Perfect Federer Takes Down Nadal in Madrid Final

Congrats to Fed fans but is this win enough to boost his morale for RG? Would be interesting to see in whose half of the draw does Djokovic lands in. Have a feeling that between Novak n Roger… Novak has a better chance of winning the FO.

May 17th, 2009 at 12:11 pm

“Nadal was bidding to become the first man to win all three claycourt Masters Series events in one year”

Too bad.karma always comes back to bite you on the backside

May 17th, 2009 at 12:15 pm

I agree with you Sean! Finally Fed deployed some good tactics against Nadal.

Not going in there grinding with Nadal and trading heavy groundstrokes, but mixing it up, playing aggressive and keeping the points short (either he wins or lose them, but avoid the grind; that’s Rafa’s kingdom).

However; I just don’t see him winning RG. It’s not just playing Rafa there; it’s playing history. Rafa will face the same problem should he reach the final of the US Open. And especially should he have bagged the AO, FO and Wimby before. The pressure; the pressure…

May 17th, 2009 at 12:23 pm

What a shame. Novak does all the work while Roger walks away with the trophy. The scoreline says it all, Rafa was dead tired after the semifinal yesterday which should have been the real final.

Doesn’t change anything for Roland Garros, Rafa will still win comfortably.

May 17th, 2009 at 12:26 pm

he will not win the french. he will be back to crying soon enough.

May 17th, 2009 at 12:27 pm

“The Fed’s not dead”

Sean, I would not go that far yet. He needs to win when it really matters. In the Grand Slam.

May 17th, 2009 at 12:27 pm

are you kidding? djokovic sucks. he shouldn’t even be on the top five rating at the end of this year. and murray is getting too far ahead of himself. nadal and federer will always be the best and i dont care who wins, as long as there is an epic final that puts back meaning and inspiration into the game of tennis.

and mark my words, Federer will beat sampras’s record this year….

May 17th, 2009 at 12:33 pm

fed is afraid : the way things are going i think its time for you to cry now

May 17th, 2009 at 12:34 pm

Congratulatios to Fed fans and hugs to my fellow Rafa fans here ….

I think it is good for Fed and good for Rafa. I rather Rafa lose to Fed on clay than JMDP. I was not able to see the match as ATP tv did not cooperate today. It was so annoying to have the video two or more games behind the audio and in slow motion!

Anyway, it was not Rafa’s day today. He can’t have them all. He gave hundred percent as he does all the time.

I hope his knee is fine and hope he can rest anc recover for RG.
——–

As I said, I did not see the match, but I saw that Rafa was not able to convert his break point chances. I think it was a bad day for Rafa and fed played probebly a perfect match as Sean indicates.

May 17th, 2009 at 12:39 pm

Great match .. and important thing was Fed dint break down in the second set, like how hez been doing against the top 4 this year. he executed his shots well and also good to see him employing drop shots. Its not the same quality as Nalbandian’s but its still a good option to have against a player like Nadal. Anyway.. it will just give him a wee-bit more confidence at the French Open..and he clearly looks like the second best clay court player now after this win. Djoko is on par or close to Fed on clay.. but well he cudnt get past the finish line against Nadal.

May 17th, 2009 at 12:43 pm

i’m laughing, this will give roger false hope like when he won in hamburg, and nadal will do what he did to roger before, win at the french.

May 17th, 2009 at 12:44 pm

well.. another fact…this was the second time Nadal was gunning for the clay court Masters series sweep … First was in 2007, when Fed stopped him in Hamburg finals… this was a repeat again. So Fed finally managed to stop Nadal from achieving that feat… just like Nadal stopping fed from achieving some many others.

May 17th, 2009 at 12:47 pm

“I think it is good for Fed and good for Rafa. I rather Rafa lose to Fed on clay than JMDP. I was not able to see the match as ATP tv did not cooperate today. It was so annoying to have the video two or more games behind the audio and in slow motion!”

Zola, I was getting the same thing. I even asked here if somebody if getting the same problem. I wrote to Tennistv, they told me its probably a problem with my internet provider. They also told me to change the speed on internet media play. I don’t know how to that. but I will look for it. But was very annoying,@$%#?? especially I had to pay for it.

May 17th, 2009 at 12:47 pm

Tejuz
***and he clearly looks like the second best clay court player now after this win. Djoko is on par or close to Fed on clay.. but well he cudnt get past the finish line against Nadal.***

I beg to differ. I think Djoko is the second best player on clay right now. Djoko has reached two master series final, one semi and has a title in Belgrade. This is Fed’s only title this year and he has not reached a single final on clay this year.

Also if Djoko was on fed’s side, we might have had another story for the final.

May 17th, 2009 at 12:48 pm

But if Djoker is in Nadal’s half, it will be keenly contested match.. and could upset Nadal there.

May 17th, 2009 at 12:48 pm

I join Zola in congratulating all Fed fans with a well deserved win. Let’s face it he really played well all week and beat Del Potro who in turn had beaten Djokovic.

In the other thread I had warned about not diminishing Federer as a winner

However, Paris will be a different story. Paris is the real thing and plays like a real clay court – see my posts on the other thread with regard to the difference.

And… even though Rafa was gracious as usual in defeat, he did say – immediately after his loss: ” Roger was much better than me and deserved to win today….the surface was faster than the courts I’ve been playing on recently and suited him better”.
That was a subtle warning to all of those that think they can count him out for the RG title.

May 17th, 2009 at 12:51 pm

Zola.., Yes, i agree Djoker has had some good results this summer cuz he has played a lot of tournaments. And yes, he did play Nadal well.. I am not mentioning only this year.. overall.. last couple of years.. Nadal, Fed and Djoker have been the 3 best players on clay. Fed is second cuz he obviously has made more finals, and more importantly defeated Nadal twice on clay, which no other player had done i guess.

May 17th, 2009 at 12:53 pm

in my previou post I, of course meant, ” had beaten Murray”

May 17th, 2009 at 12:53 pm

Kimmi,

***Zola, I was getting the same thing. I even asked here if somebody if getting the same problem. I wrote to Tennistv, they told me its probably a problem with my internet provider.****

Ah…it was so annoying. I had the problem a few times this week. Same here, I wrote to them and it was always my fault. either a cookie ( they sent me a useless microsoft link) or the broadband, etc. But my friend in Australia had the same problem. I am in US and you are in UK ( am I right?). Also many people on tennis.com had the same problem.

I wrote to them again. I think maybe of enough people write, they might realize it is the problem on their end and not the customer.

It worked well yesterday after the second set of the match and was perfect for Fed-JMDP. but today it did not work at all. So I don’t think it has anything to do with my computer or the media player speed. they probably don’t have enough band width to accomodate the demand.

May 17th, 2009 at 12:53 pm

“Also if Djoko was on fed’s side, we might have had another story for the final.”

Zola, Fed here played much better than Monte carlo and Rome. His confidence came back. To beat Nadal anywhere, I don’t care if he is fatigued or not, you have to excecute your game perfectly, and that is what he did today.

May 17th, 2009 at 12:55 pm

Koenig mentioned that Federer commented on the epic match yesterday by saying that Novak and Rafa spent a lot of time between points and that Federer sounded jealous.

Although I am not happy Federer won today I am satisfied knowing that the real final was played yesterday with Novak Djokovic and everyone knows it. Nadal came into it without even 24 hours rest. Federer had a cupcake draw and he can thank Djokovic for tiring Nadal out. I would put an asterisk behind this win.

Fed had to “win” this against the exhausted warrior. It ties the MS record between Fed and Nadal, for now.

There are a few positives that come out of this. First, Fed gets more points which prevents Murray from getting to number 2 anytime soon and certainly prevents Murray from getting to number 1 by the end of the year as he vowed to do in the Daily Record.

Nadal lost in his country and did not cry the way Federer did when Henman beat him in his home country in Basel. Nadal showed he was gracious by not crying at this loss and ruining the “win” for Fed.

May 17th, 2009 at 12:55 pm

To Von,Jane,Giner,2 cents: After this win, finally i have got some mojo to start setting this blog on fire again.I’m back.

May 17th, 2009 at 12:56 pm

Tejuz,
if you say overall, then I sort of agree, because fed has been to 3 RG finals, one semi and many clay master series finals.

But this year, up to now, even with Fed’s win, I think Djoko is up there with him if not above.

May 17th, 2009 at 12:56 pm

“I am in US and you are in UK ( am I right?)’

No Zola, I am in canada.

May 17th, 2009 at 12:59 pm

Ryan:

Welcome back!! We’ve all missed you, and I’m happy you’re ready to roll. Congrats to you on your guy’s MS title.

May 17th, 2009 at 1:02 pm

vared, LOL. C’mon, please try to give Federer some credit.

May 17th, 2009 at 1:02 pm

“Nadal lost in his country and did not cry the way Federer did when Henman beat him in his home country in Basel. Nadal showed he was gracious by not crying at this loss and ruining the “win” for Fed”

To Vared:
Obviously nadal wouldn’t cry in a masters series tournament. He mite wen he gets his french open ripped away from him n then becomes the finalist at wimbledon n the us open.

May 17th, 2009 at 1:02 pm

Vared,
this is the price Rafa has to pay. If he had lost yesterday, no one would have blamed him, because djoko played such a perfect match. But he had to fight and face the consequences today. It is just the way he is.

Tejuz
I really hope that Fed can always prevent Rafa from a clay court master series sweep and Rafa can prevent him

May 17th, 2009 at 1:03 pm

Not fair to sat Rafa was tired and he was. This is tennis. Roger earned his rest by easily defeating his semi finalist opponent. Rafa has drawn out matched with all the top players. That is part of the dynamic of any tournament. And roger did play great and very happy to see he finally held his nerve behind in the last game. Probably the most important thing for Roger in this match.

May 17th, 2009 at 1:06 pm

To Von: thanx for the support.Its time for a tag team effort to blast anti rod n anti fed comments in here.

May 17th, 2009 at 1:07 pm

oops, pressed the submit by mistake.

Tejuz, pls ignore that comment! I was going to delete it!

Kimmi,
lol! why did I think you are in UK?

But anyway, it is a global problem! I have written to them again. Let’s see what excuse they will find this time!

btw,for those playing the ATP bracket challenge:
my bracket is completely ruined! I was in top 200 and now I think I am in the buttom 100!

May 17th, 2009 at 1:07 pm

To Nadal fans: Please accept Nadal has to lose sometimes, he has done very well this clay season but he cannot win everthing, so don’t find excuses for him.

May 17th, 2009 at 1:08 pm

to Vared: Federer cries because he cares so much. He often cries when he wins too; he cried when Rod Laver gave him the AO trophy. He doesn’t hide his emotions, which is one reason I am a fan.

And as for Nadal being gracious in defeat, he’s been on the ascent all his career. It’s easy to be gracious when you’re always moving upwards and winning much more than you’re losing.

When he starts to decline, and it’s Federer holding the trophy at Roland Garros after a five-hour five-set final, we’ll see the true test of Nadal’s character. I’m sure he’ll acquit himself well when it happens.

May 17th, 2009 at 1:11 pm

Hi Ryan – and as I said on the previous thread, congrats to Federer and all of his “diehard” fans :) – Daniel, NachoF, sensationalsafin, grendel, Tejuz, Ra, Kimmi, Fedex, and so forth (can’t remember everyone!). Fed closed this match out in a decisive fashion with a crucial hold. I don’t know if he can win the French, esp. were he to face Rafa in the final, but one never knows in sports. Never say never. Either way, this might boost his hopes for getting back the Wimbledon trophy.

May 17th, 2009 at 1:11 pm

if fed had played nole in the semi’s it would have been rafa and nole in the final. fed had an easy draw, so he basically waltzed to the final, cept for andy giving him problems.

May 17th, 2009 at 1:12 pm

Fed says “I’m sorry to have spoilt the party here.”

Seems like he has taken a page from nadal’s book. Ruin great runs n then apologize.

May 17th, 2009 at 1:13 pm

“But anyway, it is a global problem! I have written to them again. Let’s see what excuse they will find this time!’

Zola, I am happy to learn it is a global problem, I was trying so much to change things in my settings with no avail. I will write to them again too, they should fix it.

May 17th, 2009 at 1:17 pm

Kimmi,
***Zola, Fed here played much better than Monte carlo and Rome. His confidence came back. To beat Nadal anywhere, I don’t care if he is fatigued or not, you have to excecute your game perfectly, and that is what he did today.***

It appears so. Again, I didn’t watch the match but I noticed that Fed served very well especially on break points and converted on his break points. This is ideal situation.
I don’t know how Rafa played. Did he move as well as he does? did he have those forceful forehands to fed’s backhand?

btw,
the tennistv will show the match again. Perhaps in a few hours. I might check again just to see the quality.

May 17th, 2009 at 1:17 pm

Welcome back Ryan. I have been waiting for you all these months. Remember me? You should.

May 17th, 2009 at 1:20 pm

have a great day everyone. See you all later. Nice to see Fed and his fans happy again.
I think the top players can take lots of positives from Madrid.

