While watching the match and the ceremony, I found myself wondering “I wonder if Federer’s father has wandered off and got lost.” CBS allayed my fears, and I’m sure yours, by showing the man nonstop, safe and sound in his seat.
Yay for Roger! Madison Square Garden?!

Way to go Federer!
That win will certainly rekindle the discussion of him being the greatest of all time.
The match was no contest…but Im not sure even a well rested Nadal could of beaten the Federer that showed up in the first set. Murray played about as well he could for the 2 sets but Federer was just too good.

Mind Boggling: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Federer#Performance_timeline

The way Federer played today, he would have beaten anyone, Nadal included. He completely dismantled Murray’s power game. Does anyone hit the ball as hard as Murray does? It amazes me that Murray doesn’t hit more errors than he does.

I like Federer more than Murray but I was indifferent to who wins. I was 50/50 on who I’d like to see win. But I picked Murray simply because Fed had not been in a GS final all year. Boy was I wrong. This was the Federer of old; the same Federer that was missing for most of this year. That third set was just untouchable. You can tell at 5-0, Fed was trying for the bagel finish. Credit Murray for sticking around, but I still would hate to be the guy on the other side of Federer on that performance, and we are talking about a guy who beat the two hottest players of the last few months.

I’m sure Fed would rather have been playing Nadal, for a chance to redeem himself against his greatest nemesis. Nadal should be lucky he keeps his 12-6 record against Fed by not making the final. I’ve never seen Nadal play as good on hard court as Federer did today.

My chum JCF cried tears of joy at Fed’s reaction to winning his 13th slam and rolling to the ground. It’s a big moment for Fed, even though he’s been there 12 times already. This one was under special circumstances. He had something to prove, and he did: Never write off Federer. Ever.

Here’s a question: If the Australian Open was played next month, who would be favourite for it?

He’s back!

Sean, the main reason why you were so far off is because you read way too much into Murray’s win over Nadal. Nadal was absolutely spent. I realized that when I watched how Federer moved today by comparison…Nadal was a step behind compared to his normal movement and just looked like he was groping for everything. I dont think its wise of him to even try to play Davis Cup if hes that tired…but Im guessing hes going to try to do it anyway.

@Vulcan: You may be true, with the talent of Roger Federer, he can absolutely destroy anyone in any matches on any surface. But he’s worried when he meets Nadal. That’s why Rafa has a shot in the battle with Federer

Zero, I agree…a FRESH Nadal does…Nadal relies heavily on his movement and retrieving so if hes even just a little sluggish hes in big trouble.
He doesnt have a big serve to win free points and I dont think hes quite as sharp as Federer at the net.

Roger did come to the net a lot and that was really successful there as Murray was standing 10 feet behind baseline.

Rafa is still the ‘player of year’ for me and will finish year as #1, but Roger shows that he is the factor at all the big events.

I may have to put his 5 straight US open achievement slightly ahead of 5 wimbledons. Wimby may have more prestige, but lot of players don’t play well on grass. In comparison, hard courts are more democratic, have longer matches and are harder on the body.

tennisontherocks Says:

I may have to put his 5 straight US open achievement slightly ahead of 5 wimbledons. Wimby may have more prestige, but lot of players don’t play well on grass. In comparison, hard courts are more democratic, have longer matches and are harder on the body.

Agreed completely… Fed might even care more about US Open 09 than Wimbledon 09

Congratulations Federer! It would have been nice to see Nadal on the other side of the net … but it wouldn’t have been a contest either way today … Federer was too on. I have always felt that Nadal’s style would never work so well on hard courts … and it was also interesting to see Murray come up with a game strategy that neutralized Nadal. You need the skills of a Murray to pull it off … but it might also help Federer gain an edge in his next match.

The irony in all of this is that had Federer prevailed in a couple of matches that he lost earlier this year, had he held on to that number one spot, this would have been the rain delayed semi-final match up, with a rested winner from Rafa vs Djokovic on the other side.

No one could have beaten Federer today, and he was not on all the time. His serve was off a bit in the second set but he has that relaxed air about him.

Drama! Ain’t it great?

Nadal lost on purpose to murray because he knew will lose to federer in the finals and he didnt want the H2H to improve.This is what happens all the time in hard courts.Nadal ducks out and fed cant improve his H2H against him.That shows Nadal is a pussy.

Don’t count Federer out for Wimbledon ‘09 … I hear little steps behind me !!

We will probably still get that Fed-Nadal hardcourt final that we have been longing for…. at the Masters Cup in Shanghai(?)

Nacho F

Of course he is going to care More about US Open 2009 - it will put him 2 Slams above Sampras. Wimbledon will only put him one up.

