It was a fitting end to an epic 2017 Australian Open.
And it was so good, in fact, that the winner said during the trophy ceremony that he would have been happy if it had ended in a tie–or even a loss.
But without any exceptions, tennis matches and tennis tournaments can only end well for one player, and that one player on Sunday night in Melbourne was Roger Federer. Federer’s third five-set victory of the fortnight gave him Grand Slam title No. 18 and Aussie Open title No. 5, which he clinched by outlasting long-time rival Rafael Nadal 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 after three hours and 37 minutes.
Although the fifth proved to be a nail-biting thriller that was nowhere close to being decided until the final shot was shown to be in, no set was particularly competitive in terms of the scoreline. Federer took control in the first, breaking for 4-3 and holding his next two service games with the loss of just one point. Nadal hit back in the second, seizing a 4-0 lead before mostly cruising from there despite giving one of the breaks back. The two former world No. 1s took turns gaining the upper hand in the third and fourth, as well, with Federer once again inching ahead only to see Nadal respond in emphatic fashion.
That paved the way to a dramatic decider, which lasted only nine games but packed an unforgettable punch in a short amount of time.
Nadal delivered the first blow, but it was not enough to knock Federer out. After dropping his initial service game to fall behind 1-0 and then 2-0, the Swiss eventually broke back to get on level terms at 3-3. That ignited a streak of five straight games in Federer’s favor after he trailed 3-1. His second break of the set came in an incredible game with Nadal serving at 3-4, which ended when Federer forced the Spaniard into an error with a perfect cross-court forehand return.
The 35-year-old served thing out in clutch fashion one game later, but not before fighting back from a 15-40 deficit. Federer eventually converted his second championship point with a forehand winner off the sideline that Nadal unsuccessfully challenged.
Highlights:
“I kept on fighting,” Federer explained. “I kept on believing–like I did all match long today–that there was a possibility I could win this match. I think that’s what made me play my best tennis at the very end.”
“I think [it was] a great match,” Nadal assured. “I enjoyed to be part of it. I fought to try to have the trophy with me. I had some chances in the fifth with (a) break up. But (it) is true that after I had the break, he played very aggressive, hitting a lot of great shots. So (it) was tough to hold the serve every time.”
Holding serve every time is what Nadal managed to do in his fifth set against Grigor Dimitrov on Friday, but the Spaniard had to save three break points in two different service games in order for his lone break of the Bulgarian to be enough. Nadal survived two deuces, as well, while serving out the semifinal match at 5-4. Speaking of five-setters, Federer also went the distance in his semifinal against Stan Wawrinka and Novak Djokovic bowed out of the tournament in a five-set, second-round stunner against Denis Istomin.
All of it set the stage for the icing on the cake, the 35th chapter of arguably tennis’ best-ever rivalry.
“It remains for me the ultimate challenge to play against him,” Federer said of Nadal. “So it’s definitely very special. I said that also before the finals: if I were to win against Rafa, it would be super special and very sweet because I haven’t beaten him in a Grand Slam final for a long, long time now. Last time I guess was 2007 at Wimbledon in a five-setter. Now I was able to do it again.
“Like I said on the court, it would have been nice for both of us to win, but there’s no draws in tennis. It’s brutal sometimes.”
[polldaddy poll=9650771]
Lost for words right now.
ALLEZ ROGER??
I was hoping for rafa to get double slam but not to be. Hoping for Nole double slam too.
Well done Roger, as Rafa said, he deserved it more today although Rafa had the toughest ride to the final.
Please..Roger draw was not easy too.
I agree. Roger’s draw wasn’t easy at all. His sole advantage was that he avoided Andy in the quarters and had the relatively harmless Mischa Zverev. If he had a protracted match against Andy, he might’ve been in worse shape against Wawa -if he had survived Andy in the first place. But that are all what-ifs. Rafa was probably lucky to have avoided Novak. While Grigor was a hard opponent, I doubt that Rafa would’ve won against Novak.
Both players had a fairly tricky path to the final, but also dodged one dangerous opponent. Considering that they were both coming back after a prolongued break, it’s super impressive that they even made it to the final. And I thought it was very encouraging that Rafa managed to put away three very dangerous young(ish) players (A. Zverev, Raonic, Dimitrov) who feel very comfortable on a faster surface. That is very encouraging.
Littlefoot is bang on.
Few rafans would have picked Rafa to even make the final before the tournament began.
Rafa had a relatively easy draw. Zverev unexpectedly gave him trouble but every other opponent was a cakewalk. Dimitrov only took it to 5 sets because of Rafa’s lapses in concentration. That one should’ve been straight sets too. It came back to bite him.
Ultimately, it’s this incarnation of a nervous Rafa who gifted Roger this AO title. He had it in the bag, but then suddenly gave it away. It wasn’t the draw, just Rafa’s current game.
Rafa didn’t have an easy path to the final at all: A. Zverev, Monfils, Raonic and Dimitrov in a row on a fast surface is as difficult as it can get. Ranking isn’t everything. A.Zverev is very dangerous, and especially with Grigor he managed to put away a young red-hot and extremely talented player. But Roger’s path to the final wasn’t exactly a cake walk either.
Agree with Paul completely that a player of Rafa’s calibre doesn’t surrender five straight games when up a break in the decider without it being on him.
Roger stepped up but Rafa opened the door.
Just like at AO2012 final vs Djoko. When Rafa is not confident, he tense up at such crucial moments, allowing his top class rivals to seize any opening(s) offered to them.
I’m not saying that Roger’s draw was easy, I’m saying that Rafa’s was toughest. Rafa also had one day less to rest.
But and foremost, Roger was better in the final and fully deserves the title.
Shine and rise again, Rafa!
Shireling agreed.
I Dont think Rafas draw was tougher, as he played two top ten players, and Roger played three, that been said though, i do believe its unfair that Roger had an extra days rest before the final, IMO i dont think thats really fair, as i thing both semis should be played on the same day, and both players get to the final on an even footing, Rafa and i would say that about any other player too, are at a disadvantage when they have a day less to rest ….
So maybe with all that in mind there is some truth in what Elina / Hawkeye said about favouritism ….
It doesn’t make sense that one finalist has a day less of rest. This should be changed in the future. Same goes for the US when a player is sometimes forced to play to days in a row…
As for the draw, it’s not only about the seeds but in which shape they’re in at a given time. It is also true that sometimes Rafa’s tentative play encourages players and makes his life much harder.
Shireling, I thought about it some more. Yes, the finalists should be on equal footing as far as days of rest go. But Rafa had one full day of rest – just as it is normal for all the other slams. Thankfully the US Open have done away with Super Satutday where both finalists had no off-day before the final. So, the bone of contention for this year’s AO isn’t so much that Rafa hadn’t enough rest – we are irked by the fact that Roger may have had had too much rest. He should’ve played his 5-setter on Friday, too, just like Rafa. Fair enough. But would that set-up, which would certainly have been more fair, really have made a big difference for yesterday’s match? Rafa would still have been very tired. But would Roger really have been noticeably more tired, and could Rafa have exploited it more? Maybe, but I’m not so sure. While Roger played a 5-setter,too, his match was still a lot shorter and far less gruelling than Rafa’s match against Grigor. So, in the end this silly AO peculiarity probably made only a small difference. The truth is that Rafa should’ve put Grigor away in 4 sets. That would’ve made a much bigger difference.
That doesn’t change the general silliness of the AO scheduling and I think that players, fans and experts think that it should be changed. It’s only beneficial from a monetary perspective. I can remember years where both finalists had protracted and gruelling semifinals. In this case the player who had played one day earlier had definitely a huge advantage.
What gets me littlefoot is that with few exceptions if any, fed always gets the extra day regardless of seeding.
If that has always been so, it’s indeed suspicious. As I tried to argue, it might not have made such a big difference to the outcome of yesterday’s match. But it might tie into the general locker room accusations of favoritism towards one player. And that’s certainly an ugly thought…
littlefoot JANUARY 30, 2017 AT 2:54 PM
If that has always been so, it’s indeed suspicious. As I tried to argue, it might not have made such a big difference to the outcome of yesterday’s match. But it might tie into the general locker room accusations of favoritism towards one player. And that’s certainly an ugly thought…
*********************************
But Fed wins the Sportsmanship Award every year which we are told is voted for by the players. Non of it makes sense to me.
If there is favoritism..is anyone talking about it? He has been getting scheduling benefits since eons..has anything changed all these years?
I remember though in 2014..he was in Rafas half at AO and played semi on Friday.
I remember 2010 US semi..he and Novak played 2nd after Rafa-Youzhny though same day..
I remember 2011 FO semi..he and Novak played 2nd on FRiday after Rafa-Murray..same day
2012 FO semi..again he and Novak played 2nd on Friday after Rafa-Ferrer ..same day
I have a feeling..AO favours him regarding scheduling..French open heavily with draws (he is never on Rafas side and Rafa/Novak always together)…I dont see any obvious bias from Wimby or USO towards him..
Wimby is very fair. Defending champ always plays Day 1. Also historically Aussie Open has been fair but this year was an exception regarding scheduling and court conditions.
French Open and USO traditionally never let Rafa start the tournament before Fed. Some history during the peak of the Golden Era when Fed’s slam count production was threatened:
FRENCH OPEN
2008: Fed was No. 1, Rafa defending champ – Fed plays on Day 2, Rafa on Day 4
2009: Rafa was No. 1, Rafa defending champ – Rafa and Fed both play on Day 2
2010: Fed was No. 1, Fed defending champ – Fed plays on Day 2, Rafa on Day 3
2011: Rafa was No. 1, Rafa was defending champ – Fed plays on Day 2, Rafa on Day 3
2012: Nole was No. 1, Rafa was defending champ – Fed plays on Day 2, Rafa on Day 3
2013: Nole was No. 1, Rafa was defending champ – Fed plays on Day 1, Rafa on Day 2
US OPEN:
2008:
2009: Fed was No. 1, Fed defending champ – Fed plays Day 1, Rafa plays Day 3 (Fed plays his 2nd rnd match on Day 3!!!)
2010: Rafa was No. 1, Delpo defending champ – Fed plays on Day 1, Rafa on Day 2
2011: Nole was No. 1, Rafa was defending champ – Fed plays on Day 1, Rafa and Nole on Day 2
2012: Nole was No. 1, Nole was defending champ – Fed plays on Day 1, Nole on Day 2
2013: Rafa was No. 1, Murray was defending champ – Fed and Rafa play on Day 1 (except Fed was rained out)
(Have I mentioned that the French crowd have always loved Fed much more than Rafa?)
#QueueTheUsualSuspect
You have to factor in Fed’s age; if both of them played their five setter SF matches on the same day and had only one day rest before the final, I doubt Rafa would be any worse off than Fed even when Rafa’s match vs Dimi was more grueling. Rafa is five years younger than Fed and he’s the fitter guy.
Rafa did not have one full day of rest because he finished his match at midnight then had to attend press conferences, doping tests etc. which didn’t finish until 4.30 am in Saturday morning which was when he went to bed. They could have played the second SF earlier on Friday to avoid playing into Saturday.
If Rafa is himself saying his legs and shoulder felt tired in the match due to long semi with Dimi..why are we not believing him? He is human..the long 5 hour semi was bound to have an effect..he is 30 plus now and not that match fit…I am not saying he would have won had he been fresh but his CC shots were landing short on Feds BH and that can be due to tiredness..Isnt that his bread butter shot vs Fed? If those would have landed deep..could Fed have hit so many BH winners..
Also the Dimi match with Rafa seemed to help Fed bigtime..He said he saw the full 5 hour match 50% as an analyst to see what Rafa is doing..Dimi plays similar to Fed..so Fed knew exactly what to do vs Rafa 🙂
Yes bread and butter.
The usual strategy was correct. He doesn’t need to adjust that against Fed. The execution was poor with so many CCFH landing short (and low because of fast conditions) and ineffective easy for Fed to put away with winners.
#HowManyTimes???
This. I wondered so many times through the match why Nadal wasn’t giving the ball more air on the corsscourt – Federer got him on the crosscourt exchange several times.
Said he was lacking energy to consistently hit that shot deep after long semi.
Strange thing is Rafa’s team seemed like they had not been watching Fed’s matches there at the AO. If they had, they would realize that Fed was hitting his BH better than ever, and he was consistently moving forward to attack and shorten points.
Moya had done an interview with the Spanish media and somebody translated what he said; he mentioned that they were surprised how well Fed hit his BH. I mean surprised? If they had been watching Fed’s matches, they shouldn’t be surprised.
It seemed to me that they had only one game plan against Fed; once that game plan failed, Rafa ran out of ideas how to deal with Fed. I’m disappointed with the way he returned Fed’s serves during the final. Against Raonic, he adjusted his return positions and that paid off; against Fed, he hardly changed his return positions, camped way behind the baseline, allowing Fed to move to the net immediately after serving, feasting on Rafa’s short returns.
If Rafa’s legs and shoulders were tired, then why not play from closer to the baseline instead of camping way behind the baseline? Staying on the baseline, his CC FH won’t be as short as him hitting from way behind the baseline.
Seriously, it’s typical of Rafa, once he’s lacking in confidence or belief, he became defensive and coiled back into his shell and started playing defensive tennis. He’s not as brave as before, preferred to counterpunch to force errors instead of taking more
risks and going for winners.
We talked about the unfairness of the timing of the SF, when Rafa seemed to be at the short end all the time. If that’s always the case, then do something to conserve energy if the AO organisers are not going to do something to help you. Rafa please, get you team to help time you all the time and make sure that you’re serving well under 25 secs. The TV warnings he rec’d during the Raonic and Dimi matches had clearly bothered him, for he had to rush through his service games and then lost his serve, causing him more precious energy fighting back from behind in the set. Imagine Rafa sailed through Raonic’s match smoothly, and beat Dimi in four sets, he could save precious energy for the final.
