"The best hard court player the sport has ever seen is glad to be moving on to clay"-
This is what kills me...

It is really frustrating not only for Federer but also for all his devoted fans.I was really scared to see Roger smash his racquet not because I felt it was an out-of-world action but because it showed Roger is really irritated which is not a good sign.I just wish that he plays with a renewed confidence and just want a little bit luck to be with him.

btw-I think Roger sounded sarcastic, more than the other descriptions.

what should I say cheryl!
federer's words tells everything , and face as well.
the tennos world still have hopes for federer , wish he calm down in te clay season , even if he didn't win.
I felt so sad when he say " no one expecys me to win!"
is it roger for real ??????

Well... gravity works like that: everything that goes up must come down. Every player will experience this soon or later- it's life! And I don't know if this is the time for Federer. I'm with the ones that think he's gonna fall now and come back later to win some GS like Sampras did... I support Nadal but to me is hearbreaking to see Federer so low key. And, yes, miserable is the right word to put it. It's a shame, but this whole thing kinda represents the end of an icon and I guess that's why people are making such a fuss out of it, because deep down they know what it means.

Cheryl and others: Give the guy a break please? He's been on the top for so many years. I mean 4 years of utter denomination, 12 slams and 13 in total. Surely it would take a mental toll. You can't expect any sane person not to loose motivation after being on top for soo long. Whatever goes up, ultimately has to come down.

My guess is when the expectation get lowered and Roger becomes more relaxed we will see his last phase. He would still be a force and win a few more slams, just as Sampras did in the later part of the year. But Federer's years of utter domination are over. That's for sure. It's probably best for the sport. We need to move on.

"Best hard court player ever".... Makes me laugh.

Greatest talent off the ground on hard... Hands down its Federer from what we've seen so far. Player, I'm not so sure.

I think he'll come back. All he needs to do is play like he doesn't expect anything. His talent will carry him through.
But ultimately, on a tennis court, its all in you. No one can help Fed more than himself.

Unfortunately Roger is having tuffs times keeping up, but he is still one of the best. He will always have a solid place in my heart. Every time he wins, I will be among those who cheer loud, louder, LOUDEST!!! Go Roger go! Go Roger go... Tennis is simply not as exciting without Roger Federer as a contender. I hope he will take care of himself, and remain a challenger to the best players for a long time yet. I don't believe for a moment that he is finished! Not yet BABY! Not yet, and when he beats Nadal, and Murray (on occasion) it will mean that much more to us Fed fans, and probably the World of tennis in general. Cheers.

Right On samprallica! I believe that too "His talent will carry him through.

Roger seems to be having a battle with himself right now. I don't really think anyone is suggesting that he's "finished", but he seems a tad...unstable right now emotionally.

that's sure cheryl.
that's why everything now is up to him , and to tell you the truth
eirher for roger or rafa, what really matters is their happiness , not the titles and not the records.
they are human being , and they are playing because they love it and makes them happy.
if I want roger to win , its for him , I don't really care about records .
at the end , sport is a key to the soul , that's it for me :)

I'm looking forward to seeing Roger play tennis as though he has nothing to lose -- I'm assuming that's the rationale for his comment about being glad that the hard court season is over and that the clay court season is beginning. He knows that everyone expects him to win on hard courts whereas nobody expects him to win on clay, especially in the current rut he is in. Although in reality, I don't think he's lost to anyone but Rafa on clay these past 4 or 5 years.

I also find it incredible that Fed has gotten to the Aussie final and the semis of Doha and 2 Masters series tournaments, yet the feeling exuded from fans and Fed himself is that it has been a disastrous year thus far. Seems unbelievable and yet it is a reality--I don't think any tennis player, not even Sampras, had this much pressure to perform.

I really want Roger to win 2 more GS :) . My prayers will be wid him , Let him find his way to solve the issues hes facing now

incoherent82 , i fully agree with your comments . The 4 matches that roger lost this year .... he came in as the favorite to win (I think the matchups with Murray has always been tipped towards him regardless of the H2H) . It will be nice to see him come in as the true underdog . Granted on clay that is not goin to happen so aften unless he goes up against rafa , hence thats the matchup im waiting for rite now .

It will be nice to see him go into the match with no/less pressure . His results this year ...as horrible as he might feel about it ...is actually better than last year . So as far as I am concern ...i see an improvement. However , the problem is that i see his competition improving also ...and this is where he needs to step it up..

btw CM....i REALLY like the title of this article :)

Considering Nadal has just dominated a year and now Murray is challenging the no.1 spot it will be a tough battle for Nadal to hold on to No.1 spot and even if Murray gets it, it will be tough to defend too. Nadal has so much to defend on clay. Murray has so little. If Murray gets the No.1 after Wimby, he will feel the pressure of defending all his points at the end of the year. Exciting year ahead!

torres r u having a laugh> for muzza 2 get to one after wimby... nadal wud have 2 SUCK on clay, muzza wud have 2 RULE on clay (read win RG), and then fed and nadal wud have 2 SUCK of grass. NOT GONNA HAPPEN. come hard court season muzza wont be able2 overtake on his own terms, hes got a shitload of points to defend.

if u think muzza is gonna be number 1 after the clay court season and the 3 week grass season... mate... ur def having a laugh.

i am not surprised,as someone said there is a change of heart,torres9 is now a murray fan,but i bet u wn't find shelter there cuz nadal will rule the tennis world for soo long.just wait and see

Rafa is nt gnna rule for long !

torres -

You're right about the second half of the year for murray. After this clay season the only way for him to continue gaining ranking points is by starting to win slams. That is the question for him now.

janhavi -

I agree with you that fed's desire to move to clay is a major admission of defeat.

I'm not sure how clever a desire it is either, as he has an awful lot more points to defend on clay than murray, and he could well find himself at #3 before the end of the clay season, meaning it would now be no longer possible for him to avoid both rafa and muzz in his half of the draw at wimbledon, and potentially having to beat BOTH of them to win it.

kaitepai,
OK here's my theory, it is mathematically possible for Murray to get to No.1. First of all, Nadal is 6000 pts ahead of Murray and with little points to defend Murray just need to get into the final of every tournament in the clay season and if Rafa slips up in any of the tournaments than we will have a great decline in Rafa's points and a big increase in Murray's points.

On grass, he just need to get to the Semis of Queens and then go further than a QF in Wimby to gain more points. Nadal will have to win Queens and WImby to defend his points.

Mcfound,
Nadal is not gonna rule the tennis world like Fed did, that's for sure. Still a fed fan, sorry.

Cherry,i don't think any thing is behind Federer otherthan he being afraid of Djokovic,Nadal and Murray from my view point.When he started the match with Djokovic,he was very aggressive but end it up poorly because Djokovic won the second set,and this is what happens when he is playing nadal and Murray also.This is what i have been observing for the past months.If Rogers have to win these people,then,he have put aside that fear and put on confidence,then he can make it again.

ok torress, if that happens ill eat my words.

its not gonna heppne.

alex - fed cud already have 2 play both. muzza in a semi (as is normal) and rafa in a final. no difference between 2 and 3 really only that he cud land rafa in a semi.

torres ur calculations are unrealistic,you talk as if Murray is miles ahead of the other guys,and that is total bullshit.the only diff,between Murray and the other guys is that he is now more consistent,that all.i wish him all the best but he should remember the very best is yet to come from nadal,us open will prove it.but also,i feel u are a fustrated federer fan,u can take shelter from murray but with nadal there is no vacancy.sorry

murray is still behind nadal in my opinion.hez very good at hard courts.....capable of beating the top three if hes at his best at that surface......but at clay nd grass...he hasnt proved himself to that degree...nadal steam rolled him at wimby last year...nd we havent seen him play that well at the terra mitica in paris...well lets see how he does at those surfaces...federer is still more of a threat to nadal for his the no 1 position...as he is as good as nadal(mayboe lil better n more experienced on grass)....nd competes wid him on clay......its just that his aggresive forehand is not that precise anymore....nd nadal thrives on his backhand...federer has to touch up his beautiful forehand nd improve his server if he wants to play at the level he has maintained all these years in my opinion....

