I don’t wanna say Federer’s lying, but it seems like the story with him changes every week. Before Kooyong he said he was very eager to play until the stomach virus. Now he’s been sick since December? I have noticed that he’s been sweating a lot in his matches which is very abnormal for Federer, so him being sick makes sense. It’s just that the timing of this news seems a little sketchy to me.

sensationalsafin:

You’ve read my thoughts. Nothing flows correctly. Too many glitches. Godsick said Federer was practising for most of February — someone is not too lucid here.

It certainly does deflect from his losses and the bad press he got after his comments about Murray. I thought he had food poisoning or maybe both? He did manage to go to the Superbowl and the Laurus Awards and I always thought mono knocked people out, that they’d be so tired they’d just want to sleep all day. But maybe he’s just been pushing himself, which wouldn’t be surprising.

He says he’s on the mend now, so he should be a force to be reckoned with at the American MS tourneys.

If there’s one thing I have learned about Federer, it’s that he is not a fake. He says it like it is. No false pretenses, no false pride. Even his remarks about Andy Murray’s tennis, while they may sound like sour grapes, were meant to be constructive, without sugar-coating.

Surprising how some people want to find him guilty first without nary a thought. Sampras finds Federer truly genuine, as do most other people. The only doubters are those that are not happy with his success.

I think it’s normal for public figures to keep a lot back for themselves, especially about private medical matters. Also, because Federer is competing against people who will feed on any kind of information which indicates weakness, it’s only natural he will want to keep as much to himself as possible. I don’t doubt the story at all.

He appears to be well on the way to recovery and no doubt has felt a bit put out by pundits predicting his demise, so was happy to reveal he had mono. The fact that he could make the Australian Open semi not in peak health, shows his mental fortitude, which should give his opponents much to worry about when confronted with a healthy Federer. I’m sure this implication is not lost on him.

jane:

“He did manage to go to the Superbowl and the Laurus Awards and I always thought mono knocked people out, that they’d be so tired they’d just want to sleep all day.”

It does knock you out. My daughter had mono and was not allowed to play soccer for 3 months because of possible damage to her spleen.

If he knew he had mono, then why play at the AO, endangering other players. And, how is it that Mirka didn’t get it? It’s called the ‘kissing disease’. Something’s not right.

Why don’t you bother reading the article? Fed did NOT know during the AO that he had mono, he only found out a few weeks ago. Anyone that thinks he’s faking this is a fool. It was obvious to all Fed fans that something was amiss because of his excessive sweating against Tipsy, Djoker and then Murray this week. This is a man who never sweats and during the Murray match he changed his shirt three times in the first set.

Ha ha ha! I was waiting for the Swiss GOAT’s excuse. He should have come up with something more original than Mario Ancic’s illness. Unless he shows me the evidence of his EBV antibodies, I won’t believe him. If it’s true, then who was he kissing at Christmas time???

Von

The severity of mono can vary and people respond to it in different ways.

“People who have mono may have different combinations of these symptoms, and some may have symptoms so mild that they hardly notice them. Others may have no symptoms at all.”

http://www.kidshealth.org/teen/infections/common/mononucleosis.html

Also, if you read The New York Times article, you will learn more about the chronology of when Federer had the disease, when he knew he had it and when he was given the all clear to practise again. He discovered what it was in February, but started to get sick at the end of 2007.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/08/sports/tennis/08tennis.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=sports

Just because he has it doesn’t mean Mirka has to have it to. I mean the story does seem weird but at the same time it would explain the way he’s been playing. The problem with his game this year has been his lack of fluidity and footwork. Those are Federer’s greatest strengths and it’s not surprise he’s struggling without them. He’s had off days before but he’s never had off weeks. Something was obviously wrong it’s just that the whole story is weird.

Isn’t mono also highly contagious or does that depend too?

“He’s had off days before but he’s never had off weeks.” Well one could argue that the stretch between IW & Miami last year were “off” weeks since Canas beat him twice. But I get your point. This is a noticable shift for Fed and the sweating is profuse.

Maybe Mirka did or does have it. Federer doesn’t have to reveal it in either case and none of this is any of our business anyway. If we’re confused, that’s down to us. Federer is not obliged to inform us of all that happens in his life, he can reveal as much or as little as he chooses.

Quote-”For me, it was only a matter of time before the younger guys were going to come up,” Federer said. “Now that they’re here, they’re good and everything, but I’m still No. 1 in the world.”

Is a fat head a common side effect of mononucleosis?

Thank you David. This whole thing is ludicrous, including my reading it and writing a “comment”.

The problem with the notion of ‘off weeks’ in tennis is, you only get one chance to mess up in a tournament, then you are out for the week. It’s not as if you are literally having a bad week playing everyday of that week. Federer last year made 12 finals, he only had 4 tournaments where he got knocked out earlier. That’s pretty damn good.

TD:
Heads are only fat when they presume to be more than what the facts support. The statement you quote is factual. However the facts may change in Miami.

David,

“That’s pretty damn good.” That’s excellent! Fed’s *consistently* excellent results speak for themselves. He’s been so consistent that when he does lose a couple consecutive matches it’s surprising. No matter the reason. Anyhow, as I say, I expect he’ll be back on form soon. The guy has been so injury / illness free for so long this probably just seems strange.

