Roger Federer Meets Andy Murray For Olympic Gold And Even More GOATness, Who’s The Pick?

by Sean Randall | August 4th, 2012, 6:13 pm
  • 415 Comments

It’s déjà vu all over again Sunday at London 2012 Olympics Wimbledon. Roger Federer and Andy Murray clashed a month ago on the Wimbledon grass, and tomorrow they’ll perform Act II this time with the gold medal on the line in a best-of-5 final.

As I’ve said before, I’m not the biggest supporter of tennis in the Olympics – afterall, there are some 15 events on the men’s tour that offer more points than the Olympics – but after watching a week of drama unfold with some unbelievable matches, I’m slowly coming around. And what a way to finish the tennis event with Federer v. Murray and just for kicks Novak Djokovic against Juan Martin Del Potro. Plus there’s plenty of doubles matches on if that’s your taste on a Sunday morning.

So, on to the main matchup.


Roger Federer v. Andy Murray
Federer’s win at Wimbledon knotted their head-to-head series at 8-8 and having won the last three over Murray there’s little dispute the momentum is firmly on the Swiss’s side. I know Murray has Ivan Lendl in his corner and he’s more offensive than ever (in a good way!), more mature, more prone to tears like Roger and he just beat Djokovic, but really, Wimbledon is Roger’s second home. It is. That simple.

Both players enter the final coming off emotional wins. Federer needed nearly 4-and-a-half hours to put away a resilient Juan Martin Del Potro 19-17 to reach his first gold medal stage match. Murray ousted his nemesis Novak Djokovic 7-5, 7-5 and the celebration that followed made it seem like he had won the tournament. Of course he hadn’t.

Despite Federer’s long match, he should be well and rested 48 hours later. And the back issue he had a month hasn’t resurfaced. On the other hand I have to wonder about Murray. After expending so much on Friday, then playing and winning two matches in mixed doubles today, I do wonder how much emotional energy he has in reserve.

Murray has now been under the public microscope for over a month since the just before Wimbledon and it has to take some sort of toll. It must, right?

But at least the enormity of the Olympics does make tennis somewhat of a sideshow, and I don’t think the pressure on Murray tomorrow will be as great as it was during Wimbledon when the entire country hung on every shot. That won’t be the case Sunday. At least I don’t think it will with Britain’s strong performance at the games Saturday. So that should benefit Andy.

And really, the urgency is on Federer’s side. At 31 he’s not going to get this chance for the gold/golden Slam again, not on the clay in Rio when he’s 35. This is it and he knows it. He’s been gunning for this day since 2000 and as we saw when he tried to serve it out and failed at 10-9 against Del Potro Friday, this type of pressure can make even the greatest crack. Wimbledon will come again next year, but not the Olympics. We saw that rare blink from Federer on Friday, perhaps there’s more to come?

That said, the key to the match for me is the best-of-five format. And that helps Federer immeasurably. At Wimbledon, Murray came out hot, Federer waited for him to cool and then pounced. In a three-set format, Murray could catch a run for a set and a half and that’d would be enough. In best-of-five he won’t have that luxury. He’ll have to maintain a high level and win three sets against the great Federer on his favorite grass surface, and I just don’t think he can mentally do it. Plus, he hasn’t. In just about every “world stage” match in his career he’s come up short. Beating Federer in Toronto or Djokovic in Dubai is one thing, but doing at a Slam or in best-of-5 in your home country is entirely another. And until he does that I simply have to continue to pick against him.

Honestly, at this point I hope he wins one because the variety and talent are there and his game is slowly becoming more offensive. And that’s what he needs to do. But I’ll say he’ll keep it closer than even Wimbledon before reverting to his old defensive ways, and then Federer gets him, again.
The pick: Federer in five

And a big congrats to Serena Williams who picked up her third gold medal and Golden Slam after thrashing Maria Sharapova 6-0, 6-1. Is there any doubt who the best on grass is in the women’s game? Nope. Serena and Venus will likely collect their fourth golds tomorrow in the doubles final.

NBC will have the men’s final live at 9am ET. You check our Olympic tennis TV schedule for showtimes of the other matches including the Williams sisters doubles.

OLYMPICS TENNIS SUNDAY SCHEDULE

Centre Court – starting at 12:00
WD F (4) HLAVACKOVA / HRADECKA (CZE) vs WILLIAMS / WILLIAMS (USA)
not before 14:00
MS F (1) FEDERER Roger (SUI) vs (3) MURRAY Andy (GBR)
XD F (ITF) ROBSON / MURRAY (GBR) (1) AZARENKA / MIRNYI (BLR)

Court No. 1 – starting at 12:00
MS BM (8) DEL POTRO Juan Martin (ARG) vs (2) DJOKOVIC Novak (SRB)
WD BM (1) HUBER / RAYMOND (USA) vs (3) KIRILENKO / PETROVA (RUS)
XD BM (3) RAYMOND/ BRYAN (USA)vs LISICKI / KAS (GER)


You Might Like:
Russians Makarova/Vesnina Win Women’s Doubles Gold In Rio, Beat Bacsinszky/Hingis
Roger Federer: I’d Love To Carry The Swiss Flag Again In The Olympics
Rio Olympics Men’s Draw: Djokovic-Del Potro First Round, Murray Tries To Make History
Andy Murray Carries The Olympic Torch Onto Wimbledon Center Court [Video]
Bravo/NBC Olympics Tennis TV Schedule

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415 Comments for Roger Federer Meets Andy Murray For Olympic Gold And Even More GOATness, Who’s The Pick?

skeezer Says:

Sean,

I wasn’t a big Olympic tennis fan either. But these guys seem like it is very important them. Ultimately thats all that matters.


skeezer Says:

^… to them…


Brando Says:

olympics is RIGHT UP THERE now for the players.

IMHO, i think they would say after the slams it’s the next best thing.

Did delpo cry when he lost in the WTF final?

Did fed say the other day that winning almost felt as good as a slam- and that too just in a SF?

Did rafa, nole, fed all target the olympics this year or the WTF, paris masters?

it is VERY EVIDENT by the way the top players, and also the lesser players are playing, just trying that bit harder than in a WTF or MS that the olympics is the next big trophy for the current crop after a slam.

The olympics shall ONLY GROW in value and prestige.

it is a VERY BIG DEAL NOW!


tennisfansince76 Says:

@skeezer i agree the players are into it and so am i.


Brando Says:

olympics is RIGHT UP THERE now for the players.

IMHO, i think they would say after the slams it’s the next best thing.

Did delpo cry when he lost in the WTF final?

Did fed say the other day that winning almost felt as good as a slam- and that too just in a SF?

Did rafa, nole, fed all target the olympics this year or the WTF, paris masters?

it is VERY EVIDENT by the way the top players, and also the lesser players are playing, just trying that bit harder than in a WTF or MS that the olympics is the next big trophy for the current crop after a slam.

The olympics shall ONLY GROW in value and prestige.

it is a VERY BIG DEAL NOW!


Brando Says:

‘And until he does that I simply have to continue to pick against him.’

this is the KEY for me- since murray hasn’t won on the biggest stage, in the biggest matches (finals) that’s why people pick against.

But honestly, there is a first time for everything and THIS seems to be murray’s time.

IMHO, he is the one who is playing the better tennis and has just came through a very tough draw.

Further, he just played 2 mixed double matches yesterday, and rather than be tired he seemed to be loving every single second of the olympic experience.

In the wimby final, murray arguably was the better player for the first 2 sets, but he didn’t clinch the 2nd set.

this time around, i think IF the oppurtunities present themselves to him, then he shall capitalise.


Ibrahim Says:

I think today’s hierarchy of tournaments is as it follows:
(1) Grand Slam tournaments
(2) the olympics
(3) the Davis Cup
(4) the WTF
(5) the Masters 1000


Wog boy Says:

To all the Brits from TX, Margot, Alison, Colin, Brando, Grendel (I know you are not Andy’s fan but you are Brit:) ….

Good luck to your man tonight, he was my second choice, pitty he had to go through my man to get to the final but such is life. You will have at least one vocal suporter with you tonight in Sydney cheering with you. All what Andy needs to win is cool head, he has got everything else. He can do it.


Nadal Says:

WTF shouldn’t even have any points. By the time WTF is played it is already christmas time. And after competing all year i am tired by that time.

if you really want to count WTF it should be moved before US open.


The Great Davy Says:

Oh Hi Nadal can I say it always great pleasure to crush you :)


Wog boy Says:

Nadal,

That might be Okay but in that case you cannot call it WTF:) and of course it will suit you, will not be indoor tournament:)


Nadal Says:

The Great Davy:

My H2H with you and Rasol may be at the loosing end. But who cares about you and who cares about Rasol.

What people will remember is my H2H with your psuedo -GOAT.

Do you guys want me to remind the last few slams we have played ?


Nadal Says:

Wog boy:

It is not coz it is indoor. It is just by that time, we all are tired winning tournaments whole year, beating GOATS all over,

And also remember it is Christmas time. And New Year. Do you really think people can focus on some tournament at that time unless you really have some deep inferiority complex and you want to prove yourself by making an effort to win that and treating it like a slam or something.

Come on.


Wog boy Says:

Nadal,

:)


Nadal Says:

Wog boy:

By the time WTF comes, I am really focusing on what present I have to give to my near and dear ones and what I am getting.

I treat WTF as my Christmas gift to the psuedo-GOAT. He is happy and his fans are happy too !!.

What do I have to lose ?


Brando Says:

@Wog Boy:

thanks for your kind words WB- you are one awesome fan.

Your guy was a serious challenge and he also fought like a lion for his country. He should be proud of his effort.

Looking on the bright side of things, hopefully this time tomorrow BOTH nole and andy shall be 2 times olympic medalists- how would that be?

Very cool.

Come on nolandy! :-)


Brando Says:

@Nadal:

LMFAO, your very welcome here.

‘It is not coz it is indoor. It is just by that time, we all are tired winning tournaments whole year, beating GOATS all over,’

I always thought it wasn’t the surface BUT the time of the year with you and your performances indoor.

The knees must be hurting badly by then, beating players and goats on the outdoor surface.

Very unfortunate.


Trufan Says:

Nadal,

Hope you have cleaned up everything after your recent blood transfusion. Olympics have very tough drug testing, and it was too soon. Hope it’s all clean by Cincy.

I am sure you will be superfit and much stronger soon, and will be running around like a rabbit, hitting mOnster looping forehands again.

And hope you again get a pussy draw, as usual.


goat galz Says:

Hierarchy

1-GS
2-YEC (playing the best eight)
3-Davis Cup/Olympics equal oddities
4-MS


Humble Rafa Says:

Please shed a tear for the defending men’s singles champion.

— Your Humble Highness


skeezer Says:

“Roger Federer Meets Andy Murray For Olympic Gold And Even More GOATness”

Even more GOATness?

None needed. Already waaay up there!!

Good luck to both tomorrow. Already an awesome Tourney with the very best entertaining matches ever!


Michael Says:

I go with Sean pick but in four sets for Roger. If it goes to five, I would pick Murray instead of Roger especially considering the long three setter Roger played against Del Potro. It is a pretty even match for me since Roger is not at his best and if he plays the way against Del Potro then Murray has all the chances. However, players like Roger always reserves their best for the finals and that is where Murray must be watchful. If Roger has a good serving day, he is winning this. But if he has an off day in serve, then Murray will win this one ofcourse if he plays his “A” game. I would put it at 55:45 in favour of Roger.


Michael Says:

Ofcourse Roger doesn’t need this one badly to sodlify his GOAT status. He is already right up there. The records speak for him and if at this age he is able to continuously reach two Super finals at a stretch on Grass, then that is super human achievement for me.


metan Says:

I just want andy n jmp win, as a moral boosting especially for andy, he hasn’t have any slam yet.
Gooooo andy.


Michael Says:

Metan,

Yes I share your sentiments about Murray. He is too good a player not to win a major. Who knows ? Today might be his day. It is not a major ofcourse, but Olympics – the Pinnacle of sport.


Daniel Says:

in favor of Murray he wasn’t broken in the semis and Fed was poor on BP as well. But for him to hold serve steady in best of 5 id harder. If he has one of the old Murray sloppy service game, with 3 or 4 second serves, Fed will capitalize.

The one who can protect his service games better will have the upper hand.


Mark Says:

Pussy draws are strictly reserved for fed, as usual!!!


Gordo Says:

Mark,

It’s too late to ramble, so I’ll keep it short.

You are an idiot.


Colin Says:

Mr Randall is damning with faint praise. Murray celebrated his win as if he’d won the tournament.”Of course he hadn’t.” Brilliant – how long did it take to work that out?
Djokovic was equally celebratory after his semi win over Murray in the Australian Open. So what?
Then there is the description of Federer waiting for Murray to cool down in the Wimbledon final, conveniently forgetting to mention the closing of the centre Court roof, which everyone agrees helped Roger.
Not many people seem to have mentioned this about that Wimbledon final: after all the talk about the pressure on Murray, it was Federer who started nervously. After a couple of games the BBC commentators remarked that Roger had already made more errors than he had in a whole set of a previous match. Even he may be a bit twitchy in this Olympic final because, despite attempts to downgrade its importance, it matter very much to him. Olympic singles Gold is the only big prize he has never captured.
Murray can win this. I don’t say he will, but he certainly can.


Margot Says:

Let’s Go Andy. Let’s Go. Let’s GoLD Andy! Let’s GoLD!
Noleeeee. Go broNOLzE.
Thanx for good wishes good tennisx folks :)
Thanx for one last jinx, Sean…;)


Teg Maru Says:

>> afterall, there are some 15 events on the men’s tour that offer more points than the Olympics

Don’t you mean 14 events. The 4 slams and the 10 Masters.


alison Says:

Margot completely agree its a fantastic day to look forward to,cant help thinking what a great story it would be though,to actually see Delpo bag a Bronze medal,been as Nole already has a bronze,still Andy bagging either/or both golds is what i care most about,lets go Andy lets go lol.


