Great pic of Rafa, back to reading the post

Hey Pete and everyone, back from shopping, and I didn't get lost on the way home or forget everything...that makes it a good day. :)

*excited about Ferru-Djokovic final*

Sorry, Arun and other Gasquet fans.

I feel obliged to point out that not every Nadal fan was demanding posts glorifying our darling Right Now This Minute, or even at all. :)

Oh, yeah first

Hey jewell, I was all by myself here. The headcases doubles match has started.

yay Stella! Twice in a row. ;)

"Rancho de Luxilon?"

Hee.

No, Pedro, it's not objectionable to write "nobody does clay-court tennis like the Spanish." Nor anything of the like. Pete, in my mind, all your posts are based on opinion (don't get me wrong, they are always informative, and often fact-based), but since they are, as far as I can tell, usually you giving us your take on certain matters, and opinion pieces, the can't reasonably be attacked. Opinion is opinion, and no-one person can honestly say someone else's is wrong, or invalid.

Re the Fed movie thing, I think Ioan Gruffudd would be perfect to play him, he's suave, sophisticated and has a hint of je ne sais quoi about him.
Marat would have to be played by Eric Dane (McSteamy from Grey's Anatomy), mainly cos they're the image of each other and also cos they both ooze charisma and sex appeal!
Have a great weekend Pete, great post as always!

Thanks Pete. You make some good points about stereotyping and criticism. We, as humans, tend to be very sensitive about things we feel strongly about, or conversely, defensive about. I just think it is great that the posters here at TW expressed themselves about these things which opens up conversations, which can open up minds.

And......I think you did a nice job of putting it very clearly about the "flying pig fallacy". This fan thanks you. :)

Have a great weekend!

Someone please...what does "KAD" mean? Its mentioned above.

Great blog, by the way - required reading for tennis fans! I'd love to read more of your opinion on why Nadal is so successful in the clutch when it comes to defending his serve.

Cheers!

Oh and I forgot, i lmao'd at Maybe He's Just Not That Into Davis Cup, that's a cracker!

*Holy Cow, Batter-X should thank God Pitcher -X isn't the only thrower in the game!*

so based on what you're saying, Pete, I take it that you expect that Federer can do nothing to beat Nadal ever again.

And sometimes I think that too, but I sure as hail hope Federer doesn't think so and is working on things (like yes, shoring up his serve, gaining a more consistently placed first serve and a surer second serve, but more than that obviously) to help him beat Nadal the next time. And where is he going to learn on what to work on? from what he did wrong and how Nadal was able to exploit his weaknesses. It's what Nadal did to get the edge on the faster surfaces...

Holding IS only half the battle, and some of Federer's serving woes are definitely caused by the guy across the net, but I'm still failing to see why serving better wouldn't be a good thing. Big serves was what kept the Wimbledon 5th set going til 9-7, no? When you double fault on set point you can't even *ask* the question to your opponent, "Ok, you've been playing better than me, but can you really close this out?" (For Nadal, the answer is mostly yes, but on occasion it's no, so the question is worth asking). I would have rather seen the match where Federer served better and Nadal still won anyway. The question would have been asked and the answer delivered.

I agree that the ability of Nadal to protect his own serve is totally underrated. Though, part of the reason why I was disappointed in *Federer's* serving performance was because I felt that Nadal wasn't serving *his* best either

kieran, KAD is Kool Aid Drinker, in other words, huge fan of _

"McSteamy"

Emma - that can't be his real name? I haven't seen the programme ever.

Dima double faults away the break back at deuce.

4-5, Mr. Safin on serve.

Fun info about Bill Cosby, Pete.

*reposted from the other thread*

Hello good people!

Commiserations to Reeshie fans. I saw a little part of the match before I left home for work and Ferru was on fire and Reeshie went into his "I don't think I can win this mode" which was kinda disappointing. But i am also happy for Ferru even though I would have loved a more competitive match. Congrats to Novak fans and commiserations to Mrs. Gilles Simon aka Jackie.

Well I dunno may be it's just me but I do not clamor to write about a particular player be they a favorite of mine or not. It does not always have to be about the winner or finalist. Sometimes I enjoy even more the posts about the "little known or relatively unknown" who also have goals but may be not the loads of talent to get there but are still trying their best. I have said this before the piece that has stuck with me the most was the one on Bethannie Mattek-Sands (still can't believe she's married now may be she would follow the Lindsay route soon enough ;-)

*joins avid in appreciating the Bethanie Mattek post*

I was actually thinking about that earlier. I think about it a lot.

