Roger Federer Gets Hero’s Welcome At Zurich Airport [Video]

Wish he didn’t have to cheat to win his 18th. He could have won without resorting to cheating, no?
For me there’s a big fat asterisk against this win!!

January 31st, 2017 at 9:55 am

@Giles, thank you for your highly intellectual analysis of the game.
The tennis world is grateful for your contribution to the sport and we all look forward to your comments on various sporting & political events across the globe
I am very Sure Federer will call you or visit you very soon to discuss this match and provide you clarifications on the condition of his groin.

January 31st, 2017 at 11:08 am

LOL! Taking a legal MTO is now cheating? The haters are clutching at straws, no?

January 31st, 2017 at 11:10 am

Sour grapes much? I will refrain for my other nice Rafa fans(Giles excluded) about Rafa’s history of this sort of thing.Trust me, it doesn’t match up to Fed no way no how.
If I were a Rafa fan ( he is kinda winning me over…..but not yet ) I would be ecstatic about his chances into FO….and this coming year. Vamos.

January 31st, 2017 at 11:15 am

@DC: haha WOW. Fantastic response.

Yes, MTOs are now, only after this victory, considered cheating and despicable. Sigh.

January 31st, 2017 at 11:22 am

Skeezer am i one of the nice Rafa fans, put it this way ive always tried my best to be ?, anyway no problem with players taking MTOs, and on his chances of winning the FO i like that summary ….

January 31st, 2017 at 11:24 am

I just wanna say this…Rog not winning against rafa for years…sometimes it’s hard for me to watch him go out with losses like that but that is life..sometimes you win,sometimes you lose..and now he win…and he really really deserved it..Although still heartbroken from this loss but i couldn’t be happier for Rog…So,to all of you who still can’t accept his win..please accept it with open heart..let him and his fans savour this wonderful moment..who knows,our turn is just around the corner??

KEEP CALM AND LOVE RAFA!!!!WOOOHOOOO!!!

January 31st, 2017 at 11:35 am

(Fc.uk) you Giles..your (azz.hole)Nadal is the most celebrated cheater in the history of tennis taking MTO to disturb rhythm of opponents at regular intervals and doping during bathroom breaks..Entire tennis world knows it..federer took MTO at the end of set and your nadal also broke him straight away and let 3-1 in final set before roger won 5 straight games…got it ?? Now keep on crying in a corner because your cheater nadal couldnt find his dope in the final set and federer proved he is the ultimate GOAT

January 31st, 2017 at 11:42 am

Get an MTO and lose you first service game (check), go down 3-1 (check), than 3-2 down game point for your oponnent to go up 4-2 (check) and only than manage to have one of the greates come back in final set agaisnt the playr who beat the most in your career… Yeah, all part of a plot LOL. He took the MTO and lost his service to open the set, that was the worst it could happened at that point. I thought he wouldn´t be able to even make a competitive set. In his age, with the maouint of lingering issues that must be going on he is entitles to take as many MTO as he can. Kei and Wawa did it. Rafa took bathroom breaks, this is a long match, they have to piss also

January 31st, 2017 at 11:43 am

AndyMira yeah me too, sometimes you have to hold your hands up and say “HELL TOO GOOD “, no problem tennis moves on next to clay, the AOs over now ….

January 31st, 2017 at 11:50 am

You cant ignore the call of nature, when ya gotta go ya gotto go ! ….

January 31st, 2017 at 11:52 am

Nice scenes i must say ….

January 31st, 2017 at 11:53 am

There is a reaon Nadal is title less in HC in more than 3 years now, he still is defensive on it and there is always somebody more agressive than him the other side on the net in a final. Don´t see it changing much in the future, This somehwat “magical run” Fedal had won´t be repeated much. Of course, Nadal will be a contender on clay again and Fed would have his chances on fast courts. But on best of three they would be more vulnerable.

