Fognini Ends Nadal’s Rio Run; Simon v Monfils In Marseille Finale; Young Seeks First Title In Delray

hahhahahahah

Nadal has reached his biggest low. Lost to Fognini on clay. hahahhahaha.against Fognini. What a player

February 22nd, 2015 at 4:01 am

big loss. Normally he will bounce back to take a tournement. they need 250 win to get on somewhat of a winning streak.

Fognini can hit a decent ball and talentwise he is a top 10 player. but being mental fragile is his problem. So even mental midget can play this game and sometimes rise above themselves.

you go Fabio proof me wrong and take the title.

February 22nd, 2015 at 4:36 am

I warned the folks here last year that, Nadal will not win FO 2015. Some people threw their tauntrum at me. I repeat it again Nadal will not win French open 2015 and this year in fact he won’t win any slam

February 22nd, 2015 at 4:54 am

he still has time to up his chances.
he needed to win all clay matches for him to get his clay aura back. What he needs now is baggles and sticks like he used to get from SA goldswing.

February 22nd, 2015 at 5:04 am

Funny how people state their own opinions as been bona fide facts,a little perspective wouldnt go a miss,its only his first tournament on clay,i believe some said he wouldnt win the FO last year hmm….

February 22nd, 2015 at 5:04 am

but seriously, to get beaten by fognini doesnt get any worse in any sport.

February 22nd, 2015 at 5:18 am

I am just watching Ferrer/Haider-Maurer and conditions looked atrocious, they both looked like they had a shower just after the first game. Let us be honest, Rafa probably went to bed around 6am, he woke up around lunch time, I don’t really read to much in this Rafa loss, he is still favourite for any clay tournament he enters, in the normal conditions, you can’t really call Rio conditions (weather wise & schedule wise) normal, can you? If you say the conditions were the same for Fognini, not quite, he didn’t go to bed at 6am, but win is a win.

February 22nd, 2015 at 5:21 am

FF is a good CC player,who when he plays well,and sets his stall out is a match for anybody,he did the same to Murray in the DC last year,but i see that some peoples need for Nadal to lose means so much more than FFs win….

February 22nd, 2015 at 5:22 am

Wogboy great post,thats what you call perspective….

February 22nd, 2015 at 5:24 am

“but seriously, to get beaten by fognini doesnt get any worse in any sport.”

Lossing to Seppi after you declare that you play your best tennis ever, on the faster court with a lower bounce (your favourite), is pretty bad, isn’t it? Shit happens:)

February 22nd, 2015 at 5:28 am

HC,
I call a spade a spade:)

February 22nd, 2015 at 5:30 am

Rafa is still the king of clay. But, that wouldn’t reverse the fact that he won’t win French Open 2015. No one can rule forever. His decline will start after FO 2015. Then you shall see the fall of king no matter how glorious was he at his peak year. For me, Rafa is destined to win 14 at best 15 slams. But, 15 for him as improbable as the revival of Roman Empire.

February 22nd, 2015 at 5:31 am

^^ I wouldn’t mind if Nole wins FO this year..if that is OK?

February 22nd, 2015 at 5:38 am

Wogboy ill see what it says in my crystal ball,and im not joking either,i do have one been a Hippy Chick and all lol….

February 22nd, 2015 at 5:41 am

Well, Fog’s got a day to savor it. Then he has to face the Little Beast. Ferru. Maybe the 3rd best player behind Rafa and Nole.
And Rafa isn’t done until injury forces him out – or -AT LEAST a horrible year like Fed had in 2013 happens, then the year after, a 2nd horrible year happens to him.

February 22nd, 2015 at 5:44 am

People said then same thing last year Nadal wont win the French hmmm,seems some people just dont learn their lesson,and while granted all runs end eventually,these people look pretty foolish when their Nostradamus type predictions end up going pear shaped….

February 22nd, 2015 at 5:45 am

No I predicted Rafa’s victory in RG 2014 even then some people laughed at me. I have confidence on my clairvoyance….this year Rafa won’t win.

February 22nd, 2015 at 7:34 am

^Perhaps you could tell me the winning lottery numbers then,i could do with winning 14 or so million?^….

February 22nd, 2015 at 8:09 am

Wog Boy Says:
“but seriously, to get beaten by fognini doesnt get any worse in any sport.”

Lossing to Seppi after you declare that you play your best tennis ever, on the faster court with a lower bounce (your favourite), is pretty bad, isn’t it? Shit happens:)

February 22nd, 2015 at 5:28 am

Pretty pathetic actually Wogboy.

It’s obvious that Rafa lost because of the late match he had previously. Any fool can see that. To bring Roger into this,you just humiliate yourself.

February 22nd, 2015 at 9:54 am

MM,
Watch out, WB has Feditis, think he got it around the WTF last year….;)
—
Where is the Vamos Rafa stuff? Champs?
Congrats to Fabio, great win against the Clay Beast.

