Novak Djokovic Has A New Coach, His Name Is Boris Becker!

by Staff | December 18th, 2013, 9:01 am
  • 209 Comments

Novak Djokovic announced today that he has added Boris Becker as his new head coach entering 2014. Becker will join longtime coaches Marian Vajda, Miljan Amanovic and Gebhard Phil-Gritsch on the team Novak next season, and will travel with the World No. 2 to the Australian Open, Dubai, Miami, Monte-Carlo, Rome, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, Cincinnati, the US Open, Shanghai, Paris and London.

“I am really excited to have the opportunity to work with Boris,” said Djokovic. “He is a true legend, someone who has great tennis knowledge and his experience will help me win new trophies from the Grand Slams and other tournaments.

“Boris is a great person, too, and I am sure he will fit in our team in the best possible way. Boris brings a new fresh approach, and together with Vajda he will make a winning combination.


“My goal for 2014 is to play my best tennis and to get in shape for the Grand Slams and Masters 1000s. These tournaments have the most weight in our sport, and I want to prove my worth there. The team is now strengthened and we hope for maximum results.”

The 46-year-old Becker is a former No. 1 and six-time Grand Slam champion. But is unproven in coaching.

“I am proud Novak invited me to become his Head Coach. I will do my best to help him reach his goals, and I am sure we can achieve great things together,” Becker said.

Vajda, who will not be travelling as much next season, also helped picked Boris.

“In a few weeks Novak and I will start the eighth year of our cooperation. During that period we have achieved almost all the goals we had,” said Vajda who missed several events to tend to a sick family member in 2013. “I realized that Novak needed a new head coach in order for him to continue improving certain parts of his game. At the same time I will have more time for my family.

“Becker’s assignment will not affect much my position in the team, since I will do all I can for Novak, just like I did before. On the other hand, choosing Boris as the head coach is a good solution, I am sure we will get along very well, and that Novak will continue to progress.”

With some brief help from Wotjek Fibak, Djokovic finished second in 2013. The Serb won the Australian Open, reached the finals at Wimbledon and the US Open and was a semifinalist at the French, and also won the ATP Finals. But failed to win a single title during the crucial May-September period.

Since retiring in 1999, Becker has been involved in several ventures including TV and Poker. This will be his first foray into coaching.

The move follows a line of recent high profile hook ups. Andy Murray hired Ivan Lendl. Maria Sharapova tested Jimmy Connors and just last week Roger Federer trained with Stefan Edberg.


You Might Like:
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Novak Djokovic Imitates Coach Boris Becker At The Australian Open [Video]
Boris Becker To Novak Djokovic: Choose Me And Vajda OR Your Guru Pepe Imaz
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209 Comments for Novak Djokovic Has A New Coach, His Name Is Boris Becker!

Ilios Cas Says:

For the moment I think Novak Djokovic is the player in form despite being at number 2 in the ATP ranking. The next 2014 Djokovic Nadal will crush!

http://www.deportesfan.com/djokovic-y-su-final-de-ano-mas-amargo/


TGIT Says:

This will be a fun train wreck to watch.
How many coaches does it take to have a bad season? Looks like 4.


Ben Pronin Says:

How is this any different from what the other top players do?


hawkeye Says:

Yeeaaah, Becker might last longer than Connors did in Shazza’s camp but results will probably be similar. I don’t think he will have any impact.

Just doesn’t strike me as coaching material unlike guys like Lendl, Annacone, Vajda, Magnus Larsson, etc.

The partial loss of Vajda is the bigger story here.


TGIT Says:

Boris Becker will be about as helpful as Jimmy Connors.


Margot Says:

Well for a start Ben, Nole already has a “head coach” who has served him very well over the years. I’m not sure if appointing a new “head coach” over Vadja is very diplomatic? Why not “consultant” or similar, or was Becker’s ego too big for this title?
Andy was coach less when he appointed Lendl and I believe Fed was when he appointed Annacone.
I’m a huge Nole fan but dunno about the dynamics of this one.


Ben Pronin Says:

It doesn’t sound like there are any sour grapes here. Who cares what Becker’s title is? I think he’s getting the nod over Vadja because Vadja wants to spend more time with his family and won’t be traveling as much.

I don’t know. But I love all the “experts” here with their sure-fire predictions.


skeezer Says:

Seems as though Vajda had a hand in it also, as he mentions he can’t make all the tour events and wants to spend more time with family. Nothing wrong with that. Agree with you Margot, not so sure about the dynamics however.
Do think its cool that the top players are seeking the old guards of the game in pushing there talents further though.


Brando Says:

Having reflected on this move by Novak for a short time IMHO I end up thinking:

This is a bad move.

Here’s why:

First of all why does Novak get a new coach in?

To improve as a player? That’s commendable but I think there’s to it than just that.

I think he’s doing so to counter Rafa and Muzza- his 2 biggest rivals, 2 players whose games have improved in the last 12-18 month period where Novak really has not had as much GS/MS level success as he would have liked.

So he wants to improve his game to better them.

Fair play- and the right thing as a professional to do.

But what does BORIS BECKER bring to the table?

– Pros:

1. A renowned server of great repute.
2. A renowned net game player of great repute.

That’s about it. And here there are some problems:

1. Serve:

Remember the last time Novak hired a coach to improve his serve- Todd Martin- recall what followed?

DFitis in 2010. Should Becker try re-modelling his serve history has shown that does not work out well for Novak.

2. Net Game:

At the end of the day, Becker was a S and V player. Novak is a baseliner. The extent to which he can improve his volleying really is not that great. Natural net game players have instinct that separates them from the rest. Novak, as a baseline player, does not possess that.

Their is only so much he can improve on this front as he ain’t going to be a Stepanek type anytime soon.

In short:

I think Becker will try to do the ONLY thing he can really do: encourage Novak to go to the net more and improve in that area.

A Novak at the net, IMHO, will ONLY be the best place where a Nadal or Murray would want him to be.

Those 2 are best passing shot players in the game, and they will be more than happy to see Novak at the net (remember Muzza passing him endlessly in the Wimby final).

So the benefit are little. What about the rest:

1. Mental aspect:

Boris is long known as a wild thing. Mentally solid is not something he is known for.

Novak already surpasses him here.

2. Rest of the game:

What can Becekr teach Novak on his return, baseline, court positioning, FH/ BH etc that he already does not know and is already superior to what Becker was himself.

3. Tactical astuteness:

Becker has 0 coaching experience. ANYONE who listens to his commentary during Wimby for example will tell you he’s not exactly the sharpest analyst in the game. He’s a personality as opposed to a keen observer of the game.

4. Experience:

Their is a case that Novak already has done more in the game than Becker. This is NOT a Lendl- Murray scenario where the player is hiring someone who has greater experience/ accomplishments that can help him. Rather a hiring of a former player who- at best- finished on the same level Novak is at right now.

5 Surfaces:

– Clay: Becker’s input here, to be polite, will be worth little.

– HC: Again his input here will not be worth much when you consider that Novak already surpasses Becker on this front.

Grass is the ONLY place where Becker might be of value but again: how much use can he be as a S & V in the age of baseline regarding Novak’s weakest surface. I cannot imagine a great deal.

6- Too many chefs in the kitchen?:

This is the 3rd coach Novak has hired this decade.

Martin? Unsuccessful linkup whom he fired.

Lendl’s coach? Gone after a few tournies in the last few months.

Becker? A volatile personality- it will be interesting to see how long this one will last.

What does this also say about VAJDA. We can dress this up however we want but clearly this is not a great vote of confidence regarding him.

BOTTOM LINE:

As Rafael Nadal once said ultimately a player cannot change their game after a certain point.

That’s worth noting- especially when it’s from a 13 time GS champion.

The Becker- Djokovic matchup is one between a S and V player and a baseliner. That’s NOT a natural linkup as a Lendl- Murray IMHO.

Personally, I think Novak would have been better suited hiring a Connors. A former baseliner who has achieved more than Novak and also has coaching experience.

Becker, IMHO, does not seem the right fit or more relevantly the right choice.

Time will tell ultimately though how this cookie crumbles……………


Giles Says:

The man ( joker) is an attention seeker. This will be a disaster IMO.I am sure this will be more than a little upsetting for Vajda. Vajda wanting to spend more time with his family? Poppycock!!


Ben Pronin Says:

I’m gonna counter you by the number of the topic:
1) No one is saying Novak needs to revamp his service motion. In 2009, he was feeling shoulder pain and felt he needed to change. Things didn’t work out but then he found a motion that worked for him at the end of 2010 and that’s what we’ve been seeing ever since. It can be more consistent, but for the most part it’s pretty great, both first and second serves. Just because Becker was a big server doesn’t mean we should assume this is what he’ll be working on.

2) Novak doesn’t need to become a serve and volleyer, but that doesn’t mean he can’t improve his instincts and touch up there. He doesn’t need to rush in like crazy but he’s made progress at net over the past few months and there’s nothing wrong with seeking out someone who was as dynamic at net as Becker was for some additional help.

“I think Becker will try to do the ONLY thing he can really do: encourage Novak to go to the net more and improve in that area.”

Why is this the ONLY thing he can do? Who said this?

1) Mental aspect? Novak surpasses him? What does this mean? What mental aspect is he surpassing? Just because Becker was volatile as a player doesn’t mean he can’t provide valuable insight as a coach/observer.

2) Becker doesn’t have to teach Novak anything new. What does Uncle Toni teach Nadal? Annacone and Federer? Lendl and Murray? These guys know how to play. The coaches job isn’t to teach them new tricks.

3) Lendl had 0 coaching experience before Murray. Uncle Toni had 0 coaching experience before Nadal. Every coach starts at 0. It means nothing. And I don’t agree. He can, at times, be a fantastic analyst.

