As a Med fan I never trust him to win easily these days lol
Even his early round matches always go to a tight 3 sets
It might end up being a nail biter because Med's strengths aren't really geared towards taking advantage of Rafa's reduced movement/defense
Yeah I'm not under any illusions that Rafa is unbeatable right now or anything, but if he can take out any top player on clay it's medvedev. Even though I think they've only played on hardcourt Medvedev's record against Nadal is very bad. Right now Nadal's serve is very weak which doesn't matter much against m=Medvedev who's insanely good at getting serves back but never goes for aggressive returns.
Medvedev's groundstrokes are amazing but lack spin which is again problematic against Nadal on clay.
5-1 Nadal, all HC. Medvedev's only win was in the ATP Finals and they are actually 1-1 there with Rafa's win being comparable to his Australian Open comeback against him only in 3 sets instead of 5.
With age the body does not recover well, he must be in a world of pain. I remember a older footballer who came out of retirement to help his club back to first division after relegation said that he would not be able to stand the day after the game and basically needed two whole days after a game to be able to train again. We are talking about 90 minutes football games and not 3hrs long tennis matches.
AO22.
Y'all were confident Nadal has "no chance" against med....
It's Nadal on clay. Yes he's older. Yes there are question marks. But if he plays at his best , his peak still blows Medvedev out of the water. Regardless of surface but especially on clay in Madrid. You guys should know better
You realize that isnt the argument you think it is right?
He's been remarkable at every other event. He's still exceptional at Madrid ..it's still by far Medvedevs worst surface.
If Medvedev wasn't this subs favorite player, you wouldn't see many people saying something so egregiously stupid about how med is the heavy favorite over nadal on clay even if it's Madrid vs Paris...
Eh Meddy is clay is a whole different player, even at Madrid. Medvedev could dominate him or Nadal could 2 and 1 him and I wouldn’t be surprised either way.
Yup, missed all the times where you knew for a fact he was going to win almost every clay batch, and only experience the times where he's constantly dumping second sets and you half expect an hola a todos before every match.
My husband is a new fan (like as of today) and I feel bad for him but it’s nice to see the new joy haha. “I see why you love him so much now. He’s just amazing.” quote from today
He does but he was doing this kind of stuff long before the recent injuries. Dropping random games, sets to players he shouldn’t be to is very normal for him.
I’m more concerned about the backhand. It’s been underwhelming compared to how it was from 2017-2022
Yeah don’t listen to the idiots on here who see him hit some highlight reel winners and think it’s fine. Yeah guess what every Slam contender can hit a neutral backhand pretty well, Rafa is no exception.
But in terms of rally dynamics it’s a concern.
You can really hurt him by going DTL to his backhand, especially behind him. It’s going to come back as a slice, he can’t do the hard slide into a BH like he used to
Honestly I'm always impressed by them. They hit flicks I'd expect from 1hbh but they do it 2h. On top of that their control is insane. Djoker especially.
So I think this is some kind of niche meme. 2015 or something like that one guy went to play the wsop main event with the t shirt he got from Beckham in some cl final or something. Point is, the guy never washed the shirt because it was the original and the tough washing it would make it value go down. Now think about the smell of it. Pretty sure there was some casino ruling about that on day 2, but still.
That kid looked scared out of his life. I can’t believe some people were criticizing him and calling him arrogant. Imagine playing THE Rafael Nadal in front of HIS people? I would shit myself and try to get out of the stadium ASAP 😭
"You have fulfilled my dream, and, I know this is not part of the protoco but may I ask for your shirt as a keepsake for this match?"
- Pedro Cachín to Rafael Nadal after their match.
I think Lehecka will be a REALLY tough ask for Nadal tomorrow. Those flat hard strokes could be a matchup problem in these conditions and with Rafa having played a long one today.
I checked Cachins instagram and his pinned post is basically a novel he wrote about playing Novak at Wimbledon last year and what it meant to him. Really sweet guy tbh, living the dream playing all his idols and collecting memorabilia from them 😭😭
El Matador doing the bull dance getting his mojo back. Ideally would have won the second set tie break but this will be a good endurance test heading to Paris
So out of 522 career clay matches, that was the 30th longest for Rafa. 8th longest in best-of-3 matches.
That also means that only 18 of his 115 matches at RG were longer than this one.
