“Murray is the first player in ranking history to hold the top spot without having reached any Grand Slam final in the prior 52 weeks.”

Male player?

July 17th, 2017 at 4:47 pm

I hope Roger misses Canada (sorry fans in Canada!), but he’ll be much better placed for the USO if he does. Winning the USO, too would be unreal!

July 17th, 2017 at 5:04 pm

“Murray is the first player in ranking history to hold the top spot without having reached any Grand Slam final in the prior 52 weeks.”

Male player?

=========================
autoFiter – That is just Andy being a feminist trailblazer yet again. Loads of women made it to #1 without a Holy Slam final spot, so Andy strikes a blow for gender equality and male “empowerment”.

July 17th, 2017 at 5:23 pm

The media has worked very hard pushing leftist buzz words, phrases, and slogans to be part of the vernacular. “Empowerment” has had a great run, aided by many sportswriters. And by tennis being in the vanguard of open lesbian sport celebs, “Strong Black Women who can beat Most Men” and other exemplars of “female empowerment”. Notably the vanquishing of a man who bet against himself it seems, by gay and feminist icon Billie Jean King.

So it is fun to talk about Andy’s “male empowerment” or Fat Kim’s “nuclear empowerment”.

July 17th, 2017 at 5:38 pm

Pretty amazing year so far. Rafa and Fed back on top, the Djokovic Dominance ending on Nole’s mysterious multi-afflictions malaise. Andy the #1 fading on injury and apparent discomfort being #1. And of course, no “young gun” challenging for the big titles.

July 17th, 2017 at 5:45 pm

“..no “young gun” challenging for the big titles.”
don’t know about “young guns” yet…. but Cilic, Wawrinka and the like have been….especially Wawa who has bagged 3 Slams…….at an old age….or the “older age” era. lol.
The young guns are coming though. There are some really good really young guys getting past the 3rd and fourth rds and further still. Probably will see a break through next year…
____

“and apparent discomfort being #1”
Don’t think the AM fans will take to that lightly. Know that Andy enjoys being #1, it’s a great accomplishment.

July 17th, 2017 at 6:05 pm

Weren’t the bottom 3 listed in the top ten at one time? My my… the flip as flopped.

July 17th, 2017 at 6:07 pm

Here we go again about player discomfort and not feeling mentally happy about. Even ng number one. What a load of crap!

July 17th, 2017 at 7:34 pm

… being number one…

July 17th, 2017 at 7:35 pm

Murray is only still #1 because Federer and Nadal basically did not play last years final 5 months. Off course he has those amazing 4500 pts he won 5 straight tourneys from Beijing to WTF.

Depending on how they perform the ranking can shoot before USO.

– Murray: 7750 – 600 (finals in Cincy) = 7.150 pts

– Nadal: 7465 – 90 (cincy R16) = 7.375 pts

– Federer: 6545 – 0 = 6.545 pts

So, deducting points before USO, Nadal already is ahead of Murray. If Murray only wins 220 pts more than Nadal pre USO, Nadal will enter USO as #1 and #1 seed.

Fed has to win 830 pts more than Nadal in both Masters to return to #1.

July 17th, 2017 at 9:17 pm

Seems every year after Australia we say, THIS is the year the young guns will challenge the Big Four!”
And then, by Wimbledon’s end, it’s, “Next year we’ll probably see the young guns challenge the Big Four.”

Remember when Kyrgios, Zverev and Thiem seemed on an undeniable upward trend? Me neither. Time was supposed to be much crueller to Fed and Rafa. Its quite unfair.

The Big Four has held off two or three generations of champions. They’ve kept an absolute watertight grasp on the Slams AND Masters. And that includes Andy Murray.

July 17th, 2017 at 10:59 pm

I don’t think becoming number one is Federer’s main priority at this point in his career as he has already been number one for so long. Inning majors is what he is aiming for, not ranking points, otherwise he would have played all those clay court events. He would have amassed a lot of points if he did but that would have put Wimbledon in jeopardy. It worked out well, he got his 8th and 19th. As for me, I’d rather see him win more majors than be number one again. But if he becomes number one in the process, that would just be dandy.

July 17th, 2017 at 11:00 pm

Thiem and Kyrgios have been young guns for a while now and still have not delivered. They seem to be queing in that lost generation group. Zverev, however, is still a promising young gun. He has done better than the lost generation and the old young guns. He has 3 titles this year including a Masters. The Big 4 are simply too tough to break through.

July 17th, 2017 at 11:09 pm

Agree Markus, but as he always makes more points than Nadal after Wimbledon, seems #1 is inevitable for him at this points. Unless Nadal wins USO or makes finals there and Fed doesn’t.

It would be great for him to finish #1 one more year and tie Sampras as co-leader with 6 Year End #1. He would be leader or co-leader in all the main Major and #1 records: Total Slams, Total Weeks as #1 and Year End #1.

July 17th, 2017 at 11:20 pm

agree markus,he should just concentrate on slams..but if he ends up being no. 1 playing half schedule at his “grandpa” age,it will be a great shame for all the tough players of this “strong” era..

July 17th, 2017 at 11:23 pm

what rafa is doing after so many injuries is mental too…messi vs ronaldo,rafa vs roger..we’re so lucky to witness these great rivalries

July 17th, 2017 at 11:32 pm

just hope novak comes back strongly again..the way he deathroned both rafa and roger is extraordinary..a legend like him should not fade away like this

July 17th, 2017 at 11:39 pm

I’m still bullish on Thiem. To be honest, my tennis viewing time has taken a major hit for roughly the past year, and I’ve not seen all that much of either him or Zverev, but what I’ve seen of Thiem left me feeling that he’d be spending some quality time in the Top 5 and picking up a few majors in the years to come.

July 17th, 2017 at 11:43 pm

AF, that’s still a rather modest expectation for the “most likely” young player at this point.

For God’s sake, the big four are all thirty+. We’ve seen lots of players join them in the top 5, and 1 pick up a few slams.
But when is someone going to SUPPLANT the Big Four, and say, “Siddown old man, or I’ll knock ya down!”

And who?

July 18th, 2017 at 12:00 am

Nadal has won only 1 hard court title since 2013 Aug. That is almost in 4 years of time. That is not going change by much. Fed will be #1 soon

July 18th, 2017 at 1:09 am

Andy Murray’s so-called “discomfort” at being No. 1 is physical. Nole’s performance is likely to be mostly physical as well.

There are many, including myself, who have little or no expectations of the so-called “next generation” replacing what still exists as the top 4/5. I’m personally looking beyond the Thiem/Kyrios group to an even younger group.

Have a nice day.

July 18th, 2017 at 4:12 am

https://twitter.com/busta2810/status/886930307139514368
Markus. You obviously don’t know your man as well as you think you do!! Lol

July 18th, 2017 at 4:21 am

Markus @7.34
Sometimes chrisford goes off on one and posts the mosr rambling, right wing rants. Honestly, at those times it’s not even worth responding. I think he seems to need one rant a month…;)
As Kath says, Andy’s problems have been physical and I must say, Lady Luck has not been kind.
And Nole too, with his shoulder/elbow injury, very difficult to play with those problems. Suspect Huggy has a lot less to do with it.
However Rog n Rafa had huge probs, took large chunks of time off, and look at their come backs, so fingers crossed.

