Simon led 5-0 in that fifth before holding on to win 3-6, 1-6, 6-4, 6-1, 7-5.
—
Chokemeister

May 26th, 2013 at 6:32 pm

Hewitt is an old man. And lots of miles on his body. We will see how Nadal fares in 5th sets when he is 32. He probably won’t be playing then!

May 26th, 2013 at 10:17 pm

We will see how Nadal fares in 5th sets when he is 32. He probably won’t be playing then!
—
I will be goat GOAT by then. No need to prove anything.

May 26th, 2013 at 10:26 pm

HR – you do have a great sense of humor, I will give you that!

Its good to see that you are humble enough to admit that you are not GOAT yet. Many of your crazy fans don’t.

As for your getting to “GOAT-dom”, a certain “Djokovic” may have something to say about it. You seem to tremble at the thought of playing him. He is 8-3 on you the last 2.5 years, and 3-3 even on clay – is 1 year younger (so you can’t beat down on an old man any more) and has a two hander for a backhand (so moonballing to backhand doesn’t help). He is also fitter than you.

And you are over the hill yourself, at 27. As old as Boris Becker was in 1995. Or Mcenroe in 1986. Or Borg in 1982.

So how do you plan to get there (GOAT-dom)??

Don’t get your hopes up, otherwise you will be setting yourself up for a huge disappointment.

May 26th, 2013 at 10:46 pm

Great matches coming tomorrow. Can’t hardly wait.
Long live clean tennis !!

May 26th, 2013 at 11:01 pm

So how do you plan to get there (GOAT-dom)??
—
My trip to GOAT-hood goes through Roland Garros, several times over.

#12 by this year.

1 GS a year for the next 3 years at RG.

Also, the Aus Open courts are slow. I can pick up one or two there.

Hope to win the “Tournament for the cows” atleast once in the next few years.

As far as the “Fish Market Tournament in NY”..it is in my injury zone. Only those with no life play that far into the year. So no hope for me there.

That will take me to Goat-hood.

May 26th, 2013 at 11:03 pm

Roger has an excellent chance at this tournament, but not because of the cushy first week. It all comes down to the semifinal match ups. By avoiding the bloodbath true championship of Nadal-Nole, he has his best chance, either Nole who he matches up well on clay with or a hopefully depleted Rafa.
The idea that the draw is otherwise easy for him is wrong. The first week is meaningless for the big guns, the double qualifiers is irrelevant. Novak is not going down to Goffin! But look at the second week: Simon, Benneteau and Tsonga, its almost the worst possible pre-semis draw Federer could get.
If he can survive that gauntlet, he will beat Ferrer (don’t know what Wertheim is smoking but I want some).
Then, as Jimmy Buffet says, with a Little Love and Luck he will get by.

May 26th, 2013 at 11:14 pm

HR, you’re path to GOAThood is improbable but unnecessary. Rafa will not win 4 more French with the competition Novak gives him on clay. Novak will have to steal one or two.
But if he gets within sniffing distance of Roger, say 15 slams, given his dominance of his contemporary stars, I would say thats enough.

May 26th, 2013 at 11:16 pm

@Tennis Vagabond – even if Nadal does win 15 GS by winning another 3-4 slams in the next few years,i doubt he would be # 1 again.
In that case, would be player with 15 GS and 100 weeks at #1 be greater than a player with 17 GS and 300 weeks at #1??
The two biggest records that define the quality of a player , not only in tennis , but any sport , is the number of major tournaments won and the time spent at #1.
Any player who holds both these records is truly the Goat of that sport.
If Nadal needs to become the GOAT, he needs to to equal these two records, so he can become the goat by virtue of a better H2H. If not equal both records, at least he should surpass one of these to have an argument to be considered goat.

May 27th, 2013 at 1:07 am

17 slams, 302 weeks at No. 1. 6 YEC.

11 slams, 100 weeks at No. 1, 0 YEC.

Doesn’t look comparable at all, even if (and that’s a big IF) it becomes 15 slams. He’s got to round it out by winning at least a couple YEC – the next highest points tournament after slams.

And maybe, just MAY BE, he will have to beat 18 slams, and 7 YEC.

HR says 4 more French, 2 more AUS, and 1 more Wimbledon (with Fed winning no more) gets Nadal to GOAT-dom. If he does that (18 slams), I would certainly bring him in that discussion even with 100 weeks at No. 1 and no YEC.

Until then, its not even close.

He HAS to BEAT at least one of the three stats, and be close on the other two, to make a real case.

H2H doesn’t mean crap. In a couple of years, his own H2H against Djokovic might be reversed – but that would mean nothing, if Djoke doesn’t have more slams than him.

May 27th, 2013 at 1:23 am

I totally agree with you Rumble. Why Humble believes Rafa will becomes the goat by winning 15 slams or even 17 slams is beyond any logic.
The argument that he has a winning h2h against the top 3 players and he is not number 1 and hasn’t been at #1 for almost two years now, means that of all the top 4 players he has the worst H2H against the rest of the field.

May 27th, 2013 at 1:34 am

17 slams, 302 weeks at No. 1. 6 YEC.

