Federer Reveals Mono Illness, Sampras Loses to Martin

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

March 7th, 2008 at 8:32 pm

sensationalsafin:

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

March 7th, 2008 at 8:40 pm

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

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

March 7th, 2008 at 8:42 pm

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

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

March 7th, 2008 at 8:49 pm

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

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

March 7th, 2008 at 8:53 pm

jane:

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

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

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

March 7th, 2008 at 8:53 pm

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

March 7th, 2008 at 8:57 pm

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

March 7th, 2008 at 9:01 pm

Von

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

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

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

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

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

March 7th, 2008 at 9:03 pm

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

March 7th, 2008 at 9:18 pm

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

March 7th, 2008 at 9:19 pm

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

March 7th, 2008 at 9:21 pm

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

March 7th, 2008 at 9:27 pm

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

Is a fat head a common side effect of mononucleosis?

March 7th, 2008 at 9:31 pm

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

March 7th, 2008 at 9:34 pm

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

March 7th, 2008 at 9:37 pm

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

March 7th, 2008 at 9:40 pm

David,

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

March 7th, 2008 at 9:49 pm

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

March 7th, 2008 at 10:32 pm

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

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

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

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

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

March 7th, 2008 at 10:49 pm

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

March 7th, 2008 at 10:58 pm

Jordan

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

March 7th, 2008 at 11:00 pm

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

jordan you make me laugh . .

March 7th, 2008 at 11:05 pm

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

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

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

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

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

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

March 7th, 2008 at 11:44 pm

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

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

March 8th, 2008 at 12:10 am

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

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

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

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

March 8th, 2008 at 12:42 am

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

March 8th, 2008 at 12:47 am

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

March 8th, 2008 at 12:58 am

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

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

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

March 8th, 2008 at 1:23 am

Hi, everyone,

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

March 8th, 2008 at 1:33 am

Jordan

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

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

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

March 8th, 2008 at 2:22 am

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

March 8th, 2008 at 2:40 am

Jordan

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

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

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

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

March 8th, 2008 at 7:10 am

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

March 8th, 2008 at 7:15 am

jane:

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

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

March 8th, 2008 at 7:28 am

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

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

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

March 8th, 2008 at 7:50 am

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

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

March 8th, 2008 at 8:13 am

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

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

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

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

March 8th, 2008 at 8:37 am

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

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

March 8th, 2008 at 8:50 am

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

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

For Von.

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

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

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

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

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

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

March 8th, 2008 at 10:14 am

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

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

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

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

March 8th, 2008 at 10:17 am

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

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

March 8th, 2008 at 10:47 am

Von,

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

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

March 8th, 2008 at 11:02 am

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

March 8th, 2008 at 11:17 am

Jane :

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

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

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

March 8th, 2008 at 11:45 am

Hey Kash,

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

Doh!

March 8th, 2008 at 11:51 am

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

March 8th, 2008 at 12:04 pm

Shital,

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

March 8th, 2008 at 12:17 pm

Jane:

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

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

http://www.usta.com

http://www.msg.com

http://www.tvunetworks.com

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

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

March 8th, 2008 at 12:29 pm

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

March 8th, 2008 at 1:00 pm

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

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

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

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

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

March 8th, 2008 at 1:27 pm

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

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

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

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

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

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

March 8th, 2008 at 1:32 pm

To Kash:

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

March 8th, 2008 at 1:34 pm

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

March 8th, 2008 at 1:42 pm

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

March 8th, 2008 at 1:49 pm

To Jordan:

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

March 8th, 2008 at 1:50 pm

Jordan says (or rather whines):

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

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

March 8th, 2008 at 1:55 pm

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

March 8th, 2008 at 2:06 pm

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

March 8th, 2008 at 2:17 pm

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

Amen to that!

March 8th, 2008 at 2:34 pm

Jordan

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

March 8th, 2008 at 4:27 pm

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That’s what makes them the champions they are.

March 8th, 2008 at 4:44 pm

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

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

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

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

March 8th, 2008 at 5:27 pm

Jordan

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

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

March 8th, 2008 at 6:46 pm

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

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

March 8th, 2008 at 7:25 pm

Skorocel:

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

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

March 8th, 2008 at 7:38 pm

To Von:

I understand what you’re trying to say… I’m more than convinced that had Fed knew about the disease PRIOR to the AO, he certainly wouldn’t have played there, but from what I know from the news is that:

1. He only learned about it AFTER the AO

2. He caught it somewhere in December (i.e. at least 2 months ago)

3. The doctors gave him a green light to train 5 days before the Dubai tournament, which means he can give it 100 % again

March 8th, 2008 at 7:55 pm

To Von:

Atta boy? I’ve never heard of him :)

March 8th, 2008 at 7:59 pm

Congratulations to Andy Roddick on his big win in Dubai.

I don’t believe that Roger had mono either otherwise he would have been sick much longer than he was and would not have been able to play tennis at all. I think he is just looking for excuses and attention.

March 8th, 2008 at 8:00 pm

Lovely exchange of thoughts here. Let me point out that one is only as good or healthy as the doctor. These bugs hide nicely in one’s system. We also have mutations to worry about which occur more and more every year. One seems cured and then there is another manifestation – similar but different.

The number of labs outside of the U S capable of conducting really sophisticated blood tests are relatively few. I speak from experience on this one.

March 8th, 2008 at 8:56 pm

Skorocel:

“He only learned about it AFTER the AO.
2. He caught it somewhere in December (i.e. at least 2 months ago).
3. The doctors gave him a green light to train 5 days before the Dubai tournament, which means he can give it 100 % again.”

I’ll surrender the benefit of the doubt to Fed not knowing about the mono prior to the AO based on the food poisoning and stomach problems. I also understand that he only found out about it in February. But what I don’t understand, is why his doctors are telling him that he is 100 percent fit to practise/play. They were not certain of his mono until a couple of weeks prior to Dubai, how could they give him the ‘green light’ to play, just 2 weeks after their diagnosis? It’s insane on their part, to say he was 100 percent, considering they are only speculating as to the precise time of the disease’s origin. Going back to December seems plausible due to an incubation period before the symptoms manifest the disease, but it is just speculation on their part and inconclusive.

