Federer Flames, Cites Injuries; Nadal Roughs Up Soderling in Wimbledon Quarters

Great job by Nadal…Yes, Nadal is gonna bite the trophy on sunday…Vamos!

Sorry fedfans..Fedal semifinal at USO is possible only if Fed makes to semi:-)

June 30th, 2010 at 7:49 pm

I hope Sean’s not jinxing Rafa.

June 30th, 2010 at 7:52 pm

i knew soderling would pussy out. always does on big moments especially w/nadal. federer, although not shocked, but disappointed nevertheless hasnt looked good since ao. boy #3. does this concern federer at all? i am an avid federer fan, but im also realistic & feel roger isnt as consistent as he once was. but i hope that he has a couple of majors lft in him to win, because w/all the utmost respect for nadal, i dont want 2c rogers 16 slam title be broken by nadal. #1 ranking roger will never get back unless he “really” gets back on track. is roger losing a step or are these other guys just out hitting him? to me, he never looked good @ wimbledon this year. he seemed sluggish. and another surprise was roddick. he really seemed out of sorts. oh well, i will have to live w/my disappointment of federers losses of late & hope somehow he can win a couple of more majors.

June 30th, 2010 at 7:55 pm

I think both semis will be very tough. But of course I will be watching Rafa’s! Very tough opponent in Murray and of course the whole GB!

Fed was a bit arrogant and grumpy in his presser but I take it as a sign of him being hurt by this loss. The press can be really brutal when a player is down. the difference between Fed and the rest of the field who had to pack and go, is that he has already 16 of these trophies at home. he will come back hungrier. He just loves tennis and he loves to win.

Just read from Stepanek who predicts Berdych will win the whole thing.

June 30th, 2010 at 7:56 pm

Nadal played a wonderful match all the way through especially after being a point away from losing the first set 6-0. Soderling, quite naturally, could not sustain the very high level of the first six games and was strangely tentative on some very crucial points. Not a great performance by Soderling but good enough to force Nadal to play really well to win the match. Nadal’s forehand was simply unbelievable. This has got be, consistently, the most damaging shot in the game at the moment. Nadal served very smartly too and was tactically very astute for the most part. He will really be pleased with this performance.

Berdych’s win over Federer was not that much of a shock considering the form Federer has been in. His wins over Clement and Melzer probably gave a lot of hope to his fans but Berdych is in an entirely different class when he is having a good day. Federer can no longer eke out the big points consistently and that makes all the difference at the highest level.

The Murray-Tsonga match was fun to watch for the first two sets but fizzled out in the last two. Djokovic did what he was expected to do to Lu who was probably running on fumes.

It is good to see four relatively young men in the semi finals although one does feel a bit sad that the veterans like Roddick, Hewitt and Federer seem to be passing on the baton.

June 30th, 2010 at 8:11 pm

I will pick Murray in next match, especially of course he is going get many supporters from wimbledon. And his game is very good, no doubt he will stop Nadal.

June 30th, 2010 at 9:00 pm

Oh well, my Fourth of July wish got fulfilled today (i.e. Federer lost). I am not surprised to see Berdych beat Federer. I think Berdych can beat any player in the world on a given day, he has that complete package, he is kind of like Nalbandian.

Well, now I can really enjoy the rest of the matches. I will be happy for either of these four remaining player to win the tournaments. I think it will be great if Murray can win it. I think Murray vs. Djokovic would be a bit boring but great final. (I think Murray has the game to beat Nadal in the semis). It is possible Berdych might beat Djokovic, but I would give 60-40 chances to Djokovic, (same for Murray over Nadal).

@ Thangs,
I am NOT anti-Nadal fan, I am anti-Fed fan, I always rooted for Nadal against Fed. But since Nadal has own Wimbledon ones, I would like to see someone else (Murray or Berdych) win it. But, you know what, my brain tells me Nadal will win it.

@ Sheila and Zola,
I know how you feel about Fed’s loss, I feel the same when he wins the grand slams. (I did not watch last year’s Wimbledon Finals, just because I though Roddick would loose in heartbreaking manner, I just didn’t want to see Federer lifting that trophy).

@ tennislover,
I like the way you analyzed these quarterfinals and players, seems like you really understand tennis. I totally agree with your comments, man / mam.

SO HOW MANY MORE GRAND SLAMS FEDERER CAN WIN?
I think may be one or two, (I hope Zero).

– TennisFan

June 30th, 2010 at 9:01 pm

It’s one thing to play badly and lose. That happens to everybody. But looking over the stat sheet, it shows Federer didn’t play that badly at all. There were 18 Unforced, but over the four sets played it means less than 5 errors per set. He had 44 Winners, 14 Aces (Tomas had 12), only 1 Double Fault (Berdych-6!). These are winning stats no matter how you look at them. His undoing today was what used to happen only against Nadal is now spreading: The Misery Of The Serve. Only 1 of 8 Break Points flipped. Bad enough. But he ended up getting broken 4 of 6 times. Federer’s 2nd Serve was the most reliable shot he had, day in and day out. He’s lost about 3-5% effectiveness on winning points when he has to use it, and that’s what’s made the difference in the tight matches he’s lost since the Australian. Combined with the aches, pains and other predictable ailments lingering longer (which is predictable for a guy of Federer’s age and accomplishments), he’s under more pressure these days to hold his own serve against more guys than he used to have to worry about.

The Nadal match showed us once again the true difference between him (especially these days) and Soderling: Nadal’s priceless ability to adjust in a losing situation. Soderling is now and will forever be a One Trick Pony: blast away on every shot, and that’s it. When it works he looks great; and when it doesn’t his No Plan B status becomes painfully clear. Proving yet again, to win majors you need it going in in your head much much more than you do anywhere else. The Sod had to be extra down after this one. I’d thought going in Nadal’s Return would determine the match. He adjusted very well, timing his block-backs so well he was actually getting a fair number of The Sod’s FIRST Serves in play. Once that happened the Swede was toast. Magnus Norman has his work cut out for him to teach The Sod that winning consistently is about much more than hitting big all the time.

Djokovic is finally coming good this year, and actually, he might play with a little less pressure given that Bedrych, by virtue of beating Federer twice this year, not only could be considered favored but may have that added weight of trying to get to a place where Djokovic has already been a couple of times: a Major Final. As for Murray-Nadal, it’s hard for me to see Murray upend Nadal after watching what happened to Soderling. If Nadal was putting a fair number of The Sod’s First Serves in play then I can imagine any Murray 2nd Serve is gonna be Spanish Lunch. Tsonga basically gave the 2nd Set to Murray by letting the ball go and watch it drop in instead of playing the easy volley for a sure Winner to give him Set Point. The Frenchman, as is his custom, always Flatters Only To Deceive. His history of mentally checking out happened again, giving Murray the optimum maximizing of his light Draw. He’ll have to play better than he has at anytime in the tournament to make the Final. And hope Nadal comes down a notch.

June 30th, 2010 at 9:05 pm

One down and one more to go. It would be much sweeter to beat Nadal than Soderling in semis. He has done it in USO and in AO. How about Murray vs Djokovic final…It would be amazing for tennis.

June 30th, 2010 at 9:33 pm

Voicemale,

Interesting assessment of the situation as usual. I think think, barring AO, Federer has had this issue of failing to defend break points (when serving) and failing to convert the (fewer and fewer) break chances all year long. Except in the Majors, this was an issue last year as well.

I agree the stats look good, but I think Fed played too defensively while Berdych’s attack was hitting the target most of the time. The result, Fed did himself in during the crucial points.

Anyways, would love to hear your take on the semi-finals?

June 30th, 2010 at 9:39 pm

Who cares what the stats show, Federer didn’t play that great. More important, I am fully prepared to believe that he was uncomfortable due to the leg and back problems, because during the match I thought it looked like he was uninterested in going after shots except on important points. Case in point, Berdych got a craptop of points by hammering Federer’s returns of serve into the opposite corner, which Federer was able to get to and return on big points, but didn’t bother trying most of the time.

Anyway, Berdych played very well and deserved to win, but this was Federer’s match to lose, and he did.

June 30th, 2010 at 9:53 pm

Voicemale1:

No way federer had only 18 unforced errors. The stat sheet definitely messed this one. I am quite positive Fed made atleast 10 UFE in the 1st set alone. His biggest problem today was his Forehand just failed to ignite, where in the past it was on fire since the 1st point. combine that with the lack of sting on 2nd serve and this was one of the worst matches he has played – even by his post AO standard.

I do not agree about the murray-nadal match-up though. I think nadal’s run ends in the semis. Murray has played better tennis than nadal this whole tournament and if Tsonga played nadal today, like the way he did against murray, we might have had a 2008 AO repeat, where Tsonga absolutely demolished nadal.

I think this is murray’s wimbledon to lose. If he keeps up his play, he should be able to take out both nadal and most probably djokovic who will win the other semi-final, i am guessing.

favorites to win right now should be murray, nadal, djokovic and berdych in that order.

June 30th, 2010 at 10:00 pm

I haven’t seen any of Djokovic’s matches this Wimbledon in it’s entirely. Can anyone comment on how his serve is working right now? I know it was not even worth talking about few months ago.

June 30th, 2010 at 10:04 pm

Eric Says:

“More important, I am fully prepared to believe that he was uncomfortable due to the leg and back problems, because during the match I thought it looked like he was uninterested in going after shots except on important points.”

———————————————–

Right. Right. Right. The stats, which reflect what actually happened on the court, don’t matter. As your quote above states, what is “most” important is what you “believe…”. Yeah. That’s what we all should pay attention to: your belief. Not.

And how in the world you say Federer was able to return, (or even play well) on “Big Points” is a mystery. So you wanna tell us if there are any Bigger Points in a match than Break Points (either for or against, which he played lousy in both circumstances), of which he let 7 of 8 go begging, or forgot to save 4 of the 6 Break Points he faced? Maybe you’ll tell us there are actually bigger points than Break Points in a match. We can’t wait to hear. Genius.

June 30th, 2010 at 10:05 pm

Dan,

Melzer and Clement are not big hitters, so no wonder the ‘new’ passive/defensive Federer did make himself deceivingly appear like he was back to his attacking ways. Against the big hitters, most of the time, he just dropped the ball back on the court. His slow pointless backhand chop (or slice) that fell right in the middle of the court was a sitting duck and was awful to watch.

I don’t buy the injury talk. When he was losing all the ATP Masters events, he purposely gave the impression that 5-sets/Slams are what matters. Now he doesn’t have that excuse.

I am so happy he has given me and so many more such joy in watching him over the years. I am ready to accept him as the ‘Contender’ instead of the ‘Emperor’ but I just home he brings in a few more GS home before he is done.

June 30th, 2010 at 10:17 pm

Voicemail1, wow, maybe we didn’t watch the same match. Yes, Federer let a lot of BPs slip -including four in one game, a pretty pathetic, and crucial, display of rather bad play (and good from Berdych, of course — never can the twain be separated). As I said, he didn’t play that great.

So which are you saying, that he played well as the stats ostensibly show, or badly as you just said? ‘Cause I’m saying he played badly even though the stats seem to suggest otherwise. Which is also what you said earlier. :)

I never said there were bigger points than BPs. Maybe my terminology “big point” is a bit loose but it’s your own problem if you interpret it the least sensical way.

Federer returned Berdych’s second serve most of the time I don’t have the percentage or anything, but it was pretty high. He usually returned in badly, but he returned it. And then, often, Berdych hammered Federer’s return to the opposite corner. At, say, 15-15 in the game, Federer let it go by. I watched it happen at least four times, and I wasn’t paying that much attention because it was obvious Berdych was going to win. But two or three other times – at 40-40 or whatever, I don’t remember exactly – Federer went after the exact same shot, and returned it. Berdych won one of those points anyway by being waiting at the net and getting in a good volley.

All I said was that Federer’s play on those points suggests to me that his leg and back problems were a real factor in the match, not a phantom excuse he conjured up out of poor sportsmanship. The same identical sequence (serve, return to center, hammered off into the corner) happened several times, and Federer only after the returns on big points – like deuce, advantage whomever, etc., rather than humdrum 15-15s and such.