January 31st, 2017 at 11:56 am

Yeah willow…To me the most precious gift is that knowing rafa can compete in a high level again…The last 2 years was pure h@#$ for us,yes?So…If the lady luck is with him for the next 4,5 months[and let’s pray for it],i believe we can see a very competitive rafael nadal gallivanting around the court once again and ain’t it a very glorious sight on earth willow???..My GOD!!

January 31st, 2017 at 12:04 pm

Daniel am i right did you say you were pulling for Nadal at RG this year, sorry just curious ? ….

January 31st, 2017 at 12:06 pm

Yeah Willow.
That would crown his comeback and disapointment after this AO loss.

Federer lost three finals, but so far, he has won his last final played. That´s why many of us thoguth Fed was more “deserving of this AO title” in a fair way, even if there is none in sports.

Imagine, Nadal didn´t reach a single GS final in 3 years and on his first final back he wins it! That wouldn’s seem fair to Federer´s latest efforts. But now that he lost this one, hope he wins his next, most likelly RG. Can´t see him back at a Wimby final neither USO (but there he can have a good draw and still surprise).

Same for Murray, if he is ever to play another AO final, I sure hope he wins it, regardless of who he plays (he was my pick to win it in Bracquet challenge).

January 31st, 2017 at 12:16 pm

Oh, Giles…

…if you were a horse, somebody would have shot you already to put you out of your misery…

…if you were a dog, somebody would have put you to sleep already because there is no more cure for your malady…

…if you were human, somebody would have sent you already to psychotherapy for your tennis envy.

January 31st, 2017 at 12:42 pm

http://www.ibtimes.com.au/pat-cash-accuses-roger-federer-cheating-during-australian-open-2017-final-1541803
Seems I hit a nerve with the fedfans.
Take the matter up with Pat Cash.
More importantly curb your abusive comments. I’m just stating facts!

January 31st, 2017 at 12:47 pm

Wow, a Nadal fan complaining about medical time out? Where has he been for the past how many years when that was the only way some people won anything until they got booed 2 or 3 years ago at the Australian Open? Not mentioning any names but please, do not get us started.

January 31st, 2017 at 12:48 pm

Somebody who hangs on the words of a Pat Cash and reveres it as gospel truth is somebody not worth arguing with. Go find a moon you can bark at.

January 31st, 2017 at 1:07 pm

“Legal Cheating”…? Whats that? Going over the time limit in between points? On court Coaching? Ok Giles, you want to start bringing up “cheating”….lets’ talk.
Just a reminder, Fed won that match fair and square. Deal with it.

January 31st, 2017 at 1:15 pm

The larger racquet head makes a big difference. Rafa was hitting some nasty crosscourt foreheads that would have overwhelmed Federer 4 years ago. It is still a mismatch, but Fed can hang in there on some of those points long enough to wait for an opportunity to be aggressive. I don’t think it would matter much on clay, just prolong the agony another shot or two.

January 31st, 2017 at 1:22 pm

I think we should leave Giles alone to wallow in his own misery. There is nothing positive about this guy. What he is doing is just inciting the the Federer fans to fight back but in that process, it will naturally drag along Nadal and his followers. I have come to like Nadal. I think he is a good guy. Along with that, I find most of fans to be nice people, too. So, if that entails insulting Nadal and his nice fans, I would rather stay away from Giles. Poor guy is suffering so much and cannot handle Nadal losing to Federer that his only way of handling pain is insulting him and his fans.

January 31st, 2017 at 1:31 pm

Agree Markus,

Better take the high road and do as some Djoko fanatics (who hate Federer) did and disappear completly from here, for a while at least;-)

January 31st, 2017 at 1:59 pm

Thanks for the feedback Daniel, i wish the sporting gods actually followed your way of thinking ….

January 31st, 2017 at 2:43 pm

Criticizing players playing the game within the rules(e.g., MTO) is barking at the wrong tree. If anybody thinks MTO is bad for tennis, then critic it, not the players who uses them. Playing within the rules is not cheating at all.

