I think you people have mistaken federer's confidence for arrogance. He said "he can win" not i am the only one capable of winning. AND he didnt say "I certainly can win nadal" or "The only one who can win nadal is me". What he sounded like was more like "If someone can beat nadal,it would be me(as he is no. 1 and has beaten nadal just weeks before)"
I think arrogance and confidence lies in the perception of the audience. And as you know,reporters tend to blow up small things into big things.
RE:Confidence not arrogance
by Shiva MS on Jun 12, 2007 09:18 PM
point taken... absolutely... indians should rather be fans and appreciate the greatness of the sport and the enrichment of the sport by the valued players than be FANATICS.... ppl who rejoice in anothers defeat than celebrating the sport are finding a stopgap solution (far from it though in reality...) for their psyched up energy for an argument... Just think - ppl sayin nadal is a GREAT and an emperor etc... He is a great player and his contribution greater... but comparing him (has won only 3 french open grandslams in as many years, not to forget the surface...:) ) to Federer who has won 10 grandslam in some 3 years (4 th running) is plain childish... Both are great for the sport... If ppl have a heart and energy for an argument, y don they channelize it into some activity... Just plain joblessness... I know i ve been posting a lott.. but hey, havent i made sense... I assumed it made sense to sensible ppl and sport lovers... FANATICS - NO THOROUGHFARE...!! :)
Nadal is the emperor of clay no doubt... he fails in all other surfaces... he is no 2 thanks to a long clay season- almost all europe is clay folks... Ask hime to win something other than french... like Wimbledon, US or Australian GRAND SLAMS... he like Kuerten, gaudio, canas, costa etc is a CLAY COURT SPECIALIST.. he sure reached a wimbledon finals... but he was thrashed, trounced and drubbed and bundled out... He is a warrior and a great player on clay... but not even a complete player... i admire him whole heartedly... And Federer has every right to be arrogant, if he chooses to be... given his stature... Some indian jobless folks (audience) aint got no right to complaint until they whip fed in wimbledon (like fed got the better of sampras in 2001 wimbledon ).... and i m not criticising...
RE:Nadal - great CLAY court specialist
by souhard kulkarni on Jun 11, 2007 10:36 PM
dear shiva for ur kind info....in last year's final at wimbledon,nadal wasn't drubbed and bundled out...he took it to 4 sets...n i think u must be outta ur mind if u think that losing in 4 sets is being drubbed...
RE:Nadal - great CLAY court specialist
by Shiva MS on Jun 12, 2007 05:00 PM
And he lost a set 6-0 thats a shame.... now, pls don defend that... u know u lost the argument...!! but i see the point sir.. Nadal is no doubt a great player, a rival to federer fa sure... but a grandslam other than the french - u and nadal shall fancy the chances... in fact sania might reach a quarter finals before that happens... :) meaning, NEVER
RE:Nadal - great CLAY court specialist
by indian Indian on Jun 12, 2007 07:30 PM
Yeah man.. I feel federer could have beaten nadal if he had not been in any pressure. He wanted to be the 3rd man to hold all 4 grandslams. He wanted to create history. Also he hasnt won this tournament before so he showed some nerves all through the match. But nadal..he can win and make it thrice or just settle for a double win in french open.
RE:Nadal - great CLAY court specialist
by Shiva MS on Jun 12, 2007 09:23 PM
But guys and hey pal, Do u think we the ppl watchin can see and figure what goes on in these GREAT players minds? We have a mind too narrow... So i dont think we will be able to judge what goes on in the minds of champions... given that the greats like agassi sampras mcEnroe etc say they cant figure how fed reaches the depth during crucial points... :) Very easy to say he din play well... :) I think, in my opinion he did play well, and gave it all... u win some ans u lose some... NADAL played like GOD on crucial pts and denied the fed forehand with dipping topspin shots.. not to forget his lethat forehands and his openings up the court... Fed makes angles mostly with his wrist while Rafa uses his agile footwork!! That doesnt happen in other surfaces... Too fast for Rafael... Thats y roddick and murray and safin, hewitt etc (long list) are better in other surfaces...