MURRAY OVERTAKING NADAL FOR no.1 spot!!!! only possible mathematically ..otherwise highly impractical only possible if rafa is injured badly!! no chance otherwise...remember nadal has NO points to defend from the rome tournament!!! remember..murray is nt so tough on clay ...if u think he'' manage to continually reach finals...u gotta b kidding.there are many good dirtballers out dere who are definitely going to deny andy a place in the semis/finals..this part of the year is confusing..last year many senseless ppl were quick and abrupt to say that djo will "certaibly" overtake nadal soon and becum no.1 may b!!! there is no one better than rafa at defending points...murray hasnt faced the burden of defending pnts..rafa and roger are the masters of doing so...luk how miserably djo fails whe askd to defend sumthng!!! otherwise he plays solid!!!

Guga, guga, guga! We need a new guga to challenge the top guys on clay.

I don't think Murray is gonna wim Wimby this year, and I don't think it will be b/c of home court pressure. There are just guys that are better on grass. Sorry torres!

Come on Fed - find your form, and the rest will follow!

There is a reason Murray isn't defending lots of points on clay - and that's because he can't play on the stuff. Watch him in Monte Carlo - he doesn't move well on slippery surfaces. It's why he hasn't really broken through at Wimbledon and it's the very thing that is keeping him from getting higher in the rankings. Djokovic, Federer and obviously Nadal are all good clay-courters. Best of luck to the Scot, though.

murray is still 21...so hez got time to evolve his game for clay....for sure he is not in the same league as rafa is on clay..(actually no one is right now...lol)....roger is the second best clay court player....as he has been all these years...i really dont see many upsets this clay season...rafa shall get a clean sweep if hez at his level best...

One of Guga's coaches said he was available to coach Roger.

I wonder why so few people are talking about that.

Actually,I wonder how an in-form Murray would play on clay court because his game seems suited to clay.But I don't think he can overtake Rafa this year,let alone after Wimbledon.The point difference is too big,it's almost 6000 points that equal to three grand slams!!!

Cheryl, I agree with you 100% re: Murray. Whereas his movement on hardcourts is world class, his movement on grass is average and on clay is subpar. Plus, on clay, his array of shots doesn't work as well -- he doesn't have the heavy topspin or penetrating shots. So the shots he hits tend to sit up nicely on the red clay for the other players to take advantage of. I'm sure he'll improve his clay court game over the years, but he's got a long way to climb.

Great article, Cheryl. We all want to know what's up with Fed (or at least I do). I'm a big Fed fan. Here's my view. I think Fed has always been an emotional guy. Crying after the AO final was not new for him (Rene Stauffer's bio says lots of tears historically). He had a bad temper with lots of tantrums as a junior but learned to control himself on court when he figured out racquet throwing did not help him win. But afterwards, the tears would often flow. The problem now seems to be the emotions are taking over again on court. The message of the racquet smash on Friday, to me, was that he's not disgusted with losing but with HOW he's losing. He's starting to lose his game when he seems to have momentum: after winning fourth set at AO and second set at IW, at 5-1 in first set against Djokovic. It's as though one of the great front runners of all time can't maintain his poise when it seems he should be most confident. He just loses control of his shots -- especially the ones he's always counted on, the forehand and the serve. I really don't think he's "afraid" of Nadal, Murray, or Djokovic. It's just that against them, he can't lose control over his game and survive. He lost it for a while against Roddick in the second set, but was able to hang on enough to win.
There's a lot of fan speculation on his web site that his bad back is affecting his game. Maybe that's why he's looking forward to clay and grass. But if the back is the problem, it's not going to go away. I wouldn't be surprised if he took a break after Wimbledon (baby time + back rehab), although there's the USO title to defend....
In any case, I think this year will be a time for Fed to look hard in the mirror and think about the dreaded word "change" -- never his favorite. If he's able to do that, I think he'll have a second career. If not, well, I don't see the other guys getting worse.

I dunno why everyone reacts so excessively although I have pointed out that it is MATHEMATICALLY possible. All was going fine when Fed was dominating and he got mono which started the decline in confidence. So the same thing can't happen to Nadal?

If murray s*cks on clay in previous years, isn't this a good time to gain points on clay. It's just a speculation. No need to look to deep into it.

I liked the article Cheryl.
Fed needs to get some help. He won't get a coach so I doubt he will see a therapist but he needs it.
Although I don't care for him anymore, his arrogance *really* bugs.....watching his decline is painful and I feel for him.
Vamos Rafa!

torres..nuthing wrong abt the post xcept " All was going fine when Fed was dominating and he got mono which started the decline in confidence"....stop giving suhc xcuses becoz if sum 1 else gives one..u r quick to pounce..e.g....when many sadi rafa lost to murray in rotterdam due to injury u said that these are not valid xcuses..bla bla.....and there are numerous xamples.

u bleeped sucks? hahahahahahaha that is actually hilerious.

Vamosrafa, the thing is Fed is the only one bashed for giving excuses when Nadal is doing the same thing. Everytime he lose he will say he is not 100%, tired or have bad knees. Humility my @$$. If Rafa is so humble, why did he not get Sportsmanship award.

when mr roger federer loses hez not 100%.....when mr nadal loses hez not 100%...lol......if these two guys are always at their 100%...then they wont lose at all....have u ever seen rafa or roger outplayed while playing their 100%???they are so good when they are at their best that they cant lose...they generally lose when they r below par...not at their best....the only final i have seen them play at their peak was wimby final 2008...both were at their best nd nadal just made it by a whisker....so if they say they werent at their best after their loss is acceptable to me.....wats the fuss for???both are great sportspersons for me....

Look! When he cried at AO you accused him of being a wimp, now he did something macho! and again its not right. He will come right and on top again! Time!

Even huge Murray fans like can't possibly think he could be No1 this year could they? That's just silly, I think he could be No2, just depends on clay court season, where he has admitted he does not play well. However, he is very focused, very ambitious and is improving his game all the time so I expect him to do better on clay this year. but challenging Rafa and Roger? Only in my wildest dreams. But, have got to say, the difference between his game this year and last is amazing

it would be naive to expect murray to topple the spaniard from his no 1 position this year.....sure its possible on paper...murray just needs to win 2 or 3 masters..two grandslams t maybe...nd nadal would have to help murray by getting eliminated in every fourth round of every event he enters...lol......funny......and even possible..but highly unlikely...fed still has more chances to upset rafa this year..

rafa is the most humble..no doubt abt that....roger won the award becoz it ws voted by fellow players whose sympathies were well with roger after his 3 sucessive heartbreaking and grimmacing losses at the hands of rafa....they voted for him to cheer him up after his outburst of tears...lol...roger is an xcellent sportsman but rafa is majestic ....he ws given the prince of asturias award for this reason ..achievements and humility when facing defeats....he never makes invalid xcuses..its roger who often makes it...." the darkness at wimby was harsh one me"..when rafa ws asked"well,tough but it ws for both of us ,no?".....06 rome loss"rafa's uncle and coach ws illegally coaching him during the match..bla bla" whereas there ws NO SUCH ILLEGAL COACHING..only roger saw it....rafa's 07 wimby loss ws also heartbreaking bt did u listen to the presser??? it ws a role model....even though sum journalisits tried to bring that knee issue (which obviously ws a solid reason) rafa ws quick to dismiss anything like that ..he said that the knee wsnt the reason at all why he lost the 5th set...it ws that roger ws better in the last set ..he is the best on grass and the history of tennis..bla bla..... have u ever heard roger giving such compliments to rafa on clay..even though he knows rafa is unbeatable on clay..only after Oz loss he has realized rafa's dominance but before that even on clay he used to say..." he is tough on clay",why nt say sumthing like this that he is one of the best of all times on clay!! never has roger said thsi becoz he feels so bad that rafa has prevented him for winning the elusive RG title!!!! have u ever seen rafa smashing a racket on the court?? have u ever seen shim getting in to a major conflict with an umpire on a baseless issue?? NO!! it has never happened!!! the amount of effort he puts in is abnormal and if any1 has the rite to lose temper its RAFA!! bt he never loses it...even if he does its only a very short outburst of frustation/anger which he forgets abt as the match progresses!

