Roger Federer Shed A Single Tear After Losing Today In The Wimbledon Final

I cried too both at Novaks speech,and Roger in this picture,as i say im barking mad(Tennis Fan agrees lol),but i always find something quite hot and sexy about a man crying….

July 6th, 2014 at 2:14 pm

AWW And the two little girls are gorgeous too :))….

July 6th, 2014 at 2:16 pm

Both guys were classy. The better man on the day won.

July 6th, 2014 at 2:21 pm

Exciting match; they both fought so hard.

July 6th, 2014 at 2:29 pm

Proud to be your fan Roger. So incredibly sad to see you that way. You are a great champion and the reason why I watch tennis in the first place.
You still have some great tennis left in you.

RESPECT.

July 6th, 2014 at 2:31 pm

@Jane – i bet you’re overjoyed. I was rooting for your boy. It felt so similar to rooting for mine because of that 4th set ;) I think the tear is Roger’s realization that it might have been his last chance. Never mind, there’s 17 in his cabinet to console him.

July 6th, 2014 at 2:53 pm

thanks the da! thank you!! so happy because nole has had a number of tough losses. this win was important for him. it just shows they can all bounce back, including andy. :)

July 6th, 2014 at 2:55 pm

Jane i hope your right about Andy,it was tough to take him losing like that,especially after winning the title last year,but congrats to Novak on a fabulous win and a fabulous match….

July 6th, 2014 at 3:00 pm

yes i know hippy. they all suffer tough losses but they generally bounce back too.

at first i didn’t think this win mattered that much for nole. i mean to say, i didn’t even know how far he’d go in this event. so it seemed amazing he was even in the final!

but then after he lost the 4th set i was a bit worried that if he then lost the match it’d be too much, after the losses in other big matches.

so, as it turned out, i think it was an important win mainly for self-belief. hopefully he can just relax and enjoy himself on the court now. he’s been too tense of late.

meanwhile, roger is just seemingly ageless! :O

July 6th, 2014 at 3:17 pm

finally finished watching the match. can’t believe it ended on a chuffer in the net!!!

congrats to novak for hanging in there. after losing that 4th set he must have been scratching his head pretty hard.

amazing play from roger though. so close.

tennis-x? do you really need to put up a poll asking if roger will win another slam on the day he loses in a final? i mean, at least give it a day. sheesh.

July 6th, 2014 at 3:32 pm

https://mobile.twitter.com/silla_77/status/485871368748023809
Fedfans

July 6th, 2014 at 4:13 pm

I hope Rafa but especially Andy will both bounce back with a better showing at the USO….

July 6th, 2014 at 4:49 pm

So Roger loses and can’t get the job done and won’t retire. The only purpose is endorsement deals to inflate his income. Somehow the fans get the little end of the stick and Roger gets to go home with millions. What is the point of professional sports so a small group of people can amass great wealth?

July 6th, 2014 at 5:19 pm

Way to go to use your children as sympathy figures. Anything for a buck!

July 6th, 2014 at 5:20 pm

amazing how much negativity people feel they have to dump into this world.

pretty sad.

July 6th, 2014 at 5:28 pm

It is the only thing I could afford. My Mercedes deal fell through.

July 6th, 2014 at 5:37 pm

Huge, huge props to Roger Federer!

My respect rose for him even more so after this performance.

What a valiant, defiant, gritty display from him in the final.

A man who is nearly 33 year old fought as an equal- and for large parts his superior- to a guy who’s in his prime at age 27.

The age gap dictated the narrative of the match- as widely predicted- in this one:

Fed had to simply keep points short, play high risk since his age would not favour him in extended baseline rallies.

A 27 year old Fed would have pummeled this choking Novak today. Had Novak held his nerve this match would have been over- and should have- in a straight set’s win.

Rightfully so:

A 27 year old Prime age player > near 33 year old who has ONLY won 1 500 point title and 2 250 point titles in 2 seasons!

Yet Novak choked as we have now become accustomed to seeing him do so in biggest GS, pressure matches.

But that’s Novak. Fed took care of his side of the bargain:

Fought with heart, desire for the win and pushed his capacity as ageing Tennis player to the absolute limit.

Win he didn’t but leave the stage as a genuine all time legend who showed REAL fighting ability he certainly did.

Kudos to you Fed for showing the world that maybe your Tennis skills have diminished somewhat due to age (inevitably for all players) but your fighting ability and passion for the game is quite possibly stronger than ever!

Allez Fed!

July 6th, 2014 at 8:16 pm

Brando…great post!

July 6th, 2014 at 8:28 pm

This tear from Fed was different than the ’09 breakdown at the AO. This was a tear of disappointment but also of appreciation. The fans of Wimbledon truly love and respect the man. He was also able to share this moment with his daughters. A lot of emotional stuff happening and he spontaneously welled up. I have been critical of Federer’s bawling at the AO. Not this time. This is a great champion realizing that moments like these are fleeting. I fully expected that had he won, his daughters would have been on court with him. That would have been an incredible scene and memory for him.

