Watch Dmitry Tursunov Complain About Rafael Nadal’s Butt-Picking And Time Wasting [Video]

Not that he’s wrong, but what the what? Talk about a lack of focus. I checked and he actually went on to win this set 6-1. Rather surprising since his head was in the completely wrong place. Nadal’s not his opponent, not in the tournament, not even in the country. He’s not even playing this week!

February 12th, 2014 at 9:25 am

Tursunov does have a point in that Rafa does push the envelope and gets away with it,but agree with Ben this was niether the time or the place.

February 12th, 2014 at 10:53 am

He is probably one of the anti- Rafa brigade
Poor Rafa always being targeted whether he is playing, recovering, holidaying or just keeping himself to himself! These guys should get a life!

February 12th, 2014 at 11:01 am

Poor Rafa…sniff sniff…lol.
Well its obvious the players on tour aren’t happy with Rafa getting away with not being penalized, when they get penailzed for a small fraction of it.
Also found it interesting he must be reading this blog, hehe…

February 12th, 2014 at 11:20 am

There should be more consistency with the umpires Rafa doing it doesnt make it right for Tursunov to do the same,and vice versa.

February 12th, 2014 at 11:27 am

Seems silly to complain about the umps not giving Rafa a time violation warning/penalty when you’re not playing against Rafa.

February 12th, 2014 at 12:45 pm

“Seems silly to complain about the umps not giving Rafa a time violation warning/penalty when you’re not playing against Rafa.”

How so? Players wanting rules to be applied consistently for all doesn’t seem that silly.

February 12th, 2014 at 1:10 pm

^^^ But Rafa was not playing!!! Hence the silly comment from DT!!

February 12th, 2014 at 1:22 pm

My late mother used to say its 6 of 1 and half a dozen of the other.

February 12th, 2014 at 1:36 pm

“Rafa will pick his ass for 30 seconds and you guys will just watch, not going to say a word.”

Ehh DT, could be the Umpires are mesmerised by Rafa’s……COOL? Hehehe!

My boy has it in spades, and so do his fans! You tell ’em Doug, your taste in cool is……cool. I approve.

http://www.oregonlive.com/the-spin-of-the-ball/index.ssf/2014/02/rafael_nadal_or_bjorn_borg_ran.html

p.s. Mr. Perry is a card-carrying Fedfan. Specifically, the civilised wing which “gets” Nina Simone…….and Rafa.

February 12th, 2014 at 1:46 pm

Jack Lewis, I get your point about wanting the rules to be applied consistently, but really how long Rafa takes in other matches is irrelevant to the current match and Tursunov’s time violation. If Rafa is the opponent, then it’s a fair statement.

February 12th, 2014 at 2:08 pm

Poor Tursunov……You see Nadal is No.1 and he gets the underpants out of his crack with style and then has great talent and draws the crowds.

February 12th, 2014 at 2:12 pm

Hey @ nadalista. Where the hell have you been? Have missed you. Hope you’re here to stay! Welcome back. :))

February 12th, 2014 at 2:30 pm

Umpires would not touch the big boys because tennis umpires are sissies.

February 12th, 2014 at 2:33 pm

Lytton Myles. Your moniker is a bit of a mouthful . As for your mouthy comment, take it elsewhere. Posters may make rude and unpallitable comments at times but I don’t believe their comments extend to crudeness. So zip it!

February 12th, 2014 at 2:37 pm

Tursunov was not railing or is he against Rafa. Rafa can pick his butt as long as he wants and will continue to do so because the siissy umpires loveto watch him playing with his behind. Tennis should hire umpires who are not butt lovers.

February 12th, 2014 at 2:38 pm

PS. Am surprised your comment was not moderated

February 12th, 2014 at 2:39 pm

Back at ya,@Giles! My comment was moderated and then un-moderated tout de suite! Who knows, maybe tennis-x blog are desperate for traffic……..

February 12th, 2014 at 2:51 pm

A few points on this:

1) Tursunov has a very good point, that might have been better a year ago, because lately, the umpires have been relatively more strict with him. But in the abstract, he goes over more than the average player, and is rarely penalized.

2) The umpire should not engage – the minute he tried to “prove” himself by claiming he’s given Rafa violations, he started a dialogue that resulted in this blog post and comments. He should have just left it at telling him to hurry up.