July 18th, 2017 at 5:35 am

https://twitter.com/carole_bouchard/status/887032122774519809
Sooo espn rating not so great! Lol

July 18th, 2017 at 5:40 am

Roger’s interview with CNN. He said:

“I know if I stay in shape there are chances for me to do well at the US Open, but to win it? Yeah, at some stage I almost feel like I have to be realistic.”

“I am not 25 anymore. I’m not sure I can win three slams in one year. Winning two is already pretty crazy and plenty good enough for me.”

—————-

It seems to me that he’s not that motivated to win USO, or is it just me? No Rogerrrr, we want USO too! ;) (such a greedy, spoiled little fan I am!)

July 18th, 2017 at 5:55 am

The thing about the BIG4 is that well there’s 4 of them. Ie theres always at least one of them on form, firing from all cylinders, keeping the new generation at bay. Sad truth.

July 18th, 2017 at 6:46 am

Squirrel – just Roger lowering expectations. I’m pretty sure that if he stays fit and healthy (no colds, please, as he had this Wimbledon!), then he’s got every chance.

I wonder if the courts will be a bit faster this year at the USO? That will help.

July 18th, 2017 at 7:20 am

@Miles

Yeah you’re right! No more cold please, but he powered it through, very impressive.

Yeah, I wonder the same thing, but since Aussie Open has decided to do so, they might join in to homogenize the surface speed for the tour?

July 18th, 2017 at 7:36 am

https://twitter.com/cbfowler/status/886754126151000064
Preach it Fowler, preach it!

July 18th, 2017 at 7:49 am

Naderer, good point.

Miles, also agree with that. Fed will have fire, no doubt. If he says he expects to win, he looks like a douchebag.

Giles, I also agree with Fowler. Tennis is just a weird sport. Imagine if other sports changed playing surfaces every championship: rugby becomes ice rugby, polo becomes water polo… Of course, there would be some players that adapt and some that are clearly better on some surfaces. Horses, for example, would probably drown if they played in a lake.

A tennis season is a bit like a multi-sport event, like triathlon or decathlon. Or, if Formula 1 and IndyCar exchanged cars and tracks halfway through the season.

July 18th, 2017 at 10:15 am

I don’t think Federer is being coy about his US Open chances. HE knows playing SF and F with possibly about 20 hours of rest is beyond him, and has been for a few years now.

Unless he gets a walkover in the SF, or gets to play a complete mug in SF and F it is completely insane to think he can win US Open. Just impossible. Even in 2009 his legs have out in the final, and that was 8 year ago.

After Australian Open Wimbledon was very realistic, but US Open would be completely out of whack.

July 18th, 2017 at 10:34 am

Weirddays,

Don’t forget that his possible opponent may have a long semis as well, and could very well be another 30+ player.

We have to see the draw first and how the matches will unfold, before couting him out.

July 18th, 2017 at 10:43 am

TV,
Or imagine all Grand Slams were played on Clay! How awful that would be. Thank goodness they are played un multiple surfaces and speeds. It proves who is the best player is over all.

July 18th, 2017 at 10:44 am

@Weirddays

They’ve changed that since a few years now I think. Now, men’s SFs are on friday and final is on sunday, just like the other three GS, so I don’t see a problem there for Fed to do very well.

July 18th, 2017 at 11:32 am

Giles posts random tweets from random people on twitter. Under the same tweet when asked if the statement is true it says not sure. Bitterness at its best LMFAO

July 18th, 2017 at 12:05 pm

It proves who is the best player is over all.
—
There are different types of clay that can determine that as well.

July 18th, 2017 at 1:18 pm

People keep referring to physical problems with Murray or Nadal (not right now, but often in the past) or Djokovic. At least a part of that problem is the way they play – long grinding games, relying to less errors rather than more winners. Running like rabbits trying to get every ball back. Of course they will wear out every joint in their body.

Federer clearly has a superior, perhaps the most sublime game, so he has to exert less effort for the same result. that’s why he has largely stayed fit. Its credit to his game as well, its not just luck or physical preparation.

The deal seems to have been done. Last year it was 17, 14, 12. Now its 19, 15, 12. I can’t see Fed’s 19, or Nadal’s 10 French, or Fed’s 8 wimbledons being overtaken any time soon. These are out of the world records that might never be broken – like Usain Bolts 9:58 100m run.

July 18th, 2017 at 1:19 pm

Kyrgios, Tomic 4xK, Raonic, Coric, JMDP, Halep, Keys, Thiem, etc etc. Not Murray, not Nadal not “baseline grinders” and considerably younger than those two.
It might be more constructive to hypothesise why tennis more injury prone than other sports, or is it really, or are us tennis obsessed fans more obsessed.

July 18th, 2017 at 1:48 pm

Well said Margot ….

July 18th, 2017 at 2:00 pm

Yes well said Margot. I don’t see the point of denigrating other players’ style. Each player has his/her strenghts and weaknesses.

July 18th, 2017 at 3:57 pm

Or imagine all Grand Slams were played on Clay! How awful that would be.
—
Imagine a world where a tournament is played on grass for only 3 weeks of the year. Some nameless guy dominates that surface. Is it fair to call him a goat? The only reason you call him a goat is because he likes grass.

July 18th, 2017 at 4:01 pm

I don’t usually respond to trolling behaviour, but I will this once. The best way to see how good a tennis player (the GOAT discussion) is to see how well they do if you take away their results from their favourite Slam. So… if Fed didn’t include his results from Wimbledon, then he would have 19-8 = 11 Slams. Still way more than any other player. For comparative sake, let’s look at Nadal and Djokovic. Nadal would have 15-10= 5 Slams. Djokovic would have 12-6=6 Slams. Forget the fact that at the year end Masters, which is effectively the 5th slam (you play 5 top 8 players to win, and it is the biggest indoor carpet tournament), Federer has 6, Djokovic has 5. Nadal isn’t even part of the discussion without any. Nadal is probably the best athlete in tennis, and by far the best on clay the sport has ever seen. Best of all time? There are 4 main surfaces the sport is played on… he doesn’t even come close.

July 18th, 2017 at 5:43 pm

Del Potro will be 29 in September. One year+3months younger than Andy + Nole.

July 18th, 2017 at 6:16 pm

Daniel @ 9.17pm 17 July states: “Murray is only still #1 because Federer and Nadal basically did not play last years final 5 months”. Daniel knows this for a fact. Did Fed. or Nadal tell him or did he work it out for himself?

Daniel – Why don’t you also take into account that if Murray and Nole weren’t obviously hobbled and hurting that Federer might not have won Wimbledon? Lord forgive me for even suggesting such a thing. But to be honest I’m weary of your continual stated certainty that you know what should happen, would have happened if, if, if ……..

I apologise for being challenging – but have you ever thought how dismissive you are of players whom you evidently don’t assume they are worthy of any success?

July 18th, 2017 at 6:36 pm

Well, Daniel, let me speak for Murray, “Excuse me for being number one. I didn’t mean to get your panties in a bundle.”

July 18th, 2017 at 8:04 pm

Nadal IS the second best player of all time. Yes, his clay results dominate everything else. But he HAS won multiple slams on grass and hard courts, been No. 1 for a respectable period of time. Just hasn’t won the YEC. But the extraordinary performance on clay counters that. if you contrast Nadal’s results with Sampras, its clear Nadal has done better. Sampras, on his weakest surface – clay – only managed one semi at the French. djokovic, at 12 slams, still has some ways to go before equalling or surpassing Nadal. Borg never won a slam on hard courts. I am not even including sub-10 slam winners in this discussion.