Fed stated that he has begun making antibodies to the mono. However, this is just a small spurt of progress in the right direction. It takes a much longer time to fully recover from mono and to produce the full complement of antibodies an athlete needs to handle the rigors of competitive sports. Chronic fatigue is a by-product of mono. Hence, the profuse sweating, which our bodies encounter when placed under undue stress. He could have relapses and digress even further, e.g., he could begin to have body temperature changes and shaking. The doctors reports seem inconclusive and nothing makes sense. I sincerely hope that these doctors know what they are doing, considering their inability to come up with a correct diagnosis. I am not making these statements as an anti-Fed fan but one human being’s concern for another. I would hate to see him get side-tracked and/or laid up because of his incompetent doctors.

Re: ‘atta boy’. i’ll explain in my email to you. :)

Please note that I am not

March 8th, 2008 at 9:00 pm

Skorocel:

Please disregard the last line of my post, viz, “Please note that I am not”. I should have erased it. this is what happens when I don’t proofread. sorry.

March 8th, 2008 at 9:05 pm

Von – on track there! It is not so much incompetence as the pressure to diagnose and get the player on the court. If you send the blood out for a really full analysis, it could take as long as two weeks for the results to come back depending on where you are and where the lab is. That could be missing two tournaments just to begin to find out what is wrong.

March 8th, 2008 at 9:07 pm

TD,
I don’t believe Federer cares what you think. He carries the Number One title better than anyone else in tennis or any other sport, for that matter. He does not need to look for excuses or attention. He is admired not just for his exceptional tennis, but also for his decency and almost total lack of pretense.

If you cannot accept his having mono for what it is, a simple statement of fact,then you must be doubting just about everything else in the world, including the very air you breathe.

March 8th, 2008 at 9:12 pm

David…thanks for you post but you know no matter what you say – people will believe what they want to.

Personally, as I posted on another thread, I thank god that Roger revealed this illness because, as a Federer fan for years, at least it makes sense to me to know this was one of the causes for him looking “ill” (the sweating, the tiredness, etc.). So many things now make sense:

(1) How Roger went from high quality tennis at the Year-End – to not being able to play until the AO.

(2) How during the AO Mary Jo said Roger had to go to the hospital several times because he was really sick – and this is from a man who hasn’t really been ‘sick’ at all during this great tennis career! Not only sick then, but sick during his vacation, on-and-off sickness all year! As a fan, I knew something wasn’t right and I know Roger is releaved that he now knows what the heck was wrong with his body.

(3) How the person who sat with Roger at the Super Bowl said he looked like one of those skinny long-distance runners who didn’t eat anything at all during the entire super bowl – only drunk 2 bottles of water… To P-Mac saying Roger lost weight at the AO… All of this now makes sense to me.

I don’t care if people don’t believe him or not. That’s not my problem. But as a fan, I am just grateful that he disclosed this to us (as fans) because we know something has been wrong (not so much as the fact that he has lost 2 times), but the fact that he hasn’t looked like himself in matches (sweating profusely, seeming tired, etc.). Even at the Super Bowl, I said he looked ‘sickly’ when I saw those pictures that were posted. I can now breathe a little easier.

Don’t get me wrong… I hate the fact that he had Momo..but at least now I knew what was wrong with him because I KNEW something was not right with his body. You don’t go from being a great healthy athlete in one instance to being sick on-and-off at least 3-4 times in 2 months for nothing. You knew something was wrong and I am thankful he disclosed his illness as a fan so I can breathe a little easier by knowing now that they know what was wrong and could treat it.

So argue all you want; mis-trust him all you want – make your arguments that he’s lying, the doctor’s are lying, etc. all you want. I am relieved after reading his blog over at rf.com as well as the NY article. I can give a big “whew” with relief and hope he is now 100% healthy.

March 8th, 2008 at 9:23 pm

Dr. Death:

“Von – on track there! … If you send the blood out for a really full analysis, it could take as long as two weeks for the results to come back depending on where you are and where the lab is. That could be missing two tournaments just to begin to find out what is wrong.”

Absolutely. In-depth lab work-ups take a long time. The culture has to incubate and grow, and whatever else, they do with it. Then sometimes, additional blood analysis has to be repeated. We’re talking more like 4 weeks. That being the case, if they found out sometime in Mid-February, how could they, in good conscience, give him a clean bill of health, to return to practising at the end of February, (just 2 weeks after their diagnosis) based on his system producing ‘some’ antibodies to the disease. This is so sad.

As you stated in your previous post, these bugs hide in our system, very true again. They are like amoebas and thrive on our immune system, depleting us of every smidgen of energy. From the time of diagnosis, coupled with bed confinement, and further blood workups at the end of his rest period, I’d say a good 3 months would elapse, before he can return to practising. And then a final blood analysis to ensure that he has the full complement of antibodies and can return to competing. It’s so scary that I’m concerned for Fed.

March 8th, 2008 at 9:35 pm

Dr. death:

With all the Fed stuff, I forgot to ask you about Andy’s Dubai debut win. Are you smiling? I am. Here’s a smile for one of Andy’s great supporters. :)

March 8th, 2008 at 9:44 pm

It’s been a long while since I posted but I would say that with whatever that has happened till now including Dubai it should be concluded that Federer is in a league of his own.Many people thought that Novak had a game as good as federer’s but then why wasn’t he able to beat andy roddick in dubai.Whereas Andy’s game was ripped to pieces by fed over the last few years. This shows fed is indeed the greatest player in the world and anybody and everbody can’t be like him just because they have a complete game. You should have a divine blessing to be like him.He even beat roddick even when andy was blasting slugs to him in Shanghai 2006 and US open 2007.He is special and all the great players have acknowledged that fact.Saying that his domination was because the others were weak doesnt make any fuckin sense.Does anyone say that Borg’s domination in Wimbledon or French was because his opponents were idiots.Or that Sampras won 14 GS because his opponents made stupid mistakes.Or that rod laver won 11 slams because opponents feared him and not because they were not better.Its just fuckin bullshit. He has had to deal with different types of streaks of different players like gonzalez in AO 2007 roddick
US open 2006,wimbledon 2004,2005,agassi 2005,djokovic 2007 and he still managed to get them in the final.This shows that he is as great as muhammed ali,don bradman,woods,jordan etc.Regarding the virus he is just being honest I feel personally.Because he knew he was coming down last year and never came up with such excuses then especially with canas.I think that if fed swings freely he can kick anyone’s ass……bottomline…But if he’s trying to play a claycourt type defence game or playing not to lose then he might lose.Thats what this is about.

