I’m very happy for Rafa. He plays so well today. He is the king of clay.

Nice quick post Sean, already had it written and was waiting for the last point.
Go Nadal, but I would’ve preferred if he’d won one of the three break points he had when Federer was serving at 5-5, 0-40 in the second set. It would’ve been a 7-5, 7-5 repeat of the Monte-Carlo final.

Has anyone taken a look at the price of tickets for The French Open through the brokers? It may be worth the money for the Q finals on.

Blowing a 5-1 lead is not something one expects of Federer even if he is up against Nadal. This season will be talked about for a long time.

Thanks for the post Sean.

Rafa will win the French Open for 4 years in a row. There’s really no doubt about it. Even if players are up 2 breaks in a set against him, he’ll come back to win it.

Thanks for the concise, well-written, unbiased report, laced with some wit. (Love the cliff dive analogy.)

Sean Randall:

Two great articles hot off the press two days running — good job, Sean.

Rafa pulled off a Guillermo Coria stunt in the first set, rallying from 5-1 down to win the set.

Yep Sean’s a hot-off-the-match kind of writer.

Topsy-turvy is a good call. But Rafa is the comeback man - he did it against Tsonga at IW, against Fed at MC second set, against Djoko (not as big a lead but still) in yesterday’s first set, and against Fed, in both the first & second, today.

I’ve said it before - someone should contact the lexicographers to add Rafa’s name in at the definition of “tenacious” - He’s “tenacious R” for sure.

I actually had not even finished the post when minutes after I first saved it to the server the site (or something) crashed for a good 3 hours or so (I had after errands both today and yesterday, hence the need to post quick!). I see it’s now back up, so to finally add on the match…

I think the win only adds to Rafa’s clay aura. As if he wasn’t good enough already on clay, now he’s shown that he can comeback from just about every imaginable position. Overcoming a 5-1 deficit against Fed? Wow. So if you are playing Rafa at the French and can actually build a 5-1 lead I’m sure the thought that even Federer was unable to close out Rafa from such an advantage will come into to play. Really amazing that no lead is safe.

If you are looking for a silver lining, you could to the fact that Rafa’s been a bit of a slow starter, going down early to Federer (twice), Djokovic, I think Ferrer had him down and a few others I believe. So he’s somewhat playing with fire, but fortunately the best-of-five format will give him that much more time to get his game on.

Sean,
great articles yesterday and today and very timely. I have to say your speed is just amazing.

Great match yesterday. Great fight from RAfa and Djoko and today as well. Fed coming back in the second set, …Rafa’s fight…a great week of tennis.

I think if Rafa can stay healthy, he has a good chance in RG and goes there with good confidence. He won No 15, no 12, no 3 and no 1 in Hamburg, worst conditions for him. So it can just add to his confidence.

But then again, after BArcelona, I was so hopeful that he would sweep Rome, but it did not happen. So I don’t want to speculate much. Hopefully one week of rest and the GS format ( one day rest in between) should be good for RAfa.

thanks for the congatulations yesterday from everyone.

federer choked, it’s that simple. he has no mental toughness against nadal. he isn’t even in the conversation for greatest of all time. no way.

Fed is afraid,
federer is not in the conversation for the Greatest of all times, maybe because he might be just that! the Greatest of all times and we are so very lucky to be able to watch him and Rafa, maybe the greatest clay court player ever.

Federer didnt choke he just isnt good enough to beat Nadal. Nadal just puts Federer in different positions on court which against other players he never experiences. He has to reach so high on his backhand and a lot of the time it breaks down. Every time Fed gets a forehand its high up out of his natural hitting zone. Nadal makes so many amazing retrieval shots that Federer has to go that little bit closer to the line and eventually misses. In a nutshell Nadal on clay is simply Federer’s worst nightmare. Its like Nadal was built as a player to nullify everything Federer has.

We often see Federer dominate for spells against Nadal but it requires such physical effort, footwork and concentration that he can never keep it up. And once Nadal derails the Federer train the doubts creep into Feds mind and we see the errors start to flow from his racket. Its like he starts the matches with Nadal with a clear head but after an hour or so he is absolutely befuddled and confused.

The only way he could possibly beat him at the French is to come out and play flawless Tennis for 3 sets and just blow Nadal away. The chance of that is virtually nil but its his only chance. Once he lets Nadal into his head and he starts missing theres only one winner.

Winning is a learned process. Fed HAD it. Something has shaken his ability to absolutely know he would win no matter what. (Rafa certainly has this belief in himself.) Mono, fat cows in the barnyard, the good life, one too many Rolexes - something has affected him.

This is the stuff legends are made of. Let us play out the rest of the year which ought to be fantastic, and I am already looking forward to ‘09.

Though a bit late, congratulations to Nadal for becoming the 3rd player to achieve this feat since 1990, winner of the three different ATP Masters Series titles on clay. My humble bow to the champion for an extraordinary play despite some “pain in the leg” and tiredness from the other day!