Hey everyone!
Lol jewell, no his real name in it is Mark Sloan, but trust me, there's a reason everyone calls him McSteamy!
And I can't believe you've never seen it, it's great!

Great stuff, Pete. Now I have to go re-read it and let it sink in. :)

First off though, great picture of Monica and The Coz, my favorite comedian ever. I could listen to that guy tell his stories and jokes forever.

Hi, avid! The Mrs. is just fine. :)

Pete, I'm really a fan of these stream-of-consciousness-type posts. I wonder what it'd be like to just sit inside your head for a day - would be quite the adventure. ;)

Rik de Voest gets broken at love.
Ferru to serve for the first set.

I completely agree with the notion that a player has to admit to himself/herself another player has his/her number. Once that is accomplished, he/she can begin to make adjustments to deal with it.

Until Roger starts admitting to himself that Nadal's game matches up very well against his own, he will keep thinking, 'If I can just serve better', or 'If I just return better with my backhand'. There's no dispute that his A+ game does not surface against Nadal, so he should stop expecting it to do so, and find a way to beat him with his regular A game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mulAi7cno2Y

Roger and his "coach" in an action advertisement ;)

Thank you, Emma. I think I preferred McSteamy to Mark Sloan, however. ;)

*There's no dispute that his A+ game does not surface against Nadal, so he should stop expecting it to do so, and find a way to beat him with his regular A game.*

But "beating him with his regular A game" will still by definition figuring out the things he needs to do better, figuring out why the other guy does some things better than you, and having some faith that adjusting those things will end up in a better result. There's nothing worse than going into a match with a game plan you don't have much faith in...

7-5, Team headcases.

Finish the post. Great post Pete

I really enjoy the part of the "So-and-so should win because he has the best game". So many fans like to look at the ifs, I confess I was one of them. After the 2007 Wimbeldon final, I was like why didn't Rafa took does break points in the 5th set, why did have to injure the knee, things like that. But since then I learned that there no ifs or buts there is a winner and that's it and there is nothing I can do to change that, anyway it is still fun to analyze the match and statisics.

Woohoo! The headcases take the first set. :-))

I agree, Pete, that "stereotyping" has a definitely pejoraive connotation. Otherwise, it is simply generalizing. YOu examples were spot on, btw.

As for the line: "Federer's first-serve percentage as a stand-alone statistic, means absolutely nothing because holding is just half the battle - and here's a secret: it's the easier half."...

The funny/odd thing is that if we look at the past two or three Slam finals he played against Rafa, prior to this year's AO, Roger's break-point conversion rate was abyssmal, and it fairly determined the outcomes of at least two of those matches.

But in this year's AO, Roger converted four or five (I believe it was five) of 15 or 17 break points, a much better ratio tha we, or I personally, anyway, had come to expect. One would have thought that five breaks of serve would have been enough to seal the deal in three, at most four, sets. But the fact that Roger couldn't HOLD consistently was the real problem, on that day.

Enjoy your footloose day, Pete. You deserve one. ;-))

- Slice

Marat/ David got the first set, whohoo! Too bad I can't watch it

Pete - first of all, can I say how much I admire journalists who open their articles up to "instant feedback"? I wouldn't be brave enough for that! As for "Rafa v. Roger", if both sides accuse you of favouritism you've probably got the balance right :) You could be right about "stereotypes", though your observations are too profound for me at 6.00 on Friday evening,LOL.
Hmm, Federer and Safin in a tennis espionage film? Sounds entertaining. Marat as playboy/athlete isn't a stretch, but Roger would have to work on that side :) They seem to get on very well, so on screen chemistry wouldn't be a problem. I prefer that idea than Roger as James Bond to be honest. Federer's too in touch with his emotions to play that kind of role. I remember someone suggesting Marat would make a convincing James Bond (not TW, can't remember which site) but I don't see it myself :)

Yay! Marat and Ferrer take the first set, after Gillou and Reeshar losing i'm glad at least one person I like looks like winning, even if that does mean that Ferrer has to win as well!

thanks greenhopper. :)

"I remember someone suggesting Marat would make a convincing James Bond (not TW, can't remember which site) but I don't see it myself :)"

I think he would be better as a Casanova :-)

One more thing and it's back to the grind for me.

No one commented on my choice for the actor who shlould play Roger, so maybe it snuck in under the radar (or maybe it was ludicrous, but I think not).

I nominate Joaguin Phoenix, whose dark, brooding looks, strong jawline, wavy locks and somewhat scrunched-up facial features remind me more of Roger than any other actor alive today. Also, he has a certain gravitas, which I think suits any depiction of TMF.

