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Why Tennis Players FEARED Playing Rafael Nadal!
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The guy missed 16 grandslams due to injuries, that's 4 years off his career and still managed all those GSlams.
Injury is of course to be accounted for the greatness of a player, but yeah, Nadal missed a lot of chances. He was too accomplished as a player that people ignored the fact he might've accomplished more.
THat's cause he developed such an inefficient body tear down style. Duh. I guess you don't play tennis huh?
@@drummersinger5324 who you speaking to?
@@drummersinger5324 What is your evidence the injuries were predicated on style? He has a congenital foot issue, Muller-Weiss Syndrome that can precipitate other injuries. I don't think it is possible to win 22 majors with an inefficient style, let alone 14 majors on the most laborious of surfaces. The truth is he was more predisposed to injuries than his main rivals and it is unequivocal that this restricted his major haul. He would have won many more and had far more weeks at #1. This bothers people but is the truth.
@@IntelliaMarketing The foot issue definitely hampered his health but to say his style didn't impact his health is disingenuous. Obviously there's going to be more wear and tear if you run around like a madman after every ball. In part, he has to take some accountability for his health issues. It's the same like an NFL player being super physical and a heavy hitter, eventually you will wear down.
Prime Rafa at Roland Garros is the hardest player to beat of all time
What he did in 2022 is testimony to his power. Guy did surgery and had no preseason training and beats Medvedev who had beaten Djokovic in US Open in that comeback win. Then doesn't lose any games leading up to French open. Wins the French (beats Djokovic) as well then injuries again but still went to semis of Wimbledon then wins his game and defaulted (idk if he would've beaten Kyrgios but he was a fav) amazing. My Goat.
16:03 I would add these two facts to your list of sensational Rafa career achievements... 1. Rafa is probably the greatest Davis Cup player of all time. He is 29-1 in Davis Cup singles - and his only loss was his very first match on February 6th of 2004 at age 17. He has had 29 consecutive singles wins over the rest of his career. Rafa and Feliciano Lopez lost a Davis Cup doubles match (7-9 in the 5th set) on September 24th, 2005. Rafa has won EVERY Davis Cup match that he has played since that match. From September 25th, 2005 through today (February 18th, 2024)... Rafa is 25-0 in singles and 7-0 in doubles. He led Spain to FIVE Davis Cup wins. 2. Rafa has dominated his greatest rivals at the sport's biggest tournaments. His record vs. Novak at the Grand Slams is 11-7 (.611) and his record vs. Roger is 10-4 (.714). Rafa is 21-11 vs. his two great rivals in Grand Slam matches (.656 W%). Novak is 18-17 vs. his two great rivals in GS matches (.514 W%). Novak is 11-6 vs. Roger and 7-11 vs. Rafa. Roger is 10-21 vs. his two great rivals in GS matches (.323 W%). Roger is 4-10 vs. Rafa and 6-11 vs. Novak. If we add the next biggest match that Rafa and Novak played (the Olympics) Rafa is 12-7 vs. Novak (.632 W%). Rafa also beat Novak in their only meeting in Davis Cup play (which I consider to be their next biggest match) which puts Rafa up 13-7 (.650 W%) in their 20 biggest matches. Btw... both the Olympic match and the Davis Cup match were on a hard court. I will throw in one more just for fun... Rafa has finished the year in the TOP TWO a record 13 times.
He is the greatest gladiator the sport has ever seen.Period
Ugliest styled of all time you mean?
@@drummersinger5324 owns djokovic like a father owns his son
@@jm-js4ng Federer sure did and would still.
@@jm-js4ngcalm down kid 😂😂
@@jm-js4ng 24 400+ 71, ooooo yes!
As I grew up with this sacred monster, he made me fall in love with the clay and tennis, he will subjectively always be my goat, because he always threw his heart over the obstacle and Like all his fans I wonder if he had had fewer injuries what else he could have done. Long live and other exciting matches for the King of Clay
Clay...LOL. The most boring surface for tennis possible much?
@@drummersinger5324 Do you know that every person is different or have you ever heard of subjectivity? LOL
@@lilraf5540 Yes of course. Duh much? Clay specialist tennis players bore me. Especially two handed backhand weirdos like Nadal.
