Madrid Masters Thread

[JuliusHMarx]

First topic message reminder :

Take it away Jahu.

[Jahu]

All Rafa fans who paid tickets, should be refunded tonight.

[Jahu]

Yesss go Nadal go!!!

[CaledonianCraig]

As horrendously as Nadal is playing, you have to give Murray credit here, superb.

Rafa is NOT playing horrendously. He was finding his range as others indicated here after a nervous start. I would say it is the confidence (which would have been brittle) has been shattered and you need to credit Murray's level of play for that.

Read the post you just quoted, I did give Murray credit he's playing great.

Yes I did but my objection is to the Rafa playing horrendously. You don't get to the final of a Masters not dropping a set by playing horrendously. Sure he isn't at his best but why is that? Murray's level of play not allowing him to impose himself.

[It Must Be Love]

As horrendously as Nadal is playing, you have to give Murray credit here, superb.

Rafa is NOT playing horrendously. He was finding his range as others indicated here after a nervous start. I would say it is the confidence (which would have been brittle) has been shattered and you need to credit Murray's level of play for that.

Read the post you just quoted, I did give Murray credit he's playing great.

Yes I did but my objection is to the Rafa playing horrendously. You don't get to the final of a Masters not dropping a set by playing horrendously. Sure he isn't at his best but why is that? Murray's level of play not allowing him to impose himself.

You can have both at once, Murray playing great and Nadal with probably one of his worst final displays of his career.

[Jahu]

Serve it out now and don't let go.

[Jahu]

We need 5:1 to be safe from this "legend" of clay.

[djlovesyou]

I like how you think it's an incredible thing to do, to actually give some credit to an opponent of Nadal.

Welcome to the world of supporting any other player.

Sometimes the other player is just too good.

[CaledonianCraig]

As horrendously as Nadal is playing, you have to give Murray credit here, superb.

Rafa is NOT playing horrendously. He was finding his range as others indicated here after a nervous start. I would say it is the confidence (which would have been brittle) has been shattered and you need to credit Murray's level of play for that.

Read the post you just quoted, I did give Murray credit he's playing great.

Yes I did but my objection is to the Rafa playing horrendously. You don't get to the final of a Masters not dropping a set by playing horrendously. Sure he isn't at his best but why is that? Murray's level of play not allowing him to impose himself.

You can have both at once, Murray playing great and Nadal with probably one of his worst final displays of his career.

Or Nadal playing good and Murray playing the clay court match of his life. Nadal's confidence had been built up in getting here but it was brittle and it has been eroded by Andy's play. Not over yet in any case.

[It Must Be Love]

Sometimes the other player is just too good.

Of course, and miles too good today.

[Jahu]

Andy ordering the umpire to turn his LCD away.

[It Must Be Love]

Or Nadal playing good and Murray playing the clay court match of his life.

OK, we'll agree to disagree.

Either way, Murray is playing sublime tennis and fully deserves this.

[Jahu]

Nadal precision has been a joke today.

[Jahu]

5:1

Come on leave him with a bread stick.

[It Must Be Love]

Nadal precision has been a joke today.

I think 25+ unforced errors now ?

[temporary21]

This is better than 2008 us open murray, maybe the best hes played

[CaledonianCraig]

IMBL not saying Rafa has been great, of course he hasn't but I wouldn't call his play horrendous. I'd say at mo Rafa now has to get his consistency back. He has got up to a pretty good level on the whole in Madrid but this shows that the consistency isn't there yet. No offence.

[Jahu]

CC, don't get all gangsta on us now, just cause Andy is winning

[summerblues]

Two attempts to serve it out. Can he?

[Jahu]

Yes he can.

[It Must Be Love]

IMBL not saying Rafa has been great, of course he hasn't but I wouldn't call his play horrendous. I'd say at mo Rafa now has to get his consistency back. He has got up to a pretty good level on the whole in Madrid but this shows that the consistency isn't there yet. No offence.

CC- your player has been sensational today.
I've always wondered how Murray has never done well on clay, it should fit his game perfectly, seems like that anomaly is over. Unbeaten on clay so far this season. One of the best performances of his career, certainly in a long long while.
Nadal has really let down the crowd here, he should apologise to them, 25+ unforced errors, when they've paid good money to come watch a final.

[djlovesyou]

Apologise?

