Each member of big 4 won grand slam 2012: Djokovic AO: d. Nadal Nadal FO: d. Djokovic Federer W: d. Murray Murray US: d. Djokovic Best year for this lot
@@aleksamilosevic8792 Ok, maybe not more passing shots. And admittedly, I did not watch that entire 2012 match. But based upon highlights, it appear to me as though Rafa hit more ridiculous shots during his 2009 AO final.
He did but Roger’s coverage at the net has gotten worse over the years. There have been over 100 times where Rafa passed Roger with a shot he could have gotten-no matter how good the shot is. Like at 13:10 Roger just stood there!!
Fed fan since 2005 but Rafa is amazing to watch too. He deserves all the respect. He can't be considered as a simple clay performer. On hard court, he reached many times a very high tennis level
I am blessed to be a Rafa fan. Roger, no doubt, was born to play tennis. He is elegant, he is precise and, when on song, it seems like he could do no wrong. But, with Rafa, it's like a roller coaster, a tornado of emotions and, when it's over, you are relieved and bask in the glory of his victory. It is as if we also did something momentous along with him. Wishing Rafa a healthy life and a long career full of victories.
Nadal is just the best at those wonderful passing shots where his opponent thinks, well if he gets his racket on that and gets it back it will be an easy overhead or volley but no, just when the ball is about to bounce for a second time and the shot looks impossible, then Nadal just ”UHHH” and BOOM! An incredible pass of a shot that looked hopeless. Nadal is simply the greatest passing shot player ever. No contest.
With that top spin on it. Fed was slumping, and was not doing a good job by not flattening shots. Through out the game he was lobbing balls nonstop, and even though nadal did too, it was nadal that took advantage of Fed
Golden era at its peak...all 3 were peaking here..fed was playing unbelievable in 2011-2012..it was just coinciding with djoko and nadals peaks as well.. amazing times..will miss this so much
The fact no one is talking about <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="250">4:10</a> shows me how much people don’t know about tennis, he hit that flat af on the highest part of the net on a stretch with the ball being low already from behind the baseline
The thing that keeps Roger in the game against Nadal is his own surgically precise shots that don't allow the opponent to push roger to get stretched and change the momentum of the point unless of course you manage to pick every one of those shots and keep returning it back to Federer. If you look at the first set, he had frustrated Nadal. For Nadal to lose but finish 7-6 in the first set, where Roger was so utterly dominating itself shows how great a player he is. Any other player would have lost this match 3-0 against Federer. But Nadal plays relentlessly. He can do what Roger can't and that is run for every single ball and pick every single one of them and then even return it back to the opponent in hard to pick positions. It was incredible to see how Nadal got Roger frustrated in the next 2 sets. For Nadal to win this match 3-1 speaks volumes about his ability on the hard-court.
That first set federer took charge and was on top of the baseline especially those first 5 games. You let federer sit on top of the baseline like that it doesn’t matter who you are he’s beating you. Nadal slowed down the pace started feeding him those high backhands backed him up a little, federer got passed a few times it was over federer utterly looked lost
in tennis the emotional moment counts a lot. Federer def Djokovic in wimbledon 2012, this same Djokovic we see here like a god. Remeber this and look the numbers and matches, Federer had a mental dominance over Djokovic until 2012, it may seem pointless, but, Federer would probably have a better chance of beating Djokovic in this tournament than Nadal. Djokovic had developed a surreal confidence against Nadal over the course of 2011 to 2012, and Nadal was suffering from it emotionally despite the effort. Djokovic was inside Nadal's head. on the other hand, Federer everyone knows, had a mental block against Nadal that was only broken in 2017. I think in all these years the defeats of Federer against Nadal were more a psychological problem for Federer himself. Of course, Nadal is a hero, he had all the credit for creating that insecurity in Federer's mind. But Federer was again more anxious than usual (and made a lot of choice mistakes in this match, if you look closely) simply because it was against Nadal. anyway it was another amazing match, that classic comeback from Nadal
Plus mentally Nadal had the edge over Fed during this period. The mental game in top level tennis is the key, any top pro will tell you that. The fact that Nadal beat Fed from the go and always had an upper hand in their rivalry made Nadal believe he can always beat him if he can just hang in there and absorb the attacking pressure. Djoker took a while to get to that stage but post 2011 he did the same.
