Nice article...Nadal and Fed are almost even on all surfaces other than clay. Fed suffered from mononucleosis and back problems throughout much of 2008. Wimbledon 2008 should have been partially postponed and rescheduled due to poor light conditions. The conditions may have been the same for Nadal and Fed, but they were still professionally unacceptable. The Australian of 2009 was closer than the stats indicate. Fed was extremely lucky at Wimbledon 2009. I would say A-Rod's overall performance was better, but he was somewhat unlucky. Also, Fed has been more consistent than any player in history and it is not his duty to ensure that Nadal gets to the finals of slams so that they can play one-another. Nadal has been consistent at the French and Wimby, but not much else. Nadal has won 6 slams at 23 - Borg won 8 and stopped at 11! Time will tell how great Nadal will be. God bless them both i.e. Fed and Nadal. May they both have healthy lives.

Oh my, how lovely that! No appropriate bounty could be given for that smile of his. Cheryl dear, cheers for sharing your encounter with him, I expected no different from the man.

And you there Miss, I am 'in want' as you said, of knowing who chirped that saucy little jumble to you. LOL. I see the move to Real has not changed your stance on Mr. Ronaldo.

Wana know why Cheryl is so popular and celebrated on this website? Because she has this way of airing any opinion she likes in a friendly, logical, and fair manner. None of those qualities came across in this article. It was crude, biased, and in some senses, childish. Clearly Kelli didn't consider that around 50% of people reading this article are Roger supporters, and that by this article she would all but join the ranks of the silly squabbling Rafa/Roger fans. Honestly. do you have any idea what a gap there would be if, say, Roger should be absent for, say, ONE MONTH?? Would it not be a valid argument, going by Kelli's logic, that tennis was getting bored of RAFA stealing the trophy at every single caly court tournament around? Tennis needs change and excitement. It got just that when Roger made history at both the French and at Wimbledon, and FINALLY emerged from a dreadful slump. It was just as exciting to see some new or at least unexpected faces in the finals. People should be appreciating both incredible champions, as well as the rest of the poor lot who get no attention themselves. Tennis is not just about Roger and Rafa. But it sure needs them. BOTH of them!

puhhhhhhleeeeeeeeeeeeeeaze fedmug sent sodaclown roses & champagne after he beat nadal. i mean the itf cheats HELPED sodaclown beat nadal for fedmug to win. nobody likes or cares aboutt fedclown but fedclown. his fans are the worst & way worse than any other fanbase! fedclown winning two slams when nadal is injured is change?!!!!!! yea right. nadal is the ONLY guy to keep tennis from getting boring!

Major British newspaper: ?What is irrefutable is Federer?s role in the resurgence of men?s tennis. Only a decade and a half ago the cover of Sports Illustrated featured a huge question mark under the words: ?Is Tennis Dying?? A few months earlier two Americans, Sampras and Jim Courier, had waged an Independence Day war of big-serving attrition in the Wimbledon final and one British tabloid headline read: ?Bored On The 4th Of July?.?
http://tinyurl.com/mcajk6

If anyone feels watching Federer is like having sex with a condom, they need to read ?Like Hamlet, this had the air of inevitability? (see link) by the great British sports writer Simon Barnes. And they need to talk to the greatest tennis players who admit that Federer is the player they most love to watch and they admire his champion?s toughness. A player who can?t understand this deserves to be in the Challenger circuit.
http://tinyurl.com/kjbcmd

How quickly some tennis media forget that it was Federer?s accessibility and relations with the media that was key to changing the relations top players had with the media, long before Nadal. But it makes sense that some female tennis writers are attracted to the real X-factor of Nadal: his animal hotness. The reality is that Federer has been the biggest attraction in the tennis world since the days of Borg, because Federer is over flowing with a basket of X-factors that sex-addicted tennis writers are unable to see. Federer?s absence from the tennis tour would leave a far larger gaping hole than Nadal?s absence ever would. But Federer is not Nadal. The Spaniard waits for the Wimbledon draw to come out before he withdraws and makes a soap opera about his ailments, Federer played in every major event and defended his titles in 2008, despite being compromised by Mononucleosis illness, lingering back injury and Mirka?s pregnancy with twins. Most endurance athletes need 3 to 6 months to recuperate from Mono, but Federer played on and refused to make a big deal of it.

This is true in most respects, Rafa is just simply pleasant and no one can deny that he is charming. I enjoy hearing him, and hearing him be humble despite his ownage of most player. I exclude Fed from the ownage even though he is owned to a degree, only because he has beat Nadal more than any other guy I can think of off the top of my head. Yes, it is a bit tiresome to see Fed lift every trophy, if you're not his fan, but for a long time that didn't matter as everyone simply wanted him to win.

It is also a forgone conclusion now and has been for years that Nadal will win on clay, which can also be a bit tiresome. I think the French was interesting despite Nadal's lose, but it is true that tennis needs him, Wimby, would have been better with at least his name in the draw. However, if tennis wants him for years to come one might have to expect a little less from him, because he'll only end up missing something else if he continues as he was. But I respect Nadal's decision to play as he does, because of the contrast it gives the two top spots, and even the fact that he probably knew to come degree what he was doing to himself. He did what he HAD to do to win, because in a time were pretty much EVERYONE lost to RF one, Spaniard found the way to beat the Swiss and make tennis a little more interesting. (Not that I wasn't rooting for my man Rog to kick his butt, but...looking back, I understand the need for Rafa to stir the placid waters of Swiss rule.)

I know, that tennis isn't supposed to be about Rafa and Rog, but the thought of either of them departing from the game within the next two years is disturbing no the less. But to emphasis Rafa who this is about....I do worry about him, and I have to wonder, if he'll be the same guy. I mean if he is...won't he have the same knee problem within the year? And if he isn't...will he ever win the same way?

I must speak to that post above for a moment. I have been a close companion of the "sex-addicted" female writer to whom you alluded. My face is at near cramp from laughing.....Dear, I assure you she is not moved by Rafael's "animal hotness." LOL.

I quite like the Hamlet reference, but tis a bit harsh to say such a player deserves to be relegated to the Challenger Circuit? Why so? Because he used a sexual metaphor to describe his feelings? Rather a close minded attitude if I do say so.

resume left us in about as much suspense as Cristiano Ronaldo potentially bedding a chick in a whorehouse

-this sentence is pure genius-

Nobody is bigger than the sport. Wimby2009 TV ratings did not drop becoz there is no Nadal.