@@drummersinger5324 It's ok man, maybe you prefer hard courts or grass court or other player's style... totally fair
@@lilraf5540 Yes I certainly do prefer fast courts. They require much deeper athleticism IMO.
I remember getting frustrated watching his matches against Federer back in the 2000s as almost every shot would be to Federer's backhand, and Federer struggled more with the higher backhand's than some of the other one handers. Federer's forehand was such a weapon, and Nadal was so good at keeping it away from it. I wasn't a huge fan of Nadal when he was young due to his style, but he really grew on me because of how humble he was, and arguably has the best mental strength anyone has had in the sport.
Federer struggled with a lefty with such insane spin it was hard to return with a single backhand.
Djoko is highest level in Tennis you fool
It's cause Nadal is a farm animal working brain. No high IQ there
His humility is why he beats ND to the GOAT, For me. Can't stand ND full stop
Seriously, if not for injuries that had plagued Nadal’s career, he would have been far ahead in titles won especially grand slams. To think he has won 22 having participated in fewer tournaments than his rivals Federer and Djokovic is incredible.
*Far fewer tournaments. Nadal’s achievements are legendary.
Absolutely!! 👍
@@mainemceachern1521 Minus mureller-weisse syndrome which he was born with, all of his other injuries are his own fault because of his immensely physical playng style. Djokovic has a physical style, but not so physical and he has built his whole life around conditioning his body for it in a way Nadal simply hasn't. Federer never conditioned his body even as well as Nadal but his style was by far the least physical, so he had fewer injuries. Nadal couldn't have won so much without his playing style and that style comes with injuries. The real miracle is that he wasn't frequently getting injured at 30 the way he is now. He held it off for a long time. They all did splendidly.
@@cyrusatanil You fault a professional athlete for and blame his injuries on his "playing style"? That's an interesting take.
Novak has won a higher %age of slams he participated in than Nadal. And has had to deal with a lot of injuries and non tennis related factors too. Dullfans crying injury as an excuse for everything when Novak has suffered just as much if not more 😂😂😂
Nadal on clay is the highest level of tennis
Close, 2008 Roland Garros is for sure one of the 2 best performances on clay ever.
Sand Sheikh Rafa Al Bin Saudal was a monster on clay. Now he just takes money from monsters.
@@huzcerno bigger monsters than western leaders who have killed millions in recent times
Djoko is highest level in Tennis you fool
You don't even play and thus can't form a worthy opinion.
He is my personal GOAT, no matter what! I love his dedication, the mental strength and his patience! And I think he has the most beautiful man-legs I have ever seen!
If only he had a man bun to go with his man legs
Weirdo
What is personal GOAT??? GOAT should be one with great statistics. There is no opinion on that. Btw Your goat does not own any big record??? GS, 1000s, ATP, YEn1, Weeks @ 1 ????
@@naeemulhassan3664 You must be a Joker-fan! Ha ha ha! Feel free to be fond of him as much as you want and make him your personal GOAT! He can have 3000 titles- I still don't like him!
@@alebhard your liking, disliking doesn't change the fact that Novak Djokovic is the GOAT.
It's crazy how time flies. Nadal is amongst the greatest players of all time yet seems like the Djokocult is always trying to diminish him. Can't believe new gen fans forget that this guy was unbeatable when he was peaking
You should not pay much attention to those people most of them dont know any information that was shown in this video, those of us who watched the sport since the day of Sampras and Agassi know who and what Nadal is... especially his prime years when Federer and Nadal rivalry become not just face of tennis but sports in general, 2004-2010 period is the best level of tennis ever seen across all surffices established by both of them, and both ended set bars from eachother, i watched vast majority of their matches from that time frame, NEVER again saw that level of play it was something special.
Yes Federer and Nadal rivalry was legendary. Joker was always a third wheel hanging on the fringe until he elevated his hand to God mode. But Nadal was a beast. Federer was the court maestro who plays with suave and grace. Joker was the cyborg who combines the best of Federer and Nadal.
@@jonfreeman9682 If you watched tennis from 2004-2008 or all the way to 2010 you would know that is not true. He was never on the level those two played, even at his best from 2011-2015 he was never even close to what was seen 2004-2008
Sand Sheikh Rafa Al Bin Saudal was a monster on clay. Now he just takes money from monsters.