One year from today even Sean may be forced to either call Federer the G.O.A.T., or possibly to start following say… water polo or darts.

Who thought Murray was going to win???

Gordo Says:

Nacho F

Of course he is going to care More about US Open 2009 - it will put him 2 Slams above Sampras. Wimbledon will only put him one up.

One year from today even Sean may be forced to either call Federer the G.O.A.T., or possibly to start following say… water polo or darts.

:) If we are going to be that wishful Im gonna say that US Open 2009 is gonna put him at 17 slams!….

All Federer needs is one French Open and hes there. Who knows maybe Nadal will decide to focus on becoming a better hard court player with a subsequent dropoff in his clay court game.

I think many people are forgetting is the fact that fed is facing new competition…..he beat djokovic, he beat murray.Critics used to come up with the excuse fed can only beat the hewitts and roddicks to win slams.So this shows that fed can beat anyone out there……even new guys even if they have an all court game..

About Federer vs Nadal on hard courts for the upcoming Indoor season…I forget how the RR format for TMC works but I dont think were guaranteed even a RR match between the two there.

I think for the the difference between this Slam, and easily every other one, but possibly at some points in the French, and in the Wimbledon Final, I could really see Roger emotionally involved in the points. And not just that, generally more positive emotion than normal.

He just was motivated here. His forehand returned as an accurate weapon, and his cross court forehand was ridiculously effective. There were several points where you could see his gameplan in action, and witness how he was able to move Murray into vulnerable positions with his return of serve, and even his backhand today.

I felt he only really folded in certain points, and most of them were once the pressure would begin to creep up, but at the same time, he was extremely effective breaking Andy, and was able to seize the moment and prevail in the close situations, mainly there in the early 2nd set.

I see him come to net in other matches, but he was so much more accurate, and definitely seemed more assured about his decision making as far as his movement and shot selection. He didn’t make alot of bad decisions.

It will be fun to watch him in Shanghai, as he will be able to play Nadal, but I have to put Federer as the favorite at the Australian and the US Open next year.

Sean R: “Murray my pick to beat Fed and I am right in 52% of cases!”
Homer Simpson: “$100 on Murray”
… match…
Sean R: “Khm… Well, I should also state that I am wrong in 48% of cases.”
Homer Simpson: “WAIT A MINUTE! Why didn’t you say that… d’oh…”

Congrats Roger! What a great effort. I have to say though, his movement and net play won it while his normally stellar serve and forehand were a little shaky- how many easy shots did he hit into the net? Murray was just not in his class. I really believed that it was as much Nadal’s tiredness as anything that allowed Murray to win that SF. Can’t wait for the TMC now!

In the meantime, for those who need a tennis fix, please check out the podcast and video series of the fictitious underground tennis legend, at
http://www.TennisVagabond.com

with the 1st video also here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tepi_31yFYA

I’d love to hear back from tennis fans!

Mazel tov Roger, GOAT!

mark my words, no amount of wins will change how intimidated federer is of nadal! you have to remember before nadal became a factor, federer had every other player believing that he was untouchable! they were defeated before they stepped on court against him. nadal opened the belief door and other players began to believe that they could do it too. don’t let this win deceive you! nadal is fearless and federer knows it! believe me, federer doesn’t want to take the chance of playing a 100% nadal in the final, doesn’t matter what surface.

I think Nadal’s a great player and a class guy … but I for one am not convinced his style of play will work on a surface like the US Open. Yes, he may have been tired … but I think Murray’s game strategy helped that along. You should expect to win on a hard court against a player that can hit hard to the courts and volley at the net … unless you can do it yourself. I don’t think Nadal can change his game enough to be effective in that style … and if he were to try … would his clay court game suffer? Probably.

If Federer is intimidated its because of the way his game matches up with Nadal’s.

Ive said this ad nauseum but tall players with 2 handed backhands that move well are the best suited to deal with Nadals spin. Thats the main reason why 6′3″ Murray spanked so many backhand winners against Nadal whose ball was coming up right into his strike zone.

Have to give Roger credit tonight. He played lights out tennis. The best I’ve seen him play in at least 2 years. He was taking it to Murray.

I am surprised about some of the comments that Murray hits so hard. I actually thought that it was Fed’s power that was much more visible and effective. Fed’s shots were more penetrating and offensive.

I don’t think this wins signals a return to outright dominance for Federer but it certainly makes a statement that great champions can never be counted out. He has the game to be a threat at each and every major. He’ll probably tie/break Pete’s slam record next year. After that, who knows. Murray, Nadal and Djokovic will have a considerable youth advantage tow years from now.