11 slams, 100 weeks at No. 1, 0 YEC.
—
Being a gentleman, winning Olympic medals, winning davis cup, being available to represent the country..all of it doesn’t matter because a certain someone doesn’t have it.

P.S: Winning the children’s doubles at the Olypics..good joke.

May 27th, 2013 at 1:57 am

The certain someone has played more davis cup matches than you, HR. Just doesn’t have that deep of a team that Spain does.

Olympic gold is worth what it is – 750 points, less than a masters win. We all know that.

Stay on clay. There’s trouble outside!

May 27th, 2013 at 2:00 am

Just doesn’t have that deep of a team that Spain does.
—
Depth comes when a country top player plays in the country..not arguing publicly with home country’s organizers about money.

May 27th, 2013 at 2:03 am

”17 slams, 302 weeks at No. 1. 6 YEC.

11 slams, 100 weeks at No. 1, 0 YEC.

Doesn’t look comparable at all, even if (and that’s a big IF) it becomes 15 slams. He’s got to round it out by winning at least a couple YEC – the next highest points tournament after slams.”

nadal currently has more masters series than federer and will end with more. remember masters series? harder to win than year end when you can take two losses and still take the title.

nadal currently has a greater overall winning percentage than federer and will end with a superior percentage. forgot that stat? says something about a player, career winning percentage. unless it’s an inconvenient truth of course.

”H2H doesn’t mean crap.”

does it mean crap when nadal has winning records over federer,murray and djoker in other words winning records over the rest of the ”big four”,
while federer has losing records against two of the big four and will soon be overtaken by djoker too?

so, does it mean crap when nadal will finish with better H2Hs against the big 4 than federer? alongside not just a winning record against federer but an absolute bashing?

further tip, don’t compare federer’s total numbers with nadal at any given point and claim superiority. here is how life works: if you are 5 years older, you have more time to accumulate success. you want to play a comparison game, compare federer and nadal at the same age.

and here’s the kicker.
even if nadal fails to match federer’s numbers in certain areas, nobody with any tennis knowledge will deny that federer played a much weaker field during his mid 20s than nadal did in his mid 20s. federer cleaned up in a relative vacuum, while three of the soon to be big 4 were teenagers or undercooked youths.
nadal has had to split his success with peers of the calibre of murray and djoker, something federer never had to do.
you don’t believe federer played in a relative vacuum, check his slam success since nadal,djoker,murray hit mid 20s.
there is absolutely NO WAY he would have cleaned the field during his golden years if those three were born in the same year as him.

you can even see the difference in field by looking at the quality of opponent in the slam titles between nadal and federer.

federer plays countless first timers, babyface, beardless djokers or murrays, roddicks, perhaps a back-injection agassi thrown in.
nadal’s wins all come over all time greats in their prime or experienced,proven players.
just compare the average rankings of their slam opponents if you don’t believe me.

true measures of quality must consider context.

May 27th, 2013 at 3:39 am

Fed has played more davis cup ties and matches than Nadal, even adjusted for age.

with a population of 8 million, Switzerland can’t hope to have that many top tennis players. Spain has 44 million, and s good history of strong clay courters. Depth comes from that, HR.

How many times has Fed won Basel? I think 5 or 6 times….

The player complaining about home surface was Nadal about the clay in Madrid last year….

May 27th, 2013 at 3:42 am

Roy,

it seems what you smoke is not legal.

The competition issue has been discussed over and over again. its again, as I said, crap.

Lets see where both players are when they retire…. that’s all that matters.

May 27th, 2013 at 3:44 am

Rumble,

I am a Rafa Nadal and agree that Roger is the GOAT. Rafa himself has said it many times.
Rafa still has a long way to go to dethrone him as the GOAT. It’s possible for him, mind you, but very difficult. Roger raised the bar so high it’s very very difficult for anyone to take away his GOATdom.
However I disagree with you that an Olympic gold medal is worth less than YEC. When it comes to the Games, it’s much more than just 750 points. Tennis players/experts, reporters rank it higher than a YEC which happens once every year.
Another thing, Roger was already considered a GOAT even before he overtook Pete Sampras’ record of longest weeks as #1. Also, winning the Davis cup does mean something whether we like it or not. Although a bit unfair on Roger since he doesn’t have a great national team like Rafa does.
Winning another 3-4 GS will get Rafa’s claim to GOATdom very strong but only if 3 of them are not RG. And we know that’s gonna be very tough.

May 27th, 2013 at 3:51 am

James – Olympics, yes, I could agree with you there. But not davis cup. Its a team event. Nadal can’t take credit for that on his own resume – the whole team does. Its not like he carried the team single handedly either.

May 27th, 2013 at 4:00 am

Inspite of everything fed has achieved, there is still the Olympic Gold that he desperately wants to capture and which is missing from his CV. Geez, he even keeps talking about the 2016 Olympics. Five years ago he was still in his prime, i.e. 2008 Beijing Olympics, and fell to James Blake (?). How many Olympics has he played in already?
#KeepTryingFed

May 27th, 2013 at 4:15 am

Rumble, as it stands now Roger is the GOAT. Maybe it’s pointless to think otherwise at this moment. Rafa has been very impressive as well. However, I agree we should judge his place in history when he finally retires.

