How Did Roger Federer Injure His Knee? Turns Out It Was Just A Walk In The Park With The Kids

wow.

February 4th, 2016 at 10:30 am

Kids can be hazardous to one’s health!!! LOL Hope Fed has a speedy recovery!

February 4th, 2016 at 10:34 am

This is one of those things that can be categorizes as “funny but not funny.” Amazing how many injuries happen via regular every day activities.

February 4th, 2016 at 10:57 am

I don’t buy it.

February 4th, 2016 at 11:01 am

I don’t buy it either. Too spooky!

February 4th, 2016 at 11:31 am

it makes sense that the knee was probably already weakened at the AO through his matches there, but that the tear actually happened at the park, maybe lifting one of his girls, climbing, etc. i had a back injury in a similar way; things sort of pile up and then you do one little thing and that moment/task becomes the proverbial straw (that breaks the camel’s back, tears the knee, etc)

anyhpw nikola’s link on the other thread seems to suggest this is a quick recovery procedure, so maybe fed will bounce back sooner than later.

February 4th, 2016 at 11:46 am

I got an excruciating slipped disc (L4) when i simply opened a dresser drawer.

February 4th, 2016 at 11:49 am

You guys crack me up. “I don’t buy it”. Because of course Roger has to lie about how he injured himself.

February 4th, 2016 at 12:04 pm

Pamela exactly i dont know what Ben and Giles are getting at?….

February 4th, 2016 at 12:08 pm

@Django – I once tweaked my knee just by getting up off the couch. Gym classes, tennis, hiking didn’t hurt it, but standing up did.

February 4th, 2016 at 12:29 pm

I don’t think he’s lying, I just don’t think he suddenly tore his meniscus during a stroll and went to surgery. I think, more likely, he was feeling discomfort before and thought nothing of it until something happened during the park walk that made him think he needed to get it checked out.

February 4th, 2016 at 12:30 pm

He’s not lying but he’s being fully transparent either. Tore his meniscus walking with his kids…puhleeeze. Just doesn’t make a lot of sense. A world class athlete won’t tear his meniscus going for a walk.

February 4th, 2016 at 12:37 pm

…not being fully transparent either.

February 4th, 2016 at 12:37 pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3TuOQkN7e0

For Roger

February 4th, 2016 at 12:47 pm

SG1, to counter your statement, I present this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-pIeGgKtIs

February 4th, 2016 at 12:56 pm

Maybe he tripped or something????

February 4th, 2016 at 1:13 pm

Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy!
Roger is well known for being understanding and compassionate when other players have health issues/injuries and are forced to retire from their matches.
And know, he gets injured. Bummer… Totally unfair!

February 4th, 2016 at 1:50 pm

To Roger

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3TuOQkN7e0

February 4th, 2016 at 1:57 pm

Hilarious!

SG1 – did you watch the youtube Ben posted?

He kinda gotcha there, didn’t he?

February 4th, 2016 at 2:14 pm

Who cares really?

As long as he gets well, and gets back on tour.

February 4th, 2016 at 2:15 pm

Perhaps Mirka punished him after the match against Djoker

February 4th, 2016 at 2:18 pm

Meniscus must have been worn and partially torn with all the wear and tear – and perhaps a bit of twist moved a part of the torn portion to an area where it gets squeezed. A full meniscal tear doesn’t just happen while walking – it must be brewing for some time, though the final symptom can happen from something that sounds innocent.

I have had this before. Almost the same situation – happened while on a “mild” hike, but was perhaps brewing for a while (that’s what the MRI showed). No surgery yet, rehab has worked, but then I don’t need to be a top athlete, so if I can walk comfortably and play recreational tennis, I am good.

Fed getting to top shape seems pretty difficult. The psychological effect will also hurt him (to have less confidence in his movement).

February 4th, 2016 at 2:28 pm

James,

That’s exactly what I said. There is no way the psychological aspect of the situation won’t play a factor in Federer returing to peak form again.

February 4th, 2016 at 2:31 pm

Keep in mind that Fed dealt with the psychological aspect in 2013 with his back issues. Hopefully it will be less of an issue this time as he has experienced it before.