Federer can and will beat nadal on hard courts.In fact nadal is the one who is scared to face federer.This is why he always loses to other guys on hard courts so that he wont have to play federer and narrow his H2H lead.

asterisk*.. the usta wins they fixes the scheduling so that federer could have an entire days of rest before facing an exhausted opponent in the final.

This is where fed shows he is not scared of losing.Eventhough he keeps losing on clay to nadal he doesnt duck out to someone else like nadal does.

This is for Mary, Federer played Pete Sampras in March at Madison Square Garden and won that match!

Ryan Says:
Federer can and will beat nadal on hard courts.In fact nadal is the one who is scared to face federer.This is why he always loses to other guys on hard courts so that he wont have to play federer and narrow his H2H lead.

Fascinating analysis of the situtation.
Also, when they give you a lobotomy are there any other after-effects besides having the IQ of a 2 year old?

Nadal is all about physical fitness. In fact people who are fitter than Nadal can beat him.For example Tsonga.He has a solid physique and he beat nadal is his own fitness game.He could have beaten Nadal even on clay.Whereas Fed is all about magical tennis and nobody can fuc with that.

To Vulcan: Well I think that is a very valid and logical point.It makes perfect sense.Why should Nadal narrow a H2H lead with a player considered to be GOAT….Its obvious why he loses to people like tsonga, youzhny ,murray etc.He would have beaten murray and won the US open had fed lost early.

I think Nadal will never win a hardcourt slam, if he hasn’t done it yet then is pretty unlikely that he can make it in years to come with murray and djokovic getting better. So he would never win more than two slams per year and he would definitely won’t be the same player when he turns 26, so that leaves him with what? 12 grand slams at tops and won’t be able to pass Federer who will superpass Sampras and become The Greatest Of All Times. Good Night.

Well, Ryan. I suppose rafa was so afraid of meeting federer until he said to himself I need to get to the finals of miami, to the semis of indian wells and cincinnati, and by the way, I guess I’ll win toronto and beijing. Ryan, I guess we all see what we want to see!

“[…]Murray who if he can stay the course, keep his head, should win this one in four or maybe even in straight sets.”

Sorry Sean, but next time I think you should remember of who roger federer is. And you should only post something after the match because the way you wrote you seemed to be convinced of murray’s win. Now you might be having dinner, eating the words you said a few ours ago.
Roger is back to shut many people’s mouth!

angel, the same was said about nadal winning wimbledon! he loves to defy the odds! we’ll have to wait and see.

Great match and tournament by Roger .. beating the 2 most successful players in hard courts this season.

well.. Roger certainly has an equally good year at Grand slams as Nadal. Both won 24 matches out of 28. Nadal.. slightly ahead because of 2 wins and beating Fed himself twice. But look at Rogers record..

Finalist in 13 of the last 14 Grand slams.
Won 15 of the last 18 Semi finals..
Won 11 and lost 7 in last 18 Grandslams.. always losing to the eventual champion whose on a roll (Safin, Nadal(5), Djoker).

To mem : Rafa might be vulnerable to other players on hard courts.That might be true.But when fed is very near he’ll make sure he is kicked out by someone else.The only place where he cant escape is the masters cup coz he doesnt want to make it obvious to everyone.

I loved the way Fed broke Murray to love at 6-5 in the second set. He was being dominated from the baseline for a brief period till then and faced numerous break points himself. But that game was awesome.. he attacked the net consistently and rushed Murray to make error. After that, it was business as usual and Murray dint back himself to win from 2 sets down.

To mem:
Nadal winning wimbledon this year can be compared to federer winning against nadal on hamburg 2007.You just know its not gonna last.Nadal was lucky it turned out to be a slam final.
Nadal won wimbledon because fed was not a 100% and didnt play well in the first 2 sets.Then it became too late because fifth set it came down to energy and nadal had more of it coz he is 22 and fed was 27.

Ryan, thank you for informing us of what a scary chicken nadal is! that’s probably why he’s achieved so much at the age of 22.

Nadal is scared of fed on hard courts and ducks out before facing him.Thats all that I’m saying.He won 5 slams.So wat? Wimbledon this year was pure luck. He wont last after 25.That’s a guarantee.

Look at hewitt for example….where did he go after 25….same thing for nadal….he will be conquered by the young guns.

“I may have to put his 5 straight US open achievement slightly ahead of 5 wimbledons. Wimby may have more prestige, but lot of players don’t play well on grass. In comparison, hard courts are more democratic, have longer matches and are harder on the body.”

That’s an interesting way to look at it. I agree with that. But I look at it in reverse. It’s harder to play well on grass than on hard court for most players, so Wimbledon for me is a bigger achievement.