May 17th, 2009 at 1:22 pm

Sean,
Excellent recovery from your last utterly biased article – giving credit where it is due. You made some excellent points and I congratulate your for that.

Now I have to ask you as to what is the difference between this match and the one against Djokovic at Hamburg where after a set and break up in the second (and opportunity for a second to close out the match) he loses the match. I am at a loss with that one as well as other Roger matches this year.

May 17th, 2009 at 1:23 pm

Zola: “the tennistv will show the match again. Perhaps in a few hours. I might check again just to see the quality.”

they will show it ? for free ? I guess they realise that it was their problem. They have never done it before, they do have full downloads but you have to pay for it.

May 17th, 2009 at 1:23 pm

I agree with PietjeP excellent points:

“I agree with you Sean! Finally Fed deployed some good tactics against Nadal.

Not going in there grinding with Nadal and trading heavy groundstrokes, but mixing it up, playing aggressive and keeping the points short (either he wins or lose them, but avoid the grind; that’s Rafa’s kingdom). ”

Why have we not seen Roger deploy these tactics in his prior matches against Rafa? Particularly on clay? I understand that it may not work all the time, but I haven’t seen the purpose in Roger’s game that I saw today.

May 17th, 2009 at 1:28 pm

Zola and Kimmi, it is very disappointing that Tennistv charges for the service but doesn’t have the needed infrastructure to deliver it.

If they are really customer oriented they would extend the service contracts a little bit or offer partial refunds.

May 17th, 2009 at 1:32 pm

Boy this match was anti-climatic. I really wasn’t expecting a match like the semi’s and we definitely did not get that.
Funny how everything changes once Fed wins. Someone said that he will win 20 GS titles.
Federer did look good the past couple of matches. He played much more aggressive, serve and forehand looked good. Nadal never looked in it–mentally nor emotionally.
Congrats to the Fed fans–it has been a tough few months for you guys.

May 17th, 2009 at 1:32 pm

Good confidence booster for The Fed. Will it be enough to win the F.O.? As fare as being tired ans such. You usually need to win seven matches to win a tournament. So, you are going to being tired. How you play your matches will determine how much you have left in the tank. If you let all your matches go to five sets then you are going to be very tired if you can win in straight sets. Then you have a good shot in the final. Everybody makes the Nadal-Djoker match sound like it was a 5 set all tie break match…not quite. In all tournament it’s run what you brung. If you push too hard or let opportunities slip away you will struggle later in the tournament. This is what it takes to be No.1. Is Rafa feeling the pressure? Yes, Is he going to crack. Who knows. Even given the claimed fatigue levels of this final. It will be more difficult for The Fed to beat Rafa at the French because of the slower surface which will give Rafa more time to execute his game plan… It is beginning to sound like it will be a great tournament

May 17th, 2009 at 1:33 pm

This victory will probably give nadal something to think about. I think the sun is setting for the clay king.Finally we are seeing some players like fed , djok n murray daring to step up to nadal on clay. In previous years nadal used to win matches coz his opponents were too scared of him or in other words “weak competition”.Hope it rings a bell.

May 17th, 2009 at 1:52 pm

to the management: I think the “funk” and the “trunk” will need some adjustments today.

May 17th, 2009 at 1:53 pm

One other key point to me besides Roger employing a visible strategy and executing it is the breakpoints statistic.

Roger was 2/2. Rafa 0/4. Obviously those numbers made all the difference. You could very well say Roger was lucky and Rafa unlucky.

But if you look at Roger’s losses to Rafa it was just the opposite. Rafa saves almost all his breakpoints and Roger almost always gets more break chances.

At 2009 AO, Roger converted 6/19 breakpoints and Rafa converted 7/16.
At 2008 Wimbledon, Roger converted just 1/13 breakpoints and Rafa converted 4/13. Still the match was so very very close. Just imagine if Roger had won just one more.
BP.
If that is not the mother of all stats look at this one. At 2007 RG (yes, at the very French Open), Roger converted just 1/17 breakpoints and Rafa converted 4/10. Can you believe that Roger played well enough to get a whopping 17 breakpoints, 10 more against the best clay court player ever?
That is pretty much the story of their matches with the lone exception of the 2008 RG.

It all comes down to this key stat. between these two greats. I only wonder what the results would have been had Roger been more aggressive on his numerous break chances.

May 17th, 2009 at 1:57 pm

who would have guessed a straight setter over nadal? unreal. i think nadal played solid…curious why his knees weren’t bandaged up this match?

federer seemed so much calmer in this match than other matches against nadal….likely since he was ahead after the first set but you could almost feel the tension and his anxiety rising in other matches against rafa. this time it seemed as if he was ‘what have i got to lose?’ rather than ‘damn, now i have to win to protect my ranking, show the world i can beat him’ etc etc.

perfect timing for a win of this nature. the french will prove interesting.

May 17th, 2009 at 2:01 pm

This loss will ease the pressure of expectation from Rafa’s head. I would just love to see the media hype build surrounding Federer’s chances at the Roland Garros. It will give him false confidence whereas Rafa and Uncle Toni will be on guard all the time. The end result will be another drubbing at Roland Garros which is totally different from Madrid.

May 17th, 2009 at 2:14 pm

To Tennismasta : I have to agree with the break point stats. Thats the key and in a way nadal’s great clay court run was because the others were weak on this surface and fed was really afraid.Now they are ready to give the king of clay a run for his throne.

May 17th, 2009 at 2:15 pm

I too had problems with the ATP TV live matches. I have emailed under feedback asking for a refund.

May 17th, 2009 at 2:24 pm

first of all, federer mouth is going to be his utter destruction. look for djokovic and nadal to put a sock in it soon. he gets to the final of a masters series, wins it, and he starts running his mouth. he wasn’t necessary for him to say djokovic and nadal takes too long and their match shouldn’t have been four hours. djokovic and nadal have been playing that way their whole career. it’s not like roger hasn’t played them before. everybody knows how they play and personally i think their match was very entertaining, the edge-of-your-seat kind of match. maybe, roger should wait until the end of the season and do his sarcasm routine. the season is still young!he has djokovic to thank for taking nadal three long sets, and as a result, he was able to defeat him today. any blind man could see nadal didn’t put forth his usual effort to win, and i don’t blame him because he has roland garros to think about. is federer actually that gullible or that desperate to think that he has the tactics to beat rafa on clay under normal circumstances? the same thing happened in hamburg 2007. roger walked away saying ” i got him for all the other guys” and we all know what happened at roland garros thereafter; rafa demoralized him. realistically, roger should have beat rafa 6:0 6:0, if you compare rafa’s draw to federer’s draw. for some strange reason, federer almost always gets to play the lesser players early on and as a consequence he has the most rest in the final stages of tournaments. when bad weather occurs, it’s strange how federer gets to play first and always escape the weather conditions. had federer played djokovic yesterday, i doubt very seriously if he would have been in the final. so for those who think federer did something so out-of-this-world special, get real! anyway, hats off to him for capitalizing on the play of an under par nadal. roger has won, the celebration is over, now he can get back to reality!

May 17th, 2009 at 2:26 pm

“realistically, roger should have beat rafa 6:0 6:0”

dont waste ur time trying to take away credit from federer….coz no one’s buying it. Who cares if fed beats nadal on clay.As long as someone does it I’ll be celebrating.

May 17th, 2009 at 2:56 pm

Fed is afraid seems to watch tennis the way some people watch pro-wrestling. Come on Rafa, Roger, Djokovic and Murray are all fun to watch. All 4 have different styles of play and different dispositions. That does allow for fans to pick sides and have rooting interests pretty easily. On the other hand, to watch a sport solely to see someone lose seems like a waste of time.

As far as Fed living. He is not near the #1 ranking, but Fed is 25-3 in the past 4 slams. He just won his 15th Masters Series/1000/Super 9 ??? title. Fed can still play and win. He won’t ever dominate as he did in 04-07, but making deep runs at events frequently tends to lead to some victories even if it also will entail losses in the semifinals and finals too. Some victories when you have 13 slams, 15 MS shields, 4 Masters Cups means anytime you do win even if less frequent it turns into an important victory in terms of history.

May 17th, 2009 at 2:56 pm

Ryan Says:
Fed says “I’m sorry to have spoilt the party here.”

Seems like he has taken a page from nadal’s book. Ruin great runs n then apologize.”

At least Rafa didn’t bawl like baby and ruin Federer’s special moment.

May 17th, 2009 at 3:06 pm

Do write to tennistv. I was having huge problems in watching djokovic vs nadal and the final. The video was freezing like anything, and was 10 minutes behind the audio. I was very frustrated after paying so much money to these guys. It always has been working fine. So there is no other problem than their servers’s capacity. All of us who faced this problem should write to them.

May 17th, 2009 at 3:24 pm

jambalya Says: “At least Rafa didn’t bawl like baby and ruin Federer’s special moment.”

This is just too funny. For Federer’s part he celebration was extremely muted. One would think that he would be wildly happy after the tough few months that he has had. He was very reserved over the win. I did not see any of the interviews after the match.

May 17th, 2009 at 3:33 pm

IT WAS TWO TENNIS KINGS,BUT ONLY ONE CROWN.
CONGRATULATION TO BOTH KINGS.

May 17th, 2009 at 3:38 pm

Zola,

I did horrible in the bracket, you did much better than me. Only hope for is a magical run in picks at the French Open. Can’t wait for the draw to come out.

May 17th, 2009 at 3:42 pm

Ample credit to Federer. He remains a player of sublime skills (if diminishing resources). It will take much more than this victory, though, to prove that he has truly forestalled a changing of the guard, led by Nadal and followed up by Djokovic and Murray.
Despite the entertain value of Saturday’s Nadal-Djokovic semi, was I the only person who felt that Rafa wasn’t entirely on his game? He looked flat and strangely subdued for the first half of the match to me, playing cautiously. I thought Nadal looked much better in the first set again Federer, until the break.
The question I have, and it will soon be answered with the French and Wimbledon played out in quick succession is whether Rafa didn’t make a costly mistake by scheduling himself so heavily through the spring?

May 17th, 2009 at 4:15 pm

Maybe this win means nothing in terms of Roger’s Roland Garros chances, but it sure does mean much regarding his Wimby and US Open chances.
In other words, if he can beat a “tired” Rafa on clay (like he did in Hamburg 2007), I certainly like his odds beating Rafa on any other surface.

May 17th, 2009 at 4:23 pm

Does anyone else find it kinda ironic that Federer and Nadal are 1-1 this year? But Fed’s 1-0 on clay and Nadal is 1-0 on hard.

May 17th, 2009 at 4:29 pm

Ryan, if you actually had some insight about tennis, you would be dangerous, but there’s no chance of that ever happening! of course, you don’t care how federer wins, tell me something i don’t know!

May 17th, 2009 at 4:50 pm

and it’s Federer holding the trophy at Roland Garros after a five-hour five-set final,

OK Steve, you can keep dreaming

At least Rafa didn’t bawl like baby and ruin Federer’s special moment

Jamalaya so so true. He does it to ruin the winner’s celebration. It’s hard to believe he will be a father. Koenig and others know Fed is a big baby who needs to be diapered himself.

Mem, Fed suffers from foot in mouth disease like Serena. Murray also suffers from this disease by saying he will overtake Fed as number 2 and Nadal as number 1. he he

May 17th, 2009 at 5:22 pm

sensationalsafin,
that’s ironic! I am glad Rafa’s hard court win is in a GS and Fed’s clay win is in a master series. didn’t want that to be the reverse.

Kimmi,
on the tennistv.com website press on live tv and on the left you will see the announcement. The WTA final will be at 21 GMT (5 pm ET) and ATP final will be at midnight GMT (8 pm ET).

So the WTA has started .but you can catch the ATP final.

I have downloaded several finals. It is only 3 bucks but the quality is good.They cut down the rest time and most of the ceremony time. Still a bargain for $3.

Guaranag, Smasham, TennisMasta,
I agree.We all should write to them. The first time I wrote they made me feel it was my computer. But I see on this forum and other places that everyone has this problem. If they hear from enough people they might do something about it.

May 17th, 2009 at 5:25 pm

Al
It is all Murray and Rafa’s fault that our brackets are gone! but you did well. We are only a few points apart.
Yes, french open is a bigger draw, more points and perhaps more dangerous! I think the draw should be out Friday, because they start the matches on Sunday.

May 17th, 2009 at 5:27 pm

nadal looked very subdued in the first set. i also think fed’s muted celebration is about who he is playing against, combined with the fact that these days, he’ll take a win where he can get it. nadal always celebrated with arms up rather than the dirt role in the last FO where he thumped roger. a little respect.

remember venus jumping up and down shrieking when she got the plate at wimbleon after beating davenport in that close final? it was a bit tacky.

as far as fed crying at the AO – part of me thinks it may have taken away from rafa’s moment a little but i still believe that for anyone to be that passionate about the sport and chasing history within that sport (not to mention within that match), i’ll cut him some slack.

May 17th, 2009 at 5:30 pm

Dan Martin:

“On the other hand, to watch a sport solely to see someone lose seems like a waste of time.”