And Von you always used to support Fed and now you’re changing your colours like many people you were pointing out before.

And many guys out there will support the winner at the present moment without any proper analysis at all.Thats how the world is.Yesterday they used to say fed is the best,today they’ll support djokovic saying he is the MAN and tomorrow once he loses they’ll say he is nothing and so on.

March 8th, 2008 at 11:03 pm

Ryan:

I was never a Fed fan, always Roddick. However, I supported Fed when Djokovic was talking a lot of nonsense at the AO. I didn’t change colors. If you read my posts today, you’ll see that I am not saying Fed is not ill, I’m just questioning his doctors and the untimely delay in his diagnosis. Sorry to disappoint you.

March 8th, 2008 at 11:59 pm

I’ve had mono and it was the worst case my doctor had seen. I missed 3 months of school in my senior year and thank God I graduated. I still feel the effects of mono and I would consider myself an athlete. By the way I’m 35 now. I had my results in 2 days and never had stomach problems with mono, fatigue yes. I would imagine Feds’ doctors, which are probably better than mine, could diagnose this quickly given the symptoms.

I like Federer and if he played these tournies in his condition, kudos to him. However, if this is an excuse because he lost to people who he had lost to before, I have a problem. Ivan Lendl said he had trouble at Wimbledon because he has allergies to grass, but he spends all his time golfing even when he was playing tennis?

Good luck Roger and Godspeed to recovery.

March 9th, 2008 at 12:35 am

Sorry Von…..I shouldn’t have come out with those statements but recently you were down with fed so i just came to a premature conclusion.Anyway your man won Dubai so thats great…..Now that you said it I’m thinking that roddick is not as bad as many people think he is.I mean looking at his record against fed people think that he sucks but he would have won 5 or 6 slams more had it not been for fed stopping him.Many people wonder why he is not able to beat fed but he’s proved now that he can take out anybody else including nadal and djok.The only reason I can think of is that he has bad court coverage and that his game matches up and brings the best in Fed somehow.Another reason could be that his strokes are read quite clearly by fed well before he strikes the ball and maybe his groundstrokes lack depth and penetration and it’s bounce is high.

March 9th, 2008 at 1:00 am

Ryan:

No problem. I am glad that you understood that I supported Fed because of the unjust remarks made by other people and also I saw some of his fans changing sides, and that made me angry. I took a lot of heat for defednding Fed, even when his fans stayed quiet and didn’t support him. We need to stay loyal to our players.

With regard to Andy, as I’ve stated before, had it not been for Fed, Andy would have had at least 6 or more slams. Fed always beat him in the finals, semis and recently the quarters. So all in all, Andy is a great player and it took the best to keep him from winning. I think Fed can read Andy’s serve by the ball toss and that’s where the problem lies. Additionally, Fed moves around the court very fast, and Andy is not a good mover. Maybe, Fed needs to slow down so he won’t be able to run down Andy’s shots. :)

March 9th, 2008 at 1:44 am

To Von:

Once again, you make good points. To be honest, I don’t know… 100 % fit or not – I guess the only one who knows the whole truth is indeed Roger himself & his doctors :) We’ll have to wait how the situation develops… But I certainly believe he’s not lying and also not trying to find any excuses for his 2 losses to Djok and Murray by revealing this disease…

Anyway, I have a feeling that we’re somehow turning this thread into a medical conference :) instead of paying respect to one guy who (thanks to his efforts this week) certainly deserves more attention than Roger’s mono, isn’t it? Did you watch the final? I guess that streaming video didn’t work :(, or did it work for you? I’ve watched it on TV, but as you may expect, those “experts” from Eurosport once again didn’t show it in its entirety (the broadcast began cca after first 3 games of the match)…

Andy could’ve even won the 1st set, as he not only had that minibreak in the breaker, but even held 2 BPs on F-Lo’s serve beforehand. If I remember correctly, the first of those BPs was saved by a forehand winner from F-Lo, whereas in the 2nd BP the Spaniard had a bit of a luck, as his 2nd serve only barely touched the line, but Andy didn’t ask for HE and let the rally to continue… Well, actually A-Rod had 3 BPs in that 1st set, but I don’t quite remember that 3rd one, you know :)

Anyway, what really surprised me was once again Andy’s backhand – it really looked good! F-Lo’s lefty serve was wicked as always (after all, he hit around 25 aces in the match if I remember), but Andy was often able to produce quality returns deep under F-Lo’s feet, and on one occassion (if not two) he even hit a pinpoint backhand lob (as was the case yesterday vs Djok)… And what’s also important, he only rarely made an UE from his backhand side, so I guess he’s indeed going in the right direction! Just imagine what would Fed give for beating both Nadal & Djok at the same tournament! Well, what Fed hasn’t done yet, Andy did with ease this week (and without even losing a set, no less!)…

P.S. I’m waiting for that email :)

March 9th, 2008 at 2:45 am

people can’t accept federer can be a great player but still be a dick. people overlook his arrogance and bad sportsmanship just coz of his talent.

before he was no.1 he behaved like a petulant child. and he still is. you just don’t see it when he wins. hingis was such a great sport wasn’t she? so gracious…oh, except for that french open final…when she was losing.

in juniors, rochus said he had to comfort roger all the time coz he cried after every loss. and not much has changed.

the real federer comes out when people take it to him. the wimbledon fiasco last year, where he was basically crying at the end of the fourth set, completely flipping out. coz of a bad call maybe? no, it was when hawkeye was ‘killing him’ out there. pretty good sportsmanship right there. was it hawkeye killing him? or nadal winning two thirds of the rallies? hmm.

it’s funny, that for such a ‘good sportsman’ not once in all these years have i seen him acknowledge an opponent’s shot. even HEWITT does that.

that’s an interesting case of mono roger’s got, still being able to run around for 2hours on the tennis court, winning shanghai, and only narrowing losing to the best players in the world. yeah. i hear one of the symptoms is a strange taste in the mouth, like sour grapes.

what a lucky coincidence it’s suddenly gone away just in time to defend his no.1 at the masters. who knows, it might flare up again if he gets a tough draw though.