June 30th, 2010 at 10:27 pm

sorry for the typos. I meant “went after the returns” in the last paragraph.

June 30th, 2010 at 10:29 pm

Yay for Murray!!! And congrats to Rafa as well. Very exciting semis I think. : ) Hope to be home for the finals.

Skeeze – today’s So-Cal weather was more like it! Sorry about Fed.

June 30th, 2010 at 10:34 pm

Also, as for stats in general: I could go on for quite a long time about this issue, but for now I will repeat something I said in another thread a while ago. Stats (in tennis) are less useful than in other sports (like baseball) because they result from a complex system of interactions between two players in a sport that is extremely bizarrely scored. (You have to win a certain number of whats in a what to win a match? And the whats have to won by two other whats?) There is also a huge mental factor, more than most other sports.

Thus, some points are far more important than others. Hammering down an ace or a winner at 0-0 or 15-15 is different from 40-15 or 15-40. Just look at how Nadal needs to be on a fiery roll to do well.

If you can’t hit a winner at the right time, it doesn’t really matter. Unforced errors (if properly tabulated, and I always wonder who decides whether an error is unforced or was the result of pressure from the opponent – surely a call worth investigating or rethinking sometimes!) are one of the more vital stats, I think, because Federer usually has a lot when he loses. This time he didn’t, which is interesting.

Anyway, I am rambling on longer than I intended, but suffice it to say that I don’t really put much stock in the stats overall. They reflect what happened on the court, but they’re not the same thing as what happened on the court; try watching the match instead.

June 30th, 2010 at 10:38 pm

jane,

Congrats on both your faves making it to the semis. I am hoping they both make it to the finals.

Sounds like you are enjoying So. Cal. I used to live there early last decade in the valley areas north of LA. It’s pretty picturesque down there!

Enjoy and have fun!

June 30th, 2010 at 10:57 pm

i just finished watching my dvr recording of wimbledon primetime and martina navratalova said that from the falla match federer wasnt turning his body around to serve well & that it could very well be due to a back problem. i trust martinas evaluation more than anyone because she is the only one that isnt a drama queen like all the american commentators are. ie: john macenroe, mary carillo. she is professional & evaluates w/o judging federer or any other player. as a spectator of the sport and after many years of watching federer he seemed to play more passive then he used to. his 2nd serve returns, imo, were horrendous. he chips them back and allows berdych to slam it back at him. his footwork, imo, didnt seem great and his shot making just seems to have less sting then it used to. even at the ao he played great & since then hes obviously gone down several notches. i think berdych played great, but i definitely think roger gave a lot of the match away. he was testy at his presser because he knows he blew it. and i agree about roger always saying a best of 5 set match is most important for him, well he’s starting to show frailty in the slams now and i simply hope that he reassesses his game & takes the necessary steps to get back on track. whatever happens, i will always be a federer fan and will always appreciate what hes brought to this great sport. now i would love 2c murray win wimbledon(never thought id hear myself saying that} and id love 2c berdych get thru. federer as #3 player will now have to play nadal in semis at events. i hope this loss somehow shook federer up and he will get his A game going again because i would love 2c him win a couple more slams. dont 4get delpotro coming back will be interesting. soderling has ABSOLUTELY NO TENNIS BALLS when it comes to him playing nadal. what a wuss

June 30th, 2010 at 11:02 pm

@Jane…

Ya! Dude? Hope you enjoying Cali, the weather is great here now :). Yes, thank you, and yes, a sad day for the Fed, but in the big picture, not unexpected. It’s all good. He can go back home and look at his 16 GS trophies, twins and family and smile :). Life has been good for him, now lets see what happens!

Andy! I have been laying low cause IMO I think the Brits pressers put to much pressure on there hopefuls ( remember Henman? ) but what a story if he can win Wimby! I will be cheering for him and you now…..but don’t want to jinx him….shhhhh…it’s a secret….:). Also, shout out to Sean, DO NOT PICK Murray to win…..lol

June 30th, 2010 at 11:02 pm

@VM1

Sometimes I think you and I have mind melds or something, unreal. I just wrote on the older topic about the BPO’s with Fed…so frustrating. I won’t go all over it again it’s there if you want to read it. Otherwise, as usual. good read VM1.

June 30th, 2010 at 11:04 pm

@Jane,

Forgot to mention if your in SoCal check out the beaches if you can. Newport, Huntington, Santa Monica, all great and cool beach towns too :)

Sorry for the non-tennis post……

June 30th, 2010 at 11:06 pm

@Shiela,

I would say Martina is qualified to have a professional opinion. Do you know she has 59 GS TITLES? 59! Take that Fed & Rafa! HA!

BTW….”his 2nd serve returns, imo, were horrendous…”

Exactly!

June 30th, 2010 at 11:10 pm

Eric Says:
Voicemail1, wow, maybe we didn’t watch the same match. Yes, Federer let a lot of BPs slip -including four in one game, a pretty pathetic, and crucial, display of rather bad play (and good from Berdych, of course — never can the twain be separated). As I said, he didn’t play that great.

_________________________________________________________________

So the premise of your belief is that Berdych didn’t win the match but Federer lost because he didn’t “play that great”? Unfair to Berdych, who played really really well, dontcha think? Then tell what “play that great” means? After all, it makes no difference how Federer returns the Berdych Serve ay 0-0, or even at 15-love or 15-all. It matters much much more at 0-40,15-40, or 30-40. And those are the only times when he didn’t play well. Which is normally called “choking”. The Break Point he had in the 4th Set at Ad out, 4-5 and he dumped a 2nd Serve into the middle of the net that he actually stepped into to crush, and he just stopped swinging on the shot. As if his arm just froze. Imagine that. The GOAT forgets to follow through (the most basic lesson when you’re learning to play) on arguably THE most important point of the entire match. Federer wasn’t “injured” with “back and leg issues”. For whatever reason he was, however, extremely tight. And that’s how he played. The stats say he was playing well enough to win any match anywhere. That he failed to convert the Break Points he had and failed to save the Break Points he faced is all about nerves. Federer was letting something get to him mentally – but only at the moments when it really counted. When you’re hurt, you generally don’t play well all the way around. Not the case here. He played poorly only at the moments when he needed his best stuff the most: the gut check moments. That’s not “back or leg issues”. That’s feeling pressure mentally. And cracking under it.

June 30th, 2010 at 11:25 pm

Voicemail, I’m pretty sure we’re not really disagreeing about anything substantial. Someone else said the stats showed that Federer played well, ergo the only explanation for his loss was that Berdych just played a lot better (and Federer is just lying or making excuses with the leg/back stuff). I disagree, and it sounds like you do, too, since you seem to ascribe his loss to cracking mentally.

In my opinion, Berdych played very well. Let’s get that out of the way. But I think it’s pretty axiomatic that a Federer bringing his real A game beats a Berdych bringing his A game.

Also, it’s not like I committed the match to memory, so I can only go by what I was thinking at the time, which is that Federer stepped his game up on important points – by going after those shots I keep harping about, for example – but just couldn’t come up with and/or execute a good plan that well. In other words, Federer lost because he wasn’t playing as well as he could have, which is exactly what I’ve been saying all along and you keep repeating too as if it’s something different…

June 30th, 2010 at 11:32 pm

Can someone post a link to the soderling interview? I can’t seem to get onto wimbledon website!

June 30th, 2010 at 11:44 pm

http://www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/news/interviews/2010-06-30/201006301277922331918.html

voila

June 30th, 2010 at 11:44 pm

Eric:

No, I don’t agree with you that Federer lost because he didn’t play well. Sampras always said matches on grass, especially between guys that are good, comes down to just a few points here and there. You’re trying to defend the Federer loss by saying he didn’t play well…today. I don’t agree it’s because HE didn’t play well. I think that age, guys becoming more fearless against him, technology and a host of other things out of Federer’s hands have resulted in his..well, results. I disagree with you that matches anymore are on his racquet like they used to be.

Maybe we are saying the same thing. But where I see you headed is that today was just a temporary setback; that there is an inevitable resuscitation in Federer just around the corner whereby he will Right The Ship and return to being “The Federer” once again. I don’t see that happening at all. Federer had his opportunities to win here. Many of them. That he didn’t take them, when he normally would have, is what’s troubling. Its far more a mental thing than a physical one.

June 30th, 2010 at 11:54 pm

skeezer – yes, lets not jinx murray shhhhhh!

will be HUGE if he does it here. he is won against nadal before but nadal is looking very dangerous right now. Hopefully murray can raise his level too, as i would like to believe their game matches each other very well.

C’mon

June 30th, 2010 at 11:58 pm

Okay, well, that’s a fair point. But Federer himself said that his QF loss at Paris was because Soderling outplayed him, so I don’t see any reason why he wouldn’t admit the same thing now if he felt it were true about Berdych. I am perfectly aware that it’s 2010 and Federer isn’t going to have any more 90%+ win years. But I would still maintain that Federer, if and when he recovers his physical and mental poise, should still have the ability and game to win most of his matches even against guys like Soderling and Berdych, for now.

On a different note, I don’t really know anything about string technology and the like; what’s all this talk about Berdych’s strings or whatever?

July 1st, 2010 at 12:01 am

Tonight JMcEnroe said Nadal would win it all. Brad Gilbert picked Djokovic over Berdych.

July 1st, 2010 at 12:07 am

Eric,

Things changed during the Fed/Rafa era with a combo of Gut and Luxilon — the synthetic string that, for the last few years, enabled pros to hit harder, with more control and spin, than ever before — and just recently at the French a new black synthetic from Babolat that Rafa used. Bottom line is the sring HAS enabled in this era for the guys to hit the ball with more power and spin. I have tried the Luxilon, and the spin it can create is crazy….

Still everyone has access to the same stuff, so everyone has the same access to use it as an advantage, no?

July 1st, 2010 at 12:18 am

@kimmi

“Keep it secret, keep it safe”

July 1st, 2010 at 12:19 am

As much as I am a Fed worshiper, I find it embarrassing when he “reveals” his injuries only after he loses. Everyone on the ATP tour has some issues constantly, some part of their body is always aching. Very rarely does one sustain zero injuries or sprains throughout the course of seven matches. Blaming your loss on injuries is IMO slightly discrediting your opponent. RF should be more forthcoming about his loss and move on. Although he is being totally honest, people tend to take it the other way after his loss. Does anyone else have a better record, then why complain? It was a complete shock and heartbreak to me my RF losing though. No Roger in the final since 2003!!! It will be interesting to see if Nadal can stay No.1 till the beginning of the next clay court season since he hasn’t dominated on hard courts AND after it ends since he has so much defending to do. Hope Del Potro also comes back by October to “restore balance and order”. Final will be Djokovic vs Murray? :P

July 1st, 2010 at 12:22 am

Huh Says:

MRS.VON:

I POSTED THIS ON THE LAST THREAD, I AM POSTING IT AGAIN ON THIS THREAD SO THAT YOU WILL NOT MISS IT EVEN IF YOU SKIP THE LAST THREAD. HERE I GO AGAIN:

“REALLY SORRY TO HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO REPLY TO YOU EARLIER, HOPE YOU WON’T MIND. :)

THANKS FOR YOUR KINDEST WORDS AND AGAIN GIVING ME HINTS ABOUT SOME EVIL PERSONS ON THIS SITE. BUT I’M SURE THEY’RE MORE VACILLATIONS AND HATRED THAN ANYTHING ELSE.
I AM ACTUALLY MORE SAD ABOUT RODDICK NOT BEING ABLE TO WIN WIM THAN I AM ABOUT FED NOT GOING DEEPER. FED’S ALREADY WON 6 WIMBLEDON TITLES, SO I MUST NOT BE TERRIBLY SAD FOR HIM. FED’S 16 GS AND MANY OTHER BIG TITLES, SO I AM SURE HE IS HAPPY AND NOT GOING TO SPEND SLEEPLESS NIGHTS ON TODAY’S LOSS. DO YOU REMEMBER MRS.VON, WHEN I SAID THAT IT’S HIGHLY UNLIKELY THAT FED’LL REACH 8 WIM FINALS IN A ROW?
DESPITE ALL THAT I HAVE SAID, I THINK AND I SINCERELY HOPE FOR FED TO WIN AT LEAST ONE MORE GS TITLE BEFORE RETIRING. THAT’S ALL I WANT AND WISH FOR HIM. OF COURSE I’D BE LOVING THE MOST FOREVER. AND ABOUT OUR OWN GUY “ROD”, I MOST WANT HIM TO FULFILL HIS DREAM OF WINNING JUST ONE WIM AS THE OTHER 3 DREAMS OF WINNING USO, BECOMING NO.1 AND LEADING HIS COUNTRYMEN TO DAVIS CUP VICTORY HAS BEEN ALREADY FULFILLED.