February 22nd, 2015 at 10:49 am

haha, what short meories you have. I remember so many posters in 2013 predicting Rafa’s demise in 2013 when he struggled to put away Zeballos in Chile and Berlocq in Sao Paolo and then lost in straights to Nole at MC – “this year he won’t win RG” “he’s done physically”. He wins RG.

Then last year he narrowly escaped losing to Andujar in Rio; lost to Ferrer in MC and Almagro in Barcelona; escaped losing to Nishikori in Madrid. “losing to Almagro is embarrassing”, “he’s done”, “it’s Novak’s time”. He wins RG.

Only a fool counts Rafa out. And since he has slipped to 3rd/4th, he’s more than likely to meet your fav in the SF. Let’s talk again then shall we? lol

February 22nd, 2015 at 1:35 pm

“I don’t really read to much in this Rafa loss, he is still favourite for any clay tournament he enters”

“And Rafa isn’t done until injury forces him out”

good quotes wog boy and chrisford. i suspect most nole fans are not silly enough to count out rafa in any clay event, but especially at roland garros, and that’s why none of us are!

that’s not to say we wouldn’t love to see nole win there some year, but i think we’re realistic to know how insurmountable that challenge is, given that he’s lost there ONCE in a DECADE!

lol, indeed.

February 22nd, 2015 at 1:51 pm

*guess i should qualify and say “some of us”

February 22nd, 2015 at 1:52 pm

The DA,

One day he will not win RG or not have his amazing comeback, it happens to everybody.

So, eventually, “the fools” will be right. And it’s kind of going to be funny, because people will come to the I told you so.

The problem is that he is battling father time, not 23/24 as 2010 or 26/27 in 2013. He is 28 going to 29 in May and if he is not producing resulta fast it’s reason for concern.

Last tear even tough he had clay blips he started the year coming from final in WTF, title in Doha, final in AO, title in Rio. Followed by final in Miami, title in Madrid and final in Rome. He was getting to the latter stages in more than half the tournaments he played. This time his last final is RG. Confidence is a delicate thing in tennis and it remiams to be seen of he will find resume to his oldself. But a championnloje he is just 1 tourney and bang.

February 22nd, 2015 at 1:56 pm

@Jane – I know you’re more of a realist than most around here ;) I’m just reacting to some of the more foolhardy comments above.

@Dabiel – Of course, I agree that no player is invincible. And I’m actually someone who doesn’t rely too much on H2Hs, records on a surface etc. I’ve been around too long following tennis and know better.

February 22nd, 2015 at 2:17 pm

@Wog Boy, the DA:

Major props and thanks for those posts that ooze respect and reason towards Rafa. It’s appreciated. Good luck to your favs at Dubai: here’s hoping for a Andole final there!

– Nole and Muzza fans:

Thanks for the respect shown towards Rafa throughout his career- MOST ESPECIALLY when he’s down. 99% of the time you guys have always been good towards him: just like to take this opportunity to say it’s appreciated!

– This thread:

It’s interesting that NOT ONE of the posters mocking this loss, writing Nadal off is either a Djokovic or a Murray fan.

NOT ONE.

RARELY if ever do you see a Djokovic or a Murray fan even doing this: disrespecting Rafa. Sure fans can have back and forth’s: but in general there is a deep rooted respect for the other player and the respective fan bases the prevailing majority of the time.

It’s ALWAYS been the same fan base that ridicules Rafa, mocks him, writes him off after a loss. ALWAYS quick to write his obituary.

This has been going for a MANY a year now.

We ALL know why. We all know the deep rooted cause of this.

All i’ll say is to the haters:

Keep talking. Since we ALL know the next time Nadal is in the same event as your favorite this player you are now mocking and writing off as a has been is the exact one you’ll be praying that he does not face your favorite.

Since we ALL when that happens the same posters who are talking big right now are suddenly quite silent and …………..absent.

The stuff of cowards:

Kicking someone when they are down, still fearing them nonetheless, praying their fav avoids the ‘has been’, and running away when they do meet since we ALL what happens then.

So yeah: keep talking. And then start praying Rafa does not meet your fav. Since the ‘has been’ might do something he’s been doing for years: Kicking your fav’s butt and making a mockery of his so called greatness!

Just keep talking!

February 22nd, 2015 at 2:34 pm

Daniel, yep. When you are wrong a hundred times in a row before you’re right, you tend to forget the first hundred times…

Don’t understand all this snark. Fognini is an extremely good tennis player. He’s almost made it into the top ten in the recent past. And clay is his best surface.

February 22nd, 2015 at 2:34 pm

“Ferru. Maybe the 3rd best player behind Rafa and Nole.”

lol…. what? sorry, but this claim can’t even be taken seriously.