Does anyone know if the Pete v Roger exhibition is being televised? It would be intriguing to watch, maybe especially because both Champs aren’t at their superlative bests so will be slugging it out in front of nearly 20,000 people! Might show who wants the win more, and by the sound of Vach’s article, Pete wasn’t too interested in the Martin match - saving himself for Monday maybe?

Federer is a a straight up liar. Let’s be real here for a moment. Originally, Federer had a stomach virus before kooyoung, thus forgoing playing there, only to say a couple of days before it started that he could play but the tournament already made the draw and wouldn’t allow him in. They the aus open starts and federer looks fine until he plays tipsarevic, who pushes him to the brink, and then federer is apparently having fitness issues. But, federer says he’s fine because he takes out berdych in the following round easily. Plays the Djoker in the semi’s and get’s torched and says that his fitness wasn’t great, but whatever…

Then he’s gone from the tour till his predictable Dubai tournament participation and says in the presser before the tournament starts that his fitness wasn’t the greatest in Australia, but now is perfect and he’s feeling better than ever before the start of Dubai…then goes and the court and loses to Murray and suddenly now he had Mono since the end of december and thats why he lost to the Djoker and Murray???

Um, am i missing something here…no one is telling him to play in the Dubai tournament if he’s not feeling up to it and there is absolutely no reason to do a interview to let everyone know that he “HAD” mono. Who cares if Federer had mono if he isn’t missing any time because of it…it seems like its a last ditch effort to try to get in the heads of other players (i.e. Djoker, Nadal, Murray, Roddick, etc.) Federer is fit enough to play and has been fit enough to play. Mono is not an illness that you can have and not know you have it. It definitely isn’t an illness you can have and play professional sports with and still be able to function. You are essentially out of it when you have this illness. You can’t be unaware of having something so serious and then start discovering that you had it at some point.

Federer is a poor loser and a conceited freak. Players are starting to get confident against him and he’s losing his mental edge so he is looking to make excuses. Its classic federer. Has there been a time he has lost in the last 3 years where he actually says he was outplayed? Has he ever said in the last 3 years that his best wasn’t good enough…NO, because he is a poor loser. The only reason people say Federer is a good sport is because he wins all the time. When he is losing, he regresses back to how he used to be…a little annoying brat.

Federer has lost his edge and the end is near…he will become just another player in the top 10 on tour. His dominance is over. Stop making excuses and face reality, Federer…You didn’t have mono, you didn’t have any illness except suffering from an infection of an over-inflated ego.

There are some mean people at this message board whose blogs I’d rather not read. Fortunately, there are also level headed and reasonable ones who seem very knowledgeable about the game. If not for them, I would not come back to this place.

Jordan

Get over yourself. Just admit it, you don’t like the guy, so anything he does or says is going to bother you. If you care to read The New York Times article, it answers all of your questions.

he looks slow and tired in last tournaments a comparation of shangai. .

jordan you make me laugh . .

I actually don’t have any problem with Federer, except for the fact that he’s overly full of himself. He’s playing at a time when tennis has hit a block…its in a transition. The legends have retired and the younger players are starting to climb. He’s been fortunate to find himself so dominant but most of his dominance is due to the quality, or lack of, of his opponents. Of course, its not his fault that the talent is pretty slim and is only now becoming a bit more deep, but he shouldn’t be growing an awkwardly ridiculous sized head because he’s been winning so much.

Each of his reply’s to loses are always so sly and conceited. Anyone who doesn’t see this is either ignorant or just too much of a federer fan that they preclude themselves of the blatantly obvious. I’m not going to say he isn’t good, because i think he’s an incredible player, but when you lose don’t make excuses. Its pathetic. It’s not too long ago that Federer was a completely useless player who had a terrible temper and didn’t have that much game to back it up. He’s become confident over the years and his ability has increased as well. But as in all sports, champions come and go and for Federer the end is near. I’ve watched essentially every match he has played since he has reached #1 and his level has NOT dropped. Others have caught up to him and he has no where to go but down.

People want to make excuses for him and he wants to make excuses for himself. It’s pretty standard procedure for him and his fans because he’s been on the top for so long. As shocking as it is when he loses (to some), he’s human and there’s a point when his game just isn’t good enough. Saying he’s slow and tired is just another excuse to somehow take away from other players and pretend (at least for a little while) that Federer has so much more in the tank. This excuse after excuse crap reminds me so much of Iron Mike Tyson when he couldn’t win a boxing match against anyone. Each time he lost he would make excuses and then a couple months down the road he would be ready for another bout and once again he would talk all this smack about how sweet he was again and how fast and this and that…get’s in the ring and is KO’ed in a minute…and the cycle continue till finally the boy who cried wolf scenario took hold and he was a forgotten memory…

He has had the edge on many opponents because of confidence…in many instances, his mental edge has put him over the top, but this last year has been tough for him. It’s only going to get harder.