3) Tursunov should be thanking the umpire, because he didn’t actually take a point or even announce a code violation. He’s doing exactly what Gasquet railed about last year in Miami, which is a professional courtesy tell him before he gets a code violation. By the rules, he can just cite a code violation and warn him that way, but does him a favor (not his job) and warns him, and for that he is verbally assailed. Poor decision, in my opinion.

4) I don’t know why you’re surprised that he was able to win the set 6-1, I’ve always said the mental game is overrated! ;-)

5) By the way, the 20 seconds is an ITF rule, not just grand slams, so it applies to Davis Cup as well. That’s neither here nor there, just a clarification.

February 12th, 2014 at 2:58 pm

As it stated at the top of this thread,Rafas had warnings and had a point penalty against against Nishikori,so its not as if hes still getting away with it.

February 12th, 2014 at 3:20 pm

BTW – I just watched the highlights, and this is really the kind of match that Dimitrov used to always lose. I don’t think he’s there yet, but consistently grinding out these kinds of wins would be a good indication that he’s on the right track.

I would still like to see some improvements in the backhand and his court positioning, but the guy has great racquet work and great hands, and his first serve has become a real weapon.

February 12th, 2014 at 3:39 pm

Rafa makes the byline again!! Imagine that?? The umps should call his hand on it from the get go. I agree with Chic, but DT bringing it up in a match where Rafa isn’t even in the picture. Where was his head, up Rafa’s butt…..so it seems. I thought it rather odd that he mentioned it to the official and the official talked to him about it as another poster also pointed out.

I am a die hard Rafa fan…..but he does scare me when he is flirting with ticking seconds. I think the time limit should be the same in every event. To me the slams should definitely have 25 secs since the match could go 5 sets. But whatever, make it the same.

@Chic……..My late Mother used that same expression! I chuckled to myself when I read that….the kindred thingy again…..I commented on that in the other thread.

We can hope that Rafa will speed it up, if he loses a point at an important time during the match, well shame on him. I still don’t think he does it on purpose, I think he stays so focused, the time gets away from him……and I’m sure no one but Rafa fans would ever agree with that statement, but that’s my opinion and I’m entitled to have one.

Get a grip, Cm

February 12th, 2014 at 5:29 pm

^^^^^

Oops……wasn’t finished…….what I meant to say…..DIMITRY……get a grip!!

February 12th, 2014 at 5:45 pm

Funny how vamosheads get moderated the most. Wonder why?
—
Polo,
Lol.
—
MMT,
As usual, good contribution, and insight.

February 12th, 2014 at 5:53 pm

Giles,
U have no business tryin to chase posters away for your own personal desires. Your own mouthiness speaks for itself.
#mouthyking

February 12th, 2014 at 6:06 pm

The reason Rafa fans get moderated (every post I make on TX is moderated)……is because TX is a pro Federer site, I suppose. I think, as a Rafa fan, I try to be fair minded regarding all players…..but I’m always……”comment awaiting moderation”. Maybe I’m bending the rules without knowing it. I would like to know.

@Skeezer……….Thanks for bringing it up, maybe I will get some insight from someone on this matter.

February 12th, 2014 at 6:45 pm

Tursunov, like Federer, is a baby crier.
Llorón!

February 12th, 2014 at 7:00 pm

Okiegal,
You are not the type that gets moderated. Don’t worry….be happy…enjoy Rafa and the game of Tennis ;). Blog on.

February 12th, 2014 at 8:12 pm

@Skeezer

Thanks, Skeez, I’ll take that as a compliment! I’m serious about the moderation thing. Sometimes my comments won’t show up for hrs. I thought maybe I was breaking a rule, like a VAMOS RAFA at the end of a comment that was not a Rafa thread to begin with. I don’t want to break the rules and I don’t like for Rafa to either. LOL. Makes me nervous!!

February 12th, 2014 at 9:55 pm

Okiegal/Skeezer likewise im a die hard Rafa fan,i do like to think im pretty reasonable,and i never put down the achievements of other players to make me feel better about Rafas,the only thing i do is defend him when people knock his,and i dont seek to condone everything he does either,i would like for him to speed things up as i wouldnt want him to lose an important point at a crucial situation id be gutted,ive never had a problem with posters having an opinion either its just when it gets personal calling each other names,also when people bring up race, sexuality,disability,mental illness etc,things like that are crossing the line,should be moderated as they have no place on an internet forum,also the language gets rather crude at times.

February 13th, 2014 at 2:02 am

Okiegal thanks as i did read your post on the other thread nice..

