Big Matteo breaks in the final set.
And Monfils breaks back.
Big Matteo just a game away now.
Thanks mate. Glad to be of assistance. There’s a lot of very badly informed comment on tennis on the forum.
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Nadal 1 nil up against anti-giraffe Schartzmann. Schartw is playing really well though and his backhand is dominating Nadal’s forehand. He hits a big ball and is game as hell. This is going to be a long one.
Nadal wins in straight sets
Handy run for Nadal. Schwartzman the highest seed (20) he’s had to face in the tournament so far and a useless Italian giraffe, seeded 22 next in the semi final.
Reminiscent of his 2017 win when the highest seed he had to face in the tournament was the 24th seed Del Potro.
Nadal had to knock out former champion Marian Cilic already. Federer bottled it against the world no 78.
Del Potro is another former US Open Champion too.
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6ft5 giraffe Matteo Berrettini and 6ft6 giraffe Daniil Medevedev will be hoping to qualify for the final on Friday.
The first year and only the second time since 2008 in his career that Nadal has made it past the QF stage in all slams in the same calendar year. When he gets an extended injury free spell it makes the world of difference.
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He’s the greatest player of all time. If he wins a second Australian open he’ll have won ever slam twice. What other players have achieved that?
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Nobody in the modern era in the mens game has.
He’s currently the only mens player to have won multiple slams on all surfaces in the modern era.
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Predictably enough, the very first comment from the Nadal super fan this morning is about the 38 year old, semi retired, injured Federer. Rent free.
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Says the Federer fanboy obsessed with Rafa Nadal. The head to head count doesn’t lie and you can’t get over it.
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Berrettini bears a lot of similarities with Juan Martin Del Potro, 6ft5, huge serve, booming forehand but not the most fleet of foot.
He could cause Nadal problems but a 5 setter won’t have done his chances any good last night. He looked very tired.
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It makes a very good point that the majority of Federer’s slams (12 from 2003-2007) were being picked up when guys like Fernando Gonzalez, Philippoussis, Safin, Roddick, Hewitt, Baghdatis were making finals whereas the majority of Nadal’s came when Federer, Murray and Djokovic were in their pomp.
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Cicero it isn’t even a debate. Rafa beat Federer at Wimbledon when he was just a kid and Federer was at his peak. He took him down on his own surface. Grass court tennis is alien to a Spaniard yet Rafa conquered it. Federer never beat Rafa at the French open. To be the best you have to beat the best on their terms and federer never done that. It isn’t even a debate. If Rafa can do the unthinkable and win another Australian open he’s by a distance the greatest ever player. Let’s not for forget when Rafa beat Federer in the Wimbledon final from the ball boys to the umpires to the crowd they all were doing their best for Federer to win. He’s been screwed out of two more Wimbledon’s in 18 and 19 too. He’s the greatest of all time.
He was dominant in a weak era. The big debate is between Nadal and Djokovic. Federer is just the other guy.
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Odd that you’re not highlighting the soft nature of Nadal’s Grand Slam wins since 2014, in a very poor era for tennis.
Nadal is racking up Slams now without having to beat Djokovic. Last four have been won without beating Djokovic, a trend which will continue on Sunday night if he wins. Nadal hasn’t beaten Djokovic outside of the clay courts since 2013, losing 9 on the bounce. Their eight clay court meetings since 2014 have been shared 4-4.
Even Federer in his late 30’s has beaten Nadal in their two most recent Grand Slam meetings on the faster courts in the Australian Final in 2017 and the Championship semi final last month.