Sometimes players play badly. Are you suggesting he wasn't even trying to win?

[It Must Be Love]

Apologise?

Sometimes players play badly. Are you suggesting he wasn't even trying to win?

No, when did I suggest that ?? Nadal always gives his 100%

[Jahu]

Nadal trying to hurt the public again.

Andy on MP!!!

[summerblues]

Yes!!!!

[bogbrush]

Look, as someone who is well versed in finding ways to explain away decline as temporary aberration this is what this is. Decline, and not temporary.

Happens to them all in the end.

[djlovesyou]

Apologise?

Sometimes players play badly. Are you suggesting he wasn't even trying to win?

No, when did I suggest that ?? Nadal always gives his 100%

Then why should he apologise?

If you give 100%, what more can anyone ask of you?

[Jahu]

hnahahahahaah what a shameful way to end it from Rafa.


Andy is the new clay KING!!

Andy to win RG before Djoko

[laverfan]

Congrats to Murray on a Clay MS.

[It Must Be Love]

Congrats to Murray, super performance and deserved the win

[summerblues]

That was sweet.

Congrats Andy, very well played; he never looked like anything but winning today.

Any chance he can finish this clay court season unbeaten?  Not something we would have expected from him previously, but on these couple of weeks' worth of displays - who knows?

[CaledonianCraig]

IMBL not saying Rafa has been great, of course he hasn't but I wouldn't call his play horrendous. I'd say at mo Rafa now has to get his consistency back. He has got up to a pretty good level on the whole in Madrid but this shows that the consistency isn't there yet. No offence.

CC- your player has been sensational today.
I've always wondered how Murray has never done well on clay, it should fit his game perfectly, seems like that anomaly is over. Unbeaten on clay so far this season. One of the best performances of his career, certainly in a long long while.
Nadal has really let down the crowd here, he should apologise to them, 25+ unforced errors, when they've paid good money to come watch a final.

For Andy I would say it is his best Masters win of his career. I have no doubt that his back injury hindered him a lot on clay. I think two occasions his back injury flared up t was when he was on clay. Hopefully, that back issue has now been rectified and he now looks to be playing with more freedom on clay.

[Jahu]

Andy has not lost a match since married.

Kim must be magic in bed

[Silver]

Well done Murray! What a phenomenal win

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go and find some good odds on the calendar slam

[laverfan]

@Jahu... Murray can still win 17 biggies.

[Jahu]

Andy at 7,130 points, +910 today, 3'rd place

Nadal at 4,990 points, -400 today, 7'th place.

[Jahu]

@Jahu... Murray can still win 17 biggies.

Of course, as far as he overtakes Djoko, I wish he does it

[Henman Bill]

That was sweet.

Congrats Andy, very well played; he never looked like anything but winning today.

Any chance he can finish this clay court season unbeaten?  Not something we would have expected from him previously, but on these couple of weeks' worth of displays - who knows?

Hm, looking at your comments on the thread, it's actually as if half of you expected Nadal to fight back and win at any moment! To me, it wasn't really heading inevitably to Murray until about 3-0, 4-0.

I think he can finish the clay court season unbeaten, but only if he gets an injury celebrating tonight....

[Henman Bill]

I've always thought Murray could do better on clay and I was surprised with his results on clay in 2012 and 2013 after a good season in 2011.

[Henman Bill]

Andy has not lost a match since married.

Kim must be magic in bed

Hm, you think the amount of sex actually increases in a marriage vs before, how very quaint of you !

[Belovedluckyboy]

So Rafa failed the test. His shots were all over the place, sometimes no power, sometimes short and sometimes overshot. My goodness, there's so much difference between playing during the day and playing at night. He managed 18 winners, more than Murray, but coughed out 26 UEs! He won many points at the net, so I think he failed to adjust his game plan in time, only moved forward too late in the second set.

It's really disappointing to see Rafa playing like this, failed both times in front of the home crowd! Murray is consistently solid throughout the match and deserves the title. I doubt Rafa is able to do any better in Rome, with the draw that he has. I was hoping that Rafa played more aggressively by moving forward more often but he just stayed at the baseline for so long to play losing rallies vs Murray. It's time that Rafa and his team revise his game plan; players these days are hitting very hard when playing against Rafa, in comparison Rafa seems to be hitting powder puff shots! Very disappointing end to the tournament for Rafa, I wonder what positive he could take out of this final.