February 13th, 2014 at 2:15 am

@Chic

A BIG DITTO!!

February 13th, 2014 at 3:49 am

@skeezer. If only I had the power you would be the first one on my list!!

February 13th, 2014 at 4:15 am

Disgusting behaviour.
So because Rafa is slow (we know it, Rafa himself knows it) Tursunov thinks he shouldn’t get a warning. What logic is that?
Believe me, I wish he would be faster for his own sake. But I think most players happily agreed to this rule because they thought it would only concern Rafa, and maybe Djokovic. They never thought for one minute they could get a warning as well. So they have to live with it now. Umpires are never consistent with any rule. So does it really surprise anyone that umpires decide very differently? Let’s be honest. The rules will never be applied in the same way to all players. Not possible.
He should be glad Rafa was indeed not on court with him. An angry Rafa plays a lot better, I’ve seen it before.

February 13th, 2014 at 9:56 am

Slow? A time limit rule has been in effect long before Nadull came on the scene. It is unneccessary, boring, rude to the fans, the opponets, the umpires and in the end a mockery of the game. He knows better. Can he ever prove he can win a tournament without doing it., or does he have yo have 38 seconds everytime he serves to win a point?

February 13th, 2014 at 12:07 pm

Whiners’ brigade = fed cult + old Faderer!!!

February 13th, 2014 at 12:25 pm

^what does that have to do with anything?
Comment is just name calling?
#weak
#ROFL

February 13th, 2014 at 12:37 pm

^^^^^ Still ROFL? Do you ever come up for air??

February 13th, 2014 at 1:14 pm

Like I said, getting back to the subject, rather than name call and make up sh!t, Rafa’s 38 seconds is way beyond the 20 seconds allowed, and he knows it. Can he win a match playing the entire time within the 20 sec? Apparently not.

February 13th, 2014 at 1:57 pm

Rafa can do anything! Believe it! He even beat the old Faderer 23 times!

February 13th, 2014 at 3:11 pm

Yes Giles, he has abused the time violation rule at least 26 times.

February 13th, 2014 at 6:17 pm

He will sweep the clay season again this 2014.
He will break his own record of 4 consecutive Roland Garros and will match the 14 majors of Sampras this time.
Vam1s!

February 13th, 2014 at 6:27 pm

Okiegal – the ITF time limit is shorter because the matches have more sets and points, and would REALLY drag on. And Alexandra – there are ways to apply the rules equally – one shouldn’t give up on an essential competitive principle so easily! After all, what’s fair for one, ought to be fair for all, right?

February 13th, 2014 at 6:31 pm

@MMT
Link to your Blog please?

February 13th, 2014 at 10:00 pm

don’t blame the rafa, blame the rule.

February 13th, 2014 at 10:00 pm

“He will break his own record of 4 consecutive Roland Garros and will match the 14 majors of Sampras this time”
With what…9 of them from the same Slam? ok….that’s right…a Slam is a Slam. Sorry Pete, your 7 Wimbys, 5 USO’s and 2 AO’s is pale in comparisons to 9 Slams won at the same Slam every year.

February 13th, 2014 at 10:10 pm

@MMT

Yes, I see that point too. I was thinking they would need more recovery time since slams can go to 5 sets. I don’t have a clue what a ticket might cost……but personally, I would not object to watching a good tight 5 setter dragging on……would feel like I got money’s worth! Heck, I watched the Isner-Mahut for 3 days! If I had the same chance to watch Rafa 3 days straight…….BOOM BABY…..no complaints here!! LOL. I love tennis….the longer the match, the better……just saying. I will say again, I know as Rafa fan, he needs to speed it up. The ball is in the umpires court to take care of the matter. I did think it a little odd that Dimitry mentioned Rafa since he wasn’t even playing.

Thanks for the response!

Watching the OLYMPICS in Oklahoma…..GO USA!!!

February 13th, 2014 at 10:13 pm

^^^^^ I still think the time should be the same, whether it be 20 secs or 25 secs.

February 13th, 2014 at 10:16 pm

@skeezer@10:00pm

Just press his moniker and you are there.

February 13th, 2014 at 10:33 pm

@skeezer@10:00pm

Just press his moniker (MMT) and you are there.

February 13th, 2014 at 10:38 pm

DT lashing out at an absent Champ to distract from his own shortcomings. Shame on you DT!!
The man is 31 years old. What sort of a career has he had? None to speak of!