Absolutely. However, we see posters repeatedly begging and wishing for some players to be beaten so that they will exit the tournament early. I know we all have desires and hopes for our faves, but to blatantly and openly wish on a forum for a specific player or players to be beaten is saying that these fans are not lovers of the sport but are worshippers of a specific player.

May 17th, 2009 at 5:32 pm

I am writing to Tennistv about today’s amateurish technical issues – the video was way behind the audio and was jerky even in the slow settings. This is not just any other match, so I can’t believe tennistv is not better prepared. Where is the quick apology?

I will also write about the biased commentary of Jason Goodall and Robby Koenig. Sean Randall would look 120% fair and balanced compared to their partisan commentary. This Koening guy always starts off with excuses for Nadal (that sickening tired one). Then Nadal could do nothing wrong for him and Roger nothing right. Jason Goodall plays along underplaying anything good Roger does. If you are a casual tennis viewer you would think that Roger is an ordinary tennis pro listening to these guys.

They have a right to say what they want to. But I am paying tennistv for fair coverage, let alone positive coverage of Roger. Often I end up watching with audio muted.

May 17th, 2009 at 5:37 pm

Peka,
In a grand slam, Fed needs to reach the final first . It is not just Rafa anymore. This year he was 0-10 or 0-11 against Rafa-Djoko and Murray.

of course we don’t know what will happen in FO. I am worried about Rafa’s knee and hope he can recover in a week.

As far as Madrid goes as a tournament, I did not like it much. First the magic bos lookes exactly like a cage more than an arena. Compare the closed box to the center court in MonteCarlo or Rome ! Second, I never liked the idea of having models as ball boys or ball girls.
Third the surface was not good. Apart from the bad vbounce, it was slippery. Djoko had a couple of bad ones on the surface. Fourth, lots of crappy calls. Glad the expecienced umpires interfered and sometimes the players did their job for them!
And as a fan, I like to read the interviews. In most of master series, you can find the transcript on asapsports after a day. Not for Madrid. just the snippets (and only for a few players).
On top of everything the website was useless and very hard to navigate.

May 17th, 2009 at 5:42 pm

TennisMasta,
I wrote to them twice today and will see what their reply will be. I will post it here.

About Goodalla and Koneig, it is so funny, because I always thought the reverse! that they ( especially Godall) always goes for whoever id facing Rafa. He alway gives tips on how to do theis and that and applauses their wins over Rafa.
So I see we each watch the match and listen to the commentary with our own “fan” glasses. So interesting!

May 17th, 2009 at 5:47 pm

sorry for all the typos!

May 17th, 2009 at 5:48 pm

“I will also write about the biased commentary of Jason Goodall and Robby Koenig. Sean Randall would look 120% fair and balanced compared to their partisan commentary.”

Funny, I must be watching a different telecast because I find Koenig and Goodall equal in their commentaries on both Nadal and Federer. To be quite honest, I think they gush over Federer too much and consistently praise him regardless of how terrible he’s playing.

“But I am paying tennistv for fair coverage, let alone positive coverage of Roger.”

No kidding, so only positive vibes must be given to Federer, and not the truth as they perceive situations when they happen. Freedom of speech is given to the press and they can say what they want, keep the TV muted or make up your own commentaries.

May 17th, 2009 at 5:48 pm

Howard: “Despite the entertain value of Saturday’s Nadal-Djokovic semi, was I the only person who felt that Rafa wasn’t entirely on his game? He looked flat and strangely subdued for the first half of the match to me, playing cautiously. I thought Nadal looked much better in the first set again Federer, until the break.”

Nadal looked indeed strange in that 1st set vs Djoker, but I don’t think it was that much better vs Fed today… In both these matches, he was making errors which he normally wouldn’t do – especially from his FH side. If I recall it correctly, he made at least 10 errors from this particular stroke just in the 1st set against Djoker – which, in Nadal’s case, is normally a “norm” for, say, 2 matches.

May 17th, 2009 at 5:49 pm

vared, OMG you are so nasty.
Let Fed fan celebrate today, you might do the same in the FO but I don’t think Rafa fans will feel it is as predictable as it looked few days ago. There is now Djokovic and also there is Federer.

And give Murray a break, he is an excellent player on hard-court, he is learning on clay but I would give him couple of years. He is a confident player whose dream is to be # 1, what is wrong with that? With his talent I think he has great potential of doing just that.

Zola: yes I saw this; WTA is on right now with no problems. It’s was definitely their problem this morning. I have written to them again.

May 17th, 2009 at 5:51 pm

Footnote to my post @ 5:48 pm. Or better still, why not write a script for Koenig and Goodall to follow, I think they’ll love that, as their aim is to improve and please. I think those guys do a great job and are interesting to listen to especially if there’s a boring match.

May 17th, 2009 at 5:52 pm

Skorocel:

Did those streams work for you?

Nadal looked indeed strange in that 1st set vs Djoker, but I don’t think it was that much better vs Fed today… In both these matches, he was making errors which he normally wouldn’t do – especially from his FH side.”

It appeared to me that Nadal’s heart was not in Madrid, hence he looked flat and frustrated. I also heard the commentators mention that Nadal stated this tourney was the most difficult for him on clay due to the altitude. He was afraid to hit his forehand for fear of the ball going out and tried to make adjustments to compensate. However, from what I’ve seen, it appeared he was still making FH errors due to his lack of control of his shots. I think the FH fear was the prevailing emotion in his match v. Djoko and today v. Federer.

May 17th, 2009 at 6:02 pm

i knew if federer one people would say its because nadal was tired and that djokovic tired him out in semis. if federer had lost he would have been criticized for being unable to beat nadal. so either way federer is always being criticized. amazing federer throws his racket down once and gets tons of criticism. djokovic thru it down @ least 3x when playing lubijic and gets no criticism. djokovic retires because its too hot at the australian open and barely gets any criticism. federer cries after losing at the ao and its non stop criticism. jeez these are obviously djokovic/nadal fans who apparently think federer has absolutely no tennis game. i am certainly not a fan of djokovic. his personality turns me off, but the guys got game. i will give him credit where it is due. it would be nice if federer got some credit for beating nadal today. he played a terrific match and when hes on his game he is up there w/nadal, djokovic & murray. now i only hope he continues to get his confidence back and starts winning djokovic, murray & nadal. he set the standard so high insofar as on court behavior and shotmaking and anytime he falls below that standard everybody sticks it to him while djokovic and murray can throw there temper tantrums and not play so well and they barely get a bit of criticism. nadal is class act and i don’t put him in the same category as djokovic or murray. federer is in a no win situation–damned if he does and damned if he doesnt. yes he hasn’t played consistently good of late, but jeez the guy is a terrific tennis player and at least deserves that respect, even when he is faltering

May 17th, 2009 at 6:12 pm

you are so nasty.

Fangirl Kimmi, speaking of the “nasty,” Fed’s raising his finger in a #1 salute was particularly nasty…perhaps Rafa should have done that to him at the AO when he was blubbering and sobbing like a disconsolate child.

May 17th, 2009 at 6:22 pm

To Mem,
“any blind man could see nadal didn’t put forth his usual effort to win, and i don’t blame him because he has roland garros to think about. is federer actually that gullible or that desperate to think that he has the tactics to beat rafa on clay under normal circumstances?”

Do you realize that Roger how many finals and semi-finals Roger has ( including RAFA’s surface “Clay”? he has been in more Clay court finals than anyone except Rafa in modern history) Don’t count Roger out, as proven on Madrid. He is still young, and if a guy can get to a final, there is a reason. Anyone can win at this point( when your in the final ). Yes, he owns Roger ‘it seems on clay”, but don’t think for a minute that he doesn’t have a chance on Clay. All the analysts said today Roger is the 2nd best player on Clay in the modern era. Did they ever say that about Pistol Pete, currently and arguably th GOAT? Let’s just be thankful that we have a Roger and a Rafa to watch. If Rafa or Roger dominates, for the fans it would not be good. This is great tennis and I for one am glad Roger is responding like a champion and winning. HE still has it. Regarding earlier posts about Rafa being tired, obviously you haven’t played a tennis tournament. The rules are the same for everyone, Roger just played really well through the tournament if anyone watched his earlier rounds his serve was back and hot. Very good location.
IF Rafa is the king of Clay with that incredible record he should be playing through everyone easily. And how can a 22 yr old get tired of playing two out of three sets? C’mon! Don’t worry Rafa fans if you think I am a Roger fan, I still think Rafa is the odds on fav to win FO.

May 17th, 2009 at 6:22 pm

vared: Do you think Nadal will win forever? If Federer does not dethrone him at Roland Garros, someone else will–Djokovic, perhaps, or someone we don’t even know yet. It may not happen this year, but it will happen. It’s only a matter of time.

When that day comes I’m sure Nadal will graciously congratulate the winner on a job well-done. You, on the other hand, will no doubt skulk and snarl and make excuses about how Nadal was tired, how he was injured, how the refs were against him, how they changed the surface to make it harder for him, etc. instead of showing an ounce of class.

May 17th, 2009 at 6:22 pm

vared, I don’t know what it means when fed raising a finger, but it’s interesting you see it as a salute for # 1. LOL

You are starting to show how deeply disappointed you have been with this win. Calm down, perhaps tomorrow you will feel better.

Game on in FO and Wimbledon, Federer confidence is coming back slowly but surely. Don’t you enjoy though when it’s a little bit unpredictable – Murray, Nadal, Djokovic and now the “king is dead” Federer

May 17th, 2009 at 6:34 pm

Congratulations to Federer, but this hasn’t changed my opinion on the French Open at all. I’ll still go 90% Nadal and 10% someone else, and I would pick Djokovic if I had to pick an upset. If Federer and Djokovic lands on the same side, it’s going to be trouble for Federer.

It’s funny how some fans came flying back to his side after this win thinking it is a great redemption. If anything, I think this shows that it is still a coin flip when he and Nadal runs into each other at Wimbledon, and gives him a mental boost on grass and u.s. open, improving his chances of winning #14 and 15, but a french open trophy? Highly unlikely.

May 17th, 2009 at 6:36 pm

Blah, I agree, RAFA is an overwhelming favorite in the FO. But this win today is an indication Federer confidence is coming back, which is good for him. I am sure he was working so hard to bring it back. Fed of three weeks ago would not have won this tournament.

May 17th, 2009 at 6:47 pm

Ezorra:

http://uk.yahoo-email.com/a/hBKD8sMAbKI4DB7W7qF-QyucufT/uksp23

This must be a bad day for you with Arsenal losing and now Nadal. don’t worry, be happy, for better days are ahead. I guess you know who’s happy Man United won?

May 17th, 2009 at 6:51 pm

blah:

“It’s funny how some fans came flying back to his side after this win thinking it is a great redemption. If anything, I think this shows that it is still a coin flip when he and Nadal runs into each other at Wimbledon, and gives him a mental boost on grass and u.s. open, improving his chances of winning #14 and 15, but a french open trophy? Highly unlikely.”

Strange isn’t it how many mouths have been opened and they are running non-stop? Some are showing their true colors. Once a fanatical always a fanatic!

May 17th, 2009 at 6:55 pm

Nice work Fed. In straight sets no less. He ends his own title draught, and Rafa is now vulnerable going into the next Slam. More importantly, it was a win on clay, which brings the series to 9-2 and 13-7 overall.

Will things end up a repeat of 2007?

May 17th, 2009 at 6:57 pm

To Sheila, please don,t even go there. No one has received more flak or scrutiny than Djokovic. The reason everyone was amazed at Federers tennis racket bashing is because he has been portrayed as having ice in his veins. He’s been touted as always being gentlemanly and therefore his temper tantrums were noted. It goes to show that it is easy to to be genial when you are winning and all players have moments they wish they could forget. Give Fed his due , he won and Nadal fans shouldn,t feel bad.The guy is amazing. The top four players make it interesting for all fans because a one man horse race would certainly be boring.

May 17th, 2009 at 7:48 pm

shiela, you are absolutely, 100% correct, i’m that one person who said that nadal was fatigued, courtesy of novak, and that ultimately impacted roger’s win over him today, which is not an opinion but a fact! i am accustomed to giving full credit to whom credit is due, but if you follow these tournaments and watch these matches without blinders on as i do, then you too would be able to distinguish between fiction and nonfiction!

May 17th, 2009 at 8:40 pm

Rafa and Fed fans should learn from their idols how to show respect to your opponent.

Take for example Mr. “fed is afraid”.

He posted as a reply to the question “can Federer win the Madrid final the following:

“fed is afraid Says:
no way, rafa has taken up residence in rog’s empty head.”

Obviously this brilliant analyst knew before the match, when he posted this prediction, that Nadal had played 4 hours against Djoko.

Obviously he also knew that Federer had reached the Final only because of his “cupcake” draw (his words.

Yet, despite all this information he predicted unquestionably that it was impossible for Federer to win.

What’s his analysis once the impossible happens and Fed wins? That it only happened because Nadal was tired and Federer had an easy draw.

Frankly it’s pathetic how this kind of evidently flawed logic is used by “fans” to diminish the accomplishments of these two great champions.

One may be a fan of either one. It’s a matter of personal taste, but to take cheap shots at the other is certainly deplorable.