4) Again, irrelevant. Experience in the pro game is almost never a good predicator of being a good coach. Lendl is a huge exception to this. Gilbert, Annacone, Rasheed, Stefanki, Uncle Toni, Cahill. Great coaches, good to terrible players to not even players.

5) I’m not even going to bother with this. Completely irrelevant.

6) “What does this also say about VAJDA. We can dress this up however we want but clearly this is not a great vote of confidence regarding him.”
Clearly this is wrong. Clearly Djokovic has a ton of confidence in Vajda since he’s stuck with him since 2006 and has brought on people with Vajda’s confirmation. Clearly we have never heard Vajda say he is against a hiring, but only said that the Martin relationship didn’t work in retrospect. Clearly Vajda wants to spend more time with his family which has been mentioned several times in the past.

This whole “too many chefs” thing is such a dumb myth. We have no idea what will work and what won’t. Doesn’t Nadal have 2 coaches? Doesn’t Murray have other consultants? Didn’t Federer have the DC captain still as a consultant?

BOTTOM LINE:

What Nadal said is irrelevant. For one thing, didn’t we see a huge change in Nadal’s game this year? So he’s a liar? Or you’re just misquoting nonsense. It’s also irrelevant. A match up between a s-v and a baseliner? Who cares? It’s irrelevant to the coach-player relationship. Why are you assuming that coaches just try to implement their games into the players? If that’s what Becker will try to do, then he’ll be a horrendous coach. That was the problem with Connors. Remember what he did with Roddick? Sure Andy had some limited success, but his game ultimately suffered because he was trying to implement Connors’ game into his own which isn’t feasible.

In a nut shell, if you are assuming that the way Becker played has any relevance to his ability to coach, you are looking at this completely wrong.


Steve 27 Says:

Default

——————————————————————————–

Big risk, examples of hiring a previous greats has shown it could work (Lendl/Murray) or go horribly no-where (Sharapova/Connors).

I say give it till the US Open 2014. I think Boris is not what Djokovic is looking for in the long term, Boris will probably feel he cannot contribute any more to the team then his current tight knit set up.

Btw, =this must of cost A LOT. Considering how well Becker is paid to be a TV commentator for BBC/Sky. He must of needed a serious financial gain to start traveling on tour again.


dari Says:

This is kinda loco. Vajda has a daughter who plays, he might wanna spend more time with her.
I wish them big success, if for nothing else than to surprise ppl.
Is Novak planning to use the volleying skills for winning RG and career slam?


Margot Says:

I don’t know if it’s true in other parts of the world, but here in the UK, “I’m leaving to spend more time with my family” is a euphemism for, “I’ve been given the push.” ………..


van orten Says:

hahahhahahhahahaahahahahahaaaha was my first reaction

the news of the year !!

》I agree with everything the pro becker section wrote or said here or elswhere
》 becker is my all time favourite sportshero. this guy is the reason I have played and watched tennis
》 becker has life experience and was experience to watch on court. he is funny, eloquent , does not take him or the whole media political correctness stuff that seriously all the time.
》in few words: he is crazy! sometimes

seeing becker in noles box will be something..
nole has one supporter more now .

for the same aged as fed fans who mostly admire and cross fingers for him this is great news because boris is also feds favourite ..they actually lose/ lost matches the same way!!

australian open 2014!!! I can’t wait


Steve 27 Says:

Obviously the truth is behind the scenes, Margot.


Margot Says:

@Steve 27
I believe Vadja’s wife has been ill, so more than likely he doesn’t want to travel so much and actually wasn’t with Nole that much in 2013.
But BECKER eek! I suppose the good news is he won’t be commentating on the BBC so much. Yay!


Okiegal Says:

I don’t know what Becker will do for Joker…..but I do know what Lendl did for Andy…….GREAT RESULTS. He helped Andy’s head game. Novak is so dang good as it is……but I suppose there is always room for improvement. Novak/Rafa matches….their abilities are so even…toss up who will win, variables come into play. Andy can beat either one also. This new coach thing for Novak will make things even more interesting. Loving it!!


Steve 27 Says:

Why you and Brando dont like Boris as a commentator?


Humble Rafa Says:

I am worried for Jelena. Egg Lover, it’s not worth the risk. Trust me.


Tennis X Hippy Chic Says:

BB is a terrible commontator,i just hope for Novaks sake hes a better coach,be interesting to hear what a few of his fans think Mat4,Wogboy,Harry,Jane etc and even Courbon who seems to have gone awol lately which is a shame,wondering where all the Novak fans are lately?


courbon Says:

Well, after reading Brando’s and Ben’s analysis, I have to say that I agree more with Ben’s.
I have a big doubt about dynamics of this deal and all can end up badly, but as a player, I think Becker can bring good changes to Novak’s game.
Serve and net? Why not-Novak can always improve his serve and definetelly net game. And I don’t agree about what Brando said- net is where Andy or Nadal would like to see Novak-if you approach net at the right moment there is very little angle you live to other player-net is all about timing.
I’ m with Van Orten on this one-I loved Becker so to my this sounds great but can be a disaster for sure.
Vajda’s wife is seriously sick ( I think cancer ) so it’s quite normal that they are having another coach.
The only person that should worry about this deal is Jelena, Novak’s girlfriend because Becker was ( and still is ) wild boy with the girls and he could influence Novak….( he, he, he )
and I also hope he does not drive Novak around because he is fast and cooky driver-I almost crushed in his BMW in the Wimbledon round about, about 2 years ago, because he did not look!I went mad, he apologeticly smiled and I went: Shit, it’s Boris Becker!


hawkeye Says:

Name one bad commentator that’s ever made a good coach.


Giles Says:

The question is how will BB fit in with the Serbs?


hawkeye Says:

As I said, it’s a bizarre matchup as strange as Jimbo-Shazza.

Jimbo-shazza, isn’t that the latest workout craze?


courbon Says:

@ Hippy: Hi there, I’m around just keeping low.Well above you can see what I think.We will see. By the way, Liverpool is on the fire-you must be glad!


courbon Says:

@ hawkeye: I’m curios-which good commentator made a good coach?


hawkeye Says:

Darren Cahill, Roger Rasheed are generally well regarded at both.


Brando Says:

Re Vajda:

Sad to hear about his Misses being ill with cancer. Hope she receives the best care, attention and pulls through.

Seeing as that’s the case, i’m glad Vajda will have more time to spend at home.

Re coaching scenario:

Personally I still think he should have gone with Connors.

Like I said: Becker realistically will be able have a sound input on the serve and volleying skills but IMHO: the scope for change and improvement is limited there.

Serve? We all know about Novak’s issue to change here.

Volleying? I always have thought he’s the weakest one of the big 4 on this front. To be honest: that’s the consensus opinion of most commentators.

Why?

He’s not a natural at the net, looks awkward most of the time there. Sure he’ll improve with Becker: but the margin will not be of an extent that makes a major difference and like I said earlier:

Rafa/ Muzza seeing Novak at the net = good times for their passing shots.

BOTTOM LINE:

This is a tasty choice.

A very interesting one.

And one that will lead to an extreme result:

Either boom or bust in my opinion.

For the clay season though, and I really don’t care what others may counter with, Boris Becker is not a prime candidate you want as a coach.


Brando Says:

PS:

Becker’s last press statement was regarding Nadal of all people.

Hope those who seems to talk of Nadal all the time but claim not to root for him enjoy this read.

http://www.tennisearth.com/news/tennisNews/Rafael-Nadal-can-win-4-more-Grand-Slams-Boris-Becker-755673.htm

:-)


Tennis X Hippy Chic Says:

Courbon hi nice to see you posting again,regarding the Novak/Becker coaching i hope whatever happens things work out for him,and wish Vijda and the family all the best at this sad time and believe me i know how that feels :(,and yes also delighted to see LVC doing so well and breathing down Arsenals neck ha ha hope they can remain consistent,although MUFC are blowing hot and cold this season sorry Brando.


courbon Says:

@ Brando: Think about Ivan Lendl for a moment-never won Wimbledon but helped Murray to win.Becker and clay?Who, knows?
Connors definetelly looks like a better choice but maybe he is difficult person to deal with?
From news like this we can only scratch the surface of this story and make opinions, but ultimately we don’t know what Becker is like a coach-even he does not know!


Brando Says:

@Courbon:

Hi.

Becker and Clay:

Whilst it’s true that Lendl did not win Wimbledon in his career, he was a superior player to what Becker was on clay.

Lendl was a 2 time RU at Wimbledon when it was genuinely fast. A immense baseline player in the heyday of Serve and Volley.

IMHO: had he played today he would have won Wimbledon considering how it is.

The same cannot be said about Becker- a player who NEVER won a clay title in his career.

Plus Andy’s win at Wimby is a different matter to Novak’s quest for a RG title.

Put simply:

Andy won this year since EVERY player he faced Andy was a better grass court player anyhow.

Without a shadow of a doubt about that.

With Fed declining, Rafa having a less said the better performances in his last 2 Wimby performances, Novak not truly being on Andy’s level on grass its fair to say:

Andy is the best on Grass. He has the game, talent and most importantly titles to say that going forward.

Lendl impact here was likely mental support, know how to Andy since Muzza has always had the game to be the best on Grass.

Would he have beat all those players without Lendl to the title at Wimbledon this year?

IF Andy were to be mentally solid, I say YES.

Novak has different issues on Clay, specifically RG it’s named:

Rafael Nadal.

Without sounding like a fanboy or knocking Novak as player, I think we all know by now and even Novak will admit this:

IF Rafa plays his best, feels fine physically then we all know why he’s ONLY lost once in 9 years at RG and is 5-0 v Novak there:

It’s because he’s the best that has ever played on Clay.

Now can Becker as a coach help him overcome that?

IMHO- and only looking from afar- I see little Becker can help him with here.

Becker’s know how on Clay is not exactly the best. We all know that.