Gannu Says:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/19125928

the so called tennis pundits are predicting a murray win…somethings never change..atleast the british media for sure…its futile to try to straighten a dog’s tail


Colin Says:

I was hoping the weather would hold, but it’s a wet day so far in London, so the match will probably be played under the roof.Hopefully Andy can deal with this better if it’s indoors from the start, with no interval.
Whatever the importance of the Olympics in the grand scheme of (tennis) things, a win today would be hugely important for Murray, because it would show he could beat a top player in a best-of-five. For him, it would be as good as winning a slam, and could presage further wins.
The REALLY important question is, can I stand the stress?


racquet Says:

This olympics has already shredded my nerves and drained my tear ducts – so many fantastic wins/nearly wins/stories, etc. I don’t know how much I have left for today. And curses to the weather gods!!


Mark Says:

Let’s hope Muzz doesn’t get too complacent against fed in the knowledge he is assured two medals!!


Wog boy Says:

Did they move women doubles to CC and pushed back Nole and Delpo?


Polo Says:

This will not be as nerve wracking as watching Fed vs del Potro because players are already assured of a medal. But I still cannot decided who I wish to have the gold. My split personalities are arguing. One wants Federer, the other says Murray.


Polo Says:

My wish is for the match to be great and close so that both players can come out of it feeling proud. I don’t want a Serena-Maria type final.


Wog boy Says:

Is anybody watching Nole vs Delpo, on my coverage I have sisters playing on CC ?


Sienna Says:

rain delay…

So does this mean they have closed the roof? Sothe final starts under the roof?
I belief when a match is started with closed roof it is not allowed to open it annymore.

Advantage Roger.


Sienna Says:

even more advantage Roger I must say…….


Polo Says:

Not very good news for Murray if the roof is closed. But who knows? Maybe it will just add to the drama. I don’t know how I will feel when this match is over. Equally happy and sad just like Wimbledon.

This is Federer’s last chance for a gold. However, I do feel that very often, the great ones have one goal in their careers that they failed to achieve. Federer’s bete noire (I picked term from somebody here)could be the Olympic gold.


alison Says:

Wogboy Noles match is on after the womens doubles final i believe.


metan Says:

Make it 3-3 jmp,

it looks that williams will pocket the gold for double_ Serena is bionic woman ever in her era, wow!


Wog boy Says:

alison,

Thanks, they are already playing but on court #1, I believe women’s double final is more important than men’s for bronze;(


Polo Says:

If you are in the USA, women’s doubles takes precedence over men’s bronze. That is how US TV thinks.


Sienna Says:

Ok so the roof is openening at the moment.

TH brits are quickly to make sure it opens;-)

on the BBC it already was an issue.. WOW the Brits are really going for it as we enter second week of olympics….

Can they catch USA/China?


Dave Says:

Wimbledon IS Murray’s home club — he lives nearby and trains at the club. Murray demonstrated commitment to winning the Olympic gold by resuming his practice and training at the All England Club just days after the Wimbledon final — and forgoing vacation. Murray has received a lot of love from the public and press since the Wimbledon final. His work with Lendl is bearing fruit. Other than a blip against Baghdatis, he has won his matches in straigt sets. Mixed doubles would have been good practice for his volleys, and he is fit enough MB would have minimal impact on his fitnesss. Murray is in a good place.

Having played his B game against Istomin, Isner and Delpo, Federer is due to for an A game display — if that’s the case this match would probably last 3 to 4 sets depending on Murray’s form. [Federer beat Delpo mostly with his B game, composure at crunchtime, fitness, and by digging deeper refusing to lose. BBC tennis commentator John Lloyd: “It was a staggering performance from both players. It was a great match – one of the best three-set matches I’ve ever seen. It really was first class from the moment the players stepped on court. You could see how much it meant to both players. Once again, the master Federer showed that when it comes down to it, there’s never been anyone like him on the crunch points.”]
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/19040206

But whether he shows up with his A game partly depends on whether Federer suffered back strain and emotional exhaustion from serving in a match that lasted as many games (58) as the Djokovic-Nadal AO final. Federer increased the average speed of his serve with each set, so that third set with Del Potro could have easily harmed his back. As well, Federer said he was extremely emotionally drained from serving while being down in the score for almost the entire match. Furthermore his match against Isner was also emotionally taxing, as he couldn’t afford to drop serve. If Federer shows up compromised, he will probably stretch the match to five sets but he could lose the match.

The worst possible outcome for Federer is if he wins silver and Djokovic wins bronze (the points difference between the silver and bronze positions is only 110 points). Though Djokovic won’t be able to displace Federer in the 52 week rankings at Canada, in the year-to-date rankings before Olympics Federer is only 245 points ahead of Novak — a silver-bronze finish means Federer will be only 355 points ahead of Novak after Olympics. If Novak wins Canada, he goes ahead 645 points in YTD rankings and has momentum for the remaining otudoor hardcourt season.


madmax Says:

Nadal Says:
Wog boy:

It is not coz it is indoor. It is just by that time, we all are tired winning tournaments whole year, beating GOATS all over,

And also remember it is Christmas time. And New Year. Do you really think people can focus on some tournament at that time unless you really have some deep inferiority complex and you want to prove yourself by making an effort to win that and treating it like a slam or something.

Come on.

August 4th, 2012 at 8:54 pm

Well, actually WTF is always a sell out with the top 8, who always work extremely hard to reach the end of year tournment. It shouldn’t be degraded into a “worthless” tournament, and whilst the olympics is important, (guiness book of records, personal achievement, olympian status,etc.), the fact it comes around once every four years, cannot compare to the WTF of every year. It just can’t. So it has to be the fifth tournament on the list of importance.

N, you say “beating goats all over?” I think you need to refresh your memory my friend, and look at the bagel, the thrashing that RF gave you in the WTF, only 9 months ago.

Seriously, do some reading.


Polo Says:

I cannot think of ranking points at this time. That is not of prime importance. Winning is the issue. The rest will take care of itself.

I still have not decided who to root for. For now, I will just root for an excellent match. Something so memorable that I will remember it better than the Federer-del Potro semifinals.


Polo Says:

I am now very psychologically prepared for whatever the outcome will be for this match. I have checked all my psychological defense mechanisms and my rationalizations are all set for the result of the match. Now if I could just maintain an even breathing.


Kimmi Says:

They both missed break chances, somebody needs to take them.


Colin Says:

Match is a bit scrappy so far. Murray’s serve is not in the groove yet, but Roger’s is going well.


Mr Larvey Says:

Andy is not serving well, but Roger haven’t been able to take advantage of that. And Roger’s movement seems to be a bit sluggish.


Kimmi Says:

wow! murray with great point


Nadal Says:

I personally want Psuedo Goat to win the Gold.

For one thing, that is something missing from his resume.

And also it feels nicer to look at my H2H against a guy with 17GS and an olympic gold….


Kimmi Says:

federer missing, murray the steady one..break point!


Polo Says:

Neither of them is flying yet. Only the balls from some astonishing mishits.


Kimmi Says:

another break point, murray breaks!!


Colin Says:

Murray beaks to lead 4-2. Yee hah!


Polo Says:

I’m starting to have a feeling on who I want to win.


RD Says:

Roger playing “Kooyong Classic” (i.e., AO exo warmup) tennis at the moment.


Daniel Says:

Deep backhand by Murray forcing Fed error. Break for Murray.


Maso Says:

What a crappy serve game from Roger, no 1st serve. Let’s see if Murray can run away with the 1st set.


gannu Says:

so feddy bear already started giving fed fans heart attack..panic mode 1 started…panic mode 2 will be when he is donw a break in 2nd and panic mode is 3 is when he loses the 2nd set and then straightwaway heart attack if he is down a break in the 3rd set…;-))) come on feddy bear..spare ur fans some mercy


Daniel Says:

Fed is not taking advantage of Murray’s second serve as he should. When Murray cracked 2 first serves, 2 aces.
What is surpising me is how murray is holding all this close games sonce Djoko’s match


Colin Says:

Andy finally manages a couple of big first serves in succession. He leads 5-2.


van orten Says:

Fed at his annoying best..playing like crap


Daniel Says:

2 lucky shots for Murray in a row, 1 net cord and this baloon who landed in.


Daniel Says:

Excelent teturn by Murray or set point.


Polo Says:

Wow! I feel happy about that set.


Daniel Says:

A gane should be 40-0 for Fed and he was broken again bu bad luck as well. He had to force Murray to serve for the set, just to check his nerves. Worst thing is let him keep serving first in the second.


Maso Says:

Roger is playing like total crap right now. Not putting any power into his shots, missing easy volleys, no way he can win it if he keeps playing like this. Thankfully it’s a best of 5.


Kimmi Says:

hmmmm!


Colin Says:

First set to Andy 6-2. He seems to be reading Roger’s serve better as the match progresses.


Daniel Says:

52% first serves for Murray and Fed wasn’t able to break. This tells eveything.


metan Says:

I am so happy jmp won first set, come on jmp!
Andy plays well too! Go andy for gold!


van orten Says:

Hahahaha omg. Fed subzero level. Throwing away first set..murray practically has to keep ball in play fed will do the rest


Nadal Says:

If one is not fit to play competitive – it makes sense at times to not compete at all.


metan Says:

First set for andy, YES!


Daniel Says:

Grotesque error for Fed. Jesus


Maso Says:

What the hell, Roger, are you high or something?!?!?!


metan Says:

Roger is running out of gas,,,,,,,


madmax Says:

first set to Andy. Fed not playing his best, but after a 4 and a half hour, emotionally charged previous match, give the guy a break. He is going to win either a gold or a silver medal – doesn’t matter. The only thing missing from his resume.

Murray playing differently this time. Hope for a well-fought match.

Come on Fed!


Kimmi Says:

federer misses smash! i think he is too tired from his semi


Daniel Says:

Murray is not missing the court, another line ball on defense.


Daniel Says:

My god what a bad luck period for Fed. Murrays return was in the line and now another net cord for him. Terrible


Maso Says:

Christ, how lucky can you actually get with the net?


Polo Says:

Wow # 2


Daniel Says:

What is this. This os the most rudiculous steing of points on licky I have ever seen for a player.


madmax Says:

kimmi, of course he is tired, but he fought his “final” against JMDP in my opinion, in order to win the silver. I have no expectations of Fed winning Gold.

Andy, I feel is ready for this and who would deny him?


Maso Says:

Roger hasn’t shown up yet. Not sure if he’s going to. This is painful to watch. To Andy’s credit, he is playing tremendously well.


madmax Says:

Daniel? Can you say that again? or may be not.


metan Says:

Roger has gold for doubles, if he will get the Silver, it shouldn’t be a big deal! Count he has 2 og medals!


Daniel Says:

Murray is so lucky that this serve escape his racquet and could ve bother DF but landed in.


Polo Says:

Crap # 1


Maso Says:

Screw that, metan, Roger wants the gold, not the damned silver!!


Kimmi Says:

djokovic not having his day either..he is also down a set and a break.


Daniel Says:

What the f…. Is this. He seems possesed.


Maso Says:

Wow… what a net point by Andy. This is going to be mission impossible for Rog.


xmike Says:

i’m watching the match on bbc live stream, i can’t believe the commentators haven’t even mentioned the fact that federer lookes completly wasted, both physicly and mentaly, from the match with del potro: he’s head is down and he is barely moving his feet properly to get in to position, not the the atittude one would expect on a once in a 4 year match…


metan Says:

Forehand winner for andy 20, go andy!


Daniel Says:

Finally one great shot for Roger. A Nadal
Shot:)


Daniel Says:

Now murray is unpreacable, with tons of sencond serves?!


metan Says:

Maso, don’t be so greedy please! Relax dude, don’t push your guy working bloody hard.


Daniel Says:

0-6 in BP????????


Maso Says:

I’m not being greedy, metan. I’m just telling you, Roger’s not fighting for 2nd place. If Murray gets this one, it’ll be well deserved but as a major Fed fan, I’ll be cheering for Rog and hoping he takes it till the very last point.


Daniel Says:

Fed really wantd this game. Murray is doi g a tremendousjpb to hold Fed first attacks and qith great counter punch and moving Fed around.


Maso Says:

(even though right now it’s not looking too good =D)


Daniel Says:

This coukd be the key to the match, same as thata 20 min game in Wimby


Nadal Says:

My deepest consolations to Fed Fans. Frankly, winning a gold is not that big. I don’t even remember when I ….

Olympic gold is just better than WTF which I don’t consider a real tournament being held during X-mas time.


metan Says:

Maso, ok, you need to cheer him loudly, so he will have extra energy.


Daniel Says:

6th BP in this game!!!!!


Daniel Says:

What is happening with Murray that plays great only in BP?!?!!?


xmike Says:

at least del potro is winning, if he does win, that would mean there will be a little bit of a point cushion between 1 and 2 witch should keep federer at number 1 at least until the us open


Maso Says:

I probably should not berate him, metan, that’s true! But I feel like I’m watching him play Nadal right now, missing all these break opportunities. Murray’s definitely bringing his A-game, though.


Daniel Says:

Why doesn’t he do this awful back hand on BP?:)


metan Says:

Jmp leads 2 points, good,


Sienna Says:

I cant watch anymore…

BBC commentators are cheering every point almost Murray is getting.

PFF I am getting agrivated!!!!!!!!!!!


Maso Says:

Our best hope is 2 double faults =O


Maso Says:

What a defensive shot by Murray again, I was sure Rog had made the point.


Daniel Says:

My God, Murray can’t be broken anymore. I miss Nadal, he would have broken him, something Djoko and Fed are unable this days.