Come one, Rocket Queen, how objective minded are you really to assess whether Kelli is, ur, "moved" by Nadal's anaimal hotness if (a) you are a close companion of said sex-addicted female tennis writer (you're not the Cheryl Murray quoted gushing about Nadal, are you?) and (b) you yourself are possibly showing addiction symptoms in your choice of the name "RocketQueen," haha? Now you have us wondering whether you and Kelli were examing that X-factor of Nadal's butt photo when the title of this article was decided. In any case, you are incorrect in misrepresenting that I said that player deserves to be in the Challenger circuit simply because he used a sexual metaphor (what I obviously meant was that any player who does not understand or is inspired by consistent winning and what it takes to win does not deserve to be playing on the main tour against the best players).

Great article Keli although it must be against the 'laws of tennis' to use prophylactic terms and Roger Federer in the same sentence.
It is always a let down when the highest ranked players can't be there because of injuries; Rafael Nadal has been especially missed because of his abilities to be so competitive with Rog ... and since when is 'animal hotness' not a part of an athletes' appeal?? Roger Federer has even been accused of such by some. Hope I don't fall into the sex-addicted category for my comments.
Rafa Nadal exemplifies the idea of x-factor ... wild child from a small island who becomes numero uno in the world of international sports ... demon on the courts and sweet as maple syrup on neutral ground.
That photo of Robin should haunt his dreams.

"The reality is that Federer has been the biggest attraction in the tennis world since the days of Borg, because Federer is over flowing with a basket of X-factors that sex-addicted tennis writers are unable to see."

ok,I thought I got used to reading a lot of insults to Rafa fans but this is one of the most ridiculous ones.So,apparently,being a Nadal fan equals being sex addict now,lol.

and torres,I agree that nobody is bigger than the sport itself but I know you're a Roger fan,so would you the same thing if Roger wasn't there too?

Loved the Article! And Rafa definitely has the X-factor.Rafa is tennis and the sport has grown more because of him.

I realy enjoyed this article, it's lighthearted and fun to read but I've got to conclude this unknown male tennis player must be a bit of a p---k.

Kelly, this is the best article ever on TT, why? Because it is so true. I'm going to print it and keep it.

Rafa definitely has the X-Factor, and it's been obvious during his time out that there was something really lacking in tennis. His fans have spotted his appeal apart from his talent. I've been watching tennis for more years than I care to admit and have always been a great fan of the game, so why is it that now to me tennis without Rafa is so empty. It's because he has brought something to it that tennis never had, only Johnny Mac came close, but he didn't have the charm.

The ATP would do well to recognise this and not drive Rafa into early retirement with onerous schedules, because tennis needs Rafa.

SON12, If Roger retires tomorrow, I won't stop watching tennis.

Roger simply doesn't have the x-factor, sorry!!!!!!!!! What people admire in Roger is there for all to see, his so-called beautiful game, you either like it or you don't, and I don't like it. Rafa has something else of which even he is not aware, his presence at a tennis tournament gives it that special Je ne sais quoi. I actually find Roger's matches boring except when he is playing one of the big four, who don't worship at his altar.

If this article had been about Roger, no Fedfan would have thought it was biased, and I honestly do not think Roger would have been missed half as much as Rafa was! Roger can put it to the test and pull out of the USO, and see how much he'll be missed.

well done, uve opened up yet another completely pointless rafa vs roger debate.

carrie- roger and rafa are both stupidly popular. to say roger wouldn't be missed half as much is ridiculous.

Whatever supposed X-factor enamors the minority of tennis fans (mostly Nadal fans), the fact is that Roger Federer remains the most popular tennis player on the planet. In a poll of fans, Federer for the sixth consecutive year was voted ATPWorldTour.com Fans' Favourite. Obviously a lot more people prefer Federer, and that's the reality of hard facts (not smitten opinions about some subjective and dubious x-factor). The continuing success of the ATP tour depends far more on Federer than on Nadal.

Watch Federer beat Nadal 6-4, 6-4 in only 86 minutes in the Madrid 2009 final (see link) despite the partisan support of rabid Spanish fans. Every time Nadal gets outplayed he looks a little flat and shell shocked. Nothing new here. Federer has twice beaten Nadal in clay finals, but the neverending list of excuses whenever Nadal loses are getting tedious except to those drinking Nadal's cool-aid. So what if the two timewasters Nadal and Djokovic had a slugfest in the Madrid semifinals? Isn't Nadal supposed to be this fantastic athlete? In 2006, Roger Federer showed up to play in the Rome final -- the match that lasted over five hours and five sets, and Fed took Nadal to two matchpoints. What's remarkable is Fed played such a long match (longer than the 2008 Wimbledon final) even though he had two consecutive days of long matches in both the quarterfinals and semifinals, each of which was almost as many points as the Nadal-Djokovic match. When asked after his loss whether exhaustion was a factor, Federer said those three consecutive long matches showed him how fit he was. No excuses and no whining.
http://tinyurl.com/ndb2os

Nadal's short winning streaks in 2008 and 2009 -- which still do not compare with Federer's best -- should be tempered and amortized over his cycle of slumps and injury breaks (from July 2007 to March 2008, from August 2008 to January 2009, and again since June 2009) when he wins nothing. E.g., his Wimbledon win in 2008 should be tempered by his Wimbledon "loss" before the first round in 2009. The simple truth is that Nadal goes on his winning streaks when he abuses his body beyond its limits for short term gain. He knows if he does not push his body, he is unlikely to beat his top rivals, including Federer. But the inevitable consequences of Nadal's unsustainable and medically-unsound game are injury and burnout. If Nadal is never full fit whenever he loses it is his fault. He could have chosen to rest his body (instead of playing Barcelona, Rotterdam, Abu Dhabi this year, for example) and he could have chosen to play in a way that puts less stress on his body. But he and his team made bad choices. The fault lies with him in his desire to win matches.

the rogers cup is next week,who many articles have you seen about rafa's return to the courts?How many have you seen about federer might play or will not play?...because nobody cares! people are tired of federer! he has his 15th Slam.. stay home with the babies! people want to see action and excitement and rafa has that something special

dave1000,
this is not about triumphs, it is about the x-factor which Rafa has in spades, and Federer doesn't have any. If you want to talk about achievements, Federer was bagled by Rafa at RG '08, and Rafa has a 13:7 win over Roger.

alik, good point. No one is wondering whether Federer will play Montreal or not.