Ultimately:

I think the Lendl- Grass and Becker- Clay has 2 different issues for their players.

In my opinion when I think of Novak going forward I think this:

1. Why hire a coach:

Post USO he’s lost ZERO matches, won 4 titles, has the 2nd best career win streak he’s ever produced.

Such stats do not exactly demand a call for change with him do they?

So I see little reason for him to change thing in the first place.

2. Mental issues not technical ones:

With Novak I think the issues are more mental as opposed to technical.

His game is rock solid, but mentally he can go on a walk about at times.

Hence: I think he needs a tactically astute coach and one who can give great support to him mentally.

Tactical astuteness and mental support- Boris Becker is not the kind of guy for such a job.

That’s why I think he should have either kept Lendl’s old coach or gone for Connors.

Becker is a wild, playboy like, larger than life personality. He’s fun to hang around with at a party I imagine but not Mr Ideal for mental support and tactical awareness.

Bottom Line:

You are right, ultimately we don’t know how things will unfold.

Maybe it will be a roaring success. Maybe it won’t be. But I think my points and those voiced by others about Becker not being a great choice are reasonable at the least and could quite possibly end up being proven correct.

PS:

I think Jelena needs to lay down the law with Boris! p


Ben Pronin Says:

Brando, condense your g-d damn posts.


courbon Says:

@ Brando: I agree that you maybe correct that this is wrong choice-very possible, that’s for sure.And I know Beckers performance on clay are terrible.Still, maybe mentally he will give him edge-clay or not clay.
well, I’m Novaks fan so I have to look at this optimistic.It may not improve him a lot but I don’t think it will hurt him either. ( apart for his pocket-Steve 27 well pointed out that this will not be cheap.But couple of exos and there you go…)
By the way, I’m glad Andy finally won SPOTY award.Very happy for him, it definetelly deserve it.
When Fed was asked by journalist 3 years ago, why he has a problem with a clay.He smiled and replied: I don’t have a problem with the clay surface, problem with the clay is Rafael Nadal.
Enough said. (-:


Giles Says:

^^ That comment is really hilarious. Did you ever ask Dave (you know that bloke, that fed nutter, who used to post 5,000 lines) to condense his posts? I guess not.


Giles Says:

My last comment is for Pronin


hawkeye Says:

“Playing Rafa on clay is just bad math.”


Brando Says:

@Giles:

Love you! Thanks pal for saying it like it is.

Saying it how reality truly presents it.

Speaking of the picture as it really is.

Speaking of the hidden truth.

Am I waffling and by extension lengthening another post rather than condensing it?

LOL.

:-))))))


Brando Says:

@Courbon:

Thanks. And I completely understand that as a fan you choose to look at it positively. I’ll openly admit as a Rafa fan I hope it does not work out. Don’t hate Novak or Boris. Just know it could mean bad times for my guy. I- like any fan to an extent- always hope for a easy ride for my guy.

That said, my opinion on the matter is actually on how I envisage the dynamic of this new partnership and that’s free from the Rafa bias.

On the positive: I think Novak hardly needs any help on HC (outdoor or indoor). Becker will only help on Grass. So it’s hardly a bad thing.

Certainly will be interesting to see what unfolds with this duo.

Re Muzza:

Yep, it was immensely deserved. The biggest thing is I read somewhere that he gained over 50% of the public vote. That’s huge!

I think it shows that he’s beyond any doubt now seen as a national treasure, will get immense support whenever Grass season comes around and that will make Andy the man to beat Wimby when you consider how good a talent he is on Grass anyhow.

I can see Andy being a 3/4 time winner at Wimbledon fitness permitting.

Re Clay:

Agree with Fed. Rafa is a beast on Clay. The way I see it is like this. If all the players play their best going forward then the best on each surface is:

HC- Novak Djokovic
Clay- Rafael Nadal
Grass- Andy Murray

All 3 are good on the other surfaces, but they know who the main guy is on each and every turf at their best.


Ben Pronin Says:

Giles, I don’t know why you pretend like I was chummy with Dave. I wasn’t, we clashed on everything. But he posted large paragraphs. Brando posts separate sentences.

Sean, moderation?


Tennis X Hippy Chic Says:

Its not very often i say this but i agree with Jamie,in that the USO is the GS thats the most difficult to predict,unless something unexpected happens you can pretty much pencil in that Novak is the AO,Rafa the FO,and Andy at Wimbledon are pretty much favorites now for those titles,the USO seems more of a toss up theres been a different champion every year for the past 6 years all the top 5 have won it,yeah i know Andy won Wimbledon for the 1st time but alongside Roger whos on a bit of a downer hes the player that has the game most suited to grass as of now.


courbon Says:

@ Brando: Have you seen adidas ad with Murray? Just brilliant.
One thing is for sure-2014 is shaping to be very interesting ( I know, we always say that but I think it will be!)Maybe Andy wins AO, Novak RG and Nadal wins Wimbledom?? ( just to prove everybody wrong like this year with HC season )It can happen…stranger things happened (like Bartoli winning Wimbledon?)


Brando Says:

@Courbon:

Of course strange things can happen, and truth is they usually do:

2013: Rafa winning USO after his time out was a surprise.
2012: Andy beating a on fire Novak at USO was a surprise.
2011: Novak’s entire year was a surprise.
2010: Rafa’s entire year was a surprise.
2009: Delpo winning a slam was a surprise.

Etc,etc, etc.

Surprises happening are a norm of sorts. The thing is fans we reactionary: usually we react to what’s recently occurred, past history and a perception of reality as we see it when we make these predictions.

Re Advert: No I have not seen it C. I’ll check it out for sure though.


Tennis X Hippy Chic Says:

Courbon it would be interesting to see things mixed up i know i would love to see Rafa win another AO and a WTF,and i know how much you want to see Novak win the FO,maybe someone new will make a breakthrough next year?or one of the veterans of the game?


skeezer Says:

“Novak Djokovic narrowly edges out Rafael Nadal to become Men’s World Champion thanks to his consistency at the Grand Slam tournaments and year-end performances.”
@Ben…loved it….as it should be.
Re; Brando the never ending story.
He was reprimanded once, but his…scratch that, her.. bad habits came back.
Brando its apparent you know very little of BB’s play, and his style of tactics. BB was not just a S&V, and had relatively great court coverage for his style of game. A monster FH. Agassi and BB had some historic battles. So then you go on to come to your own false conclusions about what you think Becker can do and can’t with Nole. Give it a rest and study some more. U apparently know jack diddly, 0.


Brando Says:

@Skeezer:

Thank you for that post. It sums you up quite brilliantly.

Unprovoked, lacking in any cause for such a post whatsoever you swan in here and provide one that completely embodies the reason why many here choose to (intelligently) ignore you and what you ultimately provide to this place:

A low rent troll who has nothing better to do other than harass others.

As a final parting post regarding your ineptness let’s just breakdown the trash that you fling in the senile manner of a sad old man:

1. The opener: As always- recognizing the one who’s butt you fawn over like a school girl with a secret crush. You really need to nurse your infatuation with Rafa in a more polite manner than trashing him and his fans at every turn.

2. ‘Re; Brando the never ending story’: EDIT: ‘Re Skeezer the never ending troll story’. I’ve fixed that one for you Grinch.

3. Post that edited mistake you display your usual, small, rather over used bag of tricks. Kinda boring for all now but hey: what else can we expect from a narrow minded individual who likes to come on here and do nothing other than harass other posters?

Not much it seems. So what do you do:

Provide a childish little comment, follow it up with some slight insight that any arm chair fan with the benefit of time can provide and then end it with a churlish:

‘ U apparently know jack diddly, 0.’

Someone’s still stuck in the 1910’s then. Either that or they have seen Happy Days one too many a time.

I’ll tell you what I do know on good authority:

You talk trash on this website. Continuously. And I’ll ignore your bile from here forth. Don’t direct your stench towards me Skeezie since it won’t be responded to.


Okiegal Says:

Why does the Men’s World Champion for 2013 need a new coach?? Maybe he thinks a new coach might help him regain the #1 ranking plus help him out with his play on clay……but seriously, Novak is so good…..is there really room for improvement?? We will see……should be interesting!!


skeezer Says:

@Brando
You followed up with that? Alrighty then.


Tennis X Hippy Chic Says:

Oh dear so much for the season of goodwill,lets just wish Novak good luck with his new coaching if your a fan of his,or not if your not a fan of his,either way its everyones personal choice.


Eric Says:

I guess Djokovic decided he needed some help with his ladykillin’ technique — or at least with impregnating models in restaurant bathrooms — as I am having a hard time imagining what else this, erm, relationship will bring him.

(And, really, isn’t enough enough? Tennis greats are not necessarily great coaches… I feel like Lendl is the only exception to this trend. How long’d Connor last with Masha, again? What a silly fad this is becoming.)


Thangs Says:

Other than cocky attitude, i dont see any common link between Boris and Nole…


Okiegal Says:

@Chic

I hope you didn’t think I was making light of Joker….I am serious….He is such a good all court player, if he can improve his game one little bit, he will be unstoppable. I know he wants that FO bad, so maybe BB can help with that, even though he wasn’t considered a CC specialist. I would be going after Borg for his expertise on clay! I do wish Novak luck with this change and am very sorry for Vjada and his family woes.

Glad your 2nd fav Andy is back. I am anxious for his return too! I think 2014 should be an interesting year for us tennis fans! Looking forward to it!

I agree with Eric about Lendl and Murray…..that’s a great match up. He has been good for Andy. Hope his back holds up.


Alex Says:

I see its that time of the month again for that special somone.


ananthd Says:

Not sure if this is a great move…

Boris was a great competitor, unlike some who think he was mentally fragile, he hardly was so on court…

His career was yo-yo because he wasn’t entirely focused on tennis throughout….

