Topic: ATP - 2009 Australian Open: Jan. 19 - Feb. 1

[Clay Death]

Wow, I just re-watched the Doha QF between Monfils-Nadal. What a distant memory! So many of Nadal's hard court limitations were revealed and exposed in that match and within a week, he overcame these.
He faced a similar barrage against Verdasco but hung in there and his defiance prevailed. Nadal, for the next few years, is going to be so hard to beat over 5 sets.

he has always been hard to beat in a best of 5 sets foremat. check his record. Monfils match means nothing. he had been out for over 2 months. just took a few matches to get going a little.

[Emma]

He'll be cured eventually. I am looking forward to have Federer as my client. I will teach him how to cry manly...as in the way Pete cries. There's a time and place for everything so I have to teach him that too.

You must be an expert indeed if you've identified differences in the way Pete cries in comparison to Fed.  Perhaps we need a new thread to compare players' crying styles?  With one constraint:  the new thread has to have Rafa in the title somehow...   

Well, Pete cries like a man. Fed cries like a girl but I thought that's given?  And who else here cries like a girl? Why do I get the feeling it's none other than Scott and Buckeye? They were the main defenders here so...

[FreeBird]

He'll be cured eventually. I am looking forward to have Federer as my client. I will teach him how to cry manly...as in the way Pete cries. There's a time and place for everything so I have to teach him that too.

You must be an expert indeed if you've identified differences in the way Pete cries in comparison to Fed.  Perhaps we need a new thread to compare players' crying styles?  With one constraint:  the new thread has to have Rafa in the title somehow...   

Well, Pete cries like a man. Fed cries like a girl but I thought that's given?  And who else here cries like a girl? Why do I get the feeling it's none other than Scott and Buckeye? They were the main defenders here so...

Oh, trust me, it was a given!!!  I think I've been a pretty staunch defender as well, so count me in.  Scooter will be able to verify next time he beats me in singles.  We're going to need one of the astropredictors to tell us when that will be, however...   

[Babblelot]

He'll be cured eventually. I am looking forward to have Federer as my client. I will teach him how to cry manly...as in the way Pete cries. There's a time and place for everything so I have to teach him that too.

You must be an expert indeed if you've identified differences in the way Pete cries in comparison to Fed.  Perhaps we need a new thread to compare players' crying styles?  With one constraint:  the new thread has to have Rafa in the title somehow...   

 

The post-AO discussion is far better than the Official AO discussion ever was, and 10x better than the pre-AO discussion.

[dmastous]

He'll be cured eventually. I am looking forward to have Federer as my client. I will teach him how to cry manly...as in the way Pete cries. There's a time and place for everything so I have to teach him that too.

You must be an expert indeed if you've identified differences in the way Pete cries in comparison to Fed.  Perhaps we need a new thread to compare players' crying styles?  With one constraint:  the new thread has to have Rafa in the title somehow...   

 

The post-AO discussion is far better than the Official AO discussion ever was, and 10x better than the pre-AO discussion.

You must be joking.....

[Emma]

He'll be cured eventually. I am looking forward to have Federer as my client. I will teach him how to cry manly...as in the way Pete cries. There's a time and place for everything so I have to teach him that too.

You must be an expert indeed if you've identified differences in the way Pete cries in comparison to Fed.  Perhaps we need a new thread to compare players' crying styles?  With one constraint:  the new thread has to have Rafa in the title somehow...   

 

The post-AO discussion is far better than the Official AO discussion ever was, and 10x better than the pre-AO discussion.

You must be joking.....

Looks like Dmas needs a good cry too.

Okay, so I will stop now. I am bored and too busy at work. I also miss AO. What do you expect?

[Babblelot]

He'll be cured eventually. I am looking forward to have Federer as my client. I will teach him how to cry manly...as in the way Pete cries. There's a time and place for everything so I have to teach him that too.

You must be an expert indeed if you've identified differences in the way Pete cries in comparison to Fed.  Perhaps we need a new thread to compare players' crying styles?  With one constraint:  the new thread has to have Rafa in the title somehow...   

 

The post-AO discussion is far better than the Official AO discussion ever was, and 10x better than the pre-AO discussion.

You must be joking.....

It's providing a platform for comic relief. I love it!

[jeffrx]

He'll be cured eventually. I am looking forward to have Federer as my client. I will teach him how to cry manly...as in the way Pete cries. There's a time and place for everything so I have to teach him that too.

You must be an expert indeed if you've identified differences in the way Pete cries in comparison to Fed.  Perhaps we need a new thread to compare players' crying styles?  With one constraint:  the new thread has to have Rafa in the title somehow...   

 

The post-AO discussion is far better than the Official AO discussion ever was, and 10x better than the pre-AO discussion.

You must be joking.....

I fear that he is serious.....

[FreeBird]

You must be joking.....