It must have been a big blow to Fed, who had not lost in German soil in any tournament since 2002 (?).
Despite it was a great match to watch, it must have been a sad experience for his fans to see how Fed could not close out at 5-1 and 5-2 in those 1st two sets (Rafa almost won the 2nd set). Why cannot Fed fans are saying the same thing about Fed today that they did against Djoko for not being able to convert those opportunities in the 1st set? According to Rafa, he was a bit weaker today than yesterday, both physically and mentally. That should have been easier for Fed, but unfortunately he committed more unforced errors than winners. Although you can spin this thing as much as you want to defend your hero, he remains without a Master Series title this year. He lost even on the court he had remained unchallenged until this morning. I cannot say for sure when he will win a Master Series or Slam next time, but I will have to admit he did play a lot better today than any of the tournament since Aussie Open. If he wants to remain relevant, he will have to able to give continuity to or improve on today’s performance.

“Choke” or “gag” is fair in my books in describing what Fed did in the first set. That said, I will add that clearly Fed’s got an issue with closing out Rafa in his head, between the ears.

Rafa’s got a mental stranglehold in Fed.

fat cows in the barnyard-is that a reference to mirka? lol

Fed is Afraid - I WOULD NEVER SAY THAT. Now that YOU mention it, I have noticed that I have never seen a fully body shot of her. Requires some research before offering an opinion.

He does own at least one large cow given to him by someone or another in Switzerland.

“http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/sport/newsid_3054000/3054337.stm”

Dr. Death,
here you go:

and she is beautiful.She is one of the reasons I have respect for Fed.

oops where did the link go:
here: Mirka and Fed:
http://www.virginmedia.com/microsites/sport/slideshow/couples/img_6.jpg

“He does own at least one large cow given to him by someone or another in Switzerland.”

Dr. D, you’re too funny. It’s true, though, but I’d forgotten about the cow.

Fed can’t seem to figure out the Rafa puzzle; it’s great to watch these two play nevertheless.

Shital - “Why…are Fed fans [not] saying the same thing about Fed today that they did against Djoko for not being able to convert those opportunities in the 1st set?”

A lot of people do not like Djoko - haven’t ya noticed? Seriously, though, there is a similarity. And it happened in MC between Rafa and Fed too. It’s NEVER easy to convert against Rafa; he’s one of the BEST at staving off break points (check stats at ATP; I know he’s been at the top before). So it’s not only Djoko and Fed who are not able to convert; it’s Rafa’s tenacity too.

He has poor taste in meat, Zola, in my opinion. I prefer French veal if one has to eat any meat at all.

I think RAfa starts off a bit nervous , especially against Fed and Djoko( as Sean said) and then gets into the match. He also has the ability to asses the situation and find a solution. ( what he did against Blake and Tsonga in IW).

…”Mission Impossible” … the pressure is off Federer now to win the French Open … it is an Impossible task … which is precisely why it is time … Federer will win the French … to everyones surprise … then you can spend the next month discussing how/why it happened.

Since we’re digressing onto looks, I was re-watching /Taxi Driver/ last night because I am teaching it this summer, and I was struck by how much the young De Niro looks like Djoko. Or maybe it’s just because I watched one and then the other, but what’d'ya’ll think?

De Niro:
http://img5.allocine.fr/acmedia/medias/nmedia/18/35/91/08/18453812.jpg

Djoko:
http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/3899/bc1b1ed4cda432f680bdf0bxk6.jpg

Jane,
I think you are very kind to Djoko. DeNiro has a rounder face and a smaller nose ( at that time!). There might be a hint of resemblence between them, but hey do not look alike to me.

btw,
wasn’t DeNiro in Djoko’s box in US Open?

Very strange match, I’m really disappointed :(. Fed may have psychological problem with Rafa on clay, but there is more to it. Rafa has a game, endurance, and stamina perfectly suited to clay. I agree with most commentators - NO PLAYER can beat him on clay. Period. Ferrero (wounded foot), Fed last year in Hamburg (extreme tiredness) are exceptions that only confirm this rule. I think the other guys will begin beating him on clay only if/when his own game drops in quality, if he is injured or something… Fed played brilliantly today, won a huge number of rallies, big points, break points, even a tie break… BUT… Nadal just doesn’t make mistakes, especially in a row… He keeps his level of play throughout the match, each and every point, game, set… You can put him down on his knees, but he will play each remaining point as it is the most important point in his life…
The major problem on clay is that you can’t break one’s serve once or twice in a set, and then keep your own and cruise till the end. No way… Nadal will just concentrate a bit more, go one level up and never make a signle more mistake until he wraps up the set…

As it now stands, Djokovic stands a better chance to beat Nadal than Federer. Federer’s proverbial window to win FO is closing fast. Roger Fed should pray to the tennis god to place Djokovic on Nadal’s half and he pulled off an amazing 5-set upset of Nadal. Hopefully, he can beat a drained Djokovic in the Final. If Djokovic is on Roger’s half, Roger may be stopped at SF, let alone dreaming of beat Nadal on a Sunday.