Fed didn’t have it easy either, he had to battle through Kei and Stan in five sets (about 3+ hours each match); though he had an additional one day rest, he at 35 would need more recovery time. A less fatigued Rafa might hit his shots with more authority, retrieved a bit quicker, played with a calmer mind and clearer thoughts, and most likely held on to the fifth set lead to win the title. A lesson to be learned by Rafa, and a well deserved win by Fed ( for capitalizing on whatever were given to him and on the weaknesses of his opponent).
Luckystar…agree with everything u said..
Sorry but Rafa is not in peak shape after such a long layoff.
We know historically it takes more matches for rafa to find his top form than Fed even after short layoffs let alone longer ones which is part of why I didn’t expect Rafa to even make finals.
In better shape/form, Rafa’s strategy would have worked and he could have made better adjustments if needed, but conditioning, poor execution when it counted also caused by nerves cost him in the end.
He got much further than I thought and came very close to beating Fed on Fed’s best fast conditions when playing him.
A privilege for all tennis fans to watch…an honor to be in the tv presence of two wonderful champions. Both played great in the 5th, but Fed is GOAT!!!
Whether or not Rafa having an extra days rest wouldve made a difference in the final, is neither here nor there really, and not really the issue, what we are talking about, is fairness for all in the scheduling, other than that Federer deserves his 18 GS no doubt about it ….
I agree, general fairness is the issue. That was the point I was trying to make, too. This issue goes beyond yesterday’s match.
LittleFoot it does indeed, Federer fans would see this as sour grapes i suppose, however as i said, i would say this if the shoe was on the other foot too, its not about emotional bias ….
Yeah p’sses me of a bit, it was the same in 2009, an extra days rest for Federer, where as Rafa was slugging it out for god knows how long with Verdasco, and hardly any rest afterwards, in that final i expected him to get white washed, thankfully he won pleased to say ….
I would like to pose the question to anyone who knows the precise answer. How was the decision made in the tournament, which side of the draw to play on the first day? Any chance for organizer to favor any side of the draw?
top half played first because Federer was in it.
Ricky, your wording is very interesting: You said, that the top half played first because Federer was in it. If there is no favorotism shouldn’t be more like: top half ALWAYS plays first – no matter who’s in it? 😉
But in 2009 it was the other way round: Federer was definitely in the bottom half – but in that year the bottom half played first. So, there’s apparently a certain degree of flexibilty to the schedule. And that does at least open the door to favoritism…
whichever half Fed is in plays first
Whichever half has Federer in it plays first.
Ricky and liz are correct!
#BeatMeToThePunch
What amazes me is that everyone accepts open inequalities in the way tennis is run. A junior girl was disqualified athletes this year’s AO for swiping a ball aside and accidentally hitting a ball girl, but Djokovic hit a ball into the crowd once and nothing was done about it.
Corr
A junior girl was disqualified at this year’s AO for swiping a ball aside
so you agree he gets scheduling benefits..I feel scheduling benefits at AO and draw benefits at French open..dont see any bias by Wimby and USO though..your thoughts please Ricky..I am saying this based on what I have observed since many years..
Roger played only one day match at this tournament. Or am I wrong?
Till the semis Stan played more day matches,I remember. Stan was also AO champion in the past and his ranking was better than Rogers at this tournament. Andy played also 2 day matches…
SO, Roger got all the possible help. I am really, really angry.
Yeah, it looks like Roger got all the help he could get. I can understand that this makes you angry. If the suspicions are true it makes me angry, too. But this doesn’t just concern Rafa. It concerns all the other players, too.
If that helps: Roger didn’t win the match yesterday and all his other matches because of favoritism. He played great and Rafa didn’t play equally great. That’s why he lost.
As to the night matches: I can understand that. Rafa and Roger are the biggest viewer magnets. And the nightmatches can be watched by Europeans in the morning. Therefore it does make sense to schedule Roger and Rafa for most of the night matches. Wawa may be ranked higher nominally, but certainly not on the general popularity scale.
littlefoot, you could say that the reason Roger played better was because he was more rested and had more time to prepare for the final. Stands to reason.
Nadline, while general disparity of rest time and perhaps favoritism is troubling, I’m not sure if it had such a great effect on yesterday’s match. Roger would probably have been more rested than Rafa even if he had played on Friday, too, simply because he spent much less time oncourt against Wawa. I don’t believe that Roger woul’ve been much more tired if he had rested one day less. Rafa brought some of his extra tiredness onto himself by not putting Grigor away earlier.
Of course, that doesn’t mean the AO scheduling is ok. I made that very clear. Favoritism is ugly. But we shouldn’t take all this for an excuse that Rafa lost.
littlefoot,
Again the voice of reason! I think you make some good points. I also don’t wish to expend too much more energy on this because it won’t change the outcome. I would prefer to go along with your contention that it would not have made a difference if they both played in the same day. It is worthwhile to bring up the fact that Rafa spent more time on court overall in his previous matches. Rafa had been so good in taking his opportunities to close out matches, but did not do so in that crucial semifinal match with Dimi. Rafa being up two sets to one, should have taken the opportunity to close it out in the fourth set, thereby saving himself another hour on the court. That might have made the difference.
I think we all agree about favoritism and the unfairness of having the semis played in two different days. That is not up for debate.
Thanks, NNY 🙂
Kei was mirroring Roger on night matches until he was knocked out by Roger.
I just don’t understand why the SFs for the women are played on the same day but one of the men’s S. finalists is given an extra day. It is also worth noting that Federer is ALWAYS in the half that gets the extra day’s rest. The commies said Rafa did not get to bed until 4.30 am on Saturday morning, got up at midday and only practiced for one hour because he needed to rest and recover.
I am proud of Rafa and I’m pleased that he won 6 best of 5 set matches in a row, something which he hasn’t done since the FO 2014, this shows that his form is back, he now needs to maintain that and have mother luck on his side.
Vamos Rafa!
Prime time TV ratings is why.
#Business101
For me, the match came down to:
1. fast conditions set up to give fed his deepest run possible
2. along with preferred scheduling for Fed (a savvy veteran business move tied to ratings/revenue, nothing more),
3. Rafa almost beating Fed yet again on Fed’s best fast hard court conditions when he plays Rafa and Rafa not closing the door up a break in the decider (due to remaining doubts).
4. and Fed playing as good as he’s ever played in that match.
#NothingNew
Hawkeye,
I basically agree with your points overall. I have been reading the discussion with interest.
I think what stands out to me, is that Rafa was in a position to win the match. That should not be forgotten amidst all of the anger over favoritism. Rafa let it get away from him most likely due to nerves late in the second set. He did very well in his previous matches to not get broken in the key moments late in his matches. In fact, he showed tremendous mental fortitude in fighting off break points. But that seemed to desert him when he was up a break and only three games from winning.
It is a legitimate issue that one player gets an extra day’s rest. That did not work eight years ago when Rafa somehow defeated Fed when everything was against him.
The favoritism has not helped Fed until now. Because he still could not beat Novak in two slam finals in 2015. So there is a limit to what favoritism can do.
It’s over now and complaining about it won’t change the result.
Sorry, I meant to say in the final set, not the second set!
NNY and Hawkstradamus, I agree with all your thoughts. And while favoritism is ugly an shouldn’t anger only Rafafans, let’s not forget that Rafa played a great tourney. But Roger played better at key moments. As NNY said correctly, favoritism couldn’t get Roger titles in the past – he still lost eventually – and it didn’t get him the title yesterday. It might’ve facilitated it but he still had to go out and win. And he did. Rafa came close but it wasn’t enough.
Oh I disagree that favouritism didn’t help.
The most blatant example was the 2008 USO Super Saturday. All throughout the tournament, Rafa’s half played 1st (rare exception)and Roger’s half played their corresponding round the next day.
Nasty weather came on Super Saturday with scheduling in disarray. The first match should have followed suit with Rafa starting 1st but I was shocked to learn that, no, the tables would be turned and Roger would play Nole 1st.
As a result, the Rafa-Murray match was not completed and had to be finished on Sunday giving Roger more rest for the Finals. Would love to know the back-door scheduling that happened that weekend.
Not to mention the 13 straight slams Nole was drawn into Fed’s half in non-clay slams prior to Nole turning his career around winning three slams and starting to beat Roger in 2011, might I remind everyone a 0.01% chance of random occurrence.
I don’t follow any other sport as closely, but I doubt that there is any other sport that blatantly fixes conditions to suit their preferred outcome of tournaments. I heard a commentator say the Australians laid on a fast court with fast balls for the benefit of Krygios. Fat lot of good did that do, as Krygios had no interest in making any effort to do well. The Americans did the same for Sampras and Roddick to enable them to win the USO.
Tennis will be seen as a disreputable sport if people take a close look at what goes on.
No. Mass fandom and revenue is blind. Federer is by far the most popular tennis player of all time (in terms of ATP/ITF revenue and player endorsement revenue is concerned). It benefits them the longer Fed is playing in a tournament.
All professional sport is a business first.
Nadline, it was always like this. Nothing new and Roger – or maybe even Kyrgios, for whom the fast conditions were designed (that explanation actually makes a lot of sense to me – Germans would try to design very fast conditions for our rising star Sascha Zverev these days), When Germany hosted the WTF Championships in the 90s, first in Franfurt, then in Hannover, an ultra-fast floor was layed out in order to accomodate Boris Becker. So, what happened this year during the AO is nothing new. Federer might even have been a secondary beneficionary of the faster conditions. Kyrgios is indeed a more plausible primary target. There’s always pressure to accomodate the national players. As far as the extra rest day is concerned – Federer was for sure the intended beneficionary in that case.
Well Boris Becker was No. 1 in the world when Germany started hosting those so I think that comparison is a little dubious in my opinion.
I think it was done for Roger to be honest, and also to lessen Djokovic’s advantage who loves AO traditional slower surface, but as I said a wise business move, hardly controversial. They are free to do as they choose.
I don’t get why there is so much controversy over faster courts. If the AO were still played on the sticky surfaced Rebound Ace Nole, Andy, and Rafa would have a collective 0 titles there.
If the organizers did speed up the courts the intended benefits would’ve been for the local stars in Kyrgios & Tomic. Both prefer Wimbledon’s faster surfaces plus Kyrgios won his maiden title at an indoor hardcourt event last year.
I don’t see any controversy.
Rafa is a very good fast court player (he got to the final) but he loses a key advantage vs Fed in fast conditions.
Rafa is 3-0 vs Fed on slower AO courts.
Fed is 4-1 vs Rafa on fast WTF hard courts.
Just an observation.
BTW, I picked Fed to win the Australian Open before the tournament started for a bunch of reasons, one of which was that lead up tournaments were playing fast and AO was reported fast by players after practice.
You definitely did call it, Hawkstradamus! Well done! 🙂
As Hawstradamus says: no real controversy. And I agree that it is more likely that the recent court speed change was primarily made for Kyrgios. And Roger certainly didn’t complain 😉
No I doubt it was done for Kyrgios.
Television revenue from broadcast rights worldwide is orders of magnitude greater than ticket sales (which are pretty much sold out regardless of how Kyrgios might do).
Local TV ratings are more important for non-finals matches. That’s how undeserving no-name local players get scheduled onto night matches.
I also agree that Fed did earn the win. He played better in that match. Now one can say that Rafa may have been hampered by that long five set match with Dimi and only one day’s rest. I said before the final that the one thing that could cost Rafa was tiredness and fatigue after the long semifinal.
Also, I don’t understand why there is not more outrage over the MTO’s that Fed took in the fifth set. Who was the one that would have benefited from a few strategic MTO’s? Pat Cash accused Fed of cheating. Fed did admit after the match that he had a groin or leg injury even from the match against Stan.
If Rafa had taken those MTO’s and won the match, then we would be hearing about him cheating to win the match. Where is the outrage over that? Fed was holding his service games easily. So why the need for the MTO’s?
That was strategic to clear his mind .. He said in presser after Stans match that MTOs are all mental..you just want to clear your mind and talk to someone…Since it worked there, I am sure he tried it here ..He actually lost his serve immediatedly ..so not sure it helped him here..
He played out of his guts being 3 1 down..which I never ever expected him to ..Rafa showed what he does not against Fed and Fed showed what he does not against Fed in 5th set..
Sanju,
My point is that if it was Rafa, no matter whether it worked or not, we would have heard accusations of cheating.
Do you remember when Fed pulled something similar in the 2010 AO in his match with Davy? Fed was down one set and Davy was on the verge of going up two breaks in the second set. Fed took a well timed abs strategic bathroom break and the sun changed position. Fed ended up winning the second set and the match. I think he even admitted it after the match, that it was strategic. So he’s done this before.
The effect of MTO’s at key moments in a match can be to distract one’s opponent or stop his momentum.
If we are going to talk about scheduling favoritism, then I think it’s fair to bring up the MTO’s.
Hey Nny…How r u feeling today?better?
Mira Andi,
Hi! I am feeling better today! Not sad like I was yesterday! I am seeing the positives about Rafa’s great run at the AO. I can see the big picture.
It’s all good!
???
YAY!!!!That’s my girl!!…Now,all we have to do is looking forward and wait with interest what excitement Rafa would give us his fans for the rest of the season…God knows!There’s so much ahead of us Nny!!..I can’t wait…
What Rafael Nadal’s Loss to Roger Federer Means for French Open 2017
Rafael Nadal lost to Roger Federer in the Australian Open final on Sunday morning in a five-set instant classic.
Unfortunately for the Spaniard, this latest result has become something a trend.
There have been 11 Grand Slam tournaments since Nadal last won one, the French Open in 2014. Injuries have certainly played a part in that drought, but it’s becoming harder and harder to ignore that Nadal may never be the game’s top player again, even if his run at the Australian Open was fantastic.