February 4th, 2016 at 2:47 pm

We have few posters on the other other thread and now here that are basically telling us that Roger played injured Nole and wouldn’t be trahed in first two sets (6:1, 6:2) if it wasn’t for an injury, but due to his sportsmanship he doesn’t want to spoil Nole’s win. Well I don’t buy that.
That poster with a fake broken English, funny enough there is always posters with fake broken English who look a like just different moniker, well that poster went into details on the other thread to tell us that was reason Roger lost, well my dear Nole “lovers” as you can hear from the mouth of horse, that wasn’t the reason, the reason was one that you don’t want to admit Nole is just better player, better than Roger ever was…according to lot of knowledgeable people around the world..and more and more people are agreeing with that opinion. Don’t confuse that with being best ever, Roger still have numbers for that one, time will tell whether Nole can get that one too.

February 4th, 2016 at 3:00 pm

Ben Pronin Says:

SG1, to counter your statement, I present this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-pIeGgKtIs

——-

LOL…not really the same. A 260lb football player jumping and landing with all his body weight in some kind of awkward way resulting in a knee injury vs. I’m holding my kids hand strolling around in the park and suddenly…out of nowhere…bam…meniscus tear. I have to say that I’ve never seen anyone pull up lame while walking with their kid(s) or even playing with them at the park. It’s the kids that usually get hurt. They fall or trip or run into other kids.

So he got hurt at the AO. So what. S&%*(^^ happens. He’ll be fine which is all that matters. I think it was classy by Roger to tell a little white lie. Who does it hurt anyway?

February 4th, 2016 at 6:07 pm

But the injury didn’t come out of nowhere.

For the most part, I agree that he was hurt before the walk in the park. But my point is, the tear could have easily happened during the walk. A meniscus tear doesn’t happen for no reason, there’s an imbalance in the muscles or tightness that leads up to it. So there’s no way that Federer suddenly tore it without a prior issue. But it’s still possible that the tear did happen during the walk. Maybe he bent down or maybe he turned weird.

February 4th, 2016 at 6:16 pm

Wog…I think you’re missing the point a little. I don’t think that anyone truly believes that Roger would have won even if both of his knees were perfectly healthy. I think most people would have picked Nole to win no matter how healthy Roger was. He’s the better player right now…period.

Roger’s announcement of when the injury happened is merely about Roger not wanting to look like he is making excuses. I think he would have said what he said no matter who he lost to.

February 4th, 2016 at 6:16 pm

Ben…lots of things are possible…but are they likely.

February 4th, 2016 at 6:18 pm

SG1,

I am not missing anything, just reading the posts..on the other thread and this one, it is you people who are interpreting this injury the way you see it, not Roger, he said what he said..and left room for speculation, as usual.

February 4th, 2016 at 6:20 pm

SG1, yes.

A torn meniscus hurts. It hurts when you’re standing, it hurts when you’re sitting, it hurts when you’re running and especially when you’re making quick turns. We didn’t see Federer grimace or tend to his knee at any time during any of the matches. So I’d suspect, at most, he felt some discomfort during his matches, but not enough to really deter him. Then he actually tears it and has surgery almost immediately.

February 4th, 2016 at 6:24 pm

WB…so you believe beyond all doubt that Roger fully injured his knee while out with his kids for a walk? Just asking.

February 4th, 2016 at 6:26 pm

My best friend plays tennis and he has a very minor meniscus tear. He injured his meniscus in the gym doing dead lifts.

It’s more likely that the wear and tear of the sport weakened the meniscus. The AO surface, not being particularly joint friendly, probably didn’t help and exacerbated something that had been brewing for a while.

If Roger had said he hurt his knee skiing or playing soccer…fine. That can happen. Walking his kids…questionable…highly questionable.

February 4th, 2016 at 6:32 pm

Roger’s meniscus tear could be very minor, like my friend’s injury so he could play through it. He just decided that now was the most opportune time to take care of it. Besides, if this was a serious meniscus tear, I think it would be a lot longer than a month for him to comeback.

February 4th, 2016 at 6:35 pm

Interesting. My older cousin tore his meniscus because of tennis, had surgey, re-tore it, had it completely removed, and now I’m not really sure where he’s at. He has bone on bone so it’s pretty painful I think.

I tore my meniscus doing squats, which is highly unusual. It basically “popped”. I played tennis, too, so it could’ve been weakened from that. But most of my issues stem from imbalance and tightness. The tear is less than 10mm so no surgery is required.