Zola,

“wasn’t DeNiro in Djoko’s box in US Open?”

Yes, I think it was narcissism; De Niro sees himself in Djoko! Even the acting. LOL. I don’t know, maybe that wasn’t the best photo of Djoko, but in some they do look very much alike.

Or maybe I’m insane? “You talking to me?”

It occured to me that it was Rafa who actually had a bunch of break points he didn’t convert on today (or I am mistaken?); Federer was able to rely on his serve to get him out of some tight spots - unlike Djoko, whose serve was not at its best yesterday.

I wonder if Fed’s serve will be better or not on the faster surface of RG?

You know Tennis Fan might also have a point - given the year it’s been and how we’re all saying no one can beat Rafa etc, does that mean this is the year someone, maybe Fed, does? As someone said earlier (Sean?), Rafa has been coming from behind in a lot of these matches.

That said, I want Rafa to get his 4th RG title, so I’ll be rooting for a Djoko Rafa final unless they meet in the semis again.

Yes, DeNiro is a admirer of Djok.

Shital - “Why…are Fed fans [not] saying the same thing about Fed today that they did against Djoko for not being able to convert those opportunities in the 1st set?”

Jane: A lot of people do not like Djoko - haven’t ya noticed?
——————————-
I think the main reason is they are afraid. With Fed and Rafa at 1-2 positions it gets comfortable. For years, Roger always wins hardcourt and grass and Rafa always wins clay. Now there might be a third person to disrupt the calm waters. The Fed fans are really panicked since they want him to beat the Sampras record NOW. Despite cries of arrogance by Novak and other complaints, that is just a cover for their fear. You have to forgive the Fed fans.

Jane,
there is certainly resemblance . You are not wrong. Just that to me DeNiro is better looking! ( maybe I am biased!).

about break points. Yes Rafa converted 5/19! 19 break points. but Fed aced a few of them.

gag! what the hell was that?

roger…ai yi yi. you have to get to a clay shrink.

you were up in both sets in monte carlo, both sets here.

meltdown.

i never saw the first set. was roger’s first serve working in that set? in the last two it was horrible.

good for nadal. that guy is unreal.

Whats to like about Djokovic? … he’s a very good player … but arrogant and insulting to other players on the tour. He’s like the evil emperor (in Star Wars fame) … rafa and federer are on the side of good … and the only ones who can make the Universe a place anyone else wants to live in. I guess have Djok on the tour is great for ratings … but actually I would enjoy three great players who all had a sense of respect for the game .. instead we have to put up with one ignorant ###! I actually liked Djok on the tour until his true personality surfaced (along with his munster family … I acknowledge that there a few people out there that always root for the bad guy … I just don’t have to share their empathy for a creep.

Mr Tennis Fan

Could you give me one example where Djokovic (note: NOT his parents) has said anything degrading or insulted or arrogant to another player.

Thought Not.

You have not been following tennis too much have you?

There is really no need for all this Fed-beating. The facts are plain - he is the second best player on clay and has been the best player on hard courts and grass for the past 4 years. Assuming that this is the beginning of a slow decline, even if he limps along and collects 2 more non-RG Slams over the rest of his career, he will end up with a better Slam resume’ than Sampras, or anyone else from the post-70s era. (Sampras has just one semis in the French and a bunch of bad losses.)

Nadal will need great luck to win a hard-court major, there are so many players who can beat him up on their day (think Tsonga, Youzhny, Berdych not to mention Fed, Djoker, Davydenko). But I think he has a good shot at winning Wimbledon - which has begun playing like a fast clay court (a la Rome) - someday.

Ah well craig - not everyone has to root for the “bad guy,” like us, but I am happy we have him to shake up the calm waters. I forgive anyone who doesn’t like him. I do. He’s great fun, and good for the sport imho. If all the players were alike, it’d be a little boring. Nice to have a mix: some more outspoken and some more demure; some more artful and some more willful; some stubborn champs and some wandering souls. It’s better this way.

And this season, so far, has been a treat.

Andrea.

The answer is no. It’s quit a while since Fed’s serve is not on as in previous days. There was only one game in the second set when he was facing a break poit, hit a good first serve and then two aces. But he was having trouble in the advantage side, a lot!

I find amuzing that no one mentioned that strange time out. Nadal break to go 2-5 and we all spected him to keep playing, but then he had a time out and put some thoughts into Fed’s head who thougth Nadal was about to retire anytime soon, as I was. But, he start playing perfectly and I think this enter into the equation. It was really strange for Fed to drop his leval of play that way, and the commentors in the MS TV mention it too, that was a tension in the air. It was almost as if Rafa was embarassed of wining after that time out, he wasn’t even celebrating with the vamos or the biceps thing into the air. I think Roger was a litle upset with that and it affect his game, he start making mistakes in firs, second balls. But, only the players know what happened in court!