Of course, Federer’s records overall are untouchable, at least as of now. 19 slams, 6 YEC, 302 weeks No. 1. And he might add to that!

Praising Federer doesn’t have to mean putting down Nadal, or vice versa. They are both amazing players with outstanding achievements.

And if you look at just their favorite surfaces – Nadal on clay is better than Federer on grass. Nadal on clay is better than any other player on any of their favorite surfaces.

July 18th, 2017 at 8:16 pm

James,
The remarks you are seeing are in response to the constant demeaning of RF by HR. Read.

July 18th, 2017 at 8:45 pm

@James 8:16pm…Thank u thank u thank u for your wonderful words!!

#Respectmuch!

July 18th, 2017 at 8:59 pm

Nadal has a special and unique place in all of sport. He may not have 19 slams but it does not make him any less than the guy who does. Who else has won 10 huge titles in three tournaments in the same year, no, make that in any year in his lifetime? I have the utmost respect and admiration for this guy. He denied my favorite several huge titles and beat him more often than lost to him but with what both have accomplished, I have no complaints.

July 18th, 2017 at 9:26 pm

“And if you look at just their favorite surfaces – Nadal on clay is better than Federer on grass. Nadal on clay is better than any other player on any of their favorite surfaces.”

Federer has another favorite surface…Hard Courts. His has a way better record on HC……it’s his second favorite by results….just saying…10 GS on Hard Court surface. 8 on Grass. Rafa 10 on one surface then….
Not throwing Rafa shade here but it is what it is. Rafa has a great Clay court record, and by far the best ever on it and will be the best ever on it for who knows when.

July 18th, 2017 at 9:37 pm

Oh Markus!!….Thank u thank u thank u for your wonderful words too!!!Woohohohohoho!!

July 18th, 2017 at 9:42 pm

J-K,

I like Murray, he is one of my favorites and posted several times his misfortune in last 6 months is astonishing bad luck for the different amount of ailments he had. It was like a #1 curse for him and he wasn’t able to play his best during this spam due to fitness.

But what I posted still doesn’t change. With the year Nadal and Fed are having if they had points for, lets say 3 other tournaments in last year, part of what they missed, they would already be ahead of Murray, who probably won’t be #1 by USO time. Don’t know why this is offensive. You are tot defensive for my taste.

I always posted a lot of ifs, probably, maybe, and etc..It’s part of evaluation and seeing the there side of the coin.

Of course this Wimbledon was easier for Fed. He din’t have to face any of the other Big 4 to win it, something he hasn’t done since RG 2009 I think. Eventually he would have a break, similar to what Murray had last Wimbledon.

July 18th, 2017 at 11:20 pm

Also mentioned several times Murray should have at least 6 Slams, He is too good for just 3. He can do everything well with a tennis racquet, his only weak spot is second serve, but touch, feel on court and control of the ball is astonishing. Natural shotmaker. Also, I think he has the best lobby in the game, past and present.

July 18th, 2017 at 11:24 pm

James and Markus amazing posts thankyou for that ….

July 19th, 2017 at 1:23 am

ATPWorldTour.com Fans’ Favorite

2003 Roger Federer
2004 Roger Federer (2)
2005 Roger Federer (3)
2006 Roger Federer (4)
2007 Roger Federer (5)
2008 Roger Federer (6)
2009 Roger Federer (7)
2010 Roger Federer (8)
2011 Roger Federer (9)
2012 Roger Federer (10)
2013 Roger Federer (11)
2014 Roger Federer(12)
2015 Roger Federer(13）
2016 Roger Federer(14)

Edberg Sportsmanship Award Voted for by the players of the ATP. 　

2004 Roger Federer
2005 Roger Federer (2)
2006 Roger Federer (3)
2007 Roger Federer (4)
2008 Roger Federer (5)
2009 Roger Federer (6)
2011 Roger Federer (7)
2012 Roger Federer (8)
2013 Roger Federer (9)
2014 Roger Federer(10)
2015 Roger Federer(11)
2016 Roger Federer(12)

July 19th, 2017 at 3:05 am

good luck Roger Federer

July 19th, 2017 at 3:13 am

Stupid ARROGANT HR cry to see this list every night.

July 19th, 2017 at 3:31 am

Markus @ 8.04pm July 18 – “Topping” comment.

Daniel: You evidently don’t recognise it – but you end up debating with yourself and your conclusions are more often flawed than accurate. I rarely defend Andy Murray and only do so when the conclusion has no basis other than a series of “if’s” introduced by yourself. Might I refer you (below) to another poster’s view:

“Well, Daniel, let me speak for Murray, “Excuse me for being number one. I didn’t mean to get your panties in a bundle.”

July 19th, 2017 at 5:15 am

Roger is Class,
Edberg Sportsmanship 2017 ? did you see that ball to Raonic’s body on the net? that’s not from someone very sporting

July 19th, 2017 at 5:47 am

https://twitter.com/mpgotch/status/887481626585858048
Is this guy for real?? What a schmuk!!

July 19th, 2017 at 8:39 am

I do understand, but don´t know why it is offensive to Murray or detrimental and I don´t have a problem with it or upset to have my panties in a bundle.

Writers are mentioning it all year, he is #1 without holding a single Slam final and only is so still because the 2 that are hunting him didn´t play a lot of months last year. Part of the process, you have to play all year long to be #1.

It happens to all of them, we hardly have the 4 of them playing good and top tennis at the same time due to several separete issues.

Last year he was a well deserving #1 the way he battle it in the end of the year, this is year is just a matter of time untill one of Fedal overtakes him and the rankings shows the reality.

July 19th, 2017 at 8:55 am

“but you end up debating with yourself and your conclusions are more often flawed than accurate.”

Your opinion.

July 19th, 2017 at 8:59 am

@ Dan the Man:

Fed has a few more slams outside his favorite, true. But Nadal has a substantial lead in their head to head. Also, Nadal has beaten Fed at Wimbledon, Fed has never beaten Nadal at the French. The only time Fed won the French was when Rafa did not play.

To complicate more, the Joker, although lower in the Slam count, owns both Fed and Nadal when he is playing at his top level.

July 19th, 2017 at 10:54 am

“Fed has a few more slams outside his favorite, true”
Not just a few. A LOT.

July 19th, 2017 at 11:26 am

Some people cannot accept it when someone outside their favorites attains some success and would always find s way to diminish it. And when someone outside their favorite fails, they will credit it to their favorites. You can never win with those kind of people. Although I would think those are the attributes of a loser.

July 19th, 2017 at 11:27 am

“To complicate more, the Joker, although lower in the Slam count, owns both Fed and Nadal when he is playing at his top level.”

That’s really not true.

When you are talking about 2 or 3 greats, the younger player or players will always have the advantage. That’s just fact.

Just imagine Fed was 5 years younger than Djokovic.

July 19th, 2017 at 12:24 pm

Heck Fed just beat Nadal 4 times straight. 25 year old Fed vs 30 year old Nadal – not even a contest. Thats taking 11 years of tennis from Feds body. He would probably own the tour for the next 8 years were that the case. Both Nadal and Djokovic are amazing players, my only point is age is a big factor.
Ppl seem to think cause Fed can win Slams at 35 other players will be able to do it to, sorry thats really not the case.
Djokovic is Fading – its sad but true. Of course I could be wrong, but I don’t think any of the other Greats will be winning anything in a year or 2. Same goes with taking 6 months of… Berdych said if he took 6 months off – he wouldn’t even have to bother leaving the house… We will see. Dont expect Fed to win any Slams next year either – but what he does is just ridiculous, he is capable of anything. So I have no predictions for Fed. The proof is in the pudding! Turning 36 and this guy is still capable of anything – think about that.