“Fed might even care more about US Open 09 than Wimbledon 09″

Nothing will ever replace Wimbledon for him. He was asked about it at the Open actually. The interviewer commented that the US Open was like his home, and he corrected the person by saying that Wimbledon was really his home, but that the US was still special to him. The French means nothing to him, as he has reiterated many times.

“The irony in all of this is that had Federer prevailed in a couple of matches that he lost earlier this year, had he held on to that number one spot, this would have been the rain delayed semi-final match up, with a rested winner from Rafa vs Djokovic on the other side.”

Here’s how I see it. The Rafa-Murray match started over an hour later than the Djoko-Fed match. If they were played concurrently on different courts, why not start them at the same time? The extra hour or so should have been enough for the Murray-Rafa match to not get delayed.

“No one could have beaten Federer today, and he was not on all the time. His serve was off a bit in the second set but he has that relaxed air about him.”

I’ll have to agree to that. He saved his best tennis for the last match as he always does.

Ryan Says:

“Nadal lost on purpose to murray because he knew will lose to federer in the finals and he didnt want the H2H to improve.This is what happens all the time in hard courts.Nadal ducks out and fed cant improve his H2H against him.That shows Nadal is a pussy.”

Not you again. Do you remember what you said a few months ago, that Nadal would get no further than he did last year (4th round)? You even added “mark my words.”

Are you also aware that the difference between them in hard court matches is only 3-2? You’d think it would be 5-0 if he was that scared of Fed.

“Of course he is going to care More about US Open 2009 - it will put him 2 Slams above Sampras. Wimbledon will only put him one up.”

Not if he wins the AO as well.

“Who knows maybe Nadal will decide to focus on becoming a better hard court player with a subsequent dropoff in his clay court game.”

Not likely to happen. The three masters series are mandatory events, and he plays Barcelona because it’s at home. He’s already cut Valencia out, which is also at home. But in 2009, Madrid will replace Hamburg, making it even harder to skip. Even if he skips Monte Carlo, it’s still going to be a very densely packed clay season. It’s the calendar’s fault. The AMS are too closely packed together.

“I think Nadal’s a great player and a class guy … but I for one am not convinced his style of play will work on a surface like the US Open. Yes, he may have been tired … but I think Murray’s game strategy helped that along. You should expect to win on a hard court against a player that can hit hard to the courts and volley at the net … unless you can do it yourself. I don’t think Nadal can change his game enough to be effective in that style … and if he were to try … would his clay court game suffer? Probably.”

Goodness. What surface was his first 5 matches played on? What surface was Beijing played on? Toronto? Has he beaten Murray on this surface before? He took a loss at the US (as 126 other players did) and suddenly he doesn’t have the game to play on the surface? (I’m reading your words carefully). Djokovic lost to the same guy he did, twice this summer!

Ryan Says:

“Federer can and will beat nadal on hard courts.In fact nadal is the one who is scared to face federer.This is why he always loses to other guys on hard courts so that he wont have to play federer and narrow his H2H lead.”

So now you’re telling me, every time Nadal loses on hard courts, it’s deliberate and not because his opponent outplayed him? I think he’ll take that as a compliment. All season, Federer did not make a hard court final (the only place he can face off against Nadal) until now. Who’s the one that’s scared?

Fed was still having trouble dumping the forehand into the net, even when not pressured. That remains a chink in his armor. He’s back when that great forehand is back.

Ryan Says:

“To Vulcan: Well I think that is a very valid and logical point.It makes perfect sense.Why should Nadal narrow a H2H lead with a player considered to be GOAT….Its obvious why he loses to people like tsonga, youzhny ,murray etc.He would have beaten murray and won the US open had fed lost early.”

Ryan, I notice you like to disappear for long periods of time, and only surface when Federer does something big. Then you go all out with your volleys. I’m sorry that he didn’t give you many chances to come out this year, and being in the closet for so long can be difficult. If Nadal tanked all his losses, then he has pretty good acting skills, because I didn’t notice it.

Someone mentioned up the page about Federer going to the net more. It’s nice to see someone adjust their game.
McEnroe mentioned that Federer was playing again in ten days and still has quite a few tournys to go. I was suprised he and Mary C. did not offer an opinion on that. I guess if Fed is back in his groove it’s a good thing.

Carlos did a splendid job in the chair today- as always. I shall drink a glass of wine from some beautiful vintage to him.

This was a strange match. Fed came out against Murray exactly as he did against Djokovic, only even more aggressively. It was glorious to watch for some of us, a bit tedious perhaps for those in search of a good scrap. Then - just as the Djoker did, Murray came back in the second (after the first 2 games) and sort of looked on top. I was trying to figure out what was going on. For instance: the kind of flat out tennis of the first set was presumably only sustainable for ten games or so. Absolute focus and absolute relaxation - that must be a difficult double act to hold onto for any length of time. So when Fed was broken, it seemed careless, but I suspect he’d just come to the end of that particular “wind”.