Rafa gt a long way to go dood! Lets wait and see

Max..ur spot on....i donot indulge in these debates ..comparison b/w nadal federer becoz rafa has a long wy to go..but whenever sum ppl put forward illogical comments that rafa IS NUTHING (as if he is yet to win outside clay)...then i defend my views and ofcourse my rafa!!

katepai -

Sorry for the late response but i just spotted your comment.

There actually IS a difference between seedings 2 and 3. If fed were seeded 3 and muzz 2, and the other results went with seeding (which would not be improbable for rafa and muzz, given current form) then fed would definitely have to beat both muzz and rafa to win the tournament - i.e. muzz and rafa would lie waiting in BOTH halves of the draw. However, if fed remained seed 2, there would be a 50-50 chance of both muzz and rafa being in the other half of the draw.

Of course, this may all be irrelevant if what we saw at the miami SFs was a sign of thngs to to come in fed's contests with nole also.

I'm amazed by some of the comments regarding Federer. The fact of the matter is- there are now three players capable of beating each other. It doesn't mean that Roger has imploded- just that Nadal and Murray are playing superb tennis and deserve to be where they are. For those who are quick to write off Federer, I would urge caution. He still has all the shots and I for one wouldn't bet against him in Wimbledon and the US. That said, I think that it is a great time for tennis fans having superb talents like Nadal, Federer and Murray in the game. I would add Djokovic as well, but until he gets his health sorted I can't. And this time next year I think that Del Potro will be in the mix too.

if he is seeded three, he will meet either murray or nadal in the semis. in the final, it wud be whoever is on the other side of the draw. cud be one of those 2, cud be djokvoic, cud be canas - cud be anyone. as seeded 2, he will NOT meet nadal in the semis, but wud meet djok or muzza. but then he cud still meet nadal in the final. so im just saying theres not a huge difference. hes never gonna avoid nadal on clay, and hes always got a 50/50 chance of meeting muzza in the semis how it is. so i dont really think a seedin of 3 is a huge difference at all.

kaitepai -
geez, are you stubborn or what? I'll just leave it there:)

vamosrafa, again you show lack of judgement and the lengthy comments you put here shows you are unable to make logical arguments. You say Fed won it out of sympathy. Let me counter this and it will be short. Can u proof the votes for 5 years are out of sympathy? Former players are better qualified to judge than you, that's for sure.

Prince Asturias is a local award in Spain so this is irrelevant to be mentioned here. How many times must you read interviews about Rafa talking about his knees and to me, it's just the same as Fed saying he had mono so, Rafa is definitely not so much more humble than Fed.

I dont think seed 1,2,3,4 has much significance. Fed still have to beat either Murray or Nadal or Djokovic to win.

prince of asturias....rafa beat phelps and usain bolt for that award!! its nt that its only for spaniards!!schumacher won it last year!! whatever u say...every journalists wud also tell u rafa is more humble..for the past 5 yrs..yes like i said fed ws xtremely humble and a true sportsman becoz he ws not facing any adversity..u show ur true color when u face sfversities..i.e at the beginning of ur career and in the stages where u fall in pitfalls...do u know anything abt roger's temperament before 03??? better do sum research then if u dont

vamosrafa- having a temper doesnt make u a bad person!! andy has a temper and hes great and well loved. i swear like mad on court and have thrown a few raquets, so has my brother, but that temper doesnt mean we are bad losers or not nice pple. roger has great sportsmanship, and it just proves it that he won it yet again. rafa does 2.
man he beat phelps... is there like a sex symbol award? i wonder who wud win then.

alex- ive bin called that before, yes. :)

torres9: In response to what you wrote:
"Can u proof the votes for 5 years are out of sympathy?"

Can you prove they weren't?

Maybe you should look at who has received the Principe of Asturias award before you consider it "irrelevant."

Vamosrafa: well put. the true test of character is when a player loses. It's all fine to smile and be charming when winning. Also, how he conducts himself immediately after losing the match, whether he shakes the umpire's and still signs autographs. and yet another indication is what he says at post match pressers. In that regard, Rafa passes with flying colours. We all know how Fed conducts himself when he loses - not a pretty picture. I shant elaborate or it will set off an explosion from his fans but you get my point.

i agree wid vamosrafa....rafa's a great gentleman....great sportsperson..and a role model for everyone...and we fans know it well...nothing more to say....

To fan4tennis, considering Fed dominated tennis from 03-07, I can tell you FOR SURE that the votes for 5 years are NOT out of sympathy.

The recipient for Prince of Arturias include Spanish basketball team and Fernando Alonso. Still, it comes from Spain. I am not saying it is biased but I think Laureus Sports Award is more prestigious and Fed won it 4 times. And Prince of Arturias is not an award for being humble. How is Micheal Schumacher humble or Fernando Alonso humble?

Nadal conducts losses just a lil bit better than Fed but he does the same. He will say he's not 100%, his knees are tired and also his 'level' is not high. Just the same. Because his English vocabulary is poor that is why he can't really express what he feels.

here we go again...everytime the talk always has to divert from tennis to players' characters.Torres-enough with all this already..next thing we know-Nadal fans will be all over throwing dirt on Federer's professional grace,as usual...and then we'd be going circles again with more retaliation from Fed fans..
BTW,
Federer is gracious enough in defeat..Nadal fans dont need to tell us of his attitude...
I could spin it the other way round and say that its easy to be 'humble' when you arent expected to win every tournament you enter except on one surface.Things have changed only this year.Whatever Fed is,he's atleast not politically correct and has the guts to speak out his mind ..no matter how sore of a loser some people make him out.

janhavi , you pointed out what i like most about fed in press conferences ...he speaks his mind out and he tells it how it is . what u get from him is who he is ....there is nothin false about what he say ...no one coaches him on what to say ..

people might interpret what he says however they want ...at the end of the day he is a man that speaks his mind as graciously as he sees fit ...unlike some other ...

Surely there is far too much analysis here- who really cares if Nadal is a gentleman, Federer has professional grace, Murray is dour??? Fact is they are all fantastic sportsmen and athletes with alot of respect for each other! Personally, I think its good seeing Federer smash raquets- because it shows he still cares enough about his game to get angry.

They all do their talking on the court- thats where it counts!

Dont worry janhavi,fedexfan. I just like chalenging Nadal fans thoughts and beliefs. I just like to present this people a paradigm shift and their reaction to it so far has shown me that they some of them could not think as rationally as they thought they are thinking for example vamosrafa who obviously could not provide too much original thought and insight.

take this recent example...fderer losing to djo...refusing to shake hands wid umpire..head down and goes out of the stadium...and didnt even congratulate nole in the presser..now nadal...losing to delpotro (definitely a better feeling no.1 losing to such a player) bt still...it ws quite amazing that he ws signing autographs!!!thats rafa!! and his first ans in the presser included a congrats to delp for beating him and reaching the semis!! and torres....only graff,navratilova managed to win the asturias award ..so only 3 tennis players have done so......nadal received the award as the jury put ot forward like this

The Jury has prized the merits of the sportsman: in Grand Slam competitions, his fourth French Open title and his first Wimbledon victory, thereby becoming the number one tennis player in the world and, in this Olympic year, also obtaining the gold medal in Beijing.

Rafael Nadal is an example to follow. Both in his victories and in the very few occasions when he is defeated, he shows great sportsmanship. The way he reacts after a victory and the way he highlights the merits of his opponents is particularly admirable. He has also recently established a charitable foundation bearing his name which focuses on social work among disadvantaged groups and cooperation for development.

The Prince of Asturias Award laureate for Sports was one of the major figures at the Beijing Olympic Games, along with Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt and Yelena Isinbayeva, three of the final candidates for said Award.

The Jury has valued Rafael Nadal's contribution to the excellent year that Spanish Sport has enjoyed in 2008, achieving three major international prizes in different disciplines.

and talking abt the knees...look rafa never NEVER brings his knee issues in the pressers..its teh stupid qs raised by sum stubborn journalists who continually ask him abt his knees....the first qws is usually abt the loss if rafa losses for e.g...he always says that his opponent ws simply better,no xcuses...altho he cud have played better bt today his opponent for better.i can give 1000 pressers like this as evidence....he never brings the knees normally when asked abt the defeat...so what do want him to say when they ask him again and again ???? "rafa tell us abt ur knees"...if he has prblesms u want him to lie?? its upon continuous asking that he uters the truth and its obvious that hsi knees giv trble sumtimes bt he tries his best nt to bring this issue in the post match interviews!!! did u hear any word from him regarding the knee in miami??? 5 interviews and NO SINGLE WORD LIKE THIS!!! once again u dont know anything torres..u just write ..u just cant stay quiet and accept that u cant defend ur illogical comments!!!