Tennis fan - “come over to the dark side”. LOL

Sorry for the “spected”, typing fast…

Hmmm Daniel - you’re saying it was gamesmanship or no? I think, given that Nadal has had knee issues for a while now, and given that he played a match nearly three times as long as Fed’s in the semis, we can assume Rafa’s timeout was legit.

I thought Fed’s serve saved him more than those two aces in the 2nd set; maybe I missed something, but didn’t it work pretty well in the 3rd set as well. Roger’s first serve % was high when I checked it online during the match and he had way more aces than Rafa (or Djoko who had none y’day).

B.T.W I was mistaken - Rafa’s break point saved record is not so high this year after all; it’s his 1st serve % of which he takes very good care.

When you start looking at HOW Nadal got back into this match, you can really only reached one conclusion: Federer choked. There’s just no other way to say it.

Federer had Set Point at 5-1 before Nadal called the trainer. How he lost his serve in that game is mystifying. He hit a swinging forehand volley wide on that Set Point to go deuce; then hit a backhand wide into the alley for ad out; then dumped a forehand volley into the net to get broken. Three straight unforced errors, or as you accurately call them, “head-slapping misses”. That’s why I dont’ agree with Bryan that Nadal’s time out was any gamesmanship because Federer had the set on his racquet. He was too far ahead in the set for the time-out to matter. All he had to do was hold his nerve..oops, sorry, SERVE, and the set was his. After those three muffs Federer should have been delighted with the time out Nadal took so he could steady himself. Federer even had a Set Point on Nadal’s serve at 5-2, but Nadal hit a second shot winner off the return, then held. Serving for the set a second time at 5-3, Federer then hit a crucial forehand wide at 30-all to go down Break Point, and Nadal hit an easy winner for the break. It got worse for Federer in the 5-5 game, when at 30-all he hit two straight unforced errors, a backhand wide then a forehand wide, to get broken again. Nadal’s resurgence in the first set was almost exclusively due to Federer errors, not any type of outstanding play by Nadal. In fact, Nadal was able to hit the winners he did for one simple reason: Federer’s shots were getting shorter and shorter in the court with each passing point, and all Nadal had to do was just basically stand on the baseline. He didn’t have to move all that much but for one or two steps in either direction for most of the first set. THAT was puzzling - the lack of depth on Federer’s shots. Federer then barely escaped in the 2nd Set, surrendering a 5-2 lead to squeak out a Tiebreak, and that it got that far was again due to the most baffling errors at the utterly wrong moments.

When Federer faces Nadal on clay, he chokes. I’ve read the rather high profile proponents of this theory and they make compelling arguments. One of them is Miguel Seabra who runs the Estoril tournament; and the most famous one is Mats Wilander, who basically accused Federer of “sh**ting his pants” against Nadal in the 2006 French Final. Both of them build the same case for their theory, basically saying that Federer NEVER makes those kinds of errors in as big a quantity against any other player on any other surface - only against Nadal on clay. And judging by the review of his errors today I recounted, plus his Monte Carlo 2nd Set debacle last month, and it’s tough to discount their theory. If they’re right, this might have been the most massive choke of Federer’s career.

Only two other explanations could possibly explain it, but both are unlikely:

*IF Federer truly thought Nadal was injured after his long match yesterday, he might have wanted to stay out there as long as possible, so as to aggravate it and hamper Nadal’s chances at The French next week. My only problem with believing this one wholeheartedly is that if Nadal wanted out of the match, he could have out-shanked Federer and been done with it in under an hour. Or…

*Federer gave a gift to Nadal of the Hamburg Trophy for winning yesterday and therefore eliminating any chance of their possibly meeting in the French Semi Final (OK - this one’s stretch ).

Whatever it was I know that their facial expressions during the ceremony were totally bass-ackwards. Federer was all smiles and cordial, and Nadal looked like he was on his way to a funeral. Something was going on for sure, and I think we’ll only discover what it really was at some point down the road.

I don’t thik of Djoko as the “bad guy”. He is just a 20-year old talent. He is a bit short on the PR side, but I think he is trying very hard to improve and I eally appreciate that. The fact that he declined to do imitations in Rome and his parets were not there and in HAmbug, says a lot. He has also toned down a lot regarding his ambitions. Personally as long as he does not state negative opinion on other players, I see nothing wrong with him talking about his ambitions. I see that as a way to motivate himself.

Statman,
Rafa is getting much better on the hard courts. He has reached semis or better in the majors this year. Tsonga and Blake were beaten in IW and Miami. So, I think that chapter is over for RAfa.

This year is hardly a slow decline. It is an abrupt one. Two GS and five Master played, zero titles. Yes, he is not going to win RG unless Rafa got blisters.

I am a BIG fed fan. I think he is already the GOAT.