Starting from last year at Indian Wells, he’s lost to Canas twice in succession, lost to Volandri, lost to Nadal x2, should have lost at wimbledon (which he will this year), lost to the Djoker, should have lost to the CHjOKER at the USopen, lost to Nalbandian TWICE, lost to Gonzo and then actually lost to Sampras…then loses to the Djoker at the AusOpen and finally loses to Murray at Dubai. That isn’t a ton of loses, but for federer it’s not a great stretch…the most important part of this stretch is losses to the same players multiple times…thats 2 loses to canas (fluke…maybe), twice to Nadal, twice to the Djoker, twice to Nalbandian…it just so happens that Nadal and the Djoker are 2 and 3 in the world…

The distance has shrunk considerably and any fan of federer’s should see this. All this talk about Mono and stomach viruses and fitness issues and whatever else is crap. The guy is making excuses because he’s lost the mental edge over some players. His agent is a loser and he’s trying to make excuses for Fedex…the bottom line is, points are points and rankings are rankings and no matter how many excuses he decides to make…the ball doesn’t lie…

Maybe he got the Serena-”the opponent didn’t win, I lost”-disease. I heard it’s very infectious.

By and by he’s still a good player and I commend him for starting to accept the fact that the younger players are improving. He might be able to stay on top of the game for the remainder of the year but I doubt he’ll still be as dominant next year.

Normally I don’t leave comments on blogs but several statements with regards to mono are completely erroneous.

The symptoms of mono vary widely from person to person - some patients are completely bed-ridden while others can function relatively normally but may feel slightly “under the weather”. Some people may take a few days to fight off the infection while others can take years. Everyone’s immune system reacts differently to the virus. And yes, although high performance activities like playing competitive tennis are discouraged, some people will still be able to play sports (as Federer has been able to) although most likely they will be competing at a lower level than if they were 100% healthy.

Secondly, although mono is known as a “kissing disease”, there are numerous ways to contract it. Close physical contact (hence the term “kissing disease”) is one of the primary modes of transmission but this does not automatically mean that someone’s partner will also contract mono - Federer’s girlfriend may not have contracted it or she could have mono but show no symptoms, have less severe symptoms or worse symptoms than he did. As I stated earlier, everyone’s immune system reacts differently. The article doesn’t state whether other people close to Federer also became ill.

And finally, although lab tests may reveal that the virus is under control or erradicated, the effects can still linger for a significant period of time. This could profoundly affect Federer’s performance in future matches. Time will tell.

Sorry for the double-post but I forgot to add that because of the wide-range of symptom pictures, mono can be difficult for doctors to diagnose. The test is routine and simple to perform, but many doctors often overlook testing for mono if the patient is presenting with less severe symptoms than the “textbook” examples (e.g. mild/moderate fatigue VS severe fatigue). Often, many doctors will think the patient simply has a cold or flu and will not test for mono unless the symptoms linger or repeated bouts of illness occur - as in Federer’s case.

Really? Federer’s level has never dropped? Really? He’s never played like complete crap against Nadal missing every other backhand and then played very well against Nadal where his backhand was his best shot? Really? Are you serious? I’m a huge Federer fan and I’m pretty sure I was the first one here to say something about his story was off, but there has clearly been something wrong lately. This guy is famous for never sweating. He barely broke a set in his 5 set win over Nadal at Wimbledon even though he had to dig so deep into his arsenal to win. And now he’s sweating in a 3 set loss to Murray. Tell me that makes sense to you. Seriously, if that makes sense to you, then maybe you’re right. But it doesn’t, something was clearly wrong. But I have to agree that it doesn’t make sense that he didn’t know he was sick even though he’s apparently had it since December. I think he’s stretching the truth here, but that doesn’t mean there is not truth in it.

Federer could very well have been feeling ill since December but he may not have KNOWN that he had mono until much later. It can take weeks even months to diagnosed based on the information I gave in my earlier posts.

As a doctor I must confess that I missed this diagnosis in one of my patients and it wasn’t until three bouts of illness later that I finally tested for it and it was confirmed that the patient had mono. Needless to say, I have not made the same mistake and overlooked mono as a potential diagnosis since.

Obviously, this doesn’t prove or disprove the fact that Federer may be lying about having the illness or fudging the details regarding the timeline of diagnosis - I suppose only Federer and his doctors would know the definitive truth…but in my opinion, his story is plausible based on my own personal medical knowledge and experience.

Hi, everyone,

Roger is human. he can be cranky but he is not a lier. If you are a tennis player, you know how difficult to play well even if you have a minor cold. I invite you all, if you behave, to my new bilingual Nishikori fan website: http://keinishikori.net. Forum has also a topic about Federer. Japanese tennis fans love to hear American tennis fans’ opinions.

Jordan

Your contempt for Federer is obvious and that’s okay, it’s a free country, but don’t pretend you have anything objective to say about Federer’s talent or ability.

Fact is, the depth in tennis is stronger than it has ever been. Federer has only been playing Federeresque type tennis from Wimbledon 2003, before that he was a shadow of the player he has become, but still took Sampras out at Wimbledon 2001 and many other high calibre opponents from that generation of players. This generation of players are every bit as good and better.