RE:Nadal - great CLAY court specialist
by Tom Lutherfield on Jun 12, 2007 01:00 PM
Agreed! But I love it when Nadal crushes, pillages, mutilates and destroys Federer whenever he comes against him on clay. That makes Federer too incomplete and his arrogance is the only skill left for him after the French open final cause everything else was ripped apart by our very own Rafa
RE:RE:Nadal - great CLAY court specialist
by Shiva MS on Jun 12, 2007 05:05 PM
Yeah, i admire Nadal as much as i admire Federer... I LOVE the rivalry... But how can that make Federer incomplete... He DESERVES his arrogance... Not u, not me, not Nadal and NOT ANYONE can say anything abt that.... i can confidently say that ur grand grand son may never see a player who reached 10 grandslam finals back to back and won 8 outta them... :) in fact ur grand grand son can hold the same bet too... He has beaten agassi, nalbandian, nadal, hewitt (us open 2005 final) et all and beat them continuously (in fact he beat them all at least once a 6-0 set...) how does that sound Mr? Nadal will age and wither away.. his agility is the only difference... someone will catch up fa sure... he will eventually lose the french too... :)
RE:Nadal - great CLAY court specialist
by anupam trivedi on Jun 12, 2007 08:01 PM
some peoples not read from history like siva if fact is averything so federer is better than nadal but if we compare than together nadal is more 200% better than federer nadal lead 6-1 on clay nadal draw at 2-2 on hard federer lead 1-0 on grass nadal wins 22 single title before 21 year's old federer only 3. nadal wins 3 grand slams before 21 year's old federer none. so who can better it's only the matter of time when both are retired we are in a better time to consider the supermacy of two great player .
RE:Nadal - great CLAY court specialist
by Shiva MS on Jun 12, 2007 09:44 PM
agreed... but given he is world no 2, why doesnt he reach at least quarter finals or semis... Finals is adiff ball game... All these stats are point less... Can rafa ever do anythin like fed... 4 (5?) wimbledons in a row... 3 us titles and 3 aussie titles.. all this in only 3 years... And if age is a concern, We will all be comparing nadal to boris becker who won wimbledon in 16 than to federer... in 3 years, he has won only 3 grandslams... and an older federer wins 10 grandslams in as many years (3 years)... who is better... ur stats go to the dustbin... don they... but yeah, its sure is a matter of time.. but great players win grandslams... not clay or hard court masters all along...
RE:RE:RE:Nadal - great CLAY court specialist
by Tom Lutherfield on Jun 12, 2007 11:42 PM
Look Shiva, I don't care abt Federer's arrogance. As far as his abilities go the actual fact is there is no other player to challenge him other than Nadal. During Pete's reign there was Agassi who was good in all surfaces. Then there was McEnroe whom people feel would have been the greatest player ever but he was born to the age of Borg and Connors. I can easily tell you that even in my age there will be player's who can be strong in all surfaces and will better Federer in almost all areas. Federer is not the greatest player ever. If that was the case then he would be winning in any surface easily but Nadal crushes him everytime in Paris and creates a problem everytime they meet. All said and done Nadal has the higher average.
RE:Nadal - great CLAY court specialist
by Shiva MS on Jun 13, 2007 12:32 PM
He wins in all surfaces... He does.. only thing is he is yet to win a French (clay grand slam)... he has won many masters in clay (and yaeh need i say abt the other surfaces...).. I dont care abt feds arrogance (confidence!?) either... point is we could nt care... U cant say he isnt the best all time player.. He sure is... Agassi, Phillippousis, Hewitt, Safin, Henman, etc say that he is the BEST they ever played... When agassi says that, he means Fed is better than Sampras (fed beats agassi without a fuss... in cincinatti masters he drubbed him a set 6-0..) And he has done all this in 3 years flat.... Thats why he is compared with Tiger woods... Nadal denies him a clay grand slam... Do u realize that nadal is never quite the "threat" u mentioned in any other surface than clay... When nadal ages, he will lose his agility... Someone else will win in french (the only grand slam rafa wins...)... pls don be mistaken that i say fed will win french... I SAY RAFA will eventually LOSE FRENCH TOO... c the pt? And nobody in the history of modern tennis has ever dominated tennis like fed, now thats y ppl make a great hero outta nadal.. just because he can ruin fed in clay... Else he is just another player... Some thinking will tell u that tennis is at its competitive best.. Hewitt is as good as agassi, So are many like murray, safin etc... And fed dominates when the game is at its competitive best... When champoins say fed is the all time best, WE cant say he isn't.. Know what i mean...!
attitude of roger federer is the best we have seen in a long time...he is one of the greatest living players in any sport ...all the best to him for the future . he would surely beet rafa in the finals next year ...we have a lot to learn from him ...there is always a tomorrow ...all the best to roger and to all those who want to do something in life !!!!