I may b writing at gr8 length btb thats necessary to seal the mouths of sum ppl ...bt note one thing...my every sentencce is backed up by an evidence and i give new points !!

wow........had to read a lot before posting..to know wats going on at this topic..lol...vamosrafa has done lots of researching i assume....spot on bro...got to give credit to rafa...he deserves it.......so does mr. federer......its funny these two never really had any problems wid each other...playing in so many finals....making history....it just speaks out that both are great humans...if,just imagine if,rafa was really ungrateful to anyone at the atp circuit....wouldnt they respond...wudnt they fight back.....just like nole did after andy roddick made a lot of comments abt him at the us open..??? no professional tennis player has made any remark against rafa regarding his behaviour,or his ability,or has expressed any doubts regarding all the fame and awards bestowed on him........assuming that professional players....who actually play wid him...know him a lot more than any of us who just watch him play......it would be safe to say that rafa deserves all this......and the debate regarding whos better,who has more awards,whos made how many records,who has a better career.....all these can be settled after both of their illustrious careers are over,coz fed has played more than rafa...competed more...played in a lot more grand slams.......isnt that apparent to anyone who compares the two...

thnx for the consolation mate...bt the ans to ur last qs is "its NOT apparent to everyone who compares the two"..lol

vrael ... no player would make a remarks about another player unless he was pushed to ....novak was forced to respond to andy ...and andy is vocal by nature ... i dont think the player would really want to say anything about each other whether they liked or disliked the other player . in addition , you wont say anything about a player that you could possibly meet in a match and lose to ...so i dont think you point holds up .
however , thats not to say that nadal is liked or hated by other player .... but im my opinion ...a person across court looking at him over celebrate a single point with the knee thrust + multiple fist pumping + weird sounds could walk off rather irate ...and its not like he is going to bring it up later in the press conference ...just a thought ...put yourself across the court looking at this ..

fedexfan............i dont see nadal celebrating every point he wins by fist pumping...knee thrusting.....he does that probably when he wins a really long rally....or wins a very important point.....is that bad??? does that really demolish all the confidence and concentration the player has summoned all through the match.....if it does,then the player is fragile according to me.....i wonder how that player would cope wid an opponent like jo mac....the player would burst into tears...wouldnt he??? the point im trying to prove here is....winning an important point....after giving all u have got....charges u up emotionally....so a fist pump...or a knee thrust or a simple "come on" are different ways the player lets out the emotion and euphoria......nd if its so irritating y dont players complain about his antics....havent seen many do that.....certainly havent seen federer(who has played against him the most) do that.......nd we all know federer is intelligent enough to know wat distracts him....he never complained....nd do u know why....coz he knows its fair....and not at all ill intended at all.........

i misinterpreted fedexfan........lol......but i shared my point of view.....i dont consider his fist pumping as irritating.....its ok till it gets overboard and does it every single point

i love his fist pumping..he never does it when he feels his opponent wud feel really bad,,especialy when his opponent is getting a drubbing..e.g RG 08 final! the way he motivates himself is inspirational!! i also get fired up with him whenever he wins a long rally or a big point!! GO RAFA GO!! nuthing negaive at all!!

Vamosrafa, it's pointless presenting evidence to fans who are fanatical. Evidence of Fed's lack of graciousness in defeat has been leaking out, time and time again, since last year and staring at them in the faces, and yet they bury their heads in the sand. You can't force people to remove blinkers. They have to want to do it themselves.

If you were to listen to fanatical Fed fans, one might think that Rafa fist pumps and goes nuts after EVERY point--lol. But those of us that actually watch his matches, know that is not the case. In fact, sometimes, once we see that, especially after he has been playing badly and has won an important point, we know that he is coming back!!! These same Fed fans have been saying that showing emotion on the court shows the players are human and emotion is good to be released. They said that about Fed's tears, and Fed's racket smashing.......emotion is all good. But it obviously doesn't apply to Rafa according to them. Rafa is just as allowed to show emotion on court as Fed is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As far as the talk of Rafa's knees and Fed's back, neither player constantly talks about the injuries as is suggested. Sure, they are asked by the media, and they give short, terse answers, but it's the FANS that use them as an excuse more than the players do. In here especially! When someone says Rafa talks about his knees constantly, I know they are confusing the talk of fans with the talk of the players themselves. The same goes with Fed's back. It's US that say all that 100 times more than the players do!

Pffftttt... Like I said, vamosrafa, we're talking about humility and Prince of Asturias has nothing to do with humility. When I talk about A, you talk about B. Maybe you are dumb. I don't know.

Quantity do not mean quality. I could write a lot. But I have my course work to do. No vamosrafa, you still talk nonsense. Your point is probably pasted from Wikipedia. Thanks a lot but I think I can go there myself.

Fan4tennis, you have some point. Listen, some Nadal fans said, 'Fed crybaby'. So we just reacted to that statement. I think the crying was off court not on court. But it's one thing to show emotion and another if you do it constantly and this is deemed unsportmanlike by fellow tennis players which is why Nadal didn't won the award.

I agree that it is us fans who say they make excuses.

torres9, I don't know if you have watched Rafa playing lately or are going by past years, but he, in NO way, does his fist-pumping constantly. Also, have you talked to anybody who was eligible to vote among the players to KNOW (according to you) that they consider it unsportsmanlike? Or is it like I mentioned, that it is more the FANS saying it than the players themselves?

Regarding your comment:
"Listen, some Nadal fans said, 'Fed crybaby'. So we just reacted to that statement. I think the crying was off court not on court"

When people called him that, they didn't make the distinction that it was technically off court (since the match had ended and trophies were being awarded). Fed's crying can be considered an emotion just as Rafa's fist-pumping, so you can't call one good then turn around and say someone else can't do it.

torres..no its not wikipedia...u'll never find it there nd if if it were from there doesnt matter..its good to back up ur point from a relaible source since the person providing the source is likely to know more than an ordinary tennis fan... "i think i can go there myself"..if u go there u are nt going to listen to anyting..u are going to say that even that source in invalid....u r the limit of stubborness...."But it's one thing to show emotion and another if you do it constantly and this is deemed unsportmanlike by fellow tennis players which is why Nadal didn't won the award.".......how can u say that so confidently ..are u one of the players???? are u??? either u are one of them or u belong to a group of xtremely dumb ppl...sorry to say bt thats how it is..once again ur previous point..NO LOGICAL/evidened backed up points...u can just retalitate by degrading sum1 or his points..thats easy to do ...any one can write crap and non-sense just to fulfill the formality of REPLYING to show that u havent lost the argument and u are not going to stay back....everyone knows who goes for quality and for quantity here...my posts are full of valid points backed up by reliable sources.altho i may b wrong on sum occasions as we all make mistakes...ur judgement is also pathetic mate..once again sorry for using these harsh words..i apologize bt may b thats true...try improving ur posts ...i know u r going to retaliate after reading this post but there is no harm in following an advice even if its being given by one of ur ADVERSARIES..lol!!

Every time we argue...i put forward sum points backed up by solid evidence ...then u always say sumthing thta degrades me or my points but u do NOTHING to prove ur point in a way we are required to do so..then u digress from the topic suddenyl when u have nuthing more to write...u can follow the previous posts to note the trend..any one can do this...u simply leave dozens of qs and points unanswered whereas i try to pick up each and evry point of urs to dicuss it...this is what u call DEBATING AND ARGUING....so u understand why i write at greatr LENGHT????????