May 27th, 2013 at 4:18 am

Roddick,safin may given bagel to djoker and Murray.nadal may not reach in Wimbledon if he meet safin and roddick in their prime

May 27th, 2013 at 5:09 am

“true measures of quality must consider context.”

So lets talk about those 17 Slams Fed won. In context, of course.

Oh and since your comparing, lets talk about how Nadull got 11 Slams. In context, of course.

May 27th, 2013 at 5:31 am

Roger is thee GOAT,Rafas one of the GOATs,Roger has 17 GS,and Rafa has 11 GS,its as simple as that really,im a Rafa fan but i admire, respect and enjoy watching Roger,and all his achievements are second to none,period.

May 27th, 2013 at 5:44 am

I think we should just enjoy watching them both,and what they bring to the sport,both are legends and both will go down in history,theres enough room for both of them,and for me tennis is all the better for it.

May 27th, 2013 at 5:49 am

Who had a 4 year headstart on the tour Rafa or fed?

May 27th, 2013 at 6:19 am

Giles,

Lets talk in 2 weeks. Nothing will happen to fed fans if Nadal wins the French. But if he doesn’t – I can see some real distress amongst Nadal fans!

Me? I am rooting for djokovic. Would love to see him reach 10 slams soon.

May 27th, 2013 at 6:36 am

Rumble. I couldn’t give a stuff who you are rooting for. Me, always Rafa.
#VamosKing

May 27th, 2013 at 7:35 am

Hahhaha, A guy that’s never won a match at RG is about to serve for the first set vs Nadal…

May 27th, 2013 at 7:50 am

And he takes it, lol. Sure Nadal will win it eventually. Still, Clay King losing sets to palace window washers?

May 27th, 2013 at 7:54 am

Set for Brands!
It reminds to me the Isner-Nadal of 2011

May 27th, 2013 at 7:54 am

No tv coverage of RG at Spain at this year…
crisis!

May 27th, 2013 at 7:56 am

If the weather is like this when Nadal plays Djokovic, he could have alot of problems,

May 27th, 2013 at 9:00 am

Is coverage of the French Open just in general decline? It was so bad last year in the states it’s absolutely pathetic. Doesn’t look like it’ll be much better this year seeing as how I have less than an hour to watch now..

May 27th, 2013 at 9:11 am

Pathetic french crowd…

May 27th, 2013 at 9:31 am

Ben,

To answer your question from few weeks ago about John Tomic. He is banned only from players box, he bought the ticket and he will be watching his son Bernie, basically players box will be where he will be sitting, he is Bernie’s coach. One wanders, what was the point of the ban anyway?

May 27th, 2013 at 9:45 am

Nop, they will not let him in, that is the latest:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-27/tomics-dad-banned-from-french-open/4716232?section=sport

May 27th, 2013 at 9:57 am

Media coverage just shows how important they think RG is compared to the rest of the Slams. This is the true, no?

May 27th, 2013 at 10:03 am

@skeeze
In the UK we have BETTER coverage of RG. Used to be minimal but ITV has taken over and are covering the two show courts every day from 11.30. Commentators are far superior to the Beeb too. They have darling Santoro on board for starters. :) Also, surprisingly enough, given that awful embarrassing interview on court with Andy; Courier is also on board and is terrific.

May 27th, 2013 at 10:11 am

I am happy to win this tough match against this very good player Whisky.

May 27th, 2013 at 10:12 am

Vamos Rafa!Keep winning and reach the semis and get spanked by Novak!

May 27th, 2013 at 10:29 am

Margot,

I actually enjoy the UK sports coverage( especially global sports, when I can see it). I do know here in the states the Wimbledon coverage is given a lot of attention and fanfare. Its great stuff, So much so, you wantt to go out and buy some strawberrys and creme (with a little bubly of course ).

May 27th, 2013 at 10:32 am

Note to players out there: serving and volleying against Rafa is stupid. Serving nd volleying against Rafa on clay is plain stupid.

May 27th, 2013 at 10:33 am

Guess who faces Rafa next:Rosol!!

May 27th, 2013 at 10:36 am

oops my mistake.Rosol still has to win 1 more match for that to happen.

May 27th, 2013 at 10:38 am

Rafa losing twice to Rosol?

Don’t think so, can Nadal do Nadal?

May 27th, 2013 at 10:55 am

^

” Do a Nadal” as one commentator said.

May 27th, 2013 at 10:57 am

Daniel Brands was really a tricky opponent for Rafa since they’d never played each other before. It took time for Rafa to figure out Brands. But once Rafa took the 2nd set, it was Rafa show all the way.
I am told by the way that Rafa has never lost in the first round of a GS. Bjorn Borg is the other #1 in the open era to achieve this feat. So Novak and Roger have had their 1st round elimination.
As a Rafa fan, I’d love to see him play Rosol again. I don’t think he’s much of a threat to Rafa anymore, esp not on clay. So bring it on!

As for Novak, he’ll also be facing a tricky opponent in his 1st round at RG. Then in the 3rd round he is likely to meet Dimitrov Grigor. Game on!