After that, he played really carefully, and you could see Murray’s eyes glinting as he looked to dominate in his turn. He should really have broken twice, and (a la 2nd set Djokovic) taken the set, but at love -40, well, to be honest, I can’t remember how Fed got out of that one. But Federer somehow kept Murray at bay, and then pounced with Murray serving at 5-6 - it was a highly aggressive, predatory game, absolutely against the run of play, and it caught Murray cold. Energy conserved over the last few games was suddenly released in a violent onslaught; and yet it was quite different to the controlled, carefree hitting of the first set. Can you be “controlled” and “carefree” at the same time? Apparently, if you’re Federer on a good day.

Poor Murray was just about done now. What must be heartening for Federer is that today (unlike against Djokovic) his serve did not come to his rescue, indeed it was no more than respectable. I can’t agree with David, though, about the forehand - looked pretty good to me.

It was not a great final by a long chalk since Murray just couldn’t deliver; his tremendous matches against Melzer and Nadal had taken their toll. But he showed enough in that second set to indicate he’s a future slam winner. Federer certainly took him seriously. Incidentally: how does he play such ordinary stuff in the first matches, and then put on such a performance to day? I realise it’s called pacing yourself, but it’s dodgy isn’t it? I mean, you could get it wrong, and you’re out of the tournament. It was definitely touch and go with Andreev. It’s a high wire act, isn’t it? Surprising it works so often, really.

To JCF : Federer did not make a hard court final (the only place he can face off against Nadal) until now. Who’s the one that’s scared?

That is retarded.He has made so many finals with nadal on clay.He is not scared to play nadal on clay with so many finals , monte carlo , french open ,hamburg and ur telling me he ducked out to nadal on hard courts.Thats the joke of the year.The reverse could be true.

“So now you’re telling me, every time Nadal loses on hard courts, it’s deliberate and not because his opponent outplayed him?”

Go read my other posts.

Ryan, speaks nonsense! I’ve never seen a championship trophy engraved with why a player lost. a win is a win! in any case, the winner played better. in other words, saying that a player lost because, one player was younger than the other, their games don’t match up, it was too windy, too hot, too dark, the court was too slow or too fast, etc. these are excuses. playing under these kinds of conditions defines just how great you are! it defines your will to win. this is what being a champion is all about, overcoming tough situations!

To JCF :
“I’m sorry that he didn’t give you many chances to come out this year, and being in the closet for so long can be difficult.”

Well fed was ill in the beginning of the year and the site was full of fed bashers like some nameless bastard that comes around here.Now I have the last laugh…..hahahahahaha

Guys… please ignore Ryan. None of what he had posted in this blog can really benefit Federer’s and Nadal’s fans as a whole. It is completely not worthwhile to keep arguing with someone like him. Let us see what will happen if we ignore him.

Congratulations to all Federer’s fans as well. Keep smiling!

To mem: I’m sorry but you speak very wise words.

“mark my words, no amount of wins will change how intimidated federer is of nadal!”

Thats bullshitt…fed was ready for nadal.Nadal is the one that lost after shaking hands with fed for grapple in the apple and all that.we’ll see in next year’s wimbledon.
Nadal’s game is like a pain in the ass for other players.There is no genius in his sick game.

Vulcan, true, Nadal may have been a step slower than normal, tipping the scale in favor of Murray. The same though could be argued for Novak so I call it a bit of a draw in that regard.

Again, going in I thought Murray was playing better tennis, but Roger raised his game to a higher level, while Murray got caught in the moment and floundered.

tennisontherocks, I would agree with that as well, that winning 5 straight US Open is tougher than 5 straight Wimbledons. Many players play their best on hardcourt while very few can say that about the grass.

Spirit, doh is correct!

Re: Nadal, i think if he plans his schedule properly the US Open is well within reach. Had he skipped the Olympics who knows, maybe he would have won it this year. He’s only 22 so he should have many more opportunities ahead.

To Ezorra:

Hey, I’m one of tennis-x elite bloggers along with grendel , von, tejuz and sensationalsafin.People like you just came yesterday.I might cause controversy with my comments but its all about freedom of expression.

Congratulations to Federer and to all Fed fans here. What an achievement! 5 US Open and GS numero 13. 2 more to go!

Again, I was not able to watch the match. I have it on tape though. I caught the last game and the trophy ceremony. Andy was obviously disappointed, but het, Djoko reached the final here and then won the Aussie. So, don’t worry Andy, I am sure this is just the beginning for you.

congratz to both champions.
congratz to Rafa for a great year of his own.

what a time to be a tennis fan.

