Rafael Nadal: I’m A Great Loser, But I’m Still Disappointed About The Australian Open Final

You’re simply the best, Rafa;
Better than all the rest;
Better than anyone, anyone I’ve ever seen play;

Ooh you’re the best (woo)………….

March 7th, 2014 at 12:00 pm

I dont really see the point of this thread,surely the whole topics been flogged to death by now,everybodys stated their opinion in one form or another,we have had thread after thread on this topic,all going over the same old gound,just to stir up more conflict,Stan was the deserved winner of the AO,END OF STORY,TIME TO MOVE ON PURLEASE.

March 7th, 2014 at 12:10 pm

Off topic Sharapova thinks that the mens GS should be best of 3 sets,as it would make the mens game more exciting?eh the mens game already is exciting,its the womens game that needs to be made more exciting surely?id like to hear everyone elses take on this,would you all be for or against the idea?or how about Tennis-X opens up a thread on the topic?

March 7th, 2014 at 12:19 pm

Classic Rafa comments – you have to know you can lose to anyone; and you have to be ready for everything. One round at a time; don’t look too far in the future, or you lose today. Love this guy.

March 7th, 2014 at 12:41 pm

There is NO topic. Men will continue to play 5 sets and the women 3!!!

March 7th, 2014 at 12:42 pm

Opposed to the slams being 2 out of 3. All the other tournaments are 2 out of 3. Winning a slam is supposed to be an arduous journey. Perhaps making the first two rounds of slams 2 out of 3 sets is something worth considering. The first week is usually nothing more than a turkey shoot for the top seeds anyway. One thing I’d definitely like to see is Wimbledon, the FO and the AO going to the 5th set tie-breaker.

I’d like to see the top players actually do some more pro-ams and celebrity stuff. Build some traditions like Bob Hope did and like the AT&T does at Pebble Beach. Reduce the length of the tournament season by a few weeks and add a silly season. Given that this is a bit if a mano-a-mano sport, I doubt this will ever happen but I think it’d be fun to see entertainers and tennis players in a competitive type deal unlike the Arthur Ashe Fun Day cornball stuff.

March 7th, 2014 at 12:51 pm

Sharapova has a point. Top seeds on the women’s side lose in the earlier rounds more often than the men’s side. But that’s her problem. Best of 5 is what makes men men.

“I am a great loser. Normally after a few hours I forget about the losses and look straight to the next thing” – and yet here he is talking about previous losses. He’s not a great loser and never has been. He continues to discredit his opponents. Had the match in 2012? He seems to be forgetting that he was lucky to have pushed it to 5 sets in the first place.

March 7th, 2014 at 1:17 pm

Women’s matches should be one set only.

March 7th, 2014 at 1:24 pm

Yeah yeah Ben. Never miss an opportunity to trash Rafa. Didn’t realise the extent of your hatred! Geez!!

March 7th, 2014 at 1:28 pm

One set only? Women should not play Tennis.

March 7th, 2014 at 1:28 pm

Test

March 7th, 2014 at 1:37 pm

I don’t see best of 3 happening at GS. True that it is brutal to stand a 4-5 hour match as an spectator and even more as a player, but its what distinguishes the GS from the rest of tournaments. And yes, also true that no other sports has longer quarters/innings/periods but also thats what distinguishes tennis from other sports! That makes tennis a unique sport.

Its an interesting conversation for sure, but I just don’t see it happening.

On Sharapova, she should worry a bit more about her playing and how she’s been doing lately, than about changing the rules.

And finally Rafa. If you are a Rafa hater, that’s fine. Its totally understandable. You are probably a RF or Djoko fan, and are hurt. That’s totally natural. His dominance over them is eminent and we understand it hurts. But the fact that he has the highest w/l record in history with 84%, has a winning record against the top 30 on the ATP rankings, and with 4 GS less than Fed is being considered as a contender for best of all time, its enough for us, the fans. He has nothing to prove. When at his best, NOBODY can manage Rafa. He’s proven to be able to manage everyone at their best.

March 7th, 2014 at 1:41 pm

“its enough for us, the fans.”

If you read any of the threads on this site you will see that this is obviously not enough for the vamosheads.

“When at his best, NOBODY can manage Rafa.” This is an opinon.