@@zvonkosolin8627 Wait are you saying Nadal wasn't as good or Joker wasn't as good as the other two? Federer Nadal dominated in 2000s and it wasn't until 2010s when Joker exploded and he has a winning % against Federer and Nadal although just slightly. All three are legendary but Federer game is more graceful while Nadal and Joker are both very physical players and Joker is a contortionist. If Joker keeps it up he could finish his career with 30+ Grand Slams as Nadal is pretty much retired.
Would love to see a Rublev video about his QF’s and your analysis on how he can overcome it? I think he has like 4 50 win seasons or something crazy like that
I remembered watching Nadal in his teenage play for the time when he was just an unknown player, I was amazed by the style and fierceness he played. I’ve been a fan of him since then. People will argue who the goat is among big 3. But for me Nadal is that GOAT.
For you its GOAT, As per stats he is not. Now Cry Cry
What's worth pointing out about the backhand is that it was especially good on the run when he would be cornered. Because he is actually right-handed, he was able to use that right hand for redirecting the ball and hit strong passing shots from defensive sliding positions, which was really evident against Federer who often tried to attack his backhand crosscourt when approaching the net.
I do think that with less injuries, he would be the player with the most GC by far. He didn't only miss GC because of injuries but it also take time to fully recover and get the confidence again like before. An example of that 2015 - 2016 when he was losing to everyone and lost 8 or more times in a raw to Novak in those years (even in RG), this influences the h2h between them. I never saw an athlete with that much physical problems performing that well for so long, we were so lucky having the big 3 pushing each other for 15 years.
Nadal v Fed matches were the most entertaining to watch. Two very unique styles up against one another. Rafa's insane spin and air time on the ball versus Roger's beautiful backhand and insane precision placement made for wild games. I miss those days. What an era.
One of the man who changed tennis for millions of his fans like me| and true worrior
Can’t bear to think this is the last year we will watch his wonderful game. Thanks for those epic battles that often kept us up until the wee small hours. Almost 20:years of excitement, sportsmanship and courtesy. Oh, how we will miss him.
Nadal prime on clay is more difficult to beat that any other player (big 3 included) on whatever the surface you consider... thats a fact
Video suggestion: As a younger tennis fan I was able to watch and remember all of the golden era of tennis but I have never seen any older players play like pete sampras andre agasi etc maybe make a similar video about them
Great video. Amazing all time great player. I don't see him winning another Slam though, the competitipn is too fierce now.
VICTORY BELONGS TO THE MOST TENACIOUS 🏆🎾🔥
Fantastic analysis, lovely video
Nice hitting on the Hudson River park courts.
Always great content here !
hope he comes back and has a go at french open and maybe even win it
King of Clay...just an exciting player to watch on any surface...hifted n determined
Love and respect Nadal all the time!
Nadal's playstyle in terms of movement was just full commitment. He could be off balance, out of position, on the wrong foot, yards from the baseline, and he'll still run a ball down like his life depended on it. It was reckless abandon sometimes, and it did catch up to him later in his career, but he always committed to making the save and the shot, even if it meant putting his body on the line.
Rafa its not a lost maybe you lost the match but never your greatness. Nothing change you are still the king of clay. After this 4th match which you still show you can since claynis your master you can take a rest for The next italian open the tournaments you won 10 times. Another history in your record. The last m a tch in madrid became emotional because of the great re c eption extended to you by t b e people from day one you enter the c ourt until your farewell. The honors, tribute, stsnding ovation, cheers, never ending applause. Family , friends and people in tears. For sure will break anyo nes heart. Rafa knows that is his last perform a nce in his home country. Well deserved to re c eived such reception and importance for you rafanadal
Prime nadal is the goat no one can beat him
To ask any more from Rafa is too much however, he knows once he hangs it up thats it and if he wants to play then of course I'm going to watch. I love the guy, how he plays, how gracious, respectful,...everything about the guy. He seems to be of the highest character of anyone with his exposure and influence. Live longest Rafael.