I read in The Times (or some other fine English newspaper, known for its refined and intelligent style of writing), that the particular inicident or racquet breaking was desccribeed like "magician breakng his wand".
I couldn't have said it any better.
The man is truly finished and will not win any more slams.

noleisthebest r u the one who decides who wins de slams??If dats de case Novak shud hav bagged many but he ddin even reach de finals of last 4 slams :P
" The man who reached the last 4 Slam finals and won one is finished and de man who haven reached it for last four is going to be No.2 or No.1 " . well having a good laugh is healthy :p

torres9,

Stop calling some people dumb or something like intellectual incapacitated. Listen, if you think you are mentally gifted (which can hardly detected from your posts/rantings) then leave the forum because it appeared that you are inept to engage fierce conversation without resorting to personal offense. If you wish to stay, just bear in mind that we are here either to AGREE or DISAGREE for the very fact that we support different players. You want to project a high profile by often belittling brain capacity of some people here, but too I was wondering why that simple thing has slipped at your supposed mental prowess. If it's not clear enough to you then lemme go on saying that you are exposing your unethical self and is the one trivial. For the record, NO ONE CARES if you are like Einstien or genius in school pheww, that does not apply here since we are ONLY talking sports, tennis in particular. YOU HEAR?

Go back to Tennis,

You were very loud lately about the SPORTMANSHIP award won by Federer, now you become a laughing stock as you need to do a lot of explanation lolz. Outside of Fedcamp, people laughing at you literally because it was Federer himself who slapped it in your face that he's not actually the ideal man to be awarded the honor of Sportsmanship. Roger is not winning any title of recent, now he, himself just invalidated his Sportsmanship award. The People's Choice may be in jeopardy in a matter of time.

I am sure most of us seen it and I pity those water bottles specially that ill fated racket lolz. Once again, the dejected Federer exudes arrogance when he refused to sign autographs on his way out of the court. Not to mention his ungracious acts for not shaking hands with the umpires during his losses at IW and Miami. His movement was quite obvious, a sore loser without a doubt. A petulant perhaps?

I know the fedfans will dump the entire roof of their camp on me if I'll ask something like ?. what positive or something solid that they can bring on the table to put their beloved Roger in present tennis talks? NO MORE I GUESS!

Another thing, I observed the fedfans are arrogants. Some of them say so often like ... I am SURE Federer will recover ... SURE he will figure out ... SURE he'll get back the No. 1 ... blah blah blah blah! It seemed the HOPE word is inexistence as far as their dictionary is concerned .

I am awaken from my slumber, totally recovered from Rafa?s recent amazing loss, it knocked me off too big time. Hehe!

Hello fellow Rafafans, you are always good in doing our normal/common job ... that is ... counterpunching, HEALTHY SOLID Rafa fans vs. DIRE FANATIC Roger fans hehe.

wow..hold it there..we dont agree with your views about Fed not being gracious and all that so we're fanatical? what sort of a logic is that? ... you people continue to accuse us of blind worship , being fanatical etc etc and get pissed off when we retaliate?...I have criticised Fed several times on this forum( though my posts are often pertaining to tennis and not someone's character..atleast not in the negative sense).I hardly see Nadal fans being fair and we're fanatics?..sheesh...where's this going? another flamewar I see...

Raindrops dont make up stories..Fed did shake the umpire'es hand in IW and acknowledged the one in Miami though he did not( or maybe we didnt see it on tv) shake his hands( that was wrong in my opinion though...but they're athletes who have their highs and lows.Also,like Peter Flemming said-Roger just seemed lost.He did not seem to have done it out of the purpose of taking his anger out on the umpire)...Oh and Roger signed plenty of autographs outside the stadium and also talked with a few fans
Also stop calling us arrogant...saying I'm 'sure' of something dosent equate to being arrogant...

janhavi,

refer to the "SURE" thing that I mendioned, obviously it addressed to the FANATIC fans of Roger because inspite of the real score, they speak inflexible and their asserstions do not conform with the current events. So I would ask you not to speak for the entire fedfans if you feel not belong to the category of fanatic.

To be fair with you, I didn't call fedfans all fanatics.

^^ yes,I would agree to that..but fanatic fans exist on both sides,not just one.

Raindrops your full of ****. Go suck a lollipop. Just because fed fans are wishing Federer well, and speaking/writing positive outcomes for him does not make them arrogant. Roger Federer is a great (also human) guy... You like to talk about his actions in Miami, or a lack of them. Who cares! Federer has won the last 5 consecutive Sportsmanship award. Don't you think it's time for someone else to win it! LOL Pesonally I would like Federer to go out there (on the court) and kick some butt!! LOL It will happen when it happens!! Cheers

If my post read in positive way, it maybe helpful to fedfans. It's a clue actually, learn how to use HOPE instead of SURE to avoid brimming frustration and lingering mockery because we all know as we witness Roger's tennis at this point in time is uncertain. YOU CAN ONLY HAVE HOPE AGAINST HOPE because AGE & HEALTH are catching up Federer and his performance lately is the clear evidence.

I have no problem dealing with people who finds Rafa's apparent ugly tennis and people incessant with their undying desire to watch nothing but the beauty of Roger's. That's acceptable to me because I can't explain too why all these years I find Roger's game unappealing until Rafa came to view. I call it preference.

We all have preferences. Makes tennis more interesting and fun. As for Roger, he has done better (a little shaky these days). But it's not over till it's over. Samprass and Agassi were still winning in their thirties at least one Grand Slam each...

loads of fireworks here..........lol.......this rafa-roger debate never ends...would be so much healthier if rafa-rog debates dont become personal wars wid expletives coming out of everyone's keyboards...

Sky,

I for one contented with the award that Rafa won. But hey, for your information, no one from Rafacamp complaining or questioning why Roger won the Sportmanship award until it was RUBBED IN by one of your fellow fedfans and that's the time it was countered by rafafan as usual, because it was full of snark hehe. So unforturtunate for fedfans that the rafafans saw once again crack on that award so what do you expect lolz?

The man who rubbed in that issue has the same song you sing now?ROGER IS HUMAN?yeah sure! What else to say, just like the ?cryinggate? we will just bury in a grave that statement of Roger thanking his peers for voting him as the role model 3 weeks ago. The players can hardly do anything to undo their mistake too late to retract and recast their votes, they have already honored the wrong guy lolz.

CHEERS too!

Federer- Nadal war
The debut can also start from: would Roger have done so mush as he did if Nadal was as good as he is today?
The answer should be once : Nadal was uncertain with Roger now Roger is uncertain with ROGER, Roger's main enemy is not Nadal it is not Murray it is Roger.
I hope he didn?t finish with tennis, because we miss his game so much

Max,
why don't you just shut up and accept the fat that your guy is finished FINISHED!

LOL Raindrop. Do you have a problem with people stating a simple fact like Roger Federer is human? Get a grip. "what else to say?" Roger is going to play Monte Carlo! ROGER IS GOING TO KICK SOME BUTTS!!! LOL

Raindrops, wow I am being laughed at... Woopss can't even hear any laughter coming out of my speaker. Maybe there's something wrong with my speaker. 1 incident of racket smashing from Fed doesn't erase all the sporting behaviour and his contributions to the sport. Important people in tennis know this because they have seen Fed offcourt more than any Nadal fans here. SO they are better qualified to judge who deserve the Sportsmanship award and clearly Nadal didn't win it even if he was no.1 bla blabala

Vamosrafa, you call me stubborn because you are too dumb to know what I'm discussing about. Please look at wikipedia about Prince Asturias. The same info that you gave can be found there. Thank you very much for not doing any research. You said I am not one of those judges. Yes I am not. WHich is why I am not like you who makes conspiracy theory saying fed won out of sympathy. You are the one acting like a judge when you are just a geek who have too much time and thinks he knows how the tennis world is like by reading articles and watch TV. Thank you for exposing your stupidity here.

as usual..nuthing new...only degarding remarks..typical of the most time wasting writer here. wht abt when u said "rafa's fist pumping is considered unsportsmanlike"!!! are u one of the players?? u talk as if u are ...if u are then tennis pros shud be the worst among all pros in diff sports

I agree vamosrafa. He never did answer that question when I asked him. *throws that question into huge pile of other questions torres has refused to answer* He just changes the subject when it gets too tough or he just resorts to grade school name-calling. Other Fed fans that I know, if asked, would've responded nicely.

nicle put together mate...i dont have personal prblms wid torres....i just want him to change his attitde a bit...becoz many suggest him to do so..if many wud ask me to change sumthing i'l try my best to do so

janhavi....sky....love you guys...committed Fed fans......torres is also fab too.....don't misunderstand him...he fights for Roger like a true fan.....as for noleisthebest....Lord above. his statement reprinted here....'