February 14th, 2014 at 4:05 am

http://alturl.com/hk5tu
Preach it JMac preach it!

February 14th, 2014 at 5:18 am

Im not belittling Petes achievements,but why do some people do that to Rafas?he has 5 GS off clay,usually 5 GS is considered good enough for anyone,Nole has 6 GS none are on clay and thats fantastic by anyones standards,yet you dont hear anyone say that thats not good enough,but because 8 of Rafas GS are on clay his record seems somehow inferior,just seems a bit unfair,but hell whatever(sigh)..

February 14th, 2014 at 5:29 am

I just ignore skeezer and his biased theories!
#WhateverSuitsHimBest

February 14th, 2014 at 5:55 am

You dont actually hear people knocking Pete because he didnt win the FO,yet Rafa gets knocked even though hes completed the career GS hmmmm.

February 14th, 2014 at 6:25 am

Dimitry was raising a perfectly good point: why should the bigger players get away with breaking the rules while the umpires sanction the lesser ranked ones? It’s completely unfair!

It’s not like only Nadal plays brutal rallies or works the hardest in the game or something. Why give him the liberty of recovery time yet deny it for other players just because they’re not the top guys? Either have that rule and enforce it consistently or remove/change it!

February 14th, 2014 at 6:38 am

The point is why did DT have to involve Rafa when he is not even playing in Rotterdam!

February 14th, 2014 at 9:25 am

I admire the fortitude and tolerance opponents of Nadal have demonstrated when subjected to his on-court behaviour. Some have come to the limit of their patience and dared to comment, only to be rebuffed by timid umpires. Therefore, it’s interesting that three players, in quick succession, have risen to the challenge. ‘Oh conspiracy’ we shout. Will it make any difference….? Who knows. There were surprising amounts of negativity towards Nadal regarding the AO debacle but as long as he and his Uncle keep receiving a free pass from the media, Essex girls (surely his biggest fan base) continue to be creative with their excuses, journalists and ex-players are paid to change their minds and lay people are fooled by the carefully constructed ‘brave, warrior’ image there’s no hope.
Regarding Tennisx being a Fedfan site…nonsense! It’s a tennis site which has been commandeered by rude people who only welcome those of their persuasion and attempt to bully those who support other players by criticising user names, deconstructing player names and telling people to ‘get lost’, zip it’ etc etc. Doesn’t sound too serious does it? Well that only the tip of the iceberg and I give credit to those who faithfully return to put their point of view.
Finally, I’ve always regarded Douglas Perry, a fine and fair writer, as the northern hemisphere equivalent of Jesse Pentecost but he’s made a big blunder with the multi
-definition word ‘cool’. His inspiration taken from the NPG may be laudable but if it heralds the beginning of a more populist slant to his articles I won’t be reading him any more. But then, as the saying goes, he won’t be reading mine either……….!

February 14th, 2014 at 10:55 am

^^^ Douglas Perry will surely miss you from his reading list!
Oh well, you can’t win ’em all

February 14th, 2014 at 12:28 pm

“The point is why did DT have to involve Rafa when he is not even playing in Rotterdam!”

Did you actually READ Nats’ post? Apparently not.

February 14th, 2014 at 1:46 pm

BKR,
Thanks!

February 14th, 2014 at 1:46 pm

Rafa has been penalised several times.
#Fact

February 14th, 2014 at 2:20 pm

^Can you please post how many actual times he has been penalized? Now warnings, he’s received a plenty. Points taken away or games? How many?

February 14th, 2014 at 2:30 pm

^^^ If you want detailed information you will have to find sources other than myself. Do you think I am interested in keeping a record of how many times Rafa was penalised and the details thereof? Go and do your own dirty work! Google is your friend!!

February 14th, 2014 at 2:39 pm

———-
Federer wanted to know as much, calling on weak offials to clamp down on the Spaniard’s serial gamesmanship.

He later said Nadal had been given just two time violations in the 33 times they’d met, covering 80 hours or more of tennis. Two measly violations.
———-

February 14th, 2014 at 4:00 pm

“Rafa has been penalised several times.
#Fact”
No he has not. Prove it.
#fact

February 14th, 2014 at 4:07 pm

^^^ I DO NOT HAVE TO PROVE ANYTHING TO YOU!!!
WHY DON’T YOU DISPROVE IT IF YOU CAN!!
23-10

February 14th, 2014 at 4:12 pm

So, Faderer is behind this conspiracy. As if I didn’t know that already.
# TryHarderFed
#Try&BeatRafa
#TryNotToBeAWhiner
#OldFaderer

February 14th, 2014 at 4:17 pm

Giles,
Dudette, YOU claimed it, therefore proving it is on you. Otherwise, your posting stuff that is not true. Fact.