At 30, Nadal is not finished, but with another loss at a Grand Slam, it’s difficult to rate Nadal alongside Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. Even Stan Wawrinka, with three Grand Slam titles in the past 12 tournaments, may have surpassed him.
Roland Garros was once Nadal’s fortress. He won the French Open nine times between 2005 and 2014. But even his favored clay has betrayed him the past two years, with Wawrinka winning the tournament in 2015 and Djokovic taking the title last year.
We have gone from Nadal being the universal favorite at Roland Garros to questioning just how far he might advance. While his dominance inevitably had an expiration date, most people would have expected it to be further down the line. Given the way Nadal dominated tennis from 2010 until 2013, when he won seven Grand Slams—two more than Djokovic and five more than Murray in that time frame—his drought in big tournaments has been a surprise.
His run at the Australian Open may dispel the notion that Nadal’s best days are behind him, however. But given the fact he advanced past Djokovic and Murray, it will be a disappointment for the Spaniard that he was unable to seize the opportunity to win another title in Australia.
While Nadal will be a threat at the French Open and might even win the tournament, a win in Australia would have been the sort of start to 2017 that would suggest another run of dominance was in the cards.
It wasn’t a negative start to the season, either. Perhaps a French Open conquest will inspire one more winning streak. Still, given his Grand Slam drought, it’s hard to make Nadal a favorite at Roland Garros over players like Djokovic, Murray and Wawrinka.
Would this be the same Djokovic, Murray and Wawrinka who did not make the final at the AO?
exactly…I said before the AO even started so called tennis analysts would never consider Rafa the favorite…and then I run into the article like this to prove my theory and depress me even further…hope Rafa proves them all wrong!
He came so close this time but it was not meant to be…I still have hard time digesting it…articles like this do not help either…
natashao2013 (AT 6:25 PM),
If I may ask, why did you post this article (published by Bleacher report) here, if the article makes you depressed? 🙄
augusta, every article is like this…you won’t find any saying this loss was a good thing for Rafa and we all know it wasn’t…
The reason why I posted it is that I knew it would be this way: even Rafa reaching the finals of the GS does not make him favorite to win RG title…and Fed is already being discussed as the favorite to win Wimby…
natashao2013 (AT 10:41 AM),
It doesn’t matter who is oddsmakers’ favourite.
Nny…This is for u..http://www.thequotepedia.com/images/36/think-positive-positive-things-will-happen.jpg
PS…I believe this is one of Rafa’s moto in life…and that is why he kept coming back with success even after the heartbreaking injuries..
Mira Andi,
Yes! Think positive! Let’s just see what happens. I am not giving up on Rafa! As long as he wants to play and compete, then I will be there supporting him.
I read that Carlos Moya asked Rafa if he was ready to win titles again before he signed on to work with him. So we know that Moya needed that assurance from Rafa.
YES!!That’s the right attitude Nny!!…I am not giving up on him either..he proved us wrong many times Nny…Sometimes i felt so ashamed for doubting him even for one second especially for the last 2 years…Remember how determined he was to win gold in Rio?When at that he still hampered by injury?Still in pain?And he did win gold..and in single,he’s almost went to the final and if not for crazy schedule to play in doubles and singles..i’m pretty sure he will get through to the final..who would have thought that Nny?And i still believe Nny that if rafa is healthy,he still capable of giving us so much more…I don’t want to think much about his loss at AO…it’s irrelevant now..that loss not hampered my believe that rafa maybe will win at FO or USO..who knows…we don’t know about the future Nny…same as we don’t expect rafa to go to the final at AO when every single soul in this world thought that Andy and Novak who deserved to be there….SO,IN RAFA WE TRUST!!!!WOOOOHOOOOO!!!C”MON!!!
I am very sad that Rafa could not capitalise on this. I am sure he had very high hope of winning this. He was up 3-1 in the fifth and by just playing a few points better, we could have won.
But, I am hopeful of one thing now: Rafa is not going anywhere. Beating Zverev , Dimitrov in the manner he did and the courage he showed was so exemplary.
I am sad he lost to Fed but I am proud that he did not give the match away by choking or anything. Fed was playing REALLY good tennis so he lost to a better player.
Yes, Rafa could have made some adjustments and he only had to do a few things SLIGHTLY better to prevail there.
I will give my detailed thoughts on why Nadal lost to Fed in my next post but before that , I am just going to say: VAMOS RAFA.
Rafa is NOT going anywhere. He is very fit and can battle with anyone. He will be a serious contender in all three remaining slams and his ranking will be much higher by the end of RG.
Rafa has a really good shot at RG.
The big plus is that he seems to be able to control his nerves and have confidence. The number of times he served an ace when he was 15:40 down on his serve is quite reassuring.
Nny…I am so sorry,i didn’t meant to bring back the painful memories about rafa’s loss yesterday but this article can give us the true insight of rafa’s defeat..Hope u don’t mind..
http://www.sportskeeda.com/tennis/did-federer-really-out-rafa-nadal-australian-open-2017
Nny..This too..
http://www.sportskeeda.com/tennis/australian-open-2017-rafael-nadal-and-being-on-the-other-side-of-final-for-ages
Mats Wilander said he thought Wimbledon was OK without Federer and Nadal until he saw how much difference their presence made in Australia. Federer himself publicly admitted at the trophy ceremony that tennis needs Rafa.
Mats Wilander is an idiot. Has always been 😉
He was also the only one who said that he didn’t want to see Fedal in the final
He tries to say things that cut against the grain barely resembling reality, unfortunately he called most of Rafa’s matches along with my the commentator I’d rather not listen to – Chris Bradnam.
I don’t think for a minute that anyone doubts that tennis needs Rafa!
btw, Rafa’s less time for resting did affect him in the final.
I’ve read somewhere in the Spanish press, from Rafa’s lips that when going for 4-1 in the decider, he had a passing shot to make – which ended at the net – he says he doubted whether to go DTL or CC and because of arriving a tad too late he mishit the shot…
So, he hints that had he been fresher he might have had a clearer shot…
Sour grapes, I know, but he ended up completely trashed (his own words too) after his match against Dimi.
Shireling, Rafa had one day off – and this is completely normal during a slam! He would’ve been equally tired if Fed had played his semis on Friday, too! Rafa having been tired wasn’t a result of the unequal scheduling! And I don’t believe that Roger would’ve been much more tired if he had one day less off, because his semis wasn’t as gruelling as Rafa’s.
The point I have tried to make several times now: we can’t blame Rafa’s tiredness on the unequal scheduling. We can only argue, that Roger might’ve been a tiny bit more tired himself if he had played on Friday, too. And I don’t believe that it would’ve been such a big difference for Roger.
I don’t thin that Rafa wanted to point at the scheduling dilemma, when he said that he was tired. He probably wanted to make the very straightforward point that he had a gruelling semifinal.
Federer’s SF also went to 5 sets, why do you think it wasn’t as gruelling? You don’t want the facts to get in the way because you just don’t want to accept that Federer had an unfair advantage.
No, Rafa wasn’t talking about the scheduling.
These are the facts:
Rafa was trashed because Dimi pushed him to his limits.
The unfair schedule allowed him for one day and one night less rest than Fed.
Whether anything would have been different had equal conditions been given to both players, this we’ll never know and it’s kind of pointless to talk about it now.
Let’s get on with the rest of the season – I’m curios to see how the draw pans out in RG… but much too soon for that.
Rafa may be had the worse of the scheduling but he by far had the better draw. Let’s be honest, Federer playing Wawrinka is way harder than Nadal playing Dimitrov. That Federer beat Wawrinka, after beating Nishikori, which was another five-setter, not to mention the fact that Federer is 35 and Nadal, should negate any scheduling excuses. It’s just the luck of the draw and the way things work sometimes. There is no doubt in my mind, that given a preference of playing Wawrinka or Dimitrov, Nadal would have taken Dimitrov every time. That it took him so long, is part of Rafa’s doing. If it were a straight forward 3-4 setter, like most predicted, there would have been no complaints whatsoever.
did you realize the player who won the second semifinal (meaning one less day of rest) has actually won MORE finals?
I learn to live with this loss…I am more realistic now and when I come to think of the whole issue I realize that Fed deserved this win…he dispatched quality opponents in Berdy (although not an in-form opponent but the way Fed dealt with him was amazing), then Nishi and Wawa…not sure Rafa would have been as successful…both of them trouble Rafa even when Rafa is playing well…
I never expected Rafa would reach the finals in the first place…but I knew if he did I would have expected him to win the whole thing…
I was not even able to eat the whole day after Rafa’s loss…I was not angry, I was depressed as I thought Rafa wasted huge chance for the 15th..I was and still am upset that Rafa had one day less to recover and that the AO surface was speeded up for the sake of Fed…that is no longer speculation, it’s the fact…but I do not think it was aimed at Rafa…the AO wanted to prevent Novak from wining it again and Rafa was only the collateral damage in this whole situation…
Life goes on…Rafa will fight back I am sure…I see opportunities for him at the RG…although it depends on other factors as well which are named Novak, Andy, Stan, and those hungry young guns who play well on clay like Dominic, Grigor…it only gets harder for Rafa who is getting older and his style of play does not serve well to his age…
I am only afraid that rigged draws and unfair scheduling may as well destroy Rafa’s chances in RG…playing a five setter on clay will be taxing on his body and I am afraid if the rain interrupts the schedule Rafa will again be the one to punish, certainly not Fed…
I only hope Rafa will take positives from this AO and will not lose his belief and confidence…I hope he does not lock himself up in that shell of low confidence again…I hope he grows stronger and eager for success…
Vamos Rafa!
I’m upset because it’s the same with Rafa in terms of having the lead and then throwing away the lead and lost. If he’s not going to turn this trend around, he will have problems going forward.
Credit where credit is due. Fed was rewarded for his perseverance, kept working hard to reach slam final after slam final and one fine day, you would get your break and finally won one. He played the right way to win while Rafa didn’t. Fed is great and he getting his 18th slam is well deserved.
@ luckystar,
agreed. You are right on all counts!
Agree with you, Natashao and Luckystar. While the whiff of favoritism is certainly ugly, I can also accept that Fed earned his 18th slam because he played better in the final. Both players had a marvellous and unexpected run during this tournament. That’s the positive. The negative is indeed that Rafa yet again let slip away a lead. We can only wait and see how this will affect the rest of his season. Hopefully he will be able to see the glas as more than half full. He won after all against a handful of up and coming young players who are all very comfortable on a fast hard court. And he came very close to win the title. Nobody expected this at the beginning of the tournament.
And I may add: Fed also lost so many slam finals in the past years. Finally he was rewarded for his tenacity. Maybe the future has more in store for Rafa, too, although his body and style of play make things a little harder for him. And Andy as well as Novak will continue to give all players a hard time. Unfortunately both are very much serious contenders for clay court titles.
For tennis fans the season will be most interesting.
natashao2013 (AT 10:18 AM),
Rafa has lost his confidence in the past due to his INJURIES.
I know, augusta, but losing the match that he had in his pocket does help building confidence…that’s why I am worried…
But thanks so much for this photo of Rafa in Mallorka, he seems happy there and ready to move on!
Vamos Rafa!
Meant to say doesn’t help..
Nadal is up 3-1 in the 5th and you talk about rigged draws and the surface being sped up for the sake of Fed? Which bug gun did Nadal face before the final? Federer played Berdych, Nishikori, Wawrinka and Nadal to win. Don’t forget, Murray was in his half too and he is the best player in the world. And the draw was rigged in his favor? Faster surface or not, you expect a 35 year old, not on tour for 6 months, to benefit more from a faster surface than the youngsters whom you go on to describe in your next para as hungry young guns and perceivable threats to Rafa at Roland Garros. Think a little reality check wouldn’t do any harm.
and frankly, after YEARS of those slow, sticky courts, its ABOUT time they sped them up, and it made the tournament the best Slam in ages – God forbid tennis gets a boost, right?
Hey amy…Where r u??Rafa is not here anymore BUT MIRA IS!!he he…MISS U LOADS!!
Mira Andi (10:30 AM),
As for Rafa, he is in Mallorca:
https://twitter.com/RafaelNadal/status/826211571168903176/photo/1
Oh thank God!he’s safely arrived!!..Thanks augusta for telling me that…I’m so glad he choose to skip DC…He needs rest more than give a service to his country atm,me thinks..
Oh rafa has been really lucky!…when his plane was flying over my country’s sky,i’m still not in the mood to do my lawn mower fist pump,otherwise he will taste my delicious fist pump to his smart head for making my Nny and natashao so distressed these last couple of days!
Mira Andi (AT 11:39 AM),
Rafa’s doctor (Ruiz-Cotorro) said on Rafa’s withdrawing from DC:
“It’s not the time to risk by playing DC. Spain has a great team.”
Yeah augusta…It’s great to see someone see sense..knowing rafa,he’s always don’t know how to say NO if it’s involved his country..Very glad he skipped it..
Mira Andi (AT 12:45 PM),
Rafa has played for Spain when it has been necessary. This time, if Croatia won’t make changes to its DC team, Spain will survive without Rafa.
http://www.daviscup.com/en/draws-results/tie.aspx?id=M-DC-2017-WG-M-ESP-CRO-01
augusta…Cilic,karlovic,Boric also missed from croatia’s team right?So,i guess Spain will not be in much danger..yes?
@augusta008 Thanks for the link! I wasn’t aware that Cilic and Karlovic were not playing the 1st round DC. That does look very doable for Spain’s current DC team! Vamos Espana!
Ramara (AT 1:05 PM),
🙂
Viva España!