Polo Says:

What an outstanding game that was!


metan Says:

Maso , ,,, you missed my rafa? Pray for him, so he will be back soon.


NachoF Says:

7 games in a row for Murray


sub023 Says:

Key game goes Murray’s way. It’s still early in the match, but six wasted BP chances does not bode well for Fed.


sub023 Says:

Hey, some luck for Fed!


Maso Says:

Hahahaha, I actually do miss your Rafa as long as he’s not playing Federer, to tell you the truth. I’m not a huge fan of his style of play but there is no doubt that when he’s not competing, it leaves a pretty big hole in the draw. (Just like it would if Fed, Novak or Murray were absent) I’d rather Fed play Murray than Nadal any time of the week, any surface, any stage in the tournament, though. =)


Polo Says:

The ghost of Nadal is haunting this thread. Guys, he is not here. Consider him dead for this Olympics. Talk about him when he is actually in the court playing.


Daniel Says:

Murray is still serving 54%. But his defense shots is as sharp as he ever was.


Maso Says:

Rog having trouble holding serve, still. Hasn’t held serve since 2-2 in the 1st set. That’s fairly awkward for Fed. He must be feeling that Del Po match.


metan Says:

Andy safe 8 break points, awesome! 30


Daniel Says:

Fed needs this game point urgently


Maso Says:

From 40-15 to deuce… uh-oh… come on, Rog, get on the bloody scoreboard!


Maso Says:

Andy is on top of his game, whereas Rog is definitely not all there. But even then, the way Andy is playing… not much that can be done.


Maso Says:

Double break on a double fault?!?! God kill me now.


Daniel Says:

It’s bizarre how Murray is not missing the court in this defense baloon balls. What the f,.. was that. How many of this will he do.

This is the most irritating match I am seeing in a while. Seems Wimby God’s say, OK Fed, this is his match. One thing is losing, playing poorly, but this string of lucky points is bizarre.

I think something like this to happen was need for Murray to win:)


sub023 Says:

Yeah, this match is basically over. Fed just isn’t in it.


Daniel Says:

Fed in panicking mode now. 40-15 and he can’t hold serve.


xmike Says:

sienna, i agree, andrew castle specially is starting to get on my nerves, biased comentating and no mentionin of the semis time spent on court, also murray is playing well but he is having all the luck possible, with mishits on the line, netcords, etc


RD Says:

Bet Muzza would trade this one for Wimbledon ’12. If he was being honest.


Maso Says:

This is the one of the worst performances I’ve seen Federer pull in a final, I think, and one of the best for Andy. That’s a bad combination right there.


metan Says:

andy plays spectacular, his volley is great,


Daniel Says:

Andy Murray bageling Fed in Wimbledon will be the most bizarre thing ever:)


RD Says:

Commentator says Fed hasn’t won a game for an hour. How sore and tired must he be feeling from the JMDP match?


van orten Says:

This is not a normal match..fed totally unlucky


Daniel Says:

I think not even Murray is believing this is happening.


Maso Says:

It’s not that he’s unlucky I think, van orten, he’s just not playing well at all. And Andy is on a cloud right now, playing great tennis, taking full advantage of Rog’s less than spectacular form (as he should, obviously).


Daniel Says:

He hasn’t won a game on a combination of factor, but that shot on 40-15 that Murray throw up and the ball went all the tennis court and landed in was bizarre to say the least, and wad the third of fourth of this kind he made, let alone the net cords.


van orten Says:

The way murray not much u can do????? Hahaha not even im understands this right now..this is just pure lucky day


Maso Says:

Agreed, Daniel, it must seem too good to be true to Andy!


Maso Says:

And Del Po is the bronze medalist!


Daniel Says:

Example. This DTL forehand. Fed missed all 4, ok, not playing greta.

But Maso, when this match is over, re watch from 2-2 until this point and count how many lucky points Murray won.

He is far superior, but it was too much.


Maso Says:

And Federer avoids the bagel, now comes the breadstick.


sub023 Says:

Hey, Fed finally wins a game!


metan Says:

If Roger gets a bagle, it is very shameful, king of grass???


Maso Says:

@Daniel: Yeah, Murray did get 3-4 shots off the net that were incredibly lucky and 1 or 2 other mishits in crucial break point rallies, but hey, that’s part of the game.


Polo Says:

@Daniel: Do you remember the final point in the Federer-del Potro match?


xmike Says:

del potro won, congratulations for him, amazing mental and physical recovery from him to come back after that semi and still win a medal; what a diference being 23 instead of 31 is in terms of recovery !


Ben Pronin Says:

You make your own luck.

I think when Federer missed that easy overhead in the beginning of the second set says everything about his game today… it’s just not there.

I still think he can regroup even if he’s down 2 sets, but it’s obviously a tough task. Murray playing as well as ever, quite frankly. Everything is going his way for a reason.


Maso Says:

Roger’s just not making it happen, though, lucky shots or not. And Polo’s right, Rog got a pretty lucky match point yesterday.


Kimmi Says:

delpo gets the bronze. it is first time to beat nole too. good for him.


metan Says:

JMP GETS BRONZE, YESSSSSSS


alison Says:

Just seen Delpo beat Nole for Bronze,fantastic stuff,fantastic stuff so happy for him,and a lovely embrace from Nole at the net,Delpo looks so happy and crying tears of joy,just so annoying that both matches are on at the same time.


sub023 Says:

Murray may have gotten a few lucky shots, but the way this match has headed is entirely due to Murray playing amazing and Federer playing like crap. Any lucky shots only exacerbate the results.


Maso Says:

No doubt, nothing to take away from Andy here. He’s the one dictating play throughout the match. Let’s see if Rog can hold serve consistently in the third and give us a match but right now, Andy’s earning it shot by shot.


Maso Says:

6-2, 6-1… that’s an unreal scoreline against Fed on grass. Federer is definitely playing like crap.


metan Says:

Not bad get the bread stick for Roger,


Colin Says:

Second set to Murray 6-1!!
And he isn’t even getting many first serves in. What is wrong with Federer today?


Daniel Says:

Yeah Maso, plus 3 or 4 balls that he send to the moon and landed in the baseline. That’s is what I am saying, it was kind of 10 points on luck shots, and this in a tennis match is just too much. Fed got none net cord, none ballon defense in, and rarely painted the line.

But as Ben said, that miss shot tell it all.

What is frustrating to Fed is knowing that even with him not playing great and Murray playing excellent, Fed had 9 BP chances, and 5 or 6 deuce games. If he could focus some more and the luck change his way, we can have a match.

But Murray not being broken in 4 sets, is bizarre. Djoko and Fed weren`t able to broke him so far. It’s amusing me right now.


noogie Says:

Guys let’s just face it, Fed is performing a Gulbis. He is up to shit.


Polo Says:

Congratulations to del Potro! I think that is just proper that he gets a medal to put a good ending to the great match he had with Federer. That match was the best match in this year’s Olympic tennis. Maybe ever.


sub023 Says:

Federer’s first solid service game.


Daniel Says:

Murray is the most vulnerable of the top 4 and he is holding serve even with 54% first serves in, for the last matches.


Daniel Says:

Yeah, I think as much as Fed wants this medals, his body and mind is not responding to it, inside out forehand miss.


Daniel Says:

Another return in the line on Fed’s feet!!!


Maso Says:

Well, maybe Lendl’s coaching is starting to pay off mentally for Andy. Already, he made the Wimbledon final which was a first for him, came out fighting like a champ, too. And today he’s laying the smack down.


gannu Says:

fed does look tired, listless and disinterested…game is totally not there…somehow i can take this loss better coz he has won quite a lot and he cant have them all…

the only reservation that i wouldhave is if fed loses this in straight sets…that just wouldnt look good at all…being a champion atleast i would like him to put a fight….its embarassing to see a scoreline like this on the wimbledon centre court against fed


Daniel Says:

Even easy volleys he is missing:)


Maso Says:

Rog has been exceptionally sloppy at the net these past 2 matches. Missed so many volleys against Del Po and again today against Murray.


Maso Says:

Del Po, on the other hand, looked AMAZING at the net yesterday. Really was going for it. I really hope he’s in this kind of form for the US Open.


Daniel Says:

Yeah, Lendl could have a say in his resolve, because he is playing tense moments without fear, making no mistakes and in a few of those BP he was aggressive, going for the corners and not just waiting Fed’s error


Maso Says:

(day before yesterday I mean)


gannu Says:

really sloppy play….guess some divine intervention is required now…the biggest problem with fedex is that he just doesnt show any emotions even when he is down so much… that makes it tough for his fans to understand whether he wants this or whether he is well of frustrated or disinterested!!!!! that further adds to frustration for his fans… hope fed somehow takes this set and avoid some humiliation


MasterDoctor Says:

so roger the campaign starts now


alison Says:

Your talking about a man whos the greatest ever male singles tennis player,a man with 17 GS,correct me if im wrong but this is best of 5 sets,and theres no fat lady singing just yet.


Daniel Says:

Missing everything, second serve forehand return, inside out again.
At least he is holding more easy this set, let`s see if he can keep this more competitive.
No, another forehand when changing direction, with legs stiff.


Maso Says:

Oh, I’m still hoping Federer’s gonna win this one, alison. Statistically, it’s just not looking good. Murray’s getting the upper hand in almost all the rallies.


gannu Says:

vijay amritraj says he cant believe that he is seeing that scoreline against federer ;-) well we all are feeling the same way vijay ;-)))


Daniel Says:

gannu,

he is emotional, he shouted common on 3 or 4 times and he not even broke serve.


Daniel Says:

Well, it will be straight set loss. Only aces can serve him now.


gannu Says:

such a boring one sided match…!!!!!


Maso Says:

15-40. Man… this could be over.


sub023 Says:

So sloppy. Terrible net approach gives Murray two BPs.


Daniel Says:

But Murray not being broken serving poorly is pissing me of


Maso Says:

No power at all in Roger’s game today. It’s just sad to watch. Murray’s pounding everything back in.


Thomas Says:

It was SO GREAT to see someone(del potro) sobbing with joy over a bronze medal. That’s the way it should be. Any Olympic medal is an AMAZING accomplishment. As for federer, his level is dreadful today. hope he fights back…


Daniel Says:

The score start affecting Fed’s play that now is not even a contest. He was still in the match, even in that bizarre string of games lost. But now as the match went on he is getting worst.


gannu Says:

guess thats it…its all karma i guess…and andy definitely deserves this after what he has undergone in his life…well done andy….good show…and well deserved medal…feddy bear – this is one thing perhaps will elude your otherwise illustrious career…hard luck…


Daniel Says:

First Fed lucky shot on the return, but even so, the net helped Murray in the end:)


Daniel Says:

Now he is totally out of the game, similar to RG 08′


Maso Says:

This is the worst whooping Roger’s taken since RG08 for sure. Except this time it’s on GRASS!


sub023 Says:

Yeah, Murray’s hitting Houdini-like shots now, not even giving Fed a chance to go on offense.


van orten Says:

Just not his day…


RD Says:

When Roger says he never loses to Murray when it matters, I guess that means the Olympics don’t matter. And they don’t, really, since no one remembers medallists.

Shame this wasn’t a higher-quality match.


Ben Pronin Says:

Considering the previous match, considering his age, considering how well he’s actually been playing the past few months, it was bound to catch up to him. There’s a reason all of his accomplishments recently are so out of this world, he’s not actually supposed to be able to do all of this at his age. It’s a shame that he can’t win the gold in singles, but a medal is a medal, and it’ll be his second overall Olympic medal.

A lot of credit needs to go to Murray, though. He’s been playing great tennis for a while now. He beat the top 2 players in the world to win this Olympics. And this is coming off a heartbreaking loss at Wimbledon. I still don’t know if he’ll win a major but this has got to be a great consolation prize.


Daniel Says:

Damm DelPo, couldn’t you just come a little flat Friday. That match killed Fed. I thought he would be able to recover but it was too much.
Murray showing his grown and taking full advantage not giving any breath to Fed. Will make US Open more interesting!
Disappointing match on Fed’s side.


Maso Says:

Holy crap. Double break coming up. this is unbelievable O_O I mean, Andy is deserving, there is no doubt. But I was expecting a final here, not a massacre.


metan Says:

Maso, rg08, Roger got a bagel, ,,,,,,,,by rafa


Maso Says:

Yes, metan, I have not forgotten. But other than that 3 set whooping he took in RG08 against Rafa, I can’t think of another straight set beating Roger’s taken since that’s been this bad. Novak straight setted him at the Australian in 11, I think, but it wasn’t such a beatdown!


Daniel Says:

Best Federer point all match. His cross court forehand on the run finally open the angle and was not just a put the ball back in play like the whole match.

Seems he moved better this point than he did the whole match.


Maso Says:

Well, straight sets against Novak at RG as well, I guess it’s been happening a bit more than I like to remember =D


gannu Says:

the only thing that hurts is not the loss but the manner in which federer was defeated…that hurts especially when it is on wimbledon centre court….downright embarassing !!!!


Daniel Says:

First set and a half Fed was losing but not making that much mistakes. First set they were even in Unforced errors, but Murray had more winners. This set I don’t know how Fed managed 3 games.

Hope he holds here to at least test Murray’s nerves.

When Murray serve for the second set, Fed got BP first.


metan Says:

Maso, all players has up n down, bear on mind , you won’t be do sad, this is just a game.

Forehand cross court, gives Murray the lead.


Daniel Says:

Wow!!He sure send a message. Serve the match out!


Daniel Says:

Well, if Fed can play a decent return game and Murray miss a few first serves…
Murray second serve seems better this match as well. He is hitting in a way to Fed’s backhand that Fed is not able ti run away to attack with a forehand.


Daniel Says:

Another lucky shot!!! This is killing me.


Maso Says:

I’ll get over it for sure, metan, I’m just disappointed ’cause I thought we might get one for the ages today!


