The Hardcourt GOAT of this year.
He is the King of ClayHard!

September 9th, 2013 at 11:08 pm

Seeing how the points played in the Finals, we can say that Roger is two tiers below that level with his performance against Robredo. Unless he SIGNIFICANTLY and INSANELY boosts his form, I don’t see how he becomes a factor in any GS any more. He should have retired on top after winning that Wimbledon.

September 9th, 2013 at 11:08 pm

****The result is a cherry on top of the ridiculous hardcourt sundae Nadal has served up this summer in the U.S., going undefeated with titles at Montreal, Cincinnati and at the US Open. He is 22-0 in total on hardcourts in 2013 including the title at Indian Wells.***

He also won Indian Wells!

September 9th, 2013 at 11:09 pm

I shouldn’t have doubted Rafa. For hard court slams I always favor Nole ahead of Rafa, but for the AO which would have been a lock for Nole, I think it’s even money now, if not a slight edge to Rafa.

I didn’t watch the match. Nole must have imploded in sets 3 and 4 because when I left, he was in a commanding position.

September 9th, 2013 at 11:59 pm

Question: Is Nadal a better hard court player than Andy Roddick?

September 10th, 2013 at 12:12 am

Nadal has won the US open as well as the US open series.What a great day after suffering so much setbacks.Nadal showed great courage in his come back.I really wish and hope that he will play at the highest level for many more years to come.Fans around the world adore and loves him.

September 10th, 2013 at 12:12 am

First of all, my hearty congratulations to Rafa and his legion of fans namely Metan, Alison, Nirmal, Steve, Rafeli and host of others. It was an emphatic victory by all means. The King of Clay has now become the King of Hard Courts with his magnificent Triplete (Montreal, Cincinnati and the US Open) which is a monumental achievement and I am not sure if it is a new record. With 26 Master Series titles where he is a leader and his 13th slam, he is just one step away from Sampras and is now beginning to even threaten Roger where there is a real possibility he would overtake if he continues this swashbuckling form and become the most successful player. The first set played by Rafa against Novak was a novelty in itself where he simply outplayed him. It was only in the second and early part of the third set where Novak looked slightly the better player but it didn’t last long. Rafa was paid for his perseverance and patience in the back of the court and he was just returning relentlessly Novak’s winners with interest. All in all, it is a great run by Rafa and what a year he has had so far. 10 tournaments overall and he is now looking harder to beat in hard courts than Clay courts. His only losses this year were to Zeballos, Novak and ofcourse Darcius at Wimbledon where he was shocked. Let me finish this with Vamos Rafa !!

September 10th, 2013 at 12:23 am

What it means is 18 will be greater than 17.

September 10th, 2013 at 12:34 am

Michael I have no doubt Federer is the most gifted player I ever see but is he best of all time or more greater than Rafael?. Personally and honestly, I only put Nadal as a GOAT for the federer fans or sampras fans or even laver fans, this is only a game and tennis as life is cyclical. First you learn, the you are in peak/prime years and then you are on decline. This is what is is. Media wants histories all day long and their preocupation is to consume their information. So, for me this is a game that I think No opinion should be taken very seriously, but the behavior of many fans who refer to themselves leave much to be desired.
The only guarantee we have is we are witnesses of our time. Nothing more than that.

September 10th, 2013 at 12:47 am

Michael,

Thank you!.I am in the clouds 9. LOL.

Could I ask you this silly question. What is your opinion for Rafa if he goes to world tour final, any chance for him to win ??

September 10th, 2013 at 12:49 am

WTF, Why,is there any doubt about it?.Definitely,Nadal is a better hard court player than Roddick.Nadal has defeated Roddick and has better head to head on hard courts even when he was not playing nearly as well as now.it is not even a question.Nadal Has three grand slams on hard court,2 hard court grand slam finals,8 masters series wins,7 masters series finals

September 10th, 2013 at 12:51 am

Of course there is a chance for Rafa to win the WTF, haha. He’s been to the finals. He’s the best player in the world this year, whatever the rankings say.