“Again, going in I thought Murray was playing better tennis”

are you serious?

So I guess my suggestion should be perceived as the expression of freedom of expression, don’t you think so?

elite? I don’t think people who equalize people to a duck can be considered as “elite”? Grendel, Von, Tejuz, sensationalsafin- they might be elite to me but you? Duh!!!

Amelia, you bet. Federer struggled a bit with Muller, played better against a flat a Djokovic. While I thought Murray really played well against Wawrinka, Del Potro and then Rafa. He was playing the best he has ever played.

Fed though played much better today.

Zola, give it another two years when Monfils, Gulbis, Cilic and the rest of the young guns mature. It’s good now but I think it’s only going to get better.

When I said “his tremendous matches against Melzer and Nadal”, I knew there was something wrong but couldn’t figure what. That’s how failing memory hits you. Of course, I should have said “del Potro and Nadal” - Melzer was earlier. Amazing comeback, though (against Melzer, always a dangerous player).

Tejuz: I’m glad we’re agreed on that last game in the 2nd set where Fed broke Murray out of the blue as it were. Yes, it was terrific. Just so unexpected. And yet, on reflection, just what one should have expected……

Ezorra, thanks for your advice. I can see that Ryan is incapable of seeing the truth. whatever makes him feel better! I don’t have a problem with it. the records for federer and nadal speaks for themselves. Ryan seems to know next to nothing about the nature of tennis. nonethe less, I won’t dignify his comments with a response! I should have known better!

Oh, ok Sean. I thought you were talking about today.
But look, I know murray played an unbelievable tournment, but Del Potro was extremely tired and so was nadal. Not trying to take his merit, I never thought he could really defeat Roger.
Many reasons for that: Roger wasn’t playing the perfect tournment but he knows what it’s all about to be done in a slam final. He’s only lost 4 of his 17 slams finals. He could have had a bad season, but you never see hm playing a bad slam, principally when he’s playing semis or finals. And I knew Murray would feel the pressure of his first GS final.

As our commentator said this year: “The lion is sleeping but is not dead. Be careful. When you less expect, he can attack you.”

“That is retarded.He has made so many finals with nadal on clay.He is not scared to play nadal on clay with so many finals , monte carlo , french open ,hamburg and ur telling me he ducked out to nadal on hard courts.Thats the joke of the year.The reverse could be true.”

Hard court is Federer’s surface, no? Why is it he made fewer hard court finals than Nadal did? Surely he couldn’t have been ill all season? Is he only ill when he underperforms?

“Well fed was ill in the beginning of the year and the site was full of fed bashers like some nameless bastard that comes around here.Now I have the last laugh…..hahahahahaha”

As a Federer fan myself, I’m embarrassed every time you speak. Can you not revel in your man’s win without making baseless accusations about other players? If he’s that afraid of playing Federer, he wouldn’t have two wins against him on hard already. What I fear is that other people might think that all of Federer’s fans are like you. There are some intelligent ones too, but you sound like a typical guy you can pull out of a hat from RF’s website.

I notice you’re really busy posting here now that he won the title. Where were you a few days ago? How long before we see you again if he didn’t beat Murray? Do you post with other aliases?

“tennisontherocks, I would agree with that as well, that winning 5 straight US Open is tougher than 5 straight Wimbledons. Many players play their best on hardcourt while very few can say that about the grass.”

For a specialist, that is true. A grass specialist could win Wimbledon easier than a hard specialist at the Open. But if you’re going to take some random, average guy, they’ve got better chances on hard courts. Federer of course is an exception since he’s good on every surface (including clay).

“Hey, I’m one of tennis-x elite bloggers along with grendel , von, tejuz and sensationalsafin.People like you just came yesterday.I might cause controversy with my comments but its all about freedom of expression.”

You’re an elite blogger Ryan? I want to know which definition of ‘elite’ you use. You are a troll. End of story.

When you look good, you rub it in as much as you can, and when you don’t, you simply vanish. Are you Joker? I haven’t seen him since Queen’s.

“Zola, give it another two years when Monfils, Gulbis, Cilic and the rest of the young guns mature. It’s good now but I think it’s only going to get better.”

There is more depth in men’s tennis right now than I thought there would ever be, post-2003 Federer.

“Federer struggled a bit with Muller, played better against a flat a Djokovic. While I thought Murray really played well against Wawrinka, Del Potro and then Rafa. He was playing the best he has ever played.”

He usually saves his best for the finals. Watch 04 USO vs Hewitt, and 05 Wimby vs Roddick. In the early rounds he struggles a bit unless he gets qualifiers. Players do say that the 1st round is always tough, and that surviving the early rounds is not a given. I don’t quite understand it — maybe it’s to do with adapting to conditions and match fitness — but he played as good in the finals as I’ve seen him play.