Carrie: You think the most popular tennis player on the planet -- Federer -- is so popular because he does not have any x-factors but Nadal has it in spades? Either the majority of tennis fans vote blindly when they voted Federer the most popular tennis player six years in a row or Nadal's x-factor isn't invaluable to most fans. I'm not sure if Nadal is even the second most popular player, Sharapova probably is ahead of Rafa because of her x-factors, haha. Btw, can you define the meaning of "x-factor" (please don't relate it Nadal's sex appeal to females)?

Second, an illness-compromised Federer may have conceded his only 6-0 set, on clay, to Nadal, but Rafa has conceded TWO 6-0 sets to Federer on clay (Hamburg 2007) and grass (Wimbledon 2006) and many more 6-1 and 6-2 sets. Federer had given Nadal bigger ass-kickings in the past, such as his 6-4, 6-1 crushing of Nadal at the Shanghai Tennis Masters Cup 2007 semifinal (see link) which was relatively faster (59 mins vs 144 mins) and relatively less points (87 pts to 144 pts) than the French Open 2008 a few months later. Federer almost gave Nadal another 6-0 set in Shanghai 2007 but Roger seemed to tank the final game, probably because since Australian Open 2007 Federer has stopped bageling those players he likes.
http://tinyurl.com/2rufxt

Nadal has a temporary 13-7 H2H winning record against Federer because it's a career record, so we should wait until the end of Fed's career. Second, over half the matches were on Nadal's favourite clay because Federer is so good he is able to get to clay finals while Nadal gets to much less non-clay finals. Third, Federer gets to so many finals he is bound to have off days, whereas Nadal gets to non-clay finals only if he is hot (otherwise he gets knocked out early). Fourth, their H2H record was skewed by Federer's five losses to Nadal from April 2008 to February 2009, while his game was compromised by monucleosis viral illness and lingering back injury. Before his illness, their H2H was only 8-6, and Federer had a winning 3-2 record over Nadal in 2007 on all surfaces (clay, grass and hardcourts) and looked like he had solved Nadal by TMC 2007. I could go on.

carrie- I think Fed has the X-factor...I personally love Nadal as a person, but find his matches suuuuper boring most of the time. Sometimes...they are good, but I only watch him when I don't have Fed's matches recorded. In fact, when I first started watching tennis, I found Nadal more interesting because of his youth, that and the fact I though Fed was 35....poor guy is really old looking sometimes. But I soon found I hated Nadal's game, most of the time, again I mention this because I do find him brilliant on occasion. dave1000 also has a point about Fed continually being voted the favorite player...Thus proving more people do like Roger. Though, I mean nothing negative to Rafa, I think he is amazing...just...not Roger amazing to me. I was...gonna say something else, but I don't remember anymore...eh, probably wasn't important.

P.S.- I want to know if RF is playing or not at Montreal. And Fed has bageled Nadal twice. Fed has also only been bageled 4 times, Nadal 9.

Kelli omits giving us any context behind Federer's losses from January 2008 to Spring 2009.

For example, Kelli does not mention Federer's Mononucleosis viral illness when she enthusiastically writes: "After the comprehensive ass-kicking he delivered to Roger Federer in the 2008 final..." Jim Courier, the former No. 1 who won 4 majors with his tough grinding play, explained why Federer's winning dipped throughout 2008 and more: "Federer was ill all season long, and the story was completely missed. 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 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."
http://tinyurl.com/nermtn

Among other things (later lingering back injury and Mirka's pregnancy), Federer's Mononucleosis viral illness in early 2008 compromised his fitness, movement, game and confidence and made him temporarily vulnerable to his top rivals, especially on clay to Nadal. Mono is an energy-and-fitness-sapping illness (among other things) and clay requires the most endurance. It was an incredible feat of athleticism for Federer to even play the French Open, and Federer must have worked twice as hard to recover his fitness and game while enduring the frustration of losses and uncalled-for criticism from tennis writers. Instead of taking time off the tour, Federer instead played more clay matches in 2008 (without whining about his illness) than Nadal played in 2009 or 2008 (both years making a soap opera of his injuries). The illness-compromised Federer was losing more frequently and struggling to recover his game, movement and fitness throughout Spring 2008, while relying on his serve and reservoir of talent (and later suffering back injury as a consequence). The clearest explanation of the lopsided French Open scoreline was given by SI's Jon Wertheim in his book Strokes Of Genius: By midway through the match, Federer realized he wasn't going to win the match (as his game was still in recovery) and so he tanked the rest of the match, probably to save himself for the grass season starting three days later at Halle. No wonder Federer did not look unhappy after losing the lopsided match -- his main concern was to get through the clay season without dropping ranking points (ultimately, losing the 2008 final was the same points as losing the 2007 final).

Wonderful article, Kelly, thank you so much. Rafa does indeed have the X-factor. His intensity, fire, unbelievable shot-making and, yes, his ?animal hotness? (there?s no denying it), make his matches more exciting to watch than any other tennis player?s. Off-court he is totally engaging, a sweet-natured, modest and funny young man. I simply can?t wait to have him back and just pray that his knees are fully recovered. Tennis has seemed completely flat without him. Love that US Open ad, btw ? could he be any more adorable?