And is that even a question…better than Roddick? That was a “yes” even two or three years ago.

September 10th, 2013 at 12:58 am

It means a lot:
Rafa suddenly, maybe for the first time, is a threat to Fed’s slam record.
Rafa will shortly take #1, and he’ll ride it at least five months.
We could be entering another period of Rafa’s dominance. Could it be that Rafa’s best tennis is to come?

September 10th, 2013 at 1:00 am

Incredible. A would be GOAT defeated the No.1. They are the best ever I’ve seen in 4 decades. If the 54 shots rally looks like a practice for critics. The truth is, that’s how good & athletic they are. Those are 54 powerful shots. The topspin & slices are w the most rpm ever. And they anticipate and returns them easy. Only for them they look easy.

September 10th, 2013 at 1:05 am

Metan,

You are on cloud nine. Why not ? Your man won and you deserve it. As regards Rafa winning the World Tour finals, I feel that this year he might break that jinx considering the murderous form he is in at the moment.

September 10th, 2013 at 1:07 am

Steve,

Is Roger greater than Rafa ? I would say at the moment certainly ‘Yes’. Roger is right now the most successful player. Will that coronation continue in the future. I cannot say for certain. Rafa is just four steps away from Roger and is threateningly closing on him. Both have stellar records in their career not managed by another. If Roger has six World tour final titles, where Rafa has not even won once, Rafa has the accomplishment of a Golden Slam and a distant leader in Master series titles. Roger has just one French Open to Rafa’s eight while Rafa has just two Wimbledon to Roger’s seven and two US Opens to Roger’s five and just one Australian to his four. However, Rafa has now accomplished the Triplete not managed by Roger. So, for sure, their careers cannot be compared at the moment. It can be done when they finish their respective careers.

September 10th, 2013 at 1:18 am

“So, for sure, their careers cannot be compared at the moment. It can be done when they finish their respective careers.”

Which is what Rafa has been saying his whole career every time someone tries to make that comparison.

JMac’s take on the subject:

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=9656298

September 10th, 2013 at 1:33 am

Rafa is GOAT……end of story!! I have never made that statement before, agreeing with the majority that Fed was…..but not after the display of the great tennis Rafa has been playing lately. Let’s face it….when Rafa is 100 percent, he is hard to beat. His post presser was really good. His explanations to questions were easy to understand. Think is English is getting better and better. Vamos, Rafa. Glad he won, he was so deserving.

September 10th, 2013 at 1:40 am

M,

I saw the link and listened to JMac. I have listened to many things he has said about both Roger and Rafa over the yearrs. The last two in particular.

It is an incredible achievement for Nadal and I say that wholeheartedly, this thread right now is not for Federer fans, but I congratulate the rafa fans, you must all be ecstatic after following his injury woes for so long, they are well and truly put to bed.

JMac though is two faced as we all know. I have listened to him many times during wimbledon interviews and do not want to take away any of the glory you must all feel but as it stands, how can Roger compete with rafa for davis cup? For JMac to mention that, he forgets it is a TEAM effort. Check out the spanish team, check out the swiss team. Nothing more to be said.

As a fed fan, very proud of roger’s achievements, not going to mention or list them here. Rafa may very well beat the 17 GS, he may do that and if he does, he will be regarded as the GOAT. No question. Factually, that will be the case. Statistics do not lie.

Then will come the personal preference of which fan thinks which player is the greatest and we have heard them all. So please don’t bring davis cup into this.

No, Roger didn’t win singles gold, but he has won doubles gold and a silver gold and he is happy with that. So these comparisons get a little bit silly in my view. They are both great athletes, and for me, Roger will always be the best, as for others, Rafa is the best, or laver is the best, etc.

But Davis cup has no part to play here. It’s ridiculous to say such a thing. Read the links where JMac says Roger is the greatest player he has ever seen. He changes his mind with the weather.