He was a bit of a free spirit and therefore I’m not sure if this is such a great move…..

Maybe Nole did try to get someone like a Darren Cahill(who would have been my first choice) but it didn’t work out…


Humbalito Says:

Good decision Nole, humbalito is a toast.


Roger That Says:

Skeezer is the epitome and spirit of what Tennis-X is all about!!!

On another note, looking forward to seeing Roger play at the Mubadala World Tennis Championships again this year!

Go Fed!!!!


Patson Says:

O this is a pretty interesting hire on part of Nole. I actually think this might bring some interesting surprises. It’s definitely not as outrageous as Argentina bringing in Maradona as the national coach back in 2010.

On a side note, a question for all Roger fans, are you happy because Nole won the ITF award or are you happy because Rafa didn’t win the ITF award ? Don’t say both because you know that wouldn’t be true :)


dari Says:

Brando, I’ve not heard swan used as a verb. Love it.


Giles Says:

Fed is not playing at the Mubadala World Tennis Championships.
Keep up!!!


Tennis X Hippy Chic Says:

Okiegal no not at all,your the last person to say anything offensive in my direction or anybody elses,many do call Novak the Djoker as its a play on words for his surname and also befits what hes about with the impressions of the other players,i do really love his personality hes a fun guy, im sorry for Vijda and the family and wish them well,as my late mother passed away almost to the day 29 years ago so i know how he feels,about the BB coaching it could be to help him out to crack the FO?and if thats the reasoning for obvious reasons i hope its not a success lol,about Andy im delighted hes back playing too,and i hope the surgery was a success,i dont know how much of a factor he will be at the AO,i would hope he and Rafa are on oposite sides of the draw to make a final between the two possible,2013 was an amazing year for me tennis wise as my two favorites had a great year :))..


Michael Says:

If you have a celebrity as your Coach, it will carry its own weight. We saw the transformation of Andy from a tournament player to a Grand Slam Champion with the hiring of Lendl. And now Novak wants to scale even greater heights with the hiring of Boom Boom Becker. Surely, his coaching would help him a lot at Wimbledon especially where Becker could help Novak perfect the art of Volley which is missing in his repertoire. Another area where Becker could be useful to him is in improving the quality of his serve. Nevertheless, such changes are necessary at the coaching level as it is a breathe of fresh air and would bring something new to the table. Novak is already a Great player. But Becker can make him still Greater.


Tennis X Hippy Chic Says:

Players especially the top players no matter how great a year they are dont rest on their laurels,they look for ways to continually improve their games and Novak is no exception,its not that Novak did much wrong this year its just that Andy and Rafa were better in the big matches,BB has been brought in to help Novak try to work on new tactics to counter Andy/Rafa,but i bet Uncle Toni and Lendel are doing exactly the same,what happens next with be very interesting,cannot wait for the AO to start.


Steve 27 Says:

After this travesty the ITF Player of the Year has become the Nickelodeon Awards of tennis.


Tennis X Hippy Chic Says:

Yeah without sounding like a Rafa fan girl or anything before im heckled,but i have to agree with Steve 27 on this one,no offence to Novak and his fans but Rafa was by far the best player this year,it shouldve been a no brainer IMO.


Tennis X Hippy Chic Says:

^BTW my post was not about emotional fan bias,as i wouldve said the same thing if it were the other way around,and Novak had had the year Rafa had.^


hawkeye Says:

Djoko Boom-Boom, Djoko Boom-Boom….

Wasn’t that a Ricky Martin hit some time ago?


Alexandra Says:

Rafa should have won the ITF award in my opinion. No idea how Djokovic could have won it.
I can understand if Vajda wants more time with his family, but I don’t know if Becker is the right one for this job. Afterall, it’s not so much what he can teach him. The personalities have to match. It will either work out great with two extrovert guys or they will clash sooner or later. One thing is for sure, Becker is not someone that says yes and amen to everything. He has his own ideas. Novak should be careful, he could end up in another book of Boris. He could teach him some poker, and then he can play again against Rafa.


Michael Says:

Well, it is always a nice feeling to have a celebrity as your Coach. We can just look at the transformation of Andy who has grown to become a Grand slam Champion with the invasion of Lendl. Similarly, Novak now has hired the services of Boom Boom Becker to scale even greater heights to reach the zenith of his career. I think Becker can help him more at Wimbledon where he might sharpen his volleying skills and also add more sting to his serve. Nevertheless, it is a fine feeling to work under a celebrity which gives tremendous confidence in a player and the one he can look forward to as an example. Novak has made the right decision and who knows with Becker he can recreate that 2011 magic yet again !!


Brando Says:

@Michael:

You make some sound points and you know from my previous exchanges with you that I do rate your opinion highly, but on this occasion I got to disagree with you.

Here’s why:

1. Celebrity as a Coach:

I think the notion of this being a benefit is completely false. At the end of the day- a coach is hired for his knowledge, insight not his social status as a tabloid fodder. Also, this relates to personality type. Everyone knows Novak is an extrovert character. Something that BB is himself. If anything a rather more wild one. Usually at some point down the line their is a clash of sorts between such highly opinionated characters who have to work together.

2. Lendl- Murray is a wholly different dynamic:

People continuously cite this duo but completely overlook some key dynamics to this partnership. Firstly: Andy went to Lendl as 0 slam winner seeking the help of 8 time GS winner. He went as a player seeking to make the big step to a ex player who knows what to do regarding such a task. Novak has hired someone that he- arguably- has already surpassed in Tennis history. A real difference between the 2.

Secondly: Lendl’s professionalism, no BS personality was exactly the kind of input Andy needed. He was a natural next step in Andy’s development as a player.

Is Becker- a larger than life personality, known playboy, media player- the kind Novak needs at this stage in his career? I would argue that the majority of his fans would look elsewhere as a coach.

Thirdly: Lendl was EXACTLY what Andy needed. The ONLY player who could relate to his struggles in winning that prized first Slam. He automatically commanded a respect, insight and a ‘been there done that’ level of experience that Andy badly needed to acquire as help.

Put simply: Andy could not have chosen a better individual to be his Coach. It’s just that the Coach happened to be a former player and 8 time GS winner.

Is Becker genuinely the one Novak needs to make the next step like Andy found in Lendl? IMHO- and I think many Novak fans would honestly agree with this- I think he would have been better served to have hired Connors. Or someone like Darren Cahill. Heck: a former player with no coaching experience- how about BJORN BORG.

Point is: unlike Murray where Lendl was the ideal Coach, in Novak’s case Becker really is not the ideal on paper. We all can name better candidates as potential Coach for him.

You are right one aspect: Becker could help at Wimbledon. But due the Grass swing being so short there is only so much one can do in such a small window of opportunity in terms of time.

As I said earlier though: these are just my views that could quite easily be proven wrong as we are-after all- gauging the unknown in this regard.


skeezer Says:

@Alexandra

I think if you the link the ITF explained the criteria. Do agree however Rafa had a great year.


courbon Says:

@ Brando: I agree with you-I would prefer somebody else.But, I will look at this situation positive and maybe this tandem suprises us nicely next year.One thing for sure-Novak vs Andy matches will have extra dimension next year-Ivan vs Boris, Novak vs Andy=double fight!


madmax Says:

Becker has zero coaching credentials, so this is a real scary prospect, I think for Nole. I hope I am wrong. Seems a mismatch to me?

Guess will just have to wait and see.


Ben Pronin Says:

I wouldn’t say Nadal was BY FAR the better player this year. He certainly earned the number 1 ranking. I think it’s nice that Djokovic somehow won the ITF award but really who cares? History won’t remember.

Brando, what is with your obsession with Connors? He has provene to be a poor coach on more than one occassion now. He would be a horrible choice for anyone. I was always hoping that Djokovic would get Agassi as a coach. I think Agassi would be perfect for him. Similar game, similar squandering of opportunities throughout their respective careers, etc.

Becker is a surprise, sure, but that doesn’t mean it can’t work. I don’t get why you’re harping on the surfaces. Becker was hired as a head coach, not as a surface specialist to help with grass.

Lendl is EXACTLY what Murray needed in retrospect. There was no guarantee it was going to work. And Lendl-Murray is perfect proof that surface is irrelevant. Lendl was a great clay courter and Murray still sucks there. Lendl never got over the Wimbledon hump but he helped Murray do it.

Brando, you clearly do not understand what coaches in tennis do. Just stop with irrelevant analysis.


Patson Says:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZf8MzWtmjc

The Becker bit cracked me up. Imagine Becker doing this in Nole’s box. It’ll be HILARIOUS.


Margot Says:

@Brando
Cahill was/is in contract with Adidas. When Andy got rid of Corretja he worked with Cahill and was very keen to get him on board, but because of Cahill’s commitment to Adidas he couldn’t. Interestingly I’ve read that Cahill’s specialty is the serve and certainly, at the time, I saw endless pics of Andy practising his serve. However, when Ivan became Andy’s coach, he told him to stop, along the lines of “do you want shoulder surgery?”
@courbon
Careful, careful remember Andy loves boxing…;)
@Steve 27
As a commentator 1) Becker has perfected the art of stating the bleeding obvious and then repeating it endlessly and 2)is one of those really really irritating comms who just “know” what the players are thinking. So I personally hope he stays as Nole’s coach for years and years.
Perhaps Becker will prove us sceptics wrong. Who knows? Only time will tell.


SG1 Says:

Ben’s post at 12:01 is bang on. Becker isn’t there to make Novak into something he’s not. Novak’s too shrewd for this kind of nonsense. As Ben correctly stated, Becker is there to provide some insight into areas that Novak wants to improve. Perhaps improve his approach to volleying and mid-court play.