Why is it that all fed fans love to bash Nadal? I am a great fan of Rafa, and I too believe he has a certain quality that no one posesses. I have been watching tennis for most of my life and although young I remember my mother drooling over Bjorg, practically frantic at times encase he lost. Funnily enough my mother is now a fan of Rafael Nadal's! Has anyone else had so much charisma, so intense, so passionate and competative? I really can not think of anyone like him, there isn't, he is unique and to say he has the x factor would be correct. Don't get me wrong, I am a fan of tennis in general and admire Rogers fluid game, but I have to agree that until Rafa came along wasn't it a tad boring! Roger said during a tournament once, "I prefered it when I didn't have a challenger" really? I for one like to see drama and thanx to Rafa we have it. He lights up a tennis court when he walks on it, just recently Jurgen Meltzer said "he has sooo much energy out there it exhausts you just watching him", and Roger himself since having Rafa as his only true challenger has admitted that Rafa has made him stronger! It goes without saying that these two great competitors really bring out the best in each other. Dave 1000 you talk of Feds fitness during Rome 2006' back to back matches, what about Rafa's win this year at the A/0? he was n't titled the fittest athelete for nothing! He couldn't repeat this @ Madrid likewise because stamina wasn't the issue, he was! ailing anyone who follows Nadal could see that, he said himself to beat Fed you have to be at your best! Its ok for Fed fans to speak about the Mono (I don't think he had it as bad as other atheletes have), and the bad back, babies etc but you always find your own reasons to have a dig at Rafa! its because he has been Rogers only true nemesis up and till now that is the problem it would seem. Rogers a great player no doubt but to knock the likes of Rafa who has achieved sooo much @ such a young age is beyond me.

Hello everybody- hmm...I guess I'll split a response into two parts. First, thank you all very much for the comments, no matter what side of the fence you are on.

I was sent an email earlier today that I'd like to address here- for the parents of any readers under the age of 18 who should not be reading adult content.....I am commissioned by Tennistalk.com to offer a different view on the sport, so I'd say it's a fairly safe bet that some of the things discussed may not be appropriate for younger fans. If you'd like, I can put in a request to my superiors to include a disclaimer of some sort, so potential viewers can be made aware of content prior to reading. Feel free to email me.

My point in giving a nod to Rafa was not meant to be a cut or a dismissal of Federer, nor dredge up a Nadal vs. Federer war. Federer is the constant one on Tour- my hopes are that others will step up to join him, not that Federer will be absent from a final, for example. He deserves to reap the rewards for his ability, consistency, etc. I'd have written the same type of piece should Federer have been the one absent.

I'm not sure which post this was, but I promise I didn't write this entry to detail my animal lust for Nadal. That notion made me laugh for real anyway, so thank you. :)

RQ- read dave1000's comment once more. I don't think he was specifically calling me or any other Nadal fan a sex addict. As for the identity of the player who made the condom analogy, I cannot say. File that one in the player-writer confidential files. Nice try. ;)

Kelli, I loved your article! It was speaking to me about the man not just the player and what he brings to tennis today. I agree that the tour NEEDS him for the same reasons your article pointed out. Perhaps soon you might write a piece on how the top players behave on court when they are not winning.

One Fed fan was less than kind about your article not "gushing" over Roger. Perhaps it might make another interesting read if your next article was about how when Nadal lost, he behaved like a champion/gentleman. When Federer loses he destroyed a racket, yells about the shot spot calls and generally behaved like a spoiled child who is so used to getting his way he forgot how to lose with grace. Does anyone remember his tears of frustration when Nadal won the AO this past January? What an awkward moment for Rafa, he could not truly enjoy his long sought hard court victory because his rival was destroyed by the fact that he didn't win it again himself.

Your article captured the Nadal magic and thanks again for writing it! I only hope he comes back happy, healthy and ready to claim another first, the trophy at the US Open! Vamos Rafa!

Kelli,you wrote a Blog about Rafa and Federer fans have a problem when someone writes something postive about Rafa.
They feel like federer is being overlooked if he is not in every conversation.
Just overlook them.You wrote a nice Blog and Already i have seen it on 4 tennis Site:)

fedmug did that at rg08 & ao09 on purpose. go & look how rafa took a loss like a man & how fed cries more than once. i agree w cohpcus it was bollocks for rafa to have to wait for fedmugs loooooooooooooooooong speech about how it was killing him to lose. MEN LOSE ALL THE TIME!!!!!!! its part of competing in sports & fed ain't 18 he's 28 feckin yrs old for cripes sake. k he's got talent but the heart of a little girl if ya ask me. n rocketwench ur lying as usual. point out one female type not going ape**** over rafa'ss arse. NAME ONE. :D

Love this article. I respect Federer and all he's achieved, but he leaves me cold. For me, it's like looking at a beautiful painting that's well executed, but feels clinical and evokes no emotional response. I prefer art that has a bit more energy and excitement to it - even if the artist occasionally paints outside the lines.

Well, a lot of players are overlooked if you guys think only Nadal don't smash racquets when he loses. I don't think Nadal is humble as you guys might think he is.

When he lost to Delpo, he said Delpo didn't play unbelievable, it's just that he played bad
When he lost to Soderling, in the interview, he was saying he didn;t play his best

There are a lot of other players who are more humble when they lose.

And also, Rafa cries after losses too. Fed wasn't gonna cry if the crowd didn't show so much love for him even when he lost. Someone yelled, 'We love you, Roger!!' so loudly, his heart felt that he dissapointed his fans which is always far more that the 'X-factor' Nadal ever had.

Seriously, if you think about X-factor, players like Djoker, Roddick, even 'The Spoiler' overflows with it more than Nadal. At least this guys don't do boring interviews with the normal athlete's speech of, 'I'll be happy if I give 100%' and giving politically correct interviews all the time.

Watching Nadal play gives the same spectacle to me as watching Shriekapova plays. It gives me the impression that this guy doesn't really win matches purely on racket skills. He delays points and distract opponents with his grunts which is why it is not a surprise he ever won a Prix De Orange in FO even after winning it so much.

People who vote Federer the best tennis player of all time or whatever it is, are living in a time warp, he is old fashioned, boring and before Rafa tennis had become benign. No one paid any attention to any of the other players, because everyone had been brainwashed into thinking that Federer was the supreme tennis player, bla, bla, bla, when he actually turned many ardent tennis fans, me included, away because it was just a one man show.

Rafa came along and changed all that, now everyone is so excited about tennis. When Rafa is on court, there is some electricity going on, his charisma is unblieveable, he just oozes personality, and his shot-making completely breathtaking. Like you I'd rather watch a recorded Nadal match, that a live Federer on, and that's the truth.

By the way, I don't buy the mono thing.

As for tennis fans voting Federer top dog or whatever, has anyone heard of multiple voting? Not all fans take part in these votes, I for one have never voted in any of them even though, I don't know if you've guessed, I am an ardent Rafan.