Max,
why don't you just shut up and accept the fat that your guy is finished FINISHED!' My God.....what the hell? Stop the CRAP Nole...do you know I thought you had turned a corner....actually, just realised you well and truly bumped into a lamp post buddy! You have a MASSIVE headache...it is hurting? You cannot comprehend your thoughts...you believe Federer to be finished....uh hum...let me clear my throat......Federer willl be fine...he will win again....he will come through his current adversity.....he has the calibre to prove it, the will to carry on the hunger to survive the onslaught from pretend tennis lovers like you...if I were you, I would be directing your insults at another player....actually...I am not going to stoop as low as you.....you should be directing your efforts on helping out Djoker....afterall.....did he DEFEND his ONLY slam...nole? did he? sorry? I CAN'T HEAR YOU? WHAT DID YOU SAY? Oh....did I hear you say VERY QUIETLY....he retired in the match against Roddick? Breathing problems? Now I am not one to knock a player when he is down....but pleeazzze nole, get YOUR own house in order before you start pointing your misdirected finger at the BEST TENNIS PLAYER OF ALL TIME......

Stop the fighting, please! It's annoying and some of us just want to discuss the tennis without having to deal with the nonsense of "FAN-WARS" !!

Nam1 I know this may sound unbelievable/or rediculous but we are just having fun! LOL Malteser1 noleisthebes is a joker. That last statements is pretty obvious. COME ON ROGER! Just KICK SOME BUTT! LOL

SKY: LOL Raindrop. Do you have a problem with people stating a simple fact like Roger Federer is human? Get a grip"

What kind of question is that dude? EVERYBODY ... again ... EVERYBODY knows Roger is human, not only him but all the players out there, and us too, are humans. The thing is, his action lately is unbecoming for a ROLE MODEL of the Sport.

So what GRIP do I need to get? Ohhh wait, can't you feel my steely hand gripping on your neck? Do you want me to squeeze it a bit more tight till you choke? Lolzzz....okay here we go...


""""COME ON ROGER! Just KICK SOME BUTT! LOL """

hahaha ... be careful with what you wish man! You never learned your BASIC LESSON eh? Why don't you check out first Roger's poor ass, it's CRIMSOM RED because he got pretty pretty pretty awful lots of KICKING lately. Man, your guy is bleeding badly and you want him to do something like a la Rambo? PHUUUUULEEEZZZ your man can't do it, what he can do is to run at the court like a baillarina with both arms flopping like a butterfly, isn't? Maybe the next time you see him, he's got crisscross cut on his forehead because he did something a la Youzhny hehe.

Have some self reality check! Just to satisfy you Sky, I wish Roger delay his retirement and stay in the circuit for a little while so we can see more live punching bag and practice partner as what I read somewhere LOLZZZZZ!

noleisthebest it is not abt me accepting Fed is done or u thinking Novak is No.1 , Itz all abt facts :P

Max...you really like to stir it up don't you? Well I guess that is what this site is for. And as for raindrops...someone needs to kick your ass....Our man Fed has faced tough times, but like a true champion, he will move on from this, learn a lesson from it and seek to improve....no tennis player is perfect or didn't you know that? You clearly don't know that much about tennis if you can be so disrespectful about the greatest player of this era....what he has done for tennis and continues to do....go read some proper tennis journalism.....Federer is an an incredible guy with millions of fans around the world...you are just a has been or a wannabe...you are just too fickle to realise what you want..All you are good at is putting one guy - Federer - down -..why? He'll sort himself out and you will be eating your words and as for saying 'his actions (plural) lately are unbecoming.....Phuuuuuleeezzzz... get a grip raindrops...ONE INCIDENT does not maketh the man....and if that is what you base your opinions on, discounting all the great tennis he has brought everyone then you are more of an idiot than I gave you credit for...

"ONE INCIDENT" pardon me but I saw 4 incedents actually in one tournament.

First, the braking of racket
Second, the throwing of water bottles.
Third, the strange behavior of not shaking hands with the umpire. All the players do it as norm to show sportsmanship with their opponents and umpires.

Fourth, he snobs fans to sign autographs in his way out of the court (janhavi re-iterated somehow that he did it outside, but the damaged is done, he was caught on camera).

I respect all the players past and present specially Rod Laver the greatest of them all. It's only you who (fanatic fedfans) insists fiercely that Federer is. I am certain if "I point you NOW" that you are indeed a FANATIC, BLIND, LUNATIC fan of Roger. I remember your statement like "only those who appreciate Roger tennis is the TRUE tennis fans", that was the most insane statement ever I heard from a fan that can easily suspected to be suffering from *mental incorrectness* and living with condemned discontented unhappy soul.

FEDERER GREATEST IN THIS AREA? Check your facts, compare to Nadal at this age of 22, you may find Roger not great at all but a mediocre. What certain is, Nadal career is much promising than Federer. At this point in time, Nadal has already proven something that Federer is/and will be trying to accomplish for a long time ... that is to win on all surfaces.

If he wins FO, you need not put "IN HIS ERA" because I will join you elevating him to the highest GOATNESS. God forbids, If Nadal may have a shorter career and didn't win the US Open and wins more say 3 slams, you can assure that I will put Roger ahead of Rafa, just to show how fair this Rafa fan is. YOU being a fanatic, I know you have the tingling feeling to ask question like, If I rate Roger and Rafa at this time, of course I am not dillusional to put Rafa ahead of Roger. Just give Rafa 2 years and we can go back talking again this topic.

I am not putting Federer down, I was just trying to shake up heads of your fellow fedfans, bang it against the wall if necessary *** the hell I care if you get multiple skull fractures *** just to bring their senses back to reality because they talk lavishly ill like KICK SOME BUTTS, wherein Federer is clearly the one getting a lot of beatings lately ... ISN?T TRUE?

And malteser1, can you stop talking like a broken record. Ohhh I forgot you are a fanatic. Enjoy your rehearsed rantings about Federer lolz! And for your info, I outrightly refuse credit from fanatic for a simple reason that it is tained ... thanks, but no thanks!

it should be: outrightly refuse credit from fanatic for a simple reason that it is TAINTED.

Couldn't have put it better myself Raindrops! Very well said.

LOL Raindrops Seems all you can do is dwell on the resent past! Federer got his butt kicked... Federer broke his racket... Federer threw water bottles...Federer didn't shake hand with the umpire ...Federer didn't sign a few autographs... Your just a CRY BABY! For your information Federer is still quite capable of KICKING SOME BUTTS. You contradict yourself when it suits you. "has the same song you sing now?ROGER IS HUMAN?yeah sure!" as if somehow being human has nothing to do with anything. Then ... " EVERYBODY knows Roger is human, not only him but all the players out there, and us too, are humans. WHAT A REVALATION! lol So now we can agree that we are all human, but the question for you remains: Is it O.K. to be human? Is it ENOUGh! LOL Are you so afraid Federer KICK BUTTS again that you need to scream out the pain of your fear with your concerns?! "his action lately is unbecoming for a ROLE MODEL of the Sport" True, so next year they can vote someone else. Why are you so *?/%=+ up about that?! Let's see what happens on the tennis court. This a were is REALLY matters the most. I am telling you and others that Federer will KICK SOME BUTTS, because he will!!! If not this time well eventually. LOL Cheers. Go Roger go...

The cry baby is Federer. The whole world saw it. Did you miss it? Were your blind folds on again that time???

Let's see what happens on the tennis courts, let's see what happens on the tennis court...! Madam, we ARE seeing it! What are you? Half asleep or stoned?

Oh...poor poor homos....always raking up the cry baby issue....HA! and Raindrops! You talk to me about being a broken record? reprint:

And malteser1, can you stop talking like a broken record. Ohhh I forgot you are a fanatic. Enjoy your rehearsed rantings about Federer lolz! And for your info, I outrightly refuse credit from fanatic for a simple reason that it is tained ... thanks, but no thanks!