February 22nd, 2015 at 2:35 pm

it is weird when people state predictions as facts, the da. but i do think most nole fans are realistic when it comes to rafa and roland garros.

i guess the whole of the tennis world – perhaps even some rafa fans – wonder when he’ll lose again there. no one has ever dominated a slam to the same degree in the open era, not that i know of. it’s astounding, and so speculation always begins. for years it was “will federer beat him this year” and recently it’s been “will nole beat him this year”. there’s bound to be talk even though everyone knows he’s the favourite always at the french. and journalists are trying to inject some unpredictability into it, i suppose. after all, it’s been a repeat show for so long.

February 22nd, 2015 at 2:37 pm

this year, the hype might change slightly because rafa could win 10 of one slam – TEN! so that might be the story this year. has it ever been done? even pre-open era? seems outrageous.

February 22nd, 2015 at 2:40 pm

“Pretty pathetic actually Wogboy.

It’s obvious that Rafa lost because of the late match he had previously. Any fool can see that. To bring Roger into this,you just humiliate yourself.”

Actually not madmax, it is pathetic for fedfan to say:
“but seriously, to get beaten by fognini doesnt get any worse in any sport.”
Only one month after Roger lost to #2 Italian player on his favourite srface in the GS match, Rafa lost to #1 Italian player in 500 tournament, do you get it?

February 22nd, 2015 at 2:44 pm

Jane, Rafa’s dominance at the FO is indeed completely outrageous. In the past few years Rafa has only been a top-5 player off clay (not casting shade) but on clay it’s just sick. At the FO…even sicker. I think the only explanation is actually that his opponents simply don’t believe they can beat him. Fed in 2011. Ferrer, Djokovic, Andy…they’ve all had their shots. Even John Isner nearly beat him once! But Rafa can always be counted on to win a point when he really needs to (even saw this with the Fognini match–he was being completely outplayed in the third set, but raised his level astonishingly in the last few games. Got down 0-30 when serving to say alive, won the next two points with just unreal tennis. FF won the next one, Rafa uncorked the magic again. Just not quite enough to get through the hold…)

February 22nd, 2015 at 2:47 pm

Boom. GOAT pretender gone!

February 22nd, 2015 at 2:47 pm

As for the man in question Rafael Nadal, here’s a a indication how he’s moved on:

”Jose’ Pereira, a Brazilian player who practised with Nadal for a week in Rio, on Instagram said: ”After a week of training with Rafa here at Rio Open, he left the tournament after losing a big match to Fabio Fognini.

I went to pick up my bags in the locker room, Rafa was there, only 5 minutes after defeat, seated talking to his uncle. When he saw me, he stopped what he was doing, stood up and gave me a hug, thanking me for helping him this week.

Then he took off a shirt of plastic, took a a pen and signed it dedicating it to my entire family.

Rafa, I am the one who thanks you for all the help you gave me this week as for sure it was worth more than a entire year’s worth of training. Your’e a great example! Toni: thanks for your confidence! See you in the next tournaments, hugs!”

Guess he’s appreciated by some no? People in the game, not a petty no name hiding behind a computer screen, no?

Vamos Rafa: onto Argentina!

February 22nd, 2015 at 2:47 pm

“MM,
Watch out, WB has Feditis, think he got it around the WTF last year….;)”

Actually it is the other way around skeezer, Roger contracted Nolitis and did WO, didn’t have a guts to face Nole at WTF…:)

February 22nd, 2015 at 2:49 pm

the delray beach final is kind of an interesting one: dr. ivo has lost a lot of finals over the years, and must be getting fairly close to retirement, and young has never won a title. both have a lot to play for.

February 22nd, 2015 at 2:53 pm

congrats to simon, but wow monfils: “Monfils’ career record in ATP finals down to 5-17.”

February 22nd, 2015 at 3:03 pm

la monf, ladies and gentlemen….

February 22nd, 2015 at 3:09 pm

“didn’t have a guts to face Nole at WTF..”

You’ll never sell me or Nole on that one..they have played..what…36 times… and Fed all of the sudden fakes an injury NOT to play? I think Fed has the guts to play Nole and Nole knows that, that is nonsense. What is gutless is ever since then trying to bring Fed down with innuendo stuff ever since then. Give it up. Believe what you want to and move on…

February 22nd, 2015 at 3:29 pm

All these people making fun of me for wearing shorts backwards, it was 3 hours past my bed time.

February 22nd, 2015 at 3:31 pm

And two days later after the WTF, the GOAT was jumping up and down like a goat in the Swiss Alps..back injury, what back injury?:)
Give up skeezer, even my friends, Fedfans, agreed that he was fatigued, not injured, and didn’t want to be h……..d by Nole.

February 22nd, 2015 at 3:48 pm

Rafa is already in BA practising.

February 22nd, 2015 at 3:49 pm

To be honest, I still think Fognini is a hell lot better than Stakhovsky.