May 27th, 2013 at 10:59 am

glad nadal won, pretty or not. Probably a little nervous first GS back since the fiasco at Wimbeldon.

May 27th, 2013 at 11:02 am

Gulbis is such a pathetic choker.Had the chance to serve it out for a 2 set lead but is broken.Easy to see why he hasnt gotten far despite his talent.

May 27th, 2013 at 11:05 am

Lol skeeze what a great idea- u eat food appropriate to the slam, you’re watching :) So, as u say, strawberries and cream and bubbly for Wimbles; pate, cheeses, French bread and a decent red for RG, big Mac and beer for US and ….well some sort of barbie for the AO. Um…probably not for us Brits, depth of Winter here then.
Not that I’m into national stereotyping of course…;)

May 27th, 2013 at 11:07 am

Vamos King! A tough first round but order restored. A win is a win and tough matches are good, no? Now, 2 days rest for our King.
Vamos Champ!

May 27th, 2013 at 11:08 am

Yes Giles Vamos!Rafa will bulldoze to the semis and then he will vamoose!

May 27th, 2013 at 11:10 am

^^^ Nah!

May 27th, 2013 at 11:17 am

^
LOl,

Who let Novak out? va, va, Va-moose!

May 27th, 2013 at 11:17 am

Just goes to show how right Rafa is to have a humble attitude and total respect for all of his potential opponents in a tournament when many of the critics and commentators have already handed him the title.

I think his humility and lack of any arrogant sense of entitlement also helps in these tricky situations when he is not playing well against an inspired opponent. No tantrums, no meltdowns, no why-is-this-happening-to-ME? mentality; he just puts his head down and quietly goes about his business for the win.

Very professional performance from Rafa and I hope Brand can go on from here and take that form onto grass where he could be a very dangerous floater at Wimbledon.

May 27th, 2013 at 11:29 am

@James – So Novak and Roger have had their 1st round elimination.

Novak has had 2 first round losses, both at the Australian Open.

Roger has had 6 first round losses, 3 at the French Open and 3 at Wimbledon.

May 27th, 2013 at 11:35 am

Berdh#t loses the first set in the tiebreak.

Go Monfils!

May 27th, 2013 at 11:36 am

Allez LaMonf!!

May 27th, 2013 at 11:58 am

Listening to Radio Roland Garros calling the LaMonf v Bird match…

Apparently Gulbis is through! That was an essential win for my bracket

May 27th, 2013 at 12:06 pm

And who is this teenage Ozzie Nick Kyrigios?

@ Wog boy ^^ ??

May 27th, 2013 at 12:08 pm

Oh dear…Berdych playing really badly. What a shame…not ;)
conty, apparently immensely talented and only 18. Due to enter top 200 I believe. Certainly one to watch.

May 27th, 2013 at 12:13 pm

@Margot-

A ray of sunshine maybe this Kyrigios? only just turned 18, too, I take it.

Will LaMonf find a way to shatter hopes of the crowd? Allez Gael, Allez!

May 27th, 2013 at 12:48 pm

Lol conty, only controversial bit of my bracket is having Berdych go out to Gulbis. How much more satisfying if he goes out to Gael :)
Allez!

May 27th, 2013 at 12:50 pm

Exactamente Bird going out to LaMonf.

I have been watching Giro d’Italia the past 3 weeks in Italian ofc. Very happy the tifosi got their Italian winner, too (a rider with a miraculously “clean” reputation)

Mamma mio, Gael

May 27th, 2013 at 1:06 pm

Is it cold in the UK, Margot?

The picture I was getting from the last week of the Giro, it looked like February, not May.

May 27th, 2013 at 1:16 pm

Arrgh, Sliderman!

May 27th, 2013 at 1:18 pm

This could be a great tournament for one of the French guys. They are in the relatively easy lower-half of the draw. Their only road-block is an over-the-hill Federer.

Federer’s path could very well, look like benettau, simon, tsonga, monfils. This could be Tsonga’s biggest chance to do a Yannick Noah and reach the finals. Winning the final? Now that depends on Nole taking out Rafa.

May 27th, 2013 at 1:32 pm

Fed is a combined 7-0 Vs the above field on Clay.

I’m not worried.

May 27th, 2013 at 1:40 pm

The pain! He really does know how to disappoint my hope…pleeze LaMonf. Paul Henri Matthieu is gone :( lost to Isner.

May 27th, 2013 at 1:44 pm

Noooo!

Berdych takes it to a decider, come on, last chance Monfils, get this Bird!

May 27th, 2013 at 1:48 pm

wow, im torn between wanting berdych to go out because I cant stand him and then wanting him to win because I took him super deep in my bracket!

May 27th, 2013 at 1:57 pm

LOL, you guys.

Le Monf torn between playing shattering tennis and shattering the hopes of the French crowd.

May 27th, 2013 at 2:03 pm

Phollippe Chatrier crowd on their feet – LaMonf responding well :D

Allez!