Mental game has to be at the top for me. Nadal is the fiercest competitor to ever play. His intensity underlies everything else, from his physical fitness to his choice of tactics. You see it in the way he runs, the way he hits the ball, etc. Nobody pushes themselves as hard and as consistently. You don't achieve these attributes without an almost pathological level of drive. I wouldn't want to be in Nadal's head when he's on court.
his single slam title record (FO) will never be beaten (in the mens)
he is.. Rafael Nadal, myyy GOAT
For you its GOAT, As per stats he is not. Now Cry Cry
The spanish minotaur ❤ thanks for fantastic analysis rafa fan through and through
I always hated nadal because i liked federer, but after years passed i truly understood that he was an amazing player. So total respect for him. I am watching all his games this season 🙏🙏
I see you took my advice... well done man 👍, i would only dissagree on Nadal prime, moment we could see that Nadal is something special, a hint of his greatness was at Rome 2005 semi-final match against Stepanek where he made in my humble opinion THE best point made on clay surffice i ever seen. But moment he hit his prime was 2006, when he defended his Roland Garros title against the Greatest player of all time at the peak of his power. He was young, injuries were showing but he could handle them, all the way to 2010 which was his best and last season of his prime, after that knee was already gone, NEVER able to recover it to play freely. There was a point durning that time where there was serious question that Nadal might retire from tennis because his knees and going to golf. Durning his prime he set the highest most incredible winning streak on clay surffice in history, he ended other most invincible streaks on other 2 surffices which Federer made. He defended his Roland Garros title against prime Federer 3x in a row, and that last title defence in 2008 again in my humble opinion was one of the 2 best Clay court performances i ever seen, dealing a 6:0 begel to still prime Federer. Other then that you covered everything.... 1 word to describe Nadal? For sure Warrior. Since you took my advice, im looking foward for video of other greats 😊.... Well done.
It is insane to me that we mention Nadal peak as 2008-2103, when up until the end of 2007, he has already won double digits ATP titles, 3 Grand Slams, made 2 wimbledon finals, held the record for consecutive number 2, and record for longest streak of wins on single surface. He was already talked as the greatest clay courter of all time, BEFORE his peak. When people talk about Bjorn Borg's RG record, it was not whether Rafa will break it, but when will he break it, which is apparently 1 year late than most prediction because he surprisingly lost in 2009. This was all before he peaked.
8:00 totally underrated
Can you please make a video on the very underrated juan martin del potro
He was not under-rated. Just mostly injured.
Still would like to see him talk about his prime del potro was up there with murray and has insane records for a one slam winner etc , He deserves some respect
@@rockleepowerofyouth he was respected as a player but literally only had 2 decent seasons in his career.
@@huzcer 2008 ? 2009 ? 2012 ? 2013 ? 2018 ? That's five years where he was top ten level player in a very tough era & in 2009 - 2013 - 2018 he ended in the top four / five that's hardly " two good seasons " idk about calling a player with top ten wins against world number one ( Most in the open era without being number one himself ) & Most wins against the big three outside of murray having only " two good seasons "
@@rockleepowerofyouth he made a slam final 2 years in his career. very good player obviously but heavily impacted by injuries as we all know.
What if we had a fair 3 grand slams like 1 on grass 1 on clay and 1 on hard I think nadal would have been with most grand slams 2 gs on hard is little unfair but it’s fine nadal still has 22
Playing Nadal at Roland Garros is one of the toughest asks in all of sport. An absolute legend.
For a long time I did not understand how Federer did not end up with the most slams considering his sustainable game style and being able to finish points and matches quick, lessening the risk of injury. I did not factor in that people like Nadal did to his opponents, his presence alone made them shit their pants and then disorientated them with his brutal playstyle. I mean even when he was injured and far from his best he still beat peak Zverev in under 2 sets at RG, that is insane. That's also why his stats on beating top 10 or so is on the low end, people use it as a red mark on his resume, when the reason is he scared his opponents so much, that they were dodging him, I mean who wants to end up destroyed by this guy, extracting chokes, injuries from them. Even for Federer and Djokovic, it took years before they found a way to beat Nadal.
Let's be honest, this man was an absolute monster with a chronic condition that would have made impossible for anyone to play tennis. Without that Nadal would have been the greatest of all times.
Keep it up !
Always!
As a Djokovic countryman i said hats down Rafa is the best tennis player in history so far,number of titles and grand slams are just numbers.