I’m not good at predicting the future so I don’t really have any idea how this relationship will turn out. The hockey team in my town re-hired a coach it fired years before. I was really disappointed when he was re-hired. As it turns out, the coach has done a pretty good job of getting the most out of what he has. That’s all Boris has to concern himself with. Help Novak get the best out of his abilities without overthinking things. I actually think Boris can work well for Novak in this context.

And isn’t it fun to see Lendl and Becker, old foes, on opposite sides again?


WTF Says:

I thought he’d decided that dual coaches wasn’t going to work? That was why he dumped Todd Martin and then he had a wonderful 2011.

Now he’s going back to that?


courbon Says:

@ Margot:Well, I think fight will be on the court.Off the court, Andy looks like tougher fighter but then Novak is so flexible then he can do Matrix style moves and avoid every punch!Ha!!


Margot Says:

Lol courbon, too true :)


WTF Says:

Wait.. so Nadal has two coaches? Who is the second?


Tennis X Hippy Chic Says:

Ben i just meant overall Rafa had the better year,Novak lost to many more lesser players than what Rafa did,but its an argument thats been beaten to death that many times,ive made my point so ill leave it at that.


Ben Pronin Says:

The guy who travels with Nadal at the North American events.

For those confused about the ITF award:
Djokovic played 34 ITF matches to Nadal’s 16. Djokovic went 31-3 while Nadal went 15-1. Djokovic committed to all ITF events and was undefeated in Davis Cup. Nadal didn’t play the Australian Open and only one DC tie. Overall Djokovic earned 5580 ITF points to Nadal’s 4010.

Controversy? There is none.


Tennis X Hippy Chic Says:

Ben fair enough no controversy.


Giles Says:

“The guy’s” name is Francisco Roig.


hawkeye Says:

Francisco Roig is Rafa’s other coach.

ITF award is subjective as rules are not quantitatively defined. They “consider” non-ITF events in their evaluation.

It’s also an award that very few know or care about.

Who on here even heard of it before? It doesn’t even show up on a player’s career statistics!

The only reason it’s risen above the noise floor this year is because Nole won it and Rafa finished No. 1.

No. 1 player not winning this award has only happened five times since 1978 and the last time it happened was when Lendl won it in 1990 ranked No. 3 in the world.

There’s a good enough argument for Nole over Rafa and he is deserving of this award given his more consistent ITF results including DC commitment and success even though Rafa won two majors to his one.

Much ado about nothing and certainly no controversy.


Brando Says:

@Courbon:

Yes I can definitely see why you choose to see it as such. You rightly should see/ hope for the positive. And I agree with you Courbon: Novak- Muzza could be the most interesting contest in 2014.

IMHO these 2 match up extremely well with one another. The difference between the 2 usually is very, very little. Add in the Becker v Lendl dynamic then: yep, their contests will now have a added spice to them.

Their matches were always interesting, now with this appointment the stakes and anticipation in future matches between Nolandy has certain risen.

Popcorn is a pre-requisite when sitting down to watch future matches between these 2 now! :-)


Brando Says:

@Margot:

Hi Margot.

Yes I do actually recall what you are saying regarding Cahill. I remember Andy speaking highly of him and reading of how he maybe did enquire if he could help him full time.

I think many players think highly of Cahill as a coach.

But I do remember that when Andy did appoint Lendl the general consensus- from what I gauged of it at the time- was that he actually was a brilliant choice for him. Not only with their respective career trajectories but also in terms of personality type.

Andy also seemed really pumped up about landing Lendl at the time.

Time has shown that he could not have chosen a better coach for himself. :-)


mem Says:

hawkeye,

did you read the reason behind the ITF’s decision? it’s a joke!

a blind man can see what’s going on! nadal reaches 14 finals, wins 10 titles, including 2 slams, 5 masters and to top all off he become #1 player again and they come up with crap like, novak was little bit more consistent; he played the davis cup. please! how the heck they think a player reaches 14 finals and win 10 titles, by being inconsistent. why don’t they just stop pretending to be objective and just tell the real reason why novak was chosen. it certainly wasn’t because he was more consistent. im sure nadal is not losing any sleep over it, but i can’t stand it when people make up these fake reasons to justify their biases.


skeezer Says:

^its a conspiracy! Has to be, after all its my Rafa.


Michael Says:

Brando,

Thanks for the insightful analysis which made sense and smacks of pragmatism. I do agree that a big match player need not necessarily turn out to be an exceptional coach. For example, Magnus Norman was not a great player, but he is a good coach and similary I can say for Tony Nadal, Roche, Fibak and Cahill as well. You vent an apprehension that the characters of Novak and Becker being similar as extroverts, it might not eventually jell as a Team. May be. We need to wait and see. But I think Becker is now more matured than what he was in his younger days. Nevertheless I think Novak would not have opted for Becker without strong reasons. He has trusted his expertise and Tennis knowledge to be put to good use in his consideration going foward.As regards the Borg option, it is indeed appealing and I am wondering why no player is approaching him ?


Giles Says:

http://alturl.com/apu3t
Rafa fans. Video of our man receiving the Champion of Champions Award from L’Equipe in Paris yesterday.
Vamos Champ!


Giles Says:

A couple of tweets from Neil Harman @ NeilHarman Times ;
1. ITF selects Novak Djokovic as their world champion ahead of Rafael Nadal? They have taken leave of their collective senses.
11 36 AM – 18 Dec 2013
2. I would reject an invitation to the ITF champions dinner if I was on the invitation list any more.
11 42 AM – 18 Dec 2013
You tell ’em Harman!!


Tennis X Hippy Chic Says:

Mem when i 1st heard this i must admit to thinking it was a bit of a farce myself,till Ben explained the reasons for the ITF award,Novak played a whole season and Rafa didnt,in the grand scheme of things just ask yourself this does it really matter that much?as Ben also said who really cares as history wont?it doesnt take anything away from Rafa who was still the best player this year,just putting things into perspective.


Giles Says:

Alison. Did you watch the video I posted?


Tennis X Hippy Chic Says:

Giles no not as yet but thanks for putting it up,and i will as soon as ive had my morning shower,i watch any links that are about Rafa it goes without saying :))..


Giles Says:

Christopher Clarey
@Ringham7. Yep. I certainly know how I would have voted for ITF’s men’s player of the year.


Giles Says:

There are plenty more criticisms directed towards the ITF. Just hope they get as much bad Press as possible.


Tennis X Hippy Chic Says:

Giles nice video thanks,loved seeing Rafa and Richie playing against each other as little kids aaww sooo cute,and both look yummy in suits,have to say tennis clothes dont really do Bartoli justice as she really is a beautiful looking gal.


mem Says:

Giles I was the video.

I am very proud of our boy! he was simply gorgeous @ the ceremony and that captivating smile tops it all off! vamous rafa!


mem Says:

should be, “i saw the video, not was the video.”


Giles Says:

Tweet:
Russell Fuller
“Boris Becker has just told the BBC that he was approached by Novak Djokovic on the day that Rafa Nadal replaced him as world number 1”
Hmmm!!


Giles Says:

@mem. Yes indeed. Very proud of our boy.
Vamos Champ!!


Giles Says:

Alison. Do you remember the unkind remark John Inverdale made about Marion? He couldn’t be more wrong.


Tennis X Hippy Chic Says:

Giles yeah i do what a prat,indeed he couldnt be more wrong she is stunning,and a refreshing change from the bejewelled blonde dolly bird type of player.


Ben Pronin Says:

Mem and Giles, the reason Djokovic won the ITF award is because he won more ITF points than Nadal. It’s that simple.


Giles Says:

^^^ Then why are the journos unhappy and critical of the ITF’s decision making??


Giles Says:

Also, why don’t the ATP exclude ITF ranking points when they announce the year end #1?


Ben Pronin Says:

Because the journos don’t bother to check to facts.

I don’t know how to answer that. So you don’t want slams to count?


Giles Says:

Well, let me see. The ITF are just concentrating on GS’s and DC and ignoring the rest of the tourneys. So maybe the ATP should ignore these ITF events in determining the y/e #1.
The whole criteria makes no sense.


Giles Says:

Neil Harman and Christopher Clarey are among the most knowledgeable journos out there. Can’t believe they are ignorant of the ITF workings.
Anyhow, it all seems completely wrong. This won’t change the result but I do think the ITF need to revamp their so-called “criteria” for the future.


Ben Pronin Says:

What criteria makes no sense?

Giles, you’re being ridiculous. The ITF and ATP have had their fair share of disputes in the past. Remember in the 90s when there wer 2 year end championships? Let’s not get carried away here. You guys are acting like Nadal was so slighted. It’s not like Djokovic won a few small titles and barely landed the number 2 rank.


Ben Pronin Says:

Why don’t you tweet at them and ask? I doubt anyone knew how the ITF came about this decision until they looked into it. As you are proving, it’s a lot easier to be outraged than to do a little research. It wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if these guys don’t even bother.


hawkeye Says:

No, Ben its not that simple. ITF say they also “consider” ATP results but to a lesser extent. There are no quantitative rules laid out.

That said, mem, yes I read their criteria and by consistent, they are prioritizing ITF events and, as Ben says, Nole certainly was more consistent in majors and DC. His worse slam result was a SF and was udefeated in DC playing every Serbian tie where as Rafa played a single DC match, missed AO and didn’t win a match at Wimby.

I would have given Nadal the nod considering his two majors to Nole’s single plus his ATP results (which gets “some” consideration).

While Rafa wasn’t as consistent in terms of ITF points, he was twice as consistent in terms of ITF titles, but, as I said, their definition is subjective.

In 1978 they gave it to Connors who finished ATP No. 1 but won only one major to Borg’s two. That year, Connors had a Win and a Final and didn’t play the other two whereas Borg had two Wins and a Final. Neither played DC that year so Borg had earned more ITF points than Connors so it is not as simple as Ben would have you believe.

Again, subjective.