February 22nd, 2015 at 4:25 pm

Lets see, no guts = fatigued. Now he was fatigued? Must be a Serb/Aussie thing. I have seen my share of a “fatigued”, “retired” Novak.

February 22nd, 2015 at 4:34 pm

I must admit I am highly amused at these two tearing strips off each other. It wasn’t long ago when they were besties tearing strips off Rafa. May the best slugger win. LMAO
Vamos Rafa!

February 22nd, 2015 at 4:40 pm

skeezer, what is your problem about people having different opinion abou St Roger and why fon’t you let them posting them without behaving like ambulance chaser. You are the one coming after my posts about St Roger every single time, I hardly comment any of your posts. So give it up please and let others have their opinion even if it is not in line of St Roger followers.
To make you happy, Rafa fans couldn’t kick me out of TX, but you are making me taking a break from TX, enjoy it mate. Your place in building the legacy for St Roger will be rewarded.

February 22nd, 2015 at 4:57 pm

Essentially, Skeezer, before he was matured at 23 Djokovic acted like Fed did before he was 23 (Roger says he was a complete jerk into his early 20s).

Notice that Fedtards and writers obsessed with Federer Love give him a complete pass on those age 18-22 “Bad Fed” days. But ride Djoker for stuff he said and did at the same age.

The fatigued and tired thing of the early Djokovic years was not a fake though…maybe Djokovic could have “gutted” it more, but he had medical issues. Some matched he could play forever and in other matched he hit the wall.
He’s not the only one.
Leading up to 2005, Nadal was thought to have enormous potential but he was shirking running in training and elastic band back and forth drills. Turns out Nadal had a painful bone abnormality in his foot one set of doctors said would not be repairable enough to stay on a pro athlete career..The other set of doctors said operate.

February 22nd, 2015 at 5:06 pm

If Ferrer at 32 beats Fognini, I find it impossible to believe Nadal can’t play better than Ferrer. Nadal will be back. The fact that after 10 years over a decade of clay dominance, it is expected of him to win every clay tournament he plays is phenomenal. Come the spring clay season, Nadal will be a force.

February 22nd, 2015 at 5:28 pm

@WogBoy

Yo! You enjoying the cricket world cup down under?

February 22nd, 2015 at 5:28 pm

Well done Little Beast!

February 22nd, 2015 at 5:53 pm

Congrats to little Daveed,as for Foggy well it was always going to be a tough ask backing up one great win with another,but major props to him on beating Rafa,and also having such a great week….

February 22nd, 2015 at 5:56 pm

I want to send my congrats to Daveed and his fans! I felt like he had this title wrapped up. Not to disregard Fabio’s ability in any way. As Chick said in her comment would be a tall order to back up his Rafa win. He played some great tough matches to get to the final. Kudos to him for his great week.

Moving on to the next one. Fed, Novak and Andy fans…good luck in Dubai…..should be a good one!

Hope my guy gets some more of the kinks worked out….especially a higher percentage of first serves……and time……no violations please!!
Best of luck to the KOC!!

February 22nd, 2015 at 6:20 pm

@WG, Agree with all your posts!

Novak was the biggest reason for the end of The Duopoly. Some fans will NEVER, EVER get over that. Theyre reeling and understandably pretty emotional about it. Some fans more than others. It happens to everybody as their fave enter the twilight of their career.

I’ve had a lot practice on this, with Novak losing lots of GS finals in the last couple of years. So hopefully I’d do better when Novak eventually gets overtaken by the next generation.

Congrats to David the warrior! And to Simon and Dr Ivo too!

February 22nd, 2015 at 6:23 pm

Roger and Andy in the same half of the draw in Dubai! Novak has the rejuvenated Tomas in his half. :)

Roger is defending champion.

Go Novak!

February 22nd, 2015 at 6:30 pm

WB not WG :) Peace.

February 22nd, 2015 at 6:35 pm

@CF1,
Agreed. Nole has pretty much overcome those early issues and has more resolve physcically than anyone right now. I don’t understand your point on Fed retiring like Novak from matches or physical fatigue during those years however? I did know Fed admitted his behavior wasn’t that great.
My point is be careful about having a negative opinion about a player when your fav player has/had there own negatives. I have never called Fed a Saint, nor think he is perfect by any means. These kinds of “names” are usually made by others who don’t like Fed. Fair enough. But call it like it is, not how it’s not. I can comment and have an opinion also btw just like everyone else here. And seeing continual digs at a player that are unfounded will get me to post….including Nole….oh…. Except Rafa of course :-)…..and that is a dig on me!

February 22nd, 2015 at 6:37 pm

Settle down everyone, it’s Sunday, let’s be civil to one another. Watch the Oscars tonight and root for my great nephew’s film documentary…”The Last Days of Viet Nam” he is the producer and Rory Kennedy is the director. His name is Taylor Johns!! Woot woot for them for being nominated!

