Australian Open (3 Viewers)

[whatashotbyseve]

Yeh i don't get that point either.

Why should Nadal serve to Federer's strengths?

 

[dum_di_dum]

GG taking those comments out of context.

Well those aren't my words anyway, I quoted them from a post on another forum, but nice ambiguous statement, care to explain how that is taking them out of context? That is a summary of what he said in the entire interview. Fed has always been this way in press conferences, using qualifying words to subtly attribute his losses only to the level of his own play, not his opponent's. I should have done, I could have done that, a bit unlucky, etc etc.

The very fact that he cracked in his speech tells you loads about his character. "God it's killing me" wtf he is a 13 GS winner with bucketloads of cash, set for life with Mirka etc and he can't stand Nadal owning him everytime they go on court. You could say he was under the pressure and weight of expectation, but if he had enough respect for himself he would realise that his achievements already speak volumes, he doesn't have to prove himself to anyone. You tell me if Rafa had lost, would he have cried on court? No wouldve left it till later. Imo out of the two Rafa is far more mature and level-headed than Fed in this respect.

The fuck? Absolutely not.

I don't think it's a mug era myself, but come on, Roddick, Hewitt, Safin, Ferrero, old man Agassi, it clearly lacks the depth of the 90s. Fed is just kicking himself that he didn't win the FO before Rafa really arrived essentially locking him out of the career slam, barring a minor miracle or injury to Rafa.

You are fucking retarded though.

Federer arrogant in his acceptance speech? He was choking back tears for fucks sake! He clearly isn't used to making losing speeches over the past few years. I would rather a fake fan who says 'omg I love Rafa for his massive guns!!" then a Federer hater masquerading as a supporter of Nadal. The guy has been and always will be a class act. Dignified in defeat.

dum_di_dum, I have a media degree and even I couldn't read between those lines in his acceptance speech. Please, leave me alone as I burn my degree in peace because you are obviously the master of reading human psychology and discourse.

Nirvanafreak did not even say that, you cannot deny his crying distracted somewhat the point of the ceremony i.e. celebrate the winner and finalist, and Nadal deserved to be in the spotlight. Of course he did not do it on purpose, he has always been a bit emotional and Rod Laver (like in 06 when he also cried) and the other legends being there compounded on that.

I do not even though if you are talking about his speech or press conference, by the time the latter had come around, he had already composed himself, though no doubt his brain almost imploded from having to stall and think of so many ways not to concede the victory totally.

Anyways I most certainly am a true Nadal fan, I jumped on the bandwagon a bit earlier though like most with a sign of success to come (i.e. during Wimbly 06 when I realised this claycourter could emulate Borg). He seems quite humble and down-to-earth, I admire his mental strength a lot and his uncanny ability to make impossible shots, a lot of people think the topspin he whips up is ugly but I think it's a thing of beauty I don't hate Fed, without him there wouldn't be a great rivalry, but I don't like his arrogance, I don't care if you're the GOAT. He is only a class act and dignified when he wins, otherwise he is quite liable to tantrums. You could see this 7 or 8 years ago when he had trouble keeping his temper in check, I still don't think he has full control of it. As he said himself, he was once very similar to Safin, although obviously they went down very different paths.

Anyways, yes it is all subjective. I only developed this view of Federer after observing him for a long time so if you're a Fed fan or new to tennis you might not see it. I have nothing against him otherwise, he is the most talented player probably of all time and his shotmaking is unparalleled. So there.

nadal did not win
federer had lost
the match was on fed's racquet considering his overwhelming winners and unforced errors
NB. 95 % of nadal's serves were directed at fed's backhand ... nadal didn't deserve to win...

What everyone else said. Clear signs of a Fedtard when you say Federer's opponents don't deserve to win simply because they don't possess the same variety of shot or play 'ballet' tennis. This is a professional sport buddy. I liked how Nadal flattened out his backhand instead of slicing like in previous matches, very effective, although I think he only used it to end the points more quickly cause he was fatigued. He can't help but be defensive. Yeah Fed had overwhelming unforced errors, no doubt, is Nadal then supposed to apologise for getting into Federer's head and having the nerve to beat the GOAT himself?

It's a match made in hell for Fed, he cannot consistently generate power/retain accuracy on his one handed backhand because Nadal's topsin forehand makes the ball bounce up to shoulder height. It is even worse at the FO, whereas at the US the ball bounces more through the court hence why Fed probably has the most chance of retaining that particular Slam.

Besides, Nadal can play aggressively, it's just that the topsin allows him levels of safety no other player can achieve whilst still painting the lines. Did you watch those 6 BPs in the 3rd set? Nadal's 0-40 service game, Fed turned into the pusher and Nadal the aggressor he absolutely went for the broke and deserved to win that set. Fed should have guessed on one of those second serves (like in the first set) run around the backhand and nailed a DTL forehand, but didn't.

oh what a devestating blow maybe if federer could play like that he might have actually won

lol

 

[whatashotbyseve]

Pretty comprehensive reply.