Whole populations of players do not arbitrarily go down in quality just like that. Statistically, this is very improbable. What is more probable is an individual who develops to exceed the standards of the day, like Mozart, Einstein, Chomsky, Heifetz, Argerich, Jordan, Woods etc. This is the company that Federer keeps. If you look at the number of people playing tennis, the number of programmes in existence, the incredible refinement of these programmes and their teaching methods, and a genetic pool more robust, varied and honed than ever before, the possibilty of todays players being worse than past players is slim to non-existent. Tennis is more competitive than it ever was. Players like Safin are struggling to get to the top 50. Hewitt, who used to school Sampras and rule as No.1, is not even in the top 20. There are a lot of whizz kids out there at the moment who may look a bit green, but they can play. And Federer’s generation are no dummies either. Blake has never lost to Nadal, but Federer has never lost to Blake in 8 meetings. Roddick has yet to beat Federer in 5 years and has lost 16 of their 15 meetings, yet Roddick just beat Nadal and Djokovic over the past couple of days. Federer has never lost to Davydenko in 11 meetings, but Davydenko just beat Murray in Dubai. Federer makes his opponents look bad, not because they are bad, but because he is very good. Only a fool could think otherwise. Federer has not been flukey over the past 4 years or miraculously benefited from the magical disintegration of the talent pool amongst tennis players. He has just been that good. Really, if it were easy to do what he’s doing, why isn’t everyone doing it? Answer, because it’s bloody hard.

I meant Roddick has lost 15 of their 16 meetings, obviously.

Jordan

Don’t worry. There are many more people out there who know that Federer’s story is INcredible. He definitely said before the Murray match that he was 100% fit. He’s only brought up the IM thing after the “sour grapes” incident because he’s worried about losing all his fans, including the British media! he might not have such an easy time at Wimby this year!!!

If Federer wants his story to be believed, then he should ask the doctors to make a statement about his illness, and any investigations he had. Did he have a positive Monospot, atypical lymphocytosis, etc.?

Federer only mentioned the presence of antibodies in his blood, but most people have been asymptomatically exposed to EBV before adulthood, so that might just indicate that he has immunity. Did he just have elevated EBV Ig G VCA titres (antibodies from a prior exposure) or did he actually have elevated antibody EBV Ig M VCA titres (acute infection)?

A shame really, that there were no doctors during his NY interview. They could have really put him on the (Mono)spot!

It is puzzling to me that Federer was unaware of the mono prior to mid-February, 2008.

When Federer became ill in Australia, be announced that it was food poisoning. According to the reports I read at that time, he went back to Switzerland and had extensive testing done at a hospital there. I can only speak from personal experience with my daughter, who contracted mono from one of her girlfriends, sipping her friend’s beverage. One week later her mono symptoms were apparent, even though I did not know she had mono. Her doctor confirmed her symptoms were related to mono from some blood tests done. Even though mono was not their diagnosis it showed up in her blood work. I find it difficult to understand that Federer’s doctors did not pick up his mono from the tests done. Diseases show up in the white blood cell count and liver enzymes, whenever there’s an illness present. Surely, these tests would have given some indication in those two blood work categories. As a result of this. I am somewhat puzzled that he had only been notified of the mono in mid-February, even though he stated he fell ill on a few occasions from December ‘07 to February, ‘08.

Additionally, from the sequence of events, it seems that the mono only raises its head after he competes and loses. If this is the case, why doesn’t he just remain in bed and by-pass the tournaments that he has competed in the 2008 season. It would have been more advantageous for him to withdraw from those tournaments and focus on returning to his healthy form, rather than provoke an escalation of his mono problems. Had he come clean and notified the ATP, I’m sure he would have been given a ‘protected’ ranking, and at the same time their doctors would not have allowed him to compete. Instead, he concealed this information.

His agent mentioned that he had been practising for most of February. He stated he began practising only 5 days prior to Dubai. These are conflicting reports and ‘reasonable doubt’ is present. His sequence of illness lapses and the time the illness began is questionable and, his press statements appear to be somewhat contrived.

Further, where does Federer’s priorities lie with respect to his present health conditons? One would think that his health should be of pivotal importance and the No.1 ranking status, secondary. However, his actions have, and are, stating that his No. 1 status is more important to him than his health. I am flabbergasted. Why does he insist on pushing himself? Could it be that he is devoid of self-love and has many underlying insecurities which can only remain dormant because of his No. 1 ranking status. If this is the case, then he will destruct whenever he loses his No. 1 ranking.

In his statemnt to the press wherein he mentioned the ‘young players’, he pointedly remarked that inspite of it all, he is still ‘No. 1′. His remark about still being No. 1, is very silly . Everyone knows he is No. 1 there’s no need to expound on this. This statement lends merit to my point that the No. 1 status is uppermost in his mind and he is afraid of losing it. It’s as though he has to keep re-affirming this to himself and it’s his passport to do and say whatever he pleases without adhering to the responsibility of the No. 1 player. Because he so desperately wants to hold onto this status he is pushing himself beyond his physical capabilities and endurance. I’ve heard him state that he likes being No. 1 because people respect and listen to you. If he keeps this up he won’t have the No. 1 status, added to that, he’ll be an athlete in poor physical health which will also translate into severe emotional health issues.

In summary, I find it difficult to accept that Fed has been feeling ill since the end of December, ‘07, but has only seen it fit to divulge this problem to the public, after another tournament loss.

A poster mentioned that he didn’t have to mention anything, because ‘it’s his business’. I beg to differ. As a celebrity and the No. 1 tennis player, he has a responsibility to keep the public abreast of any physical issues which can affect his match play. His divulgence of this information only after a loss in the first round of Dubai is somewhate trite, and raises speculation as to why he did not come forward before with this information. It seems to me that it is a rather feeble attempt to ’save face’ after his humilating loss, which again refers back to his inherent insecurity problems.