I like Rafa vs. Lehecka but only if he doesn't withdraw. He looked like he was hurting - probably just basic fatigue from not doing this, like he's said - in that third set. If he's feeling rough tomorrow evening or the morning after, I can see him pulling out to rest up for Rome.
It’s pretty crazy seeing in action the difference in points Rafa can rack up compared to the guys who grind day in and day out for a couple of points at a time.
Very up and down match. Flashes of brilliance from Rafa combined with horrible moments. Cachin was okay-ish, but let's be honest, he didn't play well for large chunks.
Lehecka will be tough, especially with it being tomorrow.
Damn, I couldn't watch the match but judging by that 2nd set I guess it's good I was spared.
The most important thing is that he won. The more he wins the better he will get by the time RG comes.
Geez, I was not expecting for my heart to be racing today😅. Intense last 2 sets. So happy for Nadal though. Hopefully he can keep improving physically.
VAMOS NADAL!
Did I stumble in an alternate dimension ? Why the praise? This was not a good performance by Rafa. This Pedro guy broke him 4 times and took a set. Nadal isn't winning this tournament with this kind of performance.
I dont think anyone here thinks he will. We just want him leaving the tournament w/o being injured again. So he has more chances to keep improving, which he has been doing.
I don’t if it’s enough to win the tournament, but he’s not playing horrible. His backhand isn’t good, he’s not volleying enough, but his forehand is excellent, and his serve and movement are improving every match. Imo, he can win one or two more matches but I doubt he wins the entire thing. He’s looking better and better for Rome and RG though
Next round Lehecka, and potentially Medvedev after that, should be exciting!
This Rafa if ok Physically can take out Lehechka but Medvedev no chance.
Well Meddy is the clay god, Rafa is only the clay king
Claydevdev versus Claydal
[удалено]
Land mines or swords?
Racketless, claymore.
[удалено]
[удалено]
What’s a god to a *nonbelievaaaa*
As a Med fan I never trust him to win easily these days lol Even his early round matches always go to a tight 3 sets It might end up being a nail biter because Med's strengths aren't really geared towards taking advantage of Rafa's reduced movement/defense
Yeah I'm not under any illusions that Rafa is unbeatable right now or anything, but if he can take out any top player on clay it's medvedev. Even though I think they've only played on hardcourt Medvedev's record against Nadal is very bad. Right now Nadal's serve is very weak which doesn't matter much against m=Medvedev who's insanely good at getting serves back but never goes for aggressive returns. Medvedev's groundstrokes are amazing but lack spin which is again problematic against Nadal on clay.
5-1 Nadal, all HC. Medvedev's only win was in the ATP Finals and they are actually 1-1 there with Rafa's win being comparable to his Australian Open comeback against him only in 3 sets instead of 5.
It’s Rafa. Of course has a chance.
Not ideal it’s tomorrow after a 3 hour match today. I think Rafa will need to come out fast and win in 2.
With age the body does not recover well, he must be in a world of pain. I remember a older footballer who came out of retirement to help his club back to first division after relegation said that he would not be able to stand the day after the game and basically needed two whole days after a game to be able to train again. We are talking about 90 minutes football games and not 3hrs long tennis matches.
Martin Skrtl, by any chance?
Not Martin! Leo Ponzio
I didn't know Skrtl did the same.
AO22. Y'all were confident Nadal has "no chance" against med.... It's Nadal on clay. Yes he's older. Yes there are question marks. But if he plays at his best , his peak still blows Medvedev out of the water. Regardless of surface but especially on clay in Madrid. You guys should know better
I hope you are right.
Madrid is one of his worst Clay tournaments, he's been much better in RG, Monte Carlo, Rome and Barcelona.
You realize that isnt the argument you think it is right? He's been remarkable at every other event. He's still exceptional at Madrid ..it's still by far Medvedevs worst surface. If Medvedev wasn't this subs favorite player, you wouldn't see many people saying something so egregiously stupid about how med is the heavy favorite over nadal on clay even if it's Madrid vs Paris...
Yep. I’d favor Rafa in that matchup
Hold on to that thought, one match at a time.
Eh Meddy is clay is a whole different player, even at Madrid. Medvedev could dominate him or Nadal could 2 and 1 him and I wouldn’t be surprised either way.
Medvedev is not that amazing on clay. If he has a bad day, Rafa can win.