July 19th, 2017 at 12:49 pm

There was an interestinmg stat: 19 years after Federer won the juniors Wimbledon in 1998, he wins his 19th Major and 8th wimbledon!;-)

Agree Berghain, long breaks work different for each players. It worked for Fed and for Nadal as well, although Nadal usually is a gearing up kind of player, who gets better and better the more he plays, vis RG 2017.

Andy also returned strong after his surgery, so he porved that he can deal with an extended break, and if he needs time to heal, it would be the proper way. Djoko is the only one who hasn’t missed more than 45 days away from the tour in a long, long time. Maybe is just what he needs, to recharge, mentally also.

July 19th, 2017 at 1:15 pm

Also, Fed is the only one in Open era with 3 majors after 30.

– Agassi had 2
– Wawrinka has 2 can add more
– Nadal has 1 can add more

July 19th, 2017 at 1:50 pm

Daniel: Rod Laver (b. August 1938) won his 1969 calendar slam aged 30 and 31. Ken Rosewall (b. November 1934) also won four singles slam titles in the Open Era – RG 1968, US 1970 and Australia 1971-72 – between the ages of 33 and 37, winning that 1971 slam aged 36 without dropping a set (though only requiring six matches in those days as so few players travelled there).

July 19th, 2017 at 3:17 pm

Always a slow time in tennis, after a GS has finished, people argue about the funniest things, roll on the American HC swing and the USO ….

July 19th, 2017 at 4:11 pm

@Giles
https://www.kingsporttees.com/rf-pst

Get yours now before they sell out. Buddy HR could use one too👍

July 19th, 2017 at 4:38 pm

Federer might not be my favorite player, but that t.shirt is stunning ….

I Must say i doubt very much Humble Rafa is actually a Rafa fan anyway, i very much doubt hes even a tennis fan at all ….

July 19th, 2017 at 4:44 pm

Yeah Willow that shirt is nice, see we can agree on something :)

July 19th, 2017 at 6:13 pm

Federer has set the number example that there is tennis life after 30. Nadal is following his lead, winning 10, 10 and 10 after 30. If he focuses only on clay, he may remain dominant in that surface until well into his deep 30s. He may do 15,15 and 15! I still think Djokovic can make a great comeback. Federer has made him young at this point in his career. He should not be written off just like Roger and Rafa were written off last year. Same goes with Murray. The Old Big Four are not ready to fade off into the sunset. The young guns can start taking over the game when they are in their 30s.

July 19th, 2017 at 6:23 pm

He may do 15,15 and 15
—
Now, that’s a real accomplishment. I like 15-15-15.

July 19th, 2017 at 10:18 pm

Buddy HR could use one too👍
—
It is so awful. Did the Arrogant One himself design this?

July 19th, 2017 at 10:20 pm

^aww c’mon do you have to act all jealous all the time of your idol? Just get one, you’ll look better.

July 19th, 2017 at 11:23 pm

Surely the shirt was made for female fans….I can’t believe a guy would wear this….but I could be wrong…..

July 20th, 2017 at 1:14 am

Hey HR!!….Stop tormenting Skeeze will ya??You’re a bad bad boy!

July 20th, 2017 at 1:29 am

@Okie…So,buy one for me!!Pweeazee!!

July 20th, 2017 at 1:30 am

Markus – “I still think Djokovic can make a great comeback. Federer has made him young at this point in his career. He should not be written off just like Roger and Rafa were written off last year. Same goes with Murray.”

For once I agree with Markus.

July 20th, 2017 at 2:05 am

AM: Please send a hug to jalep!

July 20th, 2017 at 2:49 am

Obviously I must go to SpecSavers as I thought that shirt was putrite.

July 20th, 2017 at 4:32 am

M!…Consider it done Boss!!…tho’ i think u forgot 1 thing…kicking her @ss for soooo clumsy!!

P/S…M..i’ve got something for u on Off Topic Thread..

July 20th, 2017 at 4:33 am

Novak has a chance to end a dissapointing season on a high, if he wins the USO and WTF, and puts in a good showing on the HC swing, much will depend on how the arm / shoulder is, he doesnt actually hold a GS now, and it will be going back to the FO last year when he last won one, also you would have to go back to the USO a year ago since he last made a GS final, otherwise he will be under pressure at the AO next year, Marion Bartoli says she believes he will make a comeback, but Sam Smith says shes not so sure, time will tell ….

July 20th, 2017 at 4:33 am

Skeezer. Fortunately for me I don’t like tat. Looks like something out of Star Wars! I leave you and your cronies to enjoy the hideous spectacle! Lol

July 20th, 2017 at 4:33 am

Berghain im not as fan though, so i wouldnt wear it myself, have to ask thogh why the vitriolic posts in my direction, just because we dont agree on something ? ….

July 20th, 2017 at 4:37 am

J-Kath a matter of preferance i suppose ….

July 20th, 2017 at 4:38 am

lylenubbins – I think you’ll find that Nadal did play at RG in 2009 – he was defeated by Soderling.

The main reason why Nadal beat Federer in 2008 Wimbledon was the mono he caught earlier in that season. To put it into context, in 2006 federer lost against 2 opponents all season. In 2008 he lost against 9 – including Blake, Karlovic, Stepanek and Fish. He stamina was suspect all year – and into the next.

Indeed, a case can be made that he’s never again been as complete a player after the mono.

July 20th, 2017 at 4:55 am

Willow – I think Djokovic would be well advised to take a few months off to recuperate. It’s been obvious for 18 months that some underlying issue was causing difficulty and it won’t go away, imo, if he continues on the circuit as he has been.

He’s still capable of winning majors if he regains his full fitness.

July 20th, 2017 at 4:58 am

Mustve been mild mono, as he went on to win the USO the same year, he lost at W because he had mono, he won the USO in spite of having mono, i guess some players are invincible even with a physical ailment ….

July 20th, 2017 at 5:04 am

Miles i agree, im not actually a Novak fan im just addressing possibilities ….

July 20th, 2017 at 5:06 am

Skeezer as i said i like the shirt, but i wouldnt wear it personally, i think its strictly for fans, yourself, Madmax, Fedexpress, Berghain, Steve-O etc, theres plenty of you to go around :) ….

July 20th, 2017 at 5:13 am

As far as the mono is concerned, it affected Federer’s stamina – he played a rapid 3 set final against Murray. Playing his aggressive game allowed him to keep matches short – as soon as he was playing longer matches, he started to lose – hence his defeat to the lives of Karlovic! If Murray could have taken the USO final to 5 sets, almost certainly Federer would’ve lost it.

I don’t know why people are so reluctant to take this into account – had Nadal caught mono and played Federer at RG 5 months later, it wouldn’t have been surprising to see Federer win. It would also be fair to contextualise the result accordingly.

July 20th, 2017 at 5:37 am

When you bring up an illness or an injury, its inevitable that it takes away from the opponents win, i dont make excuses, and i dont buy them either, Federer lost suffering from mono at W poor him, and then he beats Murray while suffering from mono at the USO my goodness what an awesome guy ! *ROLLS EYES* ….