SO LET’S SAY BEST OF LUCK TO OUR RESPECTIVE MOST FAVE GUYS: FED AND ROD.

BEST OF LUCK ROD!

BEST OF LUCK FED!”

July 1st, 2010 at 12:45 am

Also, for the ever-important record of my opinions, I think it’s pretty un-classy of Federer to mention (and to come close to blaming his defeat on) his ‘injuries’, but that doesn’t make them not real.

July 1st, 2010 at 12:59 am

Kudos to Bodo.

Amazing article.

http://tennisworld.typepad.com/tennisworld/2010/06/tk-5.html

July 1st, 2010 at 1:27 am

Did Federer cry after losing?

July 1st, 2010 at 1:44 am

even though I am a huge fed fan, i cant stand the way he constantly fusses w/ his hair.

July 1st, 2010 at 2:01 am

also not to make excuses for Fed’s loss today but he has had recurring back problems since late 2008. his movement has degraded somewhat. all you have to do is youtube some fed matches prior to 2008 and you can really see the difference. in terms of speed and constant effort. last year the one time it seemed like his movement was razor sharp was cincinatti where he not surprisingly won. we’ll see how he does at the USO. i think that is the hardest tournament for an older player to win due to the semis being on sat and the finals being on sun. that really hurt sampras in 2000 and 2001 when he came in after tough semis against fresh young players. in 2002 he gor lucky and played another senior citizen. the french is pretty hard for an old guy to win as well. think about andres gomez. he was 30 when he won but i don’t think he would have won if Agassi wasn’t so worried about his weave.
the problem when a player develops a problem like fed’s is that it induces a negative feedback cycle. it slows him don so he has tougher, longer matches where he has to do more scratching and grinding which make the problem worse which slows him down etc, etc.
anybody here think Murray will beat Nadal. i hope so. i think it will be 4 or 5 sets. key will be ho wmuch more effective Nadal’s serve will be on grass. it looked todays like he has found his grass game. he is like borg. his game is not naturally suited to grass but he adapts and as he gets deeper in the tournmant he gets better and better. i often think that back in 2007 and 2008 if fed had played Nadal in the first round he would beat him like 6-1 6-4 6-2 or something but by the finaal Nadal has become a grass court beast.

July 1st, 2010 at 2:16 am

kimmi and skeezer: will you guys please whisper more quietly, I can hear you all the way here in the UK…
blank@10.17 yes exactly right, the ROS was quite horrid to watch. But why didn’t Fed have a go at plan B? Did he expect Berdie to crumble?
Interview? well, very undiplomatic but he was hurting, tired, grumpy, gutted etc and only human like us all.
Dan Martin: congrats, did u get my suggestion your babe must be named after new Wimbledon champ? Now who do you want to win….

July 1st, 2010 at 2:17 am

all i can tell you is that my posts here would be much more entertaining and insightful if it wasn’t for my finger problems. i have developed some stiffness in my left index and ring fingers and I can’t really type the way i want to.

July 1st, 2010 at 2:18 am

Great to see Berdcy win… even though am a huge Fed fan. I did not like Roger’s post-match interview as well.. he should have given more credit to Berdych for playing so well. Berdych’s game reminds me a lot of Safin, very powerful.. and has such a smooth timing. He has the game to go all the way this year at wimbledon and beating Roger would only add to his confidence.

I hope to see Berdych playing Murray in the finals.. this way we’ll a new GS champion.

I like Murray’s chances against Rafa.. hez playing solid tennis.. the only set that he lost this tournament was a tie-breaker. if he reaches the Finals .. anything can happen.. the pressure might get to Murray again.

July 1st, 2010 at 3:12 am

The only guy who seems capable of winning Wim’10 is Nadal. Any other prediction would be futile.

July 1st, 2010 at 3:21 am

Poor Soderling.. doomed to repeat history.

French Open 09 he plays amazing, beats the #1 and defending champion Nadal along the way to the final but loses to world #2 Federer. Gets a rematch with Federer at Wimbledon a few weeks later and loses again.

Fast forward to ’10. Plays amazing again at the French Open, beating the #1 and defending champion (Federer) and getting his revenge on the way to another final where he loses to world #2 Nadal who in turn gets his own revenge. He gets a rematch with Nadal a few weeks later at Wimbledon and loses again.

Will he dethrone Nadal in Paris again next year and be a perennial runner up?

July 1st, 2010 at 4:13 am

Funny article on Fed’s loss here

http://www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/news/articles/2010-06-30/201006301277923119642.html

July 1st, 2010 at 4:41 am

I’m also eager to see a new slam champion here.
Hopefully Murray’d somehow be able to win this.

July 1st, 2010 at 5:26 am

Nadal only gets injured when the game is not working on his way, and calls the trainer. No one talks about Nadal injures, but once Federer talks about an injury (rarely) almost everybody says it’s fake. I dont understand why.

“So was the leg also bothering him during Fed’s straight set wins over Arnaud Clement and Jurgen Melzer? I’m guessing no.”.

Nadal last year at RG until he was beated by Soderling, was his health perfect and of all of a sudden appeared in Soderling game?

July 1st, 2010 at 5:30 am

Montecarlo:
How worrying that you find the Bodo article amazing.
I’m sure the brilliant posters on Teennisx who have followed your recommendations are intelligent enough to have scrolled the comments and drawn their own conclusions.
Perhaps you would like to go to Telegraph online and read the ‘amazing article’ by Fiona Long(?) What a piece of work she is.
Have a nice day, and to Fed fans, cheer up.
I do so hope Mr Andrew Murray can lift the trophy this year.

July 1st, 2010 at 5:34 am

If someone says that Fed wasn’t playing terrible at all and still lost to Berdych, then I’m in agreement. But if anyone thinks that Fed was playing close to his best and still lost to Berdych, then I’d say he needs to learn more about both Fed and tennis!
Even average play by Federer’s standard= Great play
It’s that simple.

And if at all anyone really believes that stating about his injury was an excuse from Fed, then I’m afraid, such person is more of a believer of imagination than reality with re: this issue.
“I’m not saying anything to those who opined that even though Fed mighta had injury, it’d have been better to not mention it for the time being” COZ “By admitting Fed’s injury, they at least give enough proof that they believe in truth, though they woulda liked to see it come in a better way from Fed.”

July 1st, 2010 at 5:47 am

@
tfouto Says:

Nadal only gets injured when the game is not working on his way, and calls the trainer. No one talks about Nadal injures, but once Federer talks about an injury (rarely) almost everybody says it’s fake. I dont understand why.

“So was the leg also bothering him during Fed’s straight set wins over Arnaud Clement and Jurgen Melzer? I’m guessing no.”.

Nadal last year at RG until he was beated by Soderling, was his health perfect and of all of a sudden appeared in Soderling game?

who told that nadal was health perfect in 2009?? playing great tennis denotes that he is very strong mentally…. a year or so prior to thtat FO he started playing with his knees taped, that in itself indicated some sort of a knee injury.
combine that with an exhausting schedule and a chance to create history n u’ll know… btw, i dont think he called for MTO during that match… he accepted the fact that he was going to lose it as he knew he wouldnt win that FO on his worn out knees… soderling winning it was just by chance and nadal has proved it so

July 1st, 2010 at 5:54 am

Hey Purcell:

As soon as I found montecarlo recommending the “Bodo article”, I decided not to look at it. The reasons are obvious! ;)

July 1st, 2010 at 5:54 am

Purcell:

Oops, just one more thing, I decided not to look at Bodo article coz I knew it must definitely be cartoonists’ dream kinda thing given shape by Bodo’s pen, written to please some cartoon story lovers like montecarlo! No wonder a cartoon lover recommended it! ;)

July 1st, 2010 at 6:05 am

voice male you make some good points

i would add that berdych played some incredible stuff on his break point opportunities and i was surprised at how good some of his defence was.

this result had nothing to do with federer’s level, which as the stats show was high. it was about the difference in berdych’s mentality.

berdych played similar in the oz open match few years ago and had fed on the ropes at two sets down. berdych couldn’t get over the line.

this time, despite almost handing the match back with double faults and some semi choking play towards the end of the match, he managed to hang tough. fed isn’t really used to that, and neither are his fans.

good luck to berdych, i like his personality.

July 1st, 2010 at 6:18 am

I wish Rafa-Muzza was the final; that way I’d KNOW it would be a great match, and I’d be thrilled no matter who won. My wish at the beginning of the Championships was either Roddick, Hewitt, Rafa or Muzza – in that order. I knew the 2nd was a pipe dream, though – more so after Sean put his infamous whammy on him :P So having 2 of my top picks still in this is great.

Having said that, we’re in for 2 cracker semis if the Berdman can keep his head as well as he’s been doing recently. I would like to see him in the finals – not a big Djoker fan – but I feel we’d have a better match if Djokovic got through – Berdy might just crumble under the first-slam-final pressure and thrill.

Of course, I’m a die-hard Rafatard :P , so that’s who I want to see lifting the trophy on Sunday, but as long as it’s not Nole, I’ll be perfectly alright if it’s any of the other 3. Berdy has definitely gained a fan in me recently.

As for Fed, siiiigh. It’s sad seeing a God reduced to a mere mortal… Oh, wait. He was ALWAYS a mere mortal. For years and years, slam after slam, he made us believe otherwise, and I thank him for it, and still look forward to seeing even the mortal-looking Federer.

@tfouto: 1) NOBODDY is saying Fed’s injuries are fake. They are saying it’s unclassy of him to talk about them right after the match, because it is disrespectful to and undermines his opponent. I agree. It has always been part of who he is – this thing a lot of people call arrogance, but I think of more as ineptness or cluelessness or foot-in-the-mouthness. I’ve never thought he’s as suave as he appears. I don’t care. It’s a character flaw, and we all have at least one. 2) I ALSO have to disagree when you say nobody brings this up when Rafa says he’s injured. The very same accusations are hurled at Rafa as well.

@Sean: Nonononononono! Take your jinx off Rafa. NOW. :P

July 1st, 2010 at 6:21 am

I very well remember seeing an interview of Roger on TV in early rounds at the start of Wimbledon this year where he mentioned he’s fit and healthy and that’s most important. He also particularly mentioned Nadal who missed Wimby last year due to his knees. So now, he’s being honest about his injuries, but what was that all about being healthy at the start of Wimbledon?

July 1st, 2010 at 6:47 am

margot,

Something is wrong in Fed’s head. I won’t accept the age argument for this poor performance since decline due to age can’t be be so drastic since the AO. Sure age is a factor, but that’s not the major one here. To me Fed’s been a step slower, less aggressive and has less power in his shots for the last few months.

By the way, Congrats on the Brit making it to the semis again. Hope he can make it all the way this time, that guy deserves a break and not just a SF or Finals appearance. How is the British press treating him? Over hype/expectations flying around?

July 1st, 2010 at 6:58 am

@FedisGOAT Well, if you’ve decided you’re in a relatively okay physical state to put up a challenge in a competition, WHY would you let your opponents know BEFOREHAND that you’re injured or not feeling a 100% okay? That’d be a silly thing to do, no?