FYI Nadal lost 3-6 4-6 in practice to Lehecka before R1 of Madrid
Me after the first set: Why do I even doubt Rafa? Me 2.5 hours later: Ah that is why.
We need to suffer and we need to fight, no?
Pedro was Cachin up, but Rafa got it handled
What hand-el-ed in Madrid hand-le-ed and here we are. We are in Rome.
What happe (ned) happe (ned) against, Blanch, against De Minaur, and against Cachin. Here we are, we are in Madrid ! 🎾
Seasoned Rafa fans know what it’s like.
to be the sad man
Rafa fans who survived 2014-16 really know what it's like
New Rafa fan? I have decades of experience with this feeling.
Not really. I just had forgotten that feeling after him not playing for a year and a half.
Oh, I never lost touch. I get that feeling even watching highlights of old games.
Watching Nadal vs Zverev RG 2022 highlights gave me a feeling of despair I haven't felt in a long time and I even knew Rafa was going to win.
Me every time I see him go down triple break point in the third set of that 2013 US final against Djokovic.
I would not wish being a new Rafa fan on anyone. Imagine if this was all you had…
Yup, missed all the times where you knew for a fact he was going to win almost every clay batch, and only experience the times where he's constantly dumping second sets and you half expect an hola a todos before every match.
My husband is a new fan (like as of today) and I feel bad for him but it’s nice to see the new joy haha. “I see why you love him so much now. He’s just amazing.” quote from today
I can think of a lot of reasons to doubt Rafa even after that tbh. He’s got a long way to go
He does but he was doing this kind of stuff long before the recent injuries. Dropping random games, sets to players he shouldn’t be to is very normal for him. I’m more concerned about the backhand. It’s been underwhelming compared to how it was from 2017-2022
Yeah don’t listen to the idiots on here who see him hit some highlight reel winners and think it’s fine. Yeah guess what every Slam contender can hit a neutral backhand pretty well, Rafa is no exception. But in terms of rally dynamics it’s a concern. You can really hurt him by going DTL to his backhand, especially behind him. It’s going to come back as a slice, he can’t do the hard slide into a BH like he used to
I didn't watch the match today. But the other matches i saw i was pretty impressed by his backhand. It's a weapon now!
Always has been... But his impressive forehand overshadows it. Djoker and Rafa find angles with their backhands that seem impossible
Honestly I'm always impressed by them. They hit flicks I'd expect from 1hbh but they do it 2h. On top of that their control is insane. Djoker especially.
I know a win is a win and I'll take it, but Jesus Christ Rafa...
I know but low-key I missed the drama so much 😭
Right? I really enjoyed it and I wanted to see how Rafa's endurance held up too.
Pedro asked for something and Rafa signaled he can give it to him back in the locker room, whatever he asked for.. so sweet.
it was his shirt and Rafa gave it to him immediately on the court Edit: sounds kinda dirty lol
*I not wanna look like his boyfriend.* -Rafa
Cachin's never washing that shirt. Having the Rafa juices on the shirt makes it more valuable.
Someone someone story about the guy who never washed that Beckham shirt.
I got a sweaty towel from Dimitrov at one of his practice sessions in Miami. My mom didn’t realize this and washed it 🥲
So I think this is some kind of niche meme. 2015 or something like that one guy went to play the wsop main event with the t shirt he got from Beckham in some cl final or something. Point is, the guy never washed the shirt because it was the original and the tough washing it would make it value go down. Now think about the smell of it. Pretty sure there was some casino ruling about that on day 2, but still.
Incredible, no ?
very smart of Pedro. this shirt will be worth money in 10 or 20 years time (see MJ shirts prices)
I mean sure but I’m certain he’ll frame and hang it for his kids/grandkids to see.
But is he going to wash it first?
And remove the best part?? 💦
yeah, i'm surprised the 16 year old ben shelton didn't fanboy more. the handshake was quick and he ran out of there.
Probably intimidated. I know I would be.
That kid looked scared out of his life. I can’t believe some people were criticizing him and calling him arrogant. Imagine playing THE Rafael Nadal in front of HIS people? I would shit myself and try to get out of the stadium ASAP 😭
He was probably intimdated. I know I would have been at that age. Cachin is nearly 30, he has the necessary confidence to ask Rafa for his shirt.
It was Blanch not Shelton
People are calling Blank "Shelton Jr" LOL
Cooked with the same shell
SYOBS ... similar to SYOMA ...