March 9th, 2008 at 3:10 am

Von – Roddick did bring a smile to my face in Dubai.

Realist – I played six hours of tennis one weekend last year and was at the my doc on Monday with pneumonia unable to breathe. I would imagine that an elite athlete could hang in there.

Never can tell what those little nasty germs do to the body.

March 9th, 2008 at 4:34 am

Realist,
The examples of arrogance and bad sportsmanship you have provided are so weak that any self-respecting person will toss them out.

Yes, Roger was petulant when he was young. He says so himself all the time. So was Bjorn Borg? As for giving credit to his opponents, do you ever listen to the press conferences after he wins or loses a close match, especially in a grand slam? When he lost to Nadal at the FO last year, he had only one answer to just about every question thrown at him. Nadal.

You conveniently talk about one or two stray incidents where Federer might have been a bit rattled, as at Wimbledon last year with the Hawkeye system, but you don’t mention the many acts of kindness he demonstrates…like handing over the towel to the ballboys instead of throwing it, having a pizza party for the bellboys after the tournament, sending a get-well card to Blake when he was ill, leaving a restaurant without a fuss in his hometown Basel when told he did not have a reservation, carrying a clinging little child on his shoulders for several hours in Chennai, calmly eating a sandwich while waiting for more than 30 minutes for an on-air interview with Agassi, etc.

Federer was also the only tennis player on the tour who openly came out in support of Davydenko and said he believed the latter was innocent.

Arrogance cannot be hidden, and if Federer were indeed arrogant, he would not be as popular as he is in the locker room. Numerous players and the media have reported how friendly and casual he is in the locker room, always smiling and enjoying the moment.

Lastly, if you cannot accept his having mono without suggesting he is not being honest, you are only belittling yourself, not him.

March 9th, 2008 at 9:15 am

Skorocel:

“…instead of paying respect to one guy who (thanks to his efforts this week) certainly deserves more attention than Roger’s mono, isn’t it?”

You’re so right. Thanks for taking the time to acknowledge Andy’s win. His success at Dubai has been overshadowed by this ruckus on Fed’s mono and Andy did not make the headlines. Anyway, he won and that’s the important thing.

“Did you watch the final? I guess that streaming video didn’t work.”

No, I didn’t watch the match. I should be ashamed of myself. Truth is I tried staying awake when i woke up at 7:00 a.m. but then went back to sleep and slept until 1:00 pm US time, and guess what, i missed the match. I checked on the ATP site and saw his picture hoisting the trophy with a smile that made him look like a contented Cheshire cat. Atta boy, Andy, keep those wins coming!

About that email I promised, it’s a comin, G&R. :)

Dr. Death:

I am happy to know that you’re smiling also. I guess ‘Rover did move his bloomin arse’! :) You know, Eliza from My Fair Lady (Laidy). Let’s just hope he does well in the MS and possibly past the first round at the FO, even though clay is his cryptonite. :)

March 9th, 2008 at 9:49 am

NK:
so federer’s glowing comments about nadal, were they before or after he referred to nadal as one dimensional?

have a look at what nadal says about murray, than compare it to federer’s comments about murray. you’ll get a nice comparison of respect versus arrogance.

if you think a pro player, in a childish tantrum, on the verge of tears, trying to get the umpire to OVERRULE hawkeye because ‘it’s killing me out here’ is good sportsmanship, you’re delusional.

and then moments later screaming ‘challenge that’ at his opponent after hitting a winner…that was pretty civil too don’t you think?

but who knows? maybe nadal and hawkeye WERE in league together? a conspiracy with the spanish tennis federation, uncle tony?

go back and read the transcripts too, and count how many times federer is ‘amazed at his own achievements’. it’s truly amazing.

i wonder if federer is capable of completing a sentence without the phrase ‘no.1 in the world’ in there somewhere. it might be quicker if he just tattooed it on his forehead, so everyone would know immediately.

then again, NK old buddy, i didn’t know about that pizza party, what a guy! and an indian orphan! well i just hope the orphan doesn’t take a set off him, coz then there might be trouble.

March 9th, 2008 at 10:02 am

Realist

Your points are all valid. There are many people out here who know that Federer is a bad loser. I think that the tennis players feel it too, which is why some (Djokovic) are giving as good as they got. Remember Fed saying, ‘He’s a joke,’ about him? Fed knew even then that the Djok would be a real threat.

Oh, and how about Rome 2006. Rafa, the God of clay, needed coaching by Toni to beat him? I don’t think so. And in Wimbledon 2007, Federer’s tantrum was certainly Hingis-esque. If Nadal had had a matchpoint then, I bet Fed would have served underarm too!

I love the way Fed is saying that he had IM (to explain his two losses) but has fully recovered now. I’m sure he won’t get any residual problems until his next loss. ‘Oh, I lost to Nadal/Djokovic/Nalbandian/Murray/Canas/ATP player ranked 1000,’ because of the mono after-effects.’

Don’t bother arguing with me, die-hard Fed Fans. Just watch this space!

March 9th, 2008 at 10:15 am

Realist and Charlie,
The difference with Federer fans is that that we don’t put down other players to make a point. I speak for many others when I say that I am also a Sampras fan, a Nadal fan, a Blake fan, A Nalbandian fan, and a Roddick fan. You don’t catch us disparaging other players to show our regard for Federer. Our lives don’t revolve around scrutinizing every little thing Federer does to see if there’s anything negative that can be said about him.

I personally don’t like Djokovic, but while God knows there may be several stories that don’t necessarily flatter him, I am not here castigating him. And while I admit I don’t like him, I have no problems acknowledging him as a legitimate champion.