However, he choked against Nadal. Again. It really bothers me. Its not how often he has lost to nadal on clay, its the last few times that he has choked so badly. That just isn’t what the GOAT should do.

He needs to see a shrink. A hypnotist. Something. This is entirely a mental block.

What a shame.

Voicemale

***Federer had Set Point at 5-1 before Nadal called the trainer. ***

Rafa called the trainer AFTER he broke Federer at 5-2.

Eurosport has a match call:
http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/tennis/livematch/234506.html

Nadal is a real inpiration to everyone with his fortitude and courage. I love to watch him play.

Fran Tomasco

Most of fed fans are sore losers. They blamed the loss on Nadal’s injury timeout. It is so ridiculous.

When is this final going to be shown on the Tennis
Channel or elsewhere?

Fran Tomasco

I usually enjoy reading the articles on this site and also most comments (except those that clearly are meant to either provoke or hurt other people’s feelings), but seldomly join the discussions unless some things surface that, I feel, need to be seen from another angle also.

That’s why, e.g. I joined in 3 months ago after a barely 18 year old Kei Nishikori won his first ATP tournament and some people made very direspectful comments about this hard working young man’s results in Delray Beach.

This time it’s because I have been noticing a very unfair and Federer bashing in a number of articles and comments. Bashing not at all based on unbiased fact finding. Because of the media here, that only concentrate on those players that have broken through and never pay attention to emerging young players, nobody in the US had even heard of Nadal when he stormed into the top 50, arrived at Key Biscayne and almost beat Federer in the 2005 finals. I am and have been a huge Nadal fan since he won Europe’s most prestigeous European under 14’s junior tournament, ‘Les Petits As’, and turned pro at barely 15. I, like many of you, hope he wins RG and gets that Wimbledon crown which he really should have won last year.

However, as Rafa says himself, Federer has been and still very much is the World’s No. 1 and I have a hard time reading the disrespectful comments about his abilities or personality. Fed does appear to have a (mental) problem with Rafa. He has an incredible respect for the young Spaniard’s achievements. Both Fed and all the players find Rafa’s results unique, especially at this young age and, therefore, all the players have great respect for Rafa. Rafa’s respect for Federer has been obvious too. Despite his young age, he reacts much more maturely to the fact that this year, so far, has not been ‘business as usual’ for Roger. Some members of the press find it perfectly OK to childishly ask Fed, right after a loss: “is this the beginning of the end”. Nadal, with his only 21 years, as disgusted as this poster with questions like that, defends Federer at all times. He has on several occasions correctly brought forward that:
- all great champions lose matches
- it is impossible to keep on winning at every tournament
- everybody is so used to Fed winning all tournaments and think nothing of his appearing in both finals and semifinals this year
- it’s not unique that a world no. 1 goes a longer period of time without winning a tournament (Most World No 1’s have lost numerous matches and tournaments, many more than Federer has this year)
- that overall Fed’s result this year have not been bad at all as he’s mostly been up there in the final rounds
And that this is why Rafa thinks tennisfans and the media should be supporting him instead of bashing him.

Sorry for this longer than intended post, but really felt like sharing these thoughts with you. Roger Federer has brough so much to today’s tennis and he does not deserve the distorted picture some are trying to create about one of the true gentlemen in sports.

On the contrary mjolk I’ve may have been watching Tennis for too long … in fact, long enough to remember Ilie Nastase’s antics and John McEnroe’s “fat lady” tirades. But at least in these instances, the players spent most of their time insulting the officials, and occasionally the viewing audience. When Djokovic gives the I’m no. #1 signal after taking one set off of Nadal … it is satisfying to see him get blown off the court in the third. In fact, it appeared to be a motivator for Nadal who become more emotionally charged after the gesture. Lets face it Djokovic is arrogant. Although you can’t fine him for ripping off his shirt to show off his hot bode … he should be penalized (by the ATP) for quitting matches (by reimbursing the paying fans). The obnoxious family is just the icing on the cake for me (although I noticed that today the camera men stayed far,far away).
… come to think of it … I actually found Nastase and McEnroe to be in that mix of wandering souls which created “great fun” … that was good for the sport … why is it that I can’t lighten up for a guy (and his family) that can’t help telling the world (and the players around him that he’s no.1) even before he is? And if he ever makes it … will anyone actually care to hear from him again?
… furthermore … I think Jane is secretly into “bad boys”!

Hmmm… to beat Nadal, Fed must change coach, O he did it already! Now the only thing left is girlfriend! He needs to change girlfriend! He needs a new motivation!

Oh … and the Djokovic pounding of the chest …”I have great heart” gesture that may have been started by Maria Sharapova, or some other unknown Eastern European player is getting a little old by now …

Although you can’t fine him for ripping off his shirt to show off his hot bode … he should be penalized (by the ATP) for quitting matches (by reimbursing the paying fans).
——————————————
Ripping off shirts? Well, Tsonga, Haas, and others have done it, why not mention them? Wanna see some photos?