July 6th, 2014 at 8:36 pm

Everyone stop with the would-haves. There are no would-have stats. You win or lose and Fed lost.

July 6th, 2014 at 9:19 pm

@Brando
Impressive and don’t believe it but….there it is.
Nice post.

July 6th, 2014 at 9:35 pm

@SG1 and Skeezer:

Thanks.

I agree with those that say Fed is GOAT as for me:

GS wins is the marker. The deal starter and breaker. And with Fed:

17 > period.

So until someone matches or surpasses that it’s not even a conversation for me.

Yet the reason why Fed impressed me and my siblings yesterday (they don’t care for Tennis but as soon as they saw Fed fighting like this they were rooting raucously for him) is:

To fight like he did at near age 33 was just beyond impressive. We all know how elegant a player Fed is. He’s as easy on the eye as they could possibly come with a Tennis racquet in hand. When your style is as graceful as Fed’s is though some tend to think naturally:

Does he just win because he’s the more gifted player or does he actually have some fight to go with it?

And for me Fed showed immense fight yesterday!

He showed what the heart of Champion truly is like:

Great desire to win that has them ready to overcome all obstacle (an ageing player facing a youthful player), cool nerve when others shoulders would have dropped (Djokovic serving for match in 4th) and absolute passion for the sport to continue on dreaming to win a Slam when many had long since written him off from doing so.

With a bit of luck: he would have shut up more than half of the Tennis viewing world.

So for me- and many others- Fed may have lost today, but he walked off the court the mightiest since he lost a match he was always seen as likely to lose. Not due to skill but one of a age disadvantage.

The narrative of this match was written prior it as we all know:

One guy (Djokovic) was going to push the other (Fed) into long rallies one after another since he knew in a best of 5 sets the 6 year Junior player will triumph.

The other (Fed) had no choice but to play high risk Tennis as he knew he had no real alternative.

Yet he soured in manner where he was not only an equal to his opponent despite this inherent disadvantage but for many parts was the superior in the biggest test of a Tennis player:

A GS final.

He held his nerve under this great pressure whilst the prime age opponent was mentally breaking down under the pressure many a time in this match.

To do all that at age 33:

Bravo Fed, bravo!

PS:

Had Fed been 27 himself it’s this posters opinion that he would have thrashed this Novak we saw today in straight set’s without any tie breaks.

Barring the ability to wear an old Fed down due to tiresome baseline rallies- what edge does Novak genuinely have over Fed, and that too on a Grass Court?

IMHO: Nothing!

Fed walks away from the court with his head held higher than ever from this one in my opinion!

July 6th, 2014 at 10:44 pm

TGIT – Why should Fed retire? he loves the game and last time I checked he’s still playing well.

Do trolls call it quits? Not you it seems.

July 6th, 2014 at 11:09 pm

It is indeed a sad day for Fed and his fans. Even though I support Fed all the way and admired the way he fought, I must admit that Nole was overall the better player (he did win the match after all). Just as Fed had, Nole too fluffed easy shots in certain stages of the match so I guess we should not just dwell on Fed’s missed chances too much. That is always part and parcel of a game. I feel that Fed was often playing second fiddle in rallies whivh is not unexpected given the quality of Nole’s groundstrokes off both flanks. Match stats shows that although Fed won 77% first serve points, he only managed a low 44% of second serve points won as compared with Joko’s 73% / 65%. This indicates that when the sting from Fed’s first serve is off and when conditions are more’neutral’, Joko wins more often Fed (usually in rallies). Fed was not able to play as consistently as his opponent did and that was a factor in his not being able to convert breakpoints or even create them or save breakpoints against him.
Credits must be given to Nole for hanging in there and playing as well as he did even though he was broken in what could be the deciding game of the match in the 4th set.
This is probably the closest Fed will ever get to winning a GS IMO but I hope I will be proven wrong. Only time will tell.

July 7th, 2014 at 12:04 am

It is indeed a sad day for Fed and his fans

ertorque, for me it’s definitely not a sad day. i thought Roger fought hard, when he actually could not get his game going at all till the middle of the 4th set.

I agree to your other points that Novak was the better player. But it’s not like Roger was playing at his best. He never got to read Novak’s serve, which was a mystery for me. That put him into a tough spot and could not get a right strategy to attack from the baseline. Had Roger solved the puzzle bit early in the 3rd set, things could have been interesting.

But yeah, the match was on Novak’s racquet from the beginning and it was not a surprise considering their age and recent form.