Daniel Says:

If this ball landed in I would have break my mac:)


Daniel Says:

Well, This 2 serves tell it all, high on confidence.
His biggest career moment!


Daniel Says:

WOOWOWW

Congrats Murray.
Well, Fed was smiling, he doesn’t seem so depressed


Maso Says:

Damn, what a way to serve it out for Murray. Oh well, guess Roger will never get the olympic gold. So disappointed that he played so poorly, but whatever, after all of Murray’s own disappointments, I guess it’s not so bad a thing. Might give him the push for that elusive 1st slam win. Congratulations to Murray fans and Great Britain!


Kimmi Says:

congratulation to murray. GOLD medal! WOW! what an achievement. He has a chance for two gold. hope he gets it.


noogie Says:

Although I am a Fed fan ALL CONGRats to MURRAY. Well deserved and I hope many more to come. Please let this not be the highlight of British tennis history for the next 76 years


metan Says:

YESSSSSS, ANDY HAS GOLD,,,,,, AT LAST! SO RELIEVE!

CONGRATULATION ANDY AND ALL HIS FANS N BRITISH, Alison, Brando, Mark, Colin etc happy day


Colin Says:

Anybody know the stats? What was Murray’s first-serve percentage?

And once again – what was wrong with Roger?


Daniel Says:

Too bad Fed, can’t have them all.
Guess this balance things out.

Oh, just remind me of jamie, He (his psych) said that Olympics would be Fed or Murray again.


Brando Says:

STANDING OVATION SIR ANDY MURRAY!

WHAT A WIN- WHAT A ASS KICKING!

SO DESERVED- AND A A GOLD MEDAL FOR TEAM GB!

MAKES UP FOR ALL THE PAIN FROM THE WIMBY FINAL LOSS!

VAMOS- COULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED TO A BETTER GUY!


van orten Says:

Congrats to murray…he was due winnin


Brando Says:

– FED FANS (STRICTLY THE NICE ONES)- skeez, daniel, dari, kimmi, madmax, dave (my as well, i like our battles) etc:

NO SHAME IN THE LOSS WHATSOEVER!

YOUR GUY DOES NOT NEED THE GOLD MEDAL TO PROVE ANYTHING.

LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF THINGS:

– HE IS A 2 TIME OLYMPIC MEDALIST (ONE OF WHICH IS GOLD)!

– NO.1 AT 31!

HE’S LEGEND!


sub023 Says:

Typical Murray, most muted celebration Olympic gold celebration ever! Congratulations though, that was one hell of a performance!


Daniel Says:

Colin, 51%. THis is what is really killing. How the hell did Murray manage to win 5 straight sets serving blow 60% against Djoko and Fed, #2 and #1?!?!?!?!
I noted that he has way more spin in his second serve which prevent Fed form attacking, or Fed was just poor on movement.
Which means, Murray can play better,if he serves above 60%.


Brando Says:

yes, even though i don to like excuses- and definately the better player won- fed was somewhat ‘OFF’ today!

BUT let’s talk about that some other time- this is andy’s moment after ALOT of heartache!


Daniel Says:

This win could, no WILL be the turning point in Murray’s career and his Grand Slam may be US Open or next year.
All top 4 plus DelPo, who is a Slam winner and should be top 5, have singles medals now.


Brando Says:

Almost forgot:

CONGRATULATIONS TO JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO FOR HIS BRONZE MEDAL WIN!

AWESOME STUFF FOR A NICE GUY!


van orten Says:

Big points were the problem..so many chancez ..waS not supposed to be feds lucky golden day.thats all…he is number one and big favourite in ny..matches like that happpen ..he was looking flatfooted at times…again congrats to murray..he played well..


dari Says:

Fantastic MURRAY!
so happy for him to get this win and hope its the platform for a grand slam win, pronto.

Congrats to Fed and delpo on their medals, too!


Maso Says:

@Brando

I agree with you, there’s no shame in Fed losing this match. It’s just disappointing as a Fed fan to see him play so poorly in a final on his best surface.

At the same time, Murray is so deserving. It’s amazing how well he’s playing after losing to Fed in the Wimbly final in July. Came out playing fearlessly against both Fed and Novak and that’s no small feat. So, major congratulations are in order.

If Murray and Del Potro both play like this at the US Open, anything can happen and that’s exciting as hell! Wishing Rafa a healthy recovery as well, it’s just not the same when he’s not around.


gannu Says:

well done andy…a thoroughly deserved medal…it does hurt that my feddy bear didnt win gold…but its all karma and andy earned it by playing lights out tennis.. congrats murray and all their fans…its ur moment of glory and do enjoy this one by having a chilled can of beer ;-)))

guess all great champions have some thing which they havent achieved and federer this is one thing that u will not have,,, cheers guys


john Says:

congratualtions andy
you deserved it man ,seriously
true champ
roger what can i say ?


metan Says:

Andy spin improves a lot lately, probably goodwork from his couch Ivan.

Roger has 2 medals also, time to be happy too. Congrats for Roger too,SILVER it is shinning no!


Ben Pronin Says:

Colin, Federer is 3 days removed from being 31 years old and he is coming off the longest 3 set match in history, his recovery isn’t what it used to be and no one should be surprised by this. He was out of it physically and probably mentally, too, after such a dramatic win.

What’s wrong with him? He played an opponent with a lot to prove and who wasn’t going to go easy on him by any means. Murray capitalized the way champions should.


alison Says:

WOW im so happy for Muzza,and especially for tennis x numero uno Murray fan AKA Maaaargot,come out Margot and enjoy your moment,aww so sweet the little boy fan who wanted a hug off our Andy,lovely scenes of Andy going to the box to his team,tears of joy from Judy and Kim,wheres Llendel.


Polo Says:

This is the first time Federer has lost where I felt very happy for the guy who beat him. Big CONGRATULATIONS to Andy Murray. Happy at last at the end of a big event.


Maso Says:

True enough, Ben, after that insane 3rd set against Del Potro, it did seem very probable that Fed would be exhausted for this final. He’s had a long season, played a lot of matches, and by making it one step further in the tournament than Djokovic, he probably secured his #1 ranking until the US Open.

And Fed on an off day might have gotten a set or two today against an opponent who’d given him a chance by playing sloppy, but Murray didn’t give him that chance. Other than a sloppy 1st serve percentage, every other aspect of his game was nearly flawless. Played a very aggressive game (something he has been cricitized for not doing often), took his chances, made very little mistakes. A great win for Andy, hoping it will give him that push to win that 1st well deserved Grand Slam.


Brando Says:

@Maso:

Thanks re rafa, and your post was spot on also!


Brando Says:

ALL 3 ARE WINNERS- DESERVING ONES!

FEEL SO HAPPY FOR MUZZA :-)))))))))))


Mark Says:

Well done Murray and congrats to all his fans. He thoroughly deserved it!


skeezer Says:

Congrats to margot, colin, Jane and all the Murray fans. Finally , a big title he should forever cherish! Too bad for ma man, it was very clear for a long time how much he looked forward to this event. He still has a Gold medal and 2 medals overall. Like Tsonga, Fed had no gas in the tank, but that’s Tennis! Murray played stellar. Good luck in the mixed Andy!


Polo Says:

That podium of tennis medalists would have three happy faces. They should all be proud.


sub023 Says:

Aw, no Swiss flag for Fed?


steve-o Says:

Congratulations to Andy Murray, Olympic gold medalist! He really played brilliantly today, as he did throughout the week. This is a spectacular moment in his career, to win the Olympic gold for Great Britain at the All-England Club.

However, it wasn’t a high-quality match, certainly not the standard Federer is capable of.

As for Federer, this may give him a little bit of extra motivation to keep playing until Rio to get Olympic gold for Switzerland.


Brando Says:

someone should give fed the swiss flag.


Maso Says:

@Brando

You’re very welcome. I’d like to think I’m one of the civil Fed fans ;) Which doesn’t lessen my disappointment each time he loses to Rafa, mind you, but Rafa’s a legendary player and a credit to the game. His achievements, including his 7 victories at Roland Garros, are nothing short of extraordinary.

But anyway, this is Andy’s day. If he starts winning slams now, the ATP tour will become even more exciting than it already is. =O Congrats again to Andy and his fans. Can’t wait for the US Open!


Wog boy Says:

Congrats to Murray and his fans !

Somebody should check up on Margot, MARGOT ARE YOU ALL RIGHT, can you hear us :)

alison,

This is UK team, no room for Lendl.
Btw, if I understood commentator well, it was Andy’s father in the box too, the boldy one.
Enjoy your moment Andy fans, CHEERS


Brando Says:

Hope muzza has enough in the tank for the mixed, as i just saw that they shall play no. 1 seed: Mirnyi and Azarenka- tough one!

Good luck muzza and laura!


madmax Says:

Just wanted to say congratulations to you Margot. I know you must be happy with the win.

I had absolutely no expectations of Federer winning today, after his marathon match against Delpo, am very happy that he came away with the silver medal, and so now has a Gold doubles and a silver olympics – Well done Federer!

Britain will now go crazy wild for a few days, may be even a week.

It changes nothing for me. Fed being the best and Andy, I think will will his first slam at the USOpen and I really don’t mind about that.

After seeing more emotion than I ever have from Murray in July, if he wins, then good on him!

What a shame that Mark can only congratulate any of the players who beat federer and for no other reason.

Seriously sean, if you thought federer was going to win after his match with delpo, you must have been the only one. No way he could go to 5 sets today. It was the longest match in the open era. His final was against Delpo and by the same breath, I am happy for Murray to have some credit for all his hard work at close fought finals this year.


van orten Says:

All three so happy..they have just won olympic medals…no hard feelings at all…great to see them so excited…now back to regulærtennis..the atmosphere this week everywhere in london is breathtaking .unmatchable for other tourneys to come.


sudhir Says:

yes alison! I did not watch the match but as a Federer fan, am not too upset at Murray winning. I just hope that Murray won because he played better not because Roger played badly.

Having said that, I have always been a fan of Federer, Novak, Rafa, Andy in that order (cannot see why people hate one and love another), I am happy that Andy has made a definitive statement. Good for him. He and Novak are the future!!


madmax Says:

Colin Says:
Anybody know the stats? What was Murray’s first-serve percentage?

And once again – what was wrong with Roger?

August 5th, 2012 at 11:17 am

Colin,

it is very simple. Federer did not have enough gas in the tank and that isn’t an excuse. It’s a reason why he didn’t play his usually great tennis. Andy will have been rubbing his hands, but he deserved this win. Am happy for him.

Roger has nothing to be ashamed of. If he hadn’t have fought so hard against Juan, he may not have even got the bronze against Novak – you just never know,

Well done Fed for playing your heart out for the chance of the silver medal and it doesn’t matter that you lost to Andy, because he was a worthy finalist and eventual winner.


Brando Says:

@Maso:

thanks maso- your a treasure!

IMHO i think fed and rafa fans should treasure BOTH players as they are both legends of the game, and will be sorely missed when they inevitably will leave the game.

Fed is 31 soon, rafa has perennial knee issues- so let’s quit the bickering about who has the better record or whatever when BOTH have OUTSTANDING CVs and just treasure, enjoy them both while they are playing!

We won’t see their likes again you know- so cherish them!


Brando Says:

@Madmax:

‘Roger has nothing to be ashamed of. If he hadn’t have fought so hard against Juan, he may not have even got the bronze against Novak – you just never know,

Well done Fed for playing your heart out for the chance of the silver medal and it doesn’t matter that you lost to Andy, because he was a worthy finalist and eventual winner.’

SPOT ON MAX! sorry your fav lost- i guess it just wasn’t meant to be!

But like you said, at least he got the silver medal.

Excellent decision also to skip canada masters also- a well earned rest!


racquet Says:

So so happy! I’ll be grinning for a week. I love the understated way Andy celebrated and showed respect to Federer. Pure class. Margot and Jane, where the heck are you??


Maso Says:

@Brando

Couldn’t agree with you more. Roger and Rafa are two of the most amazing players this sport has ever seen and it is a privilege to be able to be a spectator to such an awesome era of tennis. Not to mention Djokovic is in the running to become a player of legend, as well, and if Murray wins that 1st slam… well, who knows what might happen? t’s a shame that there are so many fans on all sides trying to discredit one player to the credit of their favorite player. I guess that’s the nature of it, though.


Maso Says:

Anyway, enough Fed/Nadal. This may be the beginning of great things for Muzzah! If he wins the US Open, that would be such a fitting reflection of the past few years. Each one of the top 4 would have a slam victory. Anyway, it’s still way too early to start speculating about it, but I absolutely cannot wait for the US Open now =D


Nadal Says:

Congrats Roger for getting the Silver. And congrats to your fans too.

Though olympic Gold definitely stands apart and is at least as good as many slams but if you can’t have it then Silver is not bad at all.


Brando Says:

@Maso:

Completely agree.

Muzza maybe the favourite for USO now.

Why not?

He won there as junior, it was his debut slam final, and he has said in the past that he loves playing there more than anywhere else.

Further his confidence and game is at an alltime high.

the rivals?

– Rafa is injured.
– just beat fed in a best of 5 on a big stage.
– beat nole in straights in a big match, and novak is not on last year’s form either- losing to JMDP in the bronze match (straights again).

So all in all, things are looking really good for muzza!


Brando Says:

P.S last but not least: CONGRATS TO JAMIE!

he was the one who predicted fed or murray for both wimby and the olympics!

and both reached the finals!

very impressive.

Hope he returns- miss his predictions!


rave Says:

I did not expect Fed to win after that marathon mtch with JMDP. I fel sad, but am so happy for Andy. he deserved this win. He was the better player. Watching Fed play, it seemed he could not do anything right. He looked so sad walking out of the stadium. But, Fed is Fed, he will bounce back as he has done before. I never give up on Fed, because he never gives up on himself.