“Rafa has been penalised several times.
#Fact”
No,
#Factless

February 14th, 2014 at 5:25 pm

Tursunov wasn’t cool.
The rules need to be enforced so everyone will be pleased.

February 14th, 2014 at 8:18 pm

Time Violation warnings 2013

Rafa-30 Lots of long points
Isner-14 The big guy needs recovery time
DelPo-11 Another big guy
Fognini-11 A show out, likes to play the crowd
Novak-ball bouncer, has cut it down some
Berdy-9
Gulbis-9 Likes to play crowd, he thinks he’s cute
Gasquet-8
Murray-6
Anderson-6
Roger-0 Guess he has a reason to complain.
I don’t know how many or if any points were lost in these time violations.

My guy does have more than anyone…..no surprises there. This might help the argument that is going on a little.

February 14th, 2014 at 10:49 pm

Okiegal,
Thanks for doing research someone else didn’t have the courage to do.
However, you mentioned “Warnings”, whilst the “claim” was “penalized”. Penalized as with consequences, of which, I asked, how many times? The answer is close to “0”.

February 15th, 2014 at 1:07 am

^^^ Don’t ask, do some research like @Okiegal has done. You have to learn to work harder! Google is your friend!!

February 15th, 2014 at 3:24 am

Purcell you can put me down as a fan of Rafa,and to be honest im not as clever or knowledgeable about the game as many people on this forum im actually pretty basic on that front, many here also play the game which i wouldnt have the time or energy for,you can also put me down as one of those fans that doesnt think Rafas perfect either far from it,although i do like to think of myself as a fan of tennis as a whole rather than been solely about one particular player,Murray is my second favorite and i love to watch Nishikori,i used to love watching Agassi and Rafter before they retired,i just think its sad that you put us all up on some pedestal that if your a female Rafa fan you must be some airhead fanatic thats just interested in what a player looks like,hell im not even from Essex im from Yorkshire for what its worth.

February 15th, 2014 at 5:32 am

I think Ben summed it all up perfectly hook,line and sinker at the top of the thread,Tursunov has a point etc,but what was he thinking he had just won that 2nd set handily,he was in the driving seat,he had all the momentum,then he lost focus talking about a player that wasnt playing,in a tournament he wasnt playing,in a country he wasnt even in at the time,if he hadnt lost focus like that who knows he couldve/wouldve maybe even won the match who knows????if he had been playing Rafa then fair enough you would say he definetly has a point,shame really he went on to lose after his outburst.

February 15th, 2014 at 5:57 am

Serves DT right. Glad he lost!!
# Loser

February 15th, 2014 at 6:13 am

@Skeezer

Yes, I realized you were referring to penalized points. That was 30 for 2013. Not sure if he was penalized or not, if so, not over once. We know for sure 1 time in 2014. I think I could say positively…..only one time. The crack down on the violations came into play only last year, so prior to that I have no clue. That would be a good question for Rafa……I’ll bet he knows!! LOL

@Chic……..Purcell left me out…..I’m crushed!!I guess Oklahoma is too far away to be included with the Rafa crazed female fan base of England. LOL People on this forum know who we, the fair minded posters are……but are still called out from time to time. That’s OK too, my shoulders are broad and I can take it!! I love to watch Rafa play tennis, but I do recognize and see his faults…….and yes he takes too much time, but I still don’t think it’s intentional. I think the powers that be should make the time limit the same in all venues whether it be 20 secs or 25 secs, then the players could practice the time accordingly. MY TWO CENTS about that!

Regarding the byline of this thread…..Dimitry was way off base to mention Rafa’s butt. As stated above, he lost focus and went on to lose the match! I thought he got rather mad during the discussion with the umpire……..I was also surprised the ump even carried on a conversation with him about Rafa.
I thought he should have nipped in the “butt” before it ever got started, pun intended!! LOL

February 15th, 2014 at 12:34 pm

Okiegal thanks all i ever do is try to be a fair fan and poster,i know sometimes it might not come across that way,when i asked what i believed to be an objective and pertinent question the other day about Stan i was imedietly pounced upon,i think sometimes as you said to me back then posters are intentionally fishing for an argument thats not even there,it was great that i actually got some proper feedback from Perfect Fan on the other thread.