Posted May 17th, 2009 at 10:11 am

May 17th, 2009 at 8:51 pm

skeezerweezer, i repeat in case you didn’t fully understand my comments; i’ll make them simple for you. in a nutshell, federer defeated an under par nadal, end of story! so, why don’t we just wait and watch federer repeat this kind of performance over rafa at roland garros and wimbledon, if they should meet. then i will gladly shut my mouth! until then, let’s relax and let history take its’ course!

May 17th, 2009 at 8:55 pm

“federer defeated an under par nadal, end of story”

So is that federer’s fault that nadal was underpar. He is supposed to be the clay king who wipes everyone off the court in straight sets. If he is unable to do that then its his loss….not federer’s or anyone else.

May 17th, 2009 at 9:20 pm

Who said the Fed was dead?

When Roger brings his “A” game to the courts, he’s more than capable of beating anyone out there.

Even more so, when his opponent doesn’t.

Fed fans should be happy. Roger just played two sets of a pretty perfect performance. He mixed things up well, his serve was spot on and he attacked Rafa’s while running running an around his backhand with a forehand that was painting the lines.

Roger didn’t have a lot of break points, but when he got them, he converted. Rog clearly won in Madrid; Rafa did not just lose.

Oh, and Fed fans gotta like the 1,000 points he’ll pick up which should separate him at the second position. (Rafa too gains in points as this year’s finalist as he only made it to the semis in 2008.)

For Nadal’s fans, I wouldn’t worry too much. Rafa is a warrior; he’ll be back. I remember the absolute hammering Tsonga dished out to him in the semis of the 2008 Aussie Open. Their last two encounter have seen the Majorcan on top. On hard courts. Rafa does seem to learn; maybe losing here will be good for him. We’ll see.

Surprisingly, we never saw Rafa’s “A” game at Madrid. The Nole played him much better too; I still don’t see how he beat Djokavic in the semis in one of the best matches of this season. I’m still surprised how Rafa even got to the Madrid finals.

I would caution of any return to the Fed era of dominance of 2004 – 2007.

Tennis today is no longer just a Nadal/Federer rivalry.

In the Fed’s era, Murray and the Nole were teenagers. Today, they’re much more mature and much more developed players. They too are beating the Swiss. And they’re probably still getting better.

Again, that’s not to say the Fed is dead. It’s not to say he won’t win any more tournaments.

It is to say he won’t win them all or even most of them.

It is to say that the level of play at Roger’s level is more crowded than ever. And the dominant era of a few years back is history.

All of which means for pure tennis aficionados — you’re in my camp now — I see an ATP tour where the top four players can beat each other. And are.

Tennis is a game of inches and whoever is just a wee bit sharper on any given day will come out with the cup.

And that’s good for tennis…and will help keep the media soundbites at bay.

May 17th, 2009 at 9:33 pm

i agree nadal was tired, and federer played well.

nadal’s game is all muscle, really hard on the body. he may well burn out physically by the time he is 25 years old. this madrid tourney may be the beginning of the end.

fed’s last tournament before his slide was in shanghai. then at the australian, with the mono, he was just suddenly no longer sharp. he has been trying hard to come back up to speed.

health is a blessing easily lost…

in this madrid tournament, nadal almost lost in the semis, and he showed his vulnerabilities.

djoko pounded nadal’s BH side, sending him wide to his FH on the ad side, then winning points by jamming his BH on the deuce side. lots of nadal BH’s ended limply in the net. nadal managed to tough out that win, but it was done by pure grit.
he looked injured against djoko, not being able to get back to his BH to cover defensively there.

against federer, it was the same. he blocked a few good BH’s down the line but won almost nothing else with that wing.

federer was hitting harder on his serves and groundstrokes, playing a lot more aggressively against nadal than in previous matchups.

it worked. he beat rafa convincingly. not barely.
strongly. he held his serve well and he took away rafa’s to win the match cleanly. no excuses.

i hope both players recover from their respective physical ailments to play their best against each other and all others.

May 17th, 2009 at 10:05 pm

Kimmi darling, what on earth are you babbling about? If you’re going to argue, make sense. It’s only polite.

To Steve
I suppose you haven’t read my previous posts or you would see that I wanted Djoker to win this. I would be happy if Djok won over Nadal. I have rooted for Nadal, JMDP, Simon, Monfils, Tsonga, Roddick other times. Fed is one of two I just cannot like. I guess “sherlock” Von is the only one here with reading comprehension.

Kimmi dear, please don’t lose any sleep over my tennis preferences. Really.

May 17th, 2009 at 10:06 pm

First, Shelia – great post!

And to Zola… great post – as usual. Gracious in victory as well as defeat! Many Nadal fans should be like you!

For those who are saying Nadal was tired, injured, or whatever… you know what – you can have your opinion. That’s fine. I’m just glad Roger beat regardless. I would still take this victory if Nadal had one hand tied behind his back to help Roger! lol! The way Roger’s year had gone, with him not claiming a single ‘title’…heck, this is a great win for him. It may or may not help him at the French, but it sure can’t hurt.

Roger had it right when he said:
=================================================
Federer said Nadal was unlikely to be affected too much by only his fifth defeat on his favoured surface in 155 matches since the start of 2005.

“I snapped his streak at 81 a couple of years ago and it didn’t really bother him too much,” he said, referring to his victory over Nadal in the final of the 2007 Hamburg Masters.

“I don’t think he’s going to take any damage away from this. He’s played so well in Monaco, Barcelona and Rome that this is probably the best clay-court season he’s had.

“So I’m sure he’s going to be rock solid in Paris again.”
================================================

So he knows. But I tell you what – as a Federer fan, I feel better with him going to the French Open WITH this tournament victory than I would have had he lost yet again.

May 17th, 2009 at 10:12 pm

vared: “Kimmi darling, what on earth are you babbling about? If you’re going to argue, make sense. It’s only polite”

…darling,dear…I feel like love is in the air.

“Kimmi dear, please don’t lose any sleep over my tennis preferences. Really.”

No! I will not, but I am afraid that you will, because Roger is back and the other one you “don’t like” will be at the business end of lots of major tournaments. I think you should just take a chill pill. ha ha

May 17th, 2009 at 10:48 pm

Zola,

I am curious, what was your intention with this:
“This year he was 0-10 or 0-11 against Rafa-Djoko and Murray.”

You as a regular here knows he is 1-5 against them, 1-1 with Nadal, 0-2 with Murray and 0-2 with Djoko. So why put it this way?!

I am here for a long time and remember how you were when Fed was dominat, a very diferent “blog person”.

To Fot,
“And to Zola… great post – as usual. Gracious in victory as well as defeat! Many Nadal fans should be like you!”

Not at all gracious in defeat, pretending to be is more accurate!

May 17th, 2009 at 10:59 pm

“Kimmi dear, please don’t lose any sleep over my tennis preferences. Really.”

No! I will not..

Good because this is forum for tennis matters not insane ramblings.

May 17th, 2009 at 11:09 pm

Ryan, for once we agree, it’s not federer’s fault that nadal lost, just as it’s not nadal’s fault that federer has lost to him the past four years at roland garros. you said it right, nadal is suppose to be the clay king and federer is suppose to be the GOAT, so i guess in your mind nadal shouldn’t lose to anyone on clay, so, using your reasoning, may i say that federer shouldn’t lose to anyone on hard and grass, considering he is the king of grass and hardcourt. does that make sense to you?

May 17th, 2009 at 11:27 pm

to mem: yeah it does but unlike you I dont try to take away from the wins other players get over federer on hard courts and grass.

May 17th, 2009 at 11:49 pm

FoT, if this is a “yes” site, where everyone is suppose to agree in order to fit in, then i’m in the wrong place. each of us is an unique indivdual with different thought patterns/opinions and sometimes our thoughts and opinions are not popular, but that’s life! anyway, different perspectives generate interesting discussions!

May 17th, 2009 at 11:54 pm

Ryan, tell that to someone who doesn’t know any better!

May 17th, 2009 at 11:57 pm

to mem: thats why i’m tellin you.

May 18th, 2009 at 12:02 am

mem,

I agree and thanks for the fair comments, I am not convinced Fed is back and that Nadal can’t perform better. However, It was a dominating performance for Fed and Nadal didn’t quite look into it. Was he tired? I don’t buy it. I used to play tourneys at a pro level and 22 years old there is no excuse. This is why at a pro level my respect for Djok was low. He always ran out of gas? WTF? Get in shape. However, he is getting better in better shape I know it’s paying off. Look at his results.

But Look at Rafa and Roger, I have never seen them run out of gas. However, I would add that because Rafa’s game is so physical he’d better pick and choose his tourneys better or like earlier posts I agree his body will give out at a early age. Already at early 20’s chronic knee problems? This won’t get better. But I am not his coach.

What is better for tennis and for all of us, is that there is competition at the top on all surfaces and that on any given day anyone has a chance in the final. Like I said, Rafa is odds on fav for FO, but this win ( Madrid ) will give the Fed great confidence into wimbledon. C’mon, who else in the past who was considered GOAT besides Rocker Rod? They had to win the FO. At least Roger has the best record in that are with all surfaces, including Clay. I know, I know, Rafa is yong and on the way up and one two other surfaces besides Clay. So we have a great time for tennis. Will he last? Will Murray, Djok and others give him and Fed trouble and compete? I hope so, it will make the drama and the wins and the claim to GOAT even better and greater.
Look for another historical moment if they both reach the final in that one. HISTORY will eventually tell the story on GOAT!!!!

May 18th, 2009 at 12:09 am

I think djokovic really showed all the guys out there that nadal is beatable on clay. The way he was hanging with nadal from the baseline was incredible.

May 18th, 2009 at 12:09 am

to mem,

I meant to say “Nadal CAN perfom better, not “CAN”T”. Sorry for the typo, its late…..

May 18th, 2009 at 12:11 am

lol you can tell this website is run by Fedtarts the trunk/funk list is updated in record time. They never do that because Federer usually loses on sunday.

May 18th, 2009 at 12:12 am

Well.. this is the first time Fed is heading into Paris with a positive win-loss record against Nadal on clay for that year. Previous years he has always lost to Nadal at Monte Carlo and(or) Rome Hamburg.. which usually panned out how they played each other in Paris. This year, for once… Djoker has taken Fed’s place of losing twice to Nadal at Clay MS… and Fed surprising has won his only match against Nadal on clay this year. Well.. it will certainly not hurt his chances at RG, especially against Djoker and Murray cuz he atleast has a MS title under his belt and has a win over king-of-clay as well.

Confidence can do wonders.. and that was what Fed was lacking in most of his encounters this year. And again… Grand-slam … Fed and Nadal are the men to beat, its hard to take 3 sets of them and it will be very hard for Djoker and Murray to beat them at RG.

May 18th, 2009 at 12:15 am

It should also be noted that Federer was quite the spoilt sport when he was younger. Even his parents were on the recieving end of his tirades. As he matured and started making a name for himself, he was calmer and exhibited control over his emotions and recieved the adulation of many fans. Some of us prefer salt, some of us prefer pepper, some of us like the cool, methodical player and some of us like the spirited, colorful ones. You can have a preference but that does’t mean you have to hate the others. These players are all in an elite group of their sport…kudos to them all.

May 18th, 2009 at 12:18 am

to mem,

“nadal is suppose to be the clay king and federer is suppose to be the GOAT”

on another note, tell me specifically who said Fed now on many TC tournaments is now the GOAT? Fact or Fiction? These people have not claimed him but said he is is either on his way or might possibly, his career is not finished. Tell me by fact who has said this? HOWEVER, How many times have we hear on this community that RAFA is “The King of Clay”, AND on TV? In fact, I have heard Brad Gilbert say he “predicts” Rafa will be GOAT! We will see won’t we? History will prove the facts….

May 18th, 2009 at 12:29 am

Another qoute from Rafa, didn’t complain about “tired” or “not into it” or doesn’t mean much” or whatever. From Sportingnews quote….

“”To me, this tournament has nothing to do with Paris. This tournament is practically another surface compared to Paris,” said Nadal, who was troubled with the odd bounces and faster pace brought on by higher altitude. “The conditions favored him more than me.”

Since when was this an issue with Rafa, court surface, and on his favorite surface? Heck he beat Fed on Hard and Grass the last 12 months, and he has to whine an excuse on his own surface? Just take the beating like a man!!!!!!!

May 18th, 2009 at 12:37 am

I just watched the reply of the match, hmm… in my observation, Nadal was not tired at all, he gave his all, but there was something different with Federer, he took more chances, he was not passive, he had a clear mind of what he wanted to do, he danced around the court, he moved well, his forehand was on, his backhand was on, his tactics were there, it was Roger Federer on the court, and when he is on, everyone (and it includes a few people named Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, etc..) will have a hard time defeating him on any surface, be it on, clay, hardcourt, grass or even water….

Go Roger!!! Keep improving!!