Funny you don’t mention reimbursements for fans when Davydenko handed Fed the trophy on a silver platter at Estoril.How about Soderling retiring in Miami against Fed while trailing. How about Haas retiring against Fed due to sinus trouble at IW. Or wait! How about Almagro or Stepenak quitting in the middle of their losing matches against Djok? Should they be penalized? Hmmm? Only Novak?

I smell a Novak hater in TennisFan. But Jane and I are filled with forgiveness for you, dear.

Craig, … I am not a Novak hater … I am a Novak disliker. I dislike his arrogant style … the ripping off of the shirt thing is just part of his style. Yes, others have done it … just not with the same frequency. Other players have quit matches in the past too … just not with the same frequency (to the point where people wonder if there is an alterior motive). The #1 signage … the chest pounding … others have done those too… the obnoxious family in tow (I won’t saying anything more hear that will get me into trouble) … but the whole package just doesn’t add up for me as to how a great player of the sport should act. OK .. maybe I should lighten up … maybe the sport just needs a bad dude … I think you found him. Please don’t forgive me … I think Djok is a very talented player … he’s just not my style!

did anyone catch that truly painful wilson ad with djokovic during the final? maybe it only played on TSN. it was so corny as to be laughable. oooo…. the stare.

tennis fan, i’m not a novak fan either for many reasons (many which you have extoled) and the fact of the matter is, it’s all personal. i never dug sampras. ever. and he was like federer for 10 years. player bashing isn’t right but forums like this are ok to vent….i think…but just a little…as long as we’re still respectful. let’s face it, we’re all a bunch of tennis nerds.

Federer’s post match interview makes disturbing reading for Fed fans. e.g.”I could have maybe served a little bit better. When I served
for the set, the second time where he broke me at 5:1, but I thought,
all in all it was allright. It wasn’t my best performance, if you get
broken so many times there is always something you are a little bit
unhappy about. But I think I am finding the right type of play from
the baseline. It’s up to me to serve maybe a bit better at important
stages. And attack maybe a bit more solidly. But it was a fun match
playing.” And so on and so forth.

Talk about denial. Federer has amply demonstrated this season that he can play tennis with Nadal on a claycourt. Those people who claim that Federer simply can’t cope with Nadal’s claycourt game exaggerate. Usually, they are the gloaters, of course, but there are well meaning Fed fans who fall into the same error, and proffer all sorts of friendly advice as to how Fed might improve his claycourt game. All quite irrelevant - although pretty funny, if you think about it. The problem is mental. I second Voicemale1 and Agassifan on this one.

When Federer is relaxed, he plays Nadal better than anyone. But the moment the scoreline starts to look healthy, he suddenly seems to remember where he is, who he is playing against, and so on. He tenses up, retreats into a shell, starts playing pit-a-pat, and just misses stuff. His great natural gifts, honed by discipline, count for nothing as he exerts a baffled will.

Nothing is simple. After his lamentable collapse in the first set, Federer displayed considerable grit, refusing to just go away. Nevertheless, he nearly capitulated again, but somehow dug himself out of his own little trench. Must have cost, because he relaxed in the wrong way, and just gave the initative to Nadal at the beginning of the third. A little bit of bad luck - and his head hung. A poorly timed volley, and he hits the net not exactly in anger, that would have been healthy, but a sort of bemusement. What sort of a world is this?

But Federer doesn’t admit any of this. He pays proper tribute to Nadal’s skills - the greatest defensive player in history, as Djokovic said - and talks about how he is making progress in the The Great Project. All coherent stuff - and somehow, utterly beside the point.

Is it stubborness? Pride? Delusion? I don’t say this lightly, it is not possible for us to understand the kind of pressures he is under. Of course, the pressures are to a degree self-imposed, he doesn’t have to go for all these records, and in a sense who cares anyway, but that’s not the point. Whether or not Federer is, at the end of the day, the author of his own ills, it is of legitimate interest to his fans, and even to disinterested tennis lovers, as to why he is prone to these, what can we say, mental aberrations.

You can’t force belief. Federer does not, in his heart, believe he can beat Nadal on clay (he quickly conceded last year at Hamburg that Nadal may have been tired - yes, he was inconsistently buoyed up too; you, of course, dear blogger, are the very model of consistency). He can say what he wants; his actions and body language on court tell the real story.

Would coming to terms with the truth about his mental disposition do any good? Well, truth is double edged, isn’t it, so there is no guaranty. But it might clear the air a bit. Hard to be loose in all that atmosphere.

Meanwhile, if it is to be a Fed/Nadal final at RG, I really don’t want to watch that one. I love Hamlet - but not on the tennis court, please. All that frustrated anguish, it can get kind of tiresome. You want to say: for Christ’s sake, give it a decent whack, and if it doesn’t work out, fine. To capitulate when you’re getting thrashed seems to me completely normal. But to haul up the white flag when you’re winning is, to say the least, eccentric.