May 27th, 2013 at 2:17 pm

It a roller coaster match – cannot listen to it anymore :(

May 27th, 2013 at 2:20 pm

Chapeau LaMonf! he got it :D

and it sets up what might be the match of the tournament hehehe

Gulbis v LaMonf

May 27th, 2013 at 2:39 pm

Only blooming went and did it :) Yeeeeesssssssssssss
Conty just had coldest Spring for 30 years :(
Terrific, knife edge match.
A bit warmer this weekend but still nasty cold wind. V. like RG.

May 27th, 2013 at 2:45 pm

So long Berdy…

Berdych is like the reverse Robin Hood of tennis. He steals great matches from the fans and delivers shite instead.

May 27th, 2013 at 2:51 pm

Happy for la monf!! What a match

May 27th, 2013 at 2:54 pm

oh yeah, lets tell the players how often and when there getting tested. that will help the sport be clean. lol

http://msn.foxsports.com/tennis/story/rafael-nadal-favors-more-transparency-in-drug-testing-052713?m_n=true

May 27th, 2013 at 3:19 pm

Happy Monfils is through! His next match against Gulbis should be a doozie and hope he spanks Ernests. Monfils is so talented that if he ever gets his mental game together he could be a top 5 player.

May 27th, 2013 at 3:26 pm

skeezer the geezer. You posted an article but I don’t think you actually understood what was being said.
“He favours revealing who is being tested and how often”
which means players’ names and frequency of tests.
Wada are not spreading the frequency of tests evenly amongst the players, some are tested far more than others. So come on Wada tell us who you are testing and how often. #Fair

May 27th, 2013 at 3:36 pm

Yeah skeeZe I think you misunderstood that. But his assumption that tennis is generally clean because of no doping scandals is way off base.

May 27th, 2013 at 3:46 pm

If Wimbledon has slowed down, the French Open has become faster.

May 27th, 2013 at 3:48 pm

Giles it’s not wada it’s the ITF who has 0 transparency.

May 27th, 2013 at 3:49 pm

^^ Ok wasn’t sure

May 27th, 2013 at 4:19 pm

Ben,
Just wondering that if you knew when and how often you were being tested couldn’t you have a better chance of cheating the system?

May 27th, 2013 at 4:20 pm

skeezer the geezer. As if they are going to tell the players when and how often they will be tested! Geez, you still don’t understand the article!

May 27th, 2013 at 4:25 pm

Surprise visits, that’s what it is all about!!!

May 27th, 2013 at 4:27 pm

nice win by monfils. the way way berdych stormed back, i thought he was going to clinch it.

nadal has struggled a lot in first round matches with the big hitters….this site would have collapsed with the sheer volume of postings had he lost that match today.

May 27th, 2013 at 4:29 pm

Gliescher,

That question was to somebody else(Ben), of which him and I have a history on the discssuion. Don’t worry, if I want to ask you something I will. Like “Who’s your Daddy?”

May 27th, 2013 at 4:49 pm

Skeezer – cyclingnews.com has a thread in a sub-forum called the “Clinic” . There is a thread in there on tennis and many of the posters are worth reading – some are way out there and hard core cynics but it is a interesting read on a Sunday afternoon with nothing to do. :)

May 27th, 2013 at 4:53 pm

contador,
I have never seen Kyrgyios playing, my fault since I was at AO this year but somehow I missed to watch him. He won AO for juniors. What I read from his previous and present coaches are all the nicest things about this young Cannbera boy. To be honest, to beat Stepanek in three sets in three TBs, you have have to have got nervs and quality. Novak might have to do something with that according to this link;)

http://www.tennis.com.au/news/2013/05/25/kyrgios-practices-with-djokovic

May 27th, 2013 at 4:55 pm

Thanks for that, Wog boy –

Appears and sounds like a good lad and he got to hit with Novak@! lucky boy…good looking too.

Taking out Stepanek is not an easy task. Maybe he is like a baby Sampras in waiting? Hope to see him play – forgetting who he is up against next though.

May 27th, 2013 at 5:13 pm

“Canberra” and few more mistakes ..

May 27th, 2013 at 5:15 pm

Skeezer the geezer. Hahaha. Posts an article that he cannot even comprehend. Stick to your numerals 17, just simple stuff.
# YouNoCanUnderstandAnythingApartFrom17.
Tut tut tut!

May 27th, 2013 at 5:21 pm

Nick plays Cilic next round. Cilic does not seem to be on his best form lately – thinking baby Sampras has a shot.

Jerzy J. won his opener too, I see. That kid is a powerhouse.

May 27th, 2013 at 5:25 pm

The good look is EuroAsian look, thanks to Greek father and Malaysian mother. Not uncommon in Australia.
It is to much to ask from Nick to beat Cilic but he can give Cilic run for his money. I am not going to miss that one.

May 27th, 2013 at 5:46 pm

Wogboy he reminds me of Nico Almagro,nice looking guy but thats not a particulaly flattering picture of him though.

May 27th, 2013 at 5:54 pm

hippy chic,

I am not really good in saying if the man is good looking or not, I will leave that to ladies. What I am going to do is to tell my girls to watch him against Cilic and I will tell you what the verdict is. They are good at it, judging the boys, trust me;)

May 27th, 2013 at 6:10 pm

lol, hippy chic – no that picture in the link Wog boy posted is not the best picture…

I looked him up on Bing. Quite a few pictures and more information than expected. He is tall – nice build, nice smile… and yeah, I can see the resemblance to Almagro.