Foolish comment. If GS and titles doesnot matter then I claim I am the Greatest of all time. Blind followers
Nadal in his prime was the all court beast. Early injuries prevented him from getting more GS and other ATP titles. Still 14 RG, 12 Godo, 11 Montecarlo, 10 Rome....most dominant player ever to exist. This record is simply unbreakable
If i discribe rafa in one word he is gladiator of tennis
Any minute in which we get to watch him play it's a gift from God
Considered by many to be the toughest surface to play on ( Clay ) he not only dominated the RG but also the ATP open titles during his time , along with injuries . 14 slams on a Clay surface ain't no joke . Djokovic and Federer are better all surface players but you cannot look past what Nadal did at RGs
Many who started watching tennis after Djokovic will not understand Nadal was beating everybody at their prime. They forget he is a few months older than Novak who peaked later Nadal was injured and Federer started going down,
Cool !
I disagree with the video. Rafa had a really good backhand and used it to end points regularly. He was really good at just out of nowhere flatten his backhand cross court or down the line for a winner. It was almost as lethal as his forehand.
The best ever
Yeah, you said it, this “Guy” is clutch like MJ in BKBall when his team needs him like in Davis Cup and Olympics, no need for “bathroom breaks” at key weak moments or swatting balls at people when frustrated, or giving in when confronted with a whole-hearted give it all opponent like this phenomenon.
Nadal’s superstitions were even monstrous.
Mmmmmm.... good video but Federer's backhand could hardly be considered a weakness before or after 2017. Maybe out of all of Fed's tools - forehand, serve, net game, movement, backhand, smash, return, SABR, you could possibly say the backhand is towards the bottom of the list, but Fed's backhand would've been other players' best strength. No one is more of a complete player, not even Alcaraz (unless he dramatically improves his serve). But nobody embodied a bull like Rafa and imo, he willed himself to win against Federer like a charging bull against Baryshnikov and later Djokovic. His arm muscles were also intimidating.
Wasn’t Nadal also year end #1 in 2017 and 2019?
Rafael nadal's G.O.A.T G.O.A.T of being no. 2 with 387 weeks while djokovic is G.O.A.T of no. 1 with 423 weeks
Yeah
Rafad bin Nadalhad!!! 😂😂😂
In one sentence: Because he is left-handed. In more than one sentence. It's always a challenge playing a left-handed player, make that Nadal and that's an absolute nightmare.
Rafael Nadal is the greatest tennis played that ever touched a racket. Period.
title must be why tenis players feared playing nadal in clay !!!!!
My two cents on the greatest ever debate, so post wooden rackets … Nadal - best on clay Djokovic - best on hard courts Sampras - best on old grass New grass - Djokovic/Federer equally.
Added: Overall best: Djoker.
@@trongtong7793 I don’t know, ATP sets the rules and all is geared towards his style of play, can’t even find an old grass tournament. Not Federer but Nadal will always be the one that skews the goat debate because of sheer dominance on clay. Plus Federer for me gets a slight pass, he’s 5 years older than Nadal/Djokovic.
Federer won one WB more than Djokovic, more grass tournaments and he has better w/l %.
Monster on clay mostly
Great analysis but disappointing AI with hello fresh. Leave me alone please 🎉
Jamaican/German player Dustin Brown has a 2-0 winning record against Nadal. His flat powerful strokes and height matched up well against Rafa and Stan on grass especially.
Nadal is the GOAT.
He's not but he is the Saudi Arabia Ambassador for Tennis!
@@huzcer Lol you´ve replied to half of the comments with your toxic BS. Get a life
@@huzcer WOOOO NADAL
@@yolurks9577 it's Sheihk Raf-al Bin Nad-al Saudal now to give him his proper title!
GOAT of What?? Fake Injuries?? Novak own all the records??? Cry baby cry
His movement is "a mobile warrior"
Nadal without any doubt is the greatest tennis player in history ever on clay Federer probably on grass how it is now, it's slower than Pete Sampras era and balls bigger So between on grass but would any have beaten Sampras at his peak the way it played them or Federer later Djokovic is the greatest on all services 3 spectacular men. If we made them all 25 again would the players of today have any chances against them, probably not because they have not got their mental strength and determination to never lose
Even if he's 45 and walking on 1 leg, I won't bet against Nadal on clay.
Hmm, seeing that Saudi deal I fear Rafa will be quiting his tennis career soon and his 3 matches in Brisbane were just for PR..
Prime Nadal could not have come from a worse time from a career perspective. Poor guy always was the second best basically every year.