July 7th, 2014 at 12:20 am

Pathetic to see some folks bringing back the GOAT discussion without any reason. Roger never agreed for him being GOAT and it’s quite obvious that we cannot have one GOAT player in tennis. Some buffoons just to get some views on the media have created this term, not sure everyone has to follow those buffoons. Even though some of these guys are accomplished tennis players.

As Laver said, you stop at possibly being the best of your times and nothing more.

July 7th, 2014 at 12:51 am

It was sad that he lost, but he won the hearts of millions of Tennis fan with his effort on the court. Already a heart throb and a rage amongst Tennis enthsiasts, Roger can only acquire greater glory with this splendid effort at the age of 33. You can never believe that he was 33 from the way he played. It was Novak who looked tired and even suffered a cramp, but Roger was as exquisite as ever just dancing around the Court like a Mozart in play. I think he consulted with his coach Edberg and came in with a game plan. First was to serve and volley as he knew he could not match Novak from the back of the court and the second was to chip and charge. The first one clicked but the second one failed as Roger was passed quite frequently by Novak much to his embarrassment. It was a day he served well but unfortunately Novak had a better day in Office with his quality of returns which in a way rattled Roger. But all credit to him for having fought valiantly from what seemed to be a hopeless position in the fourth set at 2-5. He just showed to the World as to what a fighter he is and ofcourse when he lost there was sense of disappointment in not winning his 18th. This was the best chance he had, but he just couldn’t finish it. Hard luck to him. But now even his detractors would admit their folly of underestimating Roger all along. Roger showed the fine mettle that he is made of and hats off to this Champion.

July 7th, 2014 at 12:54 am

Nirmal,

I just agree to your point. Roger was experiencing some problem in reading Novak’s serve and that was a surprise for me too.

July 7th, 2014 at 1:14 am

I am super disappointed that he lost. I couldn’t believe it still.😘😢😢😢😁😁

July 7th, 2014 at 1:17 am

Hey everyone – Federer took the number 1 player in the world to a 5th set. You can’t win them all but Roger has won 17 Slam tourneys – more than anyone else.

Someone posted that had it been Rafa instead of Nole it would have been over in 3 sets.

If you are new to this site and perhaps have only recently become a tennis fan, let me explain:

Rafa is Mr. Rafael Nadal, the best clay player in the history of the sport and the holder of 14 Grand Slams – 9 of them on clay. He also holds a 23-10 record against Federer.

He also in this tournament lost to the 144th ranked player in the world; an 18 year old who subsequently lost in 4 sets to an up and coming Canadian who was tuned in 3 sets by Federer.

The last paragraph is a microcosm, explaining how someone who has only won 10 out of 33 matches against a guy has more major titles than him.

So yeah – Nadal might have cleaned Federer’s clock today, but he wasn’t good enough to make the final.

So to those who say if Nadal had been in the final he would have won, I say “If my aunt had balls she’d be my uncle.”

July 7th, 2014 at 2:12 am

All this talk of aunt, uncle and balls is superfluous. Rafa was not in the final so we will never know if he would have won. All I do know is Rafa is presently in Mallorca enjoying some R & R with his family and friends which he truly deserves.
Vamos Rafa!
Stay healthy!

July 7th, 2014 at 4:41 am

If you guys boosts that a 33 year old fed still plays great tennis, then don’t use his age as an excuse when he lost to younger players. Either he’s playing great or he sucks, period!

July 7th, 2014 at 8:31 am

If you guys boosts that a 33 year old fed still plays great tennis, then don’t use his age as an excuse when he lost to younger players.

Simon you are making sense here. But one difference between a 33 year old and 27 year old is the consistency. At 27 years, you expect them to play multiple matches with same consistency, but at 33 years the consistency is lost. You play a great match one day, but come out flat on the next day. Also the mental sharpness is not at it’s best. Example is how Roger took almost 3 sets to figure out to return Novak’s serve. I don’t think with the kind of server Novak is, Roger would have taken that many sets to figure out when he was 27 years. I’m not belittling Novak’s serve here, it’s quite good, but not unreturnable.

July 7th, 2014 at 12:24 pm

A lot of guys, not just Federer, struggle with Novak’s serving these days. Novak hits spots as well as anyone. Going back to 2009 (when Fed was 27), he was completely clueless returning Roddick’s serve in that Wimbledon final. Interestingly, he’d always been able to return Roddick’s serve despite it being the fastest on tour because Roddick couldn’t hit spots and he didn’t have the arsenal behind it to back it up the way Novak does.

July 7th, 2014 at 12:33 pm

Federer’s return has become a growing weakness as he’s gotten older. And despite his return games being less than stellar, he went toe-to-toe with a prime Djokovic and almost won (…perhaps should have won). But, as they say, them’s is the breaks.

July 7th, 2014 at 12:35 pm

Fed should have won?