As for taking it into account Miles, weve been taking it into account for years, Nadal fans had that mono W match rammed down our throats ad nauseum by a poster that used to be here called Dave ….

July 20th, 2017 at 5:45 am

Miles. What mononono? There was barely 2 points between fed and Rafa in the 2008 Wimby final after 5(?) hours!! Don’t make invalid excuses!

July 20th, 2017 at 11:37 am

Willow: With you.

July 20th, 2017 at 2:44 pm

Fed has won 10 hard court slams. I don’t think anyone else has – Djoke has 8, Sampras 7. We are witnessing such a unique era – we have the grass and hard court GOAT (Federer – he also has 6 YEC on indoor hard), and the clay GOAT (Nadal). Multiple surface domination makes Federer the overall GOAT.

July 20th, 2017 at 4:11 pm

“Miles – The main reason why Nadal beat Federer in 2008 Wimbledon was the mono he caught earlier in that season.”

That is an amusing theory. Except that Fed mono-free barely escaped Rafa at Wimbledon in 2007’s 5-setter. And Nadal was a better player all through 2008.

James – “Fed has won 10 hard court slams. I don’t think anyone else has – Djoke has 8, Sampras 7. We are witnessing such a unique era – we have the grass and hard court GOAT (Federer – he also has 6 YEC on indoor hard), and the clay GOAT (Nadal). Multiple surface domination makes Federer the overall GOAT”

No such thing as a GOAT, only best in an era. And in their era, Djokovic is regarded is the best overall hardcourt player, though Fed does well at two fast surface events (Dubai Cincinnati) when facing Djokovic. And can’t say there is domination by Fed over the field at the WTF when Djokovic has 5.
All 4 of the Big 4 can now be regarded as all surface players, though Rafa has an abysmal indoor record and Andy sucked on clay until his game there finally caught up with his talent.

On grass, Roger is 1-2 against Novak at Wimbledon. 2-1 on Andy and 2-1 against Nadal (though the last time they met on grass was 9 years ago at the 2008 Final. So I don’t see “dominance” there.

I’d also rate Djokovic as slightly better than Federer on clay based on the record and Novak being the only player capable of beating prime Rafa on clay on regular occasion, the only player Rafa and Toni say they fear facing on a clay court.

July 20th, 2017 at 5:02 pm

uses no. of titles for hard and clay to prove there is no dominance of fed. couldn’t do that on grass. so, brings out the h2h! lol

July 20th, 2017 at 5:34 pm

@cf1

“And can’t say there is domination by Fed over the field at the WTF when Djokovic has 5”.

Except that 4 out of 5 of his titles came after Fed was 31 years old….

July 20th, 2017 at 9:47 pm

@Sirius
And don’t forget “the weak era” lol

July 20th, 2017 at 9:52 pm

^And the Madrid semis in 2009 draining Nadal and Djoko for a year, “mentally” and physically! But Fed’s Mono, which even made his face more bony as he lost weight, was a no issue. Go figure!

July 20th, 2017 at 11:07 pm

Also Fed vs Murray on grass is 2-1. Olympics is not Wimbledon, played at the same venue, but not Wimbledon.

July 20th, 2017 at 11:11 pm

Until last year it was a close call on HC but Federer slightly ahead of Djokovic, with this year he is ahead.

HC stats:
– Federer 10 HC Slams out of 13 finals: 5-1 in AO / 5-2 in USO losing to 2 different players
– Djokovic 8 HC Slams out of 13 finals: 6-0 in AO / 2-5 in USO losing to 4 different players including all others Big 4 + Wawrinka

– Federer: 22 HC Masters including all Masters on HC (IW, MIami, Canada, Cincy, Shangai, Paris and former Madrid), multiple titles in all except Paris with 1 / 30 finals (73,3%)
– Djokovic: 22 HC Masters (with no title Cincy) and multiple titles in all others / 30 finals (73,3%)

– Federer total titles on HC: 63 / 86 (73,3%)
– Djokovic total titles on HC: 51 / 67 (76,1%)

– Federer record on HC: 687 wins / 140 losses (83,1%)
– Djokovic record on HC: 508 wins / 95 losses (84,2%)

Only stat Djoko is above Fed and even so, slightly is Record on HC finals. But as Djoko’s peak years are behind him, most likely this stat will be similar to Fed in near future.

Basically they are pretty much tied, with the difference being Slams and how will Djoko hold his stats now that he is after 30 and after his peak.

July 20th, 2017 at 11:43 pm

Re the mono thing: He had a mild one not a career threatning like soderling. And i think he was fine after the Miami but the lack of fitness and block training caught up with him the whole season from that he couldnt recover. Next season he was in full force. Reached 4 GS finals. Won 2.

And Federer is the best HC player. He proved it back then and he is proving it right now. How many proofs some guys need to finally accept that? Federer is shutting their mouthes everytime they open it.

July 21st, 2017 at 12:03 am

Skeezer, daniel

No way I could forget those. Those are the topics that guy writes about 90% of the time.

July 21st, 2017 at 1:22 am

chrisford1, there is such a thing called GOAT. It is Federer. If only you’d stop doing your skewed statistics and watch real tennis for a change, then maybe you’d be enlightened.

July 21st, 2017 at 2:37 am

Daniel: “And the Madrid semis in 2009 draining Nadal and Djoko for a year, “mentally” and physically!”

At 2006 Rome, 24-year old No. 1 Federer played 6 (SIX) rounds because there was no first-round bye for top players before 2007, and the final is a best-of-five-sets. On Friday quarterfinals, Federer beat clay-courter Nicolas Almagro 6-3, 6-7, 7-5 (229 points in 2 hr 33 min). On Saturday semifinals, Federer beat No. 3 David Nalbandian 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (229 points in 2 hr 43 min). On Sunday final, Federer had 2 match points in the fifth set against Nadal 7-6, 6-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-7 (353 points in 5 hours 5 min). Federer played 811 points in 10 hrs 11 mins over three days in a row (not counting his first three rounds of matches) – that is more time on court than he faced in the first six rounds of 2017 Wimbledon!

At 2009 Madrid, 22-year old Nadal played only two straight-set matches before his semifinal with Djokovic (Nadal). 21-year old Djokovic played three straight-set matches before the semifinal. They played only 245 points in 4 hrs – but these were the two slowest top players, so they had plenty of time to recover between points.

It’s ludicrous that the 245 points at 2009 Madrid semifinal has been blown out of proportion while Federer’s 811 point efforts at 2006 Rome have rarely been recognized.

July 21st, 2017 at 3:32 am

chrisford1: “That is an amusing theory. Except that Fed mono-free barely escaped Rafa at Wimbledon in 2007′s 5-setter. And Nadal was a better player all through 2008.”

Federer was not up to his par at both the 2007 and 2008 Wimbledon finals, which allowed Nadal to shine in parts.

2007 Wimbledon final:

Federer had skipped the warm-up Halle grass event for the first time in order to recover from the groin injury that Federer suffered during the 2007 French Open QF (this was revealed by the Halle organizers when Federer withdrew… yet a groin-injured Federer still created 17 breakpoint opportunities to Nadal’s 10 BPs, so imagine what might have happened if Fed’s groin had been healthy :) ).

Federer came to Wimbledon rusty and lacking grass preparation and grass match practice without his Halle warm-up.

To make matters worse, incessant rain during the middle of the Wimbledon tournament and Tommy Haas’s withdrawal from their fourth-round match blocked Federer from playing any match (or practicing much) for five days in a row between his third round and his quarterfinals (where he dropped the first set of the tournament to former French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero).