A fanatic I am NOT...a follower of a GREAT CHAMPION...I am..I admit that....now please raindrops...calm yourself down...you are behaving like some crazy rabid banshee...and please....have a word with homos...he is the BROKEN RECORD.....Oh My God...will you both NEVER learn...Learn to accept what you are fighting against......Federer is a champion who had a bad day.....He has NEVER professed to being perfect.....what a guy! Homos go take a break...you need it buddy...your head seems a little muddled to me...go join raindrops and console each other....make your next appointment with the psychiatrist....

As always, an admirable and mature reproach from a self-professed non fanatical fan of a great champion! I almost - almost - feel as sorry for you as I do Federer.

We are all whining about his crying.... WHY do we care so much if someone cries?

Vitality of course they dont care about crying...Nadal fans just want to gloat because their idol is never going to fall and everything he does is gold dust and everyting Roger does is crap.. :)

Don't be stupid! Has anyone here ever said Nadal will win forever? It's not about gloating either. It's about Fed's attitude and backhanded comments that some people don't like. Just because his blind fanatic fans refuse to see it doesn't mean Nadal fans don't like Fed because he's losing, because he cries or because of his tennis. It's about his attitude! ATIITUDE! And not everthing Roger does is crap, just some things he says. Are you really that stupid that you can't see it? Professional grace my ass, he hasn't got any!

talk about name calling-you dont understand an overstatement?
also you've seen no gloating from your fellow fans here?
lol..Nadal fans accuse Fed fans of blind worship..how amusing.

i am proud to be a fanatic rafa fan but NEVER i have said sumthing degrading abt rafa...if sum1 fails to appreciate roger and his feats/efforts then taht person has almost no knowledge abt tennis...roger is a blessing on the tennis world..he is not at all finished...i feel proud when rafa is compared to a player liek ROger who dominated the game like no one else had done before..great roger federer..bt rafa is well on hsi way to possibly overataking any 1 in tennis history so go rafa go.....yes onyl sum times i question roger's attitude bt normally i dont have any negative comments..... VAMOS RAFA!!!!

sumthing degrading abt *roger*

homos what are you talking about?! Do you have any idea? Since when is the past the present or the future or both?! Federer has not played his BEST tennis. You and your kind have kept yourselves very busy reminded us of that. In the near future he is going to play Monte Carlo. That's all there is to it BABY (keep it simple). LOL Let's see what happens. As for "we ARE seeing it" Speak for yourself. How can you be seeing something that has not yet happened? You are basing your assumption not on what you are seeing, but rather what you HAVE SEEN! (you need to do a little work on your verb tense). Learn to recognize there is a difference between what has happened and what MAY HAPPEN in the future. I am merely telling you about my expectations as a Federer fan, and to a lesser degree a fan of tennis. As someone who enjoys life, it is only natural that I would think positively about things in general, and about Roger Federer in this case. How else can anyone enjoy his/her life when HAPPINESS requires positive thinking... As for being "Half asleep or stoned" YOU MAY BE but I am not!

Vamosrafa, Me changing topics? Excuse me. I was initially talking about the Stefen Edberg Sportmanship award. And then you talked about Prince Asturias which has nothing to do with being humble. Who changes topics here, Mr.Dumb? And then you go to the usual routine of giving Rafa stats that you repeat 400 times. I wish you are clever but you are born dumb so what can I do?

RainDrops, Nadal still has to win at this level for the next 3 years to match Fed, so we'll wait and see. Yes, his career at 22 is more promising than Fed but don't matter if he doesn't continue for the next 3 years. He can do it, no question, but he chose the physical and speed path, he is gonna have to maintain his fitness for the next 3 years.

torres9

I said 2 years but you insist 3. Perfectly alright with me as you are giving me 1 year extension before we can go back to talk this topic again. By the way, is't mind blowing to think Rafa may complete Calendar Slam this year? And if he has to play, per your innuendo, the same level for 3 years and able to lived up to that tall order, then wow ... is your dysfunctional calculator can count how many calendar slams and GS titles to his resume? Watta GREEDY thought hehe

I can see where you are heading to, you are referring with 237 Weeks streak of Roger at No. 1. I was just thinking that in 2 years time Rafa may accomplished something to match up Roger's, set aside that streak. Let's just wait and see.

Don't expend much of your energy thinking fitness of Nadal. Totally irrelevant as you are trying to extract juice from a fruit that made of plastic. I am a fan of him but I am not worried at all because it's Nadal's problem, so let him deal his own fitness. If that kills his career nothing we can do about it RIGHT? We are just expectator of the show so shut up and just watch. But if you can't contain yourself from your nonsense speculation and fond of digging some player's health, then don't look too far and act naive, focus your attention with your man, he is the one having health problem I guess ... mono, badback, age and recently his ill temper.

Raindrops, you really have proven to me what a great comedian you can be. Fed was in the position of completing a Grand Slam so many times. Being in the position and executing it is two different things last time I checked

Wow, you really is the son of Conan the barbarian. No brains just a big mouth and loads of crap to share. When did I suggest that I worry about Nadal? I can focus my attention to anyone I want and I don't think Nadal fitness will go down if I focus my attention on him. A 5-year old thinks more logically than you,

can't you read ... it was just a thought ... A GREEDY thought?

remove your blindfold while reading.

Well, perhaps now we have a better idea why his attention was divided ...

http://www.rogerfederer.com/en/rogers/news/newsdetail.cfm?uNC=8 9147318&uPage=8&uNewsID=889

We know why people are divided. Roger won the majority of his titles with no other great players on tour. Some people know this and some people dont. Even Rafa being ranked #2 for years before he was actually ready to peak tells you there were no "great" players that Roger had to beat. Now there are some and now Roger is losing. Its not a surprise at all.

Look at the ex-heavyweight champion Larry Holmes. He held the belt from 1978-1985 and yet he gets no respect as a great champion. Why? Because there were no other great fighters in his era. I think Roger gets more respect that Larry and he should be happy enough with that.

Smashing racquets and crying isnt going to change facts nor will it convert the nonbelievers.

Although your last sentence point is well taken (Slicer) You underestimate Roger Federer. The "pendulum of time" still favours Roger Federer in some big events. Roger has been losing, but he is far from having lost.

slicer, always great to see another fan who can see what is shown to them - not what they CHOOSE to see!

TOrres 9...nuthing more to say...any wise or even sane person wud figure out who is DUMB....if i am dumb then definitely u are the DUMBEST..not only on thsi article..go check out many of them and u'll figure out who changes teh topic EVERYTIME..prince of asturias ws releveant here...its just that u thinking sphere is so narrow..i feel sorry for u..

In some circumstances BELIEVING is EVERYTHING. If you don't BELIEVE?! You have NOTHING! Certainly not HAPPINESS or SUCCESS...

OK, everybody knows I love Fed, but I am on the torres bandwagon. You crack me up!

FEDERER HAS NEVER BEEN CLOSE TO WINNING A GRANDSLAM IN A SENSE!!! okay 3 slams and a final..wow!! incredible man...but losing in the finals of french u wud think only one more win and a celander slam wud have been achieved..BUT too clsoe yet to far for roger has been the case...whenver he ws up against the MAN,el metador ,RAFA u always knew deep inside that roger ws never gona beat him..rafa has been just matchless on the surface..so in this sense roger has never come so clsoe to winning a slam as we mite think altho it ws just only one damn match to victor to equal laver bt to win that match he had to OVERCOME the impossible...topping rafa who is 28-0 at RG ..never has any one been able to push him to 5 sets even!

Once again I founf some good evidence to BACK UP my pointsm and views with sum solid evidence.....here are sum sayings of different ppl regarding rafa ..BIG blow for all those who think he LACKS WEAPONS ...and remember ITS only 05-06! so i wonder what xperts think abt rafa in 09!!! these ppl DEFINITELY know more than we do..defintely more than sum DUMB ppl..


Brad Gilbert:
?You know who?s a great thinker out there? Rafael Nadal. That guy?s got a swollen head. Allen Fox would love him. The kid's so smart for his age I don't even know how his brain fits in his head.
(August 2005, Tennis Week

John McEnroe:
Nadal has incredible hands: he can make adjustments at the last moment to change the trajectory and to surprise the opponent.
(11 June, 2006

Mats Wilander:
?He's maybe the smartest player out there today."
(RG 2006, in an interview after the final, http://www.matswilander.com )

GO RAFA GO!! u are soooo goood:D and NASA and sum USA scientists have declared nadal's physique as 'IDEAL' for modern day tennis!!!!