I remember reading an interview with one of the Williams sisters that said if they’re competing in the same tournament, they don’t even tell EACH OTHER is they’re not feeling too good. If two SISTERS refuse to talk to each other about being hurt, why would Fed – or ANY player – tell all his opponents that?

July 1st, 2010 at 6:59 am

@Lenny, but why would he make a contradictory statement that particularly underlines his health? I am searching a link for the video interview where he says fortunately he’s healthy and happy to back at Wimbledon. Then he mentioned Nadal who missed Wimbledon last year due to his knees. Is this part of doing better against your opponent?

July 1st, 2010 at 7:06 am

blank: ta 4 congrats, in a word the answer to your question is YES! But Andy is being very level headed,, said when some foolish reporter asked him about the final (AAAHH) replied “I have to play the no. 1 player in the world first, so I’m certainly not getting ahead of myself.” Asked if the fact British bookies had made him the fave would make any difference, he snorted and gave them The Look.

July 1st, 2010 at 7:18 am

margot,

If Andy does get into the finals, hope he builds himself a cocoon and stays inside it all the time till he steps into the court on Sunday.

July 1st, 2010 at 8:48 am

“…I get the feeling nadal will be eating another trophy come Sunday.”

says sean randall.

yep. it’s been pretty clear to me all along but he put that madal face on (which i don’t enjoy at all, but whatever works for him) after losing the first set to soda and nadal went into kill mode. soda had no pop nor an answer.

not sure he’ll need to go into kill mode against murray. if this were the french open and murray was french, nadal would be booed and a cat called off the court. but this wimbledon, the tamest of the slams.

i am not a fan of watching or hearing nadal play tennis. but he is going to win a second wombledon and there’s no stopping him. whatever i think doesn’t matter, he wins, so i must congratulate him and his fans. looks like this is his year again.

that said:

GO MURRAY!! JUST GET THE JOB DONE, OKAY. STOP the BEAST!

July 1st, 2010 at 9:58 am

One thing people need to be aware of with the stats is that Wimbledon scorekeepers are very stingy about giving UEs so you can go for a lot of shots and it won’t affect the UE count much more than if you are playing conservative Furthermore, they do NOT count a missed return off a 2nd serve as an UE which I can understand because it is more difficult than making a 2nd serve return on hard or clay. This is why the UE count looks low in practically every match. I don’t think there is a single match played in the men’s singles where the player has more UEs than winners(or even equal numbers). In one of Schuettler’s matches he had 0 UEs. Yes ZERO. LOL.

Melzer played poorly against Fed, but the stats show only 14 UEs yet he was blown off the court. The point is you can’t look at the UE count at Wimbledon the same way you would at the French. The dynamics are different. Low UE count doesn’t mean you played good tennis.

Berdych definitely deserved to win. He was the more aggressive player particularly on the big points. Fed was too careful, playing like he didn’t want to lose which has been the case almost all year. He had too many weak and missed 2nd serve returns. Also, too many careful forehands. The last 2 games of the match really told the story. 30-30 on Fed’s serve he sprayed in inside out forehand wide that he didn’t even hit that hard. Then 30-40 he was careful on a forehand that should have been a winner, but he put extra topsin and stayed a good distance away from the line which allowed Berdych to run it down and hit a cross court forehand where an unprepard Fed clumsily hit a forehand volley wide. Those were 2 forehands that used to be money in the bank. He wouldn’t have anywhere near 16 slams if is forehand was always like that.

The following game Berdych was serving for the match. There were some good and bad points played by both players. The one that really stands out is break point for Fed on Berdych’s 2nd serve and he dumps a forehand return in the middle of the net. It reminded me of a backhand return that Fed dumped into the net off a Nadal 2nd serve in the tiebreak in Madrid. Then matchpoint Berdych had a mid court forehand and he ripped it for a winner.

July 1st, 2010 at 10:12 am

@tennisfansince76:

I totally agree with your assessment. Rafa is much more vulnerable at the beginning of Wimbledon than at the end. For one thing, the grass courts at the beginning really play like grass courts….slick, new, low bounces.
Towards the end of the tournament they become more like a fast clay court…beat up, weird bounces…..
And Rafa’s an amazing athlete and mover….he can adjust over the fortnight. He takes more advantage of his “leftiness” towards the end.

July 1st, 2010 at 10:22 am

“Q. Are you really surprised that Berdych beat Federer today?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Look, I mean, Federer is the best player that ever played this game. And still to be able to play this way after he has won so many Grand Slams is just great. I mean, you have to give him credit for everything he has done.

So it’s normal for him to lose. I mean, you guys, you know, you think he shouldn’t lose at all? I mean, you have to congratulate to Berdych for playing that well.”

IT’S SO NICE OF NOLE TO HAVE SAID THIS. :P
BEAUTIFUL ANSWER! :)
NOW I MORE THAN EVER (NOT THAT I WASN’T BEFORE!)SINCERELY HOPE NOLE BEATS BERDYCH AND REACHES THE FINAL.

GO NOVAK!!! :)

DYING TO SEE A MURRAY-NOVAK FINAL.

July 1st, 2010 at 11:08 am

FED LOSING TO BERDYCH HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH FED BEING PHYSICALLY, MENTALLY AND GAMEWISE BELOW AT HIS BEST.

“LOLZ” AT THOSE WHO THINK FED LOSING HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH FEDERER’S LOW LEVEL OF PLAY! AND THOSE CONSTANTLY CITING LOW U.E. COUNT (NOTHING OF THIS IS INTENDED AT VOICEMALE THOUGH, HE’S BRILLIANT IN MOST ASPECTS, SO HIGH MARKS TO HIM) NEED TO KNOW THAT SO FAR EVERY TOM, DICK AND HARRY’S BEING SHOWN BY STATS TO HAVE MADE VERY VERY LOW(EVEN ZERO!) U.E. COUNTS.

July 1st, 2010 at 11:15 am

Thanks blank, for your comments above.

Skeeze, yes, we already checked out the gorgeous Huntington beaches, wow!! Thanks for the recommendations anyhow. : )

Huh, yeah I read Nole’s comment about Fed last night and I thought it was very well said. “DYING TO SEE A MURRAY-NOVAK FINAL.” I would love to see that final too!

July 1st, 2010 at 11:38 am

I think Murray got the game to beat Nadal. Their match is gonna be a brutal physical affair and Murray will have to make sure he wins First two sets. In my opinion Murray will have the upper hand for initial 90 minutes while match will be played on equal terms for next 30 minutes and Nadal will definitely be the better player after two hours.

So gameplan for Murray should be to finish the match in or around two hours either in three quick sets or even after tanking the 3rd set.

July 1st, 2010 at 11:46 am

Tursonov lost convincingly in the 1st round 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 despite having only 4 UEs.

July 1st, 2010 at 11:50 am

MC,

Should be a fun match to watch if they both bring their A game like they did at the AO.

July 1st, 2010 at 11:57 am

NELTA: hi! You made an interesting analysis as to why Andy plays well against Rafa. I need a bit of reassurance at the mo. so could you let me know where you put it? Cheers.

July 1st, 2010 at 12:11 pm

NELTA Says:

Tursonov lost convincingly in the 1st round 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 despite having only 4 UE

————————————–

thanks for bringing it up nelta, kudos to you!

July 1st, 2010 at 12:55 pm

Why does everyone think that Nadal is the favorite to win this match with Murray? Is it because he beat Soderling? Tsonga is no slouch either. As a matter of fact, Tsonga has better game than Soderling. Remember Murray beat Nadal in last two Grand Slams they met (2008USO, 2010 AO). I think Murray should win this if he brings his 1st serve. If the first serve is in locker room (like it was in AO finals with Fed), then he can forget beating any Top 10 player, let alone Nadal.

July 1st, 2010 at 12:59 pm

Regarding the fact that Britain needs a Murray win after decades of no win….this folks is what it feels like to be a Cubs fan.

July 1st, 2010 at 1:01 pm

Murray’s win will be a big win for Tennis sport in general. It will take over England as a phenomenon, which is required. If Nadal wins one more GS, it doesn’t really matter for anyone(except for his hardcore fans). I pray that Tennis gods should favor him to win in the best interest of game.

July 1st, 2010 at 1:04 pm

Djokovic has a 14-1 record against big guys Soderling, Berdych, Cilic and Del Potro combined. But can he beat Birdman tomorrow?

July 1st, 2010 at 1:12 pm

Well, Margot I think what you are referring to is when I said Rafa’s intense style of play brings out more aggression in Andy’s game. Strategically he knows he can’t rally and wait for Rafa to miss because he probably won’t and Andy will end up exhausted after 1 set playing all the defense. The 1st opportunity that Andy has to be aggressive he needs to take it so he isn’t doing the majority of the running. This holds true even more on grass than hard court. He needs to throw in the occasional serve and volley to keep Rafa thinking about whether he should hit the return short or deep.

For Rafa I think he has to mix up the serve like he has been doing to generate a few weak replies and/or misses. He did this nicely against Soda who never adjusted to having more serves hit to his forehand.

Their last match at the AO was very close and if they both play well and execute their game plans it should be the same here. The difference was Andy was able to convert 3 of his break chances in the 1st 2 sets while Rafa only converted twice even though Rafa had more break points.

July 1st, 2010 at 1:28 pm

In an article at the Wimbledon website, Henman says the Murray v. Nadal semi is very difficult to call, and he also said the following:
“”I’d like to see a Murray-Djokovic final and I’ll repeat what I’ve said before – Murray has a great chance to win this tournament.””

July 1st, 2010 at 1:30 pm

Sar, can Novak beat Berdy? Ha ha ha… He can and he will! Convincingly! He’s a cat, and Berdy’s a bird. Cats adore birds!

July 1st, 2010 at 1:31 pm

Jane, of course Henman would want that. But who would he want if it’s Nadal and Djokovic?

July 1st, 2010 at 1:42 pm

“re: Fed is Goat. I don’t think the players should mention injuries at all but if you were a player you would definitely wait till after a tournament to mention any injuries. mentioning injuries before matches just gives ammo to your opponents. “oh he’s got an injured leg. I’ll make to sure to grind it out extra long and see if you break down”

alot of people here seem to be looking forward to a murray/djoker final. but i have to say even for a fed worshipper/anti nadalian like me i think the
aesthetically best matchup would be nadal/djoker. their matches can be electric and pulchritudinous.

if berdych gets thru it whoever wins I don’t think it will be an easy match on the eyes.

re: sar of late the djoker gets deep in a tourney and has a tough match he develops physical/mental problems and cannot close see tsonga in AO and Melzer??? at the FO. so we’ll see if he czn overcome that tomorrow.

alot of talk about what has happened to Rog since AO ( two QF grand slam exits ) but let us remember if Dave Denko had held his nerve at the AO his Fedness would have been out of three straight GS QF’s after getting a 5th set set rear naked choeout from Delpo at the USO

July 1st, 2010 at 1:43 pm

“Duro Says:

Sar, can Novak beat Berdy? Ha ha ha… He can and he will! Convincingly! He’s a cat, and Berdy’s a bird. Cats adore birds!”

Lol! ;)

July 1st, 2010 at 1:44 pm

Duro love your take not the usual intellectual/analytical/emotional breakdown of a tennis match but an interesting take. maybe we should start consulting the players’ power animal matchup to see who is more likely to win

July 1st, 2010 at 1:45 pm

“Sar, can Novak beat Berdy? Ha ha ha… He can and he will! Convincingly! He’s a cat, and Berdy’s a bird. Cats adore birds!