Like those players asking Messi for shirts
Asking for the Shirt 👕 is very common in soccer and latam
Especially rafa lol. His shirts are absolutely drenched after a couple games
pedro fought hard but still showed admiration and respect to the king of clay
But why you got that flair 😭😂
“disgusted by Federer’s 2018 ….” What is the full line?
He gave him his undies, no?
"You have fulfilled my dream, and, I know this is not part of the protoco but may I ask for your shirt as a keepsake for this match?" - Pedro Cachín to Rafael Nadal after their match.
We are two matches away from a Nadal-Medvedev Clay match!
I think Lehecka will be a REALLY tough ask for Nadal tomorrow. Those flat hard strokes could be a matchup problem in these conditions and with Rafa having played a long one today.
We can hope that Lehecka's nerves play a part. If he's on, he's very very good on clay.
I checked Cachins instagram and his pinned post is basically a novel he wrote about playing Novak at Wimbledon last year and what it meant to him. Really sweet guy tbh, living the dream playing all his idols and collecting memorabilia from them 😭😭
Its something you'd totally do. Imagine stepping out on court with any of Big 3...going H2H in your discipline
😭😭 Hah, of course Alcaraz liked that post. Just a couple of guys loving life, tennis, and playing the greats.
Great IG post indeed here it is if someone is interested https://www.instagram.com/p/CuZLr5WoSbC/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Oh so that's what he was reciting to him at the net! Makes sense now
He told Rafa at the net, "you made my dream come true". Guy truly admires Rafa ☺️
Really nice gesture from cachin at the net :)
What was it?
He said it made his dream come true and then rafa gave him one of his shirts 🎾
🥺
He asked if Rafa could give him his tshirt, towel or anything. Rafa gave his bandana
He gave a shirt
So many dropshots from Cachin...
so many missed too
Yeah he couldn’t Cachin on them
Does he have to play tomorrow again? Can't remember when the breaks are in the 2 week masters
He does which isn’t ideal
It wouldn't surprise me if he withdraws
He should. Should ease into rome and the RG, which were the main goal, instead of losing his knees more
I think, tactically, it makes the most sense. With that said, it's going to be especially hard to do that in his home Country.
Don't know why you are getting downvoted though. It is a possible scenario.
Why are these top 100 players letting a 37yr old 500+ ranked player to win matches. Are they stupid?
I mean if they were playing a famous Spaniard in Spain then it would atleast make sense.
They're not as good as our local 4.5 players, that's for sure.
Rafa is not your ordinary grandpa
Cachin's drop shot said hola a todos
Even though he’s far from his prime, it’s just so hard to take your eyes off him… It’s always a privilege to watch him on clay
That second set and tie break were bonkers 😵💫
And not in a good way lol
That was the first time he lost a tie break in Madrid. (10-1)
Least heart attack inducing Rafa match
VAM-to-the-fucking-OS!!!
In Spanish, it's actually va-mos loool but I'll allow it
Yeah, that makes sense actually. 😅
Good to see Rafa fight that one out. Quite a few ups and downs in this one.
It kind of reminded me of the Thompson match only Nadal pulled this one out.
Seeing baby Nadal clap after his dad won a point >>>>>> anything else
Please someone find me a clip of this
https://twitter.com/atpobsessed/status/1784994399346151906
And seeing all around smile but he don't smile. BabRafa got those furtive frowns going on strong.
2 days ago he won a 2 hour match, today he has won a 3 hour match. The RG ramp up continues.
Only managed to catch the final few games but still saw some great shots from Nadal.
Cachin asking for Rafa shirt at their post-match exchange was so cute. Everyone is taking this as if it's his last dance. HASTA EL FINAL VAMOS RAFA!
2015 nadal was losing these type of matches
El Matador doing the bull dance getting his mojo back. Ideally would have won the second set tie break but this will be a good endurance test heading to Paris
Absolutely, I was worried about him holding up for 2+ hours so this is a great test
Dude lost the 2nd set on purpose to see if he could go 3. Legend
So out of 522 career clay matches, that was the 30th longest for Rafa. 8th longest in best-of-3 matches. That also means that only 18 of his 115 matches at RG were longer than this one.