Anyways Wog boy – look forward to you girls’ report ;)

May 27th, 2013 at 6:25 pm

Gleischer,

Did you see this little nugget on H2H you types love to talk about? ( Thanks DC )

“Fed has bagled Nadal on all three surfaces, Hamburg 07 on clay, Wimby 06 on grass and WTF 2011 on HC.
The only top player to bagle another top player on all surfaces.”

Bagel on all surfaces? Khaaaaaaaannnnnnn!

#17.

—–

btw, what kinda guy says “tut tut tut”?
LMAO.

_____

Contador,
Thanks. Interesting that a cycling news site would have talks about Tennis. Wonder what they are talking about that they may have in common? Gotta check it out.

#WildThingRocks!

May 27th, 2013 at 6:43 pm

So what happens if three years after retirement Nadal is confirmed to have doped? Does Roger get those grand slammies back? Interesting read Contador. Thank you for the link to the forum at cyclingnews.com.

May 27th, 2013 at 6:45 pm

Those who think the Medicine Cabinet staple Rosol can beat me on clay need an education…

Because he did it at the Tournament for the Cows, don’t mean he can do where real tennis is played.

May 27th, 2013 at 7:50 pm

So what happens if three years after retirement Nadal is confirmed to have doped? Does Roger get those grand slammies back?
—
Your IQ is below the level needed to post on these forum. Please join forums suitable for people 6 years and under.

May 27th, 2013 at 7:51 pm

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
what happens to 17 if it is confirmed after Federer retires he doped and Nadal did too. My feeling is if one is guilty at the top they all are. Do a total of lets say 30-32 slams go unanswered?

May 27th, 2013 at 7:53 pm

‘Your IQ is below the level needed to post on these forum. Please join forums suitable for people 6 years and under.’:

LOL, preach the truth HR, preach the truth!

May 27th, 2013 at 7:53 pm

HR—-nice little game last night, no?

May 27th, 2013 at 7:53 pm

Kim,

Final word is yet to be said on the matter.

May 27th, 2013 at 7:54 pm

“Do a total of lets say 30-32 slams go unanswered?”

That would kinda suck if it happened but I am very fascinated by the prospect.

Skeeze, the players do not normally get surprise visits. They’re more like “surprise” visits, tip offs are extremely common.

But Nadal isn’t saying “let’s tell everyone who’s getting tested when.” He’s saying “let’s reveal who WAS tested when.” At least that’s how I read it. If you’ve looked at what ITF has been publishing on their sites in terms of results, it’s so obscure and pretty much useless it’s ridiculous. So if the ITF actually published detailed accounts of tests and dates for the general public to see, then there wouldn’t be so much speculation about doping in the sport. Which makes sense. Except that even if they were more transparent they could still easily cover up failed tests and whatnot. So there’s no real way to win.

Btw, whatever happened to the blood passport?

May 27th, 2013 at 8:07 pm

@ty – If you are interested, there is actually quite a bit on tennis in the cyclingnews.com clinic. If you choose the search menu in the forum and type in “Tennis is ridiculous” or “Rafa Nadal” you will find more going back to Djokovic’s run in 2011 and just a note: no name in tennis is sacred, you need thick skin while reading.

May 27th, 2013 at 8:47 pm

Ben,

I get that but “He’s saying “let’s reveal who WAS tested when.”

Then couldn’t that potentially be a roadmap for those who are cheating to “avoid the roadmap” in future testing?

I mean if I knew (from past times when they did it) when they did it and to whom it may very well give a map as to how and when/who they do it in the future, thus you avoid it. IMO they shouldn’t reveal “When” but “who”. It SHOULD be a total surprise when they test. That shouldn’t change??

May 27th, 2013 at 9:34 pm

ty you are real IDIOT, worse than subo and many fans of this lunatic site.
Go to your cave. If you think of Nadal, why not Federer, Djokovic, Murray and many others players, is because Rafa spoiled the boring domination of you arrogant idol, you dont think of Djokovic and his egg, Murray is also clean, right?. You have nothing in your brain.

May 27th, 2013 at 9:52 pm

If Wimbledon is green clay, Roland Garros is red hardcourt. This is really unbelievable!.

May 27th, 2013 at 9:58 pm

^wow Rafa loses a set and a Rafanatic goes psycho. RG is all of the sudden a red hard court. Since when did they completely redo the courts to purposely make it play like that?
The nervous twitches continue with the eggy and arrogant cards. Why all of the sudden such insecurity for Rafa? Take a chill pill, dude, Rafa will win RG. He’s a shoo in. This is the true, no?

May 27th, 2013 at 11:28 pm

^wow Rafa loses a set a nd a Rafanatic goes psycho
—
I didn’t play a tournament for 8 months. The Rafa nation waited with patience, handing themselves with calm and poise.

People who live in glass houses should not throw stones at other people (Arrogards, I am talking to you!).