Now enjoy your celebratory moments. You must be feeling great.

I can tell you, if Roger retired now, I would be so proud of him for everything he has given me as a fan. I will still continue to support him, because he continues to bring me joy, just watching him play.

September 10th, 2013 at 3:16 am

Rafa is AMAZING!
Commiserations to Nole fans.

September 10th, 2013 at 3:27 am

http://alturl.com/zbzhq
Some nice pics of Rafa with the Queen of Spain.
Vamos Champ!!

September 10th, 2013 at 3:30 am

Thank you, Michael.

I agree with simba that Federer should have retired last year, but after the olympics IMO. Had he done that we would never have known whether he had more slams in him. Now, it seems, we do know that he doesn’t.

Nadal is the ultimate competitor.

September 10th, 2013 at 3:36 am

”For JMac to mention that, he forgets it is a TEAM effort. Check out the spanish team, check out the swiss team. Nothing more to be said.”

and check out the czech team.
a team of two top players can easily be successful with the right attitude and commitment.
do you think berdych and stepanek are a better team?
yes they beat the swiss once by winning a very close doubles.
play that ten times, the swiss would win 8 (back in those days before berdych fired up)
if federer had committed properly he would have had his chance.a good draw and home advantage indoor would have arrived if he’d plugged away like the czechs.
very few teams could beat in form federer and wawrinka indoors.

federer has had a top partner for many years but he avoided committing during his glory days so as not to hamper his singles career.
he would have won a davis cup with dedication.

so i think it’s quite absurd to use ‘lack of help’ as an excuse when wawrinka has been a great player since 20 years old. murray has that excuse. but not federer. two top singles players and fed and stan won gold in doubles for christ’s sake.

September 10th, 2013 at 4:04 am

Since 2004 the Davis Cup is not a priority to Federer (read win the title). He sacrifices that to be what he is now. I really he would have a chance if he and Wawrinka be more congenial. The decisions we take the decision that we have to live with that

September 10th, 2013 at 4:06 am

And now Rafa will travel to Madrid to play the Davis Cup. I hope he will have some time to rest before the Asian swing. He has worked really hard the last few weeks with absolutely amazing results which I. for one, didn’t think possible. But what do I know, eh! I just hope he stays healthy and happy and continues to do what he does best, play great tennis.
#VamosChamp
#YouAreTheBest

September 10th, 2013 at 4:37 am

Can anybody tell me as to whether anybody has done the Triplete before ? Was it Roddick ?

September 10th, 2013 at 5:22 am

Michael:
Pat Rafter 1998
Andy Roddick 2003 and now
Rafa Nadal 2013

September 10th, 2013 at 5:33 am

Nadal Taking the GOAT?

Neither Novak or Nadal with their current form could beat a…..2006 Federer

Federer Is GOAT

September 10th, 2013 at 5:34 am

Thank you Steve !!

September 10th, 2013 at 5:35 am

Turner Says:

Neither Novak or Nadal with their current form could beat a…..2006 Federer

2006 Dubai,
U.A.E. Hard F Nadal, Rafael vs Federer, Roger
2-6, 6-4, 6-4 Stats

September 10th, 2013 at 7:19 am

The media and tennis experts are now gonna hype this GOAT thing as much as they can. It brings in a lot of attention and $$. Just selling the sport.

I’m just gonna enjoy this moment and not care much about the GOAT thing right now.

#VamosRafa
#2013USOchamp

September 10th, 2013 at 7:49 am

James,
If Rafa could win the AO 2014. It will make him goes to elite club of Laver and Emerson. That is really cool, no. But for this year, I am hoping for WTF trophy even just one. I don’t doubt his skill, it seems to me Rafa doesn’t have luck there. Hope this momentum would be able to bring him there.

September 10th, 2013 at 8:13 am

http://alturl.com/3hemd
Great article on the Final.