February 22nd, 2015 at 6:53 pm

This is a bit morale shattering from Rafa’s point of view. How can he lose in a position after having convincingly won the first set and squandered the second set by being a breakup ? It is a wake up call indeed for Rafa as it has happened in a surface where he in known as Mr.Invincible. Nevertheless, I still hope it is just a blip and Rafa would gather steam as the clay court schedule progresses.

February 22nd, 2015 at 6:56 pm

Still too far from the French O. I like Nadal but only at the French. I will be happy to see him win 12 of them but lose all the other tournaments he enters. Give the rest to Djokovic but let him end his carreer without the French. Federer? He bores me now.

February 22nd, 2015 at 7:09 pm

I think its hard to say where Rafa’s game is at. On the one hand, he can’t have been feeling good from the night before- or morning before. This is a very unusual circumstance for a tennis player. But its a first loss to a player who has never beaten a top 5 player. Its a semifinal loss on clay, something that hasn’t happened to Rafa in, what 12 years? (Was his loss to Soderling quarterfinals?)

The problem is, now we go to hard courts. So we won’t have the real answer to Rafa’s clay level for a while. I’m always curious, you know, he’s been so dominant on clay for so long, but its a fact that it will end some day. I suppose that’s one of the biggest themes in tennis of this era: how long can he be the unquestioned best on clay, and in particular, how long can Rafa go at RG, and extend his historic ownership of that title?

I hope Rafa fans don’t take this as my rooting for Rafa’s downfall, frankly I don’t care much own way or the other- but its a reason to watch, something that heightens the tension in every finals with Novak. There’s another question mark: if Novak is NOT in fact the man who will beat The Man, then who will the man be?

February 22nd, 2015 at 9:01 pm

And then there’s Ferrer. We all just dismiss him, he was widely used as the throwaway guy in our top ten predictions. I don’t know if there was ever a season he was a favourite to finish top ten. He just keeps outperforming the so-called Slam threats week in and week out.

February 22nd, 2015 at 9:03 pm

Why does the article say Rafa lost 1-6, 6-2,7-5?
He didn’t. That was the score by which Fognini won. This is a mistake often made on the BBC News site.

February 22nd, 2015 at 9:57 pm

There was little drama on court between Nadal and the umpire Carlos Bernardes.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=329_1424655017

February 22nd, 2015 at 10:11 pm

Yes Rafa needs more time to win. Listen to him ump, he knows best for the ATP.

February 22nd, 2015 at 11:22 pm

Congrats to foggy for beating Rafa. 😍

Don’t worry , there is still another tour for Rafa, and as long as he plays, I am Happy.

February 23rd, 2015 at 1:47 am

bernardes called 2 time violations right? but nadal can’t actually have him not umpire his matches any more can he? a player doesn’t have that power does he or she?

February 23rd, 2015 at 3:10 am

That was only the 3rd SF on clay he has lost in 13 years! An amazing stat in my books…..95%!!!
I got this info from a fan base site….hope it is correct. Miri is usually right when it comes to Rafa…. :)

February 23rd, 2015 at 3:21 am

@Jane……I wondered about that myself. Rafa is my guy and all but him and his team need to work on that issue. Rules are rules. The umpires over look racquet abuse a lot of times too….and then boom, it will get called. I have seen objects being kicked and busted up and nothing called. David Ferrer pushed a linesman, nothing done….but going seconds over is a federal offence. They need to crack down on every form of
unsportsmanlike conduct…..just saying.

February 23rd, 2015 at 3:32 am

Lossing to Seppi after you declare that you play your best tennis ever, on the faster court with a lower bounce (your favourite), is pretty bad, isn’t it? Shit happens:)

It can’t get stupid than this. I think your mom needs to clean up your nappies.

February 23rd, 2015 at 4:04 am

It can be the worst clay season for Rafa this year. We will see if he is able to get Roland Garros because current performance doesn’t look like this

February 23rd, 2015 at 7:12 am

Tennis Island. I think you should worry about your fave, whomever that is, and stop speculating Rafa’s future. You’re not his fan so save your energy and nonsensical comments for your fave! Why are you so invested in Rafa’s progress anyway? Maybe a little jittery perhaps?

February 23rd, 2015 at 8:04 am

Just a little comment as I don’t have a dog in this fight. The Rio tournament seemed brutal, condition wise, and one could say the schedule was a bit out of wack. Rafa was clearly not happy w/ the umpire, but Carlos is such a fixture on the tour, especially since he can speak to all the Spanish-speaking players, that I don’t think he’s going to get his wish of not having him as an umpire.
The tournaments this week will be very telling in terms of seeing if Rafa can bounce back and who can come out of Dubai w/ such a competitive field.
@Okiegal, sorry your relative’s film didn’t win, but that Snowden documentary seemed like a lock.

February 23rd, 2015 at 8:46 am

@Jane – “a player doesn’t have that power does he or she?”