Fedfans are living in a fool's paradise if they think that he is loved by everyone!!!!!

lol,is dave1000 Roger's advocate or something?

and torres,yes,we get it.Rafa is not humble,he's not a sportsman,Roger is the perfect human being,perfect father,most humble,best sportsman in the world and you're in love with him etc.You don't have to repeat the same sentences under every article.

crespin79, interesting comments! is there anything else besides postponing or rescheduling 2008 wimbledon that should have been done to make conditions favorable for roger to win. perhaps, tournament officials should have controlled the darkness better. i thought both players played in near-darkness! sickening!

sisterofnight, it is a laughing matter! dave1000 is voicing the sentiments of a majority! a lot of people feel that nadal shouldn't be acknowledged for anything unless roger was acknowledged first or unless it includes roger altogether. i remember when rafa won the 2008 Prince of Asturias Award for Sports, a person in the media, i don't recall who, asked nadal if he thought roger deserved to share that honor/award with him. rafa replied in his masterful way, something like, "sure, he deserves it as much as me." all the while, i bet deep down inside rafa was thinking, "don't you think roger should share some of his awards with me." dave1000 is just one in many!

I wish I could fathom what all the Federer love-in is with some people, I just don't get it. There is some compelling urge in some people's eyes that Roger should have it all, and no one else should have a look in.

On the one hand, you have a very engaging, talented, charismatic, humble, loveable god in Rafa, and on the other hand, a very fuddy duddy, old fashioned, self-centered pompous and arrogant Federer, who doesn't play tennis like a sport, but rather like a form of art, (except when Rafa, Murray or Djokovic) are at the other end of the net, and some people think everyone should love Federer.

Why???????

@dave1000 Come one, Rocket Queen, how objective minded are you really to assess whether Kelli is, ur, "moved" by Nadal's anaimal hotness if (a) you are a close companion of said sex-addicted female tennis writer (you're not the Cheryl Murray quoted gushing about Nadal, are you?) and (b) you yourself are possibly showing addiction symptoms in your choice of the name "RocketQueen," haha? Now you have us wondering whether you and Kelli were examing that X-factor of Nadal's butt photo when the title of this article was decided.

Oh shush you silly little sausage LOL! Sir, my handle was taken from a song, not some below the belt line subject. The photographs you mentioned were the ones snapped at sea? Aye, rather distasteful to steal those from Rafa whilst on holiday don't you think? LOL, they did cause quite a ruckus when they surfaced but no, neither I nor the Italian Miss used the piccies as a point of ref. Shame on you dearest, go immediately to a loo and wash your mouth out with soap!

Ah foo to you then Miss, keeping it to yourself is worthless. Should I guess then and you will reveal? There were few possibilities in May and I have this lovely afternoon free. Force my hand to retrieve a list and I shall. LOL.

Bye the bye Miss, your piece bowed at Rafa's official website. Fabulous development for you and Cheryl!

torres, the very thought of the young, gifted, handsome, charming nadal makes you cringe, doesn't it? i do understand! he has what it takes to that to some folks! check out how beautiful he is on the above video! one thing is for certain, he's not phony and that is so attractive and refreshing! when he conducts an interview he doesn't pretend to be something that he's not! you may call it boring but i call it genuine!

I thought this article was funny and lighthearted and was not meant to be offensive toward Roger Federer. Unfortunately (I'll probably get flamed for this) there is a certain subset of Federer fans that cannot stand to read anything positive about Rafa and who also feel that they have to go throught the litany of Roger's amazing accomplishments in comment sections in at newspaper websites, sports blogs, etc., whenever an article about Rafa appears that doesn't pay sufficient homage to their hero.

These same fans are also quick to list the reasons for Roger's 2008 struggles, while in the next breath dismissing any injuries that could explain Rafa's 2009 struggles. The truth is, none of us is Roger or Rafa, and most of us aren't professional athletes with grueling schedules. We don't know to what extent mono or tendonitis may have affected their tennis. I prefer to take both men at their word that their illnesses or injuries did affect their play rather than bashing one or the other.

Rafa does have a certain something that is appealing to millions of people, whether some Federer fans recognize it or want to admit it. There is much to admire in both men. What a shame that some cannot give both men their due.

Once more Dear, for you and lovely Cheryl! Mosey on over to this site for a peek http://www.nadalnews.com/2009/08/06/x-marks-the-spot/ Rather a nice, friendly bunch if I say so. One of the posters echoed about your disclaimer suggestion. I truly believe you should Dear, just to cover your keester for minor readers under 18.

Wonderful article all about Rafael Nadal. Not Roger Federer. Which, I believe, is legal.

only people flaming you fanfan is fedmug's cronies. go to any board on the net that's tennis & all you see is miserable fedtards who've been slating rafa from day 1. find me ONE fedclown fanboy who ain't ugly & miserable!

fedfans are always shocked to find out that not everyone is besotted with Federer.

Kelli, you did an outstanding job breaking down this topic! it grabs the attention and keeps it until the end! personally, i've always thought that nadal had/has a "natural it." i agree, "you either have it or you don't." a great read!

Hello there everyone, happy weekend. :)

I did see the article on rafaelnadalnews.com btw- way awesome and very thoughtful of them.

You all have no idea how much I appreciate the kind words, and even the not-so-kind words too ;) as I'm recovering from having my wisdom teeth removed yesterday. Being on 24/7 bed rest is no fun- Bless you all for keeping me company, seriously.

:D :D :D fedclown sux

Keli perhaps that is trixxyf's way of saying 'hope your feeling better soon. :)

nah that's my way of laughing at her :D :D :D she got the hurt on after kissing too much rafa arse in this blog!

kelli, Get Well Soon!!!

"SON12, If Roger retires tomorrow, I won't stop watching tennis." - torres9 , 8/6/09 8:55 PM

If Roger retires tomorrow, the more that I'll be watching tennis. I'm really not a fan of his boring game.

I think tennis as a whole will get a lift if Roger were to retire. It will have a fresh face, with the young ones taking charge. It won't matter to me one jot if I don't have to watch Roger doing forehand and backhand cross-court repeatedly in every match except for when he is playing one of the big four. It is so boring, it may be beautiful to some, but tennis is a sport, not a dance routine.