September 10th, 2013 at 8:15 am

James,

The debate on a GOAT candidate can be made for fun and pass of time, but not with any serious intent. The conclusion derived would be futile and will always lack a consensus.

September 10th, 2013 at 8:51 am

@Michael
September 10th, 2013 at 8:51 am

I couldn’t agree more. It’s futile declaring anyone the GOAT with a sport that is a moveable feast and changes all the time. In Laver’s day hard courts hardly featured. There were a couple of small h/c tournaments in S.Africa and Rhodesia,that’s it. Laver wins were mainly on grass against Australians and Americans because it wasn’t so international.

Not to talk of the pre-Open Era.

September 10th, 2013 at 9:00 am

Rafa has always been begrudging about the YE Final because of the long season and he’s always qualified but hasn’t always played.

If he puts his mind to it, I can see him winning it.

September 10th, 2013 at 9:03 am

Just realize something. Nadal played US Open final last 3 times he played the even t winning 2: 10′, 11′ and 13′. Seems now he has better shot at US Open than Wimbledon;-)

September 10th, 2013 at 9:32 am

@Kathy

Say you put a ‘2006 Federer’ , a 2013 Novak and a 2013 Nadal in this years US OPEN….

If choosing the correct winner would mean winning your dream holiday trip:

Who would be your safest bet to win the tournament?

September 10th, 2013 at 9:40 am

2013 Nadal is a new improved version of 2006 Nadal who dominated 2006 Roger. Of course Nadal would be the safest bet.

September 10th, 2013 at 9:59 am

– 2006 Federer v a 2013 Nadal:

NADAL.

Put simply: In 2006 a mere 19 year old Nadal beat Fed at the fast HC surface of Dubai, also beat him in MC, Rome and FO.

In his debut Wimby final he took a set off him and pushed in another.

Considering he did all that at such a young age then quite obviously now at the peak of his powers he would more than fare well against someone he has a huge match up advantage over.

Rafa knows before going onto court that: mentally and physically he has more than enough to match and even surpass Federer. Should he execute his game plan perfectly and play his absolute best tennis then, to put it simply:

Fed’s chances look very poor indeed.

– 2006 Fed v Novak 2013:

FED.

If 2011 Fed could beat peak Novak in 2011 FO then what do you think he would do to him at his absolute best on the HC USO?

He’d win- and fairly surely too IMO.

Fed aged 29 and 30 had MP v Nole at the USO in 2010,2011.

He beat him comfortably in 2007, 2008 and 2009.

He doesn’t have a much problem with him at all and quite simply can more than handle him with his best tennis.

Ultimately this is a big IF game: anyone can be right with whoever they go for in this.

September 10th, 2013 at 10:08 am

@ Turner.

I would choose Nadal. Nadal was able to beat Federer on the fast hard courts of Dubai. Federer was playing lights out tennis in that match, but Nadal still managed to beat him. Nadal is a better player than he was in 2006, therefore he is the obvious choice. Just my opinion of course.

September 10th, 2013 at 10:45 am

That’s the problem with Nole. He is not only likely to go down to Nadal, he is also likely to be beaten by Murray and Federer.

September 10th, 2013 at 10:48 am

Paradox Says:

“WTF, Why,is there any doubt about it?.Definitely,Nadal is a better hard court player than Roddick.Nadal has defeated Roddick and has better head to head on hard courts even when he was not playing nearly as well as now.it is not even a question.Nadal Has three grand slams on hard court,2 hard court grand slam finals,8 masters series wins,7 masters series finals”

I asked because Rafa used to be called a clay specialist, and his weakest surface was hard court. Roddick on the other hand was a hard court specialist, or a specialist on the fastest surfaces. But in terms of results Rafa has produced more on his weakest surface than Roddick has, which happens to be his strongest surface.

Is he more of a hard court specialist than Roddick though, in terms of how much his game is suited to the surface? To me it seems like the surface helps Roddick’s game with his massive serve more than it helps Rafa’s with his weakish serve and tendency to stand some distance behind the baseline and chip away at his opponents.