March 7th, 2014 at 1:46 pm

@Johan. Great post

March 7th, 2014 at 1:57 pm

I see Pronin is using the ‘S’ man’s lingo eg “vamosheads”!
#TwoOfAKind

March 7th, 2014 at 2:01 pm

@Johan: Great, great post. Glad to see another Rafa fan here. One who is not afraid to voice his opinion. Great stuff. Stick around!

March 7th, 2014 at 2:02 pm

@Giles: i have fixed your post for you: the ‘S’ woman’s lingo.

March 7th, 2014 at 2:05 pm

@Brando: i have fixed your post for you: the ‘S’ old woman’s lingo.

March 7th, 2014 at 2:44 pm

Giles Says:
Yeah yeah Ben. Never miss an opportunity to trash Rafa. Didn’t realise the extent of your hatred! Geez!!

March 7th, 2014 at 1:28 pm

LOL
Among all the haters he is the one MOST hurt by Rafa.
There are fed fans, there are nole fans and there are pseudo nole fans who bank on nole to protect fed’s legacy (aka old lady).
But Ben is probably the only genuine fan of both fed and nole.
Poor guy…both his favorites are getting their a$$ banged by one man from Mallorca.
Double whammy.

March 7th, 2014 at 2:51 pm

@Brando. Lol. Thanks.
@Slice Tennis. Nice one.

March 7th, 2014 at 3:23 pm

Johan, nailed it.

Who credited Nole for beating him with lucky shots (not the way Fed was trained)?

Who credited Berdych for beating him when he had a bad back?

The Greatest Sore Loser of All TIme.

March 7th, 2014 at 4:24 pm

Who credited Murray for beating him in Dubai:

“He’s going to have to grind very hard for the next few years if he keeps playing this way.”

After losing to Berdych at Wimbledon:

“I am struggling with a little bit of a back and a leg issue. I couldn’t play the way I wanted to play. You can’t concentrate on each and every point, because you do feel the pain sometimes. If I’m healthy, I can handle those guys, you know.

After losing to Nole at US Open:

“Confidence? Are you kidding me? I mean, please.
Look, some players grow up and play like that.
I never played that way. I believe in hard work’s gonna pay off kinda thing”

Such a graceful loser giving of so much credit.

March 7th, 2014 at 4:34 pm

Translated Age Says:

Who credited Berdych for beating him when he had a bad back?

The Greatest Sore Loser of All TIme.
____

What on earth brings you to this revelation?

Why are you even bringing other players into this?

The headline reads; Rafael Nadal: I’m A Great Loser, But I’m Still Disappointed About The Australian Open Final. –

Yet we have Fed hating Nadal fans like you talking about him; nothing better to do?

—-

If you really like your man you’ll find good things to say rather than concocting some bad stories about other players – Comes across as rather pathetic and unpleasant.

March 7th, 2014 at 5:05 pm

“Rafael Nadal: I’m A Great Loser.”
Yes, you are. LMAO.

March 7th, 2014 at 5:18 pm

Why the airhead of Pronin still discussing the news of Rafa Nadal? It is a masochist or what? First he called fraud and now this? How can a person like this can write at Tennis X and still allow you to make this kind of comments. Do the guidelines are for pleasure?
Obviously, this person does not support or tolerate one of the best players of all time and expresses his frustration with empty “comments” like these. That this person write here, says a lot about the quality of the times we live. It really is a shame that frustrated people not find another way to express his hatred than in an intenet forums and let any ignorant to give their opinion.

March 7th, 2014 at 5:32 pm

Fed/Wawa through. Great doubles maych, fun stuff. Fed rips a BH ROS for winner, then they close out on the next pount. Filled stadium!

Allez Fed / Wawa

March 7th, 2014 at 5:35 pm

Fed; “winning titles is what we play for”

Preach it!

March 7th, 2014 at 5:38 pm

… And Roger is the Crying Loser! Big difference.

Funny comes with great one-liners, no?

But I can’t still forget Xisca’s bubble shiny tush!!!

Very ICONIC photo – better than SI Swimsuit Issue!

March 7th, 2014 at 5:38 pm

Stan was indeed lucky but not a great winner. He knows fully well Rafa is injured and took advantage. That simple. But does he gets respect? In terms of really great champion. He is no more than the other AO winner – johannsen something. But if you are that player that is better than 21 titles that Roger had and used to pad his title totals. 21 of the low tier ATP tour 250 series.

That is 21 of 78 total greater than 25% – all cheapie mickey mouse tours! In contrast, Rafa who started late, has leapfrogged over Fed with a record of 26 prestigious ATp 1000 Masters and a record of 15 atp 500 series. Rafa’s count of the 250s? 7 !