A fickle bunch to be sure but not worth getting all up in arms over. Doubt Rafa is losing any sleep over it. Nole is deserving enough.


the DA Says:

Boris gives his first interview since being appointed. Some interesting reasons given for the move.

“Andy Murray inspired me to take role with Novak Djokovic”

http://fw.to/Ovkl9QY


Giles Says:

I am just going to say this once. Rafa won 10 titles two of which were Grand Slams and 5 Masters titles. Joker won ONE GS and 7 titles altogether. Who had the better year?
It looks like it is all about DC. How many of the top players participate in DC? Does fed?
This is all a farce!!!
I repeat the ITF need to change their criteria.
It is usual for the y/e #1 player to win this ITF award apart from a couple of exceptions in the past.


Giles Says:

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/video/mats-point-itw-sergi-bruguera-211301801.html
Matts Wilander and Bruguera discussing Rafa’s season.
#SpeakToITFChaps


Ben Pronin Says:

Djokovic collected 5120 points from the slams. Nadal collected 4010 points from the slams. Slams are ITF events. Even if DC added a few points, it wouldn’t matter.

The number 1 ranking on the ATP isn’t decided by number of titles you won, it’s decided by the amount of points accumulated. What if Nadal hadn’t played after the US Open? He would have the same 10 titles but he wouldn’t have ended as number 1. You’d probably be crying about it anyway so I don’t even know why I’m bothering.

The ITF did nothing wrong. Their criteria is fair and objective.


holdserve Says:

Any criteria which does not put Rafa on top is fair and objective (Fedfan logic)
If ITF criteria had merely annointed Djokovic as ITF no. 1, we could accept it as just an anomaly happening now and then like Caroline Woz being WTA no. 1 for a couple of years.
But to annoint Djokovic as ITF World champion when he got most of his points as runner up or worse in slams is ridiculous. Although he won all his DC rubbers, his team was runner up!!!Champion runner up!!!! LOl!!!
ITF have made a laughing stock of themselves. Time they revised their criteria.
ITF can arrive at their no. 1 by completely excluding ATP events. From some of the comments here it appears they do count some ATP events. What’s the fair and objective criteria by which the choose the countable ATP events?
In any case Ben Pronin should post a link to the site which explains the calculations and what these fair and objective criteria are. What we need to know is whether Ben Pronin even knows what these criteria are before pronouncing them as fair and objective.


Ben Pronin Says:

Which ATP events did they count?

Holdserve, what is the criteria?

Any criteria which doesn’t stick their tongue up Nadal’s ass is idiotic and delusional (Rafafan logic).


Giles Says:

I do hope the journos who are flabbergasted and critical of the ITF have the b@ll$ to to confront the ITF.
#Shambles
#BooITF


holdserve Says:

Ben pronin, you pronounced the criteria fair and objective. The onus is on you to state what those criteria are, give details of the calculations and post a link to the official site which states the criteria and explains the calculations. By your post above you have admitted you did not even know what those criteria were before rushing to pronounce them fair and objective.


skeezer Says:

Can’t believe the vamoshead brigade is whining ….again. Wait,,, I can.
@Ben
You’ve rightly justified the scenario several times.
Its just whining now.


Thoughts On Djokovic-Becker, Potential Federer-Edberg… Will They Work? Says:

[…] the big news is that of Novak Djokovic signing up Boris Becker. And also the hint that Roger Federer and Stefan Edberg could also have a […]


holdserve Says:

Ha ha, skeezer, you mean winning, don’t you? None of you even know how ITF made its calculations to arrive at itf champion. Yet some of you talked about research etc and pretended to know how the calculation was done. But when I challenged Ben Pronin to provide the link all that Ben and skeezer can come up with are insults to Rafa fans. Pathetic!!!
Vamosbrigade winning as usual!!!


skeezer Says:

If I was a big Rafa fan cheerleader, why would this matter? I’d be worried about winning more Slams than an ITF award. It’s a nice recognition, but winning Slams trumps all those things. Ask the pros.


hawkeye Says:

Ben, applying your fair and objective interpretation of ITF criteria, how did Connors beat out Borg for the award in 1978?

Their ITF results were identical except Borg won an extra major. Neither played DC.


holdserve Says:

Why has Ben Pronin gone silent?
It is good to know tennis is Rafa, Rafa is tennis for Fed fans. Everything is decided based on how it affects Rafa.
I am sure Ben has no answer to hawkeye’s question.


Ben Pronin Says:

I don’t know. I don’t care. I just know that this year Djokovic won more ITF points than Nadal so it makes sense. You guys can cry about it all you want. Maybe it’s because the ITF doesn’t award players who serve silent bans.


Steve 27 Says:

Why you hate against Nadal, Pronin?
Poor souls like you, should be banned.


Brando Says:

Re ITF:

As a Rafa fan I think it’s absolutely pointless getting upset over this. Here’s why:

How many players at the start of the season say they are targeting to win the ITF this season? No one.

How many people on this board even knew of the ITF award not being announced yet for the season? I bet less than handful did. And it would not be a surprise that no one did. Since no one really cares about it.

How many players ultimately care about the ITF? I bet they would say it’s a nice recognition if you get it but they would not care one bit if they got over looked.

And I bet Rafa probably does not care an iota that he did not win it this year. He’ll probably think it’s somewhat bizarre he did not get it considering the fact that he won more titles, slams, MS series events and ended the YE no.1 bettering everyone else on that front. But ultimately he won’t dwell on it since it’s what he set out for in the first place at the start of the year.

Ultimately:

The season is over. It’s in the record books. And when people look over this season and say who had the best year…….. actually scrap that.

When you ask Novak Djokovic who had the best season in 2013 then you can bet your last dollar he’ll say Rafael Nadal. And he won’t say it since he’s a nice guy but he’ll say it since he’s a tough competitor who knows which player pulled off the biggest wins, performances of the season.

As it is though: ITF clearly have their own methodology in deciding who gets such a award. Novak got it based on that.

Congratulations to him for getting it. Let’s move on.


Giles Says:

Pronin. You can’t answer @hawkeye and @holdserve intelligently so you resort to a nasty post instead? Typical!!
I wonder if Boris Becker had something to do with the ITF’s decision.


Brando Says:

@Michael:

Thanks for the compliment. I agree with you though that we do need to wait and see. Furthermore you are right- Novak would have thought a great deal about this and would likely have thought that Becker is the right guy for the job for some pretty good reasons.

Borg:

I am also surprised that no one has approached or ever been coached by him. I think he would have been much, much better for Novak in theory than Becker.

I think the reason could be that Bjorn is not really interested in Coaching as well the fact that he has a successful business to run.

It’s also interesting how the players who most consider as the elite tier in Tennis history- Sampras, Laver, Borg- have never coached anyone as far as I know.


courbon Says:

@ Brando: I like your post-straight and simple.Every Tom, Dick and Harry knows that Nadal was the best player of 2013 and ITF awards are not important as ATP ranking.Good for Novak ( I hope he gets some money for that?Boris is expensive…) but not that important-end of story.


Ben Pronin Says:

For once, I agree with Brando.

Nadal fans making a bunch of hoo-ha for nothing.

Giles, really? You guys don’t know anything about tennis so carrying an intelligent conversation with you is impossible anyway.


Brando Says:

@Courbon:

Thanks C. Likewise to your posting style: I am a fan of it.

ITF clearly have their own way of deciding who gets such a prize and it ended up being Novak. Can’t fault them or Novak for that. Novak had a stellar season: he was consistent in his performance generally, and the ITF formula worked out in his favor because of that. Fair play to him and congratulations also for getting the award.

Re Becker:

I bet he will be expensive. I remember reading last year or maybe earlier that Becker was having some financial issues. He supposedly put his villa in Spain on the market since he was badly in need of the money. I do think he will definitely be a hit on Novak’s pocket.


courbon Says:

@ Brando: Next time I go to Belgrade, I wanted to try that donkey cheese in Novak’s restaurant ( never been there ) but I bet he will put the price up to pay for Boom-Boom boy…damn it!


Brando Says:

@Courbon:

LMFAO- classic! :-)

Stay optimistic though. Maybe Novak played the role of best pal with Rafa in South America to fund the costly playboy lifestyle of Boom Boom.


Giles Says:

Pronin says:
“Mem and Giles. The reason Djokovic won the ITF award is because he won more ITF points than Nadal”
Are you sure that is the reason?
Now let’s take a scenario where Nadal wins 2 Grand Slams = 4000 pts and gets knocked out in the quarters of the other two = 720 pts. Total 4720 pts.
Joker reaches the finals of 4 slams = 4800 pts.
DC points the same for both
Joker leading by 80 pts in this scenario.
So by your logic joker should be ITF world champion! Right??


courbon Says:

@ Brando: You are joking, but I think Novak did play those exo’s exactly for that reason!
I’m off to party tonight so speak to you later-have a nice evening.


James Says:

@Giles, @mem, @hawkeye, The ITF chose Novak Djokovic most probably because he earned more points in the ITF events, the slams and Davis Cup matches. In that case, I congratulate Novak and his fans.

Not something I feel upset about. Rafa got the ATP year end #1 which IMO means more in terms of historical significance.


Giles Says:

@James. Sorry to say you are in the minority when you say “Not something I feel upset about”. Just saying.


James Says:

Just my feeling, @Giles. I was surprised but I didn’t feel too bad about it because everyone knows Nadal had a greater year than Djokovic.

2013 is Nadal’s year, like 2008 and 2010. I hope 2014 too.