Hey natashao2013…YES!!That’s it!!…Don’t think too much about the loss anymore okay?it’s all in the past now…it’s no use to distressed ourselves over things that was not meant for rafa…This things is not in our hands or rafa…it’s in God’s hands…To make u feel even better…just think one thing…When rafa went on court..he wants to win so bad and not to lose…But it didn’t happen that way….there’s still so much out there for rafa to play natashao..so much..if he’s healthy[let’s pray for that okay?]…i’m pretty sure win will come to him naturally again…VAMOS NATASHAO AND RAFA!!!!!
thanks Mira Andi! You certainly are the shining star of this site…I love you posts…keep doing that…you bring humour and positive vibes to this site…thank you for being with us…
He he..thanks natashao..I just can’t bear to see u or others still suffered from the rafa’s heartbreaking loss…Hey,u will feel much better if i give u this?
http://lovenamepix.com/LoveNamePix.php?post_id=86&input=Rafa&input2=Natashao
Don’t be sad or distressed anymore okay?…Cheer up,chin up and b@#b up!
VAMOS RAFA AND NATASHAO!!!
Or this natashao…
http://mynamepix.com/images/user/n_32b59fa0.png
http://mynameart.com/mypics/719_78814858618394640.jpg
Mira Andi,
You are so sweet ❤
Thank you for this! You made my day! ?
Vamos!
He he…That’s my girl!!Mission accomplished!!…Now,promise me Natashao..no depressed or sadness anymore okay?..VAMOS NATASHAO AND RAFA!!
PS…Psst!natashao!…Don’t tell xisca i gave u those okay?Otherwise,we’re both going to wake up next day without our a@# attached to our backside!!…Oho!oho!ho!ho!…i don’t want to imagine!!
?
Hawkstradamus picked Fed to win AO and many said it couldn’t happen.
Djokovic completed the first Grand Slam since Laver.
I have a theory.
Expect clay to play much faster this year.
#StayTuned
No matter what was out in Rafa’s way in terms of draws it scheduling, it did not stop h from winning 9 RG titles. So this favoritism only extends so far. I am not about to start speculating about conspiracy theories for RG!
Fed won because both Novak and Murray got knocked out early and that had nothing to do with speeding up the courts. Nobody could have predicted the top two players losing early in the tournament. But both Rafa and Fed capitalized on it. Good for them!
That’s why conspiracy theories do not determine what will happen. Players who come out and give it their all and believe that they can win, are the reason why this sport cannot be fixed or pre-determined.
I took this loss very hard. I had my heart set on Rafa finally winning the double career slam. I am happy that he got to the final. I am frustrated by how he lost. But I do have confidence Moya and his ability to help Rafa get even better. I am looking ahead now.
In many cases, as you say great players including Rafa have overcome advantages/disadvantages, intentional or otherwise.
However, I think there are definite examples of it making a difference.
I think new time violation rule being enforced had an effect on Rafa’s slam production partially responsible (along with injury) for the anxiety that lead to what Rafa called a “mental problema” and a “vulgar” forehand.
I think without this new rule and its enforcement, Rafa would have more slams.
I think AO courts were made faster to help Fed and on traditional AO court/ball speed, I do not think he would have won give how close it was with both Wawrinka and especially Nadal.
I don’t call it a conspiracy though.
I have written a zillion times that Rafa & U.Toni have explained several times that Rafa lost is confidence due to his INJURIES.
U.Toni in his interview with COP, a radio network in Spain, in Dec.2015: “Getting injured in the AO 2014 final was a big blow. When he recovered [therapies helped him temporarily], the wrist issue happened [July 2014] and then appendicitis [Oct-Nov. 2014] when he was trying to come back. All this caused him a huge stress and lack of confidence in his body [in the 2015 season]. He was going on court [in 2015] without knowing/trusting what his body would do.”
http://www.cope.es/player/Toni-Nadal-en-El-Partido-de-las-12-Rafa-volvera-a-ser-el-de-antes&id=2015122301340002&activo=10
I know you have augusta08. I am not as dedicated a Rafan as you! 🙂 OK?
I am just speculating and we won’t always agree you and me.
Rafa’s team also explained that the wrap on Rafa’s wrist in early spring 2016 was just for precaution and nothing to worry about.
But it was.
Injury was obviously a big part of the anxiety problem. Perhaps the catalyst of what was waiting to happen.
It is just a theory and my opinion, that is all augusta08. It is not necessary that we all agree. But based on what Rafa has said about his pre-serve rituals combined with the time violation new rule and enforcement primarily called against Rafa and much less rarely disproportionately with other players who routinely exceeded the time, I do think there was another factor:
“The Spaniard’s multiple on-court rituals, meticulously carried out in every match, are also performed in order to control anxiety and achieve a comforting sense of things being in order. In Nadal’s own words, the rituals are ‘a way of placing myself in a match, [and] ordering my surroundings to match the order I seek in my head.’
Ritual and avoidance behaviors are common ways in which anxious people deal with their difficult mental experiences. But this mental approach is at risk of breaking down if rituals are not performed successfully. Nadal explains in his book that his system of rituals is ‘like a great matchstick structure: if every piece is not symmetrically in place, it can all fall down.’”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/neil-endicott/rafael-nadals-tennis-psyc_b_9904880.html
And herewhere Rafa talks about “mental injury” as opposed to “physical injury”.
“Sometimes I recover from injuries. This time what I had, with my not having the control of my nerves or my emotion, is like coming back from an injury, too,” he told reporters.
“It’s not a physical injury, but it’s a mental injury. And this for me is another challenge.”
http://www.thenational.ae/sport/tennis/rafael-nadal-says-he-fought-through-not-having-control-of-my-nerves-or-emotion
It was an extremely serious problem for him.
Rafa said ‘In that moment I said that if I continued like that, with the anxiety I had, I would have retired because I didn’t enjoy (myself) anymore. When you play with anxiety or you are not happy, you cannot travel around the world without enjoying what you do.”
So even if my theory is incorrect (maybe it is), the anxiety itself was serious and very real for him to say he would have quit.
But he is a true champion and exception from most, and he has mostly conquered it to get back to amazing form with the French Open last year and Australia this year.
Vamos Rafa no matter what!!!
I have wriiten a zillion times that Rafa had a loss of mental focus and concentration. We can debate the underlying cause of it and how much injuries played a part in it.
All one has to do is see how Rafa was changing tactics and strategizing and playing with more concentration and intensity in this AO, to see that there has been a big change.
Nobody here knows Rafa personally. So there is no reason for anyone to presume that only they know to a certainty what was going on with Rafa. We are all speculating to some degree and giving our opinions.
I don’t know why there is so much resistance among some here to the idea that Rafa lost his mental strength. That is a big component of what makes a player successful. It is not just physical.
Rafa was mentally focused and fighting hard in all his matches. Coming from behind, fighting off break points and taking opportunities to be aggressive and close out matches. That is a big chance from the Rafa we have seen for most of the last two years.
Rafa has acknowledged his mental problems in his own words. Injuries played a part, but that is not the whole story.
There is no reason why we can’t have our opinions without being attacked or critized for them.
on Nativenewyorker (AT 5:39 PM),
I have quoted a zillion times U.Toni’s words.
AT 5:15 PM,
Rafa’s left wrist injury in 2016 (!) has nothing to do with lacking confidence in 2015 (!). Period.
I agree with you!
Sorry if I wasn’t clear. It is not what I intended to imply.
My point is only that everything is not always as it seems to everybody including Rafa’s own team. They did not think that there was anything to worry about Rafa’s wrist. Yet turned out to be a big problem a couple of months later at the French Open.
Augusta,
You need to take a chill pill and calm down! Really! What is with this nonsense of “period”! Really? You don’t tell me when the discussion is over. That is quite rude and really unnecessary. You need to accept that not everyone will agree with you, that you are not the last word on all things Rafa.
I don’t care how often you quote Uncle Toni, because you have ignored Rafa’s own words that clearly indicate he had a problem with his mental concentration.
I cannot discuss something with a person who persists in displaying intolerance. I am entitled to state my opinion and reasons for thinking so, even if you don’t like or agree.
I was polite to you in my reply and would appreciate it if you would make an effort to reply in kind.
Period!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2VKQfX5tSE
Sorry gussie, I couldn’t resist.
on Nativenewyorker (AT 8:56 PM),
Comma. I had no intention of disussing with you. Period.
And I’ll say it again augusta08, I sincerely apologize for anything I’ve said to offend you in the past.
I understand if you do not accept my apology.
To natashao,Nny,amy,sanju,augusta,hawks,luckystar and my other dear rafa fans..this great article to soothe our wounded soul..
http://www.sportskeeda.com/tennis/rafael-nadal-greatest-fighter-in-sport
Mira Andi (AT 3:39 PM),
Thanks! 🙂
Some notes.
The article: “…the other hero of the 2017 Australian Open had quietly boarded a plane without much fanfare and left for the clay courts in Majorca. ”
The author doesn’t know that Rafa is going to play 4 HC tournaments before the clay season, and there are 19 hard courts at his own Sports Centre in Mallorca.
.
The article: “…His fingers are always taped. However, the real bruises are deep inside.”
Rafa’s fingers are always taped during matches to protect fingers, his fingers are not damaged.
augusta..You’re most welcome!..Btw..that’s alright..let the author wrote what he wants…the article itself almost made me cry with everything he wrote about rafa…
Mira Andi (AT 4:45 PM),
🙂
The problem is that people are using articles as a source of information.
Agreed!
Must always consider the source. For example, Bodo is a moron. That’s why I prefer to read direct player transcripts or at least direct quotes.
He never said that Rafa’s fingers were bruised! He was saying that the bruises are inside as a figure of speech! It means bruises to one’s heart or psyche or mind.
It was not meant to be taken that literally.
Mira Andi,
Thanks for posting another great read!
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He he…Thanks Nny!btw…I hope u don’t mind,i want to ask u again..how r u today?Okay?…Oppss!I missed u!!He he..
Mira Andi,
Hi! I am feeling much better! You always manage to cheer me up! Also reading Kevin’s comment to Rafa fans was wonderful.
I am looking forward to all of the tennis ahead! I did read that article giving odds already for RG. Now that is really looking way ahead! I am trying not to think about RG yet.
I hope that Rafa can get back into the top four before RG. That would make it easier for him.
Having you here to bring good cheer and happy thoughts has been a blessing! You have a great spirit! I don’t know what I would have done without you!
???
Nny!…First of all i want to give u this to cheer u up okay?
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/19/8f/a1/198fa13b7da5b7f0d4b5bb37fa7d1b88.jpg
http://i.quoteaddicts.com/media/quotes/68/3392301-sending-you-healing-hugs.jpg
Nny!I am so so so so glad to hear that you’re okay now..and so so so so so glad to know that I can make u HAPPYYYYYYY!!!!..YAY!!Who would have thunk!!ha ha ha..U know what Nny?You made me feel the same..everytime i came here,it’s your post that i seek first..ha ha ha..sorry guys!You’re so loving and caring and sweet and warm and i smack my stupid head multiple times already for not come here sooner…Btw…i too can’t wait to make a journey with u and amy and natashao and other dear rafa fans on Rafa rollercoaster for the entire season..can’t wait to traded live comments with u,can’t wait to soothe your worry again and again and again and can’t wait to WOOOOOHOOOOO’d with u when rafa win…and lastly to cry with u in case rafa will hold his La Decima!He he..u can’t fault me for dream big Nny!
This too guys…so,discussed away!..as for me,i don’t want to think too far ahead..anything could happen for next 4,5 months..yes we can read and took solace from the good words and vibes,that rafa is still back in contention for the title but don’t hope too much until he’s in the final fighting for it okay?Read just for fun..http://www.eurosport.co.uk/tennis/french-open-1/2017/after-roger-federer-and-rafa-nadal-upset-odds-in-australia-who-will-win-the-french-open_sto6042586/story.shtml
Mira Andi,
I don’t know where you get these sayings and those great pictures, but I love them! I look at them again and again and then I think happy thoughts!
Thank you for all that you do to make my day brighter!
??
Nny,i will do anything for u just so u can be happy and not thinking about rafa’s loss anymore..that is my way to distract u from an unhappy thought…and u know what,i’m glad u liked it and i will make my everyday routine from now on…if u don’t mind that is…
Nny…another one for u before u go to bed…
http://mynameart.com/mypics/38_4921485907090587012.jpg
Mira Andi,
Oh! That is so beautiful! I can look at it before I go to sleep tonight!
All I can say is thank you so much! What a lovely message! ❤️
I love u Nny…And you’re very much welcome!Wait for a thousands to come tomorrow onwards okay? ha ha ha…
Nny…i’ve found another article for u..have u read it?
http://www.sportskeeda.com/tennis/rafael-nadal-lost-australian-open-2017-final-but-plenty-to-gain
To all the die-hard Rafa fans here:
Once you get over the pain of the loss, I really believe that you all should be excited for this season in terms of Rafa. No matter what way you slice it, there is no question that Rafa has successfully gotten back to high level of play. It may not be the exact level that he wants to, and believes he can be at, but considering that the season has barely started, he has a very good chance of getting to an even higher level very soon! If he is able to sustain his current level, and increase it for the bigger moments, he is absolutely a contender for nearly all the big tournaments. Considering where his level is at after only one tournament, coupled with the fact that he made the final of the first major of the season, I believe that he not only has an excellent shot at winning big titles such as Roland Garros or US Open, but he even has a shot to get back to #1 ranking! Any player who starts the season with a runner-up or a win at the Aussie Open, in my opinion, has put themself in a great position going forward in terms of getting to #1. If the Aussie Open was a total fluke for Rafa, then maybe it would be a different story. But it was NOT a fluke! He beat quality players and showed great fight in big moments. Yes, he was only three service holds away from the title, but Federer played arguably the best 5 games of his life to save break points and take that title. I really believe that Rafa is going to kill it this season. I think this could very well be the season where he finally gets Djokovic. I know the loss is very painful and raw for you guys/girls right now. But once it gets less raw, I really do believe that you be VERY excited!
