Nadal's favorite surface is grass

http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/sport/othersports/article-1025997/Nadal-serves-ominous-warning-I-play-best-tennis-grass.html?ITO=1490

Watch him lose in the next round.

^^ What was the need for this thread. That answer was just part of an interview.

Hilarious. He probably meant to say "That's the best I have ever played on grass", but his poor English skills let him down again.

Hilarious. He probably meant to say "That's the best I have ever played on grass", but his poor English skills let him down again.

I don't think so, he had reach 2 Wimby finals before, but there's a misunderstood anyway... :p

I never knew that Wimbledon was his favourite tournament. Interesting :)

I think Nadal does well on grass but it's obvious to anyone that he plays his best on clay so I'm not sure about that statement. Also he played okay for Rafa standards leading up to the final at Wimby but he did play his best in the final except on the obvious big points to lose the match.

Poor Fed! :(...He is going to get thrashed again in wimbledon!

Poor Fed! :(...He is going to get thrashed again in wimbledon!

o_o rofl

not his best surface but he's ready to win wimbledon

He's going to do real well.

I never knew that Wimbledon was his favourite tournament. Interesting :)
You obviously have not been following tennis very long. It's a pretty well known fact.

Actually, I understand the guy. Grass is tough to him, Clay isn't.
Clay is so easy for him that he doesn't feel it as a challenge.
But since grass is tought to him, that's when he tries to pull out the best of him, and considering he almost won Wimbledon, it makes sense.


Edit: I mean, you guys have to read this statement by putting on his shoes, you gotta watch it from his perspective.
We all agree he is what he proved on clay, but for him, grass is where he feels he pushes the limits of his skills. It may not be enough yet, but, y'know what I'm saying

Nothing wrong with what he said. I personally love playing on hardcourt, but am much better on grass.

It's a bit surprising, but I think thi isn't too new, I heard him saying something like that two or three years ago already.

Actually, I understand the guy. Grass is tough to him, Clay isn't.
Clay is so easy for him that he doesn't feel it as a challenge.
But since grass is tought to him, that's when he tries to pull out the best of him, and considering he almost won Wimbledon, it makes sense.


It's exactly that. You saw how he celebrated his fourth RG? he has nothing to improve or achieve on clay except making a fifth, then a sixth... while on the grass season he has a huge challenge, and a chance to become "great" outside clay. He enjoys more even if he is does not dominate the surface. He's a figther, needs battle, the harder the better.

No it isn't.

if you want to play well on grass, you gotta embrace it :clap2:

way to go rafa

Misleading thread title - and probably a misleading article too. Nowhere does he actually say his favourite surface is grass. :p

The 'I play my best tennis on grass' comment is probably not what he intended to say, and was probably blown way out of proportion the same way the English tabloids exaggerate any vaguely interesting comment.

hahahahaha i've been at that press conference and it's not what he said :haha: anyway he had an interpreter because he couldn't find English words...

he said he is trying to play his best tennis on grass, lol.

hahahahaha i've been at that press conference and it's not what he said :haha: anyway he had an interpreter because he couldn't find English words...

he said he is trying to play his best tennis on grass, lol.

:haha:

exactly what I thought :lol:

British press strikes again

anyway it was funny cos Rafa had problems understanding their accent, and the funniest thing was when he came just after the match, he was soooo tired, and covered his face catching a breath, and a journalist asked him a question about the match, and Rafa showed a thumb up and then kept catching a breath again, and then he asked that journalist, 'What?'

:lol:

poor Rafa... those Brits can be hard to understand sometimes ;)

Fucking English tabloid.....blowing shit out of proportion.

I thought pigs liked to roll in the mud. :angel:

It's only GOATs who love grass.

Hilarious. He probably meant to say "That's the best I have ever played on grass", but his poor English skills let him down again.

just what I thought as well

Nadal said today at the conference he considers himself as a good grasscourt player because he made two Wimbledon finals, and while one could be an accident, two couldn't.

Gotta write it now before tabloids write it wrong ;)

It's only GOATs who love grass.