February 4th, 2016 at 6:39 pm

SG1,

What I believe is that he was fully fit and injury free playing AO, as per his results, movement, return game, incredible court covering. That is all that matters to me.

As for injury, yes, they can happen seemingly for no reason, but reason always exist, I never had a problem with my right knee until two years ago, walking up the stairs in my house, I felt enormous pain and my right knee couldn’t hold my body anymore, I decline surgery suggestion, instead went to see Japanese physio who had to teach me how to walk properly, according to him I wasn’t positioning my foot properly, I did, and still doing exercises to strengthen the mussels around my knee, but he also relaxed the mussels on the right side of the knee in order to reposition my kneecap that was slightly out of place, two years after I am walking up the stairs with no problem, I did the same with my right shoulder tendinitis, refused suggested surgery and just followed my physio advices, it is not 100% but more than good enough for an old man.
The answer to your question is yes, injury can just happen like so many thing in our lives, they just happen, no?

February 4th, 2016 at 6:50 pm

OK, if it was Tomic pulling up lame before the 2014 WTF Final or announcing he injured his knee walking with young kids in a park – we’d all be “yeah, Bernard, sure..”
But it is Roger. Who has a deserved reputation as an ironman in pro tennis. Him, Connors, Lendl, Santoro, Nole after he became Nole 2.0.
So give him a pass.
Through a traumatic knee tear on a stroll through a park is eyeball rolling time. Like when Lendl announced on year he had developed an allergy to grass and would not be playing Wimbledon…footage of him golfing?? It was like “OK, we get it Ivan..Maybe the grass at Wimbledon is different than Greenwich Country Club links….moving on..

I happen to think SG1’s theory is both logical and face saving. He got hurt at the AO, the pain and inflammation became obvious to him next day. And because he has had some exposure as a sore loser, did not want to lay out an injury excuse following his loss.

February 4th, 2016 at 11:34 pm

RZ
I hear you man.That’s really unfair and it sucks too.

February 5th, 2016 at 12:18 am

Injuries do happen in day to day activities…especially when you are getting too old for world class occupations.

February 5th, 2016 at 3:14 am

He landed completely fit in Australia and he was almost fit before the semi-final, but his fitness suffered by the end of it which left him partially fit, but by the time he landed in Switzerland, he was left half-fit by the rocking airplane, and then as he walked to the park, the granite pavement left him quarter fit, and with Lenny and Leo making him run, he was left totally unfit.

February 5th, 2016 at 4:08 am

Lodhi lol….

February 5th, 2016 at 8:43 am

Wog…I respect your view on the matter and we’ll leave it at that.

February 5th, 2016 at 12:36 pm

Roger played extremely well against Novak. Extremely well. To even come back and win a set, well, it gave us all hope and we were so pleased for that.

Stop trying to stir up trouble (as always) Wogboy.

The real federer fans don’t ever offer an excuse about Roger, so why do you even bother to respond? You respond because you are just ready with anything that remotely criticises Novak. Grow up.

Roger lost to the world number 1, best player in the world and that really is the end of it.

Federer would never offer any excuses for losing a match. Shows the mettle of the man after the match. The spirit and resilience of an athlete. Quite special. Nothing mentioned in interview at all.

What would you want him to do? To offer no explanation as to why he was unable to play Dubai and Rotterdam? Then he would still be causing you a headache, because you would just say,why didn’t he tell the fans earlier?

Roger just can’t win in a situation like this. People like you need to drink more brandy. That’s for certain.

Get well soon Roger. We respect your decision and can’t wait for you to get back on tour, at the right time though!

February 6th, 2016 at 6:11 am

“People like you need to drink more brandy.”

And you need to find a man .. or woman, what ever is your preference, you are desperate soul.

February 6th, 2016 at 6:48 am

There is no obvious Andy Murray thread, so apologies to Roger’s fans……

Staff at the St. Andrew’s Aquarium in Fife report that the eggs of the Humboldt penguin named KIM are about to hatch around the same time as the tennis star’s wife is due.!!!!