Durossssimmmo – i will pull this one tomorrow if the berdy beat djoko. you seem very confident, but i can’t blame you…

Do you remember what i said the other day, that the starts might be lining up for djoko this year..he could end up playing an injured rafa in the final..rafa pulling out after 1 set all.. hehe :)

July 1st, 2010 at 1:49 pm

I think Nole can’t beat Murray in the finals. I also think Murray can’t beat Rafa in the semis. But Nole can beat Rafa in the finals…

Fed is a lion, Rafa is a black panther, Murray is bear and Novak is falcon. Berdy’s just a bird…

July 1st, 2010 at 1:50 pm

tennisfansince76,

If my memory serves me well, Duro has more than a passing interest in astrology. Consulting the players’ birth charts may be another option. Maybe, he already has. Hence his confidence about Djokovic :)

July 1st, 2010 at 1:55 pm

Voicemale1

I find it very odd that you are so sure Fed doesn’t have any injury problems specially after he played round 1 agaisnt Falla with bandages in his leg which showed below his shorts sometimes. And his very bad serving trough out the whole tourney could be due to back, as had happened in US Open. This is not excuses but, is part of the game. Berdych won the match when he save the third break point with that insane volley when Fed hit a passing shot to his backhand. He hit a low crosscourt winner volley that seal that deal. If that volley was out or high Fed would get the break. That was the mental turning point cfor Berdych cause right in the next game Fed was broken.

You mention yourself there was something in Fed’s mind that make him get tigh in bigger points, couldn’t it be that this small injurys affect his play as a whole. Everytime he dumped a ball in the middle of the court he never tryed to run to the opposite corner to surprise the opponent as Murray and Nada do, chosing sides. HE always chose the side where he didn’t have to move. His defensive court coverage was not good enough.

It’s similar to what Happen to Rafa in RG last year. He was good enough to play but when you have thngs on your head it affect you as a whole. Add to that the opponent playng excelent and you have the combo for losing big matches.

You can’t be so sure about the injury and just because you think before this tourney even staat something like this would happen, you will then dismiss any injury effect to validate your point

This is call bias!

July 1st, 2010 at 1:55 pm

Do you remember what i said the other day, that the stars might be lining up for djoko this year

Kimmi Dan Martin had a strange feeling about that too. We’ll see.

July 1st, 2010 at 1:56 pm

“I also think Murray can’t beat Rafa in the semis.”

Duro – please elaborate?

July 1st, 2010 at 1:57 pm

The stars didn’t line up for Andy, Kimmi, ha ha ha…

July 1st, 2010 at 2:01 pm

Crowdwise, I think Nole would have a harder time against Murray since it’s in his house. If it’s Rafa, the crowd might be more neutral.

July 1st, 2010 at 2:04 pm

The Nadal x Murray match will tell us a lot about the future. If Nadal loses it will be the third straight match in a Garnd Slam he will lose to Murray, in 3 different Slams (US Open 08′, AO 10′ and W 10′), and again shadows of injury will take something away from Murrya’s victory: US Open 08 tired, AO 10′ Knees, and tomorrow knees again.

Both will be under huge pressure, but more for Murray, imagine how the frenzi is going to be?!
He will play either Djoko, who he beat last 3 times or Berdy who he is 1-2 agaisnt, losing the last two one in this year RG. Who will he prefer?!:)

July 1st, 2010 at 2:06 pm

murray game forces nadal to move a lot due to very long rallies. These kind of matches are too tasking for rafa knees, thats why in the 2 occasions (AO10 and rotterdam08) nadal hurt his knees while playing murray. or could it be just a coincidence?

July 1st, 2010 at 2:21 pm

Duro!! Did you say you think Nole cannot beat Andy if they both get to the finals? Are you feeling okay today?

Leading up to the Wimby both these players weren’t in great form. It will be great to observe their games if they meet in the final.

July 1st, 2010 at 2:25 pm

cant stand the way fed messes with his hair
how about how rafa pulls his pants at his matches
or how other plays do what they do.. messing with hair not anythingn to complain about lol

July 1st, 2010 at 2:29 pm

The final outcome may be consisted of various elements, unpredictable in the moment (unless you have my skills, people :-)). The calculation should include following possible circumstances: Novak plays 1 pm tomorrow. If it gets hot he might easily have his usual problems and end up ingloriously, or as winner but totally worn up, useless for the finals. If he avoids his problems he should go through. Berdy is a fine player but totally distract now after biggest win of his career, plus the stake is too high and he’s the least experienced among all four. Murray can play great but his game style suits Rafa more than Novak’s style. Yet, Rafa could have knees or other injury problems, so all of this might be neutralized. Normally Rafa has the edge over Andy, but that’s his home land we’re talking about, audience, the desire of his life and the battle to the last breath that expects Rafa from Andy’s side. Whatever happens, that match should probably exhaust them both to the extreme limits to leave the field open for the final opponent. If it’s Novak, he might easily take the advantage especially against Rafa, but even possibly against Andy but less likely. If it’s Berdy, he’ll lose anyway. All in all: Rafa’s chances – 51,5%; Andy’s chances – 48,1%; Novak chances – 49,8%; Berdy’s chances – 22,4%. That’s statistics. One day you eat meat, other day you eat cabbage, in average you eat sarma (great distinguished meal in Balkans, more valuable than both of those two separate ingredients), but that’s hardly the truth. That’s how 49,8% becomes bigger than 51,5 and Berdy’s 22,4 becomes zero chances!

Who will be the winner of the 2010 Wimbledon tennis Grand Slam championship?

I won’t tell, he he he…

July 1st, 2010 at 2:35 pm

Butterflies in my stomach, stu! Always before big matches! Like as I’m in love…

But I also said Andy can’t beat Rafa in the semis, so it levels that in the terms of the final winner.

July 1st, 2010 at 2:40 pm

NELTA,

I don’t know if Murray really feels he has to attack Nadal more. He has made tactical adjustments against Nadal in the past but I can’t recall him doing this as a pre-planned strategy from the very beginning of the match. I also think that it is not that easy anymore considering the fact that Nadal himself has become a very aggressive player and Murray does not possess a consistently big forehand. Nadal will, in all probability, try to do what he did in that 2008 wimby qf and play really aggressively by hitting much flatter than he normally does.

Murray will be in big trouble if he does not serve well. Nadal’s serve, on the other hand, is more effective on grass than on any other surface. However, Murray has an additional burden which , at least, I can not underestimate. A sf at wimby against an absolute beast like Nadal is just about as tough as it gets. Murray will be under incredible pressure to deliver especially after the early exit of England from the soccer world cup. I know he always downplays this aspect but I am sure he feels it. He can not expect any respite from Nadal either in terms of free/loose/cheap points. He has to really earn it and I suspect this combination of a formidable opponent and huge pressure may be too much for even him to handle. I won’t have a problem if it were a match at the USO or the AO.

Murray has enough game to beat Nadal and I get the feeling he will win many more wimbys/slams once he wins his first one. It remains to be seen if it will happen this year though.

July 1st, 2010 at 2:45 pm

Daniel:

If he was “injured” (and let’s remember Federer isn’t one to be devoid of any number of explanations when he loses a match), then why cite it at all? I mean, if he was well enough to win his previous two matches in straight sets like the Federer of old (which he did), what was it that suddenly cropped up in the loss? We didn’t hear about his injury against Clement or Melzer. Or did we? Dunno. I know a champion like Federer hates losing, but the fact is Berdych played extremely well. The stats Federer put up say he was playing well enough to win, but Berdych just played better. Federer likes his Federer-esque aura to burn brightly 24/7. It doesn’t burn as much when he loses, and that’s what he doesn’t like.

When Federer loses a match like that, why not just say that Berdych played well (which is true); that he had his chances (which Federer did) and he just lost, period. The injury nonsense takes away from Berdych. Which is Federer’s real aim. And IF it was really true that he was “hurting”, then let it go for now and return to fight another day; after all, what he’s moaning about isn’t an injury that’s requiring surgery or extended time away from the game. Federer’s ego got in the way of his graciousness making the comments he made. Federer’s never been a gracious loser; he’s almost always a pissy, cry-baby type loser. It’s unbecoming to someone like him. He never wants anyone to think he was ever just outplayed on the day – which in this case he certainly was.

The question to you Daniel is: why are you so willing to unequivocally believe what Federer says, without a shred of any skepticism?

July 1st, 2010 at 2:48 pm

Duro, you’re missing the point. On his day, Novak can beat anybody. Now repeat that 100 times :)

July 1st, 2010 at 2:55 pm

On his day Novak can beat anybody!
On his day Novak can beat anybody!
On his day Novak can beat anybody!
On his day Novak can beat anybody!
.
.
.
.

July 1st, 2010 at 2:58 pm

Voicemale 1,

great post again. Federer was probably too emotional in his post match conference. If you check the sports websites you’ll see that those comments did not do him good at all.

I will leave my comments about Federer’s attitude for a later time but just want to say that he did mention a thigh problem after Melzer match. (citing his loss to Hewitt), but he said he was fine. So perhaps it is a lingering injury.

July 1st, 2010 at 3:01 pm

Federer is done. RIP the king.

July 1st, 2010 at 3:16 pm

1pm tomorrow, 72F or 22C, mostly cloudy, no chance of rain. The stage is set.

July 1st, 2010 at 3:16 pm

But in Fed’s defense, who wouldn’t be pissed off right after losing a match? I mean I saw the interview and I’m sure the last thing in the world he’d want to do is talk more about his loss.

July 1st, 2010 at 3:25 pm

NELTA: thanks. As I’ve just posted elsewhere, if Andy’s serve is clicking he has a chance, if it’s not he’ll be eaten alive. I also think over the past year Fed really got into Andy’s head but he sees Rafa quite differently “enjoys playing him” apparently….
Duro: I love your posts I’m laughing now in a good way but Andy aint no bear. You see I think he’s a cat of some sort too- you think he’s snoozing and then whoosh from no-where he pounces!
Djko should beat the Berd but it’s nothing to do with the stars, it’s to do with talent.

July 1st, 2010 at 3:30 pm

All this talk of Fed talking about his injury after the match is way overblown. I think it is more of a human trait than a character flaw. But that was not all he said in the interview. He did talk about Berdych’s game too. Sigh! All this drama over a tennis match and he said or she said. It is not like other top players do not talk about it after they lose their matches. I do it too though I am not famous. Have not stopped bad mouthing someone who stole my job 4 yrs ago and I am known as one of the nicest person with not a mean bone in my body. The media and the public are having a feast with Fed as their main menu. I guess it comes with the territory.

Congrats to the last 4 left standing. I hope the best man wins. I know that they are all going to come out with their guns blazing.Should be fun to watch.

July 1st, 2010 at 3:30 pm

im a huge fed fan, but i knew in my head nadal will pull this off(in my heart, of course, i wanted roger) also i don’t get all the opinions on federer mentioning his injury and him being a sore loser for doing that. didn’t nadal mention, a couple of months after losing in miami to roddick, he had knee injury? y would he mention that a couple of months later. no one seems to criticize him but federer seems to be getting loads of criticism. i dont know whats going on w/roger, but i hope he can win more majors. also hope murray wins this tournament or berdych

July 1st, 2010 at 3:35 pm

Well, it’s funny that people are always out in full force to accuse Fed of bringing up excuses when he loses, but nobody says anything when their guys, who keep giving far more excuses than Fed can ever dream of, blame it on their injuries while losing, and at the same time sarcastically adding that their opponents also played well, lol! ;)

I think some fans love P.R. stunts of their guys far more than honesty and truthfulness of Federer. So be it!

July 1st, 2010 at 3:42 pm

C’mon Sheila,

It’s useless to try explaining some people who day in and day out come up whining, bashing and complaining against all other players, whether it be regarding their games or their behaviour or even morals, except of course their own guy! You should have known that by now, being here for so long as a poster!

July 1st, 2010 at 3:48 pm

1pm tomorrow, 72F or 22C, mostly cloudy, no chance of rain—

I know, one match at a time. Good weather report but what about Sunday?

July 1st, 2010 at 3:59 pm

can the semis start already?

July 1st, 2010 at 3:59 pm

sar, the final will be later in the day, so all novak has to do is make it there and play his (naturally magnificent) game :)

July 1st, 2010 at 4:01 pm

Fed fans,
Right before the match Mary Jo Fernandez said Fed has had niggling problems with his back and leg. This was said -before- the match so I believe he had some problems and this was not some BS excuse.