UTennis: Rafaelito Returns

Posted 08/07/2009 @ 1 :44 PM

It?s been an historic summer, a tearful summer, a lordly summer. We?ll likely never witness a month of all-time achievements like the one we just saw from Roger Federer. But it?s also been one-sided summer, because the person who has defined this era with Federer, Rafael Nadal, has been missing. Like the months when Monica Seles was away from the tour in 1993 and 1994, it seemed like half of the sport?the grunting half?had vanished. Like Steffi Graf's then, Federer wins almost felt like an embarrassment of riches.

As you know, the other half will return next week in Montreal, as Nadal will test out his achy knees for the first time in competition since his loss to Robin Soderling in Paris two months ago. Rafa is in Canada now, practicing without wraps on his knees, though we know that doesn?t mean much?the pain might just have moved somewhere. New-father Federer will be there as well, so we should have the sport back in full.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JP5hzYkbU0s&eurl=


To celebrate the occasion, we?ve brought back the end-of-week UTennis column. The first clip, above, is of Nadal playing the final of a junior tournament in Barcelona at age 12; below it?s 11 years later, and he?s in the semifinals of the Australian Open. It's just a little reminder of what the guy brings to the game. But first, young Rafa:

?The first thing you notice is how skinny and long-limbed Nadal was. He also, at least at this point in the match, doesn't have the fighter?s chest-out bearing that we?ve come to know so well. He?s a little flat-footed and slump-shouldered, like most kids.

?The second thing you notice is that this is a hard court. He obviously spent some time on them as a kid.

?The first ground stroke we see is a backhand that he sends straight toward the moon: classic junior stuff. But then we see something special. Nadal backs all the way to the opposite sideline to get a forehand, and he hits it with surprising explosiveness?even his opponent looks stunned for a second?before knocking off a textbook high volley into the corner. The pace Nadal got on the ball seems out of all proportion to his size.

?How about that hat on Uncle Toni? He's less Buddha-like and more agitated then he does now in the stands.

?Does Nadal lose this match? It looks like his opponent wins it with a swinging volley and then points to someone in the stands to celebrate.

?The slo-mos of Nadal show him with a bigger wind-up on both strokes, and he uses a two-handed backhand slice when he?s pulled wide. He probably hadn?t developed the one-hander yet. His racquet, the blue Babolat that I assume he began using because Carlos Moya did, looks two sizes too big for him.

?The shrugs, the sighs, the eyebrow twitches: Those mannerisms are all still there when Nadal is interviewed today. His face is as expressive as his manner is guarded. I?m not sure what he?s saying, but Rafa seems to have been a stoic from the beginning.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDrex5747Fs&eurl=


Remember this match? It?s funny how quickly the Aussie Open can be forgotten?it?s like an island unto itself on the calendar, not quite belonging to either season. But Nadal-Verdasco was the first of the three best matches of 2009 thus far, along with the Nadal-Djokovic semi in Madrid and the Wimbledon final. Based on these 9 minutes of exhausting highlights, I?d say it remains the best. Certainly it offered the most great tennis.

We likely won?t see this Nadal in Montreal. He?s starting gingerly, he?s lost his French and Wimbledon titles, and he?s no longer No. 1. He even says he doesn?t care if he gets back there. He obviously doesn?t feel entitled to the spot, which is appealing, but the long-term No. 1s, the Federers and Samprases, always do feel entitled to it. Nadal's down-to-earth honesty and stoicism helps him compete on a daily basis, but it?s not a mindset that lends itself to ruling the sport. Still, all that's for the future; here's some of the best of Rafa's recent past:

?The first thing I notice isn?t Nadal, but his opponent, who had never played this well before and hasn?t since. On this day, he's exactly as good as the then-world No. 1. After five hours, they would end up winning nearly the same number of points.

?The slow, rubbery hard courts in Melbourne, whether Rebound Ace in the past or Plexicushion today, have always lent themselves to the long and inspired classic. You can see that both of these guys have the time, and the assurance of a perfect bounce, to show off their best games. Penetrating shots are rewarded, but they can also be tracked down and turned into even better shots.

?The pace of the rallies seems to pick up as the sets go on. Their confidence grew at the same rate as their desperation to get the ball past the other guy.

?One of many peaks, playing-wise, comes at the 4:00 minute mark, when Nadal tracks down a sidespinning slice and hits an even better sidespinning hook over the doubles alley and into the corner for a winner. The announcers yell, ?OHHH? in unison and Nadal backs up and fist-pumps Connors-style. Verdasco can only shake his head.

?The emotional peak comes at 0-40 in the final game, triple match point, when Nadal?s eyes begin to shine with tears. I wrote at the time, ?It was the face of a great tennis player on the ledge again. Leave it to Rafael Nadal to show us how far the sport can push a man.?

Whatever his form in Canada, it will be good to have him back.

http://tennisworld.typepad.com/thewrap/2009/08/utennis-rafael ito-returns.html

carrie, wanted 2 ask u or fan4t, whether you think Rafa prefers to be the hunter, rather than the hunted? Whereas, it's the opposite for Fed. Whaddyathink?

I have to say, I'd go a little on the side of the hunter, although I'm sure he wants to win every point and every game, thereby winning every set and every match. The fact is, it doesn't matter what his ranking is, everyone wants a Rafa scalp on their racquet, so he has to be in top gear everytime, and he is always being hunted.

Thank you carrie, good well wishes help a lot. Today I am cleared to drink through a straw- never thought I'd be excited about that. ;)

Interesting points brought up today- about 2 years ago, I said that Federer would win 20 slams...friends thought I was crazy. He now has 15, plays a fairly stress-free game for his body and is almost never injured at all. At 28- he said once that he wanted to follow Agassi and play until 35- five more slams doesn't seem all that out of reach. I wonder if people would be more or less likely to watch, now that Federer has the French Open, the all-time record. It's now a one-man race to see how many he'll have at the end.

Anyway, take care all- thank you for the comments and enjoy the rest of the tennis in Washington this weekend.

no way!!!!!! 17 at most for fedmug

Kelli, i agree! good favor seems to follow roger! if he continues to play, i'll go so far as to say 20-25 majors at the least, including a couple of more french opens! why not? after all, who can stop him?

memi: nearly keeled over when I read your post! Thought for half a mo. u were being serious!