February 6th, 2016 at 8:03 am

I found this article interesting and it wouldn’t surprise me if it’s related to the injury.

http://theultimatetennisblog.com/is-federers-injury-a-coincidence/

February 6th, 2016 at 3:53 pm

This was also a very interesting article.

http://theultimatetennisblog.com/federer-tells-fan-to-go-away/

February 6th, 2016 at 3:57 pm

This was also a good read and doesn’t suprise me at all. The last hand shake at the net at the Australian Open was the frostiest one from Federer in a long time.

http://tennis-column.blogspot.mx/2012/10/the-relationship-between-federer-and.html

February 6th, 2016 at 4:03 pm

i tore my meniscus stepping off a curb wrong, just got done with six hours of tennis and went to get my bag and it popped, so i totaly believe this is how it happened.

February 6th, 2016 at 4:15 pm

You just wait till skeezer and madmax read those blogs Dave.

February 6th, 2016 at 4:22 pm

Dave,
You got yourself in trouble here, be ready to get under the pump from fedfanatics, starting with their two leaders madnosex and …

Nevertheless, I like first two links and the voting result at the end of both is very telling, no? Thanks Dave.

February 6th, 2016 at 4:50 pm

I wonder if Roger still has this opinino about Nole when asked what he thinks about Nole and if he is special player after USO from nal 2007:

“No, not really. I mean, he plays like many other players on tour. You know, I mean, he’s steady off the baseline, he’s got a pretty good serve. But…nothing outrageous in his game. Always pretty predictable, which is a good thing. Yeah, you get some good rallies against him because he scrambles well, moves to the ball well, moves the ball around very nicely. Yeah, I enjoy playing against him.”

February 6th, 2016 at 4:55 pm

^^ just four months later “the player that plays like many other players on tour” beats him in straights on his way for his first GS title..and another 21 times since then..

February 6th, 2016 at 5:04 pm

Wog Boy,

It really doesn’t matter to me about what they think. I will be the first to admit that Nole was very immature back in the day when he first broke into the ATP tour. The absolute first to admit it. His behavior was far from great at times. And if Nole were to have a relapse into that behavior again, I would not make one single excuse for him. I want to see all things objectively and not in a biased way. I went back and watched Some Federer press conferences after losing to Nole at the 2011 Australian Open, 2010 U.S. Open and 2011 U.S. Open. I was really surprised that I used to be one of those same biased Federer followers that would make every excuse in the book for him. Not anymore. I will add those 3 links as well if anyone would like to see them. I have absolutely zero against Federer as a person and don’t judge him whatsoever, but when people go on and on and on and on and on and on and on about how he is Tennis and he is soooooooooooooo humble, I can’t take it and have to set the record straight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Istcd6U_J9s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNw0kRUOzoc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTY4ORUSEmU

If you have ever read The power of Now, Eckhart Tolle goes into many things about people being defensive. Here is one point. Defensiveness arises when you are living through a self-image. You will see a lot of defensiveness going on in these press conferences. A lot. I get defensive as a person from time to time and catch myself and try and learn from it because as Eckhart also says in his book the power of now: You are always defending an image, because who you are doesn’t need any defending. He also says: whenever you become defensive about anything, know that you have identified yourself with an illusion.

I’m not here to start anything. Just to set the record straight Wog Boy. People can take it however they choose to take it. That is there freedom to feel however they want to feel about it.

February 6th, 2016 at 5:19 pm

Wog Boy,

I have a very long comment awaiting moderation. If they approve it on tennisx, it will give an answer to what you were saying after my comment. Be patient. haha. And hopefully it will come soon.

February 6th, 2016 at 5:22 pm

it’s funny dave: you’re the second person who said that about the novak-fed handshake at the AO. i thought fed was sad to lose but didn’t think there was anything really notable in the handshake.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmaXKDAHQk4

it’s clear that fed and novak will never be best friends (understatement? ;)), and mmt’s blog post, to which dave has linked, delineates some of the incidents as to why.

but interestingly i think fed’s become more respectful of novak since about 2012, in particular. when novak won wtf that year, fed said “you are the best” – perhaps one of the first times he was so openly complimentary. and then when novak won wimbledon, in 2014 i think it was (?) fed said you were great this year, last year and the year before that, etc.

of course fed hates to lose, and they’ve definitely had strong differences from very early on; no one would disagree with that. but i do sense perhaps a cordial respect between them now; would you agree?

at the AO, in his pressers, fed defended all the errors novak made vs simon noting that a lot of those could be forced by simon because of the type of player he is, and he shot down the weak era theory, too, making it clear it’s rude to the field of players, even saying that what novak’s been doing has been “hard” and “amazing”. i really don’t know if fed would’ve said these things, even as far back as 2011?