September 10th, 2013 at 11:02 am

“JMac though is two faced as we all know. I have listened to him many times during wimbledon interviews and do not want to take away any of the glory you must all feel but as it stands, how can Roger compete with rafa for davis cup? For JMac to mention that, he forgets it is a TEAM effort. Check out the spanish team, check out the swiss team. Nothing more to be said.”

I have to dispute this. First of all, Stan Wawrinka is a great player. They don’t have good doubles players, but neither does Spain who rely on winning 3 singles matches.

The big key difference between the two in Davis Cup is that unlike Roger, Rafa actually cares about it and puts in some effort. Roger stopped bothering with Davis Cup once he reached #1 in 2004. He would only play a play off to keep Switzerland in the World Group, but would not actually bother playing when they’re in it. He said he wanted to focus on maintaining his #1 ranking, even though he was ahead of the #2 by about double the points. And when he dropped down to #2 or lower, he didn’t pick up Davis Cup again. He said he would pick it up later and make it a priority at some point later in his career but never kept his word.

I think he was selfish. He never cared much about it because it was about the team not himself. He cared very much about winning a gold medal, and this was a big priority for him. The difference here is that it’s an individual award, and it’s all his. It’s all about himself.

Rafa on the other hand considers it an honor to play for his country in Davis Cup.

I’ve felt that Davis Cup was very winnable for Switzerland for many years now. All you need is two good singles players, which they have. But Roger always chose not to play unless they were facing relegation/promotion. But he actually had the gall to call on the Davis Cup captain to be his coach for several years, despite how little he gave back.

September 10th, 2013 at 11:11 am

“Rafa on the other hand considers it an honor to play for his country in Davis Cup.”

It has always been obvious that Nadal loves his country and will do his best to put in his share for its glory. I can say the same for Djokovic. I cannot say that about Federer.

September 10th, 2013 at 11:17 am

Federer was even accused by his own countryman Wawa for not really playing for his country.

September 10th, 2013 at 11:59 am

Nadal 20__ vs Federer 20__ (Federer fans can put whatever number there at __)

Nadal would beat Federer anywhere on an outdoor court.

September 10th, 2013 at 12:05 pm

Thanks for the link Gilles. Never knew Boris was so poetic.

“I’m in awe,” Boris Becker said Monday. “I can’t believe the attitude he brings to the court. He loves to be out there for three, four hours a day. He loves to be in difficult situations. He loves to be down and out. It comes from love. Amazing.”

Not a big fan of Wilander but well said:

“I don’t think anybody’s played the game with the same kind of positive energy and emotion,” Wilander said. “No one. Not even Lleyton Hewitt and not Jimmy Connors. Even though they are the great fighters, apart from Nadal, they’re not as positive as Nadal. He is always positive. He’s just a new breed. We’ve never seen anything like him.”

#VamosChamp

September 10th, 2013 at 12:28 pm

Love the quote from Connors. “Nadal plays like he’s poor.” LOL. So true.

September 10th, 2013 at 12:51 pm

I don’t know how Nadal manages to compartmentalize and separate himself from parts of the matches that don’t go his way. It seems like a natural human instinct to get frustrated. As good as Nole is, you could see his frustration in the 4th set. You never see it from Rafa, regardless of the score or the situation.

September 10th, 2013 at 12:53 pm

@ Brando and Hawkey: Thanks for a kind words.This time I was not greatly disappointed because I was expecting this for some time.When I’v seen third set I switch of computer and went to bed and new that Novak lost the game.Their game, when is on
the highest level- its very little to separate-winner is the one that is mentally stronger and that was ( and it is whole this year ) Nadal.

I really hope Novak takes time off and re-invent himself.If he does not-he is not winning AO and even less RG or Wimby next year.
I have a faith in him but its testing me for some time now…Cest’la vie.
You had it guys last year when Nadal was absent and nobody knew if things will ever be the same.Its not the same-it even better then before!!Congartulations and enjoy the wave of euphoria-you deserve it, as a real fans of Bull.