But not you when it comes to Federer. Your single purpose in life appears to be to discredit anything and everything Federer does. It’s truly amazing that you have not one positive thing to say about him. Like even your off-hand comment, Realist,about the little girl in Chennai or the pizza party for bellboys. You have to look at everything he does with tainted glasses and see some hidden motive behind his good deeds.

Grow up. Life is a lot more enjoyable when you also look at one’s good side without malice. You may find what the MCenroes, the Agassis and the Sampras’ of the world have found…a genuinely nice guy and a truly great champion.

March 9th, 2008 at 10:46 am

Am I understanding this wright? Fed didn’t have a stomach flue before AO – it was actually mononucleosis which he caught in December 2007? Wright?

Now, I’m no doctor but I don’t think that symptoms of these two illnesses are similar. Not even close! Throwing up and diarrhea don’t have anything to do with mononucleosis. Mono is oftenly mistaken with ordinary flue but stomach flue… not a chance! I have to ask myself what happened there.

1. Did Fed really had that stomach flue combined with mono (very unlikely scenario)

2. or he was just a victim of bad diagnose (doctors would have to be really retarded to make such a mistake)

3. or his story is simply a crap!

March 9th, 2008 at 10:47 am

NK:

“The difference with Federer fans is that that we don’t put down other players to make a point….You don’t catch us disparaging other players to show our regard for Federer.”

I hope you are ONLY speaking for yourself on this. Believe me, those statements are just going to open a can of worms.

I don’t know if you’ve been reading the posts over the last 4 weeks about Roddick being nasty toward Nishikori at San Jose. Tennis.X and the Fed fans had a field day of criticism, with outlandish comparisons to Federer. About 95 percent did not even see the match and judged Roddick merely on Tennis.X’s reporter’s exaggerated perception of what he saw and/or heard. On other sites, it was reported as nothing important worth mentioning, just that Roddick got angry and told Nishikori to ‘stick it to me’, during their exchange at the net.

Some Fed fans vowed that Federer would ‘never’ behave like Roddick or do those things. How can anyone be so naive. We sometimes can’t even trust ourselves on how we will handle an unpleasant situation when it arises, much more vouch for someone else’s behavior. This is what the Fed fans have been doing, repeatedly. When I reminded them of the ’07 Wimbledon, they elaborated that because of Roddick’s losses as compared to Federer’s ‘pedigree’, Fed’s behavior can be overlooked, but Roddick is just a nasty person whenever he is losing, which is often. They poked fun at Roddick, analyzing his game, bisecting and disecting each and every aspect of his match play. Not to mention their statements that Roddick only beats up on the younger players, which Federer never does, but Roddick also uses intimidation and arrogance. And, they just love it when Fed gives Ady a good whipping and makes him look like an amateur. This running commentary was highlighted when Roddick lost to Soderling in Memphis, then they really socked it to him. They were jubilant.

When Sampras beat Federer at the last exhibition match, well, you’ll just have to read the comments to understand the scenario that took place and the statements that were bandied about Sampras. Same scenario, when Nalbandian beat Federer. One poster even went so far as to say that Nalbandian is just a ‘fat school bus’, honk, honk, and he needs to lose 50 pounds of blubber. These were the Fed fans, and my reference to thcse omments is just touching on the tip of the iceberg.

It is commendable that you and everyone of Fed’s fans are so loyal and overlook his behavior, but that is not absolutely liking someone. It’s more of having selective seeing and hearing and/or perception. When we like someone we tend to easily overlook their faults and some compromise their values just for the sake of being loyal to the point of being pathetic and clutching at straws. This is probably admirable, in their minds, however, when we do this we are living in a fool’s paradise and it’s more or less a case of where ignorance is bliss. We can like someone but still realise that they are capable of doing and saying many unsavoury things. No one is perfect.

Everyone of Fed’s fans should be loyal to him, but please don’t compromise your values for the sake of loyalty. To thine own self be true. I’m sure Federer would not be defending any of you if you were to get into a fist fight or some altercation over him. Just stay within the parameters of being objective instead of subjective, and enjoy his tennis, but leave room for his flaws, which are many.

March 9th, 2008 at 12:22 pm

NK said: “Our lives don’t revolve around scrutinizing every little thing Federer does to see if there’s anything negative that can be said about him.”

You know, that’s unfortunately the price he has to pay for being the No. 1 player in the world… It’s strange that all these people who dissect literally every single Fed’s move seem to forget that if was actually Nadal who deliberately took 2 medical timeouts in that infamous Monte Carlo 2006 final just to disrupt Fed’s rhythm, or that Djoker’s doing this in his matches as well, or that Nadal wrote Fed’s name on the camera and then scrathed it, etc. etc. Did you see something like this from Fed? Did you ever see him doing something unsportsmanlike to his opponent on the court (or prior to the match)? I can’t even imagine what would’ve happened if Fed did something similar! Buy you know, he’s (unfortunately for him) the No. 1 player in the world, so we’ll blame him for everything…

March 9th, 2008 at 12:58 pm

NK,

I have to support Von on this; I think it’s difficult to generalize about any player’s fans. Some Fed fans, for instance, have been extremely derogatory to Djokovic or Nadal fans, and as Von says, to Roddick fans.

I am first and foremost a tennis fan. I just love the sport. But I guess in terms of cheering I am a “chimera” or something: I usually root for any of these players to win a tournament: Roddick/Nadal/Murray/Djokovic/Safin; a few others are up there too, like Baggy, and some of these “new” guys, Tsonga and Cilic.

So I have faced the ire of some nasty fans on various occasions. But please let me clarify that I am not “anti-Fed”; I really appreciate his accomplishments, and try to be fair in my comments about him. So I hope he’s well soon and we see him competing with the other top players soon. The distance between the top players is narrowing somewhat which makes the prospects for 2008 very exciting.

That’s what fans of any and all players should focus on, imho.