This match is a clear illustration of where Rafa (and Novak) got the better of Federer. Federer is an artist who can demolish his opponents with his fast fluent game. But he has his relaxing moments when he gives away cheap points and the unforced errors start piling. Rafa and Novak are much more focused throughout the match than Roger and that was the main difference imo during those years. The breakpoint 5-4 4th set shows it exactly!
Yeah, definitely know what you mean. And there's no bonuses for cool points. For every flashy point that Federer wins, there's more points where he lets his guard down and loses a point should have won, or gets ground down into an unforced error off the backhand wing. Granted Federer was still winning matches against pretty much everyone else on the tour, but at the level of the big 3 [big 4], those tiny differences at crucial moments are the difference between winning and losing big matches
In any case, Nadal returned a lot of balls, his main strategy was that... Federer is the best player in history... Djokovic at least has more winning shots, he generates angles... Nadal is very basic.
2009 Rafa at AO was unbelievable. 2012 was not. He really missed that aggressiveness of 2009 with the mental strength and his insane and consistent shotmaking. 2012 he would make ridiculous shots, but then he wouldn't be able to sustain his aggression and play too passive at times. 2009 he was insane at both sides of the game. The only version of Rafa that could beat Novak at Australian Open is the 2009 one. That one would have done it. Ever since than Rafa is good enough to win it, but always lacking that consistency in his shotmaking. I love Rafa, but it's clear that as much as his serve, backhand etc. has improved...it's his strength...the Forehand that has regressed the most. Rafa used to paint the baseline consistently and always rely on his FH DTL. That's how he beat Novak multiple times at US Open. In 2012 Rafa could've still won against Novak, but again, mentally he couldn't hold onto the 5th set. He messed up. 2009 Rafa wouldn't have. Even at his best at the AO against Fed, it was never too easy. Maybe that 1 time he beat him in straight sets. But aside from that...it was always close. But this year vs Novak....he played nothing like the lead up to the final. I think it's mental with him. It's clear that Novak gives Rafa the most trouble, especially at AO and Wimbledon. You cannot do the same thing and expect a different result. You have to change things up. Not sure if Rafa ever will.
@@iohohoihhiohoihooi877 I don't think so mate.. Rafa was in his prime and also in good shape physically and game wise in AO '12.. he was just at a ridiculous level.. it's just Djoker had a more ridiculous confidence (was riding a 7 match winning streak against Nadal no less !!!), more consistent shot making and more durable in the hours and hours of grind.. I'm a Nadal fan myself I remember that match like yesterday.. heck I watched the whole 6 hrs marathon.. it really hurts but Djoker just got a bit luckier that day.
Nadal's serve was nowhere near 2010 neither his backhand so while he was good, he wasn't his best. Also Nadal lost the final mentally when he missed the easy backhand at 4-2. Djokovic proved to be mentally stronger on the day.
@@iohohoihhiohoihooi877 OK, but who says the 2009 version would've been aggressive against Novak? That's the thing people miss. Just because a player played a certain way against one opponent doesn't mean they could play that way against every opponent.
<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1025">17:05</a> the similarity to one those insane points in the 2009 final (I think at 2-1 2-2 deuce) is startling
@@Marc-vk7rl We could also argue that point, since this was the most physically grueling match ever, the longest one, and It was tense right when it should have been. Federer layed and egg in the breaking set, nevermind his beautiful tennis.
Have you seen Mats Wilander commentary in the French Open this year? It goes like this: -At the first stages of the match: Nadal is afraid of Wawrinkas ground strokes, one handed backhand is a beauty, two handed backahand is boring(I swear I heard him say this), no one can beat Wawrinka when he is on etc... -At the late stages of the match: Nadal is the greatest clay court player of all time and he's going to win the remaining majors this year (yup he also said that). I think Mats Wilander shouldn't be allowed to comment on tennis matches just because he was a great player, he's obviously very biased and can't restrain his personal preferences, someone like John McEnroe does a great job as someone who has been a great player also Mary Carilo does a good job. Overall I personally prefer the ATP guys Robbie Koenig and Jason Goodall, who are better apt to commentating a tennis match than anyone else in my opinion, they just know what to say and when to say it, especially Robbie.