March 7th, 2014 at 5:59 pm

“Hippy Chic Says:
Off topic Sharapova thinks that the mens GS should be best of 3 sets,as it would make the mens game more exciting?”

I didn’t see this, but I would guess the reason for this is so that there can no longer be any argument against equal pay between men and women at the majors, because the last argument for which there has been logical counter argument, is that men play more than the women at majors, therefore it is just that they are paid more.

I think this is a terrible idea simply because it would create a fissure between all majors played after such a change and all majors before it, such that the record books would essentially have to be wiped clean, and that, in my opinion would be the first step to destroying men’s tennis.

March 7th, 2014 at 6:12 pm

This is yet another thread that points out the maxim, “If you have to tell people you are a great loser, you probably are not.”

Every single loss has Rafa basically saying, “oh, (opponent) was the better player today; he play unbelievable, no?” Invariably followed by “But is sad I was not 100% or I would have done better.”

The remarkable thing is that his boy-toy trolls in here actually thinks that this passes for being ‘humble’ and a ‘great loser’.

+++++++++++++++

Sean – I reread your link to your earlier post. The one major sport that changes its format come playoff time is NHL hockey. During the season a tie is decided by a 5 minute overtime; if no goal is scored then a series of shootouts determines the winner. This guarantees an overtime running no more than 20 minutes of actual time. But in the playoffs shootouts do not exist. The tied teams play 20 minute periods until a goal is scored.

March 7th, 2014 at 6:50 pm

———-

This is yet another thread that points out the maxim, “If you have to tell people you are a great loser, you probably are not.”

Every single loss has Rafa basically saying, “oh, (opponent) was the better player today; he play unbelievable, no?” Invariably followed by “But is sad I was not 100% or I would have done better.”

The remarkable thing is that his boy-toy trolls in here actually thinks that this passes for being ‘humble’ and a ‘great loser’.
———-

Spot on!!

March 7th, 2014 at 7:10 pm

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/tennis/article-1290998/WIMBLEDON-2010-Federers-bad-loser-says-Berdych.html

March 7th, 2014 at 7:15 pm

Is it any wonder that a great one-liner — great loser — by Nadal gets interpreted in so many ways????

Which makes Rafa even more intriguing.

But on the objective side, 23-10 is not subject to any kind of interpretation. Roger is nothing but Rafa’s whipping boy in clay, grass and indoor hard courts.

Ergo, Rafa is better than Roger. Proof? Roger said so.
Any one stupid enough to say Roger is a liar?

March 7th, 2014 at 7:50 pm

Spot on, no?

March 7th, 2014 at 7:51 pm

Rafa and a great looser.. Every loss is followed by an injury as a reason!!

March 7th, 2014 at 8:20 pm

Vamosheads keeping wanting to play offense in regards to the great Loser by posting one old link from one match a long time ago. Fed is never been labeled a habitual great loser nor excuse mongerer. But we all know who is! Lol.

March 7th, 2014 at 8:47 pm

Nadal is now giving excuses for giving excuses when he loses.

March 7th, 2014 at 8:58 pm

What makes Vamosheads un-intriguing is the h2h Barfing.

Lets here what one of the most all time professional players on tour have to say;

“winning titles is what we play for”

Preach it!

March 7th, 2014 at 9:00 pm

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=fedtard

These sort of people scare me. I’m guessing this sort of person stabs players they don’t like e.g Gunther Parche.

We should all be careful.

March 7th, 2014 at 9:08 pm

@Hamza:

LMFAO: classic post!

It’s true:

Fedtards are the scourge of Tennis sites, and sadly this one to.

March 7th, 2014 at 9:25 pm

Hamza,
If a Fed description is there you know a rafa one is not far behind ( maybe its there already but I am not interested in that nonsense ). Maybe you should be fair and check that too, like “nadull” amoung others, lol.

March 7th, 2014 at 9:26 pm

I think what Rafa meant by being a great loser was that he is able to accept defeat and move on quickly ( Normally after a few hours I forget about the losses and look straigh to the next thing,). This might just a matter of wrong sentence construction and choice of words due to language barrier. And haters are very quick to construe it in an entirely different context.