March 9th, 2008 at 1:05 pm

Von, now you’re just clumping all Federer fans into that terrible group. This whole arguement is beyond pointless. Some of us believe Federer, some of us don’t, some think the stories is a tad bit weird. I haven’t seen a single person change their mind on the topic and we’re nearing 100 posts on this article. Seriously, who cares? If he was sick, ok. If he wasn’t, then god damn what a liar. Either way, it makes no difference. All we can do is wait and see how he does in the upcoming masters events. If he loses and makes more excuses, then he really is just a douche. If he loses and moves on, then he’s ok. If he wins, then I guess he’s not really declining like the all knowing Djokovic states.

On a much more important note, why isn’t there an article about Roddick’s Dubai triumph. Talk about the best tournament of his career, beating number 2 and 3 like that. I said this before but everyone was too busy bitching about Federer so I’ll say it again, how great is it that there’s an american stirring things up again? Who says american tennis is dead? If Roddick keeps this form up, gets far in the masters, maybe even wins one, WOW that’ll make 2008 probably one of the most interesting tennis years ever.

We have the GOAT, Federer, still trying to win the French, trying to break Sampras’s record, and trying to win the Olympics. Same old story, pretty much.

But then we have Nadal, Djokovic, Roddick, Murray, Nalbandian, maybe even Tsonga all standing in his way trying to write their own great stories. Nadal the clay king trying to expand his game. Djokovic the all around hard court dominator trying to prove himself and reach number 1. Roddick, the former number 1 who regarded as a Grand Slam threat since 2005 trying to recapture his old glory. Murray, the pegged future number 1 with nothing to show for it trying to, well, show for it. Nalbandian is in the same boat as Murray with a few bigger titles under his name trying to live up to basically last year’s Madrid and Paris. And then there’s Tsonga, who I normally wouldn’t care about just for making an AO final (look at Gonzo and Baghy although I love Baghy, hate Gonzo), but the guy’s got SUCH a beautiful game that I have to mention him. I hope he can atleast play that great in the big tournaments so that he can climb up the rankings and so that we can see more of his beautiful game.

For the last few years, people have been complaining about Federer’s dominance and how he makes things boring. Now we have all these new and some old exciting players who can challenge him and what do we do? Discuss his f*cking mono!! You cannot be serious! Cmon, forget Federer. Roddick won Dubai, Djokovic won the Australian. Federer hasn’t even been in a final this year, stop talking about him. If he’s not playing tennis then there’s nothing to say about him.

March 9th, 2008 at 1:05 pm

Von,
I never said anything about overlooking Federer’s faults. All I said is that I don’t go looking to find faults in other people, unlike the Charlies and Realists of the world who can find fault even in an open and honest gesture of Federer’, such as throwing a pizza party for bellboys or carring a child in his arms in Chennai.

Remember, this thread is supposed to be all about Federer being diognosed with mono. Charlie has already found Federer “guilty” of despicable behavior. None of that “let’s give him the benefit of the doubt first,” or asking himself, “why would anyone, least of all Federer, risk concocting a story like that…there must be some truth to it. After all, something like this is easily verifiable and Federer can be held accountable if the story indeed is not true.

As you said, nobody’s perfect. Federer is not perfect, but he is not at all the demon that Charlie, Realist and others make him out to be. I have always maintained that he is genuine, warts et el. If he talks about playing great tennis, he does it without pretense. If he says Murray’s game has not improved, he genuinely feels that way and offers his perspective as constructive criticism, not as censure.

Believe me, if the mono story had been about Djokovic, Nadal or anyone other than Federer, Charlie and Realist would be offering their sympathies and prayers without trying to find a negative twist to the story.

If you insist on looking for something negative about someone, you always will find it. Federer is not above criticism, but he is certainly well above the pettiness and lack of objectivity that are reflected on these boards every day.

The Anti-Federer clan…they are like two kids arguing about whose father is stronger or better looking. Their so-called arguments have just as much substance.

March 9th, 2008 at 1:17 pm

“Either way, it makes no difference. All we can do is wait and see how he does in the upcoming masters events.”

AMEN sensationalsafin, AMEN!

March 9th, 2008 at 1:19 pm

To realist:

Fed said Nadal’s game was one-dimensional? Uhm, then what? Same as with that interview after the Murray match, the guy was just HONEST! Can you blame him for this? Or do you consider hitting that 5000 rpm topspin forehand to the opponent’s backhand ad nauseum just to force an error from the opponent as “multi-dimensional”? Maybe you, but not me… Call me a sore loser or whatever, but just bring on Nalby (who’s 8-8 vs the Swiss), and I will have no problem to admit he’s my 2nd most favourite player to watch… I just don’t find Nadal’s game interesting, but that of course doesn’t mean I’m disrespecting his achievements or something similar! The guy’s perhaps the biggest fighter the game has ever seen, and it’s only up to Fed to find a way how to beat him…

To Charlie:

As far as I remember, Fed labelled Djok as a “joke” when the Serb asked for some medical timeouts in that DC 2006 match, even though he didn’t seem to have any obvious health problems. I maybe can’t confirm whether something of this was true or not (since I didn’t see the match), but I can clearly confirm you (and there are plenty who will concur) that the guy’s literally a “master” at chosing some very suspicious medical timeouts!

As for that uncle Toni’s coaching in the Rome 2006 final, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but it was EVIDENT. Why do you think Fed screamed at him: “That’s allright, Toni!”? Did he want to pass him a compliment or something? I doubt that… Just to refresh your memory, if you’ve followed that infamous Monte Carlo 2006 final closely, you would notice there were some supervisors sitting very closely to him. Hm, guess why?

Re: that FO 1999 final between Graf and Hingis, I maybe agree it was an act of childishness and immaturity from Hingis to cross the net, but on the other hand, that ball should’ve belonged to her, and most importantly, what those French idiots (sorry for such rude word!) did to her in the remainder of the match was surely one of the most unsportsmanlike behavior which I ever saw from any crowd in a tennis match.

March 9th, 2008 at 1:51 pm

Sensationsafin:

“Von, now you’re just clumping all Federer fans into that terrible group.”