I’ve seen much debate about this after the match and someone who I follow on twitter (who is a general tennis rules geek) asserts that ATP players do have the right to request to avoid certain umpires if possible – just that it’s usually done off the court. This person is usually right. But I don’t have enough interest to check and confirm this.

February 23rd, 2015 at 9:39 am

So Rafa loses a match, when he has to turnaround in few hours and still people complain about him losing the match. Infact we should respect him for honoring his commitment and played the match, rather than skipping it.

He showed what a champion he is by showing himself for the match.

February 23rd, 2015 at 10:56 am

so every time Nadal blows a fuse then he really lets it all out.
a glimpse in the psyche of elite player. the balance usually is there but now and then we get to see how difficult it is and what they have to do to be so great.
in this aspect fedal are also almost the same.
the tantrums they have are somewhat similar. Maybe Nadal is more emotional when it happens.

February 23rd, 2015 at 11:06 am

See.. Federer plays monday. Nadal never ever plays upfront. Nadal wants to play always initial round as far as late possible. And then complains ATP and tournment playing within a day twice. Crazy Nadal.

February 23rd, 2015 at 11:09 am

thanks the da. wow i would’ve never thought that to be the case. i can’t think of other sports/athletes where they can say, “no i don’t want that referee etc,” and threaten to actually take away work from someone because of an angry response. who knows? maybe bernardes has been told to crack down on time violations, in which case it would be coming more from “on high” than himself. maybe it’ll blow over and was just rafa’s response in the heat of the moment.

February 23rd, 2015 at 11:17 am

@Emily……Thanks for that. It was so nice of you to mention it. Yes, I’m sure he was disappointed but excited at the same time. I haven’t seen it yet. Will air on PBS at the end of April. Did not see the one that won either……so thanks again!!

February 23rd, 2015 at 11:23 am

Carlos Bernardes has an agenda against Rafa which has been going on for years even before the ATP tightened up on the time rules. Maybe he’s a Fedfan, who knows!!

February 23rd, 2015 at 12:05 pm

“an agenda’? really – you think there’s some sort of conspiracy against him? have they had these run-ins for years? i can’t say that i’ve noticed.

that said, umps are humans. they probably do have their “favourites” just like the commentators.

February 23rd, 2015 at 12:32 pm

You probably havnt watched Rafa’s matches when CB is umpiring. He gives Rafa at least one warning per match 80% of the time

February 23rd, 2015 at 12:42 pm

i probably have watched but maybe didn’t notice the umpire; i don’t usually notice them unless a player starts arguing with them or there are particularly egregious calls.

just out of curiosity, i tried to see if i could find stats on who gets called on violations most, how often, and by which umpires, but i couldn’t find anything specific.

i think to argue that an umpire not be used for a certain player, they should need to present evidence. i did notice rafa has complained about other umps calling the violations, so i am not sure it’s particular to bernardes?
http://www.espn.co.uk/tennis/sport/story/275491.html

February 23rd, 2015 at 1:25 pm

Gilles: you mean undeserved warnings?

February 23rd, 2015 at 1:26 pm

I reiterate my post at 3:32…..they need to crack down on all forms of unsportsmanlike conduct.
Racquet smashers get by with that all the time. Now I realize it’s called, but not near enough imho.

February 23rd, 2015 at 1:29 pm

I was disappointed in Rafa that he let it get the better of him which I believe threw his concentration off, but jmo. He might have dismissed it from his mind, but I seriously doubt it. But all props to Fabio he got it together and won. I think he’s an excellent cc player.

February 23rd, 2015 at 1:33 pm

Rules are rules for everybody ,sounds like Rafa is making out its personal,when CB is merely doing his job,love you to bits Rafa but please you need to speed up,and i might add Sharapova to that too,but can they use some discretion after the length of some points ie long rallies….

February 23rd, 2015 at 1:36 pm

Queen of stats, at it again! Lol Must be a very interesting subject for you to want to research. There is tennis going on at the moment FYI!!!!

February 23rd, 2015 at 1:38 pm

Okie agree with both your posts,lol on Fabio keeping his cool,and Rafa losing it who would have thought it eh?….

February 23rd, 2015 at 1:39 pm

CB not only got an earful from Rafa but also Fognini. FF to CB: “Don’t talk to me, don’t talk to me, wtf are you telling, are you still talking”? This altercation stemmed from the incident when he went over the net on breakpoint. So all in all,
Carlos had a rough night in the chair, but won all arguments! Lol

February 23rd, 2015 at 2:08 pm

^Didnt see the match Okie,but thats Fabio,when i go to work and the old folks are aruing with each other,i alweays say to my work colleagues,should we go out and come back in again?lol,a rough night then for CB….

February 23rd, 2015 at 2:14 pm

@Chick…….yeah, thanks!! I hope our guy improves with his fitness. He has mentioned tiredness setting in quicker than it used to. Getting older would have a lot to do with that. He sweats out buckets which depletes salt, potassium, electrolytes etc…..the humidity must have been rough…..but the same for everyone! Just can wish him luck in Argentina!