July 1st, 2010 at 4:02 pm

has a tough match he develops physical/mental problems and cannot close see tsonga in AO–

Tennis Fan 76,
Yeah but with Tsonga wasn’t Novak up two sets before he went off court to hurl and spew and basically give up? Same with the Hewitt match MTO, he was up two sets and a game before he hurled and came back to win.

July 1st, 2010 at 4:07 pm

Thanks Stu, esp. about the mostly cloudy part. If the weather cooperates, the rest is up to Nole.

July 1st, 2010 at 4:08 pm

Well, I think some people out there read some different interview than the official interview that Fed actually gave after his loss coz the gist of the real official interview of Roger Federer, the tennis player, is:

Fed clearly mentioned that Berdych came up with the goods at the right time as he had to and consequently won. But Fed was also completely justified and honest when he said that he knew that he could have done much better!

TOO BAD IF PEOPLE DIDN’T LIKE WHAT FED SAID. NOBODY CAN DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT.

July 1st, 2010 at 4:09 pm

“sar Says:
Fed fans,
Right before the match Mary Jo Fernandez said Fed has had niggling problems with his back and leg. This was said -before- the match so I believe he had some problems and this was not some BS excuse.”

SAR:

GOOD FOR YOU FOR BEING THE VOICE OF REASON. :D
THANK YOU AND KEEP THE NICE POSTS COMING.

July 1st, 2010 at 4:12 pm

‘If you check the sports websites you’ll see that those comments did not do him good at all.’

Well, slightly differ here. Those comments did him no harm at all. His usual haters and critics are the only persons who’re complaining about it, it’s(Fed’s criticism and bashing) happened neither for the first nor for the last time. Stay cool!

July 1st, 2010 at 4:17 pm

I’m fine with media vultures pounced all over Fed’s still warm corpse — they’ve waited for too long. LOL!

Same with all other player’s fans — long over-dued moment to enjoy.

I’m just amused by the high grounds taking by some so-called Fed fans: they are faulting Fed’s mention of injuries in his post-match presser. How dare Fed did this to his fans? Not only he lost Wimbledon, which is his by default (per some fans), breaking the hearts of his loyal fans, but also he added salt to wound by not graciously accepting “the opponent was great”. Didn’t he know that his fans must have something to hang on after such a loss? Bad man, this Fed! And poor fans…

But, I’m very glad that:
1) Fed did not withdraw from Wimbledon after losing FO QF, no.1 ranking, and Halle final. Would be much easier if he just anounced injuries, had a great vacation, and came back next year as 2009 Wimbledon champion.
2) Escaped 1st and 2nd round scare;
3) Fought hard in a very difficult match against a very talented player;
4) Waited for Berdchy to leave the court together and waved to crowd;
5) Faced the press right away and revealed his true feelings about the match.

Hats off to our champion. Here’s a brave man, in victory and in defeat.

July 1st, 2010 at 4:29 pm

i too am rooting for murray. he’s always been on the cusp and now he doens’t have to face roger in a final (if he gets that far).

someone here noted that soderling really only had a big serve and a bigger forehand and not much else and there is a bit of truth in that. he’s not as developed in his all around game but maybe that will come over the next year.

how many people want to bet that if berdych wins wimbledon good ole bjorn borg will make an appearance and declare him to be the next player to make it to #1 in the rankings? ha ha.

of all the things that are leaking into roger’s game these days, the BP conversions (or lack thereof) is definitely a major factor. just watching the last bit of the fed/berdych match on TSN and fed has been spraying balls and giving tentative serve returns.

July 1st, 2010 at 4:30 pm

re: sar

yes just as I said. he couldn’t close. he was up 2 sets to 0 on Melzer before he let it slip away. he has had matches he should have won and he has not made it to the finish line. as Alec Baldwin said in “Glengarry Glen Ross”, “Coffee is for Closers”. so we’ll see if Nole gets to drink a cup of coffee after his match w/ Berdych.

July 1st, 2010 at 4:30 pm

I’m not the biggest Fed fan to be sure. I just don’t understand the guy at all. If you decide you’re going to climb into the arena than don’t make excuses. My back hurts or my knee hurts or whatever. Gimme a break. He’s not 24 or 25 anymore. At this stage in his career, he’s going to have to accept the fact that he’ll likely carry some nagging injuries. Injuries that would have quickly healed up 3 or 4 year earlier. He just seems a little out of touch to me. Clearly, it’s hard for any great champion to accept the curse of father time. I’m not saying Fed should hang up his Nikes. Not at all. I just think he needs a bit of a reality check.

Fact is, he’s not as good as he was 2 or 3 years ago and definitely not as good as he was 4 or 5 years ago. The guy was about as good as anyone can be so the only place to go from there is downward. And the fact is, in any given match he can still display his best tennis. But, over 7 matches in a slam I doubt he will ever again be able to dominate the way he did. It’s normal, not a flaw in the man. As a great champion he doesn’t (nor should he ever )think that losing is acceptable. At this point, he needs to figure out how to bring out his best tennis at the right moments. He’s seemed to falter in this area over the past 6 months or so.

July 1st, 2010 at 4:42 pm

tennisfansince76 Says:

Alec Baldwin said in “Glengarry Glen Ross”, “Coffee is for Closers”. so we’ll see if Nole gets to drink a cup of coffee after his match w/ Berdych.

——————-

Love that movie. A classic. Jack Lemmon, Alec Baldwin, Ed Harris, Kevin Spacey. Great cast, great acting!

July 1st, 2010 at 4:44 pm

Feel bad for Roddick. Clearly, with no Federer, this was the year to WIN IT. I dont think it will happen now.

(Sorry!)

July 1st, 2010 at 4:46 pm

Hard to say if Andy won’t win it. He still has the big serve. Fed won’t be threat he’s been the the past 7 or 8 years. If Andy comes into Wmbledon in the next year of 2 with his game in gear, he still has a shot. He’s played well on grass in the past. Like Ivanisevic, he may have one last hurrah in him. I’d like to see him get one. He’d definitely deserve it as much as anyone.

July 1st, 2010 at 4:52 pm

re: SG

yes it was a great one. haven’t seen it in a long time but that one line stays in my brain. and don’t forget Al Pacino as star salesman Ricky Roma

July 1st, 2010 at 4:53 pm

“You what it takes to sell real estate gentlemen? Brass balls!”. And Baldwin was actually holding brass balls. Great scene. Don’t remember Pacino. I guess it’s been a while for me as well.

July 1st, 2010 at 4:59 pm

SG,

IF Fed does “a reality check” as you suggest, he should then indeed hang up his Nikes. What keeps him going, after 16 slams and two kids and multimillions of cash, and with a body that’s sustained a decade of tour abuse and chronicle back and thigh trouble, is this defiance against time and odds, this burning fire to compete.

Gimme a gracious loser I’ll give you a loser. It’s a package.

July 1st, 2010 at 5:10 pm

Voicemale:

I know Federer’s injury was pure nonsensical excuse, like the one your guy took, after his loss to Soderling in the FO 09 4th round. ;)

July 1st, 2010 at 5:26 pm

Twocents: that last sentence is just perfect.

July 1st, 2010 at 5:27 pm

Well, if Fed is not a gracious loser, tell me who the f### else is(except Roddick)? Tell me!

If anything, there’s ONLY ONE MAN who doesn’t make excuses (in any kind,form or manner) after losing a match and that’s ANDY RODDICK; NONE F###### ELSE!!

July 1st, 2010 at 5:32 pm

phew, relax Huh, why so agitated today?

July 1st, 2010 at 5:35 pm

Mr. Twocents:

Hi! :)

CLASSIC POST AT 4.29 PM! :D

July 1st, 2010 at 5:35 pm

I’m a Fed fan, deep and thick. And a strong believer in giving back. After years of joy from Fed’s glories run, I’d cut him plenty slack in this last phase of his career.

July 1st, 2010 at 5:36 pm

What keeps Roger going is…. He said he loves tennis!

Why can’t people accept the fact that he just loves tennis? Some of the other tennis players who were ‘stressed out, tired of everything, and gave up earlier are now – guess what – back on tour. They figured out that you don’t really retire in your 20s with nothing else planned to do! Just because Roger is losing more matches than he has before is no reason for him to ‘give up tennis’.

July 1st, 2010 at 5:44 pm

stu:

Agitated coz some people are back here happily giving vent to their long-held frustration by accusing Fed of telling lies about injuries and taking excuses and most important of all, their usual garbage re: Fed being an ungracious loser. How terrible! I don’t know how one Fed fan will not be provoked to hit back or defend Fed in this case?

July 1st, 2010 at 5:46 pm

I’m a massive Federer fan, but . . . he’s out of the tournament. And all this accusatory sniping back and forth about his sportsmanship or supposed lack thereof is pretty silly. Cut the fellow some slack, I say, but moving right along . . .

Go Nole! I really would love to see the ornery Serb hoist the golden trophy on Sunday.

July 1st, 2010 at 5:50 pm

“The question to you Daniel is: why are you so willing to unequivocally believe what Federer says, without a shred of any skepticism?”

People better go and ask similar question to the fans of their own guy first! If they never ask such know-it-all kinda questions to fans of some particular player, then they also have no right to ask similar question to a fan of Federer while he’s defending Fed from the arrogant chest-pumping verbal onslaughts of his BIG-TIME haters, if any!

July 1st, 2010 at 5:52 pm

Hi, Huh, brother, you go!

Awesome Wimbledon so far :-)).

July 1st, 2010 at 5:53 pm

Also, there’s a New York Times blog with the title “Why Nadal is Still In and Federer is Out” (or something along those lines). The answer, I think, boils down to something pretty simple: Nadal is five years younger than Federer.

July 1st, 2010 at 5:53 pm

Seth:

The thing is Fed doesn’t have to be cut any slack for his comments as what he’s said is pretty much normal and more or less all the players give similar opinions at the end of their matches. So what’s the big deal? Why only Fed’s being unwarrantedly targetted?

July 1st, 2010 at 5:59 pm

Huh,

Perhaps I should’ve said, “Let it go, everyone,” rather than “Cut him some slack.” I mean, it’s really not that big of a deal either way, no matter what your opinion of Fed’s post-match comments.

July 1st, 2010 at 6:03 pm

Why don’t you guys look at this interview with Roger and the BBC. Maybe it will clear up some questions. It think this is a great interview and Roger covers everything from his injuries, to Berdych’s great play, to why he still play tennis!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/8776313.stm

July 1st, 2010 at 6:03 pm

Of course Mr.Twocents, the WIM has very been interesting so far, although Rod losing here has spoiled it for me to some extent. But that said, I was really enjoying every bit of it until OI finally realised that Fed’s loss here is going to make the hell break loose here, unless the self-righteous ones desist from posting crap about Fed! More or less, the good atmosphere’s gonna disappear if the trashtalking and venom against Fed doesn’t stop!

July 1st, 2010 at 6:07 pm

Seth:

Don’t think that in my post I was accusin g you of anything bad or of targetting Fed or stuff. You definitely are not the one who’s bashing Fed here, they are someone else about whom I was telling you as to why only Fed is being scrutinised and chastised while others are being let scot free! I must tell you that I’ve seen lots of double standards here by people while talking about their own guy and about others. While they’d never question the supposed saintliness of other guys, their only aim is to criticise and malign Fed’s image through various smartless posts and lies and whining!

July 1st, 2010 at 6:17 pm

Back in 1990 Paris Indoor, Boris Becker could have reached no.1 rank for the first time in his career if he beats Edberg in the final. But Becker had to default 3 games into the match: he pulled his right thigh. Sampras had trouble with his right thigh when he won his 7th Wimbledon. With all these single-handed backhanders, right leg, the supporting leg, yields away first. There’s no myth. Before his QF match with Davy at FO2007, Fed secretly flew back to Switzerland to see a doctor on some leg muscle trouble. His movement in the last two sets of FO07 final was sub-par, and he withdrew from Halle afterwards citing a thigh injury, staying away from court for 3 days. In USO2009 QF against Le Sod, Fed pulled his leg muscle again. He had to strap his leg during the rain break in the following weekend’s Davis Cup tie.