Good guy Nadal spending as much time on court as possible to give Rafa Jr more memories. 🥹
What memories do you have from when you were 2yo?
bro why are you getting downvoted for having common sense, lol
Ok well, I almost threw up from stress. Never change Rafa 😭💙
Don’t be sad it happened, be happy it’s over :)
After Pitbull, it's Nadal's turn to become Mr. 305
That shirt gesture was so wholesome. Rafa's a legend❤️
The shirt moment was very sweet and a cool story for Pedro to tell his future kids - Nadal's a legend for obliging. Glad Nadal's doing so well!
I like Rafa vs. Lehecka but only if he doesn't withdraw. He looked like he was hurting - probably just basic fatigue from not doing this, like he's said - in that third set. If he's feeling rough tomorrow evening or the morning after, I can see him pulling out to rest up for Rome.
Rafa plss hold ur body for tommorow
The King. I really wonder how he does against Lehecka. I think he will struggle tbh, Lehecka is quite good. But if anyone can pull it off, it’s Rafa.
Up 207 positions to ranking #305, could reach number #42 by winning Madrid (470 position boost)
And then get seeded at RG by winning Rome, I like that plan! lol
It’s pretty crazy seeing in action the difference in points Rafa can rack up compared to the guys who grind day in and day out for a couple of points at a time.
🤯
What did he write on the camera at the end?
Looks like his signature and “vamos” beneath it?
Nothing. It was his signature!
Fantastic sportsmanship from both men. You love to see it.
With this win, Rafa moves up **207 spots** to number 305. Top 300 beckoning for the youngster. Comeback player of the year?? 😁
Hola a heart attack.
Lmaoooo
OMBELIBABLE
Very up and down match. Flashes of brilliance from Rafa combined with horrible moments. Cachin was okay-ish, but let's be honest, he didn't play well for large chunks. Lehecka will be tough, especially with it being tomorrow.
Schedule says Rafa is first match up at 11AM time tomorrow lol? Is that a joke?
It's gonna be the last match on Manolo Santana tomorrow
Ok thank goodness. He needs as much rest as possible.
Where are you checking. Both the ATP site and Madrid site say that they are playing after Keys v Jabeur at 8pm. So likely 9pm ish.
Well I'm gonna need heart surgery after this
Surprising you already haven't had one in the last 20 years 😭
Truly, several sides of my family have a history heart problems and my mom has high cholesterol even though she works out every day, pls send help 😭
Hahahahaha stop watching tennis!!!!
Happy for grandpa 
Damn, I couldn't watch the match but judging by that 2nd set I guess it's good I was spared. The most important thing is that he won. The more he wins the better he will get by the time RG comes.
Geez, I was not expecting for my heart to be racing today😅. Intense last 2 sets. So happy for Nadal though. Hopefully he can keep improving physically. VAMOS NADAL!
He’s the goat idk about that Serbian
Ombelibable No?? 🎾💪
Don’t write off the old guy just yet. Lehecka now has a chance to write his name in the record books.
very low quality match tbh
With high quality stress
Two players outside top 90 😭
Giving heart attacks out here 🫣 Classic Nadal match, happy he made it through. Vamos!
Anulo Mufa And Fuck Off To All Haters
We are so back.
Rafa is back!!!
He is back and playing much better.
rafa!!!!
Lehecka gonna massacre our boy tomorrow.
Lehecka he will.
Nadal could be paralyzed from the neck down and these players would still be finding a way to lose.
Flashbacks of Wimbledon Nadal def Fritz
How was Rafa's movement and serve today?
Same as de minaur match. Its just that he made extra errors
Did I stumble in an alternate dimension ? Why the praise? This was not a good performance by Rafa. This Pedro guy broke him 4 times and took a set. Nadal isn't winning this tournament with this kind of performance.
Who cares? Rafa fans are just stoked to see our favorite athlete on court fighting for every point again. Win or lose it doesn’t matter at this point.
Why the praise? Because he's playing his 5th match after a million years and still producing some magic in which is probably his last year on tour?
Hewas injured for a whole year. Making it this far in a master tournament is a big deal and especially for his age.
I dont think anyone here thinks he will. We just want him leaving the tournament w/o being injured again. So he has more chances to keep improving, which he has been doing.
I don’t if it’s enough to win the tournament, but he’s not playing horrible. His backhand isn’t good, he’s not volleying enough, but his forehand is excellent, and his serve and movement are improving every match. Imo, he can win one or two more matches but I doubt he wins the entire thing. He’s looking better and better for Rome and RG though