James Says:

Re Novak-Becker:

I’d like to see how it develops. If it works, it could help Djokovic win 2 slams in 2014. If not, Djokovic will not retain the Australian Open and may struggle to win a slam this season.


mem Says:

Ben Pronin,

thought you should know that Giles and I are not the only ones who don’t know anything about tennis according to you of course. there are some people who echo our thoughts on the subject; people who are much more qualified than you.

for more details, read the article below;

MADRID, December 18 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The president of the Royal Spanish Tennis Federation (RFET), José Luis Escañuela said not understand the grant by the International Federation (ITF) award a ‘World Champion 2013’ Serbian Novak Djokovic at the expense of Rafael Nadal, whose season “deserves all the recognition.”

“We do not understand the award for best player of the year which granted the ITF, we believe that the season by Nadal deserves all the recognition,” said José Luis Escañuela told Europa Press.

In addition, the president stressed that “it is no coincidence” that the Spaniard “is the world No. 1.” “He has won Roland Garros and the U.S. Open and, above all, has demonstrated a unique capacity improvement, proving once again that is a great example for everyone,” he said.

Similarly Albert Costa, athletic director RFET expressed. “We respect Djokovic, but Rafa has shown this season is the best player in the world, the results are there, both Grand Slam and Masters in 1000, a decision is not well understood,” said ilerdense.


holdserve Says:

Ben Pronin, you pretended you knew what the criteria were but now you admit you only know that Djokovic had more points in ITF events (which everybody knows). What we do not know is how ITF made Djokovic the Champion. Clearly it is not based only on ITF events as it would fail to account for Connors being ITF champ when Borg had more points in ITF events.

You accuse Rafa fans of ignorance,accuse journos of not having done research etc without feeling it necessary to produce facts or logic to support your accusations. To borrow skeezer’s phrase, your credibility is jack Diddly, zero.


holdserve Says:

Brando, ITF declaring Djokovic the champion doesn’t bother me because everybody knows who is the champion. What I objected to ( and this led me to join the discussions here) is Ben Pronin claiming the criteria were fair and objective without even knowing what the criteria were.
When somebody goes around insulting knowledgeable tennis fans/journos, accusing them of being ignorant of tennis/ not doing proper research merely because they are supporting Rafa or saying something favorable to Rafa, it is time to show up the hollowness of that poster’s claims.


mat4 Says:

Here is the wiki entry about the ITF world champions.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITF_World_Champions#Rules_and_procedures

On the other side, the eminent “Tennis magazine” confirms Ben’s assertion.

“Car aujourd’hui, la décision ne se base plus sur l’estimation subjective d’un jury, comme c’était le cas à l’époque. Mais sur un calcul comptable qui fait la part belle aux épreuves ITF, c’est-à-dire les Grands Chelems et la Coupe Davis. Or, si Nadal a remporté deux titres majeurs en 2013, il a fait forfait en Australie et s’est incliné au 1er tour à Wimbledon. Pendant que son rival, lui, atteignait le dernier carré (ou mieux) de tous les Grands Chelems ainsi que la finale de la coupe Davis.”

http://www.tennismagazine.fr/djokovic-et-serena-champions-du-monde-itf-_r_52_a_2234.html

So, it seems that Ben was right.


holdserve Says:

mat4, 100 people repeating Ben is right won’t make him right. What are the criteria? You have posted something in French. Does it spell out the criteria? If so, pl translate so we can all see what the criteria are. Otherwise do not bother.
ITF need to be transparent and spell out the criteria/calculations on their site as ATP have done on their site for ATP ranking/champion.

If they are confining themselves to ITF events, it makes sense but doesn’t make the criteria fair and just as Djokovic gets more ITF points in 2013 although he is clearly the runner up or worse in most of them and it is ridiculous to make him champion.
But if they are confining themselves to ITF events and you mat4 claim Ben is right, pl answer hawkeye’s question of how Connors was ITF champion although Borg had more ITF points.
I am indeed eager to hear from you as you have declared Ben is right.


skeezer Says:

Here is the reason the ITF World. Champion award went to Novak, from the ITF website;

“Novak Djokovic narrowly edged out Rafael Nadal to become Men’s World Champion thanks to his consistency at the Grand Slam tournaments and year-end performances in 2013.”

Read it.

So what is all the constant WaWa about from the vamosheads? Vamosheads ,,write your protest to the ITF. I’ll give you heads up though, they are not changing it. As far as Royal Spanish Tennis Federation posted link goes, anyone else of authority besides his country? I don’t see the Serbian Sports Federation complainng about the award. And Nole has accepted it.
Interesting note; the is Nole’s 3rd consecutive award. In Rafa’s entire career, he has only 2. Fed has 5, and Sampras bagged 6. Sounds about right imo.


mat4 Says:

@holdserve:

Please, read both articles, even with the help of Google translate. Both your questions are answered clearly.

You will notice that the choice was initially made by an expert panel, while it is based, today, on points won in mainly in slams.

I will try to find the precise system for the ranking.


mem Says:

amen holdserve!

you should know by now that ben pronin is an empty wagon that makes a lot of noice! that’s pretty much it!


holdserve Says:

Still it does not make the criteria fair and just. Why should only year end performances count?

Also what is the need for a separate ITF champion when ITF events are already included in ATP ranking?
As I said earlier, a separate champion would make sense if they counted only the ITF points. While the Champion maybe actually the most consistent runner up, we cannot accuse ITF of arbitrariness and we could dismiss it as just a Wozniacki type anomaly.
But clearly ITF are not confining themselves to ITF events, otherwise Borg , not Connors, would have been champion.
In any case as the ITF criteria and calculations are not transparent, how does Ben know they are fair and just?
As the result thrown up is absurd, most consistent runner up in ITF events being champion, ITF need to reveal the criteria unambiguously and explain the rationale for having a separate ITF champion.
If they are adding some ATP events, then ITF cannot justify having a separate champion.


skeezer Says:

@mat4
Amen! You should know by now the vamosheads are always trying to take down one of the best posters(Ben) here ever. Just beacuse they post so much about “criteria” doesn’t mean they know what they are talking about. The knowledge is there, as you so astutely shared, they just want someone else to come up with a answer they like.
Btw, congrats are your picks!


skeezer Says:

holdserve,
Its not that complicated of a system. Did you read mat4’s wiki link?

Ok, so now your complaining that the criteria is not fair and just. Funny how the target keeps movng.
Like said, write a letter, Ben is not going to help you, so no sense to keep digging on him.

Why haven’t all the past and present greats complained about the ITF world champ all these years? If it is wrong this year, then must have been wrong all the other years Rafa didn’t win, no?


holdserve Says:

Dear skeezer, no matter what you say, since ITF criteria are not known, Ben cannot say they are fair. He admits he thought they were only ITF points . That is not true so he is exposed as having called the criteria fair without knowing what they are.
Frankly I have never bothered to look up ITF champions in the past. No time for silly awards where the criteria are not transparent.
Stop with your insults. You and Ben think you can cover your lapses by insulting Rafa fans.
Ben has been exposed and I can now attend to other matters.
I am not interested in responding to insulting posts. Talk about tennis, I respect that.
At least skeezer is sometimes amusing and he does seem to know tennis.
But Ben? Most knowledgeable?


skeezer Says:

“Frankly I have never bothered to look up ITF champions in the past. No time for silly awards where the criteria are not transparent.”

And……there ya go.


Michael Says:

Brando,

I had seen reports that Borg failed to rise up as an thriving entrepreneur. He infact attempted suicide many times after many of his business ventures collapsed and he was on the verge of bankruptcy. He was also convalescing in a Hospital after consumping poison when it was Mcenroe who stood by him through thick and thin & motivated him to value life. Borg did try his luck as a commentator, but thereto he could not shine like John. May be he is not versatile as Mcenroe or Connors. I am not sure about his coaching interest. But he has neither offered to be one nor approached by anyone.


holdserve Says:

Anyone value an award where the criteria are not known? Only Fedfans, if it favors Fed or disfavors Rafa like the ITF champion 2013 or the bogus award called Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award where ATP arbitrarily nominates 3 players and Fed is always one of them and players have to choose among the 3!!!Sponsored by Moet and Chandon, Fed’s sponsors!!! The criteria hidden in obscurity are no doubt fair and just as per Fed fans.

That’s Fedfan logic.


Giles Says:

ITF have stuffed up big time and I hope they continue to receive bad press.


Tennis X Hippy Chic Says:

When push comes to shove Novak won the award and Rafa didnt,moaning about it changes nothing whatever ones feelings about it,i must admit i thought it was abit of a farce at 1st but it is what it is,i look at it this way Rafa had the best year winning two GS and thats the most important thing of all not some award,i doubt Rafa even cares about it,and im sure if Novak were honest he would rather have the extra GS that Rafa has.


Giles Says:

http://www.tennisnow.com/News/2013-in-Review-Rafael-Nadal.aspx
Great piece of writing.
And after all this ITF have the temerity to award Podovic!!
Unbelievable!!
Vamos Rafa!


Giles Says:

That’s the irony of this whole ITF bs “Rafa had the best year…..” and Podovic receives the award!!!


holdserve Says:

Hippy chic, I couldn’t care less about the ITF award. No one’s moaning about it. I hadn’t even bothered about it ever and only joined the discussions to point out how Fed logic made Ben claim the criteria were fair although he did not know what the criteria were.


Tennis X Hippy Chic Says:

Holdserve yeah fair enough,even Courbon as a Novak fan couldnt care less about it.


holdserve Says:

Every great Rafa year is followed by a down year marked by injury or illness so I am a little apprehensive.
Will Rafa be able to keep his knees in competitive shape for AO 2014? If yes, my money’s on Rafa.


Tennis X Hippy Chic Says:

Holdserve Giles link has Rafa down as favorite for the AO,which Rafa has said thats his goal to match Laver for a second career GS,only difference been Laver did it all in calendar years,Rafa traditionally doesnt back up one great year with another but next year hopefully will be different,as long as he stays fit,healthy and competitive,is all im hping for at the moment.


skeezer Says:

http://www.ictennis.net/JeanBorotraCQSSportsmanshipAward/2013JeanBorotraAward.aspx

Can all be wrong with there criteria? How can so many awards not be given to one guy? It’s a conspiarcy!