In short, Fed was making execuses for his loss, but he did not invent his injuries, not to me a Fed fan. His physcial condition was exactly the top reason I did not pick him a slam winner for the rest of this year, after that stellar AO win.

July 1st, 2010 at 6:21 pm

Huh,

I don’t know why you are so uncharacteristically agitated and overwrought today, but I would like to remind you about the hatespeak that was cut and pasted here a few days ago about Rafa.

You participated in that, along with dave. How do you justify that as you go on and on about how horrific the comments are about Fed? Maybe you should go back and read the comments you and dave so kindly decided to post from other sites. It was the most virulent, sickening filth about Rafa that I have read in quite some time. Everyone was calling Rafa a cheater, a fake, someone who doesn’t play by the rules, someone who lies or makes up injuries and other personal attacks on him that should not be repeated.

I said what I thought about it. Then you asked me if I thought you were wrong to do that. Well, my answer to you is now a resounding YES! You can’t expect to have it both ways. So Rafa is fair game, but Fed cannot be touched? Sorry, but it doesn’t work that way. You notice that I have not said anything about Fed. I didn’t go to other sites and cherry pick the nastiest, most putrid comments about him and then cut and paste them on this site.

People have the right to express their honest feelings about a player and what he says, as long as they do it in a respectful, reasonable manner.

July 1st, 2010 at 6:25 pm

Huh,

I have many good Chinese friends. But man, why did this Lu guy have to spoil Roddick’s chance? As a matter of fact, I was worried last year when I saw Fed’s 1st round opponent was Lu, cuz I watched Lu defeated Murray in Beijing Olympics in 2008. He could be tricky, like Michael Chang.

July 1st, 2010 at 6:26 pm

Ok, maybe this will put the injury thing to rest. I go with tennisfansince76, and if you’ve ever played tournaments, there is no need for explanation.

First all IMO let me clarify he setup opinion. All successful tennis players have an ego, an arrogance, and confidence that they can win. It’s part of the mentality and makeup of the player. They never go into a match saying to themselves ” Uh oh…the other guy is good, I hope I can win.” Heck with that attitude they have lost before the match started,

Now, with that mentality, IMO it leaks ( there inner ego, confidence and arrogance ) into interviews, which IMO they have WAY to many of them. These guys aren’t the President where you hinge on everyword. You guys dissect to much up here with there interviews. Fed AND Rafa’s…

Anyways, to the injury thing. tennisfansince76 says “I don’t think the players should mention injuries at all but if you were a player you would definitely wait till after a tournament to mention any injuries. mentioning injuries before matches just gives ammo to your opponents.”

Exactly. It would be ludicrous to tell the media ( which indirectly your telling to the whole field in the tourney ) that you have a bum right knee that is bothering you prior to playing, as an example. That is just stupid!

So, when does a guy have the opportunity to explain himself? AFTER the tournament. there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Rafa and Fed have both done it. Now you may have exception to how they explain it, but this is where the first part comes in. Theses guys have an inner ego that is huge, and it is normal, and after a loss, they are pissed. Some blow it off like Roddick and turn there loss on the media, which I think is a crack up.

I guess my only exception is not in telling the media afterwords you have an injury, but how to explain it in regards to your loss. Regardless of that’s how you felt or not. Furthermore, it’s not cool too all of the sudden go back a year or two and say ” oh yeah, I was hurt back then”.

Remember, the bottom line is, if you entered hurt, that was your choice. If you got hurt during the tourney, well pull out and don’t play or play and don’t complain. Talk about your hurts after but don’t take down the guy that beat you fair and square across the net.

July 1st, 2010 at 6:31 pm

Wow Sean, so clever of you!

So injury had nothing to do with Fed’s loss despite him tying a bandage in his first match itself, eh? Arguably Fed’s injury is far more serious than Nadal’s injury otherwise Fed’s not the one to cite injury or other thing in his loss AS AN EXCUSE. And why’e you so surprised that Fed injury did not stop him from winning match vs two older and much lower ranked opponents? After all, Fed despite his injury somehow passed the 3rd and 4th round matches and it’s understandable why? It certainly is easier to score victory against aged, lower ranked and lesser talented guys like Melzer and Clement, but it’s certainly intelligible that when you’re actually carrying injuries in back and in leg, it’s going to really trouble you against truly dangerous, younger, very talented, volatile and in-form opponents like Berdych! So surprising you don’t accept this much and come up across as someone who thinks that Fed’s making excuses!

Well for that I’d say, you ceertainly derive pleasure from doubting the players’ credibility, no? You were around this last year coming up with articles which almost suggested as if Rafa was faking injury and this year you’re arguing against the genuineness of Federer’s opinion! And we also know that you almost always criticise Novak, whether or not you’re sure as to whether your criticism is justified or not! What does it say about you? I am really starting to think now that you’re also a phony and don’t really believe what you say or write. Hopefully I’m wrong here, but it almost goes without saying that you’ve many times shown that you’re more style than substance and so also is your writing.

July 1st, 2010 at 6:43 pm

SG, I agree, if anyone out there is working as hard as possible, it’s Roddick. Hard work doesnt always pay off nor does it guarantee another grand slam win for Roddick. I appreciate his tennis, he gives everything his has every time, he earns every point he gets on the tour!

July 1st, 2010 at 6:58 pm

excellent post Skeezer right on the money. another point. injuries like Fed is starting to get are normal, a normal part of the aging process for an elite modern athelete. if it wasn’t then connors, borg, lendl, sampras might still be on tour and threatening to win GS’s.

July 1st, 2010 at 7:03 pm

Whether you’re a fan of Fed or not, if it makes you feel righteous and nobler, go trash him too lazy to train, too vain to give opponent credit, and too old to change racquet or drink a beer, as much as you want. Too bad can’t take back those slams and awards. LOL!

Win or lose, I prefer good fight on court and honest opinions and burning fire from the mouth of lion himself to any PR scripts.

July 1st, 2010 at 7:24 pm

Mindy:

I accept that I must have been very wrong then in posting those comments then, but I sincerely posted those comments from WIM site only to show that the comments which Dave was posting did not tell the whole truth. Thus, I copy pasted all the comments from WIM site to show that the positive comments received about Rafa far exceeds the few neghative comments that Dave copy pasted here. I pasted those comments not to show the hatred towards Rafa, but to show the far more love for Rafa(which reflected through the comments from WIM site). Interestingly, even I have not read more than a couple of positive comments about Rafa, which were at the beginning of the comment list. Don’t you think Dave was presenting only the negative response towards Rafa? Simply to balance it, I posted also all the far out-numbering positive responses to and comments Rafa. If you still think, I was wrong, then, I have to seriously apologise to you and to other great posters (mainly Rafa lovers) here on tennis-x.

And so far as my so-called uncharacteristically agitated mood goes, I have to say there’s nothing uncharacteristic about it. You know Mindy, I respect you for your fairness and am thst’s why telling you: you must have seen by now how som e Nadal fans have started their accusations and hatespeak towards Fed today by terming him ungracious, pissy, cry-baby loser etc. Was it really ncessary to say such silly things today, after Fed lost? I don’t think so. It’s not in my natutre to kick someone when he’s down. That’s not in m uy characteristic to the best of my knowledge and also to the best of the knowledge of my friends and near and dear ones! I never get agitated uncharacteristically, but only characteristically when I think soemthing really unjust happens. When people were wriring Rafa off, then I wasn’t dping so. I rather, if really required, defended him as in 2009 or 2010 beginning, Rafa needed to be shown respect and support. And nobody more than my dearest friend in my personal life(who’s one of the biggest Nadal fan in this world!) knows how much I respect Nadal, I need not explain it to faceless ones here. I just gave my opinion from time to time to defend Rafa, when I feel the need was utter and my preventing from doing so would lead my own conscience to blame me! But I hope, you can understand that I’m not Nadal fan and thus can only partly channel my energy to defend Rafa in the face of grave injustice, I owe a lesser alleginace to Rafa. But as I am a Fed fan and people are tearing him(his game and behaviour etc.) to shreds today by calling him sore-loser, ungracious lser, excuse-maker, cry-baby(and expect other denigrating qualifications to follow soon!), I have to defend him , defend him more than I could defend Nadal, as I owe something more to Fed than to Rafa! I can contribute my time to mostly defend my guys and only then other players. Thus I’m sorry if I was unable to defend Rafa more, but I tried my best to defend as far as possible.

But then, I knew that Rafa has great and capable fans like you, Anna and Aleish who’d defend him in case someone started spouting venom against him. Similarly I am also here to defend Fed, should anybody give provocative anti-Fed opinions here. That’s our respective likings here. And that’d obviously continue. Moreover, what I feel towards Fed or Rafa would never change my good impression about you. That’s why I am answering you. And I swear, I hardly raised the name of Rafa today, despite the bashing dsome Nadal fans meted out to Fed today. You know why? It’s because of certain intangible thing I feel like owing to level-minded and honest posters like you! Your respect for Fed has certainly won my heart and you’re certainly not resposible for my ‘just and reasonable’ agitation. You’ve so far not givem me a reason to get disappointed with you! So how can I be? But, I’m sure that some others have given me reasons to be pissed off, thanks to their anti-federer outburst.

AND LAST BUT NOT THE LEAST, I HAVE NEVER SAID TO YOU OR TO MYSELF THAT FED/RAFA ARE SAINTS. AND WHETHER OR NOT YOU BELIEVE ME, BUT I HONESTLY DON’T DOUBT RAFA’S INTEGRITY, HONESTY, MORALS OR ETHICS. I’M NOT THE GUY TO TAKE CHEAP SHOTS AT ANYONE INCLUDING RAFA. THAT’S WHY I HAVE QUALIFIED ALL MY COMMENTS ABOUT HIM ADDING THINGS LIKE “PERCIEVED” AND STUFF. I CAN SPEAK HERE ONLY ON MY BEHALF. AND SO FAR AS I’M NOT LYING TO/CHEATING ON ANYBODY, I HAVE NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT.

TAKE CARE AND KEEP POSTING. :)

July 1st, 2010 at 7:25 pm

Mindy:

You read filth about Rafa, I agree. But I also read garbage regarding Fed. You and I both suffer. That’s why I find something in common with you.

July 1st, 2010 at 7:36 pm

MINDY:

PLEASE REPLY, IF YOU’RE READING THIS.

July 1st, 2010 at 7:37 pm

MINDY:

ARE YOU THERE?

July 1st, 2010 at 7:38 pm

MINDY:

ANOTHER THING IS TILL I AM HERE AND AS FAR AS I AM ABLE TO, I’D GO ON AND ON DEFENDING FED, WHERE I FEEL HE NEEDS TO BE DEFENDED, NOTHING WILL STOP ME FROM DEFENDING FED.

July 1st, 2010 at 7:42 pm

MINDY:

PLEASE REPLY IF POSSIBLE, I’M SIGN ING OFF FOR TODAY, HOWEVER, WOULD COME BHACK AND READ YOUR COMMENTS/REPLY LATER.

July 1st, 2010 at 7:43 pm

Because he had mention the injury during the tourney and his movement was akward sometimes, he was letting go points without much effort. Plus his serve was not great, every time his serve faults you bet that he is struggling with his back. Not that he can’t win matches this way but ignore 100 % sure that they played a factor among severel others during a match, to me is bias. They deserve the beneffit of the doubt, specially when you have some facts to validate it, but I agree with you, to mention this right after may not be the best move. You give your opponents your weak spots which only grow theur hunger to beat you.

July 1st, 2010 at 8:05 pm

To me more than anything roger has gone lazy especially in the training,i mean when you have won as much as he has i am sure you get to be a little arrogant and wouldn’t accept to be told what to do or to work harder but that is exactly what he needs now that he is older and clearly slower to make sure he cannot be overpowered by those big hitters.

Roger used to eat them for breakfast with his all around game,using the slice but also returning differently at times to keep them guessing but he would come up with amazing winners out of nowhere as he was aggressive and kept them on the back foot but for a reason he seems to have chosen to copy rafa ways of playing by hitting with a lot of spin which is good but at this stage in his career he cannot suddenly change his game to become a grinder when he clearly lacks rafa defensive skills but most importantly wheels and left arm.