When I say Fed fans, I don’t mean fans such as yourself. From my observation of your posts, you root for several players and are objective. E.g., you were the first to state about Fed’s mono/illness as weird or something to that effect. I am speaking about his ‘fanatical’ fans who don’t want to see anything wrong with him and they justify anything about Federer. They have closed minds, and this is what makes me respond. How could NK state: “The difference with Federer fans is that that we don’t put down other players to make a point.” This is simply not true and that’s what I was addressing, and at the same time pointing out the Roddick thread where most of the cruel comments were coming from the Federer fans. They were into it ‘big time’.

“On a much more important note, why isn’t there an article about Roddick’s Dubai triumph.”

I mentioned this on the other thread about the Roddick/Djokovic match. It’s a shame that nothing was done for Roddick and, sad to say, being a Roddick fan, it takes away from our enjoyment of his win. However, this thread seems to be much more important to some, than Roddick’s win, that’s why it was written. Roddick has again been overshadowed when he does something good, but when it’s the reverse, there’s no stone unturned.

“Now we have all these new and some old exciting players who can challenge him and what do we do? Discuss his f*cking mono!!”

There again, this thread has taken precedence over Roddick’s win and the younger players achievements. Who’s to be blamed for this? The reporters and/or Tennis.X? When Roddick behaved, what in some people’s minds, appeared to be poorly, nasty, bullyish, whatever, the articles were just shooting off the press, now that he has done something good, nothing. Murray beats Federer and some of the Fed fans were looking for an excuse for Fed’s loss and justification for his unsavoury remarks on Murray’s game. However, you pointed out from the very inception that people underestimate murray’s abilities, and you know the comments posted back.

I got into this thread because the statements made by NK and some of the Fed fans who have been defending Federer’s actions, refuse to admit that Federer is capable of any form of despicable behavior, comments, et al. He is not alone in this, but certainly it’s not beyond him, as they want to think.

NK’s statement: “You don’t catch us disparaging other players to show our regard for Federer. Our lives don’t revolve around scrutinizing every little thing Federer does to see if there’s anything negative that can be said about him”

What would you say about the above statement made by NK. This is so untrue, and how could NK speak for the other Fed fans. he can only speak for himself on this. He and some of the Fed fans are not going to scrutinize every little thing Federer does to see anything negative, and that’s because they like him to a fault. They are not objective but subjective. In answer to his comment, I stated: “I hope you are ONLY speaking for yourself on this.” Would you, SS, say that he is speaking for you? How would he know what you or any other Fed fan would or wouldn’t do? It’s so ludicrous.

“The Anti-Federer clan…they are like two kids arguing about whose father is stronger or better looking. Their so-called arguments have just as much substance”

Here again, NK is generalizing, and his arguments also have little or no substance.

SS, again, my remarks were not meant for ALL of the Fed fans, but for the fanatical Fed fans, who want to be selective in their thinking.

On another topic. The Sampras/Fed match will be shown tomorrow evening at 7:00 p.m. on the Tennis Channel, and tomorrow, beginning at 8:00 a.m., the Tennis Channel will be broadcasting all 3 of the Fed/Sampras exhibition matches and the Wimbledon Fed/Sampras match win which Fed beat Sampras. Enjoy!

March 9th, 2008 at 2:16 pm

That’s why I’m saying this argument is futile. I guess I’ll be the first to admit that despite the good points that have been made, my opinion on the subject has not changed. I don’t think he’s lying I just think he’s stretching the truth a little. But I also don’t think he’s trying to discredit his opponent’s wins because all he said was that the illness made him feel sluggish, and he’s looked sluggish. I said this before, too: His opponents still had to have the mental capacity to beat him and that’s what Murray and Djokovic did. Berdych and Blake blew some pretty great opportunities and ended up with a loss. And I garuntee you that Federer knows this better than anyone that no matter how bad or good their game plans were, it was their mental toughness that got them the wins and he’s not gonna deny that. Federer might be a sore loser, but atleast that’s all he is. With the amount he’s won over the years thank God he’s not a sore winner, too. Perhaps the problem is that he’s not as gracious in defeat as he is in victory. What an abnormal flaw, right?

The mono is not an excuse, it’s a reason. Federer might not like to lose but he knows how to accept it. He realizes that no matter what he says, he can’t do anything to go back and change the results. All he can do is move on and hope he does better next time. Maybe he says some things about Murray’s game to get inside his head, definetly NOT the first player to ever do that. I’ve seen so many people bitch about how Nadal and Federer are too nice to each other off the court and it’s boring. Well now you have some tensions between Federer and Djokovic. It only makes things more exciting and interesting. Stop bitching!

March 9th, 2008 at 2:59 pm

Von said: “When Roddick behaved, what in some people’s minds, appeared to be poorly, nasty, bullyish, whatever, the articles were just shooting off the press, now that he has done something good, nothing.”

Very true. I wonder how long will it take the tennis-x.com staff to post some article about it? When he was playing Nadal, they even wrote one thread exclusively just for this particular match, but now that he has won the whole thing – there’s nothing! Let’s just hope I’ll be proved wrong tomorrow…

March 9th, 2008 at 6:36 pm

Ehm, I meant an article which the fans can write comments on, of course…

March 9th, 2008 at 6:38 pm

skorocel:

actually i don’t like the way nadal plays, he’s frustrating because he won’t develop a decent first serve for his height and returns too far back.
at 6’1 he should have a big serve, and if he did he’d clearly be number1, but anyway.

nalbandian is actually my favourite player

the point is, calling a player one dimensional is an insult however you spin it, even if the guy does have some of these tendencies.

considering the adulation nadal gives to federer, it’s disrespectful to respond with that kind of crap.

honesty has it’s place, but should every one go around calling federer ugly just because he is?

has federer ever called roddick one dimensional, THE most one dimensional player in the top 10? no. because he always beats him, no need to put him down. so you can see it’s not even about honesty, it’s about ego.

federer is a great player for sure, but he’s also a giant douche bag. i understand that’s hard for his fans to accept.

March 9th, 2008 at 7:19 pm

Here is a wonderful article about the much maligned Andy Roddick and a quote that tennis-x should tape to their door:

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/roddick-win-proves-him-the-worlds-best-bad-player-ever-793622.html

“If you look at my record against the rest of the top 10, with the exception of Roger Federer, it’s pretty good for a guy who can serve but can’t really volley or hit a backhand or whose forehand isn’t really big any more. The list goes on and on and on, but there must be something there. I’m going to try to figure out.”