their career trajectories and lives have been very different, too. i think fed had so much support and confidence early on, and throughout the peak of his career, and that’s been dented in the past number of years as he has lost more often, to more people.

for novak it was sort of the opposite. his youthful “cockiness,” as it was called then, could easily be interpreted as indicative of underlying insecurity (you could argue that’s the case with kyrgios now, too). and novak had to hit a sort of rock bottom health-wise, confidence-wise, and game-wise, fighting through that, before he matured both on and off court, finding true confidence in the process. even in his peak he’s never enjoyed the kind of support that personally i think he deserves. but we novak fans know that there’s a lot of down to go with the up and that’s okay.

wog boy, what do you think, am i wrong to say that fed seems to respect novak more now???

February 6th, 2016 at 5:36 pm

Jane, They have shown respect to each other publicly and at the net after matches for years now, you are right, up until this last match. If you purely go back to the handshakes at the end of their last 10 or more matches, they have been much friendlier than this last one. This one reminded me of the times when it was very cold between the two players. There is no question of what I saw the last handshake.

February 6th, 2016 at 5:55 pm

maybe fed was embarrassed by the shellacking of the first 2 sets? frustrated? i dunno. but like i said, i didn’t see it was “very cold”. have a look

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/08pF0CCQcII/hqdefault.jpg

February 6th, 2016 at 6:01 pm

Jane,

Post the video. The picture won’t show a thing. If you watch the video footage of the last 10 or 15 matches they have played against each other, this one is a much colder handshake at the net. Just look at Federer the whole time and see for yourself in comparison.

February 6th, 2016 at 6:03 pm

jane,
You are not wrong, but did he have really any choice since 2011 and Nole’s results? The whole world is praising Nole. As for Simon, he didn’t have choice either, if he said anything different he would undermine himself, he lost two matches against Simon and two GS matches he played against him were five setters. I personally like Simon..though I “hated” him this AO;)

February 6th, 2016 at 6:05 pm

thanks for your thoughts, wog boy and dave.

omg, i felt the same wog boy; simon had me cursing at him and my computer throughout that torturous match, even though i thought he was sweet when i heard he & novak had been sharing baby pictures. :)

February 6th, 2016 at 6:16 pm

@SG1 and WogBoy

Respectfully, let me state the takeaway message.

SG1 respects WogBoy’s views but respectfully disagrees with them since each of them has their own respective views irrespective of what the other person says but their difference is with respect to matters of tennis, which tells us that these two people understand the notion of respect and are aware when to give respect to the other person.

#RESPECT

February 6th, 2016 at 6:17 pm

Simon has given an interview on Sud Radio and it made me feel a bit uncomfortable.

Since I am sure that this interview can be found in English also, I won’t try to translate it. It was mainly in the lines: “everybody believes he is tough, but you see how he can be nervous when he faces someone that is not afraid”. Damn, here is the part in question:

« Pour moi, ce n’est pas tellement mentalement qu’il a progressé, dans la manière de tenir ses nerfs. Mais il a tellement de confiance en lui, il gagne tellement de matches qu’il est très peu dans cette situation. Donc quand il l’est une fois ou deux dans un tournoi, c’est plus facile à tenir. Mais je trouve qu’à l’inverse, la seule fois où il a été accroché, on l’a tout de suite retrouvé assez nerveux », a ajouté Gilles Simon.

As per usual, I didn’t fully trust the scripted interview, but, after I have listened to it, I have started to think that his words about the comments from the locker-room by other players are not a metaphor, but that those words betray a deep feeling of humiliation and petty jealousy.

I find something similar in Stan Wawrinka’s words, although they’re officially “good friends”, training often together. A few days ago, he answered without hesitation that Novak can’t win the GS, despite his domination. That’s not something you expect from a friend.

(Sorry Margot), I thought, last year, that Andy’s interview after the AO final was scandalous. He accused Novak of faking weariness — and probably to let Andy break on purpose, I guess. He forgot Novak’s help before the AO 2011, when he was working with Novak’s team for a fortnight, and Novak’s efforts after that same AO to help him when he was in a big crisis.