Why would NASA waste their time on tennis? That's for us to discuss...bwahaa!

torres9

reprint: '''Fed was in the position of completing a Grand Slam so many times. Being in the position and executing it is two different things last time I checked'''

Torres9, this is one proof on vamosrafa's claim of you being frequently changing topic.

I clearly said 'Calendar Slam' then you diverted it to Grand Slam. You missed the vital part because most of the time you read with hate haha.

Roger will NEVER EVER in a position of winning Calendar Slam.

reprent: but he chose the physical and speed path, he is gonna have to maintain his fitness for the next 3 years.'''

Physical and Speed is his natural talent. Rafa didn't CHOOSE it, it's a gift. It is like God has given YOU torres9 a very ugly face and you have no other choice but to wear it day and night. And by the way, I said THINKING not WORRIED about Rafa's fitness, that is two different words last time I checked.

Roger *has not been* and will NEVER EVER in a position of winning Calendar Slam.

rafterfan..lol....yes this is what i also wondered abt the same thing but NASA has published sum research on rafa and his forehand....5000 rpm!

raindrops...no need to write it again and again..he changes topics so frequently..go thru all the articles/blogs where i have had arguments wid him..99% of the times u r going to deduce that he digresses

and recently..it ws that racket skill debate and the fact taht rafa relies on speed and mental strngth and that roger loses to him due to mental blocks..i posted sum solid points i think bt never got a reply!! he digressed so cleverly AS USUAL!!! dont worry..a rountine post full of degrading remakrs is impending

rafterfan,

Just a gentle reminder, Rafael Nadal is an ASTERIOD so he is very much into the list of scientists' earthly & celestial scrutiny :-)

*ASTEROID*

Was that a Freudian slip, raindrops? A STEROID? hahahahahaha!

Raindrops...you seem very sure of yourself when it comes to what Federer is going to achieve. To have that gift of foresight must be incredible. Be careful what you wish for though Raindrops, it will come back and bite you on the backside BIGTIME....Here's hoping anyway....

It is prophetic that the ones screaming 'he's human!' are the same fangirls who elevated him to Jesus status in the first place.

The rest of us knew he was "human" all along, it's just taken a huge piece of humble pie and many humiliating losses for Mr Phony Class to finally show his true colors.

You are just a hater, Sheila. And rude, too.

What Federer needs most is motivation,it happens to some winners;you are on top and suddenly you lose your drive because you feel you would win.But the truth is 'it's never over till it's over'.
Federer also needs a psychologist who would teach him how to unlearn losing to Nadal when it's clear that he's got all it takes to beat him.
Thirdly, Federer has to reassess his game plan, spend more time studing his arch rivals because, it seems they have studied his game so well.He needs to be a bit more unpredictable.
Lastly, sometimes, a little bit of anger fires people up, but it should be used in a positive way and it should not stay too long.I have long admired Federer for his composure, but it's alright to lose it once in a while, that's what makes us humans.

Well said, obiora.

"Federer also needs a psychologist who would teach him how to unlearn losing to Nadal".

Does Federer lose to his opponents only because of the mental/psychological component or there is also something else involved too?

No posmatrac, everything is about Federer! If he loses, he played badly, there was little light, his serve left him, momentum independently shifted, mono, back, baby, etc, etc. Other players are never better than him, they just get lucky! If you want to know why Fed loses a match, hear his interviews or his fanatic fan base!

Oooo, remi, fighting words! I have never dissed your guy. Just because we Fed lovers back him no matter what doesn't mean we all make excuses for his losses. You better be ready to eat your words if your little guy starts slipping. Don't be a hater.

posmatrac I believe obiora was talking from Federer's perspective..sure,Nadal has improved by leaps and bouds.What is implied here is Roger perhaps needs to believe he can win against Nadal .Whether or not he wins is a different matter altogether.It was an objective post if you read carefully.

Rafterfan I'm not refering to people like you (and other Fed fans) who know better than to stoop to the level of torres. He is a hater in case you haven't noticed!

I hate Nadal? If Nadal is a person I meet everyday, he is my best friend because he agrees with me all the time. And he wouldn't mind if I joke around calling him 'gorilla' or anything because he can take a joke unlike some low-life Nadal fans who take this forum so seriously,

glad o see you are contented with your low life self and not taking yourself too seriously!

Obiora, loved your post. Very true. It is a pity that people like Sheila want and postmatrac want to stoke things up again. I watched fed play yesterday and he gave his first tv interview to Skysports, and said that when he smashed the racket 'it felt good'. The feeling lasted for about an hour and then he moved on from it. The commentators were laughing their heads off, as was fed...he said he did not take it too seriously. Was a really good interview, he was relaxed and was really happy to be there and to be playing again. Remember we are all led by the media and what they report, Federer doesn't make excuses. He is honest and loves the game with a passion. I have not found him uncomplementary about players. In fact, he is very complimentary. I think with his accent and his English (thought it is excellent), he still can be misinterpreted. And hell. If you are talking about the wind affecting the game REMI...then wind does affect the game and a back injury does affect the game that a tennis player plays! Just listen to Andy Murray's interview against Rafa in the final of Miami, he 'blamed' it on the wind. But of course, Murray is exempt is he? I think we are being a bit selective here and hugely unfair. Let the tennis do the talking and just enjoy the fact that we have a whole range of fantastic players we can sit back and watch who all play differently and who all want to win. Come on the Fed!

yes murray cited the wind and we could all see it was a problem, but what makes murray different is that he also said" I didn't handle it as well as Rafa did! Not "sure it's difficult for me to lose over a bit of light when even Gasquet was professional enough to answer the same question with a "we both played under same light". And just like nadal didn't cite his knee when he lost the 2007 Wimb and Murray said playing over 2 days will not be a factor if he loses USO 2008. These are the differences and a pattern, subtle so that only few can see. If you can't see the difference because you choose not to see it, well than good for you and I hope you continue to enjoy the tennis as much as I do if not more.

Remi, I really think that Roger does respect the players he plays. All I can say is that the interview he gave yesterday (his most recent)...he said he was 'happy to be playing at Monte Carlo with THE BEST PLAYERS IN THE WORLD'. He also said that Nadal was the toughest player out there to beat. In an earlier interview (you will have seen this as I think you commented on this a while ago), that he doesn't have a problem with clay but that he has a problem playing 'rafa on clay'. So it could be that it is just his way, his expression, but he is no fool and knows that there are players out there that have played better than him. I know that Djokovic got arsey when everyone was saying how much better Murray was playing than Djokovic and Djoko said...'Hey...I'm No. 3, NOT murray.' When Roger was interviewed earlier as well, he fully understands that Murray is a GB favourite but his argument is that he hasn't won a slam yet and I think again....when the media start stoking things up, we all react as fans because we love our own players.....If Roger said at interview....'Yeah.Murray is a great player (he has said that)....I'm scared of him. Nadal is playing better than me, Djokovic beat me and I'm gutted...He is probably feeling all of those things, but you kind of don't give too much away to your opponent in case they jump on it and see it as a weakness? I don't know whether this could be an explanation. I know that some people think that Fed is arrogant, but I think that goes along with the territory of being such a great player. And to be fair with wimby 2008. Didn't you think it was getting dark when they played? Could it not be seen that Roger was actually stating the obvious? But I absolutely hear what you say Remi. I do. I Just feel that he is misinterpreted and the info is distorted.

Remi, also another point re: the wimby 2008 when you said Fed made excuses. Have just watched the interview again.....The question was asked BY THE MEDIA to Federer whether he thought that it was too dark to play...HE SHRUGGED HIS SHOULDERS. Go watch it. But cut the guy some slack. He just played out of his skin and lost to Nadal. The match was awesome and Roger could have won it, it was in the balance for either player. It must have been so hard for him to have lost that match. So if he was 'making excuses' as you say he was probably hurting so bad and then to go straight into a presser and be asked moronic questions by so called journos.. I think he did well to keep it together to be honest...(but then I would say that wouldn't I?!). He does respect his opponents though. Am I sticking up for Roger? Yeah..Of course I am. The guy is a legend.