From here on the ‘burden of proof’ is on Federer’s shoulders to prove beyond any reasonable doubt that he indeed had mono from December ‘07, and is still suffering its after effects. Furthermore, if he has not fully recovered from the mono, shouldn’t he be resting in bed instead of playing that exhibition match with Sampras on March 10th?

jane:

“Does anyone know if the Pete v Roger exhibition is being televised?”

As far as i know it will ONLY be televised on the Tennis Channel. Perhaps you might be able to get live streaming. Check it out.

I find it hard to believe that there has been any medical brain behind this diagnosis of IM. Doctors would certainly have advised him to miss a few tournies. Generally, to avoid litigation, doctors err on the side of caution when a patient asks them if they can swim, fly, mountain-climb, after being ill. “Better not, until I’ve seen you again.” Trust me, not one of Federer’s doctors (if he even saw one) has diagnosed IM.

Generally, adults with IM suffer more than children. I disagree with Emme about Federer’s case being mild. There’s no way that Federer could play +/- win against highly ranked members of the ATP in January with this illness. He just wants sympathy after Murray-Gate. And what an excuse if Sampras beats him too!

I agree with Von that Federer only mentions being ill AFTER a loss he can’t stomach. He looked well enough to me after taking the first set off Murray last week!

“Federer said he did not mention his bout with Mono until now because he didn’t want to take away from wins by opponents Djokovic (Australian Open) and Murray (Dubai) over the last two months.”

So it doesn’t take away from them if he reveals it NOW ?

Roger Federer does have fans in case some people are not aware of that. Many of them are wondering what is happening to him. I do not find anything wrong in admitting he has infectious mononucleosis so that they may know. If he merely wanted an excuse for losing, I doubt there are so many other things that he could have concocted so why mono? That is because that is what his doctor told him he had. If you believe him, that is fine. If you don’t, that will be OK too. Do you think it makes sense for Roger to bother about whether believes he has mono or not. His main problem is to get over the disease. Mononucleosis is a terrible thing to have specially if you are an athlete because of the main symptom of fatigue which typically last for 3 months but could continue as chronic fatigue sydrome which could last for a year and even longer. How scary is that for an athlete especially at his level? Roger is a proud man. Can you blame him for that? In a competitive one on one sports like tennis, you always need to have an edge and mental edge is very important. To make it known to your opponent that you are ill prior to a match will booster the other guy’s confidence and you would not want that especially if you are already feeling weak yourself.

I don’t believe at all that Roger lies. In fact, I think he may have been too honest and does not have the press savvy to sugarcoat his statements. When asked about Murray, he probably said what he thought without thinking that it could backfire on him. Some people are so aware of their image that they know what to keep to themselves and what to say to the press. Roger obviously is not good at that. So when he was asked what was wrong with him, knowing that he knows what he has, would you blame the guy for telling what he knows?

Some people here want proof like laboratory test results from Roger to prove his illness. Why would he do that? Doubters will continue to doubt and remain cynical no matter what.

I wish for Roger to recover fully and soon. He is such a gifted athlete and it would be a shame not to continue to see him play at his best form. People like him comes around only once in a while. Whether one likes him or not, we should be realize that those of us who truly love the game are so privileged to have enjoyed the beauty of his game. I hope we can continue to do so.

If Federer had withdrawn from Dubai would he have had to submit proof of mono?

I was under the impression that withdrawals, particularly if late, for injury have to be supported by, for example, MRI scan evidence to avoid fines being imposed.

People need to read The New York Times article again or maybe they could get someone to explain it to them. Then they need to learn about mono and the many different ways it can affect people, bearing in mind Federer, as a world class athlete, will have a higher threshold for pain and endurance than the average Joe on the street. Then they need to honestly ask themselves if they really think it plausible Federer would go to these lengths and invent his illness, just to account for the two losses against the No.3 and No.11 players in the world, when he has lost other matches to lower ranked players, without so much as an excuse, and lost to these same players as well.

Now, I know there are some people out there who dislike Federer for some reason, but take your blinkers off for a second and ask yourself if your conspiracy theories are based on your hatred or on credible investigative journalism or knowledge.

For Von.

1.Federer says he started feeling sick in December 2007, but thought nothing of it, probably assuming it was flu.

2.About a week before the Australian Open, he is feeling pretty bad and is seen by doctors in Australia, who diagnose him with food poisoning. He is bedridden for a week with diarrhoea and vomiting, even needing to be fed intravenously. It’s still unclear if he happened to have food poisoning as well or was misdiagnosed, a common occurrence with doctors. At no stage did he return to Switzerland before the beginning of the tournament.

3.His illness throughout this period is fluctating. Some days he feels better, some days worse, but he largely ignores it, maybe assuming it is a combination of flu and food poisoning symptoms, the lingering remnants of these illnesses. Being the champion and world class athlete he is, he fights through it and makes the Australian semi-final. I recall Federer also won the Australian Open last year after contracting a cold half way through.

4.In February, he gets it bad and decides he really needs to find out what it is because it’s not going away. After tests with doctors in Switzerland and Dubai, he is diagnosed with mono and told it has been present for at least 6 weeks prior.