February 15th, 2014 at 1:27 pm

@Chic…….I remember what you are referring to. What I can’t believe is that I have been called out by Rafa fans. Are those the ones that Skeezer refers to as Vamosheads?? I’m not really sure, because I say VAMOS RAFA a lot. I asked him once what the definition of one was…….that I was pretty sure I was one!! LOL Never did get an answer. All and all, I think some people just like to argue, imo.

February 15th, 2014 at 2:46 pm

Well, in terms of actual point penalties, I would think it is close to zero for all of the players including Tursunov himself.

As far as players showing great fortitude and tolerating Nadal’s slow antics in a losing cause, no one does it better than Roger but you could just put that down to practise!

Although, come to think of it, I’ve yet to see Murray or Djokovic complain in any way.

While Nadal is one of the biggest “offenders” of the time rule, very few stay within the limit, Roger being one of them.

If the rule was strictly enforced, the vast majority of players would be penalized!

I would like to know when the 25 second ATP rule and 20 second ITF rule was originally put in place. Likely when the players had to keep their ankles covered.

Fact is the game has changed since then and Roger is one of the few that can still play within this antiquated and inadequate time for most players. Roger is one of the greatest! Not everyone can play as efficiently as him!

If the rule is to be enforced in today’s physical game, then the time limit should be moved to 30 seconds with a time clock. Take the rule out of the umpire’s hands!

February 15th, 2014 at 3:10 pm

“Well, in terms of actual point penalties, ..”
This is what my point is. He has not been penalized (maybe once?) despite having the most warnings of the whole tour!

“If the rule was strictly enforced, the vast majority of players would be penalized!”

I don’t think you’ll get a lot of tennis fans agree to this. Most players are not going over the time limit so grossly as you know who. They would, and could adapt. Can Rafa? Maybe he needs that “crutch” to win.

February 15th, 2014 at 4:28 pm

It is wrong to penalize the players if they cannot see the evidence. The only way to enforce it, if they are serious and not just targeting Nadal, is to put a shot clock on court. Using the crowd counting along as an excuse not to do it is not good enough. It appears that they don’t want the players to see the evidence because they want to continue indoctrinating the rest of us that only Nadal exceeds the time limit.

Federer is behind this enforcement. In his presser he even knows how many times Nadal has had a warning in their 33 matches against each other. He is just looking for excuses for being Nadal’s whipping boy.

February 15th, 2014 at 4:30 pm

^uh…they do have a clock..it just doesn’t buzz

February 15th, 2014 at 4:44 pm

Most players don’t go over the time limit so grossly, but they do go over it. That is my point.

For most players 20/25 seconds strictly enforced would impact the quality of the match itself except for Roger and a handful of others which is why I believe that, for today’s modern game, it should be 30 seconds if the rule is to be strictly enforced and should be done with a clock.

20/25 seconds in today’s game is simply a joke if it was to be enforced strictly and absolutely. Maybe not for 95% of the points. But if strictly enforced for those other 5% of the points, matches would be impacted for most players and, IMO, not positively.

The tail would be wagging the dog as it were.

However, I believe that 30 seconds would be doable.

February 15th, 2014 at 4:49 pm

They need a shot clock so that they know when the umpire starts timing them. Even Federer goes over the time limit.

February 15th, 2014 at 4:49 pm

@Tango Lad

Agree totally with the last paragraph. Brad Gilbert has said the same thing. The time clock would take care of the problem. Split the difference on the 5 secs and maybe everyone could be happy.You are right about the physical aspect of tennis today. I don’t know how a player could recover fully after those really long rallies. That’s no fun to watch a serve barely getting over the net. You are right on another fact…..Roger is the most fit player that I’ve ever seen. I think he could be involved in 50 shot rally and get ready to serve again in 5 or 6 seconds. His stamina has always amazed me. I’m not saying he is any more fit than the others, but he doesn’t even sweat……what’s up the THAT?? He has got the best athletic genes I have ever seen. Having said all that, he still has major problems with the lefthander. He is getting older and getting beat more often by everyone now. The great players in the past chose to retire before they got into the mode Roger is in now. I think that just shows how much Fed loves his occupation, and that is what it is. Hey, I admire him for that. He’s not too proud to get beat once in awhile. It seems to be harder on his fans than him. Kudos to Fed!!