Novak should have won in straight sets really, Certainly in 4, but couldn’t close it out.
I’m guessing nerves.

July 7th, 2014 at 1:03 pm

Novak is prime, but i have certainly seen him impose himself on a slam in a far more convincing manner than this Wimbledon.

July 7th, 2014 at 1:04 pm

agree with you cdp. on both counts.

July 7th, 2014 at 1:15 pm

“Novak should have won in straight sets really, Certainly in 4, but couldn’t close it out.
I’m guessing nerves.”
Well yes, he could have won in 4. But Feds momentum going into the 5th, ahhhhh well…
In my view Fed had some nerves going on also. Look, it turned out how it should have in the end. They both were dealing with themselves, their adversary, etc. and they both produced some stellar Tennis. It was very high tennis drama at its best.
#wimbyrocks

July 7th, 2014 at 1:34 pm

@Gordon 2:12 post.
Word.

July 7th, 2014 at 1:38 pm

skeezer, yes, agree: thought they were both tight/nervy at times. there were strong reasons that fed and nole each wanted/needed this title, which would explain why it turned into an epic.

July 7th, 2014 at 1:47 pm

Niether are my favorites,but what a great match from a nuetral POV,shame there had to be a loser,well done both,congrats to the Nole fans,and commies to the Fed fans….

July 7th, 2014 at 1:53 pm

@CDP: Spot on! Novak was the heavy favourite going in despite his abysmal recent slam final performances for a reason: prime age player > old age player. Period. Otherwise a 7 time Grass legend- without thought or hesitation- would be the universal favourite v 1 time winner who cites Grass as his least favoured surface. Heck: even Fed Pre match thought Novak was the fav possibly. And for good reason to. And the match: Novak choked away set 1 and then ridiculously the 4th set. So beyond an shadow of a doubt the match was there for him in straight sets and certainly should have been done and dusted in 4 sets. Let’s call a spade a spade: had Novak choked this final away it would have gone done as probably the biggest choke jobs in a GS final of all time. Fed did brilliantly: pushing a uphill battle to its limit. But the underlying reality in this match was that it always was going to be decided by Novak: not due to his superior grass court game (LOL) but his being in a prime age and Fed being near 33. It was a question of: will Novak possibly choke another GS final away? And he almost did for Fed!

July 7th, 2014 at 1:58 pm

@Gordon 2:12 am. Agree Nadal wasn’t in the final. Actually watching this match noticed a few things about Federer/Djokovic/Nadal

Djokovic is bothered by Federers off pace backhand slicey shots. He likes rythum and so does Rafa. Federer’s variety bothers him much more than Nadals punishing shots which are consistently one pace more, he can take them early, control and redirect pace. He was working Federers backhand and it wasn’t really paying off.

The off pace slice shots do not bother nadal he poinds them even harder. Also the lefty to righty dymanic comes into play more with Federer. The variety Federer has does not matter because he does not really get to play his game. One thing Federer has said about Rafa is he has to play a totally different game than when he plays everyone else on tour. Whereas Rafa can play similar to how he plays Stan, Berdych or whoever, Federer will have at most two days to prepare to play a completely different game.

No question you have to have a great backhand to match up well against Nadal, but its more than that. You need a great backhand down the line, and be able to take the ball early which Djokovic has. Davydenko had it too.

Murray is the X factor. He can beat them all and lose to them all. I don’t think he really matches up better or worse against any of them. He matches up well against them all but can lose badly on any given day also. In a way, I think the player he struggles the most with is himself!

Djokovic and Federer is always a pleasure to watch. They have had some epic matches and their style of tennis is very pleasing to many, flatter more variety. Was a nice final.

July 7th, 2014 at 2:10 pm

cheers kimberly! agree, the fedole rivalry often produces epic matches. maybe i’ll see you bracketeers at the us open. who won this time? wee colin?

July 7th, 2014 at 2:19 pm

Contador won! Colin did not so well and I don’t get it, he actually had Dimtrov in the semi and Fedole in the final.

July 7th, 2014 at 2:26 pm

@ Brando:Barring the ability to wear an old Fed down due to tiresome baseline rallies- what edge does Novak genuinely have over Fed, and that too on a Grass Court? Nothing!
Wait a moment my friend! Are you talking about Nadal or Novak???????You are complaining that Novak beats Federer because he makes long rallies and makes him tired ??????
But that how Nadal built whole his career!Physical game!Nadal is best in that and that is why he beated Fed all those times.And now that disturbs you in Novak’s aproach? Are you serious?
And to answer what edge Novak has- is this: Returns and backhand.
Fed has edge in his forehand, serve and great point construction.
If Federer is playing at this age so well is to be admired, as you rightly pointed out but we can’t every time he looses these days say: In his prime he would destroy Novak…
You know , Fed lost some matches with Novak in his prime also ( and Novak was young and unexperienced )
Federer in his prime is better then Novak in his prime, that is for sure.But lets not smear Novak yesterdays win…

July 7th, 2014 at 2:32 pm

@UJane—-would love to have you join us for the open! Glad for the you and the Nole fans he won, and glad for him as well/ I am always honest that hes not my favorite but its not nice to see any champion who deserves to be in the winners circle not win (even though he was winning counteless masters and WTF) and deal with the media pressure….I remember, rafa 11 months no titles in 2009 his career was supposed to be over.