March 7th, 2014 at 9:28 pm

^ i think there may be some truth to what you are saying. However, the vamosheads always say its mis-contrued, misunderstood, etc, etc. Is it now everytime Rafa makes a statement he means something else that ONLY is a posititive? I don’t think so! When do we take a persons word for what he/she says? Only at sometimes, or when it sounds good for the vamoshead?

March 7th, 2014 at 9:45 pm

Exactly princessice. These kind of headline allow to trolls like many of the writers here express their irrational hatred already known that only makes them look like pathetic creatures without any chance of transcendence.

Thanks for exacerbate these functional animals, Gainey

March 7th, 2014 at 9:48 pm

^^Can you say that in English, please?

Sorry, I forgot, language barrier, no?

March 7th, 2014 at 10:02 pm

Ah, language barriers. Why is he still talking about AO, and still not giving Stan full credit for demolishing both him and his game with SHBH?
The only set Nadal couldn’t compete he actually won, no?

March 7th, 2014 at 10:07 pm

bKR,
That poster always post in kryptic, like are we suppose to dicepher it? No way Jose. The more frustrated she gets the more kryptic it gets. Whatevers. Problem is they have transcended into a armani infactuation that gives them a feeling of false nirvana.

March 7th, 2014 at 10:25 pm

Even coming out and saying the thruth haters cant seem to grasp.

He was honest when he said that Stan played great and would be dificult to beat stan on that day even 100%.

He compared one of the most complicated AO finals in history just to show the diference. But retards will be retards.

He has had his share of injuries, more then Federer thats for sure. But to explain some of Feds bad results last summer they use the back injury, but he still played.

March 7th, 2014 at 10:49 pm

@Skeezer

Better to be dull than to be a retard I suppose.

March 8th, 2014 at 12:52 am

Wow!, what a press conference. You are great Champion

March 8th, 2014 at 12:58 am

Much better that women played best of 5 in slams IMHO. Absolutely no reason why they couldn’t. Also, why are they still allowed coaching on court?
It’s 2014 not 1814. The world has moved on, but not apparently the tennis world.

March 8th, 2014 at 1:33 am

@Hamza,
C’mon, how is that? Thought you might be above the giles etc vamoshead material, but apparently not. If “urban dictionary” is where you hang out there is no need to discuss with you. Like that means anything in the Tennis world.
Unless u are joking, if so, uh …ha …ha.
Later.

March 8th, 2014 at 1:46 am

@skeezer

Just responding to some of your needlessly provocative comments, that’s all.

By the way, you can learn quite alot from urban dictionary. Try it.

March 8th, 2014 at 2:05 am

Agree with you Margot in that the womens game should be best of 5 sets,the mens game is OK IMO,its the womens game that needs more excitement,the GS are the same as in every tourney they play,or at least make the semis and the final best of 5 anyway,they said on today at wimbledon in 2010,that Serena in all her 7 of her matches played spent nowhere near the time on on court that Isner and Mahut did.

March 8th, 2014 at 2:15 am

As for Rafa well IMO he never has been a very good loser,so what?i dont think that there is such a thing as a good loser in any sport,great champions hate to lose,show me a good loser and ill show you a loser.

March 8th, 2014 at 2:18 am

Hamza,
No thanks. I use a real Dictionary.

“provocative comments”?
For that, read 9:08 post. Who dat?

March 8th, 2014 at 2:47 am

@Skeezer

You keep dissing Nadal needlessly – that’s enough for me to respond.

March 8th, 2014 at 2:56 am

Faderer belles are a cult, no?

March 8th, 2014 at 3:15 am

Some took his comments out of context. All he said is he wanted to compete or played that game like he used to play against big boys ie Roger, Nole and Andy, David but at AO final , unfortunetely he couldn’t do that that’s why he is still disappointed . That’s showed how much he respect WAWA. If Rafa said that he forget it doesn’t mean he can’t remember it forever.

March 8th, 2014 at 3:19 am

@Ben, I thought you have changed, look like not. Now you are doing collaboration with skeezer used vamoshead words to sing song. Duet??. It’s ugly.

March 8th, 2014 at 3:30 am

metan. Those types are an ugly bunch altogether! Sigh

March 8th, 2014 at 3:49 am

Can a leopard change its spots? No.

More like the 5 stages of grief. Acceptance will come soon enough, as Rafa relentlessly cements his legacy as The Greatest. Resistance to the obvious will be futile.

Vamos!

March 8th, 2014 at 3:52 am

What a great line — Great Loser!