I was going to say something about the Rafa fans who are probably delighted right now and spewing hate. But i will hold my thoughts, because this is Andy’s day.

Congratulations to Andy, Fed and Delpo. They played their herats out for their country and for themselves. They are a role model for us all.

Love you Roger. You are still # 1 in my book and alwayss will be.


metan Says:

@brando,

Jamie said uso is nadal,


Dave Says:

Congratulations to Murray fans. Andy was fresh, executed a sound strategy, played lights out tennis, incredible anticipation and unbelievable spring in his legs. This match could well be a watershed for him going forward. Clearly the influence of Lendl (for those who know what Lendl did in the 1980s). It’s a great lesson — after losing Wimbledon what did Murray do? Instead of wallowing in self-pity or doubt, Murray didn’t waste time taking a vacation and relaxing. He immediately went back to the practice courts and built on the momentum he already had and made improvements. He deserved the victory. Now he is going to carry that momentum into the hardcourt season.

After an initial few games of trying to bluff and gain an early lead over Murray, it was obvious that Federer was a bit sluggish, just didn’t have enough spring in his legs, enough back to serve and enough freshness to be at the level necessary to play Murray today as well as to dig deep and compete. The Delpo match probably took too much out of him — it was the equivalent of a long five set match, with as many games as the Nadal-Djokovic Australian Open final. And having his rhythm disrupted by the Isner match probably didn’t help. Federer had great momentum after Wimbledon — but I was always concerned with how his investment into the Olympics would affect his US Open series tourneys. Federer really needs to get a few matches under his belt at Cincinnati, otherwise he could face trouble at the US Open.


Maso Says:

rave, Roger is not just #1 in your book, he is #1 in the ATP’s books too =)


Brando Says:

@metan:

i know- here’s hoping he gets that one right also.

:-)


van orten Says:

Everybody here seems to be happy & easy..just one of the most incredible 5 wee ks we finished to follow..so many incredible achievements
– fed nr1 and wimby+ history making semifinal + silver
– mur


scineram Says:

Wanted DelPo to win it all, it would have been awesome to see Rog and Nole fight for No. 1. But at least he recovered to beat Nole. That is the difference between a 30 and a 23 years old. Great win for MAndy.


Brando Says:

@Dave:

commiserations on your guy losing.

Like i said earlier, it was evident he wasn’t at his best.

Personally though, i think fed would be suited to skip cincy also- more time to rest and recover.

Bar the no.1 ranking, i do not see much reason for him to play.

what’s your take as a fed fan on this?


Maso Says:

We’ve got some crazy 5-6 weeks of tennis ahead of us! If Del Potro, Tsonga and Murray show up on top of their game, it’s going to make for some damn interesting tennis. Maybe Raonic will cause some chaos, too.


Margot Says:

Just emerging from tears and smiles :) raqcquet, Brando, Alison, jane, skeeze, one and all. Thanx for your congratulations. I’m so proud of Andy today.
So many heartaches and disappointments make this moment all the sweeter. Andy your time has come. YAY!
Sean I love you :) I think that’s called “the hat trick jinx.” ;)


van orten Says:

Wins gold wimby runner up

No speaches no inteeviews..just walking round the court representing ur country and that atmosphere wowww ..u. gotta love Olympic tennis at wimby..that was something special


madmax Says:

Nadal Says:
Congrats Roger for getting the Silver. And congrats to your fans too.

Though olympic Gold definitely stands apart and is at least as good as many slams but if you can’t have it then Silver is not bad at all.

August 5th, 2012 at 11:54 am

Come on N! The olympics as not as good as many slams! You cannot even compare. Nice try at the snide remark though.

Sean, please. No more predictions. Every time where fed is concerned, it just goes wrong.

Fed, go rest and recharge. Would not be surprised if he skipped cinny. See what his team said.

Dave, of course he was sluggish. No question. Murray’s day, and why not ? About time.

If anyone can post any pictures of the ceremony that would be great.


Margot Says:

Wog boy, Madmax left u out and apologies to anyone else.
Tennis Fan u are the new psychic on tennisx and I raise my glass.
Off to get bladdered :)


Daniel Says:

If Fed wins one match in Cincy, and Djoko wins the same amount of points as last year (a win and a final in both hard court master pre US Open), Fed is seeded 1 in US OPen.
So, I think he will play some rounds as Dave said,and since it is the fastest court on tour, depending on his draw he may go deeper.


madmax Says:

Federer, meanwhile, had disappeared down the tunnel. In the third round of the championships, Federer recovered from two sets down to beat Julien Benneteau. With the best will in the world, the Frenchman is no Murray. And this was not the same Federer.

“I don’t think I played too badly,” the Swiss player said, “but he played well, good shot selections. I didn’t convert any break points. I made wrong decisions from time to time. Andy looked like never doubted himself. I’m very happy for him.”


van orten Says:

No speaches, walking round the courts smiling waving showing the medal representing ur country under an unique atmosphere..more tennis like that pls!!!!!


Lou_tennisfan Says:

What an inspiring win by Andy Murray today! He really has now offically told the world that he is coming after the top 3! He has lost to Federer, Nadal, Djokovic so many times that one would have thought that he will never ever fulfil his potential but not now. He was very very impressive today.

Federer lookeda bit tired after his epic SF match but today was the day of Andy Murray. He played brilliantly and to me, it just goes on to show how much difference one man ( Ivan Lendl) can do to your game and confidence.

From Crying Baby to a Matured Brit :The Rise of a New Champion- Andy Murray http://tinyurl.com/9dgwkbc


Eric Says:

Just woke up to see the news. Congratulations to Murray and his fans. Really cool to see him carrying on his confidence from the semifinals. Here’s one guy unquestionably still on his way up!

Unpredictable hard court season, here we come!


andrea Says:

Great win Andy! Sounds like roger was never in the match. Congrats to all medal winners though….Andy, roger and del po!


Maso Says:

What an amazing tennis season so far! 1 slam for Novak, Rafa and Roger. The olympics go to Murray. Del Potro seems to be in tip top shape. Tsonga’s playing well. If Rafa is healthy come USO, it’s gonna be a hell of a slam.


jane Says:

What an amazing win for Andy. WOW!!! racquet, margot, Colin, and any other Andy fans around here – locals, alison and Brandon – stunning performance from Andy today. Cheers!! :)

So – congrats on gold for Andy – I truly didn’t expect such a lopsided match! And to Fed for Silver, and Delpo for Bronze.

Obviously I am utterly crushed for Nole, but consoling myself (er, trying) because he has a bronze from Bejing. Hugs to Wog Boy – hope you aren’t too devastated. Time to mix up some tea and brandy.


alison Says:

Commiserations to Fed fans Skeezer,Madmax,Dave,Swiss Maestro,Ajet,Michael,Rave etc etc,Rogers had another amazing week,and just didnt have enough left in the tank after the Delpo match,and anyway a silver is still a fantastic achievement,looking forward to the hard court season,bring it on.


Eric Says:

Wow, I didn’t even notice the outcome of the bronze match. Well, congratulations to Delpo too! I’m sure Djokovic is saving his juice for Toronto and Cincinnati…


alison Says:

Thanks Jane sorry about Nole,he too had an amazing week,and we are now heading into hard court territory,so i fully expect him to come into his own again,exciting times in tennis ahead indeed.


alison Says:

Meant to say sorry to all Nole fans out there Jane,Wogboy,Mat4,Courbon,Nina,etc etc,hope your not too down hearted,hard court season around the corner.


alison Says:

Just wondering where Sienna is?it would be nice if she showed up to congratulate Murray and his fans,is it too much to ask?


alison Says:

Andy and Laura playing well in the mixed dubs,took the 1st set,but down a break in the 2nd set,go Andy go Laura.


rave Says:

Maso, LOL. I was talking about me and not the ATP. have always beleived that Roger could get his #1 back even though there was talk about Roger being delusional and crazy.

Jamie also said the second half of this year would be Murray’s, then she said it would be Nadal’s. we will have to see.


Sienna Says:

Well done Andy Murray. It is not to much to ask Alison but During the match we had a little situation here.

6 fth rain within 30 minutes so it was a bit of a problem.

But I did catch the first two sets and hewas looking ominous. I was hoping Fed would be able to turn it around like he can, but Andy was not to be denied. I guess.

I see a silverlining Literally, Fed will be focused for the remainder. He has something to set straight if he meets Andy in US Open final,


jane Says:

Silver for Andy and Laura – so Andy with a silver and gold.

Also Azarenka with a gold medal and a bronze now – she must be thrilled. Congrats to her.


Brando Says:

Darn it- so close!

Just a few bad points really, otherwise muzza and laura did really well against the top seeds.

Oh well congrats to team Belarus- mirnyi for his 1st olympic medal ever (overdue) and azarenka for the gold and bronze medal- not bad at all.

Congrats also of course to laura and muzza for adding a medal to team GBs tally- silver, much appreciated!

And once again to muzza- gold and silver, 2 time olympic champion- BEST BRITISH ATHLETE IN ANY SPORT for me atm!

British tennis legend for sure, but also an awesome guy!

He has won many people’s hearts this summer, for sure!


Brando Says:

@Margot:

Lol!

Congrats most especially to yourself and colin- 2 long standing, passionate and truly brilliant murray fans!

you 2 deserve the congrats most around here!

P.S: team GB are doing awesome now in the medal count- another cause for celebration! :-)


Brando Says:

@Jane:

Thanks- also congrats to yourself, as you have also supported muzza loyally and passionately for a long time.

Sadly nole lost today, BUT like you said he already won bronze in beijing so it’s still all good for him i believe.

Hard court season is upon us now, so i am sure he will do really well, so yourself, wog boy, nina etc should have alot to look forward too for sure.

Cheer up. :-)


alison Says:

Sienna my apologies,Rogers has had an amazing week,and a silvers a fantastic achievement,you should be very proud of him.


alison Says:

Murray has actually gone on to do,what is required to win a GS,by beating two out of the top 3 players back to back,and in a 3 set match too,so he has proved he can do it,so the monkey is now off his back,he got closer at wimbledon as it was the 1st time he actually took a set of Fed in a final,IMO I think things could be very different if or when he faces one of the other 3 in a GS final.


Jane Says:

It is sort of amazing how accurate Jamie’s predictions have been…


Dan Martin Says:

Murray was awesome throughout the event. Great win for him, and it makes the psychology of men’s tennis that much more interesting.


alison Says:

Jane yeah true im hoping the next two are right,i believe he said Rafa would win the USO,and Muzza would win the AO next year,on the 1st one i think pigs might fly lol, personally i think Noles in with a better chance than anyone else,although i think theres a better chance of his second prediction coming true,however we will see if he/she gets it right.


Mark Says:

^ “pigs might fly” ???


alison Says:

Mark where i come from its a tongue in cheek reference meaning not much chance,hence the saying pigs might fly, im not been negative but after his injuries,lack of match play,sorry but my expectations are not really that high,so im not getting my hopes up,ill take each match as it comes,every round he gets through will be a bonus,that way you dont set yourself up for dissapointment,for a start at this stage we dont even know if he will be fit to even play as yet anyway.


Mark Says:

Alison. I do know what “pigs might fly” means. Not sure whether it is tongue in cheek. My interpretation is ” impossible”. Anyhow, let’s hope for the best. You never know.


alison Says:

Mark yeah quite right no argument there,anything can happen,expect the unexpected.


Kimberly Says:

challenge.atpworldtour.com join group tennisxfans. only 14 hours left with toronto draw. if there is a tournament to pick a crazy bracket this is probably it.


Everyone is entitled to my opinion Says:

Roger Federer Meets Andy Murray For Olympic Gold And Even More GOATness, Who’s The Pick?
Sean Randall

More GOATness? Have I missed something?


Everyone is entitled to my opinion Says:

Sienna, Andy will thrash Roger again if they meet at the USO. Be careful what you wish for.


Alok Says:

So sad Fed lost the gold, but he did win silve, so all’s good.

I’m so happy that JMDP got to win a medal. His sadness when he lost to Fed was painful to watch. I was happy Fed won but wished it wasn’t at JMDP’s expense. Anyway, it all worked out good for JMDP.


Brando Says:

Wow- a bolt of lighting just struck in london!

Lol, couldn’t help it, but usain rocks!


alison Says:

Brando lol Usain Bolt the athletics GOAT,also Ben Ainslie set a world record in the sailing,Golds for Jess Ennis,MO Farrah,Greg Ruthersford,a fantastic weekend for the Brits,and not forgetting our Andy too.


alison Says:

Brando BTW have you filled out your bracket yet.


alison Says:

Off topic as i know its a tennis forum,but is Michael Phelps arguably the greatest ever olympic champion ever ATM?


Brando Says:

@Alison:

No i haven’t yet- will do so.

Re the medals though: it’s awesome that we are 3rd an have a bit of distance from the rest.

andy was inspired by mo farrah, he says so in this post match video:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/18907001

Amazing how team GB have done so far!


Brando Says:

@Alison:

It’s tough to say- very subjective really.

He’s definitely up there, and in the discussion. Really you cannot ask for more than that IMHO.

Phelps, bolt now, carl lewis, sir steve redgrave, michael johnson and a whole lot of others that i am unaware will be in this discussion.

But for phelps it is amazing that he has the all time record!

Well done to him for it- i am sure americans are well proud of him!


alison Says:

Brando wow up to 3rd in the medals count,im so proud of our guys and gals,so great to see us hoovering up so many medals,Andy inspired by Mo,such a good example to follow.


alison Says:

Brando Chris Hoy,Daley Thompson,should go on that list


Brando Says:

@Alison:

Same here, very proud. And true about daley thompson- just know that there are many i’ll forget to mention.

Have done the draw though, just now.

Picked nole for the win- BUT his side seemed to be packed with the big names.