May 18th, 2009 at 12:48 am

jambalaya,

Do you watch tennis or football? You obviously have no intelligent thing to say about tennis other than “retard, excuse me , Fedtart” remarks. Talk tennis, and I am sure you will get some converstation and opinions about your opinions about the game

May 18th, 2009 at 1:00 am

st4r5,

Now here is somebody who actually watched the match and studied it. Kudos to you///

May 18th, 2009 at 1:02 am

Jambalaya addendum,

Fed didn’t lose on Sunday

May 18th, 2009 at 1:03 am

Nadal says “There are no positives, there is little to analyze. He broke and broke and I went home.”

Good boy.thats wat i’d like to hear…hopefully even more so in the coming months.

May 18th, 2009 at 1:03 am

13-7 does not seem THAT lopsided anymore…. 14-6 would have really been ridiculous.

May 18th, 2009 at 1:40 am

FoT,
I am glad to see you happy and congratulations again.And thanks for your nice words ( as always). I think more Fed fans can be like you too.

I missed the replay too. I don’t know if I will buy the final to watch it or not.

But reading the news and Rafa’s comments, and the scoreboard ( that I had to watch), Fed was able to execute his game plan perfectly and Rafa was not able do so with his plan.

About tiredness, it is a fact that Rafa played a 4-hour emotional match with Djokovic just a day before and had less than 24 hours to recover. Whether or not this can have an effect on the next day’s match, can be disputed and is perhaps a personal opinion. So I leave it at that.

It really doesn’t matter now. The result is that Fed has now a title after so many months and seems more positive, saying “things are falling in place”. Good to see him back and willing to fight.

For Rafa, tired or not, hard clay or soft clay, he can see now that some strategies can be effective against him and he can lose a match if he is less than 100%. So that’s the next homework for him and Rafa loves challenges. This will just make him stronger knowing the hardworker he is.

Again, all in all, it is all positives for everyone. One more for Rafa . he has less pressure going to RG.

May 18th, 2009 at 1:54 am

rafa let his fans down bigtime, awful awful awful rafa, just awful. uncle toni needs to bring out the cracking whip and give a few whacks on rafa’s backside for this. he gave up before the match started, no fight and he just let federer molest him like a red headed step child.

please sort it out rafa for the french.

May 18th, 2009 at 2:14 am

Snowbirrd
what a nice post. Thank you for that.
Indeed Rafa and fed are laughing and talking to each other and some of their fans are having fights?

Daniel,
First of all, you are right about the 0-10. It is not right. Fed is 1-5 against Rafa, Djoko, Murray for 2009. That is my mistake.

Secondly, I really don’t care if you think I pretend or not. Why would I need to pretend? to please you?
I write what is on my mind and you are free to like it or not or read it or scroll down.

May 18th, 2009 at 2:32 am

Vared, what a jerk! Must be a Serb fan! Federer had Murray in his draw, to say that it was a “cupcake” draw is a lie. Oh, and Djokovic just dropped to #4…

May 18th, 2009 at 2:36 am

Roger said “So I’m sure he’s going to be rock solid in Paris again”.

Wise words from someone who knows abouth tennis more than all of us.

Only one question, who would face the final in Paris with Nadal? Roger or Nole???

May 18th, 2009 at 2:49 am

Funny… Djoker has lost more matches to Nadal than Fed has.. and he has arrived on the scene only 3 yrs ago. Nadal is 14-4 against Djok (9-0 on clay).. whereas hez 13-7 against Fed (9-2 on clay)… out of which 8 went to deciders, 5 four setters, 4 straight sets to Rafa and 3 straight sets to Fed.

Their rivalry isnt as lop-sided as it seems and both of them know it.

May 18th, 2009 at 3:14 am

Tejuz,
Fed was number one for 4 and half years. Don’t you expect him to have better results against Rafa than Djoko who was number 3 and is 6 years younger than Fed. So I did not understand your point.

May 18th, 2009 at 3:20 am

well..what i said was Djoker has already lost more matches against Nadal than Federer.. and most of them when he was No 3 in the world.. and all of them in last 3 years. Fed-Nadal rivalry has been going on for more than 5 years now. So.. certainly Fed-Nadal rivalry isnt as lopsided as Nadal-Djoker rivalry.

May 18th, 2009 at 3:23 am

Also was check the ytd prize-money … Nadal is the leader with 4 M, Fed is second with 1.9 M, surprisingly Murray is 3 with 1.7 M and Djok is 4th with 1.5 M.. I thought Djoker played more tournaments and won more matches than both Fed and Murray and has been in more semis and finals.

May 18th, 2009 at 3:25 am

Wow – I leave the blog for 3 days and it’s like free bat day at the ball park – Von were you ever right.

May 18th, 2009 at 3:39 am

skeezerweezer, first of all, i’m baffled by your assessment that nadal wasn’t tired after playing a four hour match that lasted into the night, against one of the toughest opponents on tour, with a very short turnaround time and you don’t think he was tired because he’s a 22 year old physically fit player. i also took into consideration that he played a difficult match against verdasco the day before and you don’t think he was tired. he is not a machine you know, regardless of what some people would like to call him. if those circumstances don’t justify fatigue, in your opinion, when is a player suppose be tired? just because rafa didn’t complain about being tired that doesn’t mean a thing, i didn’t expect him to admit it. this may come as a shock to you, but observe and you will see that rafa’s path to the most finals is more often than not more difficult than federer in terms of the caliber of players he has to play and most players play nadal way tougher than they play federer; i.e. del potro, verdasco, tsonga, ferrer, davydenko,etc. and it’s not because they can’t beat federer, it’s because they are more interested in beating nadal and they gain more recognition. secondly, in all due respect, if you have not heard the endless discussions about federer being arguably the “greatest of all time”, then you have been sleeping through a revolution. i don’t need to specify people when i’m generally referring to many different people. just to name one in particular, chris fowler brought up the conservation while talking with brad gilbert and mary jo fernandez the night of the australian open final. to make a long story short, people who have suggested that he is arguably the GOAT include commentators, sportwriters, fans, peers. you name it! don’t misunderstand, i’m not taking anything away from federer; he played great and won the madrid open, but again, in my opinion, he had help from a tired nadal!

May 18th, 2009 at 3:46 am

Tejuz,

Fed played the final of AO. Also the Madrid prize money is more than other master series plus he has been playing some other master series up to semi level.they all add up!

Rafa-Roger rivalry going on for 5 years already! I forget sometimes how young Rafa is. Thanks for explaining. I think I get the point now.
For most of those 5 years, Fed was number one. Not to mention that Rafa was 17 at the time of their first match and ranked around 50. When Djoko came, Rafa was 19-20 and already number 2 and GS champion. So a better result against Rafa for Federer is not too much of a surprise for me.

But, I don’t think Rafa-Fed H2H is lopsided when you break it down to surfaces. It is very poor on clay for Fed ( and almost every other player on tour) but not so much on hard and grass.

May 18th, 2009 at 3:54 am

mem,

It is a fact that Rafa played a 4-hour match with Djoko. Some want to think this amount of play will not make a player tired, and some think it will, depending who their fave is.
Fed won and Rafa lost the match and we will see the impact of this win/loss in RG in just one week. Both Rafa and fed need to reach the final fIrst before anyone can talk about the title or the GOAT or history or anything else.

May 18th, 2009 at 4:06 am

About the Fed-Rafa rivalry:

1. Fed had brought it up to 6-8 by the end of 2007 – pretty even, considering it was 1-6 on clay (that too – the Rome match was such a close one with match points to Fed). Its only from 2008 onwards that Rafa won 5 in a row (including the nailbiters at wimbledon and AO).

2. Its 2-9 on clay, so still, the lopsidedness between Fed and Rafa is primarily still a clay reason. Interestingly, they have now beaten each other on all surfaces (only Fed has beaten Rafa on all surfaces at least twice).

3. I still feel Rafa will not beat Fed at the Wimbledon……

4. People forget that Rafa is half a generation after Fed (in tennis, 10 years is a generation – they are 5 years apart). Rafa is 5 years younger, which is the MAIN advantage he has had in the last 18 months. Again, everyone knows that 26 is sort of the turning point age in tennis – no player (Sans Agassi) has been able to hit their peak after 26 in the last few decades, since the sport has become so physical ever since the wooden racket was phased out. So Rafa will ALWAYS have that advantage. Djoker or Murray do not have that disadvantage, so it is even more lopsided as far as djoker is concerned (4-14).

5. Fed and Rafa have played 11 times on clay, 6 on hard, and 3 on grass. If they had played equal number on all surfaces, it would be totally different. Especially given Fed’s results in 2006-07, when he was at his peak. Rafa just didn’t reach many hard court or grass finals – Fed reached almost every clay final…. Now, of course, for the next couple of years (until Rafa starts to dial down due to age), Rafa will have this advantage over Fed. Rafa fans can make whatever excuse they want about it – age is age, you cannot fight it.

That said, I think Fed and Rafa have another 10 matches between them before one of them retires (I am still not sure Fed will retire earlier – in 5 years, fed may still be playing, while Rafa may not have knees left). When all is said and done, Fed will still have a winning record on Rafa on all surfaces other than clay.

That said, I still think Fed has hardly any chance of beating Rafa at the French this year. That clay just suits Rafa’s game perfectly. but he has a very good shot again at the Wimbledon and US open. I don’t think Rafa will win any of those two this year. In a best of 5 grand slam, a fit federer on grass or hard is still nearly unbeatable.

May 18th, 2009 at 4:23 am

Just to put things in perspective,

Nadal is 21-6 against Murray and Djoke combined. This includes 11-0 on clay, and 10-6 on other surfaces. And he has no age advantage over either, plus both murray and djoke are taller than fed with a two handed backhand (Fed’s only weakness).

In comparison, Nadal is 13-7 on Fed, with 9-2 on clay, and 4-5 on other surfaces.

So Murray and djoke still have a much longer way to go than Fed in breaking the Rafa code. Especially Djoke, since he has now played Rafa 18 times! Even Murray has now played Rafa 9 times!

I would have loved to see another lefty come up and neutralize Rafa’s lucky advantage – yes, being a lefty is lucky – as a lefty, you play righties all the times, so you are used to it. But a righty plays a lefty much less often. If 50% of the players were lefty, then being a lefty would no longer be an advantage. Look at what a much less talented player like Verdsaco could do to Nadal, being a lefty!

For example, I would have loved to see Rafa play Muster on clay. Or even Guga or Lendl at their peak. Guga or Lendl would have definitely matched Rafa better on clay than Fed. BTW, their one handed backhand worked very well on clay (Guga and Lendl). They were a bit taller, and were really good dirt ballers, naturally. Fed is almost there, but he just has been unlucky to face one of the greatest clay courters in history (and 5 years younger) in the French final 3 years in a row! If Fed had played gaudio, or Coria, or Moya, or someone like that, he would have definitely had at least one FO by now.

Rafa does work very hard, is incredibly mentally strong, and is of course extremely talented. But he has had more luck as well! He deserves to be No 1, but he is not GOAT material, at least yet.

May 18th, 2009 at 4:36 am

Fedfan,

you made very good points. I just want to comment on one.

It is true that 5 years is a big difference. Rafa is now 22 to Rog’s 27. But remember in 2004, Rafa was a young 17 year old and Fed was 22 and number one and had started his kingdon. At that time I believe age was on Roger’s side. But now, or maybe after Rog’s 25-26, it is perhaps on Rafa’s side, assuming Fed’s body is aging and making him slower. Of course Fed’s style of play is such that preserves his body more than Rafa’s style does.

About GSs, I don’t want to speculate.Just want to watch and see what happens. I just hope that Rafa stays healthy and injury-free .

May 18th, 2009 at 4:43 am

i have watched each of the last 10 or so matches between rafa and federer, and i am convinced that federer used new tactics yesterday. he was always looking to hit aggressive down-the-line forehands and backhands to nadal’s backhand early on in points. this is a tough shot to hit because it’s over the high part of the net. however, ironically, it’s easier to execute on clay when nadal’s groundstrokes are jumping up over shoulder height since federer can apply more top spin and hit it less flat. it’s ironic because it is this bounce which has troubled federer the most on a clay court in the past.

yesterday, it worked really well and nadal made lots of unforced errors off the backhand. whether this was due to the surface, his knee injury or his tiredness or whatever, it was the right tactic for the day for fed. as a result, there were evidently less cross court rallies yesterday where nadal can just use his forehand beat the crap out of federer’s backhand.

now what would nadal’s response be? i really hope he is more alert to this change in federer’s play, rather than be complacent and think “she’ll be right” on the paris clay. with federer’s new tactics (plus a much improved serve yesterday which compared to his 2004-2007 standard), i am beginning to believe that he has a good shot at this year’s FO. i am sure UT would have seen this. federer showed his hand yesterday and it looked good.

May 18th, 2009 at 4:53 am

Ryan,

Welcome back. It’s been a good tournament for Fed, Roddick, Nadal, Djork, and even Murray (playing as world no.3 for the first time and reached QF on his worst surface).

Sean,

When it comes to Federer and Nadal, one may not read too much into their results in non-slam events. For Federer, all is orchestraed towards the no.14 & 15 slam, as well as the longevity of his Nike and Wilson and who knows what long term contracts, all with ridiculous amount of cash. For Nadal, all is for his calendar year slam, at the moment. That’s why Nadal was a happy camper at the Madrid ceremoney, and Federer was not heart broken at all in Mont Carlo and Rome.

