Roger Federer Will Play In Rome!

Jahoo!

That is the only sound reaction someone could have after hearing that news.

May 15th, 2012 at 10:52 am

Go Fed!

More from tennis.com

“Federer told reporters that he was taking anti-inflammatory medication during Madrid.”

Easy Fed..be careful…. Hopefully your just sore :(

May 15th, 2012 at 10:59 am

Looks like Federer is winning more these days when he sick. Won IW when sick, lost Miami when Fit & again Won Madrid when sick.

May 15th, 2012 at 11:12 am

Hurray……

May 15th, 2012 at 11:25 am

Everyone! I am in Rome!

I hope to get to see Federer play, but you never know. Nevertheless, seeing him in Rome city, he is just half an hour away from where I am right now. Tickets are for saturday. Will keep you posted.

Go Roger!

May 15th, 2012 at 11:41 am

Good to hear! Hope he will be fully fit for summer swing though.

May 15th, 2012 at 12:10 pm

Bring Federer some good luck, madmax!

May 15th, 2012 at 12:31 pm

“Fastcourt Federer” must have tested the court and felt it was quick enough for him to have a chance to win!

May 15th, 2012 at 12:44 pm

Yay madmax! Enjoy the city and hopefully the fed show!

May 15th, 2012 at 12:44 pm

How lucky to be in Roma, madmax!

I’d be stalking the Giro d’Italia if was in Italy. I’ve never been there, except briefly to lake Como but my dream is spending some serious time there, someday on vacation following Giro Tour.

May 15th, 2012 at 12:56 pm

Have fun madmax; keep us posted on your experiences. It looks like a great tournament to be at.

May 15th, 2012 at 1:00 pm

IsnerFan: “Fastcourt Federer” must have tested the court and felt it was quick enough for him to have a chance to win!”

You need to test your comment to feel whether you have any chance to get it right.

The Hamburg Masters (German Open) had been the slowest important clay court tourney among the bigger tennis tourneys.

Federer’s first big title was the 2002 Hamburg Masters. Roger went on to win 4 titles on the slowest clay court conditions (2002, 2004, 2005, 2007), which is the open era record. No player had won 4 Hamburg titles since the great German player Gottfried von Cramm won his 6th title in 1949 — even though Hamburg was won by players such as Rod Laver, Lew Hoad, Ivan Lendl, Gustavo Kuerten, Manuel Orantes. Hamburg makes up 4 of Roger’s 6 Clay Masters titles. Rafa Nadal struggled to beat a mononucleosis-compromised Federer in 2008 for his only title, and even took a dubious medical time-out near the end of the first set when Federer had been on a roll.

Federer’s first match is against former French Open and Rome champion Juan Carlos Ferrero, who had beaten Nadal at 2008 Rome Masters. 30-year old Federer should do whatever is right for his body between now and the Olympics — there’s a lot of tennis to be played. Madrid commentator Chris Wilkinson: “Golden summer beckons for Federer”
http://www.espn.co.uk/tennis/sport/story/150840.html

May 15th, 2012 at 1:40 pm

Fed is the second best red-clay player of this era and the best on blue clay .

May 15th, 2012 at 2:09 pm

Carlo, Jane, Dari. I’d booked tickets in April, so I was going to be here irrespective of the decision of Fed; I had hoped he would play, and now he is, there is a chance I will see him. We shall see.

I can report to you on the weather though. It’s a funny one. Sun is out, then it rains, and the last 2 days, we have had windy windy weather, blew me away this morning, seriously strong. So if it continues, it will be a wild one on saturday.

Never been to Rome before. And I have to say, I have never seen a more beautiful city in my life. It really is full of culture and class, but graffiti everywhere.

I went to a few art exhibitions last weekend, amazing, with italian houses opening up for new artists who were show casing their work. Incredible city. Dirty streets, but incredible culture and the architecture: never before been anyway like it.

So, I cross fingers for Saturday’s tournament and I hope to see him there!

May 15th, 2012 at 2:35 pm

@Dave: save your fingers. IsnerFan’s been through a bit already today over on the other thread:

http://www.tennis-x.com/xblog/2012-05-14/9554.php

And s/he claims to want to play nice in his 1.53p post…

May 15th, 2012 at 2:49 pm

er, “his/her post…”

May 15th, 2012 at 2:53 pm

Glad Fed is playing. The Madrid clay can’t really be considered a warm-up for the F.O. so it’s good he’ll have some matches on a more similar surface. I’m not sure if keeping the #2 ranking is a big deal since he could still play Rafa in the F.O. semis, but it would be really interesting if Rafa and Nole had to play the semis.

Madmax, have fun in Rome and enjoy the tourney and the city!

May 15th, 2012 at 3:28 pm

Madmax,

I will be there from May 24 to 28th and going to Paris on May 28th, attending RG on Tuesday, May 29th. Crossign my fingers for Fed and Nadal to be in the same half and playing on Tuesday 29th!