Like another line, a scoreline— 23-10,…24-10…25-10 zzzz

March 8th, 2014 at 4:07 am

To put things in perspective, please spare a thought for Elena Baltacha who, according to reports, is fighting liver cancer at the tender age of thirty. She’s suffered with related health problems throughout her career.

March 8th, 2014 at 4:10 am

“Faderer belles are a cult, no?”

no they aren’t a cult, they’re The Borg. “resistance is futile”, “assimilate or die”. same mentality.

March 8th, 2014 at 7:28 am

Look, no one is perfect not even The Maestro.

For years we all thought he was the perfect sportsman but that was largely due to Roger winning all the time.

Who can blame him for some questionable remarks when losing became more frequent to the likes of Nadal, Djokovic, Murray and Berdych.

He wasn’t used to it.

March 8th, 2014 at 8:08 am

How about separating the women’s from the men’s tournament? It’s very exasperating when they show women on TV when you know there’s a man’s match going on. I think that’s why TV viewership for tennis is low because of those interruptions by the women. I switch channels when I see it’s the women playing. Let’s see if the women deserve equal pay if the majors events are held separately.

March 8th, 2014 at 8:51 am

Purcell yeah i hear you,really sad,unfortunatly i think our posts will fall on deaf ears though,some things in life are so much more important,kind off puts all this silly arguing into perspective,about what is after all supposed to be only a game,something we are supposed to all enjoy not create a war over,its time people lightened up abit,my thoghts go out to Elena and her family.

March 8th, 2014 at 10:50 am

why being so hypocritical about it.

of course he believes he should have won and at least he expressed this . only human .
so fed losing having mp at us open hurt and we all and many neutral fans thought why didnt he ace ?why didnt nole miss?the netchord on mp # 2 etc…
he spoke out what we all know thought. you think nole is mad bout roger because he said that??? u ask nole now he will say that this was the best feeling ever and knows how bad must roger feel now.

so refreshing. many other great players and legends did it from time to time too. it is better that playing the injurt card all the time

when you lose , sometimes you think you had bad luck on this or that particular point and that s when you believe you lost the match.

I have always believed that being unlucky on big points hurts the most.

March 8th, 2014 at 11:14 am

Nadal said he did not compete in the Aussie final this year. That means Wawrinka had to do almost nothing to win the final. This looks bad for Nadal to be saying about an opponent. He is not able to move on from a loss or what is goign on? It’s degarding to Wawrainka for Nadal to keep discrediting his win. He should stop.

About the womens slams they should play best of 5 in the finals at least. The mens should not be best of 3. 5 sets are exciting. I disagree with Sharapova.

March 8th, 2014 at 12:27 pm

Rafa was in the Aussie Open final. He has as much right to talk about his experience in it as Wawa does.

It’s those who were not in it who should stop talking about other people’s experiences. Oh wait, ……….their experiences are not worth talking about….

March 8th, 2014 at 12:33 pm

Nadal is no angel when it comes to not saying the right thing (or not as the case may be), in public with his comments. No one likes to lose.

Name me one top athlete that doesn’t like to lose? Totally understandable for a loser in a tournament to not be overly crediting his opponent. Could be cursory or a passing compliment, but certainly what was not good was when Rafa said the following:-

there just seems to be a lot of it, when things don’t go his way!

http://espn.go.com/tennis/aus12/story/_/id/7464173/2012-australian-open-rafael-nadal-calls-gentleman-roger-federer-pollyanna

“After telling a pre-tournament news conference he had no intention of being the frontman for the players’ grievances because it has reflected badly on him in the past, Nadal was then critical of Federer in a Spanish-language interview.

Responding to the suggestion that Federer disliked players complaining openly about problems on the tour because it tarnished the image of tennis, Nadal said he took another view.

“ For him it’s good to say nothing. Everything positive. ‘It’s all well and good for me, I look like a gentleman,’ and the rest can burn themselves. Everyone is entitled to have their own opinions.

”
— Rafael Nadal on Roger Federer

That was a pretty disgusting comment in my view – and not befitting Nadal’s image at all.

Mr Nadal is not Mr Clean cut and we all know that. May be he needs a bit more media training?

So please, don’t delude yourselves rafa fans. The guy complains about injury, complains about drug testing,

“World number one Rafael Nadal says new drug-testing procedures in tennis make players “feel like a criminal”.

Players are required to report their whereabouts for at least one hour a day, seven days a week, to their national anti-doping organisation.