5.He is told to rest and is given the all clear by doctors 5 days before Dubai. He now has the all clear to compete in the Sampras exhibition and on the tour, but because off the medically imposed rest, has to catch up with his fitness.

6.Federer is not on trial nor does he know you, so it’s not necessary for him to prove himself to you or anyone else. You’ll just have to take him at his word. You are, of course, free to disbelieve him.

Federer is a class act, perhaps the most honest athlete alive today. I cannot believe the drivel I am reading from people like Jordan and Von. They clearly have an axe to grind, and instead of admiring Federer’s honesty, they vilify him and accuse him of fudging the facts.

I have said it before and I will say it again. More than any other athlete I know, Federer is honesty personified. His problem, as someone here pointed out, is that he is too honest. He says it like it is and does not worry about what others think.

Sorry, Von…Federer does not have to prove anything to anyone. If anything, the burden of proof lies on people like you and Jordan for even suggesting that Federer might be lying…show me the evidence that he is lying. Better yet, show me the evidence that you are NOT totally biased.

Enjoy Federer’s tennis while it lasts. It’s a privilege just to watch him play.

In the NY Times article Federer indicates that criticism about his play and predictions about his imminent demise bothered him, especially considering everything he has achieved in the game, including recent results. Had the press been less sensational about only two losses, this story may never have surfaced until much later. Then Djokovic saying everyone thinks they can beat him now, his mother saying “the king is dead”, also probably rubbed him the wrong way. So this is his reply to the press and all his critics, watch out for a healthy Federer. I support it totally. If Djokovic and his mother can talk, Federer ought to be able to reply. Should give them both something to think about haha.

I think it was a relief to finally discover what was wrong with him and to be able to get something done about it. In view of all the criticism, he was probably happy to share the information, especially with his supporters. I imagine it can be quite a lonely place when you are incredibly ill and the world around you is dismissing you out of hand, writing and talking about things they know little about. It was time to set the record straight and this is what he has done. Deal with it.

Von,

Thanks for your reply on the Exo match; I’ll google around. It’d be interesting to watch.

BTW, From your 7:15 post your career in law is highly evident.

I have to agree with David. I normally like Djokovic but I’m sick of all the crap he keeps saying about Federer. Right now, I really hope Federer teaches him a lesson next time they play. You don’t see Murray or Nadal saying the king is dead and everyone can beat Federer just because they beat him. Federer’s story might be a little weird, but I’m sure he must’ve been sick with something.

Jane :

I think USTA is streaming the exhibition on their website for free. Also check out http://www.msg.com, I think they are doing the live streaming as well.

I read that the USTA site is doing it together with TVU networks which has a player of its own (TVU player like sopcast PPmate etc etc) At this point I am not aware if you need to install the player, but I strongly suspect you will have to because it is a good advertising trick for TVU. Also TVU like sopcast has lots of free streaming links for a lot of tennis tournaments which are not otherwise broadcast to the US tennis audience. So it is not a bad thing to download. However as with sopcast, you must have a good anti-virus protection on your comp. Another good tip is that once you download and install the player, do all your viewing in a limited account (like guest) instead of an administrator account. Viruses that get installed in a account with admin capabilities will affect your entire system, while with a guest account their impact is restriced to that account alone. (Maybe that is an old trick and the new virus-developers know how to beat this trick!)

I guess you might be aware of it already but I just wanted to let you know what I know. I donot know the player requirements for the msg.com site. I shall try to inform you if and when I find out more.

Hey Kash,

Thanks for all the info. One question: do you know if this stuff is Mac compatible? I mistakenly tried to use my Windows parallel desktop this week to watch streaming tennis, and, well, now I am on my laptop & still trying to get my other computer up & running again.

Doh!

I thought Sean would would post something to talk about Roddick vs. Lopez match. I waited until the beginning of the 3rd set. So here I am writing in the wrong thread. Did you guys see how Roddick closed the 2nd set and quickly took a break in the 1st game of the 3rd set, allowing only one point to FeLo. And A-Rod holds his serve easily. He is playing the net pretty well. I am impressed. Roddick is right on the line, and with that it is 3-1. He gets lucky on the net, but the next one gets him, and it is 3-2. Now it is Roddick’s serve for 4-2. Looks like he is gonna win. Let me enjoy the Roddick-moment !

Shital,

Not to mention some of those ripping passing shots to get the 2nd break in the third; Andy’s really got his groove, or should I say mojo, back here in Dubai. Hope he carries this momentum back to the US tourneys.

Jane:

As far a I know, TVU does not have a MAC version. I hope I am wrong and someone else can give you some good info but as of now there seems to be no option for MAC users. I think TVU is not even compatible with non-IE browsers as well.

Anyone else with more info on TVU and this live-streaming? Here are the three sites that are offering free-live-streaming of the MSG exo…..

http://www.usta.com

http://www.msg.com

http://www.tvunetworks.com

The 1st site and 3rd site might be the same feed, I guess. They have johnny mac and ted robinson. The 2nd one has Taylor Dent and Al someone (tautwig or something, he is on the USA for USopen, I believe)

Any software/live-streaming experts please do take a look at those sites and throw some light that might be useful to the not so soft-people like me

Roddick won. Wooh! It was a good match, too. Lopez really pushed Roddick but Roddick pulled through. Great win. Can’t wait for the masters.