Big congratulations to all nadal fans like metan, nadalista, Hippy Chic and lots of other real fans.
Nadal is the best, what can I say?

September 10th, 2013 at 2:00 pm

Another interesting bit of trivia, this Rafa-Nole rivalry has even surpassed one of the greatest rivalries in tennis: Pete-Andre.

Pete is 20-14 against Andre.

Rafa is 22-15, so these two have actually played more times than Pete and Andre, and there is still some years left for these guys to keep playing each other!

Other rivalries:

McEnroe is 20-14 against Connors.
Becker is 25-10 against Edberg.
Edberg is 14-13 against Lendl.
Federer is 21-3 against Roddick (this one seemed like a frequent matchup for a long time but doesn’t come close to Rafa & Nole/Fed).
Federer is 18-8 against Hewitt.

September 10th, 2013 at 3:11 pm

WTF Says:
“JMac though is two faced as we all know. I have listened to him many times during wimbledon interviews and do not want to take away any of the glory you must all feel but as it stands, how can Roger compete with rafa for davis cup? For JMac to mention that, he forgets it is a TEAM effort. Check out the spanish team, check out the swiss team. Nothing more to be said.”

I have to dispute this. First of all, Stan Wawrinka is a great player. They don’t have good doubles players, but neither does Spain who rely on winning 3 singles matches.

WTF,

yOU MISS THE POINT!

I was talking about the SPANISH team of players. How many play in the spanish team who are in the top 50? Count them, there have been TEN…now do the same for the Swiss team…there have been TWO, that is what it is not even worth considering.

Stan is a brilliant tennis player. Of course, and has been in the top ten, but the swiss team simply cannot match the realm of players in the spanish team. Rafa, Robredo, Amalgro, Ferrer, Lopez, verdasco, granollers, Montanes, Andujar, Gimmer-travers, garcia lopez, the list goes on. These players are part of an elite davis cup team. The swiss cannot even begin to compete with the likes of this team.

How wonderful it must be that spain is able to turn out such fantastic individual players. You simply though cannot bring davis cup into an argument here. It’s ludicrous to do so.

September 10th, 2013 at 3:44 pm

For those of you who find it necessary to diss Federer’s perceived lack of interest in Davis Cup, I’d like to point out that he’s played every one except 2010, since 1999 and up to the present. I must confess I don’t know about 2013 as yet. He’s played 22 ties, 2 above the amount required to gain the Davis Cup Commitment Award which he shares with, I think approx 290 past and present players including Feliciano Lopez. Nadal has played 12 out of 21 and has never played outside Europe.
Madmax, thanks for raising a simple point about the individual strengths within the large and capable Spanish team. It’s an obvious point which will fall on deaf ears as usual. I’d like to add that Fed’s individual sporting efforts are much more meaningful and significant to the people of Switzerland than a win in DC.

September 10th, 2013 at 6:30 pm

@Courbon:

Thanks

Re Novak:

Relax- your guy will definitely be back. And it’s not something pleasant I am saying to you since he’s your fav but it’s something that I truly believe since- put simply- he’s too good not to.

Tennis for many really is about the grand slams. Already after the USO final we are looking forward to AO 14 and completely are ignoring WTF and other events- LOL!

In the slams this year Novak’s results are:

W SF RU RU

Hardly poor form is it?

– AO: A very convincing win.

– FO: His poorest result on paper but in reality it was a final and he pushed the clay GOAT to his limits there. He lost to Rafa on clay and pushed him so close to the edge: hardly a bad result IMO.

– Wimby: He was RU on his weakest surface, again a great result. IMHO: he was tired from the Delpo final but I really think that even Nole would admit that MAYBE Andy might be a better, more natural grass court player than him. So not a bad loss IMO.