Oh well, I refuse to jump into this pool again, esp. since I was one of those who said IF Fed had served better at the AO final it WOULDN'T have NECESSARILY meant that he would have won. Though as Crazy1 has pointed out, it wouldn't have hurt either.

In other news...

Crazy1 - racket-wise; get thee to a Walmart. Seriously. Unless you are planning to make tennis a major part of your life and take lessons and play, like 2 or 3 times a week, a cheapo, off the rack number is fine, IMO.

I found the discussion of 'sic' most interesting. I find I have been using it in a 2/3 incorrect way. I use it to indicate that I am pretty sure I spelled something incorrectly, but have no idea how to spell it right and am too lazy/unable to find a correct spelling. Usually happens with names....as in Kafelnikov (sic?)

Shelockandload. Perfect name for the bartender at the Flippancy Bar.

Casanova.
sigh. Ledger.

Oh Marat would make a great James Bond!

Rafa could do the Roger Moore eyebrow, but, as much as it pains me to admit any criticism whatsoever of my boy, he, er, doesn't seem very good in front of a camera, so that would be about it.

btw I am enjoying and reading the tennis comments on this thread, and the comments about yesterday's (including those in the post); I'm just feeling more shallow than usual today. :)

Hurrah for FerruSaf! please don't do the super TB thing today. I just want to see a nice straight set win.

Crazyone,

I get the impression that Roger doesn't analyze his game for adjustments. I have not seen any appreciable difference in the way he plays Nadal from 2005 to now. Many have even commented that he seems to stubbornly expect that his game will come together, and refuse to do anything about the fact that it's not.
What you are saying, is exactly what I am advocating he does, but it seems he refuses to.

harini at 1:03

second that

Oh yeah...and I forgot...best of all, the reason I used 'sic' that way was I thought it stood for Spelled InCorrectly. Hee.

Marat would def make a great Bond. i feel like Roger would be more like the Sean Connery or Roger Moore Bond--smooth and sophisticated. but I feel someone like Rafa would be more like Daniel Craig's Bond. less smooth and more ready to get rough and dirty.

that's the vibe i get anyway :)

Agreed, harini. Saferru need to do this in straight sets, just for my sanity.

"Lord knows, Lee Strasberg himself probably couldn't teach TMF how to impersonate someone who's into being coached!"

He he he. :)

Beth is going to LOVE the idea of Marat as a secret agent. :)

Rikky Rik (I think) gets broken at 30.
The smokin' Spaniard on serve at 2-1.

Sherlock, have you still got snow?

>>"I nominate Joaguin Phoenix, whose dark, brooding looks, strong jawline, wavy locks and somewhat scrunched-up facial features remind me more of Roger than any other actor alive today. Also, he has a certain gravitas, which I think suits any depiction of TMF."

Phoenix in his 'glory days', sure Slice, I can totally get behind this. In his current incarnation, however... ;P

"Saferru"

I like this name :-))
I refuse to call them headcase team anymore :-)), since Ferru played great today and they're doing OK so far in the doubles. They don't look like head cases so far. And look, they got a break in the second.

Come on, Saferru!

This is crime against humanity that there is no stream to see this match. :-(((

lol jewell, my friend and I were discussing whether or not Fed would be a good Bond, we agreed that he would. She then mentioned that since I'm a Rafanatic, would I not prefer Rafa to do it? I said defo not, only cos the idea if him propositioning Miss Moneypenny and following his chat up line with a "no?" + raised eyebrow would be heinous to watch! But heck, I'd still pay to see that to be honest!

Slice, I like the Phoenix as Roger nomination. Well, pre-psycho Phoenix anyway. :)

Shelockandload. LOL, CL. Naughty and Grant are pure genius.

Stella,

I couldn't agree more with you :-)

yeah, I could see Phoenix as Roger.

LOL Emma, I'd pay to see that as well. :)

Great post, I particularly enjoyed the multiple subjects :)

While I agree with some of your points regarding generalization/stereotyping I have to say that, unlike these examples, the idea expressed on the other article dealt with the kind of prejudice that is bound to evoke raw emotions.

The way I see it, standing by what you said (I personally didn’t find it offensive, by the way) and understanding your reader’s perceptions are not mutually exclusive.

blah, Ferru. open with yet another DF and broken at deuce.
2-all, Dimmerman.

oh, my..., V/T broke back :-(( Come on, Saferru!