I just want to state even though I am pro-Federer I am certaintly not anti-Nadal. I think Nadal is done a disservice because people look at his muscle and just assume he is a flat track bully. Some of the shots he played last night were out of this world.

I certainly agree with you about the career slam, Nadal would have to be knocked out (somehow) or injured for Federer to have a chance in the French. As I said earlier, Federer is mentally scarred against Nadal.

Re: depth of mens tennis, I think its pretty comparable to the Sampras/Agassi era. The womens however, is a joke. How Serena gets equal pay for a 59min demolition compared to last night is beyond me. Ok so Serena might have only had to have been out there for another 30 mins, but thats not the point. I think if women want equal pay, then they should have equal work - play five sets.

 

[A High Way Man]

Both of them were fantastic sportsmen. Genuine male role-models!

True, this is what sport is meant to be like. So authentic last night

Fed should ditch his floaty backhand. Gives the opponent so much time. He was going down to berdych because of it. luckily for fed berdych choked.

 

[dum_di_dum]

Pretty comprehensive reply.

I just want to state even though I am pro-Federer I am certaintly not anti-Nadal. I think Nadal is done a disservice because people look at his muscle and just assume he is a flat track bully. Some of the shots he played last night were out of this world.

I certainly agree with you about the career slam, Nadal would have to be knocked out (somehow) or injured for Federer to have a chance in the French. As I said earlier, Federer is mentally scarred against Nadal.

Re: depth of mens tennis, I think its pretty comparable to the Sampras/Agassi era. The womens however, is a joke. How Serena gets equal pay for a 59min demolition compared to last night is beyond me. Ok so Serena might have only had to have been out there for another 30 mins, but thats not the point. I think if women want equal pay, then they should have equal work - play five sets.

True, Nadal does not get enough credit. It depends on your particular tastes I guess but he is a bully in a way lol.

You never know with tennis Nadal could be knocked out of the French, although yeah, I don't think Fed will do it. In that case if Fed also made it to the final he would probably win it, but for some people that victory would be tainted a little by him not beating Nadal along the way. And I'm pretty sure that unless the H2H against Rafa improves, it won't look good in the history books. Even Bud Collins said so

Yeah the depth of mens tennis is obviously improving with the up-and-comers, although I feel it is really only the Big 2 still, especially considering last night. Although...I cannot believe Roddick is still there, that all-service mug's net game is a shallow pretense of variety. Also Delpo showed that against the best he will never cut it, just one-dimensional powerhitting slug. I hope never to see the day that the 6'6" player is the norm on tour.

Completely agree with womens tennis sucking atm. Imo its just a second-rate version of the mens game so why bother? I don't think they could really handle the five set format to be honest its more about the quality of the match itself and the choking pandemic running rampant on the WTA. This is a good article

 

[georgefren]

Federer played really well.

Nadal just played a little bit better.

 

[sunjet]

I think Federer was way too emotional in the last set. No mental power.

 

[xxstef]

im so happy for nadal, but at the same time feel so sorry for fed.

 

[dum_di_dum]

YouTube - federer puting roddick in his place

 

[ekoolish]

Federer is turning 28 this year....gg to him.

 

[electrolysis]

I was awestrucked at Nadal's backhand- omg, I dont anyone who can hit a better backhand than him, he deserved the win, though I feel sorry for Federer, who also played really well - except the last set...
looks like I ended up losing both my bets on whose gonna win, though safina and federer made it to the final atleast

 

[dum_di_dum]

.

Moments in tennis where I teared up:

Journeyman Todd Witsken died in his 20's leaving behind a wife and young children.

I teared up with Pete Sampras when he heard a fan yell from the stands "do it for our coach!" while his coach was DYING from brain tumours.

I even teared up a bit when Jan Novotna choked away what appeared to be her only chance at a slam and spontaneously broke down for a minute.

Things I will NOT cry for: Federer not winning his 14th slam and taking away from the entire ceremony with his prissy, classless bawling. Wimbledon, being agonizingly close and being "his" surface, I can give a pass for.

Part of being an actual champion (besides not repeatedly mentally collapsing against the first true rival you've had) is having class and dignity. No other multiple slam champ in history wouldn't be able to suck it up for a few minutes, and let Nadal have his EXTREMELY WELL DESERVED moment of glory. Fed needs to put his ego-centric, selfish and arrogant attitude aside (or at least pretend to in public for 5 freakin minutes). Maybe when he gets some real tragedy in his life, it'll help him grow up. Or maybe he'll just collapse in life. The crying is a perfect demonstration of the mental maturity and class lacking, that is also making Nadal the winner on court as well. A true champion willed himself through despite lacking his biggest weapon (physical integrity), but another boy was exposed as a pretender.

Federer didnt' lose a chance to tie Sampras, he lost the chance to ever be considered a true great champion, an amazing feat considering his slam count. He's a folding chair.