February 23rd, 2015 at 2:26 pm

Time violation? LOL: who gives a s–t about that!

Take an hour between points Rafa: ATP ain’t going to do —k all about it!

Nadal has commented about this openly, clearly yet some dumb idiots don’t get it. I’ll be charitable and break it down for the tools:

Rafa admits publicly he takes time between points. But newsflash: he’s being doing this since day 1. Even Novak takes an eternity between points. Old news.

And he say’s he’s all good with time violation warnings if the umpire wants to give it. No drama. He’s got it before and not had an issue. His ONLY issue- and even a clown can see the sense of it- is:

All about timing of the warning.

To do so at 30-40 or on major points as has been for some players outside Rafa in the past is just plain idiotic of the umpire.

IF the players doing it all the while: then why be a b-tch and call it at such a moment when you could call it early and there is no drama?

Just call it early, deal with it instantly, don’t act like a wimp around it and there is no drama.

Bottom line:

This is not even an issue. Certainly ain’t going to affect Rafa.

Might do to Carlos though. Pissing off one of the sports big 2 money makers was just a dumb move when he easily could have handled it better.

February 23rd, 2015 at 2:46 pm

yes but what we’re talking about isn’t the violations per se. i was curious if a player can request that a certain umpire not officiate his/her games. and then giles suggested bernardes has an agenda versus rafa, but when rafa’s said the same about other umps too. i realize he’s very open on his views about that rule, which is perfectly fine. but the conversation wasn’t about that really.

February 23rd, 2015 at 2:57 pm

^ sorry for all the typos. i mean when i searched i saw rafa has said it about other umps too.

February 23rd, 2015 at 3:00 pm

wog boy, you are entitled to your point of view, just like any other poster. i hope you don’t take a long break. :( it’s nice to have some fellow nole fans around to chat with and i love your joyful comments. come back soon please!

February 23rd, 2015 at 3:01 pm

“It can’t get stupid than this. I think your mom needs to clean up your nappies.”

um, all i think wog boy was trying to say is that rafa’s loss to fognini was no worse than fed’s to seppi, that they were comparable, even, because rafa lost on clay and fed on hard courts, both to people we wouldn’t normally expect them to lose to. and wog boy said “s..t happens” meaning upsets happen. it’s not the end of the world, we need not fret about fed’s and rafa’s games just because of those losses. i don’t see how any of this is “stupid” or warrants that reply.

February 23rd, 2015 at 3:05 pm

http://t.thestar.com/#/article/sports/tennis/2015/02/23/rio-open-to-make-changes-after-rafael-nadals-3-am-rant.html

February 23rd, 2015 at 3:49 pm

@Brando…..I have said many times……call the time violation at the onset of the match…..but they don’t……they let it slide and then when the match gets tense and tight that seems to be when it becomes an issue. Tennis is Rafa’s livelihood and a part of me thinks he should get to take as long as he likes, within reason of course. You’re right, he’s played like this his whole career and now time limit is a problem……..a problem for TV, imo. I still think those fans that pay big bucks for the tickets love the long matches, if they didn’t they wouldn’t cheer for that third or fifth set….imo.

February 23rd, 2015 at 3:50 pm

Serenas had some run ins with female umpire Eva Aserderaki a fair few times, who certainly doesnt take any prisoners when it comes to the rules,,but ive never heard her say i want another umpire,well to the best of my knowledge anyway?just saying….

February 23rd, 2015 at 3:56 pm

My hubby hates tennis,but he actually said to me once,tennis is supposed to be a patient sport,so why make such an issue about it?having said that he neither knows nor cares,he has no axe to grind one way or the other….

February 23rd, 2015 at 4:11 pm

@Okiegal:

Spot on post! Nothing much to add other than:

The umpire/s should wisen up.

Usually when a player-Nadal or otherwise- goes over there is a high chance they have done so for a while in the match. So deal with it smartly.

A. Immediately call it out early, instantly in the match so the offender is wise to it. Or:

B. IF you choose to see IF it’s a consistent pattern, then at the first, most reasonable opportunity in the match do so.

ANY player- Nadal or otherwise- would be cool with that. The ONLY thing they don’t want is:

The umpire to piss them off with a violation warning at the worst possible time in the match, when especially they could have done so easily at a earlier point!

That can easily piss a player off: and the umpire ain’t there to do that. He/she is there to:

APPLY the rules of the game whilst using that discretion with sound REASON and JUDGMENT.

Calling a player out for a time violation-when they have been doing so for a while- at a 30-40 moment during a match is just flat out stupid.

Calling them out after a long point is idiotic.

And do remember:

This match- Nadal v Fognini- was between 2 players playing their 2nd 3 set match within 20 hours, during some extreme heat and humidity.