Kelli,

I must agree with you that at this point, 20 GS seemed attainable to Federer. But having said this, I must add that to achieve this does NOT depend on Federer. It all depends on Rafa getting injured and abruptly end his tennis career. With Rafa being healthy, the most that Roger could expect is another Wimbly, even if he plays 'til he's 40.

Nope... If Fed plays 100% in AO, USO, WImby, Rafa will surely lose... Rafa is lucky that he is 5 years younger... If he is as old as Fed, Rafa with his worn out knees is no match for Fed, The Maestro.

kelli,
i enjoyed reading your article and have spent my sunday morning just reading tennis articles about rafa. i am so pleased he is playing in montreal tomorrow and i wish all his fans a great day when they see him walk on the court for the first time in a long time. what does bother me though about rafa is something i am not used to. i have printed a short extract here of what he has said and i am dumbfounded.

i really dont think that he should be going into a tournament without the will to win and certainly shouldn't be sending out negative messages to his opponents as they are gonna crucify him. i would be interested kelli in what you think about rafa's mindset or whether you think it is just a mind game?

Article printed on internet -google skysportsnewsrafanadal

Rafael Nadal believes he has no hope of retaining his Montreal Masters title as he prepares to return to action after over two months out.

The world number two makes his first appearance since May in Canada on Monday as he bids to regain his fitness after a lengthy spell resting his tendonitis-plagued knees.

And, having had little practice time prior to his arrival in North America, he has warned that he is highly unlikely to challenge for either the Montreal or Cincinnati Masters.

"I'm aware that I am going to Montreal and Cincinnati to lose. It's logical," he said.

"I'm not sure about my level on the first tournament. I'm not even sure if I'll have pain again."

EndofArticle.

I have read many excerpts saying that he has had a lot of practice, so again, i think there is a twist here. what do you think?

torres, what planet do you live on? It is a fact that Fed is five years older than Rafa, it's not luck, the difference in age wouldn't suddenly change should Rafa's 'luck' run out. 'if he is as old as Fed', Rafa will never be as old as Fed, so what's your point?

carrie,

Thank you, for a while there, I doubted my reading comprehension 'coz I cannot make any sense of what she's talking.

lol,now Rafa's being five years older is his luck.Wowww,what a lucky guy this Rafa is,he's 23 years old and never gonna be at the same age as Roger,he must be the luckiest person on earth.If he wasn't five years younger,he would never win Wimbledon and Australian Open!

Oh my lord Dear, are you alright? Wizzers are an awful pain to remove, I surely hope you are feeling better.

You and the lovely Cheryl reached the foul Mr. Bodo's lair, in case you have not seen. http://tennisworld.typepad.com/tennisworld/2009/08/your-call-86/commen ts/page/3/

I regret to inform you that a poster there is bitterly disappointed you neglected to supply him with photos of Rafa in a natural state. This dave1000 "sex-addicted" mania is spreading, I see. LOL.

sisterofnight, the blind is leading the blind!

carrie, torres believes that man controls age/how old he becomes! "what if" is his motto!

Getting there...still under the weather.

You are like the Town Crier RQ- ;) no I had not seen that, but thank you very much for posting. I'm about 50% right now- the meds are almost worse than the problem itself. I hope you saw El Palito win today in Washington. :)


Hello maxi- thanks for posting the article. I'm inclined to think Nadal is just protecting himself should he lose early/badly. His draw (as I mentioned to Cheryl last night) is really tough though, so he may be telling the truth in part. Sort of a trial by fire in a sense- he hasn't played at all in many weeks and right out of the gate he has to defend in Montreal. Likely opponent is Ferrer in the second round, who we know is no slouch on hards.

Cheryl will have a bird's eye view right away, as she's in Montreal this week. I'm guessing we'll get a report from her very soon. Nadal is scheduled to play doubles on Monday with (wtf?) Roig.

And unfortunately for myself and for Ricky, Gulbis didn't make it into the draw. *Sigh*

deuce, think nothing of it! i thought i was serious too, then, i woke up and realized i was dreaming!

Haha,.. recently Djoker said, 'I was born in the wrong era' jokingly.

A-Rod would definitely agree with me that he is unlucky that he is the same age as Fed. Of coz it is not controllable. But Rafa being 5 years younger is a massive advantage when his game is based on physicality. If Rafa was a skill-oriented player, it wouldn't matter much if he's younger 5 years.

I'm saying that all the young players (not only Rafa), are lucky they are in an era when Fed is 10% off his best years.

best hope for them is that Fed loses motivation after achieving the ultimate feat of 15 Slams.

What a crass, deluded egomaniac ... all that typing to let the people know you met Nadal in person....

time to change that handle sucka cuz nole ain't the best at anything, besides losing!!! :D :D :D

i take it back> he's good at making a fool of himself too, geeeeeeeeez whadda clown your hero is noleistheworst!!!!! hahahahahaha http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2009/08/Montreal-Players-Party .aspx

Maybe Fed's outfit Wimbly 2010.

torres, you might need to check with roger before you go forward with the "motivation story." roger continues to say that he has even more motivation now that he's won in paris, a sixth wimbledon, 15 majors, and regain the #1 ranking. you keep saying he'll probably lose his motivation because he has the 15 majors. are you saying, he doesn't want another major; there's nothing else to play for; he doesn't want to established a greater record over sampras to cement his greatness! i wonder why the two stories are completely different? are you setting up an excuse for a rainy day?

Nope memi, I'm saying it's better that you hope Fed loses motivation to win more Slams otherwise Nadal will have a hard time not only to beat players that is the same age as him but also the ever-present Fed.

He's already achieved the milestone. Anything else is a bonus. I think there's nothing wrong with this statement.

torres, everything else is a bonus! that's cute! i tend to think more like rafa, i like challenges! i don't try to avoid them, neither does rafa! that's one of the many reasons why i'm a devoted fan! rafa likes to be measured by playing the best. i'm sure he's hoping that roger remains motivated, he loves playing a motivated roger and i love seeing it!

haha... really, it doesn;t matter how you like to think memi coz you are not the one holding the raquet playing... LOL

torres, did you think of that one all by yourself? my, you're smart!

trixxyfest, show us what you've got or shut up.

http://craighickmanontennis.blogspot.com/

memi, that's the difference between rafa and roger. rafa has said he loves the challenge more than the win. roger however will always be remembered for saying he preferred it better when he didn't have a rival. that's why one handles defeats than the other, particularly under the pressure of public eye.