July 7th, 2014 at 2:40 pm

oh that’s cool for conty. maybe colin lost out on some early picks but yes, seems like he made some good choices for early on.

awesome post courbon! nole’s backhand and return were weapons yesterday. he didn’t force errors. he hit winners. the stats prove it. nole and fed BOTH had almost triple the winners to errors stats because that’s the kind of matches they play. there were very few long rallies in fact. between the two of them they hit 143 winners.

July 7th, 2014 at 2:44 pm

* i mean good choices for later rounds.

yeah, kimberly, the media can be ruthless in spinning their yarns. and wins beget confidence which begets more wins. so the opposite is true, too.

July 7th, 2014 at 2:45 pm

@Courbon:

Ah Courbon- the one Djokovic fan I truly respect and regard as the best poster on here bar none.

First of all:

Congratulations on your fav’s win. You deserve to enjoy it. You are one of the few- possibly only- Djokovic fan who was still here when Novak was collecting RU trophies in Slam finals recently till yesterday.

You showed yuorself as a true supporter of his and stuck around. Respect! And now he has won what do you do:

Show class and not go over board!

It’s a lesson some of the other pathetic posters can take notes from- and should- who weasel away when Novak get’s his backside whupped in the big ones and the ridiculously turn up when he wins pedaling for praise!

Seriously: I find such posters pathetic!

As for your posts:

Well you know me on here: I am blunt speaker on all matters, regardless of the player.

I speak my opinion on Novak when he’s just won a big one: not when he got his behind handed to him since why kick a man already down? Hence my saying what I think at this moment. Anyhow your post and my thoughts:

– ‘Physical game!Nadal is best in that and that is why he beated Fed all those times’:

First of all: what on earth has Rafa got to do with this matchup my friend? Nothing. But seeing as you have mentioned him and raised his mention and brought up a point about the man, i’ll answer:

– Why does Rafa beat Fed?

IMHO:

1. Superior Mental game: The big players are all equal in terms of talent, match ups IMO. No real distinct advantages between them. As Novak himself said best:

Most matches get decided by a few crucial points and whilst most matches get played between the lines really it’s between the ear’s on the big points!

And he’s right: it’s mainly mental.

And in this department Rafa is- I believe- Fed’s superior: he’s much stronger than him mentally and rises better/up’s his game on the bigger points better than Fed.

– His forehand:

That Forehand is a powerful, domineering stroke. It’s a money shot: when in trouble for Rafa: hit the FH and watch how the point changes.

This is a killer, iconic shot that has obviously been the dealbreaker in Fedal matches: it causes havoc to Fed’s single handed BH.

– Leftie player:

This is another advantage for Rafa. Being a LH player helps for obvious reasons.

That’s 3 legitimate reason’s there to explain that matchup aside from the physicality. Look C: sure it plays a part but rest assured it’s not the deal breaker in that matchup.

Fed has not lost to Rafa over time due to lack of physicality. LOL: I mean did he really lose to a teenage Nadal on HC/Clay due to lack of gym work?

LOL!

So i’ll end on the Nadal part right here since he’s irrelevant to the topic on hand completely.

– Novak’s advantage:

Return? Yes. But that has always remained the same for him in his career and across all surfaces. Tell me something new on that front C?

Novak’s return is-quite obviously- the best in the Game, but that’s hardly a newsflash making observation. Nor- as I said originally- a distinct advantage for him on Grass.

After all: didn’t the same Novak not make ANDY MURRAY pay with his (and i’m a Muzza fan) puffy, weak 75-83 MPH 2nd serve last years?

A return- after all- ONLY get’s the ball back in play. Rarely does it lead to a winner. Yes: a good return can help you dictate a rally, but ultimately that is a exchange:

And quite clearly a 26 year old (same age) Muzza was not too bothered by his return’s last year at Wimby was he?

Was a 27 year old Fed too bothered by Novak’s return in the past? Not much I reckon based on the h2h stat’s then.

-Back Hand?

Yes, Novak has a good 2 hander. But ultimately this- his stronger side- is not one he uses aggressively. He uses it mainly as a containing shot and only when he’s despairing in a rally does he go for the kill with a DTL shot.

IMHO: he need’s to use it more aggressively.