Like your comments on the city, similar to what some have told me. Being to NY, London, Paris, Buenos Aires, but never Rome and so far Paris wins as most beautfull city. And I live in Rio here in Brazil (for those who have come, close to Arpoador beach) one of the most beautiful sights of the city.

Hope you have a great time and the weather cleans!
I am checking weather regularly and will rain the whole time I will be in Italy (Venice and Florence prior to Rome):(

May 15th, 2012 at 4:17 pm

Dear Roger,

I wish you well in Rome. I would love to see you win Rome Masters(That would be just fantastic!)…..

However, I wouldn’t mind if you didn’t win either. I just don’t want yu to strain yourself too much trying to do so and risk yourself injury….But let us focus on FO, thats the goal…..

cheers, your fan!

May 15th, 2012 at 5:09 pm

Here’s an interesting take; statistically apparently Madrid was considerably different than previous years and most resembled hard court stats:

http://heavytopspin.com/2012/05/14/how-does-the-blue-clay-play/

May 15th, 2012 at 6:33 pm

@Jane, great supporting feedback, thats all the more reason why Nadal Djokovic was right, rather then people bashing them with nagative resentments

My opinion, It should ‘never have been introduced this year and should never again’……unless they can reschedule the tournament to another time. Its not a normal clay tournment, its more like ‘Hard Court’, whos intrest is the ATP protecting???? A few individuals??…..

Now how wrong is that…..I take my stance with Nadal and Djokovic….

Thanks Jane….

May 15th, 2012 at 7:04 pm

@Jane, great supporting feedback, thats all the more reason why Nadal Djokovic was right, rather then people bashing them with nagative resentments

My opinion, It should ‘never have been introduced this year and should never again’……unless they can reschedule the tournament to another time. Its not a normal clay tournment, its more like ‘Hard Court’, whos intrest is the ATP protecting???? A few selfish individuals??…..

Now how wrong is that…..I take my stance with Nadal and Djokovic….

Thanks Jane….

May 15th, 2012 at 7:05 pm

max, try to go to that restaurant all the tennis players rave about

taverna trilussa

May 15th, 2012 at 7:19 pm

@Jane, Federer first won Madrid when it was an indoor hardcourt (his best surface). Anyone know whey they moved to clay in the first place?

May 15th, 2012 at 7:34 pm

Re the link – the stats were kind of interesting and it was different than most of the other stuff I’d read, which was mainly about who said what. This was more about analysing how the surface played. I have no idea if it’s right or whatever, but just thought I’d throw it out there for others.

Nick, Madrid moved to clay only a few years ago in 2009. In 2008 it was still indoor.

May 15th, 2012 at 7:45 pm

madmax,
Few tips:
If you are visiting St Peter’s Basilica do 320 steps walk inside the cupola, once you are on the top you have uninterapted view of Rome. You don’t have to be religious to do that:)

Cheap and good Italian shoes you can find in shops around Trevi fountain, if you go in the street that heads towards Spanish steps you will pay for good shoes like for a good second hand car.

Vatican museum is a must and you can also see Swiss Guard:)

Beware of pickpocketers, conmen, beggars and most importan how you cross the street.

Have fun…, I LOVE ROME

May 15th, 2012 at 7:49 pm

I went through some of Federer’s famous quotes and find this one ‘very attractive’………..

“I respect everyone, but I am scared of no one”

With a quote like that, he certainly does deserve that ‘Men In Black Suit’ given to him by Will Smith…hahaha…:)

May 15th, 2012 at 10:41 pm

Have fun Max!

May 15th, 2012 at 10:42 pm

Madmax

v happy to know that u are there to see our hero…
I am thinking of going to london in Nov to see our man play…its just an ultimate dream come true and would love to c him play once…time is running out so would love to see him play..
Not able to make a decision!
If u meet him tell him that he has countless fans who are just mad after him and a nervous wreck when they see him play a tense match ;-)

May 15th, 2012 at 10:58 pm

jane,

I read that link , thanks. Still, the arguments given by some doesn’t hold water. It really depends on your fav, it seems, unfortunate. We all seem to start on the glasses worn by Rafa, Fed, Novak……THEN an opinion.

Many claim fed would have won 7 or 8 Wimbys by now if the stuff stayed the same. But it didn’t. Many claim the HC slowed down and if not Fed would have won more titles. But it is what it is, and Fed, despite all the hullabaloo, has 16 GS titles, Slow stuff and all.