Kevin…Thank u thank u thank u for your kind and supportive words…As for me,i just wants to take things day by day and not looking too far ahead…as we all know,things can change in a blink of an eye in tennis..let alone rafa who’s constantly get a visit from various injuries out of nowhere…although seeing his current form makes me very very excited to see what’s going to unfold for him in the next4,5 months…Hopefully it will be full of sunshine and rainbow in Rafasville!!..Woohooo!Vamos!!
Kevin,
I really want to thank you for taking the time to encourage Rafa fans. It’s hard to get one’s hopes up over and over. Fans suffer along with their favorite player. We hurt, too.
I have to believe that there are good things ahead for Rafa this year. I am sure that he thinks so, too.
This loss hurt more because the double career slam was at stake. That was Rafa’s chance to do something that has not been done in the Open era. It would secure his legacy in this sport. I don’t know that he will get another chance at it. I do think he will get more chances to win slams.
I think it was quite gracious of you to try to lift our spirits.
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Mira Andi,
Yes! Another great article to read! Again I am trying not to think too far ahead about what may lie in store for Rafa. But I certainly hope that good things are going to happen! He should get a big boost from this great result at the AO.
Thanks again! You renew my faith in people because you have such a kind and generous heart! You only want to make others happy and treat all with respect and kindness!
You are a breath of fresh air!
??♥️
Nny!!..I’ve waited a whole day for u to emerge!!He he…Now,first i want to give u this..https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/de/a4/90/dea49092389b874d5894e2666e428e3e.jpg
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/29/63/4e/29634e815cc312f0ff061c4e27b6b70c.jpg
Mira Andi,
Hi! Wow! Coffee to wake me up! My message of the day! You are going to change my life!
You never fail to brighten my day!
??
Really glad u liked that coffee Nny!!ha ha…Sorry,it’s just coffee..i forgot to make u toast or pancake!!next time okay?he he..
Yes! Let’s have breakfast!
Nny…Thank u thank u thank u for your heartwarming and generous compliments…Err..Is that me you’re described?I didn’t notice it..ha ha..but,u have no idea how happy i am that i can give u something meaningful..all i wanna do is to make u happy and forget about rafa’s loss..that’s all..i can’t bear to see u sad or unhappy…
Btw..yeah,me too not think to far ahead about rafa..one thing we learned about rafa is that…injury can come at any moment and will ending everything…and i think the key is for him to stay healthy..if he manage to do that…i’m pretty sure,he’s going to start winning again Nny…he will have time to build his game,stamina and mental strength..the longer he can play without much trouble,the higher his confidence and self belief will be..we just have to wait with patient okay Nny?
Mira Andi,
I think you are right about Rafa staying healthy and injury free. That is the key for him. Then he can keep working on his game and get more wins and rankings points. Continuing to play is crucial. Last year Rafa seemed to get back on track in the clay season. He won MC and Barcelona and seemed prone to make a run at RG. But we didn’t know that he was carrying another wrist injury. He had to withdraw from RG and was out for a few months. That effectively stopped his momentum and progress. It was a disaster. Then Rafa came back for the Olympics and tried to continue playing. But the wrist injury was aggravated and finally he made the right decision in pulling the plug on the rest of the season.
So we have to hope and pray that Rafa can just stay healthy!
Hey Nny…sorry a little bit late to reply…i’m sure you’re already have lunch now…About rafa..yeah Nny..i’m very optimistic if he can stay healthy,then we can have a plenty of action from him…rafa is a natural fighter and winner Nny..he won’t settle for anything less…can u imagine Nny..last year when he still struggled with his form and lack of confidence and self belief,he can bagged MC,Barcelona and in a very very fine form in the first 2 rounds at FO?Think,what he can give us with his renewed self belief[due to his deep run at AO] and injury free physical this time?…Oh,i can’t wait to see his form and result in the coming months Nny…it’s going to be exciting to follow..
Mira Andi,
You don’t have to explain if you don’t reply right away! It’s not like we are on this forum all day! Life does intrude! Sometimes I don’t see your posts until later. Also, you and I live in different time zones, so we may not be here at the same time.
Rafa will go into the clay season much stronger than he was last year. He had something solid to build on with his result at the AO. There is nothing better than winning tough matches against challenging opponents and getting to the final of a slam!
Rafa also has Moya by his side to work with him. It’s paying off already. Another pair of eyes, another point of view. It all helps.
All we need to do is pray that Rafa stays healthy! Then it will all fall into place!
See? Your good thoughts are running off on me!
?
Hey Nny!!..i know,i don’t have to explain anything to u…but..i don’t know,silly me i guess..he he..Anyway..have u got a good wednesday so far?…Bout Rafa…Nny..i just wonder IF he’s hired Moya a long before this,i mean in 2015 he can play all year long,no injuries..only bad result happened..do u think it will make much difference to his season and result?And automatically can prevent the mental injury due to the constant bad losses that he has to endured that year?What do u think?
Thanks Mira and Kevin for your kind words.
I don’t begrudge Fed for winning this, and I do feel Rafa will do better going forward. He just needs to be clutch when leading to gen off fight backs from his opponents, the way he did them in the past.
You’re welcome luckystar…Yeah,me too don’t have a problem with Rog win this..God!he deserved this…HE’S AWESOME that day!..And honestly,even before the match is finished i can sense that Rafa don’t have a chance to secure his 15th…Rog too ‘in zoned’ to be denied…and Rafa,as good and as improved as he is,still can’t match “The out of space Rog” that day…BUT,what makes me really really happy was that to see Rafa of old start coming back…not in full force yet..otherwise he would not surrender the 3-1 break in the 5th…but,he’s on the way!And i totally agree with u luckystar..rafa will do better going forward..That’s we can count on him!Just hope the injuries will leave him alone for at least 5,6 months..that’s all i’m ask..
I mean to fend off fight backs.
Mira Andi,
Oh! I meant to say that your good thoughts are rubbing off on me! LOL!
Oh btw Nny…what’s the meaning of “your good thoughts are rubbing off on me”?Can u explain further?Sorry,English is just my 2nd language!he he..
Mira Andi,
Sorry, it’s an expression in English. It means that your good thoughts are influencing me and helping me to think good thoughts, too!
?
Nny!…Oh!that’s the meaning?Oh,okay!He he..Good to know i’m good for yer!!…Btw..Nny…check this out…
http://namewishes.com/images/done/nny_5619.png
He he he….
Mira Andi,
If you are asking me if I think it would have helped Rafa in 2015 if he had brought Moya on back then. However, for a while Moya was coaching Raonic. I don’t remember exactly when he started working with Raonic. But I do wish that Rafa and his team had done this sooner. Rafa was not injured in 2015. But he was clearly struggling in his matches. He didn’t seem to be mentally present, unable to change tactics and the will to win was not there.
The real Rafa would never have lost to Fognini in the USO after being up two sets. Rafa had never lost a slam match after being up two sets. He was lost out there. It was hard to see him like that.
Now I hope that Rafa can make up for lost time.
Nny…That’s what i meant!…I remember,i’m p@#$%d like crazy at that time because clearly rafa was struggling…and they did nothing about it.. the longer they postpone to get the new insight,the harder things/situations will get..and rafa got beaten over and over even by a lesser players..and IMO,in a way it effect rafa till this day…rafa was so fragile in every department at that time and got beaten so constantly ,not to mention humiliation sure didn’t help his confidence whatsoever…i think,this is a small part why he surrendered a lead in 5th sets to Roger the other day…Rafa of old won’t surrendered a lead like that Nny..he will finish it in an instant…sure Roger played like a demon but our Rafa is not rafa before he’s injured his back in 2014 either!
Nny…This too..http://namewishes.com/images/done/nny_6376.png
Mira Andi,
The links you posted are coming up – page not found. So I can’t see either of them.
Oh!really Nny?Strange,why i can see them?let’s try again okay?
http://namewishes.com/images/done/nny_a423.png
http://namewishes.com/images/done/nny_0f25.png
Mira Andi,
Okay, I can see them now!
Beautiful! I love it! ❤️
Can u see it now Nny?Otherwise i just have to give u this…But those a little bit special because i can include your special name as well…
http://www.txts.ms/img/good-night-images/good-night-quote-with-yellow-daisy-flower.jpg
Oh thank God!!!..I’ve just spent MILLIONS of dollars just to made them especially for u Nny!!It’s sooooo heartbroken if u can’t see them!!!Oho oho ho ho ho…
Mira Andi,
Thank you! Another wonderful message before I go to sleep!
Now I will get the best night’s sleep!
You are too good to be true!
♥️?
Nny,natashao,luckystar and my dear rafa fans..this is another one
http://www.tennisworldusa.org/news/news/Tennis_Stories/40294/carlos-moya-s-added-guidance-and-rafa-s-mental-toughness-sealed-his-aussie-finalist-title/
Rafa has exceeded all my expectations, I thought that if he were to come back he would do it at RG but to reach the final in AO, as painful as it was to lose it, it’s a great feat.
I think if Rafa has a chance of winning another slam it will be in Paris.
His only chance of winning USO is to be very aggressive but it ain’t gonna happen (not to mention Wimby), I know he’s won it before but nowadays I just don’t see it happening.
I don’t know what his plans are but I doubt very much, with his style of game, that he’ll be playing for as long as RF.
I think that Rafa and his team have set their sights on RG. This result at the AO will give Rafa real confidence and belief. He showed grit, fighting spirit and passion. He is once again thinking and changing tactics on the court. The war he handled the challenge of playing Zverev was brilliant. That was a match that he would not have won in the recent past. He showed that fierce will to win that has made him such a formidable foe. He had wins against tough quality opponents and this will stand him in good stead as he moves forward.
I am really encouraged with Moya joining the team. I think we are already seeing the results of his input. It can only get better. Rafa may not have been ready to cross the finish live in the AO final, but I think he can be ready at RG.
Vamos Rafa!
Shireling hes playing now, and thats all that im concerned about, please let him do that without without all the Roger Federer comparisons, it gets rather irritating to hear that cliche ad nauseum, let the players themselves decide when they wish to retire please ….
Alison Hodge (AT 11:06 AM),
?
Its early in the season to draw any conclusions about players doing this or that, let them play, and we will see what unfolds, who knows what influence Moya will have on Rafas game going forwards ? ….
I don’t see anything wrong with speculating about what may lie ahead for Rafa. I think it’s natural. I am not going to compare Rafa with Fed. I just hope he stays healthy. That is the most important thing.
I absolutely believe that Moya has had an influence on Rafa and his game. The espn commies were talking about he shortened Rafa’s practices. He had him doing drills with his forehand. He also studied tapes of Rafa’s opponents and then they discuss it. He is doing some things differently and I think it can only help Rafa.
Rafa’s serve has improved greatly. He posted some of his best stats in a long time. I just believe that it has to help Rafa to have the benefit of Moya’s experience and knowledge. Anything that helps Rafa is fine with me!
Love AMs monikor picture of Rafa, looks like a young looking Johnny Depp on that one, dont know what others think ? ….
As much as I chat with AM, I actually never noticed her avatar picture! I don’t know how I could have missed it! That is a beautiful picture of Rafa!
Well done!
Nny mi lady!that’s because i just put it there while you’re asleep last nite!…How’s your heart rate so far Nny??he he he…Oh!as usual Mi lady…
a warm HELLO from Malaysia!!!!….
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/57/6b/0e/576b0eea33b3fbedf1f24621a542c64a.jpg
Mira Andi,
Oh! I thought that I must be blind or something when Alison pointed it out!
So you just put it up overnight! That is one great picture of Rafa! Gorgeous!
Makes my heart beat faster! ❤️
Mira Andi,
You are all the way in Malaysia! All the way on the other side of the world!
We are very far apart! But good feelings can make it seem closer!
Yay!!Nny!!…U got it right!!…Yep!Malaysia is soooo far away Nny…i thought i can catch a glimpse of Marikh from my roof!he he he…But hey u right!Right now,when i speak to u,i can see that you’re smiling at me…u can see my toothless mouth too?he he…
Nny!!no no no..you’re not blind yet…but i want to see you guys blind in a day or two when i put a rafa pic with his tiny underwear!Beware Nny,Alison,amy and natashao!….Aaaaoooo!!!
Alison!!peace with u sis!…I thought i’m the only one who think rafa is a twin with johnny!…At first i want to put rafa Armani’s pic as my profile but i’m afraid u guys will ogle him instead of commenting his tennis..not to mention our heart rates sky rocketed with no reason at all!!…Aaaaooooo!!!!
Oopps!This is for u too Alison!….
http://www.latestseotutorial.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Happy-Thursday-Good-Morning.jpg
Nny and my dear rafa fans,this is a couple of links regarding rafa…
http://www.tennisworldusa.org/news/news/Roger_Federer/40336/mats-wilander-federer-never-hit-backhand-so-well-against-nadal-/
http://www.tennisworldusa.org/news/news/Rafael_Nadal/40329/toni-nadal-if-rafa-could-have-played-in-the-real-madrid-team-he-would-have-done-it-/
Mira Andi,
Thanks again for posting those links. One thing that Uncle Toni said that stood out to me, is that Rafa is more relaxed and happy on the court now. I think that is important. We know that in 2015 Rafa was not relaxed and happy on the court and it showed in his play. He was not very happy out there!
I also think it’s interesting that they put more weight on his racket. I remember the espn commies talking about it during one of his matches. They said that they put more weight on the top part of the racket. Rafa seems to be hitting his forehand much better.
It’s also interesting to read Uncle Toni’s thoughts on the clay season. I know that they must be focusing on that part of the season and especially, RG.