Oh yes, I loved the pre-AO talk much more too.  Just a taste from page 2:

Here's a sobering reminder: Djokovic has never defended a title.

there is a first time for everything. i see that the Federereeeesians like Dallas are just licking their chops at that possibility.

forget about it dallas. it aint gonna happen. he is 21 and healthier than a horse. its the 2 top guns that are ailing.

Clay Monster just too stupid to stay healthy. i heard that the doctors have been saying for quite sometime now to NOT ignore the signs his body was giving him.

Fed, on the other hand, is just a vicitim of aging. nobody can dominate forever. in case you never heard, 28 is considered very old for a tennis player. you can linger around but winning does get a bit harder.

 

[Tennis4you]

From tennis.com - http://tennisworld.typepad.com/thewrap/2009/02/oz-the-a-list.html

The Men’s Trophy Ceremony
Now it was Federer’s turn to cry. He’s done this on other occasions, but always, as far as I can remember, in victory. Nadal handled the moment with class, letting Federer finish first and then beginning his own speech by saying, sincerely, that he knew Federer would “improve the 14 of Sampras.”

For anyone who thinks that Federer reinforces a stereotype of unmanliness in tennis players by crying publicly, remember that Michael Jordan bawled like a baby when he won his first NBA title and again when he won a title the year after his father’s death. Jack Nicklaus cried when he won majors; as he got older, he even teared up when he heard the roar of the crowd after a great tee shot at the Masters or the U.S. Open.

That’s something none of us can understand: We know what it’s like to win or lose a tennis match, but we don’t know what it’s like to do it in front of a massive, cheering crowd. Federer broke down when he heard the Aussie crowd roar its approval even after he'd been defeated. There must be something about Australia and Laver Arena that gets to him; his last major meltdown came after his 2006 title in Melbourne. Maybe it’s because Oz was the home of his late coach Peter Carter. Maybe it’s because he sees the old Aussie legends, including Laver, arranged in front of him. Or maybe it’s because tennis is a game of emotional ups and downs where you have no teammates—no net—to help break your fall. The best players bring the most emotion to the game; some show it on the court, some don’t, but it’s there. Federer, in the most naked, embarrassing, appealing, and indelible way possible, reminded us again that it’s deep in him too.

Is this the best rivalry in sports? I wasn’t sure until I saw Nadal throw his arm around Federer’s neck on the trophy stand. Now I am. A+

Good stuff, thanks ETC!!!

[Clay Death]

He'll be cured eventually. I am looking forward to have Federer as my client. I will teach him how to cry manly...as in the way Pete cries. There's a time and place for everything so I have to teach him that too.

You must be an expert indeed if you've identified differences in the way Pete cries in comparison to Fed.  Perhaps we need a new thread to compare players' crying styles?  With one constraint:  the new thread has to have Rafa in the title somehow...   

Well, Pete cries like a man. Fed cries like a girl but I thought that's given?  And who else here cries like a girl? Why do I get the feeling it's none other than Scott and Buckeye? They were the main defenders here so...

that crying episode is a bit selfish. i heard that the Clay Monster said somewhere that he found it hard to really enjoy the monent since Fed was so shook up about his loss. instead of enjoying the moment, he was compelled to console Fed.

this guy has 13 slams and he dominated the sport like no other for over 3 years. he beat people to death and he beat them over and over. just ask Blake, Roddick, and Davydenko to name just a few.

all i can say is that he better get used to it. one is getting better and better and growing ever more confident at slams. Roland Garros and Wimbledon is a given as far as i am concerned. Wimby is where Fed will have his best chance but only if somebody can play a match of his life and take out the Clay Monster early. if Fed and Nadal are in the final and it goes 5 sets, i can tell you who is going to win. its not going to be Fed. Clay Monster will fight to death to defend his title. and remember that he moves significantly better on natural surfaces.

he took out the clay monster 2 times in a row at Wimbledon and yet he did not ruin the moment for Fed.

[Emma]

He'll be cured eventually. I am looking forward to have Federer as my client. I will teach him how to cry manly...as in the way Pete cries. There's a time and place for everything so I have to teach him that too.

You must be an expert indeed if you've identified differences in the way Pete cries in comparison to Fed.  Perhaps we need a new thread to compare players' crying styles?  With one constraint:  the new thread has to have Rafa in the title somehow...   

Well, Pete cries like a man. Fed cries like a girl but I thought that's given?  And who else here cries like a girl? Why do I get the feeling it's none other than Scott and Buckeye? They were the main defenders here so...

that crying episode is a bit selfish. i heard that the Clay Monster said somewhere that he found it hard to really enjoy the monent since Fed was so shook up about his loss. instead of enjoying the moment, he was compelled to console Fed.

this guy has 13 slams and he dominated the sport like no other for over 3 years. he beat people to death and he beat them over and over. just ask Blake, Roddick, and Davydenko to name just a few.

all i can say is that he better get used to it. one is getting better and better and growing ever more confident at slams. Roland Garros and Wimbledon is a given as far as i am concerned. Wimby is where Fed will have his best chance but only if somebody can play a match of his life and take out the Clay Monster early. if Fed and Nadal are in the final and it goes 5 sets, i can tell you who is going to win. its not going to be Fed. Clay Monster will fight to death to defend his title. and remember that he moves significantly better on natural surfaces.

he took out the clay monster 2 times in a row at Wimbledon and yet he did not ruin the moment for Fed.