Giles Says:

^^^ You really are a joke aren’t you? So, you get busy googling awards and come up with this? Have never heard of it. In any case according to the article this award was handed out on the eve of Wimbledon and you only come up with it now? What took you so long???
#Joker


skeezer Says:

Giles,
Great point! And the main reasom I posted it. Anyone can google, but do you really know the Game?


mat4 Says:

Hi, skeez.

Yes, indeed, you just can’t argue, or make a point. I knew it beforehand, but I gave the links just for the record.

BTW, if we take in account the ITF rankings, I have 4 good picks in the top ten (nobody mentioned the ATP…): 1. Djokovic, 2. Nadal… :-)


holdserve Says:

To argue you need logic.
I am glad at least one Fedfan is self aware and says he cannot argue or make a point.


holdserve Says:

What next? The skeezer/mat4/Ben award for good sportsmanship awarded to Federer? Never heard of them, who cares. Roger must be having a bunch of these useless awards.
But when history looks back, it aint gonna count these rigged awards but the inconvenient h2h which Roger has against another multiple slam winner. Even if Rafa doesn’t win any more slams, chances are he will be considered the greatest. Must not forget 12 of Fed’s slams were won in a weak era when he had no rival. So they are equal to 6. Add 5 won in strong era and Roger’s tally is 11.
None of the bogus awards are going to help Fed when it comes to history.


Roger That Says:

With Novak being my favourite player I know he is the most deserving player of the ITF Champion in the World!

This is most obvious from all of his adoring fans such as Ben, Skeezer and myself.

If Roger cannot do well next year, Novak will take care of things.


holdserve Says:

Incidentally clay has been in a strong era since 2006 when mostly it has been no. 1 and no. 2 in the final. This is not surprising as most of the Europeans train on clay and they are very strong on it. As Fed said, he has no problem with clay, only with Nadal who is undoubtedly the greatest of all time on clay. Earlier it was a tussle between Rafa and Fed both of whom beat the field. Now it is between Rafa and Djokovic who are above the field. But Rafa is the true GOAT.


holdserve Says:

The Fedfans support of Djokovic is pathetic.


Giles Says:

There is in particular one fedfan’s support of joker that is really and truly pathetic – his name is skeezer. A true bandwagonner!


mat4 Says:

@holdserve:

OK, to be clear:

In the Wiki article, you can find how Connors was elected champion of the world in 1978, or Lendl in 1990, when Edberg was clearly the better player. There was a panel of players who chose the world champion.

In the Tennis magazine article, which can be found under the link given above, it is clearly stated that today, there is an objective ranking based on points won mainly in ITF tournaments.

I also stated that I didn’t find that ranking, but I presume that somebody who knows how to use Google could find it.

Finally: was it so difficult to read? instead of writing nonsense here? And what’s your problem with Ben? Because he writes something you don’t like?

And yes, there certainly will be a mat4/skeezer/Ben award: for the vamoshead who writes the most stupid post in 2014. The competition will be stiff.


mem Says:

Giles, holdserve,

at least you can understand why the fed fanatics are all of sudden in love with novak. tx fans are not the only ones; there are others, including some journalists, commentators,sportwriters, etc. depending on novak to protect roger from rafa. that’s the sole reason why they are patting novak on the back at every turn and singing his praises day & night. not surprising, they are desperate! this is what it has come down to. it’s a sad reality!


Giles Says:

@mem. I am well aware of that sad sad fact. Looks like they have put all their eggs in the Joker’s basket. Pathetic bunch really!!
Vamos Rafa!


Boris Becker: I Was Surprised Djokovic Called Me Says:

[…] Speaking to BBC Sport yesterday, Becker revealed how the coaching partnership came to be. […]


skeezer Says:

Hey guess what vamosheads, there is no rules on who can cheer for who. I have always stated when Fed goes I’d be cheering for Nole. I like his style of game, his strokes are technically superior and his athletic ability and flexibilty is bar none. I am not going to stop watching Tennis because its Rafa or nothing. That is called a vamoshead. Pathetic.


Tennis X Hippy Chic Says:

Just to say Murray is my second favorite after Rafa,and thats not to protect Rafas records from Nole,as vamosheads were accused of exactly the same thing during wimbledon earlier this year.


mat4 Says:

@Alison:

You’re not a vamoshead. You’re a Rafa fan. There is quite a difference…


mat4 Says:

And the same way, there are ajdehead, or allezhead whatsoever.


skeezer Says:

@mat4, thanks for clarifying. Not all Rafa fans are vamosheads, for sure!


Tennis X Hippy Chic Says:

Mat4 thanks i try not to be, but im afraid the joy is actually going out of posting,im not saying everybody has to like him or everything about him hell he does things that even i get annoyed about,but some of the negativity he has to stomach is a bit unfair sometimes,he didnt actually get much credit either for the great year he had it was called overated instead,TBH when Rafas more successful im the opposite to some fans in that i blog less for fear of coming across as too rabid when it comes to his GS wins,one less Rafa fan on this forum who would care anyway?


mat4 Says:

@Alison:

1. I do believe that there isn’t that much negativity toward Rafa. He’s an exceptional champion indeed. So I am always ready to discuss Rafa’s game (and results) with you, and I can assure you that it can only be a pleasant chat.

2. For my part–I can’t speak for others– I feel very often provoked by a few posters and their comments. It really has nothing to do with Rafa.

3. And, yes, there will be posters who notice. I will be one of them, and you would be missed.


Tennis X Hippy Chic Says:

Thanks Mat4 i will take your comments on board,your very sweet ;-))..


mat4 Says:

^^^

No, I just feel so old today.


Giles Says:

Dec. 21st 2 15 pm post
“I have always stated when fed goes I’d be cheering for Nole”.
Really laughable! Fed is still here, he hasn’t gone yet, but this poster has pre-emptied his cheering for Nole. Are you for real? Do you in fact know what you are saying half the time? No, you are too busy name calling.
Vamos Rafa!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Giles Says:

*pre-empted*


Bad Knee Rules Says:

And they claim Nadal and his team don’t care less about ITF award:
———-
Two days ago Benito Perez Barbadillo, who represents Rafa , did something totally unprofessional: he went on a Twitter rant. Not on his personal account (which would have been bad enough) but on the official Twitter account for his PR company. It was ridiculous, him claiming that Rafa had been robbed, that the ITF was a joke, retweeting all sort of tweets from crazy Rafa fans, it was pathetic.

And they claim that Roger and his fans are sore losers..I never saw Roger’s PR officially go on a rant like the most deluded fan.
———-

So much for not caring.


Giles Says:

^^^ And why on earth do you care spying into Benito’s twitter account??


Giles Says:

^^^ And yes, just for the record, Rafa was robbed!!


mem Says:

Thanks to Benito,

that someone in nadal’s camp spoke out for what is clearly a robbery as is described.

say what you want about benito, nadal & his camp, but they are not asking for a handout; they are asking for what has been rightfully earned. rafa worked like a dog to produce his 2013 results; the results are there for everyone to see and to be robbed of what is due him is simply unjustifiable. i applaud benito for his courage to let everyone know. who cares how you guys feel about it! right is right under any circumstances.


Giles Says:

@mem. The big question is does joker honestly believe he deserves this award. He has several times said that Rafa has been the best player this year.
#DaylightRobbery


mem Says:

Giles,

i’ll put it this way,considering novak’s thirst for attention and acceptance, it wouldn’t surprise me if he believes that he actually had the better year. it wouldn’t surprise me one bit.


Okiegal Says:

Ben always feels the need to bring up the “S” word whenever there is a discussion regarding Rafa.


holdserve Says:

It is an open secret that Fed fans have jumped on the Nole bandwagon after he showed he could beat Rafa. He is their champion fighting to preserve Fed’s claim to goathood. Initially they had plumped for Del Potro who was also Fed’s choice as his successor. Fed doesn’t like Djokovic so he has not openly come out with statements like he did for Del Potro. But his fans have no such inhibitions. It really is pathetic, supporting Nole not because they like him but because they are anti Rafa. Tomorrow if Murray starts beating Rafa, they will become Murray fans.
Like Hippy chic, I want to make it clear that I am a Murray fan too. Rafa and Murray are my joint faves. Both are humble and come across as wonderful human beings.
Roger and Nole are both arrogant and their self praise ( Federer) or over the top victory celebrations (Nole) really are jarring to say the least.


holdserve Says:

Well ITF has become a laughing stock by designating the runner up of the year as their champion.
The only reason so many people have commented on this is because it is so outrageous. If ITF had declared Rafa as their champion, most people wouldn’t even have noticed the award. By declaring the second best player as their champion, ITF’s award has become controversial and generated attention. Maybe ITF wanted attention. Even negative attention.
Alternatively they did this to appease Djokovic as he had gone public with some anti ITF rants after his good pal Troicki was punished for evading a random doping test.
He had practically threatened to go public about their unprofessional doings. Maybe like not testing Fed or rigging draws? Who knows?


skeezer Says:

Now holdserve thainks Fedfans have a secret, and she knows it.
Fans, it doesn’t get any funnier than that in vamosheads land!

Can’t believe i am still reading the constant BS whining by vamosheads. Yes that twitter finding is not surprising. Anyone else that has complained/whined that is not Spanish? Just askin…

Movin on…


Giles Says:

^^^ Yep, please move on as you have no useful contribution to this topic.
Deserting fed while he is still active and becoming joker cheer leader says it all. Very classy – NOT!!
Vamos Rafa!!


skeezer Says:

Giles,
Quit cheering yourself on, you’ve been asked not to use mutiple sock puppets before.
We thank you.


Giles Says:

^^^ Just quit trolling! Nothing better to post? Thought not!

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