Testers arrive unannounced and should a player fail to meet with them on three separate occasions over an 18-month period, a suspension could follow.

“It’s not fair to have persecution like that,”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/7885314.stm

The guy complains a lot.

Let the racquet do the talking!

March 8th, 2014 at 12:50 pm

nadalista Says:
Rafa was in the Aussie Open final. He has as much right to talk about his experience in it as Wawa does.

It’s those who were not in it who should stop talking about other people’s experiences. Oh wait, ……….their experiences are not worth talking about….

March 8th, 2014 at 12:33 pm

He complains a lot though Nadalista. Way too much for a world number 1.

March 8th, 2014 at 12:51 pm

Susan Says:
Nadal said he did not compete in the Aussie final this year. That means Wawrinka had to do almost nothing to win the final. This looks bad for Nadal to be saying about an opponent. He is not able to move on from a loss or what is goign on? It’s degarding to Wawrainka for Nadal to keep discrediting his win. He should stop.

Susan,

I agree with you.

Nadal was fit to play. Wawa played better. Nadal says he got injured half way through the match and then “couldn’t compete”, yet he was fit to compete at the start. Shouldn’t go on about the fact he lost. Bound to hurt, but he is enough of a competitor to put this behind him. Wish he would do it sooner though. End of.

March 8th, 2014 at 12:54 pm

^^^^ Duh??? His racquet is doing the talking……he is number one again!! It doesn’t matter what Rafa says or does he is going to be called out.

Roger is an arrogant, spoiled brat. He has shown his true colors more than once….He is not perfect as the FEDHEADS would want you to believe. All of these players have their faults. No one is perfect.

This loss was hard to take because he couldn’t give it his all. Why is it such a big deal?? Every player has said the same when they’ve had an injury……Roger vs Berdy at Wimby for instance.
The old double standard again……sigh…..

March 8th, 2014 at 1:22 pm

Rafael Nadal is the most drama queen of all times. The most nasty wicked player ever by making stories about different injuries, Stomach, knee, hand ,groin ,ankle and what else. Sure a great loser by shoulder bumping Lucas Rosol, whining with chair empires. Hitting the ball straight to Djokovic. Shaking hands with opponents after picking his ass for thousand times without sanitizing his hands.
His fans said no one can beat when he plays his best. DJOKOVIC Best beat Nadal best 7 times in a row on any surfaces anywhere on any given days. 2011 is undeniable.

March 8th, 2014 at 1:27 pm

@madmax, I have gone back and re-read the interview, and Tom Gainey’s report. I do not detect any complaints from Rafa, in fact or tone, only a re-counting of his experience in that final, and his perspective on it. I honestly fail to understand why he should not talk about his experiences, they are his.

You, and others, may not care to hear about Rafa’s experiences but that is another matter altogether, don’t you think?

March 8th, 2014 at 1:48 pm

Oi madmax why are you digging up stuff from the past? To make Faderer look like a saint? So you are complaining about Nadal complaining – makes sense, no? NOT. And please quit the 1000 line posts, we had enough of that from your compatriot Dave who, I am pleased to say, has now left us. Concentrate on Faderer not on Nadal.

March 8th, 2014 at 1:58 pm

I dont see why posters keep parroting back to 2011,sure Rafa had a bad match up with Novak that year,but its not as if he hasnt beaten him since,which he has plenty of times on clay and HCs,its not 2011 anymore 3 years have passed,Novak had 1 briliant year,but hes done nothing like that since.

March 8th, 2014 at 2:38 pm

LOL: Fed and Rafa fans need a time out. Arguing over who is the better loser is just childish. Both are rubbish losers. Both can come across as sour at such moments. Both can also say ill advised things post a loss. But open the history book of Sports and you’ll see other rubbish losers: Ali, Jordan, Ronaldo etc etc. it’s a common theme and why: since winners hate losing that’s why. Rafa and Fed are born winners. They’ll throw a hissyfit over a loss since they hate such a thing. They detest such a thing as what they do most of the time and better than anyone since the FACTS support them on this one is: winning. This type of behaviour seems to be the norm for a winner and I like it: I would not want my guy to be a good loser at all since usually it means: they usually do not win much at all.

March 8th, 2014 at 2:59 pm

^Pretty much the gist of what i said @2.18am^.

March 8th, 2014 at 3:08 pm

Hey Susan,

Nole’s statement after losing to Federer…
“I didn’t have many matches this year, and you could see that on the court”
“I still lack that consistency in my movement in the matches.”