There’s nothing “elite” about me, mate! But about Ryan: he’s posting some pretty aggressive and questionable stuff at the moment but, for my sins, I can understand the anger which drives him. It is fruitless, though. But what I remember most about Ryan was a superb post he did nearly a year ago, analysing just what it was in Nalbandian’s game (when on) which gave so much trouble to Federer. It was very illuminating.

Federer on Nadal, Djokovic, Murray, Del Potro and Baghdatis…

Q. On that note, you always seem to speak with tremendous sportsmanship, especially about some of the younger players coming up through the ranking. Is that something maybe as a statesman now you feel a responsibility to do?

Roger Federer: No, I mean, it’s up to me to be honest, you know. I’m a very honest guy. If I think a guy is good, I’ll let you know. If I think the guy is average, I’ll let you know that, too. I think the guys coming up right now they’ve sort of broken through, and I was maybe expecting them to break through maybe half a year or year earlier. You know, but it was only really Rafa and Novak who broke through from the group earlier, you know.

I mean, Rafa I always knew he was going to be a great player from the first moment I played him on. And I think Novak’s done a incredible job of improving because I wasn’t that impressed from Novak in the first place when I played him in Monaco. But Rafa, from the first moment, I knew he was going to be unbelievable.

So with Murray I always had the feeling he was an incredible talent, as well. And it was going to take him just a touch longer than the other guys because he had to figure out some things, you know, in his life and I think now it’s all looking good for him.

Then new guys like Del Potro or Baghdatis. There’s a bunch of guys around. So I think the men’s tour is looking great. They also have good sportsmanship, which I think is important I look forward to playing them more often.
———————-

And, all the Brits simultaneously said, OUCH, including this American poster, as the last point of the match went Federer’s way. I guess since my “gut feeling” that Fed would win the USO, was spot on, I should in the future, take up predicting as a part-time job or to pass time, but I don’t have the luxury of time, so i’ll stick to just writing down my picks.

Anyway, my heartfelt CONGRATS TO THE FED FANS, (ESPECIALLY MY SWEETIE, SKOROCEL, WHO PUTS UP WITH MY BLUNTNESS), FOR YOUR GUY ‘S 13TH SLAM WIN. it was the pre-13th that caused the let-down. Now that it’s over, the rest will be a breeze, unless Roddick beats Fed at the AO. I’m dodging the bullets!! –
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Sensationalsafin: Your Rog listened to you he gave you that one big “f—-ing” win as you asked him to do before Wimby> I hope you’re happy. What’s with the Roddick bashing though? How did he get into the mix. Be nice to my little guy, will ya. Remember we share the love of another guy, Marat. How many did you already have? Have one for me — I’m a teetotaler. Enjoy the warmth of the brown stuff travelling down to your feet. I hope you’re still able to stand.
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Ryan:

So now you’ve placed me among the elite “Fed fans” and have made me an elitist? Remember, I’m just a little guppy, but guess what, I’m a lion like Fed too, a Leo. We are perfectionists and stars, stubborn as hell and our worsst enemy!!! Whoop-dee-doo, the whole of of the tennis world says, oi vey!! You’re entitled to celebrate today, but stop pulling the posters chains, OK. That’s like asking a leopard to change its spots, yeah man and/or go man.

“If I think the guy is average, I’ll let you know that, too”.(quoted from Ezorra’s post) Well, well. Wouldn’t it just be fun to know who Federer thinks is average? Perhaps an enterprising journalist might submit a list to him. Or perhaps that is a bit cruel. Just imagine, a player has sweated his guts out to rise from around #80 to get to the top 30. And as he opens the sports column over breakfast, feeling justifiably pleased with himself, he reads that Federer thinks he is “merely average”. He finds himself in a quandary. Should he call a lawyer - or perhaps a therapist?

New lesson for today;

Commemoration = Bashing other players to obtain self-actualization.

Sorry for my poor English;

Celebration = Bashing other players to obtain self-actualization.

I have always stuck with my boy Federer. Murray didn’t stand a chance. The US Open totally fucked the schedule and Murray didn’t get a fulls day rest. What a bummer. Even if so, Fed was on his forehand, in my opinion, and showed that he still had a cannon. Backhand was consistent to me too, didn’t see too many go into the net, he played very well. Can’t wait for Wimbledon 09′.He’s gonna own that.

Sean
I heart Gulbis. He has the game. He is getting better with each tournament. So is Cilic. Of course Del Potro is ahead of them now.