I’m a Rafa fan and gave kudos to Roger…imagine that??

February 15th, 2014 at 5:00 pm

Here is perhaps a decent example I found from the 2008 Wimby final between Nadal and Roger…

http://www.riaanbooysen.com/misc/47-tennis?start=10

As skeezer points out, Rafa is by far the worst of the two but if a strict shot clock was used, both players would indeed lose the match by default. This would be the case even if the rule was 30 seconds.

Yes the players would have adjusted had a 20 second rigid clock have been put on the court but who would want to change arguably the best match ever.

A lot of services broke the rule in this match but was anyone complaining that this somehow affected the quality of the match in a negative way? I don’t think a lot of tennis fans would say so.

February 15th, 2014 at 5:04 pm

I don’t think Fed is worried about applying the rule since he is all for it. Some of the vamosheads pointing out he goes too long is just straw reaching from vamoshead types. We all know who can’t live without taking 38 seconds to start play,

February 15th, 2014 at 7:49 pm

Yes Okiegal Fed is an amazing athlete and as a fan of Roger’s, I also have no problem giving kudos to your man Nadal.

With the stricter time enforcement and Nadal’s service time dropping, his results actually improved last year as a result!

If they make the rule even more strict, your guy might just win everything! Joking.

My fellow Roger fans should be careful what they wish for!
I really would actually prefer no on court clock at all as it is today. Too gimmicky.

Call me a traditionalist.

My preference would be that they leave it in the hands of the umpire and that the time starts after the score is announced following the point. This would give the umpire some discretion after a long point or a boisterous crowd’s elongated cheer whilst letting the players know when the time has started.

Nice talking to you Okiegal. you are a great fan on here.

February 15th, 2014 at 9:09 pm

@Tango

Thanks, I appreciate the nice comment!

I also thought Rafa’s service was better when he was speeding things up a bit. I think he’s thinking too much, so to speak. I would love to know what is going on in his head for all the seconds he takes when someone else can serve within just a few seconds. I don’t know what would be best…..shot clock or the umpires having control. I don’t think all of the umpires are in sync when the count actually starts, however. Does anyone know? I know Rafa goes to the towel a lot, but he sweats buckets. I can’t blame him for that. Even after the towel you can still see the water dripping off his face. That trickle of sweat drops would drive me nuts! Maybe that’s why he prefers clay…….it soaks up the water!! I agree he needs to speed it up. Maybe when he starts losing points he will take heed. I am concerned about the time limit after the long exhausting rallies…….and tennis is full of those now days. I think the official needs some type of sound device to start the count. It would be in the umpires discretion when to start the count after extra long points. I don’t know what the answer is
…but as things stand now……my guy best get on the ball and start serving faster!!

Enjoyed chatting with you too, Tango……and btw do you dance???? Just curious. LOL I’m a dancing fool
…Love it, love it, love it…….almost as much as watching tennis!!

February 16th, 2014 at 12:56 am

@Tango

Thanks for the Booysen link you posted…interesting read. Enjoyed it!

February 16th, 2014 at 1:30 am

@ATL

From the same site;
“Nadal are of course fully aware of this and simply shrug off the warning…”
Additionally, this site is not an objective tennis site, the guy/girl is clearly a vamoshead.

Finally;
“A lot of services broke the rule in this match but was anyone complaining that this somehow affected the quality of the match in a negative way? I don’t think a lot of tennis fans would say so.”

Absolutely it can. The player taking the most time CAN dictate the pace of the match. Any person who plays competitve tennis knows this.

February 16th, 2014 at 1:34 am

@Skeezer

I think a buzzer is a great idea, well a buzzer might be a little annoying. Something more subtle. We have a buzzer at church between worship service and Sunday school and when that thing goes off everyone nearly jumps out of their seats. It’s rather comical at a church service, but probably not for a tennis match!! I seriously do think a sound device would be a good idea, at least the player would know when the count starts.

February 16th, 2014 at 1:54 am

Colour me impressed! A civil Fedfan on Roger-x blog, well I’ll be………

Enjoyed reading your contributions, @A Tango Lad. **claps hands in appreciation**

Hope I haven’t dammed you with faint praise otherwise it’ll be off with your head on a pike, hehehe!

Vamoshead…….geddit? Oh, never mind.

As a matter of interest, @skeezer, what happened to Koolaiddrinkers? Rather enjoyed that particular sobriquet meself but vamoshead is similarly fetching ol’ chap…..cheers, gotta go fetch me yellow and red cone..