January 31st, 2017 at 3:07 pm

Yeah Markus , take Daniel’s advice and take the high road and disappear. You’re too FOS anyway. Goodbye!

January 31st, 2017 at 3:11 pm

Giles,

This is for you. Just about had enough of your drivel.

A set point when serving at 5-6 in the first set, Juan Martin del Potro looked focussed and ready to give his all in the tiebreak. That is until Nadal ran to his seat, swiftly accompanied by a trainer. Nine minutes later (three times the legal allowance) Del Potro was angry, confused, and completely distracted. Despite taking a mini-break lead on two occasions, del Potro failed to stay focussed and lost the set to Nadal. Nadal’s foot, which supposedly hurt so much Nadal believed it was broken, was suddenly Ok. Nadal showed no further sign of injury and ran down Del Potro’s best shots to win 7-6 3-6 7-6 6-4. By the end of the match, it was Del Potro who looked worn-out and barely able to move. The usually reserved Del Potro expressed his anger after the match, saying “He was running everywhere and running the same as always. I never thought he’d stop.”

Dodgy MTOs called for at crucial times in matches are nothing new for Nadal. He upset Phillip Petzschner  at Wimbledon; the German lost focus and his two set to one lead when Nadal called for a trainer before the Petzschner serve. Nadal called for a trainer at 2-5 down against Federer with Federer serving during Roland Garros final and proceeded to win the set. This was nothing new for Federer, Nadal had done the same thing at Monte Carlo 2006 and Hamburg 2008 with the same result: Federer blowing a substantial lead. His medical time out’s are frequent and often seemingly unnecessary. Yet Nadal seems largely immune to criticism from Giles.

Giles. Go Figure.

January 31st, 2017 at 3:19 pm

https://twitter.com/cristinancl/status/826274621934673920

Some more goodies! Lol

January 31st, 2017 at 3:44 pm

Poor Giles. Poor, poor, Giles. That was enough, to be honest, should not have gone down to your level Giles. So you carry on and waste your time. I will be skipping your posts from now on.
So misguided. So in denial.

Congratulations Federer! We love you, love you, love you.

Willow, to be clear, and J-Kath, you are nowhere near in the saddo category of your misguided non-fan of Rafa. Rafa would have thrown him out years ago.

January 31st, 2017 at 3:55 pm

Madmax. Just for you! Lol. 🍭🍭

January 31st, 2017 at 3:56 pm

@Giles
“Un Fed like”? That’s it? Wow. According to you Fed is now being more like Rafa.
What a shame.

January 31st, 2017 at 4:22 pm

Madmax – haters gotta hate! They don’t realise how petty it makes them look! I’m simply going to ignore the haters from this point on – indifference is what really infuriates them.

January 31st, 2017 at 4:25 pm

@Giles – I wouldn’t make too much of Fed taking that injury timeout. He had a legit injury and did it between sets. I also wouldn’t go pointing fingers at the players who aren’t your favorite. Keep in mind that Rafa has in the past called for the trainer in the middle of a game because he couldn’t swallow a banana properly.

January 31st, 2017 at 4:53 pm

Yes, Giles, I saw Daniel’s post where he told me to disappear. But why should I when it is so much fun reading your posts on the verge of a nervous breakdown because Federer got his 18 slam and finding out ways no matter how ludicrous they are to diminish his accomplishment. But I will not attack Nadal in retaliation because Nadal is a nice guy and you most certainly do not represent him.

January 31st, 2017 at 6:28 pm

Markus,

You gotta me wrong, I was implying that Giles should disappear for a while follwoing the Novak Fans who hate Roger. I was telling he should do as they did, not you buddy😜

January 31st, 2017 at 6:44 pm

Daniel, I knew there was something amiss in your statement especially because it was preceded by you saying you agree with what I said about Giles. You’re OK in my book, Daniel.