On the other hand, Nadal was on court everyday playing bits and pieces of his matches. BBC commentator Jimmy Connors said that this gave Nadal the advantage of match practice over the rusty Federer.
Federer’s preparation wasn’t the best for the final.

In the final, Federer played to survive the first 4.5 sets. When it mattered most — in the middle of the fifth set — Federer raised his game and took the match from Nadal, just like he did at 2017 Australian

2008 Wimbledon final:

In the 18 months between 2006 Wimbledon and 2007 World Tour Finals, Federer had a 5-2 winning record over Nadal: Fed had wins on clay, hard, grass as well as bagel sets on clay and grass. Federer had figured Nadal out.

Then the Tennis Gods decided to handicap Federer with a virus.

Federer’s mononucleosis illness in December 2007 / January 2008 and subsequent back injuries disrupted the momentum of his prime/peak and halted his turnaround against Nadal.

Though compromised with illness and later injury, Federer was still good enough to reach the finals of most big tournaments – which left Federer vulnerable to 5 losses to Nadal between 2008 Monte Carlo and 2009 Australian Open. That Federer was vulnerable was indicated by an uncharacteristic 21 losses — several to unheralded players (Blake, Karlovic, Simon twice, Stepanek, Fish) — in the 16 months from 2008 Australian to before 2009 Madrid (Federer had only 24 losses in the preceding 48 months from 2004 to 2007). It was in this context, Federer lost all 5 matches to Nadal, including 2008 Wimbledon. Mononucleosis is often a career-limiting disease for world-class athletes, so it was a miracle that a compromised Federer was even able to make the finals of the 2008 Wimbledon and 2009 Australian, and lose five-setters to Nadal.

Dr. Walter Frey, the renowned chief medical doctor of the entire Swiss Olympics team and head of the Swiss Olympics Medical Center, confirmed Federer had mononucleosis (glandular fever) and revealed that Federer’s spleen was dangerously enlarged from playing the Australian Open – this was in the largest Swiss newspapers such as Blick. Federer was a gold medal prospect at the 2008 Olympics so of course the great sports medicine doctor Walter Frey was interested in checking Federer’s medical situation and records
http://www.movemed.ch/index.php/walter-o-frey.html

Pierre Paganini (Fed’s fitness coach): “Last year (2008), he lacked always two or three percent. Glandular fever is a really hard thing. And then the back pain came in the fall, that did not help either… But it was sensational, the way he fought through everything in 2008, even though he was limited. That limitation makes a big difference at this high level, and challenged him mentally to the extreme. 2008 was from the mental side one of his best years.” (From “As long as he plays he will be strong”, Tages Anzeiger, 27 October 2009) Glandular fever is another name for mononucleosis.

S.L. Price: “Strangely enough 2008 might have been Federer’s greatest year — better than his 92-5 run in ’06, better than the three years in which he won nine majors — because he battled his body from start to finish. A bout of mononucleosis in late 2007 had enlarged his spleen, ravaged his powers of recovery and ruined his off-season training; from the ’08 Australian Open on, he played a step slow, which threw off his timing and sent his confidence tumbling. Yet Federer still made the Australian Open semifinals and the French Open final, labored back from two sets down to lose the longest Wimbledon final ever by the slimmest of margins, and won the U.S. Open — Hall of Fame stuff for anyone else. “Federer was ill all season long, and the story was completely missed,” (Tennis legend Jim) Courier says. “He hid it from everybody because it’s his responsibility to not show weakness, and he played through it because of his commitment to the tour. Which was a mistake. Mario Ancic [the Croatian once ranked No. 7] missed more than six months on the tour with a mono bout; it’s a serious illness for a high-level performance athlete. Roger needed to get off the tour and get healthy again.” Last October, Federer conceded at last, retiring from a tournament for the first time in 763 matches because of lower back pain.” (From “How Nadal humbled Federer”, Sports Illustrated, 14 May 2009)

How was Federer able to perform at such a high level in 2008 while set back by mononucleosis and back injury? How was Federer able to endure his 811 points in three straight days of efforts at 2006 Rome? How is it that Federer holds the record – by a huge margin in the Open Era since 1968 — for never retiring from any of the 1,358 matches he played? The same way 35-year old Federer is able to dominate the ATP Tour in 2017 and play three five-setters in a row against top ten players to win the Australian Open. Federer’s capacity for fitness and performance under pain is an exception and is exceptional – it is deeper and greater than anyone else in the history of the ATP Tour. You cannot apply the standards of any other great player to Federer. He is unique and unrivaled as the GOAT.

July 21st, 2017 at 3:34 am

Ad nauseum …..

July 21st, 2017 at 3:53 am

Willow:

I’m suffering from brain damage…..I’m contacting my lawyer to see if we can instigate a group action

July 21st, 2017 at 5:50 am

You prove my point – Federer had the stamina to win a 5 setter in 2007. I know the truth hurts for those who wish to downplay Federer’s achievements. A Face it, he was adversly affected by mono – just like every athlete who catches it.

Nadal benefited (just as Federer benefited from Cilic’s blisters on Sunday). Nadal deservedly won in 2008 – he wasn’t responsible for Federer being less than 100% – but if the roles had been reversed and Federer won a RG in similar circumstances, don’t tell me that people wouldn’t be referring to it!

July 21st, 2017 at 6:23 am

Im not down playing anybodies achievements, it just gets tiresome hearing over, and over, and over again, how the only way Federer loses is because hes somehow afflicted, and YES Nadal fans do the exact same thing with the knee thingy, and i have ad nauseum said over, and over, and over again how i dont think hes perfect of buy excuses from him either ….

And BTW the same standard applies by bringing up ad nauseum Federers mono, then Nadals achievements are also getting down played, swings and bloody roundabouts ….

July 21st, 2017 at 7:45 am

J-Kath lol with you that one ….

July 21st, 2017 at 7:46 am

Tony N. FOS!!

July 21st, 2017 at 7:57 am

I Respect Federer and his achievements, and actually at one time he was my favorite till Nadal came along, however that doesnt mean in any way, shape or form that i became a hater overnight, and people who know me here know me well enough to know thats not true anyway, or rather they should, however it can get irritating when some people think hes some saint or model of perfection, that should be put up on some pedestal ….

July 21st, 2017 at 8:04 am

Whether hurt sick or otherwise whoever wins and comes out on top is the winner. Funny but sport is like that and to try and minimize a players’ accomplishments makes no sense. Stats never lie!

The race for #1 is on and it should be a doozy. Whoever wins deserves it! I adore Federer but if Nadal gets there first, then bully for him .

July 21st, 2017 at 9:45 am

@GIles
Quit being all faass.

July 21st, 2017 at 10:41 am

Well, Deirdre. that’s all good except for the fact that Fakerer said he enjoyed
Roddick and his “joke” about how fraud and cowardly Djoker was for being a comedian, and being sick and able to win a marathon match.

Federina went on ESPN to boast about his own great character by comparing himself with Djoker and criticizing Djoker for not playing a complete match in Australia.
Yet, Federina took long vacations to avoid losing to the only man that destroyed him on different surfaces, in every Slam and Year End Championships.
When Federina lost to many journeymen, he finally admitted he was wrong about playing too much when he was unfit.

July 21st, 2017 at 11:00 am

James, Federina was so sublime. Was that why he needed propaganda to “hurt” his opponents before they played him?
Is that why he didn’t play Davis Cup and took long vacations to avoid losing?