But against Nadal, yes, for the first time, Fed has a chance to show us what sort of a champion he is. Show us the mental toughness, the resilence, the will, the focus, the mastery of fear, the iron will. And here's the catch, he doesn't even have to win. After all, one will lose. He can even show us, the class, the dignity, the fight, the perspective, even in losing.

But Fed showed us none of that. Neither on court, nor in the ceremony. Between giving up and sniping at Nadal with subtle insults, he has never shown us this.

Fed has lost much more than a few slam titles against Nadal. He has revealed his true character as a champion, and it's a rather ugly.

Now Federer very much enjoyed the praise, the hype, the reputation, but he has shown us now just how underserved it was. Yes, he hits a fuzzy ball very, very well. But champion? Not by the true definition, which is not "who won" but rather, who faces the fallibility of human nature and rises above. Who transcends the natural fears we all have to conduct himself in the way we all wish we could.

Fed is human. A human not particularly suited to living up to the standards of the sports legend/hero/great. A crime? No. Not at all. Disappointing? Yes. The years of Fed domination will be partly defined by what we now see of his true character.

Ironically, the "kid", Nadal, has been as strong in these areas as any player I have ever seen or known of.

Is there still a chance for Federer? Yes, and I DON'T mean a chance to win another slam. He'll get that chance regardless of whether he changes or not. I'm talking about finally becoming a real champion, he's got a of growing up to do though. A lot of changing. Perhaps he should re-read the Kipling poem in the halls of Wimbledon:

"If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same; "

Because weeping bitterly for an entire ceremony after mentally collapsing, as opposed to making subtly arrogant remarks with a cocky smirk are not, "the same".

In any case, Fed is no kid anymore, he's supposed to be one of the greatest champions of all time, and many many kids see him as a role model. As you can see, they think he can do no wrong. And hey, despite his underlying arrogance (and perhaps most of us would be with all the hot air blown the last several years), 90% of the time he behaves well and it's not noticiable. Nevertheless, all I can say is that young Nadal (who should be a egotistical monster with his accomplishments, timeline and all the pressures and expectations on him) puts him to shame in terms of sportsmanship and behavior.

Fed may think he needn't control his emotions, and hey, I give him credit for being transparent, but sportsmanship is about doing the right thing, DESPITE what you might feel. About acting graciously, properly and deferentially when it's expected despite what you may feel. Hopefully, you can put it in perspective and be complete enough as a human being to deal with it, if not, fake it for 10 min. Either way, making a dramatic scene with angst, sorrow or for that matter, anger, is not appropriate. Combined with his collapse in the 5th set and it was a really embarassing day.

 

[dum_di_dum]

Martina Navratilova calls women's final pathetic - Times Online

Serena Williams strolls to title for loss of only three games as Dinara Safina makes mockery of equal prize-money status

Is women's tennis worth it?

 

[LordPc]

where did those lengthy quotes come from?

 

[dum_di_dum]

tennis warehouse forums

lol no sports writer in their right mind would so blatantly expose the mighty Fed

Frankly, I find it pathetic. This is the same guy who only a few days ago had no problem finishing a point at the net with his head against a youngster whom he utterly destroyed, but when he loses he suddenly becomes human and everyone should feel for him. Either be human all the time or suck it up.

Vulgar is making your opponent's victory into a showcase of your self-pity. If Nadal hadn't stepped in with an act of friendship, that's what would have happened yesterday. (His reward is yet another bitter sub-begrudging post-match presser from Federer; good thing Nadal doesn't care about/read those things.)

What is a real shame, an utter shame on him, is the post match interview. Crap like (from memory, not quoting) "Anything can happen in a five setter, not always the best player wins". Or "I try to serve more to the lines, Rafa just tries to has his serve in, that's why I DF", or "he has advantages, I wish I was a leftie" are not the things you say when you accept your defeat. He is being childish, and lost in denial. The best player wins the fifth set, specially if the score is 6-2. Rafa 1st service always seeks the lines and corners. And we have not seen a #1 leftie since MacEnroe.

Compare that with Nadal interview after Wimbledon 2007. He was mentally and phisically destroyed, and it took him almost 10 months to win again. Yet he was all praise for Roger and never suggested anything about a fifth set not being won by the best. Or take Roddick from his own finals.

 

[UltimateSupremo]

in the final. federer won more points than nadal (1 in fact..)

 

[roar84eighty]

nadal is haxx0rz

 

[binary star]

Federer played really well.

Nadal just played a little bit better.

Nadal played a lot better.

 

[imoO]

Federer did not cry because he lost. He cried because he honestly loves the game, and he loves the fans that support him. Even look at Aus Open 06, he cried when he won it....he is the true definition of a champion.

With that said, congratulations to Nadal for his victory.

 

[fallingstar]

Federer did not cry because he lost. He cried because he honestly loves the game, and he loves the fans that support him. Even look at Aus Open 06, he cried when he won it....he is the true definition of a champion.

i agree, federer is very emotional, he cries whether he wins or loses, because he this game is his life and he puits evrything into it. he wasn't being a bad sport or anything. (i know this is irrelevant, but he's handsome, too! )