What do you say ???

March 8th, 2014 at 3:13 pm

Is it only me or is every single thread nowadays just a quarrel between Rafa and Fed fans? And even the arguments and the punch lines are always the same… Very similar as in tech-blogs where guys are arguing if iOS is better than Android or the other way around.

What comes to topic I’m sure that every single top player hates loosing. Period. And in the heat of the moment one might do or say something foolish. It’s only humane. The one who has never done or said anything stoopid can throw the first rock…

Sharapova’s suggestion does not have any sense. First of all, mens tennis does not need any major changes because it’s actually very popular and interesting. OK, if the GS matches were best of 3 instead of best of 5, there might be more upsets and surprises. However, I think that one of the main attractions in gran slams is that you cannot win them by accident so at least I hope that men will play best of 5 also in the future.

March 8th, 2014 at 3:55 pm

“Throughout my career, I’ve always gone on court in every match giving my opponent 100% respect. You can lose to anyone, and I accept that. It’s sport. Sooner or later you are going to lose. You have to be ready for everything.”

It explains why i admire Nadal,my idol so much. I hope you always healthy to reach more and more successful in his career:)

March 8th, 2014 at 4:01 pm

Giles Says:
Oi madmax why are you digging up stuff from the past?

Giles,you are the only one who keeps bringing up the past and then expect the fed fans to take it. Get a taste of your own meds.

H2H, berdy spat, fed did this, said that? It is you who is boring, together with your sidekick ST.

Take a break.

Vamos Fed!
#stayhealthy#

I fully expect Rafa to win Indian Wells. He needs to, to protect his points and his position. Let’s see if he can get through the tournament without complaining or mentioning an injury. Shall we take a bet on it?

March 8th, 2014 at 4:06 pm

Margot, the WTA allow on-court coaching because they think it’s interesting for the spectators but the ITF doesn’t allow it so the girls don’t have on-court coaching in slams.

March 8th, 2014 at 4:15 pm

madmax,

the question is can you & skeezer get through a day without blaming rafa for roger’s shortcomings? shall we take a bet on it?

March 8th, 2014 at 4:57 pm

@mem. Great response to that drooler.
Long time no speak. Where have you been? Please stick around, I always enjoy your posts.

March 8th, 2014 at 5:54 pm

Giles,

as always, its great to hear from you. I have to drop in when I get a free moment. however, I know that in my absence I can count on you to step up to the plate. you are a great rafa supporter! I love it that you don’t back down from the likes of skeezer, ben, madmax, and other members of the fedfan indoctrination club. I learned a long time ago that they are full of hot air not to mention some of the biggest hypocrites to ever post on a blog, but we are not intimidated by the “big bad wolves.” in fact, as do you, I love a challenge. that’s one of the many reasons why rafa is my boy. he doesn’t back down from a challenge.

anyway, enjoy the tournament!
vamos rafa!

March 8th, 2014 at 7:05 pm

@bom kelvin

‘Shaking hands with opponents after picking his ass for thousand times without sanitizing his hands.’

that’s true.

but has he ever blamed hawkeye for being in a losing position in a match? has he ever yelled taunts at his opposition during a match?

he still has a lot to learn from roger, it seems.

March 8th, 2014 at 11:15 pm

“‘Shaking hands with opponents after picking his ass for thousand times without sanitizing his hands.’

that’s true.”

Finally, an admission from the vamoshead blinded cult. Amazing!
Welcome to the light.

March 8th, 2014 at 11:41 pm

Wawrinka is through. yes!

March 8th, 2014 at 11:44 pm

Well, my guy better kick it up a notch if he is gonna go very far in this tourney. He started off rather slow and Step had his game face on. He played great and his serving was excellent. Rafa had 8 double faults…….terrible! Rafa made some great shots, however. It wasn’t pretty but he did eke out a win.

Vamos Rafa!!

March 9th, 2014 at 1:00 am

@Roy

Thanks for bringing up Roger’s argument about hawkeye. I think that happened at Wimby. That was one of Roger’s no class outbursts. The best one was when he told Novak’s parents to be quiet. He didn’t show much poise that time either. I’m sure all the players have done things they wish they could take back. My guy has yet to bust up a racquet, thank goodness!!

March 9th, 2014 at 1:11 am

I would love to shake hands with Rafa….even after a match!! LOL

March 9th, 2014 at 1:13 am