Was that why he lost to his biggest lapdogs and non-champions and was destroyed by Djoker since Djoker was 20?
Is that why Federina choked against injured players?
Is that why he depended on mental midgets (Benneteau, Monfils, Roddick) and injured opponents to gain massive praise?
He dumped many big leads and match points, including against an injury hampered Djoker.

July 21st, 2017 at 11:18 am

Deidre right on, also im a Rafa fan who doesnt give a stuff about the no 1 ranking, Federer can have it and probably deserves it more given hes won two GS this year, by the way i dont do adoring only liking except for my husband ….

July 21st, 2017 at 11:52 am

Skeezer☠️💀👽💩

July 21st, 2017 at 12:57 pm

Miles: “Nadal benefited [from Federer’s lack of grass match practice at 2007 Wimbledon and recovery from mono at 2008 Wimbledon] (just as Federer benefited from Cilic’s blisters on Sunday). Nadal deservedly won in 2008 – he wasn’t responsible for Federer being less than 100% – but if the roles had been reversed and Federer won a RG in similar circumstances, don’t tell me that people wouldn’t be referring to it!”

You are very correct.

Willow: “And BTW the same standard applies by bringing up ad nauseum Federers mono, then Nadals achievements are also getting down played, swings and bloody roundabouts”

No reasonable person has claimed that any of Nadal’s wins are not legitimate, less important or lower value than what they really are – thus, by definition, no reasonable person is downplaying Nadal’s achievements. However, no one should presume that only they are the final judge/arbiter and fount of impartiality and wisdom on what can and cannot be discussed about wins and matches of any player – simply because they want to protect the PERCEPTION about their own favorite player, regardless of the facts.

The reality is that the tennis media and analysts continually discuss the context of wins and matches in a way that downplays a player’s achievements – relatively more when it is Federer – and they are sometimes biased and irrational in their opinions. For those player’s fans it just gets tiresome hearing over, and over, and over again, how the only way Federer wins is because somehow his opponent is afflicted or they were not there to beat him.

For example, several prominent tennis commentators, analysts, writers and bloggers opportunistically have brought up the fact that Federer won 2012 Wimbledon without facing Nadal (even though he beat Djokovic and Murray back-to-back), Federer won 2017 Australian Open without facing Djokovic and Murray (even though he beat Nadal, Wawrinka, Murray’s conquerer, Nishikori, Berdych in a row) and Federer won 2017 Wimbledon without facing Nadal, Djokovic and Murray (even though he had the toughest draw of the Big Four). What is conveniently left out of the context is that Federer probably would have beaten them all (had they been able to advance deep enough to meet Federer) as they were not up to their top form to challenge an in-form Federer in those tournaments (even Nadal at 2017 Wimbledon, who might have lost in straight sets had the journeyman Muller been mentally tougher and more experienced in these situations). On the other hand, Federer (even when he is less than 100% and top form) is unique in that he consistently reaches more finals, more semifinals and more quarterfinals than anyone else in tennis history since 1877 – giving his top rivals more opportunities to beat him (since they are less able to reach the deeper rounds when they are not at their absolute best… though I am quite impressed with Djokovic on this). See all-time tennis records – men’s singles in the link.
http://tinyurl.com/he878fz

Thus, from my humble perspective, it is perfectly appropriate to discuss the context in which the wins and matches occurred – so long as it is based on hard facts, logical reasoning and consistent standards (as, for example, I have done above). Those who do not agree are welcome to rebut with their own facts. If you hate thinking about and responding to facts and logic because it gives you nausea then do not keeping reading my posts. You do have a choice.

Willow: “it can get irritating when some people think hes some saint or model of perfection, that should be put up on some pedestal ….”

No one has said that Federer is a saint or model of perfection. Ironically, it may be Federer’s haters who have this perception in their minds – given what Roger has done — and perhaps this is why some of them are sensitive to anything that is factually and logically said about him.

July 21st, 2017 at 4:00 pm

Tony.N fair enough, for the record i do try to be reasonable and fair, and at no point did i ever say that Federers 2012 W win was less legit because he didnt beat Nadal, as thats sill talk about a player that never even got there, and i repeat i dont hate Federer or any player for that matter, this is tennis and its a game there to be enjoyed, however if some people have that perception of me, then theres nothing i can do about that unfortunatly, and as far as im concerned its them with the issue not me , PEACE ….

July 21st, 2017 at 4:19 pm

Giles😝
Go pick up a Racquet, quit twitter.

July 21st, 2017 at 5:54 pm

Twitter allows kids tobe groomed….OMG

July 21st, 2017 at 7:25 pm

“James says,

And if you look at just their favorite surfaces – Nadal on clay is better than Federer on grass. Nadal on clay is better than any other player on any of their favorite surfaces.”

=====

Federer’s grass winning streak: June 9, 2003 – June 23, 2008 (65)
Nadal’s clay winning streak: April 11, 2005 – May 20, 2007 (81)

Can’t say I’m 100% convinced. How might these numbers look if there’d been as many matches on grass each season as clay?

July 21st, 2017 at 8:19 pm

When comparing Fed with Djokovic, its disingenuous to ignore the fact that Djoke is 6 years younger. Its only after Fed turned 30 that Djoke finally started to beat him more – since he was 24, and hitting his own peak. djokovic would lose to Fed 8 out of 10 times on any surface if he played the peak 2006 Fed.

July 22nd, 2017 at 8:40 am

Willow: I did not claim that you were heavily unreasonable, unfair or that you are a hardcore hater of Federer. My original posts were simply informational (based on facts and analysis) to give further context to Daniel and chrisford’s posts. My subsequent posts were simply a general response to your posts.

The reality is that Federer tends to be treated relatively more pettily, harshly and with double standards in the media and blogs.

For example, ten years ago in this forum, there were complaints about Federer wearing shoes having badges indicating the number of titles he had won at 2007 Wimbledon and 2007 US Open. Obviously the Nike company designs the players’ kits and wants them to wear it as a contractual obligation. Here’s an example:

Poster: “Was it distasteful for Federer to wear Swiss flags on his shoes to demarcate all of his wins at the USO, or to wear crests on his “blazer” at Wimbledon to indicate each of his wins there? In other words, to wear “badges” of his wins, notches on his belt. Had any other player done so – Borg, Lendl, Sampras, Connors, or Rafa at RG for that matter – would it have been seen as tacky by the press or by fans, or maybe even as boasting? I wonder, but frankly, I think so.”

Rafa at RG? Just a few months later, at 2008 French Open, Nadal wore Nike shoes with badges of his 3 French Open titles (see link). It seemed Nike to put on these badges.
http://tinyurl.com/yag8t48k

No one mentioned Nadal’s shoes. There was not a complaint from the hypocrites who had been whining about Federer just a few months earlier. The double standards were odorous. The same people who had been quick to criticize Federer… conveniently omitted to apply the same standard to other players. They opportunistically put up Federer on a pedestal as a saint or model of perfection in order to cut him down to size.

Not a single Federer fan bothered to whine about the “tacky” badges on Nadal’s shoes that (a) were even more inconsistent with Rafa’s carefully cultivated ‘humble player’ image; (b) were not declined by Nadal even though some of his fans had been whining about the badges on Federer’s 2007 shoes; and (b) were ‘insensitively’ worn during the period when Federer was struggling to regain his form after his bout of mononucleosis (ok, ok, the second and third part was just to show how petty and silly the whole issue could have been). It really was not an issue relevant to competition on the tour.