He added: “I can play tennis sometimes, besides the serve. Ivo Karlovic serves better than I do and he’s No 30 in the world, so there has to be something to it.”

March 9th, 2008 at 10:06 pm

Von,
I realize I should have spoken for myself and not for Federer fans in General. I stand corrected.

“He and some of the Fed fans are not going to scrutinize every little thing Federer does to see anything negative, and that’s because they like him to a fault.”

You are wrong there. I don’t scrutizize every little thing anybody does, not just Federer…even those I don’t particularly like. In any case, most writers here are talking only about what Federer does or says. They are not talking about Nadal, Djokovic or Murray.

When I refer to the Anti-Federer camp, I mean the die-hard Federer haters…people who have nothing good to say about him whatsoever…people who hate Federer not so much for his talent but simply because he is perceived as better than Sampras.

You refer in your post to the die-hard Federer fans who make disparaging remarks about other players. Yes, there are those, too. But generally speaking, I think Federer fans are more objective than the die-hard Federer haters.

The real irony is that none of this matters to Federer, Sampras, Nadal or any of the other players. I also like to believe that most of the players are hard working and decent people, so to see them being vilified on these threads by people who really don’t know them only belittles the writers.

When I see the hatred reflected on these threads, I want no part of it. As the saying goes, if you can’t say something good about someone, don’t say anthing at all.

March 9th, 2008 at 11:38 pm

NK, you say:
“You refer in your post to the die-hard Federer fans who make disparaging remarks about other players. Yes, there are those, too. But generally speaking, I think Federer fans are more objective than the die-hard Federer haters.”

I have to disagree. I don’t think there is “more” of anyone. From all the posts I’ve seen, I think there’s somewhat an even mix of everyone. There are the extremists on both sides, those who completely hate Federer and those who completely love him. Then there are those who don’t lke him but acknowledge his greatness and those who like him but acknowledge his flaws. And I’ve said this a million times, I have yet to see anyone change their opinion on this topic. That’s why I feel like this arguement is futile. And it’s not only with Federer.

The same thing happens when Roddick does something wrong like with the whole “bullying” incident. There were those who criticized him because they already didn’t like him. You just can’t fix that. NK, I completely agree with you when you say you hate to see hatred reflected on these threads because that’s what’s going on in these cases. If you don’t like the player just because you don’t like him, then don’t say anything. If you’re a fan and you wanna defend or criticize a player then you should have good reasons to back up your opinion, not “Federer is a classless douche”, why?, because look at him… Good reasons, eh?

I’m a Federer fan, a big Federer fan, but I sense something fishy in this story. Maybe I’m wrong, but something doesn’t make sense to me. Maybe he is trying to discredit his opponents, still not that big of a deal. He’s clearly not the first to ever do that. He’s still a lot better than many of the number 1s before him.

Here’s an opposite example. I hate Nalbandian with a passion. Still I can’t deny his talent and his great results and play last year. And despite my hatred for him, I love tennis enough to want to see him play up to his talents and challenge the top players because God damn his game is beautiful.

March 10th, 2008 at 12:34 am

Mirka: Roger’s lost twice in a row. What shall we do?

Godsick: Don’t worry. I Godsick will help him.

Mirka: What a wonderful idea! ‘I got sick’ WILL help him. But what sickness? Poisoned by sour grapes?

Godsick: We’ve already done the food poisoning thing, a la Tommy Haas. He’s not injured, unless we bring back his ankle injury circa Shanghai 2005.

Mirka: What gives symptoms of lethargy etc., and can flare up the next time he loses? Which he will, of course, when the clay season starts.

Ancic: Hello Mirka.

Mirka: How are you, Mario?

Ancic: Still struggling to find my way back after that stupid bout of mono.

Mirka: Super, Mario! Mwah! Mwah!

March 10th, 2008 at 7:07 am

“I got into this thread because the statements made by NK and some of the Fed fans who have been defending Federer’s actions, refuse to admit that Federer is capable of any form of despicable behavior, comments, et al. He is not alone in this, but certainly it’s not beyond him, as they want to think.’

Von, anybody is capable of despicable behavior, but do not mention it as a statement of fact if you do not have “actual proof” that Federer actually did something that was despicable with regard to the mono issue.

That is my whole point. Everyone is accusing Federer of not telling the whole truth or concocting excuses with regard to the mono issue, but does anyone actually have unshakable and irrefutable proof of what Federer did or say.

Someone earlier said rather self-righteously that Federer was lying — and to not bother responding to him (writer).

How would you feel if you are in the public eye and the world is accusing you of things you did not do, say or mean.

To paraphrase Cuba Gooding Jr., “show me the proof” , or not say anything at all.

March 10th, 2008 at 7:49 am

NK:

I had put this matter to rest after my post to sensationalsafin, but since then you have addressed 2 posts to me and it seems that you absolutely want me to answer. That’s fine with me, except that my answer now, would, or could engender several posts between us and perhaps, some additional posters, which is not what I want to happen. So if you don’t mind, I am going to leave this matter alone and end it. It is an exercise in futility and will serve no purpose, except to perpetuate some back and forth heated arguments. Thank you.

March 10th, 2008 at 8:54 am

Von: Turn out the lights when you leave tonight.

March 12th, 2008 at 4:02 pm

Having been quietly observing these posts on this thread, and the slanging match that it has become, I have come to the conclusion that we’re all stubborn b*stards.

To the fed fans (of which I am one – currently reading his biography by Rene Stauffer) – you’ll never be able to get the Fed haters to see your point of view, no matter how much you reason with them (and with such eloquence too! Particularly David). They seem to have endless reserves of venom and hate! It’s almost as if Roger has personally slighted each and every one of them just by EXISTING.

To the fed haters – you’re all just jealous… And conversely, you will never be able to convince us fed fans that Federer is the Devil incarnate or next generation Hitler, no matter HOW you spin your “evidence”.

Still, we can all try. It makes for some entertaining reading sometimes after all!

March 18th, 2008 at 7:08 am