At their pinacles, fitness matters most. With AO came up in two months, Federer made the mistake of pushing himself too hard in Shanghai YEC, while Nadal smartly recessed. With FO and WO coming up soon, Nadal is saving and protecting himself, smartly again. Kudos.

In short, while this win illustrated Federer is not dead yet, as you said, it does not tell much else. The “new” tactics were glorified by Nadal’s weak attempt.

May 18th, 2009 at 5:03 am

zola, tennismasta, kimmi, smasham:

Tennistv wrote to me that there was an issue with some “edge server” which they were able to rectify after the match finished.

Lets hope this does not happen again.

They have extended my annual contract by a month — which I dont really care — the only thing I care is the video quality for the rest of my contract.

May 18th, 2009 at 5:08 am

Wow! Fed is Afraid ACTUALLY STILL has something to say against Fed. I thought he / she’d be cowering in a corner somewhere with their tail between their legs * rolleyes *

I’m glad in a way Fed won; I’m a Rafa fan first, and I was really upset at the anticlimax the match turned out to be (ESP since I ended up missing Graf & Agassi play together in the Wimby celebration). BUT. I’m also a Fed fan. And this should hopefully cause the many, many, writers of Fed’s obit to stop declaring his demise. Or, at the very least, cause them to pause with their pens in the air.

And ZOLA: It WAS the atp site at fault, huh? I thought it was my net connection. The @#$%s charge a packet and then can’t even make sure there are no glitches! GAH!

May 18th, 2009 at 5:17 am

Congrat to Fed and his fan.

Can’t wait for RG.

May 18th, 2009 at 5:25 am

Hope Nadal will work on his BH. I think that is the shot that let him down yesterday.

May 18th, 2009 at 5:30 am

Btw, always enjoy Nadal – Federer Final. Their matches always had amazing shotmakings and hope yesterday won’t be the last match between them.
Bring more Nadal-Federer Final.. yes!

May 18th, 2009 at 5:34 am

GO ROGER GO !!!!!!!!!
You are the BEST
I adore You!!!
Thanks for making me so Happy

You are my life

May 18th, 2009 at 7:02 am

Nothing changed yesterday. The exact same holds true. For Federer, or anyone else, to beat Nadal on clay, Nadal must be off his game (or tired, sick, whatever) – his opponent must be on. Yesterday Nadal was off. Federer was spot-on. Nothing changes for Roland Garros – especially with an extra day of rest, and the Paris clay playing less like a hard court.

May 18th, 2009 at 9:10 am

gaurang: “Tennistv wrote to me that there was an issue with some “edge server” which they were able to rectify after the match finished”

So they eventually admitted it was their problem, good to know. The replays later in the day were perfectly.

I hope they extend my contract too, have not heard from them and thanks for letting us know.

May 18th, 2009 at 9:28 am

They really need to release a DVD/BluRay collection of every Federer/Nadal match.. I would buy that in a second.

May 18th, 2009 at 9:52 am

Gaurang, Kimmi, TennisMasta,

I had an e-mail from tennistv as well:
some parts are here:
——–
We can confirm that this has been traced to an edge server that was streaming to content to you. Unfortunately we had no streaming issues and were unable to replicate the issues that you were seeing.

Unfortunately our technical team were unable to rectify the issue until after the tennis had ended, therefore as a gesture of goodwill we have extended your subscription to allow you access to the German Open from Hamburg.

Your subscription extension will be determined by the pass that you had to the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open as follows:

24 hours & Tournament pass – Access until the 27th July 2009

Annual Subscription – One month extension

——————

I think perhaps many people wrote to them and finally they had to respond and take some action. Previously it was all customers’ fault!

Kimmi,
I think they extended all the subscriptions, but you can ask them if you don’t hear from them.

May 18th, 2009 at 10:07 am

NachoF
You can buy Rafa-Fed and many other tennis matches from tennis nexus. I have bought several from him and love them.
this is the URL:

http://www.geocities.com/masteroftennis779/

the BBC version of Wimbledon 08 is great.

May 18th, 2009 at 10:09 am

I’m a huge Nadal fan but using his so-called fatigue to explain his loss yesterday simply doesn’t cut it. One has only to look at Australia to realise that physical exertion does not really take its toll on Nadal (unless he’s injured, but that’s different).

The strongest part of Federer’s game is his technical brilliance; the strongest part of Nadal’s game is his mind – his resoluteness, and more importantly, his positive approach.

The latter was missing yesterday. Unusually for rafa, he has been bad-mouthing this tournament (in his own country for god’s sake) for months – From the intended colour of the clay, to the altitude, to the speed of the court (naturally as the air is thinner), to the high bounce, to its place in the tennis calendar, he has NOT STOPPED shooting his mouth off! He even insinuated that he was playing in it cuz it was expected of him and not because he wanted to!

It’s not surprising therefore that against the very top players he was pushed to the limit. Djokovic did not wear him down; Rafael Nadal wore himself down – IN HIS MIND!

Pity for him. Hope he learns from it is all I can say.

And perhaps he already has. When asked after the final if he had been tired going into the match he replied – “I was obviously more tired than Roger because I had played 4 hours and Roger 80 minutes, but that only shows that Roger played a better semi-final than I did!”

You can’t argue with that remark, and it certainly shows a lot of class!

May 18th, 2009 at 10:11 am

Note how wvwry news report is going on about how in defeat Rafa failed to sweep the clay court Masters season – something no one has ever done.

True enough, but can no one give props to the doubles team of Canadian Nestor and Serbian Nenad Zimonjic who actually achieved that feat this year, winning Monte Carlo, Rome, Barcelona and Madrid. A pretty amazing feat!

Also amazing is how the rankings work – Nestor and Zimonjic now occupy the #1 and #2 ranking as doubles tennis players, ahead of the Bryan brothers of the US, who are #3 and #4. BUT… for some weird reason the Bryan Brothers as a team are ranked higher than Nestor/Zimonjic. It has been well over a year since Nestor changed partners, so all his ranking points with former partner Mark Knowles no longer are a factor.

So can someone explain how that all works?

May 18th, 2009 at 10:18 am

Two cents,
Yes, fitness is a great issue at the top. I too, think rafa may not have won AO if he had not taken those two months off.
But for FO, I am not sure if he is preserving his body. He should have chosen between Barcelona and Madrid. Now one week to RG, who knows how his knees are going to hold up for RG, Queens and Wimbledon….Oh man!
————

Lenny,
Yes, it was their fault! I wrote to them many times. Of course you have to wait 24 hours for the response and you miss the match naturally. but the responses were so ridiculus, from links to upgrade media player, update cookies, do this and that…I am glad I did not mess up my computer because of them. Finally, I think since all of us ( plus many other people) wrote to them, they had to check it out!

At least they offer some additional sunbscription.
———–

ferix
very interesting observation and analysis of fed’s tactics. But I will be curious to see if he will employ the same tactics in RG. He did that to Roddick in Kooyong and in AO. I hope Rafa’s camps is taking notes.

———
Cro,
for me you summarized yesterday’s match perfectly. Rafa did not play his A game and fed did and the better player on the day won. RG can be a very different scenario.

May 18th, 2009 at 10:23 am

Fred –

Good observation on yesterday’s singles match.

The other interesting thing was how compartmentalized Federer was. After each mistake he never dropped his head, and there was no even minor celebration when he won the first set, as we have seen in the past with matches with Nadal.

The biggest thing Federer brought to the match was the obvious improvement he has on his running around his backhand and firing the ball down the line to Nadal’s backhand.

In the past when Fed ran around to his backhand he would return a forehand crosscourt shot back to Nadal’s forehand, which usually keeps Rafa as the agressor, but this added wrinkle to Fed’s game yesterday has made it obvious that someone has been working on more than just becoming a married man in the past months.

What is that cliche about teaching an old dof new tricks?

Suddenly everyone is keen to see the draw at Roland Garros – me included. This is only good for tennis!

May 18th, 2009 at 10:26 am

Make that an old dog! :lol

May 18th, 2009 at 10:28 am

Nadal stated that he was not pleased that this ATP event was now in Madrid instead of Hamburg. He said this BEFORE the tournament even began and I would imagine that Rafa would have ben pressured to play in his home country even if he did not want to play. Nadal felt that as the final clay court event prior to The French OPen, the conditions were in no way similar and therefore could not only not be used as a warm up but would also not benefit getting into the rythm of a classic type clay court atmosphere, both weather/atmospheric conditions and court conditions. Unlike that baby brat Federer, Rafa does not back peddle. The entire 2008 season, every time whiny Federer lost he had another “secret” illness or injury! What an egotistical, self-absorbed, smug cry-baby! Let’s see him win at Roland Garros;hey maybe he’ll play as well as he did in last year’s embarrassing final. Oh, was he sick/injured/crying for that final too? Who can or wants to be bothered to kep track. Wah-Wah!!!!

May 18th, 2009 at 11:26 am

Lisa,
first of all, how old are you?
… second of all, did you expect Federer to hide his illness??… he never gave it as an excuse and he has always said that Nadal deserves to be no.1…. in any case, its not like Nadal didnt mention that he was tired after the SF… they always mention the reason why they think they couldnt win… everyone does it, its ok.

May 18th, 2009 at 11:42 am

Gordo, you make some good points about Nestor and Zimonjic; they’ve had quite the run but doubles is so under-reported. Nestor also won the Golden Slam but one heard nary a peep about it. Pretty amazing.

May 18th, 2009 at 12:19 pm

Hmm, Lisa, actually Roger didn’t say he was sick, injured nor did he cry after the FO final loss last year. Doesn’t this discredit your entire argument?

May 18th, 2009 at 12:21 pm

[…] Recent News… Perfect Federer Takes Down Nadal in Madrid Final […]

May 18th, 2009 at 12:41 pm

zola, thanks for stating the obvious, but i assure you that what we say and think will not determine whether nadal, federer, or any other player win the french, wimbledon, or any other tournament. the rules on this site should read, “participate in discussion, but don’t rock the boat, keep your honest opinions to yourself, say only what you think others would like to hear, don’t hurt anyone’s feelings, agree with the majority, promote harmony, and we will remain one big, happy, family.”

May 18th, 2009 at 1:02 pm

Wow. Good, simple article, but look at the response! Fans enumerating Federer’s accomplishments in regard to Nadal (on the basis of one win total for Federer this season), pointing out that Nadal is younger (and this is the reason he beats Federer…hmmmmm), trying not to figure in any fatigue factor on Nadal’s part (mental or physical, even though he has won 5 titles this year – it’s not just about the one preceding match), etc., etc. Fans upset at Nadal’s loss picking on Federer’s crying, questioning his “illness”, etc.

As I was watching Federer win the Madrid event, I was anticipating these kinds of responses by fans and in the media. Roger Federer is so popular that just one win is reason to pull out all the stops. I think Federer is an amazing tennis player. But I am not impressed with his seeming inability to be at all humble, as much as he is often referred to as a “gentleman.” I know this is not a huge issue, but to me it speaks huge: I have countless times heard commentators praise Federer for his multilingual abilities, yet the man could not learn one word of Spanish for Madrid? What is that about? Rafa, who is sometimes criticized for his halting english, has learned at least a phrase of every native language where a tournament is held, as have other players.

And then there are Nadal fans getting defensive and picking on Federer’s crying, his arrogance, etc., etc.

May 18th, 2009 at 1:17 pm

Kimmi and Robert, only people without arguments resort to name-calling.

May 18th, 2009 at 1:19 pm

mem,
the boat is rocking all the time. So don’t be deterred to say what you want. You see everybody else does.

What I was trying to say was that there are facts and then there are interpretations. The facts are there. Rafa played four hours the day before and a hard one just the day before that. If ppl want to think he is a mchine and can play 4-hour matches everyday,it is their opinion and interpretation.

And it is a fact that RG is a completely different surface. If ppl want to extend Madrid to RG, it is again their interpretation. we will see the fact in two weeks.

May 18th, 2009 at 1:22 pm

Sasha
ypu made a good point that Rafa already had three titles coming to Madrid, playing three full weeks in MC, barcelona and Rome, whereas fed was out early in all of them and was more fresh coming to Madrid.
I was surprised by how Djoko held up after playing Rome final, Serbia open and then straight to madrid. His fitness has improved a lot.

May 18th, 2009 at 1:34 pm

HaHa…. good to see that the “fed is afraid” moron is getting his behind whooped :) He had it coming. Now watch out for him to jump behind another player as Rafa’s results spiral down.

To those who are dishing it out to Sean, let me tell you that Sean speaks his mind. Rafa fans accuse him of being a Fed Fan and Fed fans accuse him of being a Rafa fan – that is a good sign, as one who has experienced similar comments from my friends, I can tell. It just means you can see the good in both guys, much more than blind fanatics. For what it is worth, Sean’s blog is a joy to read – he speaks his mind out, takes in the chin when he is wrong, doesnt rub it in for other ppl when he gets it right and most importantly is patient enough to let even morons like “fed is afraid/bullies r us” to make their inane comments so that they can be shred to pieces by other posters when they have spewed forth too much foolishness!