Congrats to Murray for his first Masters title on clay.

[summerblues]

That was sweet.

Congrats Andy, very well played; he never looked like anything but winning today.

Any chance he can finish this clay court season unbeaten?  Not something we would have expected from him previously, but on these couple of weeks' worth of displays - who knows?

Hm, looking at your comments on the thread, it's actually as if half of you expected Nadal to fight back and win at any moment! To me, it wasn't really heading inevitably to Murray until about 3-0, 4-0.

Yeah, but my concerns were not based on how the play went today but rather on their respective clay court pedigrees.  The match always looked like Andy was winning easily, it is just that I found it hard to believe it would end that smoothly without a hiccup.

I think he can finish the clay court season unbeaten, but only if he gets an injury celebrating tonight....

[BigGee]

Hello everybody, I spend most of my time on the rugby forum, a very frustrated Scottish rugby fan. I also have followed Andy's career very closely and lurk here occasionally and I have to say that I think that was not only his best performance on clay but probably one of the best of his whole career.

Nadal did not play well, largely because Andy did not let him. Give him the credit where it is due!

[temporary21]

Rafa was a step better in this tourny, a crumb of comfort, at least his results are in the right direction, he'll look to Rome trying to bottle the form he had in the Berdych match, at least its still there sometimes.

But Andy, you were brilliant, the best youve ever played, his third best win in his career to me too. If youre looking for odds on the calendar slam, the odds will be slashed.

[Guest]

Just got in from a party. Frak me he really won??

[banbrotam]

Just got in from a party. Frak me he really won??

No. You've obviously drunk too much 'Carlsberg'

[Belovedluckyboy]

I doubt Rafa could bottle the form in the Berdych match when coming to Rome. Remember, if they're going to give Rafa night matches, he'll struggle like he did last year. The Berdych match was played in sunny conditions, Rafa nowadays has to rely on weather conditions to determine his form!!

Since Rafa is so good at the net, loses only one point there, why does he not come forward more, even on clay? I really really feel that Rafa's clay court game is outdated now, as soon as he loses his speed and power, he would have difficulty sustaining his style of clay court tennis, that of standing way behind the baseline and relying on his speed and power to turn defense into offense. Players are hitting so hard and serving so big now, that relying mainly on defense won't work well on clay. Even Ferrer is getting more aggressive these days, and comes forward more often. Rafa really needs to look at Fed for some inspiration. He's more than capable of coming forward, at least on his own terms, and he's also capable of returning serves at a more aggressive position like he did at the Berdych match, so why not hit a more aggressive return and then move forward to the net and tries to win points there instead? Rafa's mindset is very perplexing!

[Guest]

Just got in from a party. Frak me he really won??

No. You've obviously drunk too much 'Carlsberg'

So that means he probably won

Just fantastic!! Never thought Andy would win a Clay Masters. It gets better!

[Henman Bill]

Was he really that much better against Berdych? And that much worse against Murray? Murray was a tougher opponent. I didn't see set 2 against Berdych, but based on set 1 I'd say take out 2 winners and add about 2 UEs and that was probably all the difference there was.

[banbrotam]

Very impressive. Andy's simply been in that lovely groove he often gets in and looked like he'd rarely miss - which must be very daunting for any of his rivals

No. He won't win the French, but this is all looking good for Wimbledon and beyond

We now must all realise that the recovery from the back surgery took all of last year and that this is the most fit Murray has been in around four years (remember he mentioned that he first damaged his back 18 months prior to two years ago - when he explained why he was missing the French)

Rafa could have permanent issues. I though Nishikori played better than him and I'm not convinced that he'll even make the RG final

Novak will never have a better chance - next year the likes of Nishikori will be even better and so our favourite Serb needs to grab the opportunity

[banbrotam]

Just got in from a party. Frak me he really won??

No. You've obviously drunk too much 'Carlsberg'

So that means he probably won

Just fantastic!! Never thought Andy would win a Clay Masters. It gets better!

Come to think of it, I did treat myself to a bottle of 'Peroni' just before the final started. I'm now deeply worried that it's all been a dream - but no the ATP website states he won

We'll enjoy it while we can. Perhaps the most important thing is that in beating Nadal and even Nishikori he's back causing problems for the players he must do to win a slam or two more

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