May 27th, 2013 at 11:55 pm

afa will win RG. He’s a shoo in. This is the true, no?
—
Humble Highness feels nothing is for sure until the final is won.

What is a true shoe in is that the Arrogant One is not winning RG.

May 27th, 2013 at 11:57 pm

^thanks for setting us straight o holy one. But I guess you weren’t reading the posts from your fans whilst you were fishing for minnows in Mallorca during your 8 mos. They weren’t waiting with “poise”, LMAO.

May 28th, 2013 at 12:09 am

Spurs sweep Grizzlies, don’t feel so bad now. Next year Warriors!!

May 28th, 2013 at 12:13 am

I had to laugh at @skeezer’s lack of English comprehension skills. Am tempted to forgive him his Rafa-hate, doesn’t comprehend, does he

May 28th, 2013 at 12:53 am

Again the same pattern. Brands hits more winners, but Nadal makes far less errors, and wins the match.

Could someone show me a match that Nadal has won hitting more winners than his opponent, especially against top players? Or does he just specialize in wearing down his opponents and making them play badly?

I think if they make the surfaces even slower, players like Nadal could win even more – even if matches start to last 10/15 hours. The importance of stamina goes up even further, and skill takes a beating.

Go Klizan!

May 28th, 2013 at 2:22 am

^^^ ha ha ha ha.

May 28th, 2013 at 3:19 am

Really, Rumble? I was watching the match and I thought they showed Rafa had hit more forehand and backhand winners. But maybe I was wrong. So how many winners did Brands hit to Nadal’s?

May 28th, 2013 at 3:21 am

Go Goffin!!

May 28th, 2013 at 3:46 am

Rafa/Brands match stats:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=579384975415989&set=a.149687818385709.26195.148883365132821&type=1&theater

For knowledgeable tennis fans:

http://allineedisapicketfence.wordpress.com/2013/05/28/deriving-cachet-from-a-cliche/

“With Nadal, the obvious narrative was nevertheless the narrative that genuinely applied to his first-round encounter with Daniel Brands. Nadal absorbed an opponent’s best punch for nearly two full sets and found himself down 3-0 in the second-set tiebreaker, already trailing by a set. This was not about Nadal failing to perform; Nadal was staring at the possibility of a two-set deficit because Brands adopted and executed the distinctly Rosolian approach of going for low-margin shots at every turn… and usually making them. Brands played like a man possessed, but as soon as a second-serve return missed at 3-0 and a nervous chipped approach missed at 3-2, Brands lost confidence. Nadal, tied at 4-all in the breaker, pounced on short balls in the last three points, clearly relishing not only the challenge he was given, but his ability to meet said challenge.

There is something to be said for the claim that the best competitors are the ones who really are joyful — not just free from fear, but filled with song — in the face of tense and decisive hinge-point moments. Mindsets make the men and women who surmount obstacles and grow bigger when the stakes become higher. Nadal didn’t play all that well for much of this day, but when the moment mattered the most, he became the big dog in the arena. Brands hit so many big-league shots, but he couldn’t call forth the thunder when he really needed it, when he could have gained a two-set lead and — later — when he was on the verge of breaking back to even the third set at 4-all. This is how great players survive upset bids, and it’s how people with Daniel Brands’s level of ballstriking ability wake up at age 25 and realize how much money they’ve left on the table in their professional careers.”

May 28th, 2013 at 4:15 am

The mental aspect is something I would surely agree with. Can’t believe I am agreeing with Nadalista!!

Even so, players like Nadal have really made tennis more boring than interesting. Its not easy what Nadal does – its just not interesting, and its not pure tennis either.

May 28th, 2013 at 4:25 am

Steve27, outrage and name calling, extremely defensive without any real counter, typical Rafa fanatic.

Let me help you, though. Nadal might be at the top of the speculation list, but the rest of the top 4 (hell, top 10) are right behind him. However, you and everyone else needs to hop off the egg train. The use of a hyperbaric chamber is not illegal and it’s not doping. Terrell Owens had it in his CONTRACT that he must have access to one at all times or he doesn’t play (maybe it’s not so surprising he’s been out of the NFL so long now). Kobe Bryant has used it, Michael Phelps has used it, and I’m sure a ton of other athletes have used it.

Whether Djokovic has doped or is doping has nothing to do with the egg.

Skeeze, no I don’t think it’ll create any kind of road map. There should be no patterns in out of competition testing. There should be no patterns in in-competition testing even though we all know there are. And the players should never know when they’re getting tested even though they’re tipped off all of the time or “accidentally” miss their tests anyway. I wouldn’t mind knowing when the players are tested. Especially if we can somehow correlate the time of a test with a lengthy “injury” absence. Or the lack of testing for whatever period of time with a sustained amount of success. And so on. There should be 100% transparency with testing.

And seriously, what the hell happened to the blood passports?

May 28th, 2013 at 8:07 am

Ben,

A partial answer…..sometime this year.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/tennis-passports-end-doping-system-disaster-berdych-143643556–ten.html

Also, ITF has announced the Passport System here(with a new website). Looks like there are having plans to improve things.

http://www.itftennis.com/antidoping/home.aspx

Also, via the website;

“The International Tennis Federation announced today that it recognises and respects the lifetime ban imposed on Dr Luis Garcia del Moral by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) for various Anti-Doping Rule Violations. Dr Garcia del Moral practices sports medicine in Valencia, Spain, and in that capacity has worked with various tennis players”.