July 22nd, 2017 at 10:59 am

Lol. Looks like we have another Dave here! Oh no!!!!

July 22nd, 2017 at 11:09 am

Regardless of whatever Federer says, there is no guarantee that he will chase the year-end No. 1 ranking.

In 2012, Federer had a good chance to finish number 1 if he put in the effort and performances after the US Open — just like Pete Sampras had done in 1998 to fend off Marcelo Rios. But Federer did not seem motivated to do. His winning percentage after 2012 Cincinnati dropped to his 2013 season levels (very different from his 90% winning percentage between 2011 US Open and 2012 Cincinnati). Federer even said that his goal was to regain the No. 1 ranking (to break No. 1 weeks record), not to finish the year No. 1. His attitude showed (which shocked me because in the past he would have tried harder to finish No. 1… these things were no longer Federer’s top priority, as he seemed more interested in his post-season exos in South America).

Here’s a good image of the leading grand slam winners from Spain’s El Pais newspaper:
https://ep01.epimg.net/deportes/imagenes/2017/07/16/actualidad/1500164000_705818_1500233571_sumario_normal_recorte1.jpg

July 22nd, 2017 at 11:12 am

https://twitter.com/tennishallofame/status/888772743314976768
Yep, that’s the one!
🤙

July 22nd, 2017 at 11:13 am

Giles: You’re sure it’s not this one?
https://twitter.com/TennisHalloFame/status/888773086232928256

Anyways, this is what your buddy Steve Steve Flink also said about another of their Grand Slam matches, the 2017 Australian Open: “To overcome his most enduring rival in the final of a Grand Slam tournament after six months away from the game was a staggering achievement. To cut down four players ranked in the top ten was mind boggling… I can’t think of anyone else but Federer who could have gone through a field like this after such a long time away from the game… But now Federer has widened the gap between himself and his most crucial adversary and the Swiss has a comfortable 18-14 lead at the Grand Slam events. I am convinced that Nadal will never catch Federer. Moreover, a slumping Novak Djokovic — beaten in his last three majors after sweeping four in a row—is stuck at 12 majors. He will win a bunch more but 16 may be his limit. No one in this generation will match Federer. I believe Federer has reaffirmed that he must be regarded as the greatest player ever to lift a tennis racket.” (from “Steve Flink: Australian Open 2017 Retrospective” in Tennis Channel website)

July 22nd, 2017 at 12:12 pm

Tony.N lets just say they both have to stomach their fair share of negativity, i remember poster taking pot shots at Nadals relationship just because hes not married, his personal life, one poster said he would pimp his own mother for enough money, one saying oh look whos been caught doing this ha ha hilarious posting a link about a sketch on a French TV programme urinating into a car engine, i dont want to turn it into a tit for tat p*ssing contest, but dont tell me all Federer fans are saints because they are far from it ….

July 22nd, 2017 at 12:35 pm

Eeek! Eeek! Giles @ 11.09. Take C O V E R! TBH digging up something some poster said ten years ago seems just a little, well, weird. Just sayin’

July 22nd, 2017 at 1:01 pm

Of course, Fed fans didn’t whine about Nadal. Fed loved the sponsor money and cried about his big thigh “injury” when Safin beat him once in 2005 Australia from 4 match points down.
Fed barely got past his biggest lapdog Roddick at 2 Wimbledons & 2006 Masters Cup. LOL!
Agassi had to be robbed by the linesman in their 2004 Indian Wells quarterfinal and his hip had to be grinded down for Fed to escape their Masters Cup and US Open matches.
Fed was pummeled by the grinning legend Greg Rusedski & Pat Rafter on grass. No doubt Laver would’ve hammered Fedal too.

Nadal could only be legend on slow courts and only when Djoker was sick and struggling to breathe in 2008-2010, as well as at the 2014 French Open.
Fedal thought they were too strong to take 5 month-10 month vacations to avoid losing to journeymen.
Fed was humiliated twice by the ridiculed, formerly banned Canas.
Blake was ranked #4 but never won a Masters event, let alone a Slam.
He still annihilated Fed at the Olympics (similar to Djoker whacking Roddick on grass).
Nadal had to battle back from 2 sets down against Ljubicic on indoor fast hardcourt. LMAO What a strong era in the years 2003-2008.

July 22nd, 2017 at 1:28 pm

Dear Margot. What u talkin’ bout? I was referring to the length of the post aka Dave, not the content!
Eeeek Margot eeeeek! Not on the same wave length.

July 22nd, 2017 at 1:32 pm

Don’t worry Margot, so you can get out of hiding now. That particular poster was not you (unless to you added to her complaints). It was just an example of stuff that has been recurring for many years.

Willow: Nadal’s relationship, sex life, sexual orientation, personal life, mother are certainly out of bounds (just like those hundreds of negative comments about Mirka were disgusting). Regardless, are you sure only Federer fans posted this nonsense — not fans of Rafa’s other rivals?

However, the following takes having to stomach negativity to another level altogether: At 2012 Shanghai, one of Nadal’s Chinese fans made death threats against Federer: “On October 6, I plan to assassinate Federer for the purpose of tennis extermination” read the message posted by ‘Blue Cat Polytheistic Religion Founder 07′ on the Baidu website. The crazy Nadal fan also posted a doctored image showing a decapitated Federer on his knees on a tennis court, with an axe-wielding executioner posing next to him. given Monica Seles’ stabbing, this led to high security around Federer, whose movements were limited and his practice sessions closed to the public. As a precaution, Federer’s wife and twin daughters did not travel with him to China. Eventually the poster was found and he was identified as a Nadal fan.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/rogerfederer/9589261/Roger-Federer-receives-bizarre-death-threat-from-mystery-blogger-ahead-of-Shanghai-Masters.html

Yup, don’t tell us that all other (non-Federer) fans are saints because they are far from it. No Federer fan has threatened Nadal in such a manner.

July 22nd, 2017 at 1:48 pm

My late mother used to say, 6 of 1, and half a dozen of the other ….

July 22nd, 2017 at 2:02 pm

Bless your late mother. However I don’t think she was thinking about an assassination threat against a celebrity being equivalent to a silly pot shot against a celebrity remaining unmarried.
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/six_of_one,_half_a_dozen_of_the_other

July 22nd, 2017 at 2:12 pm

You win Tony.N for me i cant even be bothered to argue about it anymore, have it your way, im out ….

July 22nd, 2017 at 3:22 pm

Giles, I know you were. I just added another comment. Hide? Hello?

July 22nd, 2017 at 3:50 pm

Willow: It is not about winning. It’s about discussion, exchange of ideas and continual enlightenment. Just like coach Toni Nadal does…
https://elpais.com/deportes/2017/07/16/actualidad/1500164245_460673.html

July 22nd, 2017 at 4:20 pm

I feel sick.

July 22nd, 2017 at 6:50 pm

Try WebMD.
Search for Philistinism.

July 23rd, 2017 at 5:49 am

gonzalowski

yeah, I was surprised when Nadal hit a ball on the face of Djokovic. Or push selfish two-year-ranking?

Roger Federer who was then ATP president opposed it, Because it becomes a disadvantage of the lower player.

stupid two-year-ranking

July 24th, 2017 at 10:23 am

Silly person! Do you think Nadal did that on purpose? And if so why so?

July 25th, 2017 at 8:03 am