Movement like a jaguar.
🐐
Goat of Saudi Arabia Tennis ambassadors?
@@huzcer no silly! Tennis 😃🎾
@@Javier-ox8ui How can he be the GOAT when the only record of any note that he has is number of Roland Garros titles. Nothing else.... It's the GOAT of tennis - not of clay... Well actually he does have the ATP Record for most ever weeks ranked at World Number 2 -> Secondal in more ways than one....
@@huzcer tbh I think the big three are all goats :) If Rafa delt with less injuries I’m sure he’d have 25 or more slams. It’s also looking like he’ll have the shortest career out of the other two. He’s not my fav of the big three, but I think he deserves goat praise in the comments regardless 🐐🐐🐐
I disagree. No more titles for Rafa.
Nadal is/was a raging bull. There was never supposed to be a “pretty” aspect to his game. He’s always focused on grinding.
God
Nadal at his absolute best, loses to NO ONE.
Nadal has lost 5 years of his career, most of it in his prime years....5 years! What he has achieved can not be described.
Rafa has paid for it, though. He looks 10 years older than his age. And despite the challenges of clay, clay tennis is the least interesting tennis. Give me those hard courts, baby.
Only injury could stop GOATdal. GOATdal punked Roger and made him cry. GOATdal Punked Weakvak so bad he made him cry TWICE 😂😂😂 only INJURY stopped GOATdal. Roger is lucky GOATdal was hurt so much in the beginning of his career. Weakvak is lucky GOATdal was hurt so much at the end of his career. If he had the same rate of injury as Weakvak or Roger, double his Slam count and weeks at number one and cut theirs in half.
Rafa has never been 100% throughout his career, which makes one think, what his already achieved. It's STUPID!!! No player in history has had Rafas comebacks, whether it was dodgy knees, ribs, ankles, fingers, this man was on crutches!!! Can you honestly admit any other player would have this guys records with all that baggage. True meaning of the word gladiator.
2006 Fed & 2011 Novak were better
I’ve never lost to Nadal so
Indeed Novak is a volleyball player :))
Don't say Nadal is underrated becouse he's not
Swashbuckler.
Some of make it sound like Rafael Nava win other titles different from clay yes he his the clay king but he won on grass an hard court atp tournaments are played on hard Court an he won atp Wimbledon U S open he is not as Smooth are great like federer but give him respect an novak run Third for mi cause him stoo dominante when federer an come out an wen Nadal getting i injuries he wasn't dominanting wen nadal was on top
Lol, anyone can beat Nadal out of clay.
Real tennis warrior second goat behind Federer an novak Third
nadal is the best arrogant player on tennis
It’s 2024 and this dude is still pronouncing Rafa’s as Ra-FAY-el smh
Djokovic always be a goat#
because too much forhend he lost hip
haha good one! That makes sense. I sat for years with my legs up to the right side of my lounge chair and got (right) hip problems too, till I moved the other way and within one or two weeks it was over. But then again, I'm not playing tennis😋
Ah the newly appointed Saudia Arabia Tennis Ambassador Raf-al Nad-al 😂 If anyone dares beat him at Roland Garros, mister bone saw himself will invite them to the nearest Saudi embassy for "a prize" !!!
Nadal is never injured when clay season is on 😂😂😂
he was a couple of times, but you're mentally impaired so no point to explain further🤣🤣
You skip events for potential serious injury, especially since they are not your favorite events and you don’t wanna risk it. What’s wrong with that ?
Is that why he also skipped the entire 2023 clay season?
@@ppv1780 Nadal does this always, either he loses fast or doesn't even play just so he can train and prepare for clay, scummy
@@ackers5861 Nadal thought Djokovic couldn't win much, otherwise he wouldn't attack him at the end of the last year
The guy only know how to play one way - 110% every-single-point. That is already mentally exhausting as an opponent facing him before even the first point is played. You have to be ready to die on the court that day to have a chance against him. At the same time, I never understood why many players that faced him would try to play their regular game against Nadal when the chances are high that they'd lose. I would think if you're going to lose, might as well just kill the ball on every Nadal serve since that's the weakest part of his game. That should have been the tactics of his opponents at least in the first three rounds of a GS.
Lost some respect for Rafa when he callously threw Novak under the bus with his comments at the 2021 AO.