And here, we can say that only two players behave without reproach — Rafa and Roger, who have been in the same position as Novak is now. Rafa’s interviews in Doha have been absolutely “classy” (although I don’t quite understand that word) — he remained true to himself and very humble. Federer’s last interviews were similar, and while I don’t agree with the way he answered to Ubaldo Scaganatta (I found that part of the interview), his answer — without the word “stupid” — was spot on (although the “weak era” question was aimed at him too).

So yes, members of the same club seem to respect each other more.

February 6th, 2016 at 6:55 pm

Oh, I forgot (althoug hashtags are forbidden)…

#respect

February 6th, 2016 at 6:57 pm

Lodhi,

Respect

February 6th, 2016 at 7:01 pm

@jane:

Those handshakes at the end of matches follow the established alpha male patterns. But this was shortened out of #respect mostly: Fed was late to arrive to the net but he accelerated for Novak not to wait for him, then, since the result was brutal, Novak avoided to comfort Fed like he usually does, also out of #respect.

The little taps on the back, when two players hug, are a sign that they don’t wont to be hugged at that moment or by that person, btw. Just rewatch the end of the FO…

February 6th, 2016 at 7:03 pm

@WB:

#respect ;-)

February 6th, 2016 at 7:04 pm

lodhi i don’t know if your post was a commentary on mine longish one about novak and fed’s interactions, but i don’t feel i used the word nearly as much as you, ha ha.

mat4, #shhhh!

do you have a link to that stan quote?

February 6th, 2016 at 7:07 pm

is #respect a bad word?!!
dudes, what’s the deal?

February 6th, 2016 at 7:09 pm

Dave @5:19pm,

I like your post, I really do. It was worth waiting for it to come out of moderation, and now you gave me anothr task, to read that book you quoted from. Tomorrow my commitments with Serbian national rugby legaue team are finishing, they flying back home, so I will have a time to watch that movie and try to find that book.

February 6th, 2016 at 7:11 pm

@j.

Of course, here>

http://www.le10sport.com/tennis/tennis-le-grand-chelem-pour-novak-djokovic-stanislas-wawrinka-repond-221448

February 6th, 2016 at 7:13 pm

This the the first time I have seen so much respect on TX, we should mark this day in the history of TX.

Respect

February 6th, 2016 at 7:13 pm

mat4,

Likewise
Respect

February 6th, 2016 at 7:16 pm

@Wog: Check your mailbox.

February 6th, 2016 at 7:24 pm

thanks mat4. i guess he refers to winning all 4 in the calendar as opposed to winning the french? or maybe i misunderstood.

respect?

February 6th, 2016 at 7:26 pm

@jane:

It’s not clear from the answer, but I also guess that he thought about the calendar grand slam. But to quote Travis Bickle:

“Gotcha! Me not smoking since May (9 months) lesser deal than if I smoked today & then not smoke for 9 months THIS year”

respect

February 6th, 2016 at 7:32 pm

Re. Federer…..Stress could be part of Roger’s problem. Eight years ago my mother and our best friend died and suddenly I was covered with a nasty rash and had to use two walking sticks to get to work. I was diagnosed and mis-diagnosed – but then it vanished within the year – almost over night.

Roger is a top athlete but facing new challenges and trying to keep his place on top….I ask myself, is he also fighting stress….making himself much more likely to injury.

If there is any value in this possibility….it is only going to get worse – unless Novak decides to emigrate to Mars.

February 6th, 2016 at 7:34 pm

the two are the same. it would be holding all 4 at once. with that i do agree.

February 6th, 2016 at 7:35 pm

my 7:35 post is in response to mat4’s at 7:32

February 6th, 2016 at 7:37 pm

PS: Thought of this as my rash is back…is my personal reminder ….to try to do certain things that bring me pleasure —my tomato and avocado sandwiches and sometimes Tennis X…..

February 6th, 2016 at 7:39 pm

Something unrelated, but that I heard this week…

You remember Ana Ivanovic working with Nemanja Kontic two years ago? She was far from the top when they started, but she improved steadily and won three big tournaments. And suddenly, she sacked him in July 2014, and it was quite a surprise.

Not for those who knew that Nemanja was due for a big bonus should Ana return to the top 10. They “suddenly” split when she was ranked 11th.