Yeah, Fed doesn't like challenges, which is why he won 15 Slams. Nice one, homos.

Nadal handles defeat better? Nope... he cries when he loses too.

torres are we living in the same world!?

The man's facial features leave me a wee bit frosty, but the body is a stunning work of art. Your move trixxy Dear, Novak has you dead on arrival. LOL.

Hello Kelli, dear. I'm just dropping in to say that I LOVED the piece. A blog is, after all, the place to air personal opinion instead of spouting the ATP company line. Well done.

torres, does winning 15 majors means a player loves challenges or does it means he had no consistent challengers? which do you think?

flake off rocketwench & don't you lie cuz djokerface looks fat in that pic. how hard up are you old lady? :D :D :D

memi, both actually... no consistent challengers including Rafa who only challenged him in clay all those years and was challenging him last year but burned out. It's Fed and then the rest.

Oh honestly Dear, granted I am no expert but surely Nole and Rafa are amongst the fittest on Tour. To call either one of the men fat is utterly ludicrous. I suggest you give a once over to the photograph and rethink your comment; Nole's body fat percentage is ideal, possibly more than that of Rafa's.

Rafa is pure class with the looks to go with it.

Big changes coming, stay tuned! Seasons greetings to you and your loved ones.

It is tennis off season now and I'm reading through some of these older threads and having a good read about some comments on this thread. I noticed that somebody seems to classify X-factor as something relating to sexiness, and was talking about some player's 'as_'. Well I don't think X-factor is directly linked to sexiness, from the above promotional video of Rafa, there is nothing sexy we can see about it; what we see is Rafa's sweet and charming smile. There is something mesmerizing about it, and that I suppose is what we call the 'X' factor, nothing to do with sexiness.

Also, somebody mentioned that the young guns, like Rafa, Nole and Murray are fortunate that they were born 5-6 years younger than Roger and so avoided Fed when he was at his peak. Strange thing is, I'm thinking exactly the opposite, that Fed is fortunate that he was born 5-6 years earlier than the young guns. Had he been the same age as these young guns, he would have to fight harder than he did against the likes of Roddick, Hewitt, Blake etc. Judging from the fact that Rafa at the age of 19 was already the no.2 player in the world then, he was obviously better than the likes of Roddick, Blake, Davy, Nalby, Safin and others who were still at their prime in 2005, most of them between the age of 23-25. In 2007, we see another young gun, Nole, age 20, reaching his best ranking as no.3 player in the world, among the likes of Roddick and co., age between 25-27, still around their prime. In 2008, another young gun, by the name of Andy Murray, age 21, reaching his then career high ranking of no.4 in the world, among the same Roddick & co, age between 26-28, not too old or too far from their prime. Not forgetting that Fed was beaten on hard courts by 1) Rafa in 2004 at Miami when Rafa was 17 & in 2006 Dubai final when Rafa was 19; 2) Murray in 2006 at Cincy when Murray was 19 and 3) Nole in 2007 at Montreal final when Nole was 20, while the likes of Roddick, Blake, Gonzo and Davy had find it difficult to beat Fed, having ridiculously lopsided H2H against Fed. Roddick only beaten Fed twice, once before Fed became TMF, and once in 2008 at Miami, Blake only beaten Fed in 2008 at the Olympics, Gonzo once at the TMC in Shanghai in 2007 and Davy as recently as the WTF semifinal this year! So to say that these young guns are fortunate that they are 5-6 years younger than Fed and avoided Fed when he was at his peak doesn't sound convincing to me.

A little more of the X factor:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbibSsHo1u0&feature=player_emb edded

smr, thanks a lot for the link.

What can I say, if I was Xisca I would be worried. Shakira is clearly after Rafa, can he resist the temptation, I wonder.

He is oozing the x-factor in that video, without a doubt.

carrie,
I'll bet you big bucks that Xisca was there,on set, for this shoot.

No I don't think xisca was, and nadal was clearly enjoying it! such a flirt, well he is handsome enough to be, he is very hot here.

It almost makes me want to become a popstar so that Rafa could star in a video with me! Ummmmmmm

Xisca may well have been there, I don't know, but people like Shakira know how to play the game, she will not be put off by anything, she is too clever and streetwise to know how to get what she wants, and she is dealing with two very inexperienced love-birds, who really don't know how it works in the big wide world - the balaerics is a very small place.

I hope Rafa is not distrated from his tennis though, until he starts winning trophies again, I think Miss Shakira should leave him alone.

Hi all Im new here so hello..: )

I think Xisca should be very worried..Shakira is after Rafa and he wpould have to be flattered by her attention..

I hope she just gets lost and leaves him alone..he is Xiscas man, but as someone said, I doubt she could compete against Shakira,

Hi emm, welcome to TT.

Welcome to the TT family emm- enjoy your stay. :)

Lots of people have come out with guns blazing, attacking Shakira. One person- whom I felt I had to correct- said she had no class. I found that assessment rather harsh. If you do any sort of recon on Shakira, you will find a grocery list of things she has done/is doing to give back to the planet.

All of that aside, I still understand this person's right to hold an opinion. She objected to Shakira's choice of attire, song lyrics and general behavior during her performances. Fair enough, as long as she stopped short of calling Shakira's character into question without knowing her as a human being. (To be fair, I received a sincere apology from this poster after our exchange.)

Rafa was commissioned to do a job. He was hired to act/perform in a music video. Perhaps it's the result of my years in the business that leave me confused here. What Rafa and Shakira are doing is no different than what actors do in a movie. It's make believe. If everything in music, movies, dance or any other artistic discipline were taken literally, no one in a relationship could ever earn a decent night's sleep.

Are people legitimately concerned or alarmed here? I have to say I'm pretty surprised that fans/friends/supporters are upset.

Kelli, seldom to i agree with sport jouralists or writers, primarily because more often than not most of them come across as phony and subjective; nonetheless, that is not the point. this is one time i totally agree with you on the subject of rafa & shakira and although i believe that she is obviously attracted to him, i believe without a doubt that the making of the video is only a business deal that happens to involve two beautiful people who played their roles convincingly! i agree, it is totally unfair to question her character!