February 16th, 2014 at 2:39 am

Okiegal/Skeezer/ATL i must admit to actually been confused when it comes to time taken between points,when does the time start,is it straight after the last one finishes,or as soon as the player gets the ball in their hands etc?never the less whenever it starts no player should be above the rules regardless of their ranking,and Rafa been ranked number 1 should be setting a good example anyway?i found it interesting that Rafa actually played better when he took less time between points and im all for that,enough proof that he doesnt need to take forever between points.

February 16th, 2014 at 7:52 am

This time rule topic has been flogged to death IMO.
In the words of JJ “How many times?”

February 16th, 2014 at 8:09 am

Okiegal a buzzer i like that idea,as i say im confused as to when one point finishes as to when exactly the next one should start?i get the 25 second rule,but is the time between one point,and all the other stuff inclusive etc?a buzzer would clear up the confusion even for us fans IMO?

February 16th, 2014 at 9:19 am

A stop clock would remove any element of discretion from the umpire. For example, they play a 50 shot rally, are the players expected to stand to attention and ready to serve in the 20-25 seconds allowed? No way, I say!!

February 16th, 2014 at 10:14 am

If the antiquated 20 second ITF rule was rigidly enforced in that 2008 Wimbledon final, then I have little doubt that Roger would in all liklihood have come away with the win but the overall quality of the match would have suffered considerably and I don’t believe it would have been remembered as the best match of all time the way it is today. But that’s just one fan’s opinion.

Yes Okiegal, I quite like to skip the light fandango as well!

And thank you nadalista. Are you new here? I dont have a lot of friends who love the game like i do. I’m relatively new to posting on the Internet. A bit of a Johnny come lately as it were but I believe that all this tennis talk is simply grand!

February 16th, 2014 at 11:51 am

“antiquated 20 second ITF rule ….”

If it was “antiquated” why haven’t the players voted against it? Because as a majority they are for it. Good thing they can vote on it, you can’t. So it’s not “antiquated”, apparently its “hip”.

February 16th, 2014 at 2:00 pm

@Giles

I see you decided to flog the time rule debate too! If you can’t lick um’ join um’……huh?? Lol
I would suppose the device would be in the control of the official and it would be in his discretion when to start it after long rallies and disruptive crowds, which they do now anyway. It seems to me that the lady officials start the count quicker than the men, coming to that conclusion after the AO. All the officials, men and women need to get together and make a decision when to start the time, because they definitely aren’t in sync with each other now. How long do they have between a first and second serve? Is it still 20 secs? I know they don’t use that much time, but could they if they wanted too??
Surely something could be implemented to make everyone happy.

@Tango

Have you found a Tango Lass to trip the light fandango with?? LOL. I’m probably being to forward with that question…..please forgive!! I love to dance but I don’t know the Tango!! I watch dancing with the stars and I love to watch them tango, looks like fun!!

February 16th, 2014 at 2:07 pm

Aww, shucks @ATL, I’m an oldie who’s too uppity for Roger-x blog’s tastes so I’m on a watch-list and my posts have to sit in a moderation queue, all the better to make sure no seditious poison flows from my key-board to this illustrious blog, ho hum. But that’s the life of a lot of uppity Rafans here so……..all’s fair by my count……Vamos!

Expect I will get banned at some point like some of my fellow Rafans have been but in the meantime, let’s have fun, shall we?

Like you, I find all tennis-talk (not to be confused with a certain notorious, now-defunct tennis blog) grand!

Don’t you dare try to convert me to Fed-ism with all your sensible talk! Quite happy as a Vamoshead…

Rio!

Vamos!

February 16th, 2014 at 2:32 pm

Okiegal and Nadalista lol to both of your posts.

February 16th, 2014 at 2:42 pm

Ah nadalista, you are onto my alterior motives. You are too clever for me I see.

Yes indeed fortunately for me Okie G, there is a Tango Lass!

Okie and nadalista, I hope your guy does well in Rio next week!

On another topic, nice to see Berdych win a title after his long drought. He works hard and is very deserving.

February 16th, 2014 at 3:05 pm

Thanks Tango, I hope he plays well too. I hope it’s live streamed so I can watch it on my computer.

Vamos Rafa, win Rio and BOOM BABY, you can bite another trophy, now that’s what I’m talking about!!

Stay healthy!!!!!

February 16th, 2014 at 4:07 pm