February 6th, 2016 at 7:47 pm

well that’s awful if true mat4. it makes no sense. if you’re starting to do well, it means you’ll make more money, which means paying out a bonus shouldn’t hurt to badly. do you think ivanovic is so mercenary?

February 6th, 2016 at 7:49 pm

@J-Kath:

Novak, of course, could go to Mars… just like Apollo flew to the Moon…

February 6th, 2016 at 7:49 pm

A nice thing to keep in the back of your mind as well is when Nole’s Dad Srdjan went off the rails in summer 2013, I believe. Saying, basically, Federer dissed the Djokovics since the 2006 Davis Cup and may be the greatest tennis player but is completely opposite of that as a human being – and Rafa no longer hugs Nole at net or acts like Nole is best friends since Djoker started beating him.

Novak’s damage control remarks were telling. He threaded the needle well. About himself, his Dad,his relationship with Roger and Rafa.

Novak started with saying he loves and respects his dad and would not be close to the person and athlete he is without his dad. And that he would not say his dad was wrong, because each person has their own beliefs and it is their right to and no one can be held responsible for what another things. But he held a different opinion and had contacted Fad and Rafa about the remarks. (Novak would never ever disparage family in public remarks.)

But he said that he and Rafa get along great and he considers Rafa a wonderful, nice guy he is friends with outside matches. And that he has the highest respect for Roger and that their relationship is professional and going well.
Which omits – obviously – “friend”.

And we fans, obviously not knowing a bit about those three or “even Andy” – still have our opinions about the megamillionaire sports legends in the making, and the people around them.

So I like Rafa, NOle and Andy and struggle with Fed as arrogant and a bit of a prima ballerina ego so I struggle with liking him.

Papa Fed I like. His mom seems awfully nice. And I think if MIrka by her “I am bored & hate to be here in this box watching yet another stupid match” aura is truly beset by it – she should leave and ask one of the nannies to attend and cheer Roger on. Might help Feds mood by her absence.
Rafa’s whole family and Xisca seem 1st class people.
Really like Novaks wife – a well educated young woman that yells herself hoarse and chews on towels in Nolecoaster matches. His mom and brothers all seem awesome and nice. No one can accuse Srdjan of being nice, but he gave his son the drive, work ethic, and fighting spirit. He went “all in” with his savings to get Djokovic developed into a premier junior prospect. And risked some serious beatings and harm as groups of loan sharks, landlords were chasing him around Belgrade for money owed him. If there is one person who was truly indispensible in Novak becoming a top player, it is not any coach. but Srdjan and his unwavering commitment to back NOvak’s dreams.
Andy’s mom, dad, brother and wife are all very appealing people to me. British working class, good hearts

February 6th, 2016 at 7:55 pm

@jane:

I think that Maria Sharapova is tenderness incarnated compared to Ana.

respect

@J-Kath

respect too

February 6th, 2016 at 7:59 pm

i agree with quite a lot of what you wrote here cf1.
mirka may look bored sometimes, but she also looks quite emotionally invested in some of the matches. i have seen her jump and cheer. but she’s sat and watched a heck of a lot of tennis over the years. it might get a little tiresome, esp routine matches.

February 6th, 2016 at 8:01 pm

CF1,

Respect

JK,

Respect

February 6th, 2016 at 8:04 pm

The Respect day. Good. I have respect for everyone on this forum. Respect to everyone. Thank you for letting me state my opinions freely. Thank you very much.

February 6th, 2016 at 8:21 pm

@Jane,

A song for you:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjs0p5FWpzc

@Dave:

#respect from me too.

February 6th, 2016 at 8:27 pm

jane,

Respect started with Lodhi probably after SG1 said that he respects my opinion about Roger’s injury, check the posts way before these on this thred, nothing to do with you, for me you are the best Nole fan ever on TX, most respected, I am serious!

Big respect for you.

mat4,

Thanks, I checked my box, though can’t answer now.

February 6th, 2016 at 9:09 pm

Wog Boy,

It’s an amazing book from a getting in the moment perspective. It will change your life and make you see things you never knew existed. I am excited for you.

February 7th, 2016 at 12:19 am

big respect back, wog boy!! cheers.

February 7th, 2016 at 2:24 am

The Swiss Mini People have weighed in on Fed’s emoji tweet: https://twitter.com/SwissMinipeople/status/695575382087639041

February 7th, 2016 at 4:47 pm