“People need to read The New York Times article again or maybe they could get someone to explain it to them. Then they need to learn about mono and the many different ways it can affect people, bearing in mind Federer, as a world class athlete, will have a higher threshold for pain and endurance than the average Joe on the street.”

This is an excellent point, David. Mono affects all people differently. Someone who is a high performance athlete could still be able to compete in an athletic event (albeit at a lower level) compared to someone who is not as fit.

General screening lab test would NOT have picked up mono definitively. Yes, his white blood cells would be elevated but they are elevated in cases of ALL types of infections - including during colds and food poisoning - which is what Federer’s doctors initially thought he had. Did his doctors in Australia make a mistake not testing for it straightaway? In retrospect, yes, but mono is a diagnosis that is easily missed by many doctors the first time around.

Even if his doctors had known he had mono back in January, there is no doubt in my mind they would have told him not to compete because of the potential for splenic rupture. However, he could have disregarded his doctors’ opinions like many athletes and still competed. To avoid legal liability - they simply have to tell him not to compete, note it in their charts, and the rest is up to Federer.

And finally, why should his doctors release an official statement about Federer or parade his lab results around? And even if he did, would the conspiracy theorists be satisfied? People would say that his doctors are lying for him or they made up fake lab test results.

David, you’re as much a federer fanboy as there is, so to keep restating that there are people who don’t especially like federer is a complete moot point. The main issue here isn’t whether federer was sick or not, it’s about whether Federer needed to come out and say it. By revealing this sudden revelation he’s conciously trying to undermine and trivialize the wins by Djokovic and Murray. That’s classless and unnecessary. Djokovic killed federer at the ausopen, Djokovic beat federer at montreal and Djokivic choked his match away at the USopen…Djokovic is getting better everyday and he’s only 20. How many Slams, much less titles, did Fedex win by the age of 21…hmmm, pretty much none…Federer has no reason to reveal this illness after the fact, its pointless and its just about being a poor sport…maybe he’s trying to convince himself that he hasn’t lost a step yet…who knows what he’s trying to do with this story, but the only person it hurts is himself…because the excuses are coming each and every week with this guy…

I read that NY Times article that you keep harping about and it doesn’t have any “new” information that hasn’t already been discussed. The guy basically blames his apparent subpar performances on this mystery disease that he just recently found out about. The article is a sob story about how he just hasn’t felt himself for months and finally he’s back to normal…Yipee Fed…its a dumb article…the most revealing line in that article, which definitely reemphasizes my point about him coming up with this illness crap now, is the line…

…”When I heard it was mono, I was actually even more happy to have made the semifinals of the Australian Open, because probably a doctor would have said, You’re not allowed or can’t play”…

He was even more happy when he heard he had mono??..ok fed, regardless of where he ended up in that tournament, finding out you have or had mono isn’t a happy revelation…the guy is a freak…he’s stating this stupid comment to tell the world “hey, i haven’t lost a step, guys…im still old Roggie…it was a PITY that i lost in the semi’s the Djoker, but NOW we know why…Yipee!!!”…

Old Roggie and Tom Cruise definitely have one thing in common…they have both lost touch with reality…Federer, you lost to the Djoker cause he outplayed you, period.

Keep um comin’, David…with all your comments, you almost have me thinking you’re Mirka in disguise…

To Kash:

Thanks for those streaming links! I have to say, though, that I’m not quite sure whether I will use some of it - simply because I don’t wanna install any suspect programs on my PC… EVERY SINGLE web streaming which requires something to install on your PC (apart from Windows or Real Media Player updates, of course) - I just don’t thrust it, you know… The same about that “Megaupload toolbar”, which allows you to pass that download-slots limitation on the Megaupload filehost (you may have heard something about that)… But anyway, once again thanks for those links! I’ll check if it requires some additional software or not…

Oh, I’ve almost forgot it… Congratulations to Andy for his 25th career title! I dare to say that, apart from the USO 2003 and Montreal 2003 (where he beat Fed in the semis), this is surely A-Rod’s biggest triumph! Well done, Andy!

All I got to say is that Ancic was out for pretty much entire 2007 with mono, and according to him he was barely able to walk to the restroom, let alone practice or play?

To Jordan:

Federer always makes excuses, is declining, Djoker and the others will soon overcome him, and blah blah blah… You’re still talking about the same been-there-done-that stuff over and over again - it simply makes me smile

Jordan says (or rather whines):

“By revealing this sudden revelation he’s conciously trying to undermine and trivialize the wins by Djokovic and Murray.”

Ok. I will take your argument and agree. Maybe those wins by Djokovic and Murray were really trivial considering that Federer has mononucleosis and could not play in full capacity. Federer feels they were trivial and said so. You don’t like it, but what can you do? Whine, I suppose.

The mono doesn’t take away from Djokovic’s and Murray’s win because they still proved to be mentally tough enough to beat Federer. Everyone else Federer played lost to him because they still have that fear. Berdych had plenty of chances in his match at the AO but he choked. And Djokovic did not completely outplay Federer. Federer had chances in the first and third set. I could’ve easily been a 4 or 5 set match had a few points gone Federer’s way. It’s funny how much criticism Federer gets for saying he was sick. How many times has Djokovic retired for one illness or another and he’s only 20! Atleast Federer pushed himself, whether it’s dumb or not that’s the way he is. That’s why he’s achieved so much, because he’s willing to push himself beyond his limits. What a terrible characteristic, right?