It's like Federer never really commited himself to stick to one gameplan that worked. He always tried too many different things against Rafa and it made him confused. I believe he finally got his tactics together after like 12/13 frustrating years LOL.
I think he finally got a coach who played Nadal and defeated him ...Lubicic helped Roger to believe that he could beat Rafa from baseline.....now he doesn't make the stupid approaches he made in this match... Having said that Rafa and Roger played only 1 match post 2014 Wimbledon(start of Nadal's decline) till AO 2017 ....Roger could have had gained more confidence had he played Rafa more during that time since Roger was playing at much higher level ...... But a match like AO 2017 was needed for Roger to overcome his mental demons against Rafa.....
Federer switching to the bigger racket has made his backhand vs Nadal at least 20% better and that really was the difference in their matchups since on the FH they are equally matched. In 2015 + 2017 (didn’t play in 2018 or 2019 on hardcourts) federer knows Nadal serves to his BH and is ready to deliver a deep return to nadals BH. Then he runs around and hits a forehand hard to nadals FH which is the weaker side in defence. Problem solved, french open 2019 was a bit unlucky due to the wind kind of ruined a match between 2 players in top form, Nadal deserves that one. Federer revenge the next match, which by the way he was winning the longer points (as from 2015 onwards) than Rafa because his backhand doesn’t break down after 2 shots
<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="783">13:03</a> how Rafa won that point is beyond, the type of point only he could manage to win. And the reaction from his team is class too...
In my opinion, that forehand winner @ <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1578">26:18</a> is easily one of the most exciting plays in tennis. The way the ball appear as though it will land out of play, but instead curves in. And that forehand shot has been replicated throughout Nadal's career.
I'm a great fan of fed but got to be a rafa fan, even though he has beaten fed in 2 of the greatest slams finals ever, they have respect for one another and are friends
Not a huge rafa fan, but this is the reason I have been watching tennis all these years. Clashes like these are timless. Will watch RF videos forever 💔
Can we just appreciate nadal for being part of most of the greatest and most significant finals of all time. Wimbledon 2008 vs federer Australian open 2009 vs federer Australian open 2012 vs djokovic Australian open 2017 vs federer Basically all french open finals vs federer
@GTS Most overrated match ever. Both players, especially Djokovic, were nowhere near their best. It was one of the most boring finals you'll see between the big 3. It had no memorable rallies whatsoever and any point that was memorable was only in the game Federer choked 2 championship points. It's one of the most historic for sure but for quality it is not anywhere near the AO 09 F, WB 08 F or AO 2012 F.
so true. so many missed chances. Clearly he is the better player; has a habit on missing out on easy points though. Its a shame Federer is mentally so weak
Asad Noor Fed's not clearly the better player. However, these matches aren't really "destruction" either, as Nadal fans tend to say they are. Usually they're still pretty tight, despite Rafa winning.
Federer makes more mental mistakes also because his game is more psychologically demanding, whereas Djokovic and Nadal just has a safer low risk strategy.
2012 in particular was the best year in tennis, with each of the big 3 winning their slam and Murray winning the US Open (which pretty much anyone can win).
Gherbi Hicham Fedal isn't the greatest rivalry due to the H2H gap but there's no doubting when it comes to the highest quality shotmaking no one matches them.
Beechaii2 I agree, I really enjoy the matches of Nadal and Federer more than I do Djokovic vs Nadal or Djokovic vs Federer, because when Nadal meets Federer we really get some incredibly unusual tennis.
It took a decade to Federer beat Nadal after Wimbledon 2007 in a Grand slam. And that tells how dominant Nadal was against Federer during those years, no matter how well Federer played against Nadal it did not help, and Nadal was totally in hes head just like Djokovic is now:(
He was a bit too sloppy in the decisive moments in this match. He should have won it. At the time he just didn't have the believe that he can beat Nadal best of five. A couple months before this one he crushed Nadal at the world tour finals but best of five is a different ball game.
