Maybe his age is finally affecting his performance, I don't know. But this performance from him certainly did not feel like the Rafael Nadal we all know.
Nadal himself said after his elimination that he is currently lout of self-confidence and mental strength to play at a high level. But without victories he will have a hard time getting all that back.
He had some problems with his health this year and could not play some tournaments. But he is already 36 and he has noticed himself that the young players have it easier to play.
Self confidence is really big part of Nadal's game and he is nowhere near his best when there is even a little doubt in his mind. That is why he has such good record on Grand Slams, they are played BO5 which gives Nadal time to turn the matches around and they start against opponents that are well below his level. Then after Nadal gets a couple of easy wins he raises his game in each consecutive round and becomes that unbeatable beast that runs his opponents into the ground.
Yes, Nadal is one of those elite players as he can completely turn on the switch in a BO5 games and this opponent didn't know what to do as he thought that Nadal is already down and he is about to win the games against him.
Right now though, we understand if he doesn't have that confidence, he is not getting any younger, his body is battered and bruised. But for sure, it will only take just a game for him to have that mentally again and become a beast.
Honestly, why is Nadal not retiring? the guy is already 36 years old, it's time for him to retire and take care of his other things he was eliminated and yesterday he beat Ruud, this season he played 47 games and had 39 wins but it's time for him to retire, I don't see him having a performance like in the past, his age is already well advanced and of course age is something that does not stop and does not decrease, it only increases, well, he is the one who knows, if he takes a long time to retire he will retire when he cannot win nothing, what would be the worst time to retire, good time to retire would be now
I dont know why anyone would bet on Rublev that is just a huge mistake. Djokovic won last 20/21 matches and considered the favorite to win this tournament. Any bets against Djokovic for me arent realistic unless you are chasing some Djokovic loss. Nadal won easily against Ruud and ended the year with a win.
For the same reason I'll be betting on Medvedev today.
Đoković is a favorite for sure, especially considering how both of them have been playing - but odds on Rublev were 4 and they are 3.50 on Medvedev today.
I do think Medvedev has enough quality to beat Đoković so I'll try - this bet gives better value than any other available today - at least in my opinion.
Djokovic seems to be in a better mental condition than Medvedev and he might also have this sight edge over him because of the win in the group stage. Even when Medvedev took away a set of him, it seems as if Djokovic is playing a better mental game and faster able to switch gears when necessary. Medvedev isn't as good as Djokovic when it comes to coping with mistakes or small phases of weaknesses. At this level of the game it is especially about not melting down mentally. This is where I see Djokovic is ahead of Medvedev.
Djokovic beat Medvedev and will play against Fritz and due to the odds Djokovic is the favorite to beat Fritz, I see that he will win and then he will have to face Tsitsipas who in my opinion will beat Rublev, the question will be between Djokovic and Tsitsipas will win, this game will be very interesting, I will bet on Tsitsipas if this game happens, I see Tsitsipas as someone who is overcoming all obstacles