The thing with Novak is this:

He’s a complete player, but he LACKS that killer, money making shot. That go to shot which will bail him out and win the big points/ dictate points.

Sampras? His serve and FH ruled Tennis in the 90’s.

Fed? That serve and FH again dominated the tour.

Nadal? That FH- according to the 64 titles aged 28- has also not done too bad on the tour at all.

Novak- for me- lacks that killer/dominant shot.

Yes he has a brilliant BH- but how often does he use it aggressively?

Or name me ONE single 10 plus slam winner who dominated the tour with his BH?

Or even a return?

Neither really tends to dominate/ dictate a point in the way a serve or a dominant FH can do so.

– Novak’s win yesterday:

I have great respect for you Courbon so i’ll stop right here regarding his win yesterday. I have my opinion, I stated it and in the blunt fashion in which I post, as you know.

It was all in honesty, so I hope I did not offend you with it as offending was not the intention: just some plain old fashion, truthful, straight up opinion was.

I’ll end on congrats to Novak on his win and I hope you enjoyed it!

July 7th, 2014 at 3:22 pm

@ Brando: You are one very polite guy. I’m not offended at all-got bit cheesed off buy your post so hence my response.I do agree about lots of your posts and opinions, even when they are less favorable about Novak ( your post about Novak being choker-agree, even Novak admits. But he changed yesterday ,so who knows? ) but
while I agree with Nadals advantages that you mentioned, there is definetely ( in my opinion ) aspect of Nadal physicality and stamina that brought him lots of wins.That what brought Novak win yesterday (apart from good play) also, but his mental strenght in the 5th clinched the deal.

You are right -Novak does not has killer/dominant shot.And 10slams plus winner question?Probably not -nobody done with good BH -so Novak will probably not make 10 slams but 7 is good ( 8 is better and 9 would be magnificent !)

Muzza was not bothered last year by his backhand?Sure, this year he decided not to be bother even to go to final (-:
Same as Novak can not be compared to Fed and Nadal ( different level-7 slam difference with Nadal) I think Murray ( as much I like him ) can be compared, at this point, with Novak.

And yes-I did enjoy it when match was finished.During the match I was swearing Novak but those 27 aces from Fed really pissed me off.

Respect is mutual and I’m glad that you started writing again ( after your self imposed exile ).Sometimes you pissed me off ( but rarely )but thats normal-you are blunt and direct , probably me too, so hence posts like this.
Bring the North American swing, thats what I say!

July 7th, 2014 at 4:45 pm

Hi Courbon congrats on your favorites win yesterday,and what a match?

July 7th, 2014 at 4:50 pm

@Courbon:

Thanks C: you are a generous fellow with your words, and I do appreciate them!

– Novak being a choker:

I kinda hate myself for using the term now since whilst I used it with a honest assessment of things, calling someone a choker is still not nice. Put it like this: IF one my footballing friends called me a choker for missing a penalty then I will be pissed off at him.

So i’ll take back that term regarding Novak. It was not right to use it. My bad.

– Novak’s mentality and my opinion of it:

I think it’s fair to say he’s mentally fragile. Everyone looks at things differently, set’s a different bar of performance regarding a performer.

For example:

In football some people say CRISTIANO RONALDO is the best since his scoring record is better than LIONEL MESSI. But I disagree. Why?

Since Ronaldo goes missing in the big matches (CL Final, El Clasico’s, this WC etc) unlike Messi who steps up (this WC, El Clasico’s, CL final etc) and performs on the biggest possible stage.

So for me the guy who is the best is the one who steps up and performs/ deliver’s when it matters the most and when the pressure is the greatest.

I have always thought that across all Sports. I don’t care what player X’s record is it’s ALL about what he does on the biggest stage for me to see how great he/she really is.

Period.

Now in Tennis it is-beyond ANY doubt- a GS final and in this regarding Novak- unfortunately for him- he has lost too many in this regard.

His record/ performance in this regard has me thinking he is mentally fragile: and I do not think I am being harsh or hater or whatever when I say that.

Hell: Novak even himself has publicly acknowledged how he has been mentally fragile in such matches:

The biggest in the Sport.

So I do not think I am saying something unfair, controversial or illogical in this regard.

Maybe I set the bar a bit higher than most when it comes to such things possibly.

– Yesterday’s match:

Yes he was fragile in some crucial points (as I have mentioned) but yes it’s true:

He DID show mental strength in the 5th set. Novak put himself in a huge hole in the 5th set considering what happened in the previous set so it did take some character to win that set.

I recognise that and congratulate him for it.

– My thoughts on Novak Djokovic generally:

1. He’s in MY all time top 5 regardless from the players I have seen play.

2. I think he’s possibly the most complete Tennis player on tour. Fed you can attack his BH, Rafa likewise, Andy 2nd serve- but what about Novak?