This match highlights Rafa's mental and physical advantages over Roger Federer for most of their careers with the exception of grass courts and indoor hardcourts. Roger's problem was he could not avoid getting drawn into a lefty forehand to single handed backhand pattern often enough to beat Rafa. Sure Roger hit some incredible shots & early in the match he tried to reverse the pattern by attacking Rafa's backhand until he could attack with his forehand. This worked well enough to give Roger a break & good lead early, but Rafa kept reeling him in although he lost the first set. Rafa then upped his level & his speed & athleticism forced Roger to change tactics by serving & volleying but nothing worked. When Roger's game plan failed Rafa became more and more confident & while Roger fought until the end he never really believed he would win this match after the 2nd set. What changed this pattern was Roger improved his backhand & serve & managed to hit returns to Rafa's backhand in Melbourne in 2017. Plus Rafa got slower & Roger had finally worked out the pattern he needed to beat Rafa except on clay. Roger for all of his incredible skill & talent just didn't know how to beat Rafa in slam matches when Rafa brought his best level from after Wimbledon 2007 until the Australian Open of 2017.
@MUFC and?? So what??? Like wtf is your point lmaoo soccer is more popular that is a known fact no need to say it. But you’re trying to make it seem like every sport is at competition with each other which it’s not. Keep in your lane because every sport is fantastic whether it be soccer, tennis, basketball, football, baseball, and even GOLF. Your sounding like a real Brad right now.
Agreed, I think it was one of the reasons he lost that really close final against Djokovic in 2012 Australian Open, his forehand was nowhere near penetrating enough as in say 2013 or 2010, although he was playing some fantastic tennis, physically speaking he was at peak form but his forehand let him down I'm afraid.
Slowly working my way through every Federer Nadal match…. Fed’s forehand didn’t break down in this match; Rafa was just the better man ok the day. Amazing forehand and passing shots.
2014 Rafa demolished Roger in the semis. He plays Stan in the finals. Tags lifetime was 12-0 vs Wawrinka a and never lost a set. Then Nadal get a back spasms. The 2012,2014 and 2017 AO alone, with some luck would have given Rafa a 5-1 record with only Novak really beating Rafa, quite easily. Take away his history of injuries I think Nadal hands down is the best who ever played. And also, thanks for the greatest matches in history.
2012 and 2017 were fair fights no injury and Nadal wouldn’t have won those matches anyway. Only 2014 is debatable but Wawrinka was on fire in first set before Nadal injury so highly doubt Nadal was doing enough to beat Wawrinka that day
Federer and Nadal Derby is not only tennis match. Suffice it is clean entertainment that preserves morals and values away from vulgarity and moral destruction
Such amazing hitting by both these guys - especially Roger. But playing Rafa has always been an overwhelming deal for Roger and he ends doing a bit too much most times. You can sense him feeling a little disoriented in crucial moments and that's where Rafa comes on top almost every time. Rafa has always played Federer like he has got nothing to lose while Federer plays Rafa feeling that everything's on the line.
Why this match was so interesting: both players broke multiple times. I swear, sometimes I have to wait until the 3rd or 4th set to see someone actually breaking serve ffs
This was during the period were Nadal had the hoodoo over Fed. Rafa simply repeatedly targeted feds backhand on all surfaces. When Fed got the larger racket head he began to show his superiority over Rafa on all surfaces apart from clay
and he guys! Angry nadal has shown he can overpower eveybodyé Angry nadal wants that he did in many occasions. Also, i think if we speak comebacks... nadal is just more than amazing at that he's done that often and is getting better and better at the critical moments. This is a very strong positive points about nadal attitude and game. The Comebacks. I think that's enjoyable about him too. What was the federer motto again? Believe... then nadal is the perfect example of that he never let go.
When people ask why Federer is now beating Nadal and he wasn't before show them <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1727">28:47</a> and the next point too. Nadal was simply way too fast back in the days. He was able to reach and return every ball and that was destroying Federer mentally. Today's Nadal is different.
Craziest part for me is that Fed was still playing with a 90 sq.in Pro Staff frame. Imagine hitting prime Nadal's insane topspin with that racquet. Idk how he ever found the middle of the strings.
You can see the change after he switched to RF97. Nadal never beat him except for clay. And even that match under horrible wind was a bit closer than it looked
i think the difference one is playing across the baseline where feet moment is adhered to it where as other is dynamic outside basline(nearer) and his feet movement is very much alert in such a way that he is reading opponent players mind too..