RE:federer is the best
by Tom Lutherfield on Jun 12, 2007 02:04 PM
Surely beet is something he himself said the last 2 times. His first defeat in the final was a surprise from which he cannot recover. As long as Emperor Rafa rules Paris, King Federer has to bow before him in France.
RE:federer is the best
by Shiva MS on Jun 12, 2007 05:09 PM
A CLAY EMPEROR... let him win others... he never will... Roddick, safin, hewitt, johansson (both swedes i mean) , nalbandian, andy murray are all much better in other surfaces... Rafa rules ONLY when game slows down with the clay... He wont reach the quarters this wimbledon... i appreciate and congratulate his last years final at wimbledon - a whole hearted effort... but he is only a clay emperor after all.. no real threat to any of the above said players on many surfaces... and don forget i kind of forgot 20 more players in that list... :)
RE:federer is the best
by anupam trivedi on Jun 12, 2007 08:13 PM
nadal 2-1 roddick nadal safin never meet nadal 3-4 hewitt nadal 2-0 johansson nadal nalbandian never meet nadal 1-0 murray its fact so tell only those things that are true never tell your assumption as record.
RE:federer is the best
by Shiva MS on Jun 12, 2007 09:26 PM
u r forgetting the surfaces... Specify them... What does the stat suggest? Nadal doesnt play quality opponents??? Think...!! So where does Rafa win All his "MASTERS" from.... u aint call em masters if these few quality opponents are played...
Roger is without any doubt the greatest player in the history of tennis and the best we have seen in our life time ...his attitude is an inspiration to many of us ...there is always a tomorrow ..Yes cheers ..Roger , next year will be a better and you will better your record against Rafa ...all the best to you and to all those who want to do better in life inspite of failures .
RE:roger is a great player
by Shiva MS on Jun 11, 2007 10:13 PM
agreed Mr Gaurav, its an honor to be able to watch the genius... and his attitude shows his greatness... its really apalling to see some frustrated ppl here taking out on the genuis the way they do... sad.. shows how helpless they are to find satisfaction in criticising the genius... in fact much better for ppl like us who appreciate fed should ppl like these grow in nmber... it is a direct measure of how well fedex is doing .. :)
RE:RE:roger is a great player
by Shiva MS on Jun 12, 2007 05:22 PM
and dont forget, nadal is equal to kuerten.. he s won 3 french open too... no difference... sure nadal is a much better player... but out is the same alright... and he did it 3 times in a row... SO WHAT EXACTLY MAKES HIM SUPPOSEDLY ""GREAT""?? Because he DEFIES FEDERER ONE SINGLE CROWN... So, by all means RAFA is just another Gustavo Guga Kuerten (who is a great player by the way)... What say??
RE:roger is a great player
by Shiva MS on Jun 12, 2007 05:20 PM
a 6-0 set loss for a world number two (unless he is blind folded or is playing with the other hand) is unheard of... so u still sont call that drubbing etc... guys, i always been maintaining i respect the French King... But thats is what he exactly is... a Clay court specialist... u sound as if he had won rest of the grand slams and has only winbledon to go... he has won 3 grandslams (but all are the same)... but yeah, the fact that he has done it 3 times in a row is in fact more special than a fed 5 in a row wimbledon... sure, agreed... but he has yet to win a gransalm in other surfaces... how long is rafa planning to hand on in the top two playing masters and winning most masters in clay ( an achievement no doubt is great..) :)... Fed made it to last couple of french finals... lost in 4 sets this and lost in 5 sets last time... come on yaar, thats nice... but yeah, he was out gunned, outperformed, outshone, out...etc...etc... but let nadal claim his rightful player as a great after winning others...
RE:roger is a great player
by souhard kulkarni on Jun 11, 2007 10:46 PM
shut up shiva....the way fedex sed dat if sum1 cn beat rafa then its he....i thought that was very arrogant...whatever the hell you say...ok,he has beaten nadal once on clay....but that doesnt mean he wud do it everytime...n the way u talked abt the satisfaction ppl earn in critisizin feddie shows how much respect u have for other players n how satisfied u r in critisizin feddie's rivals....ur comments abt rafa's so-called being drubbed on grass very well express ur satisfaction in critisizin gr8 players like rafa...it is a direct measure of how well rafa is doing..:)
Federer could just can't digest someone is better than him and can easily beat him. As every player he gives lame excuses i didn't play well. He is not gracious enough and sporting to accept defeats. On the contrary, Rafa when he lost to Roger he accepted he lost to a better player always and congraluated and even complimented that if there was anyone who could beat him on clay it was roger when he lost, but i doubt roger would say anything so nice to rafa.