Hey Nny!!…How r u today?Hope it bring u satisfaction and joy so far…Yeah,rafa looks wayyyyy positive than before right?I guess when there is nothing u need to worry about,no injury and other tid bits..then it showed from within…and all rafa’s result in Melbourne helped him a lot..From now on,i think everyone will wait in dread whether they got rafa in their section of draw!And i mean EVERYONE!!he can be a spoiler!….Oh btw Nny..here it is another link..i know,we’ve already read a very similar articles repeatedly for the last week but..it’s very relie to hear another people put their faith in Rafa…I/We needs to hear that assurance over and over and over again…
http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2017/01/rafael-nadal-australian-open-grand-slam-champion-atp-tennis/63865/
I have learned not to cry over split milk. Of course Federer had an unfair advantage with the extra day’s rest and being 5 years older is not an excuse because i’ve never known age to be taken into consideration with regard to rest time in tennis. I am pleased that Rafa, at least, made the final. One thing that crosses my mind over the scheduling is that Rafa’s SF result may have been different had he played Dimi on Thursday, considering how close their match was. So I have no regrets. Federer won the trophy; it was a close match and someone had to lose.
If Rafa defends MC and Rome and he stays injury free, then he should only gain points going forward. Rafa is very patient, he knows things cannot happen overnight and he won’t win everything so I’ll just relax and see what happens.
It’s official. Look for record fast courts in Paris with micro-thin layer of clay and super light balls…(along with suspect draws and scheduling)…
“But at the French Open, if you’re not in the draw you can’t win it. So I hope to be in the draw this year, not like last year.”
http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2017/02/roger-federer-australian-open-wimbledon-french-open-us-open-tennis/63911/
I think roger federer will win another grand slam be4 the end of year.
I hope he wins 20 grand slam’s before he retires.
what do you guys think, can he make it?
No because Trump will have invaded Switzerland by then.
#SayNoToFacism
Nope. He won’t be so ‘lucky’ that both Djoko and Murray were knocked out early. Just imagine he had to face Murray in the QF at AO; he would be dragged into a grinding war, even if he won in the end, he might then lost to Stan in the SF. Even if he beat Stan in five sets, I’ll bet that he would then lost to Rafa in the final. I would say he was lucky that the AO2016 Djoko didn’t turn up to play; imo that Djoko would beat this Fed more or less the same way like in 2016; that Djoko was scarily good!
Look, Fed barely scrapped past Kei, Stan and then Rafa, you think he could do the same everywhere? Also, he was fit and fresh after six months rest, he won’t have that kind of luxury going forward, unless he takes another six months break!
I say he won’t be winning anymore slams; I think Rafa has a better chance. Rafa didn’t have the luxury of a six months break last year to come back physically fit and fresh; he was nursing his wrist; to be able to reach the final ( maybe SF should he have to face Djoko in the SF) and barely lost in the final gives lots of positives and bode well for his 2017.
Rafa just has to remain fit and healthy, and learns how to serve within time limit to avoid TV warnings, that way he my be able to sustain a good level throughout a match and avoids hiccups. Imo, Rafa was hard done by the AO scheduling, if not he would have won. He should have close off the Dimi match sooner to conserve energy.
Nah, Djoko not the same player and Murray was a question mark not used to being the hunted No. 1.
That’s why I picked him.
Lucky that they weren’t in top form but no surprise and given that they went down to Istomin and Micha, Fed would likely have beaten them with relative ease.
Hawkeye, if they could get past their respective draws, they would be playing well. You are assuming they would be playing so poorly vs Fed? And in future?
No, I KNEW Nole hasn’t played very well for months and only his best beats Fed.
I KNEW Murray was an unknown staying at No. 1 with that pressure and I KNEW Fed has owned Murray for a long time.
The FACT that both lost early only enforced what I already KNEW
Future is another matter. Will keep a close eye leading up to future slams.
But mark my words, now that Nole won his Grand Slam, and Fed winning the first slam of the calendar year, you can bet the wheels are already in motion to give Fed every advantage in Paris by the French who are in love with him.
Doesn’t matter, I don’t believe Djoko, Murray, Rafa, and Delpo as a group won’t be able to beat him everywhere or anywhere. We shall see.
Not what I said lol.
But that’s also what you said about Fed in Australia.
He will likely only have to face one of those players you mentioned in any given tournament.
Why only one? It may be two or three, who knows? Why such doom and gloom?
You talked about the AO but at the AO he was still fresh from his 6 months break. He also caught a break when Murray was being knocked out. Imagine he had to play Kei, then Murray, then Stan and finally Rafa or Djoko, I doubt he would win.
Why only one? “Luck” of the draw is why. Doom and gloom? Nah, just observation as a long term tennis fan.
Fed caught a break only because Nole’s game is MIA and Murray feels pressure at No. 1 or (more likely) fast courts don’t suit him which is why effective S&V beat him.
In hindsight, Fed’s win was entirely predictable. I didn’t need hindsight nor did I count on “luck” (a good prediction never should) – there was none.
Fed wasn’t always fresh making SF or better 6 of last 8 slams played SF or better (including last five now).
A peak Djoko stopped him in four of those and he’s not that player at the moment. Fed was injured vs Milos.
Only change in respective players form/health will matter, but as they stand, look out. The draws, scheduling and playing conditions are entirely controllable by the business people in charge.
And what people, in hindsight, are now calling fresh, were using the term rusty and out of shape before the tournament began but I said Fed is renowned for playing himself into form quickly especially when so-called “luck” hands a No. 17 player two easy qualifier/wildcards in succession, a 20 yr old awestruck Rubin, and a fellow 35 yr old Melzer.
Fed was training hard in those five/six months, he’s not competing hard like Djoko and Murray, whom exhausted themselves fighting for YE no.1.
We also saw what a short break could do for Rafa. Rafa had a more serious problem (wrist) than Fed’s, also he didn’t have as long a training session end of last year.
I doubt both Djoko and Murray would continue to play such substandard tennis going forward; Murray is not no.1 for nothing. He’s also the defending champion at Wimbledon, surely he will fight to retain his crown.
PS. I’m interested to see a Fed vs Dimi match at Wimbledon, I hope they meet there.
Nah, he’s supposed to meet Murray in QF and Rafa or Djoko in the final, so it’s two of them; it’s just that one of them didn’t turn up to meet him.
Do note that Fed had a good record at the AO, making eleven consecutive SFs until he was beaten in R3 by Seppi in 2015. Perhaps, he’s fresh physically at start of season so even though he’s past 30 he still was good enough to reach the SFs. So, with longer break, plus all the stars aligned for him to win, he finally won the AO after he won it seven years ago!
He wasn’t always making the SFs at the other slams, esp the FO.
You missed my point. It’s a combination of all of those factors, none of which are luck IMO.
Totally predictable (see my retrospective recently posted on another page).
You missed my point. It’s a combination of all of those factors, none of which are luck IMO as I’ve already explained.
Going around in circles now.
Totally predictable (see my retrospective recently posted on another page).
One more thing, Murray likes quicker conditions. He has won most of his titles on quicker courts – St Petersburg(2), Cincy(2), Shanghai(3), Madrid indoors, Tokyo, Beijing, Queen’s (5), Rotterdam, San Jose (2).
He normally handles the S&V players quite well, to me this Zverev mishap was the exception, not the norm.
I didn’t miss your point. You believe Fed’s draw is ‘controlled’ by the people involved in the business, I don’t. I only feel the outright unfairness in the scheduling of matches, when Fed seems to always fall in the half that plays first. Of course the special treatment too, in the allocation of the courts. Even Djoko and Rafa and the current no.1 Murray have to make way for Fed.
Poor Raonic (who?) as no.3 in the world, wasn’t even given the main court right until the QF when he had to face Rafa.
That’s fine. Difference of opinions is all.
So you believe that Djoko being drawin into Fed’s half in 13 consecutive non-clay slams, a 0.01% chance of random occurrence, was mere happenstance.
I disagree but I understand why most don’t question it.
Trend finally coincidentally ended after 2011 when Djoko started repeatedly beating Fed in slams LOL.
Another mere coincidence.
Stop being childish you are a grown boy, act responsibly.
#MAGA
Creepy Stanley.
Please don’t underestimate R. Federer, I did these Australian open and he proved me wrong. I know he is not in his prime anymore but I think he can still win one more grand slam or two.
I don’t think Rafa nadal can win a grand slam again because many players know how to beat him now, his style is too predictable.
#GoR.federer
Roger Federer doesn’t want fascist fans like Stanley.
Don’t be silly, many players know how to beat Rafa and not Fed?? Fed had been losing to Alex Zverev, Kygrios, Thiem etc and etc. Like I said, Fed needs another six months break before he can play like this AO2017. Mind you, he will not be so fortunate not to meet either Djoko or Murray or both.
You seemed very biased Stanley, seeing things rather one sided. Fed almost lost to a tired Rafa, and you think he can beat the rest to win another slam? Not unless the stars aligned for him again! My take.
Simple Stanley is trying to normalize fascism
He obviously CAN. It’s more of a question of do we think he WILL. Since we’re only 1 month into the season and Federer has only played 1 tournament, I personally think it’s too soon to say whether or not he will win another one this year. There’s too much time for Novak and/or Andy to start kicking ass again. There’s too much time for Rafa to continue his progression. We also have no idea if these guys will stay not-injured, particularly Fed and Rafa. All four of the the big 4 guys are clearly capable of winning slams this year. Let’s see if they will!
I’m actually very psyched to see what happens in the clay season… If Djokovic and Murray get back to close to top form, we could have a VERY interesting clay season, especially Roland Garros, where we will have a defending champion-Djokovic for the first time. It’s “mouth watering” as they say! 🙂
Kevin who is your favorite tennis player?
Stanley’s is Gottfried von Cramm.
Stanley- My favorite player is Andre Agassi, even though he hasn’t played for over a decade. 🙂
If Roger federer had met Novak djokovic or Andy murray he would have defeated them.
To suggest that Rafael nadal was exhausted and R. Federer wasn’t is what’s silly, R. Federer won fair and square don’t undermine his victory.
I agree with you that he needs a little break not 6 months but between 4-6 weeks.
You’re his physio? How do you know he needs only 4-6 weeks and not six months? As it is, he needed six months to play this well, sans Djoko and Murray in his way. To say that IF he met Djoko or Murray he would beat them is something unproven. If they’re good enough to meet him, who can say for sure he would beat them?
Of course Rafa was tired, after 5 hours SF and one less day of rest. Even so, he still made it to five sets, had a lead before Fed narrowly beat him. Nobody said Fed didn’t win fair and square, I didn’t say he cheated; it’s the scheduling that’s not fair. I am sure that had Rafa had the same days of rest as Fed, he would win in the end. At least without a sore shoulder he could serve better, hit with more depth etc.
You may not be convinced, sure, but we’ll see when they next meet and in fairer conditions for both.
Lucky,
Stanley likes to provoke people. It’s what he does! I think you have made some reasonable arguments on your behalf. I am inclined to see things in much the same
way.
Novak and Murray aren’t going anywhere. It would be foolish to write either of them off. I don’t see them both getting knocked out of tournaments again. They are not the top two players for nothing.
Simple Stanley is trying to normalize fascism.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0arbB0E1NX4
The only time I have heard sombody saying about flashes of trophy or winning is Arnold Schwarzenegger.
But I have not heard about flashes of loosing or acceptance speech. Would be very interesting to know those cases.
Federer won a GS at the age of 35, so i dont its unreasonable to think that Rafa could also win another at the age of 30, anybody can beat anybody, and anybody can lose to anybody, tennis is more of a what have you done for me lately kind of sport, nobody thought Novak and Andy losing so early in a GS was going to happen but it did, think that was very rare, and i doubt going forward, it will happen again, one maybe but not both, which was a fluke, IMO Federers win at the AO was fantastic, but i think it will turn out to be the exception now, rather than the norm ….
I essentially am in agreement with Alison and think she said it quite well. There is really nothing I can add.
Hawkeye’s Genius 2017 AO Prediction – A Retrospective By Fan Postings on TG
Many had scoffed…
(written by: Hawkeye aka Hawkstradamus)
hawkeye63 DECEMBER 22, 2016 AT 5:27 PM
Looking forward to the AO GrandStand pool.
My next win will be historic.
#Hawkstradamus2017
hawkeye63 DECEMBER 22, 2016 AT 4:34 PM
nah, wait until you see Fed’s draw for AO.
He’ll play himself into shape.
ratcliff10 DECEMBER 22, 2016 AT 1:24 PM
LOL…Paunchy Fed trying to talk so much — huffing, puffing, growling…other animal sound effects. He needs more cardio…and oxygen. Gilles Simon, Kei Nishikori and David Goffin will run circles around him.
ratcliff10 DECEMBER 22, 2016 AT 4:21 PM
He’s so fat…I’ve never seen Rafa that paunchy.
He’s got two weeks to transform himself. I wouldn’t pick him deep at Hopman Cup, let alone AO hahahahaha
ratcliff10 DECEMBER 22, 2016 AT 5:36 PM
I’m gonna laugh at you if you pick Federer
Can’t wait.
#rastadamus
luckystar JANUARY 17, 2017 AT 2:28 PM
I’m with you about Fed. Fed is not half a step slow but a full step slow! If it’s Klizan that Fed was playing, Fed would have lost. I’ll be surprised if he picks up his form soon. I have him losing to Berdych in R3.
Mary JANUARY 15, 2017 AT 3:52 PM
Fed fans really think Fed can win this tournament? Like Ricky sometimes does, I would like to make a one word response:
No
on Nativenewyorker JANUARY 15, 2017 AT 4:34 PM
I must confess to being surprised at this idea that Fed can make a serious run here.
ratcliff JANUARY 15, 2017 AT 7:09 PM
I’ll have to see it to believe it about Fed, Hawk. Can’t see him making past Berdych in a Bo5.