Personally, I look forward to a Nadal/Djokovic final. I disagree with the condescending comments of not a few with regard to Djoko, and whilst I can’t see him beating Nadal this year, he’ll give it an honest crack, and next year, who knows.

Of course, we can still hope for miracles….

Simba,

Read my post above, I am not blaming nadal for Fed’s loss, and I am a big fed fan. Fed checked. Again. That’s it. ITs a shame.

Fed has lost some of his confidence in the last one year. Especially this year. 2006 was his peak.

Now he is playing like Sampras used to play in his best years. So I’ll take that.

Tennis fan, you’ve discovered my achilles heel - bad boys! LOL. Thanks for supplying more good fun.

andrea - FYI - there’s an equally “painful” one of Fed.

all tennis ads are painful. even the gillette ones.

“Credit to Rafa, though, had he retired I think few would have blamed him with what’s at stake on the horizon, but he didn’t and look how nicely it paid off. That’s why the guy is the best fighter on the tour.”

Wait… so it’s ‘understandable’ if Rafa quits in a final, but if Justine Henin does it, it’s criminal? What’s with the double standards? Is it because Henin’s opponent was a known choker and therefore deserves special treatment, while Federer is not?

I believe that everyone is against djokovic…….even i was when he beat fed in australia and backed out of that monte carlo semi final.But he is a confident guy in fact too confident that people call him arrogant but its mainly because of all the boost that he gets from his family.They believe that he is the best and expect him to be just that.He refuses to accept that fed is better than him.Is that arrogance considering that you really want to be number 1?
Say whateva you want but he really troubled nadal in that semi final.He believes he can take down anyone anywhere.He is just like Serbs in general, a fighter.Look at all the serbian tennis players.They are on top because they are fighters.He is not arrogant.He just does not keep praising federer like the other guys on tour.Unless you believe that you’re better than fed how r u going to be number 1?Nadal admits federer is the best ever and that is why he is always number 2.This could be because when you’re praising fed then subconsciously you’re admiting that you’re smaller than him and this will hamper your chances to win matches against him.Look at james blake.Tipsarevic stretched fed to 5 sets whereas blake could not.blake obviously has more game than tipsarevic.When djok won against lleyton hewitt he said that he won the first set with luck.Why should he say that if he was arrogant.He acknowledges all the good shots of his opponents.Like mats wilander keeps saying that fed has no balls, i think that djokovic has 2 balls.The way he fought against a fresh nadal on clay and took that second set 6-2 you’ll have to say he is the one who is going to stop nadal sooner or later.He is THE MAN with real guts.He gives aces on second serves on break points like sampras and that also against fed in monte carlo.He backed out of monte carlo because he does not want to give federer a real victory.Besides its the first time he is retiring against fed so whats the problem.Nobody else has got what it takes to beat nadal on clay not even fed.Even fed was arrogant when he was young……he never gave full credit to safin for that epic 5 setter,he said that agassi needs to raise his game to beat him.He keeps talking about himself all the time how well he played and how great he is and blah blah.I’m a fan of fed’s game but some things need to be set straight.After a few years he toned it down and its just that he keeps it all inside and sometimes it comes out for example he said that the montreal loss to djokovic was insignificant,even after the US open he emphasized that he beat djokovic in straight sets and that it’ll be tough for djokovic to swallow, murray has not improved his game, he even told nadal is 1 dimensional.You need to be extremely confident to a point of arrogance if you are planning to be number 1.Look at lleyton hewitt.With that straight forward and simple game (which most players have today)he won 2 slams and 75 weeks as number 1.
So djokovic is THE MAN and i feel that people are just hating on him for the wrong reasons.He is tough like Niko Bellic of GTA 4.

Zola:

Read my sentence again. That’s exactly what I said. Nadal called for the trainer at 30-all 5-1 so he’d be there by the changeover. It was during that 5-1 game that Federer had his set point. I have no idea what you’re saying to me.

and i agree that fed’s summary of the match is strangely positive. after monte carlo he said similar things - he now felt he had better forml; had better perspective blah blah. and now, here he’s saying he thought he hung in better at the baseline.

i guess when you lose so often to one player on one surface you have to find the positives in every match.

i do find it interesting that nadal often has slow starts to matches but always makes it up on the back end. but it has to be pretty disheartening (as an opponent) to believe you have the set sewn up with two breaks and you still lose it. (ferrer and federer). yikes.

“Rafa will win the French Open for 4 years in a row. There’s really no doubt about it. Even if players are up 2 breaks in a set against him, he’ll come back to win it.”

He lost in rome unexpectedly, so anything can happen, even if he’s the clear favorite on paper. He could get tired, or injured. No rational person would have saw the loss to Ferrero coming. The same can still happen in RG.