RE:On gracious enough
by prakash k on Jun 11, 2007 09:17 PM
Mahesh..its time u went to bed. Drink ur horlicks, finish ur homework and sleep. else mommy will spank u. Let the elders talk about tennis. dont talk about stuff u dont know
RE:On gracious enough
by Tom Lutherfield on Jun 12, 2007 02:11 PM
Prakash my boy.. I assume that at your age drinking horlicks is okay but mummy spanking is pretty bad. And everybody dosen't live your life.
RE:On gracious enough
by souhard kulkarni on Jun 11, 2007 10:55 PM
mahesh i appreciate u for wat u sed....i am happy that u r one of few guys who know tennis stuff..n this category excludes prakash out there puttin silly comments...prakash,get ur horlicks soon....ur mamma is comin to spank u ...finish homework too...teacher wud scold if u wudn't...u call urself n elder...u r so immature....just think abt wat mahesh is sayin....u vil find truth in it....rafa is so young but much more matured...if this doesn't go into ur dumb head...then forget abt tennis...play gilli danda....but for now...go to sleep...gd nite..
Federer played much better than last year..The only difference is..his fighting quality is going down compare to 2005...he learned how to play rafa..if you look at federer career, he just gown gradually... against nadal also, he keeps improving..Next yr, FO will have fed's name on it. Now bring the grass...
RE:Read the full interview
by Tom Lutherfield on Jun 12, 2007 02:11 PM
Last year it was this year. This year its next year and this will go on & on & on
RE:Read the full interview
by Shiva MS on Jun 12, 2007 05:33 PM
Oh come on buddy, u seem to say nadal will play at this INCREDIBLE level for next 5 years... And u seem to assume nadal will play the next 6, 7 or even 8 fianls in french... even rafa wont be thinking that way (he is a hell of a tough guy and i admire his quality... i m his fan too, but i dont extend the following to other surfaces... :))... looks like we humans need to listen to a fraction of what we advise others... we will do much much better... come to think of it, i think u r forgetting the words u spoke to Mr Kosi Mayan... I also think Rafa will win more french fa sure.. in fact fed may never win (not probable, but very much possible.. :))... but rafa wont win any other grand slam fa sure... :) thats a cinch Mr...
RE:RE:Read the full interview
by Shiva MS on Jun 12, 2007 09:28 PM
refer his interview from rollan garros wensite... EVEN federer doesnt think he will play like the way he s been playing for the next five years... He says that players have a way of "going away"... But whats so great abt fed? He doesnt need even HIS good tennis (his standards i mean) to beat quality opponents... like what he did to davydenko this semis...
Rafa is definitely the best on clay. He is physically and mentally very tough too. However if you take the performances on all surfaces in consideration, there's no doubt that Federer is the best player in the world. He is a very humble and affable person as well which is quite rare in the world of sport. He is definitely the BEST.
federer can definately beat nadal on clay......its for sure,in yesterday match he never played to his potential,served badly,lots of unforced errors,and failed at crunch points,i think he had his chances in yesterdays match but just couldnt convert them,i think nadal is bit more mentally tough as compared to federer,somehow against nadal federer doesnt look like beating him and plays under a lot of pressure,specially on clay,anyway federer u must make a move now and play 100% best tennis of urs like serve well,higher % of 1st serve ,minimised unforced error,dont chuck at crusial points,play positive,and most importantly play attcking tennis frm the first game itself,just try to crush nadal in the very first set,i am sure if fede can do this he will surely win,afterall he has all in him to be the greatest player of all times.
RE:federer lost
by souhard kulkarni on Jun 11, 2007 11:05 PM
sumit its 3 years since fedex is playin nadal in french open n has never won there...so i think it wud be better if u take his place n beat rafa...ok..no no no!!!you better replace tony roche as his coach...the seat is vacant n fedex is still searchin for a coach...so i think that with ur "superior tennis brain" u very well deserve to be his coach...fedex won't even win the first round then....n to remind you nadal didn't win only bcoz feddie played poorly....rafa made fedex play long long rallies n fedex wasn't able to sustain them...
RE:federer lost
by Shiva MS on Jun 12, 2007 05:35 PM
Agreed, it was Rafa s great quality tennis that ousted fed finally... not that fed played bad etc etc.... fed played well... but rafa was god...