That’s the problem though, the big names, it is very feasible that muzza, delpo or even jo could skip the canada masters.

very tricky bracket to pick.


Kimberly Says:

back to business, don’t forget brackets everyone


alison Says:

Brando i always believe the fact that theres even a discussion means rather than having an overall GOAT its so much better and healthier for sport in general to be talking about so many great sportsmen and women rather than just one in any particular field of sport,the whole GOAT discussion is one topic in sport that ive never really cared about,i think it gets blown up way out of proportion alot of the time IMO.


M Says:

“I’m so happy that JMDP got to win a medal. “

Me too. I’m sure Argentina is losing its collective mind.


alison Says:

Kimberly back to buisness already been there and done that,looking forward to it,seems such a long time since the last one.


alison Says:

Wonder where Ajet,Conty,Grendel,Mat4 are these days?


Brando Says:

AWESOME STUFF:

Rafa congratulates andy, fed and JMDP on the medal wins.

Singles out muzza- good to hear, sure think muzza would be pleased here that from his fav player.

http://www.tennisworldusa.org/Andy-Murray-congratulated-by-Rafael-Nadal-on-winning-Gold-Medal-at-London-Olympics-articolo5295.html


Fot Says:

Congrsts to all the Murray fans. And I’m still also proud of Roger. In his comments afterwards, he said in the last few weeks he won Wimbedon, got #1 back, and won a silver medal. He said not to feel sorry for him because he is very happy, and he congratulated murray for his win as well.


Eric Says:

I don’t understand the discussion of Phelps as the greatest Olympian every — I guess I just don’t see how there can be any such thing as the greatest Olympian ever. What would that even mean? Most dominant over their own rivals in their sport? That’s impossible to compare. Phelps is clearly the greatest Olympic men’s swimmer ever, but can you really compare that to fencing or basketball or even (say) shot put? I don’t think so. Does it just mean “has the most medals (gold or total)?” That’s not really a fair way to compare either, then, because swimming has 34 events and something like tennis only has 5 (or 4 for the last several decades), while many athletes have only one shot to medal (say the wrestling or judo events – you can’t be in more than one weight class at the same time!). I know no one can compete in all the swimming events (which range, after all, from 50 to 10,000 meters) but it’s still a clearly inequitable basis for comparison.

Anyway, Phelps is obviously an astounding athlete even within the rarefied world of super-elite sports, but I just dunno what it means to call someone (in effect) the greatest athlete ever. Think of all the arguments we have just about what it means to be the GOAT in tennis… ;)


Ben Pronin Says:

Eric, I agree, but it’s fun to say.


tennisfansince76 Says:

congrats to Murray and his fans. great win. i hope this gets the monkey off his back (although there never should have been a monkey. its not like he ever lost GS finals he should have won) going forward i hope this helps his confidence. he really brought the wood today and against Nole. hope he continues to play first strike tennis. going forward i hope everyone is healthy for teh US open and we get some exciting matches esp semis and finals.


tennisfansince76 Says:

@Eric i am in complete agreement. that greatest olympian title is nothing but hogwash. its the kind of thing lazy sportswriters like to go on about


Eric Says:

Ben, true!

If you wanna know who I think the real greatest Olympians are, though, it’s no real question: John Carlos and Tommie Smith (and Peter Norman).


M Says:

Sasha Dolgopolov defeats finalist Tommy Haas in 3 to win the CitiOpen in DC! This makes the 2nd ATP title for Sasha. Both men’s rankings are boosted going into the US hardcourt season, with Sasha returning to the top 20.

Also, Michael Phelps is a Rafafan.
:-)


JustMe Says:

And Sean Randall loses again : ) YAY! Congrats to Andy Murray, the Gold Medal in singles and the silver in mixed dubs. Keep up the good work, Sean!


Steve 27 Says:

Federer really needs to get a few matches under his belt at Cincinnati
Nadal too! I expect terrible fight for the Us Open


Daniel Says:

Eric,

Before Phelps there was never a tri time Olympic Champion in Swimming, he managed it twice.

Next Olympic in Rio (I will be watching:) Bolt can be the first man to be tri time gold in 100 m. It will elevate him to this same status.

If you have other athletes dominating their sport for a period of Olympics you will have base for comparisoon. It’s not number of medals (which will always favor swimmer and maybe gymnasts if they can win all 8 medals per Olympic), but dominating through out the years.
Which remind me of Federer, who was #1 in 2004 and now again 9 years later:)


Daniel Says:

tri should be three:)


Michael Says:

Thanks Alison !!


Michael Says:

First of all, my hearty congratulations to Andy for winning the Olympic Gold Medal. This should be a breakthrough match for him in my opinion to get a major soon in his bag which is long overdue. What an awesome match he played. He clearly decimated Roger in his own backyard. I have never seen Roger as clueless on Grass courts ever before. Yeah, he got beaten by Nadal, Tsonga and Berdych, but they were very tough matches decided by a few points here and there. Roger is always at his commanding best at the historic Grass courts of London. But today I saw a novice there against Murray not knowing how to tackle the maruading player at the other end. As regards Murray, with a type of this scale of win, he is sure to gain tremendous confidence in the tournaments ahead and I see him in the top two pretty soon !!


Michael Says:

As regards Roger, I am not sure what was his problem on court ? Was it due to the long drawn match against Del Potro ? Has the terrible back pain began to haunt him ? Was he restless after a long season. It was a nightmare really. To see Roger demolished like this on what is called his home turf is really demoralizing to say the least. True, Andy played really well and was awesome. But Roger could have made a fight even if he played half his best. Nothing was working, neither the serve, volley, ground strokes and even the luck was on Andy’s side. When was the last time Roger got demolished like this on an important match. I think it is Rolland Garros against Nadal. But that is different. Clay is not his favourite surface and he was playing against the GREATEST clay court player. However this is GRASS where Roger is the KING and to be annihalated like this is really serious.


Michael Says:

In the bronze medal match, Del Potro came of age and won against Novak. Congratulations to him. But I am worried for Novak. He is clearly not the same player as he was last year. Now he might be overtaken by Murray in the sweepstakes. Despite this loss, I see Novak as one of the favourites for the US Open title.


Eric Says:

Murray is less than 800 points behind Rafa now, but still over 3000 from Djokovic. That kind of ground is not gonna be made up quickly unless Nole has a truly catastrophic fall season. Or, more revealingly, Nole is more than 2000 points ahead in the race – so it is pretty darn hard to see a swap in the rankings before the USO.


Eric Says:

I should say in rankings of Murray and Novak, which I hope was clear. Of course it is possible for Murray to pass Rafa, especially if the latter doesn’t play in Cincinnati either.

And, Michael, for sure, I am not debating Phelps’ status in swimming itself. It’s just that you can’t compare all of the disparate sports within the Olympics and say which competitor is the best… the sports all have different essences. I mean, Phelps wins most of his races by literally fractions of a percent in the relative times of the top competitors (which makes his consistency in winning all the more remarkable, of course). I guess when the chips are down, I’ve gotta admit that I’m just more impressed by consistency and domination in events that are something more than a straightforward test of physical conditioning (sorry, swimming buffs). Phelps is obviously the best Olympic swimmer ever, as I said above, and kudos to him, but I don’t understand how you can move from that to “greatest Olympian.” It’s like declaring someone the best human ever. Well, what? Nice rhetoric, but meaningless.


Sienna Says:

Daniel Says:
Eric,

Before Phelps there was never a tri time Olympic Champion in Swimming, he managed it twice.

If it wasnt for the now forbidden swimsuitstechnology Pieter vd Hoogenband would have had a third 100 m freestyle swimming.

So thatit was never been done had also to do with choices in rules andregulations not only if there was a atlete whocould and would do it.


Neal Says:

Some good news, you know what? Murray served three aces against Federina in the final game. lol And they are calling him the King Of Grass. lol He can’t even take a set from Murray when the stadium roof is open.


Sienna Says:

By the end of the year it will be

1 Roger Federer
2 Andy Murray
3 Novak Djokovic
4 Rafael Nadal

End Nadal will be under pressure to stay in top 4
I think DelPotro will bounce him.


Mark Says:

^ Wishful thinking??


Swiss Maestro Says:

Well done murray! now build on this and get some slams, dude!

as for fed, what a player! 19-17 over one of the most power-packed players of all time. Take a bow, King of the court!

alison, thanks for all your wishes. here’s hoping rafa’s up and running soon. congrats on UK’s wonderful performance in olympics!


Nirmal Kumar Says:

Murray seems to have got it done this time. Could not watch tennis this weekend, so can’t comment on the quality of the match. But looks like he took it to Roger.

This probably makes it interesting for USO. I know people would be happy to see Novak vs Nadal in the semi. But now after this victory, who would Roger prefer. Will it be Murray or Nadal himself. Nadal has the least match practice and low on confidence.

Also I wonder if the USO happens per schedule can Roger recover for a Saturday semi and Sunday final, unless the semis happens to be a quick 3-setter. I doubt he has a chance at USO with his age and the schedule they have.


Sienna Says:

Not really wishfull thinking. Just assessing the current level and momentum of the top players.
Fedday are battling for US Open


Lisa Says:

Congretulations to Murray for winning Gold, am so happy for him….played fantastic tennis….

Also congrets to Roger and Delpotro….great tournament for them too….

Cheers all!


Borg Says:

was not serious because this is not a grand slam where you can mint Now where are those people like Skeezer who mocked me when I tipped Murray to win this one. Honestly I didnt expect Federer to cow down so badly. He played to lose. He proved today by his play as to why he is not the Goat as his fans wish to proclaim time and again. Leave alone other courts Federer is not King of even Grass courts with this mauling. Can you ever imagine Rafa beaten like this on a Clay court slam ? That is why he is called the best ever on that surface.


Borg Says:

Congrats Murray !!! You kicked his butt with more force than my man Rafa !!!


Steve 27 Says:

Sienna a perennial Nadal hater. Nothing news. Karma is coming for you!


metan Says:

@Borg, your post @ 4:46 am LOL!!!


alison Says:

Swiss Maestro Great to see you posting again,and right back at you,thanks for the well wishing message,no disgace for Roger hes had another amazing week,and to bag a silvers a fantastic achievement,and will bounce back soon,so proud of Murray and all our Brit guys and gals doing so well,love Rafa and Roger,but i agree it would be fantastic to see Murray bag a slam,hope this will now propel him,as for Rafa hope he will return soon,my expectations are not that high especially with it now been the hard court season,still you never know,just to see him back will be great.


alison Says:

Michael i think its unfair to expect Novak to reach the heights he did last year,hes still had a solid year making two slam finals winning one,as well as winning a couple of masters,and making the semis of wimbledon,and as you say hes likely to be the favorite at the USO,the us hard court season is his best time of the year,he Roger and Andy,are the favs in that order,its highly unlikely Rafa will even be a factor there,as its not his best part of the season,Novak fans have nothing to worry about,i feel the USO is his to loose IMO.


alison Says:

Michael @August 6th 12.22pm,BTW your welcome.


alison Says:

^sorry 12.22am duh^.


Michael Says:

Alison,

Novak has had a good year. No doubt about it. But sometimes you have to pay the price for greatness. It is his last year performance that is still lingering in the memory of all Tennis enthusiasts and compared to that, this year has been mediocre. True, he will be the heavy favourite for the US Open title. But after this splendid show by Murray, I put him as one of the favourites too and necessarily at the top. This might be the tournament where he might be breaking his major jinx. It should be Murray, Novak, Roger and Nadal necessarily in that order. I am surprised you have discounted Nadal from the scheme of things. Never underestimate him. He is a Champion. Stakes are higher for both Novak and Nadal as both were finalists last year there.


alison Says:

Michael the US hard court season favours the other 3 not Nadal,so i dont see any point in setting myself up for unecassary dissapointment by getting my hopes up,im not been pessimistic just realistic,hes not fully fit for a start, and has had very little match practice and lost to Rosol in the second round at wimbledon,it does not bode well IMO,his next title will most likely be on clay next spring,add to that he has not won a hard court title since the Japan o[pen in 2010,im just doing the maths,Rafas not the player he was and is in an obvious decline,the other 3 are better players on all surfaces,and it looks like its their time to shine,Rafas had his day.


alison Says:

BTW been a Brit i will be delighted when Murray wins his 1st slam.


Sienna Says:

Alison it is OK to switch racehorses.
And Rafa will be fine. The day that racehorses who are not performing anymore were brought to the butcher are well and truly behind us.

They now can enjoy an lenghty old age running freely in fields.

Dont know about bulls in Spain? They still tend to be a little harsh on the them.


alison Says:

Sienna err if you say so,sorry that posts about as clear as mud to me.


Michael Says:

Alison,

Although you have a point, I would never discount Nadal. He can make a come back. The same thing was said after 2009 when many tennis pundits dismissed him and said that he was finished. He made a strong come back after initial sluggishness and had a fantastic 2010. So, I never discount him.


alison Says:

Michael its not 2009 though hes 3 years older now, i give him a couple more years before he retires if that,all the haters will no doubt be having a good time gloating.


alison Says:

Michael i would not be too worried about what Nadals doing anyway if i were you,just be happy that your two favorites are still doing so well and are at the top of their game.


Nims Says:

Was away and could not watch the finals. Though score was a bit of surprise, on hindsight probably Roger was satisfied with Silver and did not want to give his all and kill his chances in the next half of the year. Roger probably was slightly down due to fatigue and might have been carrying some niggles after his long match.

But this was due for Murray. The guy played the best tennis in Wimbledon till the last 2 sets in the finals. I would not have been surprised had be beaten Roger at Wimby finals. So this does not surprise me.