A win is a win and no matter what the circumstance is, the winner deserves that win. I did not mean to say that Federer was trivializing the wins over him by others when he admitted to have mono. The fact is, he never said that those were trivial losses. It is just that too many people are reading too much about Federer’s admission that he has mononucleosis. I do not see any reason for anybody to lie about an illness so I will take his word for it. So, he was again just stating a fact about his illness. Just like a win is a win, a fact is a fact. Neither of this two can be denied. All kinds of conjectures can be made but never are they any more valid than what is accepted as a fact.

sensationalsafin said: “It’s funny how much criticism Federer gets for saying he was sick. How many times has Djokovic retired for one illness or another and he’s only 20!”

Amen to that!

Jordan

Okay don’t believe him, it makes no difference either way.

Let’s get some definitions right:
When Sarena Williams says she lost a match because her opponent got lucky, that’s a classless excuse.

When Jordan says that Federer’s announcement of his illness was to undermine the recent wins by Djokovic and Murray, that’s whining.

When Federer says he has been diagnosed with mononucleosis, it is a statement of fact. How you want to interpret it is, as Polo correctly said, entirely up to you.

To the best of my knowledge, champions like Federer — and Nadal — don’t need to “excuse away” their losses. They give credit to their opponents fair and square. When federer won a close match against Tipsarevic at the AO, he said something to the effect that he wished there were a tie in tennis because the other guy deserved to win just as much. That’s an ultimate compliment the world’s Number One player could have paid to someone who was not even in the top ten.

What do you think Djokovic or Murray or even Sampras would have done if they had a similar illness before a grand slam event? I bet they would have shared the news with everyone sooner or later.

All that Federer was trying to do was to put things in perspective. Anyone watching tennis will have to agree that Federer has not been himself lately. Did you ever see him sweating before he had the illness? No. Did he seem sluggish with his serve or his forehand lately? Yes. Did he say he lost those two matches because he was ill? No.

All he said is that he knows now why he had been feeling sluggish lately. If he also feels good in hindsight about having made it to the semifinal at the AO, he has every right to.

One last point. Bo says that Ancic was pretty much out the entire 2007 with the same illness and was barely able to move or walk, casting aspersions again on Federer’s genuineness. As David pointed out earlier, champions like Federer can and will go farther than the Ancis of the world. I remember Michael Jordan playing a sensational 7th game of the NBA finals despite suffering from the flu.

That’s what makes them the champions they are.

No one, or at least, I am not saying that Fed does not have mono. My point hinges on the fact that if Fed knows he has mono, which is a very debilitating disease, why push himself to play. It’s foolhardy. Instead of playing Dubai and this exhibition match in New York with Sampras, he should be home resting. Not pushing himself beyond limits his body cannot endure. What has he accomplished by so doing? Nothing, except that he has had to disclose this information at a late stage to the public. The reports seem inconclusive and nothing makes sense.

Considering how long mono lasts, and the severity of the toll on his immune system, why push it. The last thing ANY athlete, albeit, Federer, or anyone else, should do is continue to play in a weakwend state. He is retarding his progress and will eventually set himself up for more relapses. Some may find this admirable, but any doctor would say that he is only compromising his immune system and will face very serious consequences in the future.

“I remember Michael Jordan playing a sensational 7th game of the NBA finals despite suffering from the flu.”

The ‘flu’ is not mono. Flu only lasts 5-7 days. Mono is a 3 month haul, and sometimes longer. Federer’s insistence on playing in a weakened state could put him in bed for several months not to mention the strain on his spleen which could rupture quite suddenly. Those who admire his trait of pushing himself beyond endurance, that’s admirable, I’ll still say that it’s foolhardy, bur only time will tell.

Jordan

I’m surprised you say Djokovic “killed” Federer in Australia. From what I recall, Fed served for the first set and then had numerous chances in the third. All credit to Novak for coming up with big serves on pretty much every big point in that match. As far as fitness, I thought Fed looked fitter than Novak and probably would have been stronger had the match gone on longer.

I actually see these two as dead even on hard courts and interestingly their three most recent matches could have gone the other way. Fed had three set points in the first set of their match in Montreal and then won the second set, so that could have been a straight set victory. Novak had set points in both the first and second sets of the Open final, so that could have been a very different story. And I think it’s certainly conceivable Fed could have been up two sets to one in Melbourne.

Jason said: “Fed had three set points in the first set of their match in Montreal and then won the second set, so that could have been a straight set victory.”

It was actually 6 setpoints. It’s strange how many anti-Fed fans are highlighting that USO2007 final choking of Djoker - how he could’ve, should’ve won that match, and blah blah - yet they seem to forget about this… Really, what Fed “produced” in that 1st set was even “better” than that Rome 2006 final!

Skorocel:

“It was actually 6 setpoints. It’s strange how many anti-Fed fans are highlighting that USO2007 final choking of Djoker.. -

Not all anti-Fed fans are highlightin the chokin by the Djoker. I’m not, however, you’re sure fightin and seem to be likin it. G&R. OK keep goin. How about some couldas, shouldas, wouldas? Atta boy Skorocel, keep fightin and dreamin.