Why is Madrid any different in making changes than any other tournament? Its not. Clay is still Clay. Madrid is the fastest, but its still Clay. WTF is still a HC, but completely different than IW speed. Regardless of the analysis, they need to adapt and give it there best shot. If Fed only wanted to play the courts that suited him, why not skip the Clay season? The defense of the Rafa / Nole crown for there threatened boycott is a farce, frankly. There were so many other ways to deal with there request for next year, but they have drawn a line in the sand and it doesn’t look good. What does it look like? I can’t play on every surface, I am not good enough to, so make it mine or else.

May 15th, 2012 at 11:01 pm

skewer it’ll be interesting to see what they decide next year; read a couple of other articles too:

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/simon-reed/blue-clay-cannot-return-173133172.html

May 15th, 2012 at 11:31 pm

^ Oops sorry skeezer (darn spell check): here’s another one:

http://www.10sballs.com/2012/05/15/debate-over-blue-clay-highlights-battle-between-players-and-owners/

May 15th, 2012 at 11:34 pm

jane…

I have no doubt there will be changes next year in all fairness. that is for sure…;)

May 16th, 2012 at 12:11 am

It is a good decision by Roger especially since he is set to gain lot of points by participating in this event even by reaching the semis. His draw is also relatively easy unlike Madrid. It is good that this ailment is not serious as thought to be. All the best to Roger. There will be minimal pressure on him considering that his performance in this tournament has not been so good in the past.

May 16th, 2012 at 12:13 am

“Another person who was not so affected by it was Roger Federer, who is both a big hitter and a smooth mover.
You could put Roger on any surface and he’d still be a classy operator. Roger can walk on water at times, and it seems he would have little trouble playing on it: he managed to keep gliding around effortlessly while everyone else — Nadal in particular — floundered.”

Me thinks if you put Fed on water to play, he would still outplay everyone.

You have to put him in MUD, where everyone can catch up, then they have a chance.

May 16th, 2012 at 12:24 am

New Fed commercial in the works

James Bond, you’re second buddy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGSIJSweRxw&feature=youtube_gdata_player

May 16th, 2012 at 12:54 am

Fed the dude with the hairy chest and larger than life nose being referred to as James Bomd. Now I have heard it all. LMAO!!!

May 16th, 2012 at 3:33 am

Nadal and Novak have definitely fallen in my esteem with their recent comments on the surface conditions in Madrid. I think they have gone a bit too far and should have been more restrained in their comments. True, they have differences over the playing surface in Madrid and even Roger raised this issue before but they have gone overboard with their premature comments. I for one feels that courts like the one in Madrid add more variety to the game and here you have the blue clay which was conceived only for the benefit of TV viewers and Tennis is such a big sport today with huge prize money only because of the revolution in Technology in which TV viewership plays a major part. It is important their interests are also taken into account. It is very difficult to follow the yellow ball in red clay and is also teasing to the eyes. I think the Madrid Tournament organizers should not be cowed down by such threats from the top players namely Nadal and Novak and must stick to the colour of the surface. However, they can go on to address the issue of slipperiness on court. But from what I say, no player got injured running on this court.

May 16th, 2012 at 6:58 am

Mark,

It’s probably because you will never be handsome, in looks or personality.

Jealousy. One of the seven deadly sins.

Wog boy, thank you for your comments and dari! Will check out the restaurant!

Nick Says:
@Jane, Federer first won Madrid when it was an indoor hardcourt (his best surface). Anyone know whey they moved to clay in the first place?

May 15th, 2012 at 7:34 pm

I think that Federer has proved that he can play on all surfaces and it’s as simple as that.

Lisa Says:
@Jane, great supporting feedback, thats all the more reason why Nadal Djokovic was right, rather then people bashing them with nagative resentments

My opinion, It should ‘never have been introduced this year and should never again’……unless they can reschedule the tournament to another time. Its not a normal clay tournment, its more like ‘Hard Court’, whos intrest is the ATP protecting???? A few selfish individuals??…..

Like who Lisa? I think that main point was as someone said earlier that the blue court is better for TV viewers. And remember Fed already won Madrid on the red clay against Rafa anyway.

I think that it will go back to red next year because of all the ‘HULLA BLUE!’

Gannu, I will try. Enjoy the rest of the tennis season. I have tickets for the 02 and you really should get yourself down there. Also tickets for wimbledon, centre court SF. I really have been lucky this year.

May 16th, 2012 at 6:59 am

@Madmax I think it is safe to say that your name suits your identity!!! Looney!!

May 16th, 2012 at 8:10 am

I too am going to Rome in 2 days to see the semi’s and maybe the final on Sunday.

This will be my first trip to see a professional tennis tournament and, while I’m new to following pro-tennis (only about 6 months), in those six months I became a great admirer of Federer’s game. I am going to Rome with hopes to see Federer play for the first time…

May 16th, 2012 at 8:12 am

yeah that’s right Mark, best not to forget it. It’s a pity you won’t leave your ‘mark’ other than being remembered for pot shots at people.

You’re welcome to the epigraph.

May 16th, 2012 at 10:48 am