But this leaves a fantastic opportunity for him at USO. Hope he carries the momentum with proper breaks, rather kill himself in the next two masters. He played enough matches and is one of the most natural athletes on HC. His next focus should be on USO, not the masters.


mem Says:

Mark,

those who spend their time wishing, hoping, praying that nadal drops to #4 haven’t consider the consequences. hate doesn’t allow the mind to expand! as usual they are blinded by their disdain and ignorance. they are so narrowminded until they never ever consider more than one way of looking at the possibilities.

for example, rafa as #3 or #4 is more a threat to roger and novak in the grand scheme of things. he has the capability to prevent either of them from reaching the final. @#3 or 4 he can’t meet murray until the final; therefore, if he is placed in novak’s half, he has proven he can beat novak and if he is placed in roger’s half, he has proven he can beat roger, and there is no guarantee that novak or roger will beat nadal if they were to meet in a semifinal. so it is possible that rafa can prevent either one of them from reaching the final. that said, i’m hoping the wishers get just what they wished for. before it’s over, they might be wishing nadal was back @ # 1 or #2.

but that’s what happens when people are so caught up in hatred for a certain person, they can’t see straight. they never weigh the consequences! that’s their downfall!


skeezer Says:

borg,

“here are those people like Skeezer who mocked me when I tipped Murray to win this one.”

I never mocked you when you tipped Murray to win, you nuts? Now for mocking you, that is a different story ;)


Mark Says:

mem. You have a very valid point. Being 3 or 4 doesn’t make a whole lot of difference in the grand scheme if things. If, as predicted, Murray is set to go off on a choo choo train, and takes over the 3 spot, he can only meet Rafa in the final after, hopefully , annihilating fed or nole. So it’s all good. Haters should be careful what they wish for!!


WTF Says:

What was the story? Olympics means a lot to Federer, so he would not have been happy with silver. Was he gutted?

How did he get thrashed so comprehensively? Was he still tired?


JayJay Says:

Trufan,

Perfect post up there. Besides Nadal ” works” including the annoying monster looping forehand, u forgot one huge important fact: taking loads of time between every single point to give him enough time to focus on the next point. For a mental player, that makes ridiculous difference. ITF at least could show some dignity and officialyze this 2 minute break between points rule nadal invented in his favor.


Everyone is entitled to my opinion Says:

It’s pointless saying Murray will win everything because he beat Federer yesterday. Not so long ago, Federer was the all conquering Maestro who dominated Murray in the Wimbledon final. Murray was also ‘crippled’ with back problems leading up to Wimbledon. Anyway, it’s not unusual for Murray to beat Federer, he’s always had a positive h2h against him, except that this was his first win against Fed in a best of 5 sets.

Every tournament throws up new chalenges.


Dave Says:

Federer’s post-match interview after Murray match.
http://2012.itftennis.com/media/126057/126057.pdf


Dave Says:

Other player interviews from Olympics, including Murray, Delpo, etc.
http://2012.itftennis.com/olympics/news/interviews.aspx


mem Says:

Everyone is entitled,

they don’t think it’s pointless, don’t you get it? the player who wins the match especially against a very elite player (roger or rafa) is the next great player who will automatically start dominating the tour like never before.

haven’t you heard? rosol is also suppose to be dominating the tour at the moment. his win against a fatigued nadal; a nadal who had basically dominated the clay season (with the exception of madrid) coming off of an eighth monte carlos title, a seventh barcelona, a sixth rome and a seventh roland garros victory, any sane person would expect him to be physical and mentally drained; add to that, stress on knees and one week to adjust to grass, not to mention playing against an inspired opponent with nothing to lose, but never mind that, nadal is a machine so he should not have been fatigued in the first place plus he is faking the knee problems.

if rosol can dominate the tour after beating nadal, i’m sure as talented as murray is, he can definitely dominate after beating roger. that’s the mindset of those who know next to nothing about the nature of sports.

so don’t be surprised when you read those kind of comments. they are not able to distinguish fact from fiction.


the mind reels Says:

First off, a big congrats to Murray and his fans. He outplayed Federer yesterday and thoroughly deserved his victory. As a Federer fan, while I don’t like seeing my guy lose, I’d rather he lose to someone who executed his A-game and did so in front of his home country. Really nice to see Murray finally realizing all of the potential that he’s shown the world that he has. Good stuff.

As for Federer, while I suspect he might have been half a step slow at times due to Friday’s slugfest, he just didn’t have it. No shame in winning a silver for his country, and hopefully he can get some much-needed rest over the next week or so.

Lastly, to the writers of tennis-x.com, is it just me, or did I miss the much-deserved write-up for Murray’s big win yesterday? The headlines seem to go from the men’s final preview to the Canada Open? Credit where credit is due, please!


Ray Says:

so nadal fans want to take credit for predicting a murray win?

such great tennis analysts couldn’t see rosol kicking nadal out of wimbledon though, eh?

it’s not like you predicted allejandro falla would win olympics.

murray was 1 of the top 3 favs to win olympics. after the semis, we all knew the winner was coming from the djokovic-murray semi-final!

unfortunately for murray, his winning olympics is a footnote because the biggest story yesterday was bolt’s gold. just like murray’s career will always be over shadowed by nole, fed and the spannish thug, his olympic achievement got overshadowed by a legend of the sportsworld, mr. bolt.

dont blame the writers, there are far bigger things happening in the world of sport than murray winning a gold medal or williams/bryans winning a gold medal. if murray and his fans want people to sing hosannas, ask the dude to man-up and win what really matters in tennis – the slams!

you wouldn’t expect usain bolt’s fans to complain when bolt gets 0 coverage winning some charity race on the day murray wins wimbledon, right? by the same token, murray fans should stop whining when what he has achieved has already been achieved by tennis legends such as mecir, rosset, kafelnikov and massu! LOL!


Ray Says:

bolt, phelps and federer – the 3 biggest sports icons of the 1st decade of this millenium!


madmax Says:

Ben Pronin Says:
Considering the previous match, considering his age, considering how well he’s actually been playing the past few months, it was bound to catch up to him. There’s a reason all of his accomplishments recently are so out of this world, he’s not actually supposed to be able to do all of this at his age. It’s a shame that he can’t win the gold in singles, but a medal is a medal, and it’ll be his second overall Olympic medal.

Exactly Ben!

Anyone else find mem repetitive and well, really boring?


Ray Says:

i find mem stupid and pathetic. i guess i could see people finding her repetitive and boring. i could also understand people finding her attention-seeking and well “special”.

i think there are so many things that would stick perfectly on mem, but nothing suits her better than mem the moron.

i hope they let her post here and not moderate her azz out! it’s fun to see the disastrous effect rosol has had on poor rafa and his fans! i mean, running away from competition because you got beaten by a 100th ranked player!

and his poor fans having to explain his wussy behaviour. priceless!

even murray, the weakest of the present top 3, wouldn’t run away after the most disastrous of losses. heck, he even won olympics after a heart-breaking wimbledon loss. now that’s a fighter. look @ nadal after french open 2009 and wimbledon 2012 – it has got wussy written all over – that too with a P!


Ben Pronin Says:

Mem, who said Rosol was going to dominate anything?

I’m not sure why there’s no right up. Usually Sean has something. Maybe time to break out of my slump.

Ray, what about Woods, Kobe, Lebron, Messi, Zidane, Manning, Brady… The list goes on and on. There have been a lot of incredible athletes this past decade.


mem Says:

the mad max

is in town!

are you still grieving because your “highness” roger federer lost on his favorite surface. i’m sorry it didn’t rain and they couldn’t close the roof to give him a better chance, but i beg you don’t blame me pleaseeee!

i tell you what, i’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt and just consider that you are so distraught until you have no idea what you’re talking about, but then, you never know what you are talking about. anyway, i’m in a good mood, so i will be more sympathetic today. i realize you are still hurting over roger’s defeat although you try to convince others that you are perfectly happy with roger getting the silver. yeah, right!

feel better soon,
have a nice day!


mem Says:

Ben,

read between the lines, you’re figure it out!


Ben Pronin Says:

No, what you’re saying makes no sense.


mem Says:

Ben,

it is sarcasm in response to the comments of many fans from this blog and other blogs making a big deal out of rosol’s win over nadal as if rosol was going to suddenly dominate tennis. i take it that they had never seen a lesser player defeat a top player in the second round before. maybe they just started tuning in to tennis during wimbledon.

anyway, i mentioned rosol to suggest that this is a pattern with a lot of fans. the minute a certain player beats a player like roger or rafa, a lot of fans immediately think that that player is going to dominate the next slam, do something special or more importantly, dominate the tour. i know it sounds absurb, but that’s what i was sarcastically referring to.


Ray Says:

ben,

you can include them too, but these 3 are my picks!


skeezer Says:

Ben, re; Post @4:46

What else is new?

——————-

Meanwhile, Fed gets 300,000 likes for his Silver medal. Now he has 2, one Gold and 1 Silver!

———————
mem,

Yes it was a big deal. The top 5 losing to each other at times is expected, but to lose to #100? THAT is a major upset!


courbon Says:

@Alison
Thanks for kind words.I was very impressed with Muray and he deserved.I’m bit worry about Nole but let see.I’m in Londom right now and atmospheere is great.Very happy for British sucess


courbon Says:

@Ray
You have to ad Ana Ivanovic to those 3 greats


Mark Says:

Some fed fans on this forum should stop whining just because he failed to win Gold. Don’t lose heart – there is always Rio 2016!!! He might even meet Rafa in the final!!


Dave Says:

madmax, brando: I feel it could end up being a disaster and tragedy for Federer to skip both Toronto Masters and Cincinnati Masters in order to take the time to rest, recover and recharge before the US Open — due to the hgh physical cost of the Olympics.

That’s because (a) Roger will probably be undercooked at the US Open while all his top rivals will be well-prepared and (b) it is a sacrifice of 2,000 points from both Masters events.

Gone are Fed’s prime days when he can just show up (without a warm up event) to win a bigger tournament. Since 2007 Australian Open, Roger tends to lose momentum after taking his vacation breaks — I think he has won only one bigger event (Masters or higher) in the past 5.5 years without a warm up event — that was this year on Madrid’s blue clay (where he scraped by Raonic and Berdych). Personally I prefer what Murray did — while Federer vacationed in Sardinia after winning Wimbledon, Andy sacrificed his vacation to immediately get back to training for the Olympics… and now Andy will capitalize on his Olympics momentum by playing Canada. Unfortunately big short-term sacrifices have to be made if Federer wants to win the US Open and be year end No. 1 at his level. but the problem for Federer is that, unlike his rivals, Roger is much older and has a family with kids as well as other distractions (e.g., ATP Player Council, his large charity foundation, huge business interests that involve shooting commercials and doing sponsor events, etc.). While a player like Delpo could have spent 100% of the 43 hours between his semifinal and final purely on recovery and practice, Federer probably spent part of his time playing with his kids and non-tennis activities.

The loss of those Masters points could possibly end up costing Federer the year-end ranking, we’ll see. To track who could be year end No.1, the easiest way is to follow the year-to-date rankings at this stage of the year (instead of the 52-week rankings). Below are the latest post-Olympics August 6 rankings (in brackets are pre-Olympics July 30 rankings).

1 Federer: 7,445 (7,085)
2 Djokovic 7,110 (6,840)
3 Nadal 6,795 (6,795)
4 Murray 4,550 (3,800)
5 Ferrer 3,755 (3,755)
6 Del Potro 2,690 (2,600)
http://www.atpworldtour.com/Rankings/YTD-Singles.aspx

In the ATP rankings, Federer was able to use only 360 points of the 450 points he won for the Olympics silver medal, despite all the effort he put in (because adding the Olympics bumped the 90 points for 2012 Doha out of his 6 countable events). Meanwhile Djokovic benefitted fully from the 270 points for his fourth place Olympic finish because he has space in his countable 6 tournaments. [Top 30 players in 2011 year-end rankings can count their best 6 results from ATP World Tour 500, ATP World Tour 250, Olympics, Davis Cup, Challengers, Futures tourneys toward their ranking. To count their best 6 results, players must have fulfilled their commitment to have 4 ATP 500 events (4 total per year, including at least 1 after the US Open) so that’s why Federer has 0-pointer Tokyo listed as a countable tournament. ].

At the moment — even after adding Olympics points — No. 1 Federer is just 335 points ahead of Djokovic and 650 points ahead of Nadal. It’s still pretty close as to which player becomes Year End No. 1. Whoever has the highest points by the the time the World Tour Finals ends on November 11 is the year-end number one. If Federer also skips Cincinnati in addition to skipping Canada, Roger throws away up to 2,000 points he could have added to his ranking points total… while also giving Djokovic (especially) and even Nadal the opportunity to overtake him in the race to year-end No.1. If Federer sits out both Toronto and Cincinnati, it gives Djokovic an opportunity to reach as much as 9,110 YTD ranking points (over Fed’s 7,445), even before the US Open starts. Even Murray has an outside chance if he is spectacular in Toornto, Cincinati and US Open. Remember, the points for mandatory Masters events like Cincinnati and Canada must be counted even if the player has is zero points (because he skipped that Masters event).

The Olympics might possibly hurt his chances to win the US Open and achieve the year end No. 1, though it’s premature to presume this will happen as it is in the future. But that’s why I was consistently against Federer squandering too much effort, emotion and body on the ‘sentimental’ Olympic gold. This ‘reckless pursuit’ of the Olympics (a) squandered part of the momentum, rhythm and aura Federer built from winning Wimbledon, (b) left him emotional drained, exhausted and possibly injured (Federer immediate withdrawal from Canada afer his long semifinal match could indicate a possible problem with his body) that necessitates the need for him to rest and recover; and (c) unless Roger won the gold, the Olympics simply was not worth the effort of six rounds against a tough, motivated field (a gold would be ‘worth’ only 660 points to Fed’s ranking — not 750 — because he would still lose 90 points from Doha). On the other hand, Federer could have actually won 140 more points — at less effort and cost — by skipping the Olympics and winning Washington ATP 500, like Dolgopolov did, as all 500 points would have been counted since it replaces Tokyo. The instrinsic value of Usain Bolt winning Olympic gold for the 100 meters sprint is greater and different than a tennis player winning a gold.