May 28th, 2013 at 8:26 am

Skeeze, the ITF posted the blood passport article May 7th. And I thought they were going to implement by now. This is pathetic.

May 28th, 2013 at 8:43 am

“According to their website (www.itftennis.com), the ITF carried out 21 out-of-competition blood tests in professional tennis in 2011.
By comparison, cycling’s world governing body UCI conducted 3,314 in the same year.”

That, is pathetic. A “clean” sport?

May 28th, 2013 at 9:06 am

@Rumble, stick around and read my posts. Who knows, my tennis knowledge might rub off onto you……….

May 28th, 2013 at 9:19 am

@Rumble, pay no mind to nadalista, who’s tennis knowledge has obviously has proven “limited” to a cheerleader for Rafael Nadal.

@nadalista,

Let’s play a game to test your Tennis knowledge. I’ll give you 10 questions. Let me know when you ready.

May 28th, 2013 at 9:42 am

@skeezer, I am ready.

Ladies first so I get to choose the questions. Here are the questions, feel free to consult a tennis wiki at your leisure:

1. Who is the greatest clay courter of all time?
2. Who did Roger Federer play in the final of the Rome Masters 1000 2013?
3. Which player hits with the heaviest topspin on Tour currently?
4. Among current players who have been #1, who has never lost in the first round of a Slam?
5. Which player has the reputation of being the humblest on Tour currently?
6. Among active players, who has the distinction of being the only player with multiple Slams on all playing surfaces?
8. Which player holds the record for most Masters 1000 shields?
9. Amongst the Top 5, which player has a positive H2H against the other players in the Top 5?
10. Which active tennis player has the highest number of followers on Twitter?

I promise to never pass a snarky comment on tennis-x if you achieve a pass score of 5/10 or better………

Bon chance!

May 28th, 2013 at 10:51 am

Good one @nadalista. Lol

May 28th, 2013 at 11:05 am

@nadalista

Too funny. But, just what I thought of your skills. I will answer all with 1 answer(except #5):

The King of Clay Mr. Rafael Nadal. Vamos!!!

Now my turn. And for the most part, I left “fan club” questions out. Others are welcome to try ( except the mockers. ). You are not going to some of these on “wiki’s”. But if you play the game or have good knowledge of it you should do fine. No worries, I won’t mock anyone who gives it an serious try;

1. Whats a Gold Game?
2. What was the original shape of the tennis court when the game was invented?
3. What was the Super 9?
4. Who has has appeared in 24 men’s Grand Slam finals, with ten in a row
5. What is this stroke called? Swinging the ball out of mid air.
6. What is the shot called when you still can hit an overhead but it is behind you?
7. What is the most commonly used grip on the backhand side called?
8. What surface was this grip(called the “Continental” ) commonly used for before the modern game
9. Whats a “Pro Set”?
10. Whats a “Super” mean in Tennis?

May 28th, 2013 at 11:06 am

Just read this tweet :
“Coupe Rogers. While we wait for his 1st match at #RG13 here’s a message from our defending champion Novak#Djokovic …”
WTF???
Whoever tweeted should be strung up and hung in the tennis archives.#Unbelievable

May 28th, 2013 at 11:11 am

Retract the above post. The tweeter was referring to the Coupe Rogers in Canada. Apologies.

May 28th, 2013 at 12:01 pm

Nadalista – most humble, really? There is so much double speak coming out of Nadal’s mouth. Even for weak players, he will say – very tough opponent, no? He just says politically correct things – not the truth.

While people like you can get swayed by such statements, it doesn’t mean he is humble. Quite the contrary.

As for records – most of those records of his are clay records. Nadal is the most-one dimensional player, ever, to have won so many slams in total.

Moonballing champ who can pick butt more than anyone else – quite accurate, ha?

May 29th, 2013 at 12:41 am

@Rumble, I was trying to elevate your level of discourse by engaging you in conversation. Alas, I now realise I was on a mission impossible.

Good bye.

May 29th, 2013 at 1:09 am

The only player in the current era with multiple Slams on all surfaces is called one dimensional. Desperate, much?

May 29th, 2013 at 1:11 am

@Nadalista,

You only need to look at his Slam count, and where the majority were won, to answer that. Skewing to justify your opinionated means is falsely put at best.

So prove that you knowledge of tennis and answer the questions, oh…wait,, thats right….You only “specialize” in Rafa Nadal dolls and Rafa questions, not Tennis. Its the true, no? My Rafa, My Love, My King, My Messiah.

May 29th, 2013 at 1:21 am

@skeezer, where is the skewing in my response? Facts are facts: Rafa is the only active player with multiple Slams on all surfaces. I am not making that up, I am not massaging anything, it’s a FACT.

May 29th, 2013 at 1:37 am

“You only need to look at his Slam count, and where the majority were won, to answer that.”

It’s Novak you have in mind here, no?

May 29th, 2013 at 1:38 am