But if matches were played on paper, Rafa will win. Wimbledon will be interesting though… Federer has only won one title this season, so he’s clearly off. He only played Estoril to get the monkey off his back. It’s a small insignificant tournament, and Fed normally doesn’t enter it, or tournaments like it. He needed to win a title, and he felt that was the only way he could guarantee one. Of the relevant tournaments, this year he hasn’t won any, so he’s not a shoe in for Wimbledon either. I wouldn’t be surprised if he lost. It will be very interesting to see what Djokovic does at Wimbledon. All eyes will be on him.

By the way, Good for Rafa. I think it was fitting that he won Hamburg before it lost its status as an AMS tournament. Now if Rafa should in future not play all 3, and skip Hamburg if he wins the first two, he’ll reduce the risk of exhaustion or injury.

P.S………Many people in this forum has double standards……as i mentioned earlier when fed emphasises that he beat djokovic in straight sets and that it’ll be tough to swallow for djok in the us open then nobody has a problem with that.When djokovic emphasises that he beat fed in straight sets in australia then everyone is saying that djokovic is arrogant.It doesnt make any sense.The difference is that fed has won a lot of sportsmanship awards so many things he says will be swept under the carpet and djokovic will always be put under the microscope for whatever he says.
Another example is berdych…..he has great admiration and respect for federer and because of that he lost set points against fed in australia and even in the davis cup.So if you want to beat federer on his surface(hard court and grass)then dont respect him……..and challenge him so that you can get pumped up…..thats the trick.

OMG since we were on the photo trend earlier, check out this photo of Davydenko fishing; he looks about 90!

http://www.atptennis.com/1/en/blog/davydenko.asp

I don’t know where to find the stats on the match, but I thought Fed served pretty good today (maybe i checked stats during one of his runs in the 1st or 2nd?); obviously he thinks that’s one of the things lacking in his match today.

Fed’s presser wasn’t all bad; he’s given some very good analysis of both the match itself and on playing Nadal in particular. I found it interesting. He does seem rather light-hearted, not as perturbed as he is after some losses, but maybe that’s because he played a darn good match, even if he did lose those leads.

Maybe it’s good that he’s staying light? Maybe it’ll bode well.

Ryan - Fed’s spent a number of years earning his reputation as a “classy” guy. Djoko has come along and challenged his reign, talking the talk and then, eventually, beginning to walk the walk - in increments. He’s a completely different personality than Rafa, which is good. But others want him to be professional and respectful. He is professional, I’d argue, but he doesn’t kowtow.
I like both Rafa and Djoko, but to me Djoko was like a breath of fresh air in 2007. He really made his mark and is continuing to make it. He’s a warm, funny guy who’s extremely ambitious and not afraid to say it. I don’t get why so many people dislike him, frankly. He’s a pleasure to watch. He’s got a great all-round game and fights hard. So what if he’s retired 5 times in the last 2 years. He’s a fantastic boon to this game.

But andrea’s right that a lot of it is subjective; Fed’s never been a favorite of mine, though I’ve come to appreciate him more. So maybe some of Djoko’s dislikers will come to appreciate him too. I ain’t holdin my breath though.

Here are some of the phrases the good guy uses to describe Djokovic, a player that has shaken his good guy hero’s dominance on the court: “The obnoxious family,” “one ignorant ###!” “his munster family,” “a creep,” “evil emperor.” Late Falwell too called Civil Rights Movement a “Civil Wrongs Movement” because he “disliked” it, though did not “hate” it. Following Falwell or David Duke, whoever does not agree with this good guy’s description of Djoko in those terms are bad guys.

Has Djoko ever fallen so low (or, risen so high) to describe anybody, player or otherwise, in those good guy’s terms? Should one just misread a gesture to satiate one’s hateul heart? The good guy’s question (”Whats to like about Djokovic?”) could be posed to himself: What is it to like about you and your hate mongering? Or, is it just a frustration with life in general? I am not sure this is the right place to vent out anger or frustration of life on a player.

As for federer i’d say that on clay you need a certain consistent level of play.Fed can raise his game to dizzying heights but then when he wont be able to keep it up.Its the same story in french open 2006 he won his first set 6-1 and eventually lost the match.Monte carlo he lost both the leads ,couldnt convert 16 break point chances in last year’s RG.Even in rome he lost a 5-2 lead in the 5th set.His game does not suit well to rafa’s.It’s plain and simple.All rafa has to do especially during crunch time is get the high bouncing balls to fed’s backhand.Thats it.But even otherwise fed does not have the courage to close out the set or the match against nadal.He is basically beating himself.It’s something like roddick vs federer.Roddick had 2 match points in shanghai 2006 and still fed won the match.You need courage.This is where fed falls short and he will fall short even in the french open if he faces nadal.The lack of courage is something that is born out of a string of losses to 1 player.Check out davydenko.He had a set point against fed in us open 2007 but couldnt convert because he has lost to federer all 10 times they have played.

To jane: That davydenko pic is hilarious…….he does look 90 even 95 perhaps…thats what baldness does to a young man……..