Anyways, here is a blog which actually predicted Roger in two

http://www.cricib.blogspot.com

May 18th, 2009 at 1:35 pm

mem: “most players play nadal way tougher than they play federer; i.e. del potro, verdasco, tsonga, ferrer, davydenko,etc. and it’s not because they can’t beat federer, it’s because they are more interested in beating nadal and they gain more recognition”

This has to be the “quote of the month” :) Excuse me, but how on earth can Fed influence what Nadal’s doing? It’s not Fed’s fault that Nadal had troubles with these guys, or is it? Secondly, why do you think Fed has such a lopsided record against these players? One would think it’s because he’s just too good for them, isn’t he? And lastly, whether they are more satisfied with beating Nadal rather than Federer is as relevant as Nadal or Federer being satisfied with beating the 500th ranked player on the world… I bet that if you’d ever asked any of these aforementioned guys (who, btw, have a grand total of 0 wins against Fed compared to 6 wins against Nadal) whether they’d be happy with just a single win against Fed, they’d answer a resounding YES!

May 18th, 2009 at 1:38 pm

The demotion prompted Djokovic to note how “cruel” the ranking system is, but Murray isn’t buying it. “I don’t think it was a problem for the last few years, I think that it has only become a problem for Novak in the last few weeks,” Murray dryly noted.

>>>> Gotta like Murray – shoots fair and square, much like Roger. Novak should just suck it up and earn his ranking. The rankings are as fair as things can get. Rafa never whinede in the 102 weeks he was no.2 He earned his ranking like a man. Novak should maybe try the WTA, where the rankings might be to his liking. I am sure he would have been no.1 already in the WTA, given that Safina and Jankovic managed it without winning a GS. The ATP is for real men. Not for non-females!

May 18th, 2009 at 1:40 pm

Federer has not beaten Nadal on any surface in a year and a half. I don’t care who you are, but if you lost to one person 5 straight times, will give you the biggest doubts every time you have to play him again.

Any federer victory over Nadal on any surface (be different to RG or not) is going to be of benefit to him. No one is really saying he’s going to beat Nadal at RG but his confidence will have improved as a result of this victory and it will give him a better shot for RG and the rest of the year.

May 18th, 2009 at 1:41 pm

Skorocel, either you are blind or outside the realm of reality if you think guys like verdasco, ferrer, gonzalez,etc. couldn’t beat federer if they were to put in the effort against roger that they put in playing nadal. apparently, rafa is the most feared tennis player in tennis history. i have never known anyone, anywhere, to discuss how to bring down or beat any other tennis player as much as they do rafa. these players see nadal as the ultimate test, they measure the depth of their games by him and whether you admit or not, that is a fact not an opinion!

May 18th, 2009 at 2:08 pm

Roger-Rafa: Mowgli? LOL!

May 18th, 2009 at 2:10 pm

Fedfan: “If they had played equal number on all surfaces, it would be totally different. Especially given Fed’s results in 2006-07, when he was at his peak. Rafa just didn’t reach many hard court or grass finals – Fed reached almost every clay final…”

I don’t think so. Their H2H would be more or less the same as it is now, except that they’d have more matches by now…

May 18th, 2009 at 2:17 pm

Fedfan: “When all is said and done, Fed will still have a winning record on Rafa on all surfaces other than clay.”

I’d be glad if that was the truth, but the big problem for Fed is – 2 of those 4 defeats which he suffered against Nadal outside clay occured in SLAM finals (with Nadal needing 4 shots, so to speak), whereas Fed wasn’t able to beat Nadal at FO on 4 occassions (out of 4). Had Nadal beat him, say, in Indian Wells or Doha, then that would be okay, but a slam is a slam. In other words, out of all their matches thus far, it’s actually the Wimby 2008 & AO 2009 losses which is what really hurt Federer, and it will really take something spectacular (presumably a win over Nadal at FO) for Fed to erase these black memories…

May 18th, 2009 at 2:35 pm

Fedfan: “Rafa does work very hard, is incredibly mentally strong, and is of course extremely talented. But he has had more luck as well!”

As much as I hate Nadal’s game, I don’t think you can attribute 6 slams (on all 3 surfaces), 15 MS shields, and 15 other tournaments to just “luck”. Being a lefty (and thus having an advantage over the others) isn’t lucky as well. If he was a natural lefty, then maybe, but he actually isn’t.

May 18th, 2009 at 2:49 pm

Wow! Skorocel!
yep, luck has very little to do with what Rafa has achieved. he is a hardworker and even his peers acknowledge that.

May 18th, 2009 at 3:07 pm

how am i getting my behind whipped? roger will be getting his whipped in three weeks. will he cry again?

May 18th, 2009 at 3:10 pm

“i have never known anyone, anywhere, to discuss how to bring down or beat any other tennis player as much as they do rafa. these players see nadal as the ultimate test, they measure the depth of their games by him and whether you admit or not, that is a fact not an opinion!”

As a neutral tennis fan of the two players, viz, Federer and Nadal, I DISAGREE emphatically. During Federer’s dominant years, and they were exceptionally dominant years, all of the players used to want to beat him, and I’m sure many lost several hours of sleep trying to figure out a strategy to do so, especially the night before their matches. There are pages and pages of players’ comments praising Federer’s game and it’s puzzlement, and much deservedly so. Anyway, that was over 2 years ago, but even now some are still trying to figure out the Federer riddle, because some have still not come up with the recipe on how to perfectly execute a plan and hang in there to finish it, and some sadly are psychologically scarred. We’ve seen Fed implode, which allowed his opponents to win by handing them the win on a platter, but when he’s on, it’s still a very tough battle for them, which is a very real combination of mind-set and Federer’s game.

Another point I’d like to address is the many comments from some posters, which has been said before ad nauseam, but now even more so, and that is, it’s now a psychological problem for Federer, where Nadal is in his head/psyche, etc., and it’s one of the reasons it’s so difficult for Federer to beat Nadal. As a Roddick fan, I’ve had to read and endure the cruel comments, and they were downright cruel and disrespectful, from some Fed fans and a few on-Fed fans, every time Fed beat Roddick. I used to counter with a reasonable explanation of the deleterious psychological effects that sort of situation would have on another player, that it gets into their psyche and becomes a huge barrier, which clouds their thinking, even before they get onto the court, but all i got was more cruel comments, so I stopped, and let them ramble on. However, now that Fed has been beaten so many times by Nadal, I’m seeing some of those same fans, stating that the Fed-Nadal situation has to psychologically affect Federer. You know what guys, I hope you’ve all learnt something from this situation, and would not be so quick in the future should Roddick lose to Fed, to write such cruel comments, because comeuppance is a bi**h! This win by Fed was a good one for his confidence, and I’m happy for him and his fans, but please don’t get carried away and start thinking that Federer has now conquered Nadal entirely, because once a situation becomes ingrained into a person’s mind, one case of redemption is not the key to the puzzle. Ergo, carry on, but please do so smartly, and remember just how you hurt for your player, other fans hurt for theirs!

May 18th, 2009 at 3:12 pm

Zola – I too am very, very impressed with Djokovic – didn’t used to be a great admirer but am now! The matches between he and Rafa were spectacular. I think the final at Madrid was a bit of a let down for me just because it was so void of excitement! Oh, and I didn’t intend the last sentence of my post – not that it’s a big deal but when I read it over it made no sense.

May 18th, 2009 at 3:18 pm

Von: Yes, I was able to watch that streaming, but to tell you the truth, it wasn’t actually a HD picture :) I often had to switch between this or that particular stream (since it often stopped viewing), thus hearing English, Turkish, Romanian and even the Spanish commentary (a la linia! a la linia! :)), but other than that, it was fine :)

Btw, what do you think of those trophies? In my opinion, that’s about as ugly as I’ve ever seen! I mean, the winner receives a waiter (which would normally belong to the runner-up) whereas the runner-up can just call his dogs for some meal courtesy of a brand new bowl which he just received… What a disgrace! One’d think that they’ll treat such players (especially Nadal) better in Spain…

May 18th, 2009 at 3:20 pm

Well said Von – I am beginning to think that Nadal might have found a comfy place in Djoko’s head after all these wins against him this clay season, especially the last one, which would be a heart breaker for Novak. This is reminiscient of how Federer has conquered Roddick on so many occasions, some very close. However, I hope Djoko can keep working and overcome the challenge. Maybe he won’t beat Nadal on clay, not this year especially, but he’s still 4-5 on other surfaces, so maybe he can improve their H2H that way. Hard to say as Rafa seems to be getting better on all surfaces…. Anyhow, I guess I’ll see going forward, but I especially liked your final point: “remember just how you hurt for your player, other fans hurt for theirs!”

May 18th, 2009 at 3:20 pm

vared, if you want to fight, I think we should do it face to face.(:

May 18th, 2009 at 3:50 pm

Von,
I am glad you became neutral regarding Rafa. Last I remeber you called him “Tarzan” among many other names.

Glad to see his hardwork and magnificent play has made you change your mind.

May 18th, 2009 at 3:57 pm

Sasha,
Yes, strangely Djoko’s matches against Rafa on clay are becoming real classics. I wasn’t a Djoko admirer either, but seriously on Saturday i really didn’t care who would be the winner. they both played so well. It reminded me of the Wimbledon 08 final, when I realized I am watching great tennis.

they should make a rule that in a final if the tie break exceeds 7-7, it should be a tie and no losers! :)

May 18th, 2009 at 4:00 pm

Federer looked fitter and more focused than I’ve seen him for the past year. If he remains in this mindset, he will surpass Sampras’s record.

May 18th, 2009 at 4:10 pm

Skorocel:

At least you got to watch it, so it’s better than nothing, but I gave a better alternative, where you could have hopped a plane and watched on my nice widescreen TV, not to mention the lovely diner and my oh so pleasant company. LOL.

With respect to the waiter/serving platters, I don’t know if you’ve read my past comments wherein I mentioned the second place waiter trophies. Back then I thought they were absolutely a joke to give to a runner-up, much more a winner. It’s so ridiculous. I think and appropos trophy is one that’s about 2/3 the size of the winner’s trophy, somewhat like they do for DC, and I’m sure the runner-up finalist would appreciate that more. it’s so comical to see a 6 foot plus guy with those stupid plates. I suppose the tournament organizers are telling the finalist that they need to start serving cocktails for a job. LOL
__________________
jane: Thanks, I appreciate it. I don’t know about the psychological thing happening to Djoko because he’s still trying out new things, but it most decidedly hurt Andy, where for me it’s now a foregone conclusion he’ll lose to Fed. he needs to see a Sports Psychologist, and Djoko too, if he wants to get over the mental problems. Look at Andy’s last match v. Federer, Andy broke Fed and couldn’t hold it and then failed to serve out the set, giving it to Fed. He did the same at Miami, not to mention the TMC when he had match points. I mean is that psychological or what?

Djoko’s H2H v. Nadal is getting pretty close to Andy’s v. Fed and could surpass the negative because he’s the same age as Nadal and sad to say, I don’t think Djoko is mentally very strong. I saw him on Tennis Channel where he says he’s a very emotional guy on and off the court, and loves to show his emotions on court. So we’ll see, because nothing enables the opponent more than when he sees the guy on the opposite side becoming unglued.

May 18th, 2009 at 4:11 pm

Von, it’s interesting that you talk about the psychology of losing again and again to a player. I think Federer has been unwilling or unable to alter his game sufficiently when playing Nadal to account for Nadal’s strenghts and his strategy against him in particular.

To me, the biggest difference in the way Fed played Nadal yesterday was in his tactical approach. Every time they’ve played, Nadal’s MO has been very plain – bludgeon Fed’s backhand and open up the deuce court. That’s been harder to do on faster surfaces, but on clay he’s been consistently successful with this.

What came as a surprise to me, and what I have felt is indeed a psychological issue with Federer vis a vis Nadal, is his inability or unwillingness to alter his tactics and adjust. Wilander and Courier said as much in the Sports Illustrated article about the rivalry last week.

Yesterday, he belted Nadal’s backhand, which he had been having trouble with all week. On another thread I mentioned the first break point Nadal had when he was serving 5-4 in the second. They must have hit 6 backhands down the line in a row, avoiding each others’ forehands. That’s significant for Federer because up until now it seems he has been unwilling to hit his backhand up the line, but rather going cross court right back to Nadal’s forehand over and over again and more importantly, leaving the running forehand as his only option when Nadal finally goes to the deuce court (off either wing). Fed’s running forehand is not nearly as effective as Nadal’s, for example.

He also hit a number of very good half-volleys. There is an article (USA Today, I think, but I can’t find it) from 2007 when Jack Kramer discusses Federer’s game and he mentions the quality of his half-volley. Particularly against Nadal this is important because the option of hitting a half volley allows him to play the pass, rather than anticipate it, which has seen him passed by Nadal over and over again particularly on clay.