Laura JANUARY 15, 2017 AT 11:34 AM
Nishikori won’t give Fed that much trouble as he’s not in form right now but Murray IS and will probably take Fed down in the quarters. I don’t think that Fed has the conditioning quite yet and has more chance at Wimbledon this year….
Ricky JANUARY 15, 2017 AT 2:00 PM
agreed
Alison Hodge JANUARY 15, 2017 AT 2:20 PM
I Picked Berdych to knock Federer out, hes done it twice at GS, both W and USO, TB seems to relish playing Federer and is not intimidated by him
hawkeye63 JANUARY 15, 2017 AT 6:58 PM
I think it’s more wide open than it’s been since The Big Four began. Murray has never won it so he’s not a given. Nole’s been in space for the last seven months. Rafa’s Rafa. CB is CB. Raonic has a chance. And Fed is in the running because of that, his confidence, draw and preferred scheduling. Plus the courts are playing faster.
hawkeye63 JANUARY 14, 2017 AT 5:48 PM
Preferred scheduling for Fed with mostly night matches and two days off before the final as predicted should catapult him to his first slam win in five years.
hawkeye63 JANUARY 13, 2017 AT 3:15 AM
Guaranteed qualifiers in first two rounds followed by Berdych and an injured nishi.
He owns Murray who he could meet in quarters assuming murray makes it.
Seems AO wants to see ol Roger go deep as predicted.
Hawkstradamus is hereby giving Roger the nod to find a way to win his 18th.
#Humb1e
Really?
Admittedly, it’s not easy but I try. 🙂
I guess the point I want to make is that you have been wrong in the past when it came to predicting Fed beating Novak in the 2015 Wimbledon and USO finals. I remember because I predicted that Novak would beat Fed both times. You didn’t spare my feelings as you ridiculed my prediction in both instances. It got to the point where we had it out. Then you apologized. However, I did not take that opportunity to post a self-indulgent comment pointing out how I was right, while reposting all of the mocking and mean-spirited comments you made making fun of me. I don’t need that kind of ego gratification. at the expense of someone else. If my ego and self-worth depended on being right about a tennis match, then I would consider myself in big trouble.
I was also wrong about my prediction for huwfar Rafa would go at the AO. Not knowing where Rafa was at Ruth his form after taking some time off and with not much match play, I thought Rafa getting to the quarterfinals would be a good result. I was happy that he proved me wrong.
Regarding Fed, I thought coming back after six months off and not knowing what kind of form he would be in, that gettIng to the quarterfinals and losing to Murray was a reasonable prediction. The fact that both Novak and Murray lost early could not have been foreseen. There is no way that Fed would have beaten Murray, Stan and Novak to win the title.
I certainly would not have posted anything bringing up your predictions had it played out that way with Fed looking before the final.
This should be all in good fun. Considering what is going on right now in my country, there are more important issues at stake. Being right about stopping Trump is of far greater importance than being right about who won the AO final.
I meant to say with Fed losing before the final! Autocorrect strikes again.
About Fed having to beat Murray, Stan and then Djoko, I certainly think that he would lose to one of them along the way too! Add in Kei in R4 to stretch him to five sets before facing Murray next, I’m not sure Fed still could win it all in the end! He probably would lose to Stan if not to Murray. My take.
All stars and signs aligned for Fed to win at the AO, it may not happen again. Even if Djoko is in a slump, Delpo will be back. On grass, Cilic, Raonic, Alex Zverev, Dimi and Murray, even Delpo, all could pose serious problems for Fed.
Unless Fed chooses to conserve energy by skipping some clay tournaments, he may not be physically fresh to go the distance when he needs to on grass.
You had him losing to Berdych.
Now you are saying he was well rested. Then why would you having him lose to a fading Berdych?
20/20 hindsight.
Wow.
No, not about prediction or hindsight. It’s not about who gets the prediction right or wrong, Im not too interested in those, if not I would have joined in the predictions and picks all the time!
I’m just speaking from a logical point of view if seeded players all played to their seedings. I would especially expect the no.1 seed to make it to the later rounds, when he faced a low ranked opponent. Berdych as no.10 didn’t live up to expectations but Kei did make a match of it but the choking in set one while serving for it twice had cost him precious energy, as a result he ran out of steam in the fifth set.
Murray not making the QF had certainly made it easy for Fed and imo that’s critical for Fed’s success at the AO. Murray might not beat Fed but would get Fed into another five set tussle imo and cost him plenty of energy.
That’s why I thought Murray wasn’t a given over Fed given his poor recent h2h and I know it is not uncommon for new number 1’s to feel pressure at No. 1.
That was my point that I didn’t see him having to face his projected draw. That was just my take.
Yes stars aligned kind of like I thought they would.
Future is future but as of now the stars are still aligned until something changes.
Peace Lucky.
He was well rested, but he was rusty the first two rounds, I guess there’s no contradiction there. It’s just like when Rafa first got back in 2013 and played at Chile. Wasn’t he well rested then? Of course he was! Was he rusty in his first few matches? Certainly!
Lucky,
Suffice to say that I see things pretty much the way you do regarding how it all played out for Fed at the AO.
In my previous comment, I indicated that it is not about who is right or wrong. It was a tennis match. I do agree that the stars did align for Fed at the AO. I also agree that st the least, Fed playing Murray in the quarterfinals would have been a tough battle.
Fed was feeling it despite not having to play either Novak or Murray. He was dealing with a groin injury and had to take a MTO in his match with Stan and a few in his match with Rafa.
I don’t know what lies ahead for Fed this year. But I do know that Novak and Murray are not going anywhere. It is true that Novak has been struggling with his mental strength and will to win. That loss to Istomin at the AO, of all places, has to be emotionally tough for him. He will have to sort out his issues. But I don’t know that anyone can write him off.
Novak and Murray are the top two players. They are not going to make a habit of getting knocked out early in tournaments. I don’t know that we will anything like this happening again.
Fed will need to pace himself and conserve energy going forward.
I am okay with my predictions at the beginning of the AO. If I am wrong, then so be it. The only way to never be wrong is to not make any predictions. I just try to put it all in perspective.
I had him losing to Berdych because of his rustiness when in R1 and R2, not because he’s well rested or not. I don’t think that’s so difficult to understand.
Yeah, really?
Nativenewyorker,
Why would you say i like to provoke people, just b/c i think R. Federer has a better chance to increase his grand slam’s than R. Nadal doesn’t mean i like 2 provoke people, that’s my opinion.
We are friend’s right? Pls don’t act like hawkeye, he is so immature & childish. He thinks like a baby, i apologize that’s an insult to babies.
The guy is nuts am not even sure he is guy or a gal, he could be a virus, ricky needs to upgrade his system ASAP.
Simple Stanley doesn’t even know the definition of “baby” or “friends”.
As for “friends”, this is what Simple Stanley said about nny just a few days ago:
“you are worse than Hitler and that includes you NATIVENEWYORKER your father would be proud.”
https://tenngrand.com/2017/01/09/kyrgios-wears-f-donald-trump-shirt-following-win-nadal/comment-page-8/#comment-249504
#DontNormalizeFascists
Don’t quote me out of context, there is a reason why i said that. Friends are honest with each other no matter what, especially when they support something that’s wrong.
#Stopbeingdishonest
#Youhavebeenwarned
Check…
Stanley FEBRUARY 3, 2017 AT 5:16 AM
I have been patient with you for a while now, the next time you this again I would stop answering your questions and live you to your stupor.
YOU HAVE BEEN PUT ON NOTICE!
No, I tell you when to stop.
…and mate.
#LikeShootingFascistFishInABarrel
Wasn’t aware that “friends” called each other “worse than Hitler.”
Fascists more like it.
Check…
Stanley doesn’t know crap about my father! If he did then he would know that my father was incredibly proud of his daughter. He only told me about the horrors he witnessed liberating the concentration camps so that I would make sure that people would never forget.
He would recognize Trump and his cronies for exactly who they are – neo Fascists! Be it foreign or home grown, my father would see Trump and Bannon for the evil monsters that they truly are. Bannon is a pure anti-Semite right out of the Nazi school, complete with attacks on the media to intimidate them. That is the first step in controlling the news and creating propaganda for the masses.
My father despised fascism, anti-semitism and bigotry in all its forms.
My father helped run a prison for captured Nazis. They were arrogant and would not come out of their tents for role call. So my father got one of his men to get high powered hoses and he turned them on the tents and knocked them down. Then he gave me this intense look and said – then they got out! My father didn’t make it easy on them!
He would not think twice about taking on Trump!
http://www.si.com/tennis/2017/02/03/roger-federer-interview-nadal-australian-open-partying
In your matches against Nadal, the narrative has always been that he has the superior mental toughness. Do you think your mental game is under-appreciated?
Federer: I know the way I play is more visible than my mental toughness. I really had to work a lot on my mental toughness. Early on in my career, I was quite unstable. If people were going into a match with me, they knew if you could hang with me for two hours, after two hours, you’d probably be the favorite. Because I would run out of gas, or start checking out. It didn’t come naturally for me, the whole mental toughness.
I wanted to create a kind of aura that if people played against me, I was not going anywhere mentally and physically. That took me years to build up. Only when I started to win consecutive Grand Slams, and I was able to show that tenacity week in and week out, that’s when I felt like the locker room was actually starting to respect me. Before that, maybe I had that image [of mental inferiority] sometimes. In the years since, I don’t really think I’ve had this.
My mental toughness has always been overshadowed by my virtuosity, my shot-making, my technique, my grace. That’s why when I lose, it seems like, “Oh, he didn’t play so well.” And when I win, it looks so easy. I had that already when I was a little boy. You know, “Why don’t you try harder?” I mean, honestly I tried everything that I possibly could. Just because I don’t sweat like crazy and I don’t grunt, I don’t have this face on when I hit the shot like I’m in pain, doesn’t mean I’m not trying hard. It’s just how I play. Sorry.
AT 2:24 PM,
Speaking of craziness, Fed shouts at the crowd like crazy when they are cheering for his opponent.
http://www.rogerfedererfans.com/forum/uploads/monthly_06_2012/post-37-0-77967000-1338927189.gif
The last paragraph made me laugh. He was obviously referring to Rafa. Also, talking about himself, saying ‘my grace’ sounded so funny.
Rafa has always been that expressive, all along. It’s his joy and passion, expressed in his leaps into the air, legs kicking and fist pumping, and his vamoses and multiple fist pumps that caught my attention and enthusiasm, in him. He was always so energetic and so joyful out there. It’s hard not to like a person who puts in 100% efforts into whatever he does!
Anyway, Fed had trained himself to look almost emotionless out there for most part of his career and it was lately (influenced by Rafa?) that he shown more emotions out there. The real ice cool man was Borg I heard.
Lucky,
Yes, Borg was known as “ice Borg” on the court. He trained himself to withhold his emotions when he was young because he used to have a bad temper and it got him suspended from the Swedish tennis academy. Borg revealed that in the documentary “Fire and Ice – McEnroe/Borg”. That is why he didn’t show emotion on the court. But his tennis spoke for him. Also, I remember when he had to battle five sets in that memorable Wimbledon final in 1980 to beat McEnroe. Borg collapsed on the grass and was overcome with emotion. So there were times when the emotion came out.
Rafa plays with passion but he also keeps his emotions under control in a match. He would never do what Murray has done in cursing and screaming and showing negative energy on the court.
I love Rafa’s intensity and fierce commitment. I am not surprised that Fed would say what he did. But I did not like Fed playing like a robot.
Nny…I agree with all u said…but i guess everybody has their own way how to handle the intense emotions on court…everybodys are unique…Roger with his calm and ‘macho and gentleman way'[he he sorry Nny,i like his persona on court except when he showed how arrogant he is by throwing an empty water bottle when he finished drink it or make a mess with garbage paper[he could ask the ball boy to get rid of it nicely,they would do it immediately for him]…And novak with his screaming on top of his lung when he won an amazing point and sometimes goads spectators to celebrate it even more and Andy with his constant whining and complain..and many others with their own way…all of it just because they want to get in the groove..it’s not easy to control their emotion…u distracted a little bit and you make a double fault when u served…u nervous and your shot will sprayed all over the court..u have doubts then u will make an uncharacteristics UE’s all over the place…so,i guess they’re all human beings and have a certain way how to deal with it..including Naughty Nick who clearly make on top of my list by how bizarre he’s handle the pressure and his emotions on court!LOL!
Mira Andi,
So nice to see you here! I think you make some really good points! I guess that I just didn’t care too much for Fed’s comments that seemed to be about Rafa that were not very complimentary.
They are all unique in their own way. I am sure that it’s hard to deal with the pressure in matches.
Nik is on my bad list for some of his bad behavior on court!
I am glad that you are here because you remind me of how kind and generous someone can be on a forum. You do renew my faith in people!
?
Hey Nny!!U don’t know how much i missed u these last couple of days!U know,you’re my main attraction when i came here along with rafa and amy that is..hey,before i’m rambling further,how r u Nny?it’s all great in your life?If so..GOOD!I don’t wish anything else for u Nny!…Argh!talking about Nick!!It’s very interesting to see when or how he wants to take his career seriously…and here we’re suffering over rafa and his non stop injuries and 1001 problems,and still wants to achieve so much more and there on the other side lies someone who’s got so much talent in him..and yet still didn’t realize how amazing he is!he didn’t have to practice much,didn’t have to dedicate himself 24/7 to his tennis and don’t have a care in the world where or how his tennis will end!…Incredible and bizarre!