He’s a complete player (but I do not think he’s got enough offensive firepower as Fedal IMHO)as I ahve seen any whilst viewing the Sport.

3. And finally: he’ll ALWAYS have my eternal respect for being the guy who stepped up and challenged- and for a while sadly for me, pummeled- my favourite: Rafael ‘the beast’ Nadal.

Rafa is the toughest fighter to ever possibly have played Tennis and for Novak to do what he did to Rafa circa 2011/12 was due to a combination of Talent and balls.

So he’ll always have my- and most Nadal fans- eternal respect for that. A wimp does not do that to Rafa: and Novak did do so, which makes him far from a wimp in my eyes.

– Murray v Djokovic:

I agree: Andy cannot be compared to Novak. After all: 7>2. It’s simple math’s.

And I don’t think anyone here really think’s Andy is the more highly regarded player. BUT…..

1. They are the same age, generation: so many group them together as due.

2. Both grew up in Fedal shadow as the next 2 after Fed and Rafa: so they have that similar struggle narrative.

3. Both their game’s have similarities to some degree. Matchup wise also they are pretty evenly stacked.

So whilst I agree in overall picture Andy is not on Novak’s level career wise, I think it’s understandable to see why they get lumped together in many people’s opinion.

I think of it like this:

In Tennis the fab 4 is: Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Murray.

In music it was The Beatles. Yet in The Beatles- as we know- it was all about Lennon and McCartney, then Harrison and Ringo.

For me in Tennis terms its:

Roger Federer = John Lennon

Rafael Nadal = Paul McCartney

These 2 are the front 2 and have that eternal rivalry. Then:

Novak Djokovic = George Harrison

Good enough to be the frontsman, but not quite Lennon or McCartney.

Andy Murray = Ringo Starr

Part of the Fab 4, but a bit in the background compared to the other famed trio.

Anyhow:

Good to see you on here and I share the same feeling as you:

Roll on the USO series!

July 7th, 2014 at 5:55 pm

@ Brando: You just insulted Murray being Ringo Star! Joking aside, Novak had 2011 when he was mentally very strong and then he lost his confidence somewhere along the way.I think 2012 and 2013 he had lots of mental isusses but since last October , I thought he was on the way back.Sure , he lost AO with Stan, but Stan did played brilliant , so did Nadal in RG Final.Lets see, if this title brings Novak mental strenght;
US Open will be very open-but open for BIG 4.
Favorites:
Nadal-After 2013, there is no doubt that Nadal is very comfortable with HC;
Murray-I think he will bounced back-My worries are in his coach-Nobody or even she does not know, if she is good or not.
Novak-After Wimby, the vibe is good fro my man.
Federer- After yesterdays performance and bit of luck on draw, he can win it.
After those guys-Wawrinka, Delpo ( if he is back ) and new boys ( Grigor, Nishikori,Gulbis,etc… )
I think old guys second tier is finished-Bedrych, Ferrer, Tsonga, Gasquet. Could be wrong, but it looks like new guys are replacing them before one day they replace BIG 4;Any thoughts?
Last thing…
My Beatles favorite song? Here comes the Sun…guess, who wrote that song?

July 7th, 2014 at 6:13 pm

@ Hippy Chic: Hi there; Thank you- very relief that he got monkey of his back.
I have not been much around, sometimes reading, rarely posting so apologise if I have not answer maybe? I hope you are well and I,ll speak to you soon- I just have to go to bed, 5 hours before I have to wake up. Night, night

July 7th, 2014 at 6:18 pm

calmdownplease Says:
Fed should have won?

Novak should have won in straight sets really, Certainly in 4, but couldn’t close it out.
I’m guessing nerves.

————————–

Yup. I think Federer should have won this match. I stand by the fact that I think he was the better player on Sunday. It’s a lot tougher to go for winners than to play to not make errors. Federer was aggressive and brilliant. Novak survived. If Federer played with these tactics 5 years ago, his slam count would be in the 20’s.

July 7th, 2014 at 7:47 pm

total winners were 68 nole and 75 fed. not much different all told. nole had more forehand and more backhand winners than fed. fed had more at net, with 44/67 (66%), but nole won 26/35 (74%) at net, too, which is a good effort. he didn’t stay back entirely. fed also had more aces, 29 to nole’s 13, but nole was the winner on second serves.

for comparison’s sake, fed actually came to net more in the 2008 final with rafa, 42/75 and rafa came in a wee bit less than nole 22/31. fed also hit 29 more winners than rafa in the 2008 final (but only 7 more than nole). i guess, in the end the matches were quite different.

July 7th, 2014 at 8:20 pm

the error count for fed (29)and nole (27) was about equal too, whereas in 2008 fed hit 52 errors to rafa’s 27.