That's why I said both Fed and his fans are spoiled. This player beat too many players too many times yet he couldn't bare the thought of losing a few to Nadal. It wasn't intentional so I don't want to say much. I don't want things to be taken out of context too much. It's probably best to be forgotten.

I wonder if it will ever go to a fifth set again.

[OSU Buckeye]

I thought Hercules was gone!?   

[Clay Death]

I thought Hercules was gone!?   

nice try osu. i was in south florida racing bikes. i did end up missing the final but saw it a couple of days later. needless to say but i knew who was going to win it.

[Tennis4you]

that crying episode is a bit selfish. i heard that the Clay Monster said somewhere that he found it hard to really enjoy the monent since Fed was so shook up about his loss. instead of enjoying the moment, he was compelled to console Fed.

You "heard" it eh?  Well, if you find that in a post match interview please feel free to post it.  Until then, nice try...

[TheEternalCowboy]

I thought Hercules was gone!?   

nice try osu. i was in south florida racing bikes. i did end up missing the final but saw it a couple of days later. needless to say but i knew who was going to win it.

How did the bike racing go?

[Emma]

I thought Hercules was gone!?   

nice try osu. i was in south florida racing bikes. i did end up missing the final but saw it a couple of days later. needless to say but i knew who was going to win it.

I don't think you did herc or else why would you miss it? (And I say it with love!)

[Clay Death]

that crying episode is a bit selfish. i heard that the Clay Monster said somewhere that he found it hard to really enjoy the monent since Fed was so shook up about his loss. instead of enjoying the moment, he was compelled to console Fed.

You "heard" it eh?  Well, if you find that in a post match interview please feel free to post it.  Until then, nice try...

i dont have any use for spins or lies. you should know better than that by now. i have been here for a while. it was posted on the tennis.com somewhere. i guess you are no different from any other Federereesian. truth just hurts and tears away at you.

i am not going to dig it up for you. what i read was that it made him very  uncomfortable just watching Fed cry his eyes out. this is why he waled over to put his arms around him and try to console him. it took away a little from his own moment.

i can assure you that that whole crying incidence is being looked at as very weak and childish around the globe. the guy has killed everybody for well over 3 years and yet no one who was destroyed by him ever cried like a wimp.
even Roddick holds his head up high and Fed has him 15-2 head-to-head.

it was also very unfare to the clay monster.

ok check this one post out from another forum. there are hundreds of such posts everywhere where some may choose to be objective:

don't want to start a hate thread, but I also didn't want to co-opt another thread with this, and I can't hold it in any longer. So I must say:

I think Federer's display of emotion at the awards ceremony, and his subsequent pointed comments after the match were a display of self-involvement, self-indulgence and excuse-making. It really tipped me over the edge when I read Nadal's quote that it was hard for him to enjoy his win because Federer was so upset. How selfish of Federer to take that away from Rafa. Federer doesn't owe Nadal the enjoyment of his win, but a sportsman wouldn't have spoiled it. It doesn't take a great act of imagination to think that Nadal would never have put so much focus on himself at that moment. Or really, any other player. Only Roger felt that he had the right to bemoan something that he thought should have been his.

But if he wanted that tournament so badly, he should have played better! I agree with so many other posters here that Roger had the tournament to win. He should have. He blew it. But when you cry for that, you are only crying for yourself. When he cried at Wimbledon, he deserved his tears. I have no problem with man-tears. (I love that Nadal admitted to tears at 0-40 in the final set against Verdasco...I've never heard any athlete admit to tears DURING the match.)

I have been willing to excuse Federer's occasional arrogance after wins as the pride and confidence of a great player. As he's been losing more, I took some of his (more and more common) snarky comments as maybe misunderstood. No more. I think that Federer is a poor sportsman. He can't stand not being "The Federer", as Safin calls him, and as he sees himself.

I think he will stick around, and I think he will win more slams. I think he will probably reach his goal of surpassing Pete's record. But I will never respect him again as a sportsman, unless he changes his attitude, and fast.

keep in mind that i did not write this post. this sounds like a Fed fan to me. it is a good post.

[Emma]

herc darling, I am just very happy that you are back. And I hope the biking thing went very well.

[Clay Death]

herc darling, I am just very happy that you are back. And I hope the biking thing went very well.

yes emma darling. its good to be back. i see people have already started throwing spears at me starting with none other than Scotty himself. i would have thought he knew me better than that.