three ...bashing is timing and its tough to see how that timing is being disrupted by variable spin and pace. Fastballs are easy to time - breaking balls are difficult. Experienced competitors know timing attacks are the most sophisticated and subtle of attacks. Its mentally taxing to have to calculate different timing on every shot and this becomes decisive when fatigue and pressure mounts. Experience does not guarantee maturity. See Nextgens et al.
Lol Sinner didn't even look at Nadal during the handshake. Tough loss but very high-level tennis from both players.
2:58 - Nadal: "Bravo!"
Imagine the moment Sinner will build up muscles
@XRP SNIPER i am blonde with green eyes and i am italian. probably u don't that much about us.Most of my friends are pale with blond hair , what is your point ?
@XRP SNIPER,
I think you are confusing nationality and ethnicity, he is Italian of Austrian ethnicity.
@XRP SNIPER I'm just as pale as him and I'm 100% italian. You don't base nationality on skin colour. But other than that, one can say he's not like any "average" italian because he was indeed born from a german speaking family and grew up in a mostly german (austrian) region of Italy
@XRP SNIPER fortunately sometimes us Italians can be a little paler while having something that can be called "legs"
@XRP SNIPER somebody needs to tell Zverev that he DOES NOT look good in sleeveless. He needs to stop wearing those shirts!!
Sinner est fort parce qu'il s'inspire des meilleurs
This kid is defying physics! how can he hit so hard!
Sinner has a Super Cool name, & just evaporates the ball off both wings & he's only like 42lbs. Lol, he's definitely going to have an AwesomeSauce Career!! ✌🤣
So interesting to see, something I noticed compared to now is how short Jannick’s groundstrokes are. He’s hitting the majority of them basically mid court around the service line. If you watch him now, they’re mostly going to the baseline, really interesting little comparison