Them taking more time between points was just inevitable.

Hence: I can get why Rafa got pissed off with Carlos in that moment. He said he was suffering physically in the heat, and when that’s the case and the umpire is asking you to hurry up:

Most people out there would get pissed off. Especially when they are suffering due to idiotic scheduling.

February 23rd, 2015 at 4:23 pm

@Chick……that’s weird, my hubby said the same thing. He hates tennis too. He said tennis was his occupation and he puts his body out there and looks like he could take the time he feels he needs to recover……but rules are rules…..I get that too.

February 23rd, 2015 at 4:24 pm

@Brando……EXACTLY……..agree 110%! Nothing more to add, you said it all!

February 23rd, 2015 at 4:31 pm

He did sit and watch when Andy won Wimbledon two years ago,saying how fantastic it was for GB,other than that strictly a football fan,lower division crap unfortunatly lol….

February 23rd, 2015 at 4:32 pm

I agree too for what its worth….

February 23rd, 2015 at 4:33 pm

The only sport my hubby watches is the women’s beach volleyball. I tell him he’s a dirty old man. :)

February 23rd, 2015 at 4:40 pm

My hubbys a guys guy really,he only needs one woman,and thats ME LOL….

February 23rd, 2015 at 4:44 pm

@Okiegal

No Okie, he’s a man :) and women also need admiration :-p. Your husband is, like all other men including me, fulfilling his defined role in the cosmos ! Hehehe

Just kidding … or am I ? You choose.

February 23rd, 2015 at 4:44 pm

@Patson…..I can always count on you to put your 2cents worth in about the male species. No, you aren’t kidding, I believe you are just like my hubby…..maybe worse, you tell me! Lol. :)

February 23rd, 2015 at 5:01 pm

CB is one of the few umpires who have the balls to control the tennis superstars, saw him do this to Nadal,Federer, Djoko and a few other, he let them know that he is in charge and they won’t use their star to eclipse him.

He and Layahni also overrule some lines judge immediately and are not like majority who just feel protected by hawked.
They do their job and no wonder why they are in several finals and semis,because they can handle them.

February 23rd, 2015 at 5:09 pm

Brando,

Don’t think the point being a BP or Match Point it’s not an option to call a time violation and hence common sense wouldn’t :allow it”. Because this is precisely the points that players tend to take longer to serve. Specially Nadal. He uses all his time because he know that if he hit his first serve in wide left serve on the add side the point is basically his. That’s why he has one of the best rates in saving BP’s, simply advantage of the left wide serve on the ad side.

To call a time violation and this specific point sends a clear message fro the umpire: “i am not letting you take 30-40 seconds just because it’s a BP” Fasten your pace or next time will be worst.
I bet by the time they call a time violation on a BP is because the abuse is happening from quit sometime in similar situation

But I agree with you, if only the umpires reinforce it from the get go, probably we wouldn’t have to come to a call on BP.

February 23rd, 2015 at 5:17 pm

The best umpire is Jake Garnet, he even tops Lahyani. Another umpire who heckles Rafa is Carlos Ramos.
Wotz with these guys? Only one answer – fedfans!!!

February 24th, 2015 at 3:28 am

both to people we wouldn’t normally expect them to lose to. and wog boy said “s..t happens”

who cares about Roger’s loss now, when he already has 17 GS titles. this is Rafa’s match, just stop at it.

February 24th, 2015 at 3:39 am

Its the umpires fault that Rafa takes too much time! Darn that ump, he should bend the rules so Rafa can win! How ridiculous! Change the rules, and don’t enforce the current ones, so Rafa can win, and others can lose. This is the fairest for everybody, no?
Vamos!

February 24th, 2015 at 3:52 am

I think people missed the whole point,as Jane alluded to does Rafa have any authority on which umpires can or cannot be used for his matches,which was the initial point,not the time violations themselves,as of course Rafa should abide by the rules,as they all should?….

February 24th, 2015 at 5:57 am

*Jake Garner* not Garnet.

February 24th, 2015 at 6:04 am

Post 3 52 am. Exactly right!!

February 24th, 2015 at 6:05 am

I’m pretty sure Rafa knows the rules more than we do. This particular umpire, CB and Carlos Ramos heckle him more times than not without using an iota of discretion as to the timing of the warnings. The ATP should take note and give these umpires some lessons on using proper discretion. If this is going to be the norm with certain umpires then bring on the shot clock . The reason the shot clock is not in existence, I think, is because “discretion” flies out the window as is happening now.

February 24th, 2015 at 6:13 am

Anyone notice as soon as Rafa is the centre of controversy that ignoramus skeezer is the first one to jump on the bandwagon. So much hate!! Pity the poor man, doesn’t have a life outside this forum!!

February 24th, 2015 at 6:18 am

Get rid of umpires. Have the players make their own calls. Chaos is great.

February 24th, 2015 at 7:09 am