– USO: This one may hurt since he is the King of HC and this is Rafa’s weakest surface. But when you look at Novak’s results and form in the USO swing and then compare it Rafa’s- a former USO winner and a great HC player himself- this loss then does look like something many- maybe even Novak- thought would happen.

So all in all: not a bad year at all as some feel it is.

IMHO:

I think his game is perfectly fine but what he needs is:

1- A long break: I think he needs a break to recharge his battery and get fresh again on court. He seems way too tense and agitated these days.

2- Mental calm on big points: He needs to be able to play the bigger points with greater calm than he is right now. Recently whenever the big points occur he always seems to DF, hit a shot into the net or hit it long. Playing those points like that will NOT win matches.

3- Find his BH: Has it gone on a holiday or something? It’s AWOL right now and he need’s it- it’s his best shot and I cannot even remember the last time I saw him hit a BH DTL winner since the Delpo match at Wimby. Rafa cannot win without his FH and Nole just cannot win without his BH: he needs it back ASAP.

I do not think he needs to change anything technically or physically since he can match his main rivals- Rafa and Andy- in those departments easily right now.

It’s just all in his head: he seems to have lost that 2011 zen he had. But let’s be honest: 2011 is a year that even Federer or Rafa would struggle to match- is it fair to ask Novak to do so?

I think he is pressuring himself to repeat that year when it’s really a tough demand on himself.

My 2 cents.

September 10th, 2013 at 7:58 pm

For shanghai and paris, and the tour finals, I certainly hope that Rafa could carry his 2013 form in those upcoming events. He is definitely 2013 end of year number one.

September 10th, 2013 at 10:37 pm

WTF,

“yOU MISS THE POINT!

I was talking about the SPANISH team of players. How many play in the spanish team who are in the top 50? Count them, there have been TEN…now do the same for the Swiss team…there have been TWO, that is what it is not even worth considering.”

Irrelevant. You can have 50 players in the top 50, but you can’t bring 50 players to Davis Cup. You can bring 4, two of them meant to play doubles. Spain don’t have doubles specialists, so it’s really 2 singles players is all you need. The other 2 players they take are just there to tank a doubles match so the singles players can have a day of rest.

Have you seen the movie 300? Numbers don’t matter if you can’t use them. Over the years Stan has been a higher ranked player than any spanish player besides Nadal.

September 11th, 2013 at 12:21 am

Chile won the Davis Cup with a 2 man team (Gonzalez and Massu). They are an inferior team to Fed + Stan imo. No excuse.

At the end of the day it’s all down to desire. Fed didn’t have it. Could have won it if he wanted to. Yes, even beat Spain if they could have home advantage.

September 11th, 2013 at 12:37 am

Rafaeli @ 8.51,

Agree !! Best to say, most successful player of the moment. That is it !!

September 11th, 2013 at 1:45 am

Brando,

Your post at 7.58pm , that was nice. All Nole fans must be happy, no.
Can I add something,,I think Nole has many gurus in his camp, his zen all becomes twisted at the end.

Hi Courbon, thanks . I am on clouds 9 . Your boy will be back…2014 will be interesting year, I guess????

September 11th, 2013 at 9:19 am

Nobody can focus like Nadal. Except maybe Djokovic in 2011. He looked different then, very serious, very unperturbed by anything, no joking around. After that year, he started to return to the old Djokovic who again gets annoyed when the crowd cheers for his opponent, and clowns around a lot. If a 2011 Djokovic happened, he must have it in him for it to happen again. Maybe he should know about what Brando said about.

September 11th, 2013 at 10:13 am

SG1 Says:

“I don’t know how Nadal manages to compartmentalize and separate himself from parts of the matches that don’t go his way. It seems like a natural human instinct to get frustrated. As good as Nole is, you could see his frustration in the 4th set. You never see it from Rafa, regardless of the score or the situation.”

His uncle beats him up (not literally) when he gets negative. If he breaks a racket, that is the worst offense possible. Why is why he doesn’t break rackets. This was drilled into him since he was a kid.