July 7th, 2014 at 8:24 pm

To me a lot will depend on draw for US Open. For example the top 4 will prefer to face Ferrer and Berdych than Raonic or Grigor. No one of them also will want to play Murray, Gulbis, Kei or Isner. One of the top 8 will get Murray on R16 couldbe a top 4. A few match ups are potentially risky. Tjis time the draw will really make a difference and hardly see any of the top 4 getting a cake walk draw. Fir Fed for example would be having Fogini in R16 and Ferrer Quarter.
For Nadal, Gasquet R16 and Berdych in quarters, for Djoko having Fogini or Tsonga R16 and Berdych or Ferrer. Same for Wawa. If ine of them gets a combination of 2 regular custmors than it will e easy but they still have to face each other.

July 7th, 2014 at 9:03 pm

Yup, fed and nole produces epic matches. And so is nadal and nole. But nadal and fed barely had an epic match regardless of the surface. Guess everybody knows why.

July 8th, 2014 at 5:55 am

Simon the Wimbledon finals in 2007 and 2008 were epic finals,as was the 2009 AO final,same with the 2007 FO final….

July 8th, 2014 at 6:13 am

@SG1

No mate, just no.
At least not in my view(and I dont know what you were watching).

Another thing, I get confused with a lot of the posters here.
One minute there are seemingly only Novak fans and then a week later or even a post later they denigrate him in favour of Federer (most usually).
It’s rather disorientating!
Sunday Novak stopped Fed getting to 18.
Not Nadal to 15.
I wonder how that feels, conflicted? It’s telling some Novak `fans` didnt even turn up to support him!
We all have our favourites, second favourites and can hope one takes out another but
full blown Pretending to be a supporter of one player because he arrests the career of another to protect one’s real favourite really is pathetic, low grade behaviour.
Very shallow, mendacious and self deceiving particularly when one is pretending to oneself in the process.

July 8th, 2014 at 6:38 am

Courbon my favorite Beatles song is Hey Jude,but i also love In My Life,buts i find it sad also though somewhat as my nephew had it played for his baby daughters funeral :((

July 8th, 2014 at 6:42 am

CDP im one of those Rafa fans who doesnt give a toss about the whole GOAT debate,and even as a Rafa fan i actually rooted for Roger to win the final on Sunday,as i think hes a better GC player,as did Okiegal,Metan and Brando,as Michael actually said you cant imagine any/many Federer fans rooting for Rafa at the FO,even though they would have to admit all be it through gritted teeth Rafa is a better CC player than Novak….

July 8th, 2014 at 7:23 am

^To add meant to say fans are a fickle bunch sometimes^….

July 8th, 2014 at 7:24 am

I can easliy imagine some Fed fans wanting Nadal to drop dead on the chatrier against Novak.
That’s not the issue for me.
It’s when they become Novak `fans` and create these false personas online about being his fan and how great he is etc
And then disappear or dump him in favour of Fed.
Creeps.

July 8th, 2014 at 7:32 am

CDP, this final certainly offered up some conflicts. A lot of Fed fans who generally support Djokovic simply because of his success against Nadal were full on supporting Federer here. As for Nadal fans, well they were torn as well. I think they got the better end of the deal, though. Federer not extending his slam count isn’t as bad as Djokovic getting back to number 1, for Nadal and his fans that is. Unless this causes Djokovic to go on another tear. But short term, lesser of two evils.

As a fan of Djokovic and Federer, I was a little conflicted, too. But I was pulling slightly towards Djokovic simply because I think he needed it more. I can’t be too upset that Federer lost because he already has 17 slams. But Djokovic just got his 7th. I’ve also probably never been so happy for both players after a slam final. Djokovic redeeming himself and Federer proving that he’s far from done. At the end of the day, I was simply hoping for a great final and boy did they ever deliver.

July 8th, 2014 at 7:51 am

I would think hell would freeze over before any Fed fan would root for Rafa in a tourney especially if its a GS,unless hes playing Berdych…

July 8th, 2014 at 7:53 am

I always find it sad when fans what certain players to fail,rather than wanting their favorites to succeed….

July 8th, 2014 at 7:55 am

CDP,

Fed’s 75 winners and 29 UE’s compared to Novak’s 68 winners and 27 UE’s would seem to indicate that there wasn’t much to pick from between the two. While a single stat can’t provide all the answers, I, along with yourself and many others watched the match and I hardly think that Novak played in a way that was clearly better. I guess we’ll agree to disagree. I was pulling for Novak but I found Fed’s play simply stellar. His backhand was great, his serve was great and while his forehand wasn’t 2006 great, it was plenty good too. Novak played well as well. Really well in fact. This match was decided by the slimmest of margins and could have gone either way. Fed’s run at the end of the 4th set was ridiculously brilliant. He just went to a gear (albeit for a short period of time) that Novak doesn’t have.

July 8th, 2014 at 1:03 pm