Finally, the kick serve wide in the ad court – that serve in Madrid, probably helped by the high altitude, is very hard for Nadal to bring down low if Fed rushes the net, or hit deep if Fed stays back, and by attacking his strength and forcing Nadal to hit running passes on the backhand side, he has neutralized his strength and isolated a weakness…it is this very basic but critical tennis strategy which Federer has failed to deliver against Nadal.

Robbie Koenig said in Miami he felt Federer didn’t want to win ugly when he was hitting error after error against Djokovic in the semi-final. I think what he meant was, Federer doesn’t appear to have made an effort to take into account Nadal’s strengths, but yesterday he did. He certainly does it against Roddick – he knows Roddick tends to lumber towards net, particularly off the short angled slice to his backhand where he has to slice to come to net and is vulnerable to passes and lobs. That has been Federer’s MO agasint Roddick, but no such strategy with Nadal until yesterday.

If this win presents any hope to Fed fans, it is the committment he made to accounting for Nadal’s strength, rather than simply trying to play his game and overwhelming Nadal. From time to time that has worked in the past, but in the last year and a few months Nadal’s game has improved significantly forcing Federer to adjust, which he hasn’t appeared to be willing to do.

Long story long, that strikes me as pretty psychological.

I don’t think this will translate into a win at the French Open for Federer, but it does bode well for him on grass and hard courts. I still expect Nadal to win his 5th FO in a row, but at least Federer has some basis to make a game of it if he can make it to the final and play Nadal again.

May 18th, 2009 at 4:19 pm

I think Federer can win the French Open and any other tournament that he enters. He remains the best to me. Yep, I’m very bias.

May 18th, 2009 at 4:26 pm

Zola:

“Von,
I am glad you became neutral regarding Rafa. Last I remeber you called him “Tarzan” among many other names.”

I’ll answer you this once, and never again. Question: How many times you’ve brought up that remark and asked me the same question? The last time I remember you did so was due to my positive comments again, towards Nadal, and you were enabled by latent Talent aka, aka, aka, et al., who’s not much better than you are. Between the two of you, I was harassed to the point of ad nauseam? Question: do you ever stop and what it is you really want? I’ll answer for you because I don’t think you know yourself. You like to fight with everyone, and these threads provide the conduit for you to release your pent up frustrations. Every time Nadal loses, everybody needs to watch out. Well, you should be upset since you wrote on another site that “he’ll win it all”. Do you realize how stupid you sound? You complain when I point out the obvious with his time violations, and injury time-outs, and you complain when I write positively or take a neutral stand. Sadly, I have to say you are one cantankerous woman, and one who needs a psychiatrist in the worst way, because there is a mental problem, somewhere.

BTW, for your information, I don’t write my comments with you in mind, and for your reading pleasure. I write what I see. I’m unlike you who is always trying to earn kudos by playing sides and pretending with some of the other posters. I know Daniel is hip to what you’re doing, but I think some of the others are too fooled by you to even see past the facade. And yes, at that time I mentioned Nadal looked like Tarzan, and he did. If you don’t like my comments, as I’ve mentioned before, don’t read them. I’ve also told you before, and I’ll say it again, when you stop slamming Roddick and the Americans for no reason at all, then I’ll stop pointing out any of Nadal’s gamesmanship tendencies, until then … live with it, like I have to live with yours. At least I stay on topic when the discussion is raised on the time violations, et al., but you find anything you can that will take you on the path to slam Roddick and the American players, or pick at my comments. Please try Comprehension 101, you desperately need it, take a chill pill, and see a psychiatrist. The madness begun a few nights ago, and it’s now in full swing. OY VEY

May 18th, 2009 at 4:35 pm

Von, here is my observation: the Federer-biased media spends far more time talking about how Rafa can be beaten than they ever did during Federer’s four year domination. They were perfectly content to let Federer run away with everything in sight, but they can’t stand to see Nadal so dominant, especially since he dethroned the media’s darling swiss king. It’s nauseating.

May 18th, 2009 at 5:43 pm

TD(Tam):

How are you? this is early for you.

Maybe so, with the media, because they vacillate big time, but I know the players did agonize on how to beat Federer. I remember Blake stating openly that “we have to find a way to beat this guy”. And, that was after Federer humiliated Blake at Shanghai. I felt so badly for Blake that I wanted to hug him. The only thing I hear the players, especially Roddick saying, is that Nadal has a chip on how to get himself out of trouble when he’s losing, so they can’t be lulled in to a false sense of security even having two breaks up on Nadal.

I know that nowadays on TV, I hear the commentators talking about what strategy Federer needs to use on how to beat Nadal on clay, and maybe he’s listened to them, hence the change-up. However, I’m yet to hear the players talk about beating Nadal on hard-courts, since they consider him to be the guy to beat on clay, and that could be due to the fact that up until Wimby, Nadal had not won any GS except for the FO. At that time, the rationale by the press and some of the players was that Wimby played like the dirt considering they changed the grass which turned into a dirt field. Then when Nadal won the AO, which is hardcourt, the media still talked that it was not a fast hardcourt, and believed his win was a one-off. However, since the AO, Nadal won at Miami and they talked about Miami being a slow court. I suppose the only way he’ll convince the media that he’s a threat on all surfaces is by winning the USO, and then we’ll hear everybody an d his brother talking and speculating what needs to be done to beat Nadal, period.

Hence, in view of the foregoing, I’ve only heard the media/commentators talking what Federer needs to do to beat Nadal on clay, as they consider him Nadal’s principal rival on clay, and too since he’s the media’s darling. Also, since most of the players are not clay-courters and the clay season is somewhat shorter than hard-courts, there isn’t much talk from the players as to how to beat Nadal. I suppose the players feel clay’ Nadal’s forte so there’s not much they can do, but accept it and wait for the hard-court season to begin. I suppose the players think, as per Federer: “thank God the hard-court season is over”.

May 18th, 2009 at 6:17 pm

You know what guys, I hope you’ve all learnt something from this situation, and would not be so quick in the future should Roddick lose to Fed, to write such cruel comments, because comeuppance is a bi**h!

Yes Von, on another thread someplace people are calling Roddick various degrees of bird.
Pigeon,turkey, duck and ostrich when he loses to Fed 20 times. It must be increments of 5. On the bird scale, which one is Fed to Nadal?

May 18th, 2009 at 6:44 pm

MMT:

“Every time they’ve played, Nadal’s MO has been very plain – bludgeon Fed’s backhand and open up the deuce court.”

Well overall this has been Nadal’s MO to target 90% of the players’ including Federer’s backhand and break it down. It has worked very well thus far, because most of the players are weak off the backhand wing.

“What came as a surprise to me, and what I have felt is indeed a psychological issue with Federer vis a vis Nadal, is his inability or unwillingness to alter his tactics and adjust.”

Well, as you mentioned Koenig’s remarks, which I only heard yesterday, but not at Miami, is Federer’s narcissism of being in love with his style of tennis, and his stubbornness centers around his narcissism. Koenig also mentioned, using Gilbert’s strategy, “winning ugly”, which I believe Federer feels is infra dignitatem, since he feels he’s so much better than the rest of the fleet. But, even though he feels that way, he’s got to ask himself, what’s more important to him, and judging by the amount of drop shots he’s used, a shot he was very resistant to when he was with Tony Roche, I’d say he’s finally realizing that balletic strokes is not what it will take to win v. Nadal. The choice is clear, either he wins dirty or don’t win at all. Sometimes it’s necessary to leave our pride behind and do what it takes to achieve our goals. The realization shuld com e to him as who cares? I think people care about winning and not beauty, except in a beauty contest. I mentioned previously, (facetiously) saying that Fed must be related to Susan Lenglen, since she was known as the Queen of balletic tennis, ha ha.

“Finally, the kick serve wide in the ad court – that serve in Madrid, probably helped by the high altitude, is very hard for Nadal to bring down low if Fed rushes the net,…”

If you noticed Federer’s serve, especially the kick serve, has been very effective in Madrid as a whole, not so much going down the tee. He used that serve against Roddick and was able to place it perfectly. And you’re correct that when he serves that way, he neutralizes one of Nadal’s many strengths. I know Nadal hates to be pulled wide off his forehand wing, because it takes him out of his comfort zone.

In sum, I think Nadal’s constant drubbing of Fed has now reached psychological proportions, and that coupled with Federer’s stubbornness is what is causing him to have these losses, because Federer is enabling Nadal to beat him. As I’ve mentioned previousl, I hope this new mind-set and shots work for Federer in the future. I don’t know if it will work for him at the FO considering Madrid and the FO play very differently, but it might help Federer going forward, until Nadal finds another area of Federer’s game to exploit. I’m sure Nadal and his team are already working on this newly found aspect of Fed’s game. However, Zola mentioned on the other thread that Fed plays mind games, and she referenced Roddick at Koo Yong as an example, hence, Nadal will have to have a plan A and B just in case Federer reverts to his old style, so that he won’t be left struggling, and vice versa with Federer, he’ll have to find a plan A and B, to counter any new strategies from Nadal. What I think will happen is that they’ll both be working feverishly, and watching each other to see how they are playing in the early rounds, and then if they should meet, we’ll see which strategy worked best. And, the winner is …. ??????

May 18th, 2009 at 6:53 pm

vared: “Yes Von, on another thread someplace people are calling Roddick various degrees of bird.”

That’s nothing new, and nothing can be done about classless jerks. He’s been called: ‘pansy’, ‘bully’, and every other name they could find. There’s one who is totally mentally deranged, whose post name is: “Roddick is a Donkey”, but what amazes me is Tennis-x’s unwillingness to remove his posts, hence he continues. Surely, that’s extremely disrespectful and they can’t be that hard up for some extra hits? Or are they? He’s stopped using that name, when one of his faves lost whom he thought would beat Roddick; now he’s posting under several other aliases, but he’ll be back. He shuts up for a while after each loss, and leaves with his tail between his legs, then he runs for shelter. Big ugly COWARD!!!!!!! And the jackass will keep braying!!!!

May 18th, 2009 at 7:07 pm

Von,
don’t worry, I don’t read your comments. Just wanted to show what a hypocrite you are. Suddenly changed your mind and forgot all the insults you wrote about Rafa?
I can only attribute that to how good Rafa is. Hiw will and determination can change the most hostile minds and that’s great.

May 18th, 2009 at 7:21 pm

OY VEY, sick, sicker and sickest!! Lord, you are a mess! Please somebody tell me/her, if she doesn’t read my posts how in God’s name could you have commented on my first post, which was a positive one, and how is it you’re answering me now? There’s a liar somewhere, and I wonder who’s the person, you or your demons? So now, I’m a hypocrite for writing positively, and not to mention the reams of positive posts I’ve written in the past praising Nadal. Well I’ll be damned! I’ve seen where posters on this thread get killed for writing negatively, but the opposite, I’m yet to see it done. Anyway, why should I be alarmed, you’ve done this before here and other sites. Several months ago, I wrote a long, positive comment on Nadal, and when you saw my positive post you asked me the same question, if I remembered calling him ‘tarzan’. To which I replied, then you and your cohort ‘Latent Talent’ blasted me to pieces. I can find the post for you if you would like? I mean was this guy Tarzan a bad or good guy? As far as i know he was super strong and resourceful! Anyway, just say the word, and I’ll show you your comments to my rather nice post.

You are a psychiatrist’s dream patient. Oy vey and oy vey. Woe to all of us. Why the hell did I answer you, I must be just as crazy. Consider it gratis, I suppose you’ve got to let out the madness somewhere, so why not at me? Enjoy the rants. Tell me, shall I leave, or should I desist from writing anything with respect to Nadal; which is it to be? I’m at your beck and call. You might get your wish, which is what you’re looking for, and that is for one of your mad Nadal cohorts to start a scene and then I’ll leave. Hop to it guys, but don’t break a leg in the attempt.@%^%^&*&$#$

I tell you people she’s mad, and when Nadal loses, God help everyone.

May 18th, 2009 at 7:45 pm

Hello, Von.

I think you have a good point about Fed wanting to look good and win. Stauffeur (sp?), Fed’s bio author, mentioned that at the age of 17 Fed told him that one should be able to play a “perfect” game. Then, after Fed was beaten up again and again on the pro tour, Fed concluded that the only way he could get to display his beautiful tennis was to reach top first — meaning winning a lot. So he focused more on winning. Maybe after 4+ years on top displaying his feathers, Fed forgot about the winning thing :-)).

However, no one can turn back time. Me think the Courier’s Bodo’s and media overall are just, unrightfully, blaming Fed for not pulling off the un-thinkable: to beat the time. Fed’s had his prime. He’ll go on enjoy the tour as much as he wants. But for Nadal, beating Djork matters more.

May 18th, 2009 at 10:41 pm

“The problem with predicting a Nadal win at the French, is that he might be “tired” again, after other long matches leading up to the finals, then we have to listen to Nadal’s people make excuses for being tired, or his tendinitis, ALL of which is caused by the style of play rafa and Uncle Tony choose to adopt.”

Agree with this statement and is one of the reasons that I think Federer is the BEST in the long haul. Federer’s game is not based on Nadal’s GRINDING and brute type tactics, that will not last as long as the tennis master, Federer.

May 19th, 2009 at 12:33 pm