… and that’s another reason to completely disregard Giles. Let him bay at the moon because he is up to no good and can only create havoc. He is bad karma. He must be the reason why Nadal lost.

January 31st, 2017 at 6:55 pm

Idi.ots like Giles should be thrown out from this community who dont understand sh.iit about tennis..I hve huge respect for rafa and boy what a comeback he has made…he almost won the match..i am sure rafa wont be proud of fans like Giles !!

January 31st, 2017 at 8:05 pm

Biggest things?

*Roger gets his career capstone.

*Big wins will eventually be rated in light of the degree of competition faced, but in this one, Federer faced the full measure of competitors that put the bunch 2002-2007 to shame.

*The Big 4 is still alive and well, Federer and Rafa are not ready to move into emeritus status.

*The Djokovic mystery continues.

*Andy still not demonstrating that a great hot streak 2nd half of 20166 translates into champion level consistency.

January 31st, 2017 at 9:07 pm

Giles – when a tennis player has pain in the groin, who would know about the pain ? Options are
1- the person with pain in the groin
2- pat cash

January 31st, 2017 at 9:21 pm

“*Roger gets his career capstone.”
Wrong phrase.
*Roger gets THE career capstone.

January 31st, 2017 at 9:25 pm

“*The Big 4 is still alive”
Wrong phrase.
*The Big 2 is still alive”

January 31st, 2017 at 9:32 pm

Skeeze,

Calm the hell down. It has been two days now. Time to get back to work and feed the cats.

January 31st, 2017 at 9:48 pm

HR,
Quit the obsessive stalking, wtf? You should be in your fishing boat by now. Don’t get frustrated at me cause your bait ain’t a catchin.

January 31st, 2017 at 10:30 pm

What is wrong in taking a MTO when the rule permits it ?

I have never seen Roger take MTOs or receive on court treatment like many other players in the past. As he rightly said, he didn’t want to abuse the rules and he has stuck to this principle. It is only in the rarest of rare instance, he has taken recourse to such a method when his body badly let him down.

However, now he is over 35 and coming to tour after a hiatus suffering a knee injury. So, how can one in their sense accuse him of legalised cheating ? It is absolute nonsense.

It is the players in Top 10 who have to be ashamed losing to him in five sets when Roger is burdened with so many challenges. There is no room for excuses. It speaks badly at the level of competition today where Roger at over 45 and well past his prime has reigned supreme. For sure, he deserves all the platitudes for never in his wildest dream, he would have imagined such an outcome which exceeded all his maximum expectations with the victory against Rafa being the icing on the cake.

January 31st, 2017 at 10:50 pm

https://twitter.com/cristinancl/status/826638833445908485
Yes indeed, so so bad.
Quickened the surface for Fed’s benefit.

February 1st, 2017 at 6:12 am

@Michael: I think the answer you’re looking for is…nothing. There’s nothing wrong in taking a single MTO in a match when the player is known to be carrying an injury and when the rule permits. I’d encourage not getting into a debate with anyone on this site over anything to the contrary.

As some other wise poster noted, if people want to get into a lively debate over whether the MTO should even exist in the first place, sure, that seems potentially interesting. (Though I have little doubt that debate would end anywhere different from this one. Some people need to convince themselves that Sunday’s outcome just can’t be what it was — that Nadal actually lost — and so they’re welcome to try to rationalize it away however they can.)

I would maybe argue that players like Nishikori and Wawrinka losing to Federer in 5 sets speaks badly about them. Federer has been pretty consistent in beating both of those guys, and last week saw him refreshed after a 6-month layoff and playing freely. It’s true he wasn’t very “match tough” given his long layoff, but I believe that’s one area where his experience and age may have actually helped him.

February 1st, 2017 at 8:33 am

Well said the-mind-reels. Sure, not to enter into arguments where insanity prevails.

February 1st, 2017 at 10:39 pm