Roger has also never been a mentally strong player because for me,i always felt that his game was all about what his hands and body could do and then he was so confident and fit he could outlast anyone but soon as rafa came around he had someone who could match him for stamina,speed but was clearly mentally tougher than him and that threw roger off,judging by roger pretty much losing matches to rafa before they even got onto the court,all because in his head he has never believed he could actually beat rafa,which was more apparent at the AO 2009 where he completely lost his head in the 5th set despite nadal having played a five setter the day before.

But roger to get back to his level or to a level that would allow him to at least do well enough to get in contention to win another major,has to work harder to compensate for the loss of his speed,natural strength which all come down to him being older but we all saw agassi managed to play his best tennis past 30s so nothing should stop roger from doing the same especially as he is more gifted,younger and quicker than andre was but is he as motivated because having already won what is there to be won,you have to wonder.

I really and truly hate to see someone work hard in training but then come to the court and be lazy in not moving their feet to hit even the easiest of shots and that is something roger in the past could afford to do because he was stronger and quicker so he could really muscle but as he is now quicker those type of shots are going to be harder to hit so compensate by putting in the effort like nadal does even if he is younger but i bet even when nadal will be 29 he would still be making sure his feet where in the right position for him to be able to make a shot.

That is what roger needs work harder and stop being lazy,go see a psychiatrist to sort out his mental strength so he doesn’t give up even if he gets beaten a lot.

July 1st, 2010 at 10:41 pm

Huh,

I’m here! Oh my goodness, I haven’t been online for hours and now I come back and see that you think I am ignoring you.

I am not mad at you! I just don’t like to see you so upset. I see that people have come on here and said some stupid things about Fed. They are wrong! I know this is hard for you and the other Fed fans. No one likes to see their favorite player lose in his best slam tournament, one which he has dominated in such great fashion.

I don’t know how I can say it any better than I have, but I will try. I do not support or like or agree with anyone who comes on here for the sole purpose of inciting, instigating, insulting players or other posters! You will never hear that from me. However, it’s hard for me to still read comments comparing Fed’s grace, honesty, decency, integrity while once more saying that Rafa is lacking in all these qualities. Do you think it’s easy to see your player called a cheat, a liar, a fake? According to some Fed fans, those accusations are quite legitimate. I try to stay out of it. I pick my fights. I dealt with the MTO issue and used facts to back up my argument.

I am honestly tired of defending Rafa from irrational attacks by people who simply hate his guts. You don’t see me here all the time, do you? I stand up for Rafa because I believe in him. I have seen all the greats over the years, but it has been the privilege of my life to be a Rafa fan. I am sure you feel the same way about Fed.

I am also upset about Roddick losing. If it couldn’t be Rafa, I wanted Roddick to finally get his Wimbledon trophy. It’s hard to see him lose his chance.

I know that you are feeling bad about Fed and these people who say things about him make it even worse. I did not mean to upset you. I think you have a good heart. I send out my condolences to you and other Fed fans on his loss. I also think that Fed is far from done. From what I have seen, champions always have another great run in them. Fed will, too. I can’t say when, but I know it will happen. This is just a hard time for you to have to endure.

Hang in there! Don’t be unhappy! You can’t stop those who throw out cheap shots when someone’s player loses. It always hurts.

One part of me hurts for Roddick, while the other part of me wants Rafa to win back the title that he could not defend last year. I don’t know what will happen tomorrow. All I know is that Rafa is as ready as he can be and will do his best to win.

Please hang in there! I am sorry that I did not reply. I wish I had come back online sooner.

Take care!

July 1st, 2010 at 11:27 pm

Commenting on Roger when he loses sounds easy.
And nobody would say that they have a back problem just to escape a lost match. Roger did not say that when he lost AO finals. People with back problems can understand what it feels like admitting to having a back problem. Tennis once a beautiful game of long rallies and volleys has now become a slugfest of bodybuilders who knows to only serve big and hit like a cannon. The likes of federer are obviously going down.

July 1st, 2010 at 11:34 pm

Some people here are seemingly in much more need of going to a psychiatrist than Roger, if we’re to believe that they actually think Fed as not hardworking or as mentally weak or that he gives/gave up the matches at the mere sight of Nadal. These people perhaps missed the pre-2007 non-clay matches of Fed vs Rafa and may be, also did not see the MAD 09 final. They need to do a reality check about themselves now if at all they wanna be taken seriously and not as those popping up occasionally to provide us some much needed comical relief!

July 2nd, 2010 at 4:57 am

I don’t think anyone’s saying that Fed isn’t lying or he is being dishonest about his injuries and that he’s making excuses. What all the comments here are trying to say is once you lose, you have to give some credit to your opponent. If you continue to imply you’d have won if not for your injuries, that’s saying your opponent can never win when you’re not injured. In case of Federer, this too may be true as his game is supreme above all but that doesn’t make him look humble at all.

July 2nd, 2010 at 6:15 am

Federer’s interview, well I have been reading a lot of the comments surrounding it and there are many criticisms. Those remarks, ESPN analyst Pam Shriver said, were “grumpier and less gracious than usual. I think he’s on edge. I think internally, maybe he’s a little bit uncomfortable because of the big question hanging over him?”
Said Shriver, “Certainly, this is going to put a lot of pressure on him to put together a run at the [U.S.] Open. The thing is, he’s already won a Slam this year, in Australia. In men’s tennis, that’s a good result.

I think people need a very big reminder sometimes about how brilliant federer has been at setting tennis at such a high level with consistency in terms of his brand of tennis.

“He’s just set such a ridiculous pace — two a year, three a year — that he’s really a victim of his own success.” This was said by Shriver.
Nadal said of Federer’s loss:

“When you play against these kind of players, like Soderling, like Berdych, they have a very good serve and very powerful shots from the baseline,” Nadal observed. “It’s very difficult sometimes to stop these players, no?

“Roger did amazing the last seven years here, so someday must happen this. Happen today.”
Said Djokovic, “Federer is the best player that ever played this game. And still to be able to play this way after he has won so many Grand Slams is just great. I mean, you have to give him credit for everything he has done.

“So it’s normal for him to lose. I mean, you guys, you know, you think he shouldn’t lose at all? I mean, you have to congratulate to Berdych for playing that well.”

As Federer said himself: “I know I cannot go on for ever, I know there will be a time when there will be more losses. But even if I fall to No5 in the world rankings, I want to play on because I love the game.”

Tim Henman politely scoffs when asked if he feels Roger Federer is coming to the end of a career that has seen him become the greatest tennis player ever.
“Write him off at your peril,” said Henman, the man who reached six Grand Slam semi-finals as Britain’s shining light before stepping into retirement.
“Remember, I played some of the best tennis of my career when I was 29.”
Federer is only 28, but his defeat here by Tomas Berdych on Wednesday means that he has left the last two Grand Slam events at the quarter-final stage, after winning his record-breaking 16th Slam in Australia in January. Suddenly, his life is changing. A few of the things Henman said, “There are family factors to consider and the pull of a different way of life may have started to eat away at his ambitions. He has spoken honestly about how he will have to come to terms with being away from home as his twin girls grow up and approach school age.

“It will be interesting to see how my wife Mirka and I deal with it,” he said. “So far the longest I have been apart from them is three days. And they will be going to school soon and won’t be able to travel.”

Henman said: “That’s something that he has to consider as he grows older. It happened to me. I started to find it horrible missing my family, and it will be a factor.”.
“But he is too good a player to just go away. He will come back and it would be very foolish to think his best days are behind him.
“Remember what was being said about Rafa Nadal this time last year. The general opinion was that he was finished. The rest is history.”
Federer has never spoken openly about his pain and his back. He has been extremely sparse in this area in terms of openly discussing it in the pressers. And if you look at his interview, you will see that the interviewers were asking federer the question BEFORE he answered. Yes, I agree, he could have remained silent about it, but I think he has earnt the right to be honest. Again, although he congratulated Tomas on his play, “he played great, been more consistent”, he could also have continued with more applause for his opponent. But this isn’t federer’s way.
He couldn’t have accomplished what he had if he behaved differently.

I think when you listen to the presser, comments are taken out of context (as they usually are with Federer). Again, the sarcasm he referred to when commenting on nadal, djokovic and soderling, was lost on those fans who wanted to believe Roger was being serious. Pulllleeazzzzze. Ridiculous.

Like I mentioned, he’s earned the right to be completely honest. It makes me wonder about the double standards too. When Rafa lost to soderling at the FO in 2009, he made it abundantly clear that his knee was bad and that this is why he lost, NOT that soderling had beaten him. You can’t have one rule for Fed and a different one for other players. Overall, Federer has show that he is a great competitor who speaks the truth. If a journalist asks him about his movement on court and he replies honestly, then the only problem is some people not wanting to hear the truth when it’s spoken. A little understanding is needed. There isn’t much of that when people want to bring the great man down. It sucks.

July 2nd, 2010 at 3:21 pm

Zinaldo paragraph 3; so how could Roger be confident if he was never mentally strong?
Have you personal access to his training regime? How do you know what he does?
Lazy? Roger Federer? Well then I suggest you contact him with your suggestions as to how he can improve?
How can I put this kindly? Your last sentence doesn’t make sense.
To Fed fans- my reaction to Fed’s loss was ok as I saw this coming but I was gutted and upset beyond belief at the disgusting UK press (particularly the Telegraph) and the response of some posters, particularly from US, on the Wimbledon site. Regarding the latter they seriously need to look at the reprehensible behaviour of some of their own sports stars. I am at present hand-crafting a t-shirt with the legend “F*** Off. I’m sending it to Fed with instructions to wear it at his next presser.
To all Andy fans: watch out for the hacks tomorrow. I’ve read a Guardian report that made me puke. The poor guy was devastated in his presser. He tried his best, made some mistakes, showed passion, kept trying. He has a good heart.
Sorry everyone-this is terrible. I’m just angry. Hugs to all disappointed fans.

July 2nd, 2010 at 7:40 pm

Purcell!

So good to see your comments. Yes, the British Press were unforgiving, yet, though he credited berdych, because he did not go “overboard”, he is in the doghouse?

Have you read previous interviews from nadal for example, madrid masters, where he called in interview berdych, a “bad person”, google it, it’s there. Any backlash? or novak (who in my view, is the BEST player in terms of crediting his oponent on court and in interview, though he too, alludes frequently to his medical ailments.

When do federer fans EVER hear about Roger’s ailments. Well, first time for me in his interview post presser QF, that was the FIRST time I understood what was going on.

Having said that, when you have been at the top for, what, 8 years? the only way is down and that is where the haters and press mentality comes to the fore to feast on their prey.

No one is perfect in interviews, no one. The one thing I do, and always have, admired with Federer is his honesty. If the media ask him a direct question, they get a direct answer.

July 3rd, 2010 at 4:12 am

is there any tennis players that can actually challenge nadal. i just watched him beat murray in semis. soderling & berdych have the physical game, but mentality & belief is another story. after years of watching federer & nadal play, i have an even greater admiration for these 2 who were & still are in finals of majors consistently. yes, djokovic, murray, soderling, berdych, et al have great big games but lets see them win slam after slam the way federer & nadal have done. those two amaze me because you have to be so mentally tuff to consistently win majors. bravo for serena as well. incredible athletes. i still would like to see someone challenge nadal now in a major, obviously w/roger its already happening

July 3rd, 2010 at 12:50 pm

[…] who hasn’t played since his stunning Wimbledon loss to Tomas Berdych, sounds eager to be back on […]

August 10th, 2010 at 10:47 am

[…] Roger Federer v. Tomas Berdych In the second “match of the summer” today, Federer gets a shot at revenge against his new boogeyman, Berdych. The Czech has beaten Roger the last two outings – in a thriller in Miami in April and in a stunner in June at Wimbledon. […]

August 13th, 2010 at 9:39 am