September 11th, 2013 at 11:01 am

Purcell Says:

“For those of you who find it necessary to diss Federer’s perceived lack of interest in Davis Cup, I’d like to point out that he’s played every one except 2010, since 1999 and up to the present.”

He plays only when it’s a relegation/promotion match. I’m not sure if you’re aware of this, but Davis Cup is held several times a year. So if he plays just one tie, it will count as having “played” that year… but really, what is his contribution?

He won’t play a tie because the scheduling isn’t good for him. His team loses without him, then he’ll play again when they face relegation, so that they can continue to be in the world group next season… where they will lose again because he’s not playing, and then he’ll have to play relegation for them again.

Just look at his history, not just the years in which he has “played”.

September 11th, 2013 at 11:07 am

Fed’s excuses for dropping Davis Cup:

1. I want to focus on remaining #1.

2. I will make it a priority at a later point in my career.

3. Switz don’t have a chance because there aren’t enough other players to carry the burden, so I do my job winning both my singles matches but we still lose because there’s no depth.

Let’s address each of his reasons.

1. When he was #1, he was #1 by a massive margin. It was never in jeopardy. When he naturally got dethroned in 2008 and his goal of remaining #1 had failed anyway, he didn’t adjust his priorities to play DC.

2. He never did, even though opportunities were there.

3. When Stan Wawrinka rose as a star, they had potentially a very good team. Both being great singles players, and as a duo they won Olympic gold. They were very capable of winning, but he still did not do as he promised and return to playing DC.

Playing one weekend a year to keep your team from dropping into zonal competition does not count.

Basically, I think the guy is fake, and selfish. He has a right to not want to play it, but he should be a man and admit it, and not make up some excuses for why he won’t, and when those excuses are addressed, not do as promised.

He did not commit to DC, but he still used the DC coach/captain as his personal coach. It’s not about what he can do for his DC team, it’s about what they can do for him.

September 11th, 2013 at 11:14 am

Adding to the above post, he did say that DC was something he wanted to win during his career, but not a priority at the moment because the current priority is staying #1. Later he would turn his attention to it.

He never did, which makes me question whether it really ever was a goal on his to do list.

Secondly, I recall him saying that his priority during the 1st round was on winning Indian Wells (of course, the team would then lose without him, so he didn’t have to worry about giving any excuses for why he couldn’t play later rounds). There were quite a few years where he did not win Indian Wells anyway, even when he didn’t play DC, so skipping DC didn’t seem to make much of a difference for him.

Rafa on the other hand makes himself available the week right after an AO or USO, even when he was just in the finals and would have had to travel back and have little time to adjust. There are many other players who would never miss it either, out of patriotism.

September 11th, 2013 at 11:23 am

http://alturl.com/46pns
Another great article on the final.
Jimbo fan boy?? I think so!

September 11th, 2013 at 12:14 pm

@ metan: Your guy was magnificent this year.He truly deserves it.
I hope Novak will come back but he needs to let his ranking go-get rid off the pressure, take some time off and practise.I’m not sure if he will do that.I hope he will.

September 11th, 2013 at 12:24 pm

WTF: thank you for ‘manning up’ by responding so comprehensively to my simple statement of fact.
I’ll try to be succinct.
I love the way you confuse ‘excuses’ with ‘reasons.’
There’s no need to tell me how DC works…….honestly.
Nice of you to speak on behalf of Luthi.
‘Fake’ …….the popular perception is that because Rog speaks his mind, is honest in his assessments and doesn’t spout platitudes masterminded by his PR team, that makes him arrogant. Don’t think that goes with fake.
‘Selfish’………oh, I understand. A careers worth of selfishness towards family, team, country, fellow players, tennis heroes from the past, fans, media, foundation, Player Council, aspiring juniors, John McEnroe………what a naughty fellow.

September 11th, 2013 at 7:25 pm