Where is Ancic? I hope he gets better and can play again. A great talent.

oops i have to add this. Gulbis has the game AND personality. Go back and watch his video of interview after playing roddick on the US Open site. He is clever and funny and everything….

for those who think glorifying Fed means bashing Rafa, just read his own words and see how he repects Roger and Andy:

*******
from Rafa’s blog:
http://timesonline.typepad.com/rafael_nadal/2008/09/murray-was-bett.html

Andy played better than me both yesterday and today and he deserved to win. No excuses, no complaints. Some have asked if I had something to say about yesterday and the match being changed of courts, etc. The conditions are the same for both players and he simply played better. I had said on my previous blog that I knew this was a very, very difficult match. That Andy was playing great and that I knew this could happen. Well, it did.

Tomorrow it will be his first Grand Slam final and I am happy for him. it will be difficult for him since Roger is still Roger. I remember when lots of people were saying he was finished. I always said that Roger deserved more respect, and that he is still there, the favourite always. Well, he is in the final, again. Good luck to both and let’s hope we see a great tennis match.

****************

“Federer on Nadal, Djokovic, Murray, Del Potro and Baghdatis”
With every new generation an old one goes out. Who are these guys replacing as a group?

Federer is being replaced by Nadal- I know one of you wants to post that; I saved you the trouble.

I don’t want to add Roddick to the out list, only because I honestly think he is one of the very few of the old guard who actually steps on court wanting to win. He trained hard for the USO, but, as you know fell short.

I would like to read names of people who go into slams expecting to win, at least in their own mind.

I’m booting out Safin and Hewitt.
What the hell is a Marco Baghdatis doing on any list of the “new guard”? Also, please don’t add French players.

Murray has improved tremendously since the start of the year. He’s playing more smartly than previously, making better decisions in his shotmaking. It was a straight-sets loss today, but he reached a slam final and lost to some guy named Federer, who also may have a bright future ahead of him - that guy can play! A very good hardcourt season for Murray (one match from taking the US Open Series prize), he’s got respectable results to build upon.

I like Roddick I just don’t know why people argue that he’s not living up to his potential. I have no expectations for Roddick. When he does well I’m overly impressed and generally pretty happy (even though I wanted Gulbis to win because I like his personality, too, and he has a better game).

But boy am I happy. Rog, you just proved so many different things to everyone. The one I was most curious to see was how he’d respond to being dethroned. There was an article I read earlier in the year that said the third part of Federer’s career (the part he’s entering now) will reveal his true character; is he a real champion worthy of the GOAT discussion? Or did he happen to be a fairly talented player who happened to experience the craziest 4 years any player ever has by chance? He’s proven to be a real champion. He says he won’t stop at 13, and I don’t think he’ll stop at 15 either. Roger Federer will end his career with 17 Grand Slams. No more, no less.

Nadal had the choice to either go for the Olympic gold medal or the US Open title. He wisely chose the Olympics as it comes once every 4 years. He will have many more shots at the US Open in the future. Besides, he’ll be my favorite to win the Australian Open in 2009. If he can manage to win the AO, I think he will go on to win all 4 Grand Slams next year.
As for Federer, it will be nice to see him pass Pete Sampras’ record as it will give Nadal something to focus on in years to come.

Mary:

“I don’t want to add Roddick to the out list, only because I honestly think he is one of the very few of the old guard who actually steps on court wanting to win. He trained hard for the USO, but, as you know fell short.”

Thanks for not counting out my guy, Andy, as yet.

Unfortunately, even though there were some who stated he gave up the Olympics for the USO and still didn’t make it in a negative bashing way; what was Andy supposed to do? Go the Olympics with a bad back? I think he made a very UNSELFISH DECISION, for which he has my respect, and he gave another American an Olympic opportunity. Even though Andy was endeavouring to train for the USO, his training was sporadic. His back injury flared up after a few matches and had to stop. it was a stop and go thing. Additionally, he was condemned by those who like to criticize, when he made some remarks in response to the interviewer’s questions regarding Djoko. It was stated he shouldn’t have said ‘those words, and should have had the game to back it up.” I don’t know what bearing his remarks had on his game, but those who like to nit-pick will find anything to spout off. And to those who do, I would suggest every time you have an overwhelnming urge to criticize, place an uncooked egg in your mouth abd bite down hard on it, then savour the taste, because that’s how sick some of us feel from your awful tasting comments.

“What the hell is a Marco Baghdatis doing on any list of the “new guard”? Also, please don’t add French players.”

I like Baghdatis, but he doesn’t have a champion’s heart. He’s a flash in the pan. The same way I feel about some of the French players and some of the wave of younger players. Some will make it, and some won’t. But, only time will tell….

I was at school but this was one HECK of a performance by Roger Federer. If he plays like thi