LOL...Federer and Graf? ;)

He's Just Saying That to Put FEAR on Everyone going into Wimbledon!!!...:haha:

Maybe to Put More Fear on Fedex!...:haha::haha::haha:

OR Maybe it's just one of those "Lost in Translation" moment... :rolls:

Maybe he meant: "I'm playing My Best Tennis on Grass" ... as of the moment... :scratch:

Almost everything Rafa says is up for misinterpretations...
A la FO Final '06 ceremony... :rolleyes:

Nadal's career record on grass:

won

1 Ancic
2 Childs
3 Spadea
4 Fish
5 Verdasco
6 Bogdanovic
7 Kendrick
8 Agassi
9 Labadze
10 Nieminen
11 Baghdatis
12 Del Potro
13 Mirnyi
14 Fish
15 Eschauer
16 Soderling
17 Youzhny
18 Berdych
19 Djokovic
20 Bjorkman
21 Nishikori
22 Karlovic

lost:

1 Srichaphan
2 Waske
3 Muller
4 Hewitt
5 Federer
6 Mahut
7 Federer

A career grass record of 22-7-he definitely loves the green stuff.

Rafa appears to be far from being modest in this report...

"I've played a great week to beat Ivo Karlovic, Andy Roddick and Djokovic. I've now won titles on every surface so I'm a more complete player than I was a week ago. Today I think I played my best match at Queen's."
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/tennis-news/2008/06/16/rafael-nadal-becomes-first-spaniard-to-win-on-grass-in-36-years-after-artois-victory-86908-20609012/


But then the interview went on like this...

Q. You seem by the majority of people in tennis as clay court king. Now your
name is on the trophy with some of the greatest grass court players of all time. What does that actually mean to you?
RAFAEL NADAL: For sure for me, win here is all the surface win, I never win before. I have titles in all the surfaces right now, so I am more complete player right now than one week before (smiling).
No, I am joking. I am not agree with this.
Anyway, if I don't have a title here, I was play well the last years, too, no? Win here, win prestigious tournament like this, very traditional tournament here in London, in Queen's, best players of the world are here in the past. So be here, near close to the other players, are very nice for me -- is very nice.
http://www.tennis-x.com/story/2008-06-15/h.php


They probably left out the parts that they had difficulty translating or they just didn't want to include it.

he'd have lost 1r most of times in the 90's on the grass

these days the whole tour is full of grass court gimps

Interviews are so boring. So predictable. I could write them and no one would notice.

nadal winning anyone: very good tennis no? best match so far here no? he is one of the best of the world, ranked #369 but I was not favourite no? played very aggressive, insode the court, no?
Djoker losing to Nadal: it was mostly about luck, you know, again. I was in control all the time. Have I mentioned I am a grand slam winner?

these days the whole tour is full of grass court gimps

I don't think so, the main problem is that grass is not grass anymore, it's more like green clay.

I don't think so, the main problem is that grass is not grass anymore, it's more like green clay.

Yeah, that's why Queen's winners are... Roddick 4 times and Hewitt 4 times. Pretty good claycourters.

My conclusion, the whinning about green clay started when Nadal reached the finals, but still only fast court players are on top on grass tournaments, so differences on the surface are minimal, as stated by the tournament organization itself.

Wimbledon finalists since 2001, other than Nadal are Federer, Roddick, Hewitt, Nalbaldian, Ivanisevic, Philippoussis, Rafter... also claycourters? moonballers?

Nadal can play on grass, get over with it. If you see no more serve and volley and players prefer the baseline, it's because of their choice, it happens on all courts, fast or slow. Passing is easy now, balls are heavier, control of a volley is more difficult now.

For sure this year Nadal easily thrashes Fed in the Wimbly final 6-1, 6-0, 6-2.

Grass is for cows. Hardcourts can't come soon enough. :zzz:

For sure this year Nadal easily thrashes Fed in the Wimbly final 6-1, 6-0, 6-2.

No chance. I think he is the favourite in an eventual repeat of the final, but no more than 66/33or so.

Where in that article did he say it was his favorite surface. When he says he plays his best on grass I assume that to mean he has to play near his best to make the finals which he has done twice. I'm pretty sure on clay he can play at half his level and still beat just about everyone.