The silver lining of the Olympics for Federer is that it might trigger both Murray and Delpo (possibly even Tsonga and maybe Raonic) into becoming a counterbalance or spoiler to Djokovic and Nadal over the next year as this might spur them on to win bigger titles or score upset wins over Rafa and Novak. That takes the burden off Federer’s shoulders from protecting his legacy.

*****

Note: For me, the fundamental priority for a top tennis player is to achieve the No.1 ranking, win grand slams (especially Wimbledon, the most prestigious championship), win the year-end championships, and then win more total titles. Thus rather than the Olympics, I would have preferred Federer focusing on achieving one more year-end ranking, winning the US Open and winning one more World Tour Finals.

In modern tennis, every great player (i.e., player who has won at least five grand slams) has won the year-end championships since it started in 1970 (World Tour Finals, Tennis Masters Cup, ATP Tour World Championships, Masters Grand Prix). Only two great players failed to win a YEC (Nadal, Newcombe). Those who understand tennis history realize the signifcance of the World Tour Finals: at a 2011 WTF presser, a journalist asked Federer: “I think the World Tour Finals equals a Grand Slam as a major title event. Now you have 16 Grand Slam titles and six World Tour Final titles. How much satisfaction do you have holding both records?”

I know other Fedfans would probably disagree with my ‘economic view’ as they were happy that Federer played Olympics. But once the Olympics bruhaha has died down — and once people have taken a step back — the controversy regarding the place of the Olympics in tennis history and greatness will continue. The Olympics mens singles lacks the history of great champions and ranking points to declare it suddenly a big title: no No.1 player has ever won the Olympics. Before this Olympics, 11 of the 12 gold and silver medalists were not even top 5 players — except then No. 2 Nadal won it against the No. 15 player (in 2008 Nadal faced a field of opponents with an average ranking of No. 34 compared to Federer’s 2012 field ranked No. 24 and Murray’s field ranked No. 21). Including this Olympics, only 3 of 14 gold and silver medalists were top 5 players. Nine (9) of the 14 gold and silver medalists have failed to win a grand slam in their careers — Andy Murray’s victory continues the tradition.

On another issue: it appeared to me that Federer at the Olympics played at a lower level than he did at Wimbledon — he had lost some of his Wimbledon momentum probably by going on vacation and then wasting his time on practice sessions with players like Lleyton Hewitt who do not play anything like his top rivals. My feeling is that Roger was not as optimally prepared as he could have been for the Olympics and, if so, he has only himself to blame for that.

As well, despite claiming his body felt good when he woke up, Federer’s sluggish movements and loss of serving ability as the final wore on indicate to me that he and his incompetent physiotherapist had failed to take more effective measures to help his body recover from the long semifinal with Delpo. I’ve used a hyperbaric chamber over a dozen times and am familiar enough with alternative recovery and healing methods to suggest that Federer really needs to start using more advanced/progressive methods to recover and fix his body…. he’s at an age where he needs to take advantage of the most advanced technologies available. After all, younger athletes from Michael Phelps to Djokovic are using methods like the CVAC Pod.

The above is my perspective of course. Federer’s perspective would probably be very different: at this stage of his career, it’s his prerogative to do whatever he wants to do since he has earned it. He already has his sundae packed with toppings, one extra topping won’t do much.

*****

Thanks alison and brando for the commiserations, but I don’t mind if Federer loses. In order for Roger to have opportunities to win he has to lose about 60% to 75% of the tournaments he enters. For me, it’s better for him to lose the Olympics rather than a Grand Slam or World Tour Finals — I actually would not have minded had he lost in an earlier round in the Olympics and went on to play Toronto instead.

And yes, as ‘the mind reels’ said, an article should celebrate Murray’s victory.


skeezer Says:

marcie,

Whining? Your jokin right? You have been whining since Wimbledon!! Go look back and you and mem’s posts.
Most Fed fans here aren’t complaining about Andys win, and Feds medals :-)


Mark Says:

^ Me no joke!!!


Dave Says:

Mark: “Pussy draws are strictly reserved for fed, as usual!!!”

Nadal’s 2008 Olympics opponents had an average ranking of No. 34: (74, 38, 23, 51, 3, 15)

Federer’s 2012 Olympics opponents had an average ranking of No. 24 (51, 32, 35, 11, 9, 4)

If Federer had a pussy draw, what was Rafa’s draw? The pussy kitty draw? If only Federer could have played No. 74 Igor Sijsling in the first round and finished with No. 15 Marin Cilic in the final — like Rafa did at the Beijing Olympics.


madmax Says:

Really mem, you don’t have to worry about me and how I feel about Roger winning the silver medal.

You obviously haven’t read my posts prior to the match, or post match. And why would you? You don’t believe in reading facts or anything about the truth because you are consumed so much with your jealousy and hatred for the GOAT. 1 gold and 1 silver at 2 olympic games is brilliant. So pleased for the GOAT that he was able to add this to his resume.

There really isn’t anything more Fed could have done to please his fans. After his match with Juan, I had no expectations of him winning more than a silver. I am happy mem. Officially happy. You heard it from me. HAPPY. HAPPY. HAPPY. which is more than you will ever be.

I don’t think I have read any negative post from any fed fans about Murray winning olympic gold. We are HAPPY for him. A long time coming.

You should be bothered about the fact that your guy wasn’t playing. I feel sorry for you and that he wasn’t playing. Because I suppose in your books, the fact that rafa wasn’t playing means that Murray didn’t really win the gold, did he? because of course if rafa was playsing, he would have won the gold. Right? So any tournament that Rafa doesn’t play, doesn’t count, because he would have won them all. That seems to be your philosophy.

Do you actually listen to yourself mem when you write your posts? They are sad.

Mark Says:
Some fed fans on this forum should stop whining just because he failed to win Gold. Don’t lose heart – there is always Rio 2016!!! He might even meet Rafa in the final!!

August 6th, 2012 at 6:40 pm

Mark, you are the only one who whines around here. Fed didn’t fail; he won the silver medal Mark. How can that be a failure? i would be more worried for you whether Rafa will actually play Rio. Check it out. How many more tournaments will he play, withdraw from, retire from? You seem to be more bothered about Federer than your own guy? Makes zero sense to me.

When federer was written off after Wimbledon 2008, he was in decline. Mark, count how many times he has won tournaments since then, over a 4 year period. Glorious Federer! How many finals has rafa lost since then Mark? Look at the facts for a change, rather than writing from the growing bile in your stomach.

Dave,

Thanks for all the information.

Regarding Federer and the USOPEN< I think it can be the same for all the top players apart from Rafa, who will have had a long, long rest and reinforced knees, having said that, he will have had no match practice for almost 8 weeks. So he will be lacking in that arrea. Though, we all know he will be practising hard, it can’t make up for actual matches under his belt.

I think that the usopen is either Delpo’s or Murray’s this year.

Fed may just make the QFs this year, but it could also be broken – his record. He has had an awesome 9 months Dave, truly awesome. By all accounts, he should be happy with his achievements in 2012 and its not over yet.

I think the Olympics will prove to be a bette noir in some ways, but that goes for all the athletes, the tiredness is oing to catch up with all of them. This will have been taken into account though with all they have trained for this year, don’t you think.

If Fed doesn’t play cinny, (has that been confirmed yet), then there is no point in him playing when he is tired Dave, he might as well rest, and be physcially and mentally ready for USO…and then take his chances.

I know that he transitions well to hard from grass, so the only thing that worries me is potential fatigue.


madmax Says:

Dave,

You post facts about the players that rafa plays in terms of the rankings but mark and mem don’t read or respond. May be ask them directly what they can say about that? It’s there in black and white but they just don’t understand I think? And you explain things so well too.

Thanks for all your input, your posts are always so informative, you are cool Dave.


SG1 Says:

Someone is saying Phelps is one of the sports icon of the new millenium. I’m not sure I like this icon deal where he’s concerned.

I’m much more comfortable with Usain Bolt being an icon. Bolt has one chance every 4 years to win that 100m race. Winning back to back Olympic 100m races is an accomplishment that only Carl Lewis achieved. And Lewis was such a sour puss. You can see that Bolt loves the whole process and he expresses his joy openly. Great athlete, great sportsman.

Back to Phelps. He has multiple opportunities to win events that are largely similar to one another. He is blessed with an almost mutant like physique that is built for swimming (apparently even his ankles are hinged in way advantageous for swimming). While 18 gold medals and 22 in total is nothing less than remarkable, he is literally like a fish IN water. And there have been other swimmers that have dominated the pool.

Bolt is completely different. He break the mould. Tall men are typcially lousy 100m sprinters. It’s usually the shorter guys with the explosive starts are the best at sprinting. He is a freak of nature. A revolutionary in his sport.


Ben Pronin Says:

SG1, I’m not following. Because Phelps is a natural he can’t be an icon? Is Federer not a natural? Is Lebron not a natural? I could understand if you didn’t like his “off court” activities, but discrediting his status because he’s a fish in water seems kinda strange.


Skorocel Says:

Nims: “on hindsight probably Roger was satisfied with Silver and did not want to give his all and kill his chances in the next half of the year.”

Indeed. Why would he waste his energy on an Olympics final (which happens to be only once in 4 years) at the expense of the 2nd half of the year (which, coincidentally, occurs in every 2nd half of the year)? LOL and LOL and LOL ;-)

===========================

“Don’t lose heart – there is always Rio 2016!!! He might even meet Rafa in the final!!”

Good one, Mark ;-)


skeezer Says:

Fed wasn’t holding back anything imo. Did it look like he was holding back in his match against Delpo?

Obviously, Fed has been talking about planning for the Gold along time ago. He said so. Most tennis fans have read all about it. He didn’t get it. He tried. He gave it his all. He got a Silver instead. So? Any one of your favs got a medal in this years Tennis Olympics? Last time I counted they only give out 3 for all that is entered (Singles).
It was obvious something was going on prior to the final, as he announced withdrawing from Toronto PRIOR to playing the final. Why? Delpo.
Couple that with a superior perfomance by Murray and you have the result. End of story.
He still has his GOAtness, 17 all time record Slams and current #1 player in the world.


SG1 Says:

Ben,

I guess I’m just saying that he swims many events in one Olympics that are somewhat derivative. Given his talent, it’s almost impossible for him to not come away with a big medal haul. And there have been others (like Mark Spitz) who have accomplished feats similar to his. The volume of his medal count is inflated by the sport he’s in. It’s hard for me to accept him as an icon.

For Bolt, it’s the 100m. If he doesn’t win the 100m, his Olympics is a failure. Regardless of his performance in the other events. That’s hige pressure. And to come through under that pressure speaks to the man’s talent. And he runs unlike any other sprinter. In a way, I look at the way he runs and compate it to Olivier Rochus being No.1 in the world in tennis. His physique is so at odds with his sport that it is just remarkable that he runs so fast.


Ben Pronin Says:

SG1, I can’t say I disagree with anything you said. Phelps is more impressive to me because I used to swim so I can relate to his accomplishments a lot more than Bolt’s. But I can see why you hold Bolt in higher regard. But I don’t think that necessarily knocks Phelps off the icon pedestal. That’s like saying Nadal isn’t the best clay court players since he’s played so many clay court tournaments… Kinda?


mem Says:

madmax,

are you referring to dave’s petty commentary about draws?

not surprising that dave is a genius in your eyes, after all, you two are on the same level.

you might have me confused with some of your fedfan club members,but i don’t come here whining about rafa’s draw every time a draw comes out. it’s juvenile and plain stupid! i understand that players can only play who is across the net. it’s not their fault when players fail to make it to next round to face certain opponents. why would i argue about a draw when i know full well players don’t choose who they play in each round? all top players get draws that are tough sometimes and not so tough at other times. it is what it is! they still have to win the matches.

btw, if i want facts about players, i certainly don’t need someone like dave reporting his version of what the facts are.

so you and dave run along and have fun discussing draws!


Daniel Says:

Phelps is three time swim champion only him in the history of swimming, there were other two times 100 m champion. I Think Bolt is right up there, but until he wins 100 m in Rio (hope to see that live), he is not in Phelps status. People were able to dominate 100 m for 4-6 years, same with swim, but not for 8-9.

If Bolt wins 100 m in RIo, he will achieve stratosphere like status in all sports.

Funny, Phelps is not three time Olympic champion where he dominated the most: 200 m butterfly, where he won every single major championship since 2001 (world champion in 2001, 03′, 05′, 07′, 09′ and 11′, Olympic Champion in 04′, 08, silver in 2012. It’s like winning Wimbledon 8, 9 times in 10 years .


skeezer Says:

Alls I know is womens beach volley ball is the greatest Olympic sport of all time!! Can I get a second?


alison Says:

Ray@ 4.03am August 6th as a Rafa fan im not expecting to take any credit for Murrays win,the reason i rooted for Murray is because im British and he happens to be my second favorite player,not because i hate Roger,i like Roger and it is possible to be a fan of one player, but also like and admire another,as for Usain Bolt hes an amazing athlete granted,however many of our Brits have also been making headlines at the olympics and Murrays one of them,and we are also very proud of him,hopefully this will propel him onto win his 1st GS who knows,we are not expecting people to sing hosanas but sometimes a little recognition would not go a miss.


SG1 Says:

Ben,

I can’t disagree with you view either. And as a swimmer, you can more readily appreciate Phelps’ accomplishments. I watch swimming about every 4 years. Hell, I watch sprinting once ever 4 years too. I guess I’m just more in awe of Bolt. I don’t know if I’m influenced by the media here but to me, he just seems like Superman. I think that if Phelps were more engaging, it would be easier to relate to him. He’s almost Borg like.

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