About Rog…hey,i like your comments Nny..in fact,i treasured every comments that u made here and others as well…i’m really really glad i came here and found u and other rafa fans Nny..U guys are my new obssession nowadays!ha ha ha…Thank God u guys not a drug!Oh,btw Nny…this is for u…http://www.imghans.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Good-Night-My-Sweet-Friend-IMGHANS049.jpg
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/2e/7f/23/2e7f23dac1acaa9cb93b99df2bc6ec96.jpg
Mira Andi,
You said it so well about Nik! He had so much talent and yet he is wasting it! I don’t get it! He also never seems to enjoy himself on the court. Like he doesn’t want to be there. It’s such a shame. I don’t think he will realize his potential in this sport. I don’t see the passion with him.
We do worry so much about Rafa! I feeling good today, though. I love those messages you post for me before I go to bed at night. Then I can have sweet dreams!
♥️
Yay!glad u liked my daily messages Nny…I’m so happy if i knew you’re going to bed without the sadness or unhappy thoughts…About Rafa,yeah Nny…we love him so much and we suffered along with him…yesterday,someone belittled him on TX and i suspect it’s from fedfan..and i’m so pi@#^d because he don’t have to do that…sure Rog writes his name on history books now but there is no need whatsoever to belittling rafa for what rafa has already achieved…he’s achieved so much already..gave so much to us his fans that we couldn’t ask for more…anything that come after this is just a bonus to us…seeing him play is a bonus…Btw…sorry for my rambling Nny..he he..wanna go to sleep already?
Rafa is a model of good behavior and good citizenship on and off the court. His discipline is absolutely amazing, not to mention his compassion, empathy and tact, qualities I have not often seen in people with fierce competitive drives. Actually I think Fed has handled The Rivalry pretty well. He’s supposed to be the GOAT but Rafa is the one guy he hadn’t been able to beat in a Big One since Rafa turned 22. It’s got to have been galling over the years.
It seems that Fed’s fans, many of them, couldn’t handle it gracefully, and have to resort to belittling Rafa. Little do they know that belittling Rafa is also belittling Fed!
What I hate most is the accusation of Rafa cheating – MTOs, having to dope to get to where he is now. It’s kind of pay back time, that Fed also took MTOs, not once but twice during this AO. Rafa had not been taking MTO(s) since AO2014 when he injured his back and yet people still brought up Rafa’s dated MTOs!
Rafa was accused of doping during his six to seven months injury break, when he came back all guns blazing, firing to regain the no.1 ranking and won two slams along the way. Now, Fed came back from six months break and beat four top ten players (including Rafa in the final) to win the AO, I mean how do these same people who accused Rafa of doping, explain away his success?
Whatever these people dished out, they would have them back in return!
One more thing, when Rafa won AO2009 beating Fed in the final in four plus hours, after his grueling five plus hours match vs Verdasco, many couldn’t believe the feat and suspected or even accused Rafa of doping.
When Djoko did the same thing at AO2012, of beating Murray in five grueling sets in the SF, before beating Rafa in the longest final ever at the AO in almost six hours, did these same people question Djoko’s fitness and stamina the way they questioned Rafa’s? I mean Rafa was 22 at AO2009, Djoko was 24, both were at their prime, did people still think that Rafa needed to dope when Djoko need not?
They even had forgotten, that the beloved Fed had done the same feat, on clay, back in 2006 at Rome. Fed had a two and a half hours QF with Almagro, followed by a two and a half hours SF vs Nalby the following day, before playing a grueling five over hours final (BO5) vs Rafa the next day, and narrowly lost after having a MP against Rafa. Fed was 24 back then.
These top guys, they are super fit, to accuse one but not the others simply makes no sense. I mean when one has to dope, then why the others need not and yet they could keep up with him?
Mira Andi,
I should tell you that I used to post on tennis-x some years ago. I mainly posted on a site called Tennis Talk, but I did also post on tennis-x. At that time it was a much different site with no moderation. Things got pretty ugly between the Fed fans and Rafa fans. I finally got fed up with it and stopped posting there. I made a lot of enemies. I do read the site sometimes.
I can believe that someone insulted Rafa. It’s what they do. Do you know Margot? She used to post on Tennis Talk, too. Then she came over to this site after TT shut down. But she left and prefers tennis-x. She is one of my favorite people!
I will most likely go to sleep pretty soon.
Nny…i think you’re already in zzzzzzzland now..that’s alright,u can read my message when u wake up okay?..Nny,yeah TX IMO a little bit vicious and brutal especially if it’s involved novak fans more so after novak winning so much for the past 5 years..some of them were very vicious but there’s also a very nice,kind and down to earth attitude Novak fans which i adored and respect so much..i don’t know much about the brutality between rafa fans,novak’s or roger’s in the past on TX,but i don’t think it changed much nowadays..we have to guarded our words very carefully,if not u will get eaten alive in sec!I myself got a fair share of it even though my post was very innocent and harmless…And speaking of TX..Nny!of coz i know Margot!She’s one of my favourite poster’s there!she’s so nice,kind,funny and sporting..i can jokes with her all day and will not get bored!I stumbled multiple times your name been mentioned on TX and from that i knew that you’re also one of her favourite people in virtual world Nny..I knew your existance before i came here Nny!he he…And thank u so much for willing to be my friend here Nny..it means a lot to me..
Nny…A tonic for u to start your day…
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/35/94/34/359434a7f0b78ac0eba1225bc7567cce.jpg
“My mental toughness has always been overshadowed by my virtuosity, my shot-making, my technique, my grace.”
He forgot to mention his humbleness.
There’s no way he actually said that, is there?
That’s a bit OTT even for him. He’s full of himself sure but he’s usually a bit more subtle about it.
Mira Andi,
Thank you for the morning message! A great way to start the day!
??♥️?
yay!!..my favourite person just woke up!…Oh!wait,wait Nny!…
http://quotesideas.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/good-morning-quotes-wallpapers-with-coffee.jpg
Mira Andi,
Thanks for the coffee!
If you have a chance, give a shout out to Margot! I miss her and wish she would post here again. I remember live blogging with her when Murray won his first slam. She was so nervous because is waiting for so long and all the disappointments. She must be really happy that he is #1!
I saw in the Rafa fan forum that he is practicing again! So he must be feeling good!
Hey Nny!…How r u this evening?Hope your sunday has been fabulous so far…As for me,it’s already 7:45am monday morning and i’ve just settled my younger daughter to school..and now i can exchange a few words with u Nny..
I will tell Margot that u miss her Nny…Actually,we’re became close because of Andy coz Andy is my 2nd fav..and when Andy made his incredible run last year,i’m with Margot all the way supporting Andy and yeah Nny..she’s ECSTATIC that Andy now is no 1 but still cautious all about it especially after Andy was crashed early at AO…And the mean posters on TX don’t wait for long to slammed Andy for this…But i guess,we can’t escape from mean people..God knows,they’re everywhere!Right Nny?
Mira Andi,
I am watching the Super Bowl now. That’s our big sports event in the states. Football! I don’t have a favorite team playing this year, but I don’t like the New England Patriots, so I am cheering for the Atlanta Falcons.
We are in the final fourth quarter and Atlanta is ahead 28-9!
I know that Margot is very superstitious when it comes to Murray. I am sure that she wasn’t happy to see him lose so early. But I think he will be okay. He’s been playing so well and he had to wait a long time for what he’s won in this sport.
I will never forget when Murray was playing in that USO final against Novak, trying to win his first slam. He already had that tough loss to Fed at Wimbledon.
When it went to a fifth set, Margot couldn’t take it and she had to get off the forum. I stayed on there live blogging and when Murray won, I kept calling out to her to come back! We did get to celebrate the next day when she came back. I was really happy for her and all the Murray fans. I said if it couldn’t be Rafa there playing, then let it be Murray! I like him and will cheer for him if Rafa isn’t playing. I just don’t like it when he gets cranky and starts cursing on the court. I notice that he doesn’t do it as much with Lendl.
I know that there are some people on tx who can be mean. Some of them are still there on the site. So I stay here where it’s safer!
I know Nny…there’s not many rafa fans there anymore..just a few..and i’m still there because Margot is still there..I like interacting with her but i’m not posting as often anymore..oh!hope your Falcon win Nny!
Hey back Nny….U watched super bowl?That is one sport that i never have an opportunity to watch…basketball got a lot of coverage in my country but American Football..no!
Nny…i want u to look at how they ridicule rafa everytime they get..and it’s happened continuosly…
http://www.tennis-x.com/xblog/2016-08-30/24038.php#comments
Mira Andi,
Well now the Patriots are staging a comeback. It’s 28-20 with less than 2 minutes to go. Can the Falcons hang on for the win?
Now you know why I don’t like tx! I don’t even read the site very often.
Lucky, you never watched Borg???
No, missed the chances. I watched some old matches highlights. I read and learned about Borg and his peers but didn’t watch them played. I only started watching live telecast tennis matches during Becker’s and Stefi Graff’s time in the 1980s but not watching many; busy working and making a living in those times.
My parents introduced me to tennis in the late 70s.
Earliest match I can recall seeing live was Borg McEnroe Wimbledon 1980 I think? The one with the long TB.
I was hooked.
Watching the D.C. between Spain and Croatia now. The Spanish team really can’t do without Rafa!
On a quick HC, the Spanish team seems handicapped, they’re playing more a clay court game on the HCs. The Croats are so aggressive, big serve plus some S&V and moving to the net so often, fully capitalizing on the low bouncing quick court, very impressive. They’re only the B team!
More like the F team with their top four players missing: Cilic, Coric, Karlovic or Dodig.
No F team. I bet they’re playing better than Coric or Dodig. Coric more a clay court style player; Dodig not as aggressive, even though he plays the S&V game, he’s not as powerful.
This B team, they’re aggressive, serve so well and hit so hard; they move well too, better than Karlovic though not serving as well.
I was taking your advice and going according to ranking. My mistake.
Well, in DC, there’s nothing to do with rankings; playing for one’s country, you know?
Of course! I wasn’t thinking.
Deepest apologies.
Ivo doesn’t have to move especially on a fast indoor court.
This is at least a D team. Yet they are balling. Skugor and Mektic are money!! Let’s go Croatia!! Pull the upset off!! Also Pospisil looks like the Vasek of old as he hasn’t dropped a set in singles during this tie. Beat Edmund in straights now up two sets to love on Evans. I don’t really like Evans that much. He kinda seems like a tool to be honest.
The tennis channel is showing DC. Croatia/Spain on now. I don’t know if this is live or a replay. Their coverage of lesser tournaments is somewhat spotty.
It looks like they will be showing DC all day. Later on it’s going to be USA/Swiss.
They just switched to Canada/GB. Pospisil and Edmunds. They seem to be jumping around to cover other D.C. matches playing at the same time.
Benny, Pospisil lives for DC.
He was in tears after his win over Edmunds on Friday.
Benny G (AT 6:44 PM),
My condolences to you for Spain’s victory!
Haha it’s ok I just wanted Croatia because to see an upset like that with those unknown guys winning at home would’ve been great.
Congrats to Spain for winning this tie. It’s really a tough one! The Croatians, I hope they do well not only in DCs, but individually too. They are so good even when they are ranked so low in the rankings.
Vamos ?? !
And as a reward Spain gets to play Serbia at home in the quarterfinals.
I mean the quarterfinals will be in Serbia.
The QFs will be played from April 7 to 9. I hope, Conchita won’t ask Rafa to play. 🙂
Congratulations to Spain!
I do hope that Rafa is not asked to play in the quarterfinals in April.
Commiserations to Benny for Croatia’s loss. A very dedicated true blue tennis fan!
?
Thanks NNY? And congrats to Spain as well. I may have been rooting for Croatia but gotta admire the tenacity of the Spaniards to get through.
You KNOW Rafa will volunteer if he isn’t injured. I’d be happy if he just played doubles with Marc. It’s the only way Spain can win DC doubles, it seems.
Pospisil is ? in Davis Cup.
Going to a 5th rubber.
A young Shapovolov a decided underdog against a more experienced Edmunds but he has the home crowd.
Will be just his second BO5 career match. First was on Friday. He won Wimby junior title.
Go ??
Come on Canada!!
Shapovolov is just 17. Took a match off Kyrgios this year when Nick was not up to the challenge he wasn’t expecting and zoned out like he tends to do.
Oh man that was just awful. Wow. Feel so horrible for the youngster. ?
Don’t even know what to say.
Denis Shapovalov disqualified for HITTING umpire in face:
https://youtu.be/N_Cvfx9Jl0E
Yeah it’s terrible
Oh my God! That is really shocking to see!
Unbelievable!
Feel bad for Shapovalov.im sure he already felt he was letting his country down and to go out like that must make it much worse.
Shouldn’t have smacked the ball but tough luck. Hope the umpire is ok.
Yeah they maybe should’ve put Polansky. The solid veteran probably would’ve handled the occasion a lot better.
Yeah but I doubt he would have won.
Yeah true
Nny…A usual morning wishes to u..
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSxFRgIyYOpGEidZl9OrCOoxj3AP38NaUWnKhJhjoSOghPE2pUg
And this from margot Nny..
https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR6cdLjTh_ipPx3xITDQG6pFLC4MafU9Mh4sx3fezJcRyzSv5MS
luckystar FEBRUARY 5, 2017 AT 4:24 AM says: “What I hate most is the accusation of Rafa cheating – MTOs… It’s kind of pay back time, that Fed also took MTOs, not once but twice during this AO.Rafa had not been taking MTO(s) since AO2014 when he injured his back and yet people still brought up Rafa’s dated MTOs!”
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It’s payback time for Wawrinka too. He injured his knee during his SF match and took an off-court MTO after the 2nd set.
TENNISHEAD: “Wawrinka disappeared down the tunnel in tears for a medical timeout and returned with strapping to his right knee.”
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C3R28bVWIAIP3Ka.jpg
Correction: CryBaby disappeared down the tunnel in tears