Jewell, sadly, no. :( It was only about 31 when it snowed, it rose to mid 30's in a few hours, and it was gone by the afternoon. But it was beautiful in the morning. Three lovely inches of very wet snow. Great snowball/snowman stuff. :)

Did I hear that you got more???

Thanks, Emma. "Kool Aid Drinker".

*chuckle*

WHAT?! Didn't they have break point for 3-1?! AHHH please hold Saferru!!! (i'm borrowing this too Jenni :) )

jewell - ;-) I tell you that post just resounds.

Carlos Moya may play the J-Bond part well especially with the ladies ;-)

BTW I like the "Saferu" tag ;-)

golf OT - As Tiger has bummed out I am all for Camillo Villegas now ;-)

Not since the cool 'week of being snowed-in and not having to go out or do anything much' at the beginning of the month, Sherlock. But it's ok. We got some, we got some! *dances* I was so happy. ;)

We're into spring now which is equally magical in a different sort of way. :)

*shuts up about the pretty flowers, I blathered about those earlier*

Safin hits the first ace for the team and holds at 30.
3-all, Rik.
Now will be a good time to attack fellas.

well, at least Maratski hold his serve

I was looking for a stream at http://www.atdhe.net/ no luck but there going to have the WTA from Acapulco. There is also a link for the Delray tournament, whatevs.

'Saferu' sounds like a character from a horror film - you know, like Nosferatu.

I kind of like it.

do you, guys, know who's serving on the other team now? is it Dima?

jewell, harini - you think Marat would be a good choice for James Bond? He's certainly got the looks and charisma, though some people would complain about Bond having a Russian accent :) Don't dismiss your boy so quickly, jewell. Put Rafa in a nice suit, get him raising one eyebrow and a lot of women won't care if he can act or not:)

OK, David, serve big

Rikky pulls from a 0-30 hole to hold.
3-4, Mr. DF (heh)

"Put Rafa in a nice suit, get him raising one eyebrow..."

*starry-eyed*

good point, Julie. ;)

30-40.
neither team has saved a BP yet.
and that didn't change.

they're broken :-((

good grief! Ferru gets broken, again! If he ruins maratski's chances i may like him even less, which i hasten to add, i didn't think was possible!

Jackie - glad to see the Mrs is doing just fine ;-) Your hubby needs to take a break and rest though. he's been playing a lot.

come on, Saferru, break back here, I don't want a super TB

I guess, Dima serves well, 30-0

:-(((((((((
TB

ah, the stupid breaker.
am not feeling it.

Unfreakingbelievable.

WHY?!?!?

OMG SaFerru, you better freaking win the super TB or else!

My guess Ferru is tired :-(

Jewell, gotcha. Well, glad you got some too. :) Now on to the many glories of spring!

I have a really hard time seeing Rafa as Bond. Roger can do debonair very well. Rafa does gym rat athlete very well. I like that about him. :)

Super TB, ekkkk.

or else what, harini? :-)

Julie -- that's exactly why I think Safin would make a good Bond :D

sheesh, just when i thought they could win this easily...

But Rafa even *attempting* to do debonair would be funny, awkward and adorable...well worth seeing. ;)

Stupid TB. Meh.

Ferru's serving woes from the 2nd set have carried over. 4-1, Rik with 2 serves.

oh, no, they're down 1-4 :-(((

Pete,

Allow me to ramble on the subject a bit.

First,

I think the difference between the perception of "nobody does fashion like the french" and the other phrase is the same as the difference between "french people like fashion" and "blonde people are dumb" one is considered a compliment then other an insult, because of the connotations of the word "fashion" and "dumb".

It doesn't have to do with the facts at all. For all we know blonde people ARE dumb (something I don't believe for a second! says this blonde) but the actual fact of it being so or not, is separate from the act of someone saying it.

Consider the difference:

Scenario A: Person walking on the street is wearing an hat. You march on, thinking the hat is ugly.

Scenario B: Person walking on the street is wearing a hat. You come up to the person and point out the hat is ugly.

There's a world of difference.

Secondly, there's even further difference when you are in a position of authority.

Scenarion C: A well-known journalist writes a front-page story about the ugly hat that person was wearing.

There is no doubt that as we go through te scenarios A, B, C we will hit higher and higher levels of objection from various people because the stated possibly fact-based observation "that's some ugly hat!" is moving further away from an unimportant personal observation made on a street to a serious theory out for the world to see.

It's the same as with Djokovic dribbling a ball 30 times vs someone in position #150 dribbling it 30 times. One is worth noting the other isn't.

I don't have a conclusion. I just have these two observations that help explain why the statement in Your Call was guaranteed to gather negative feedback. There's more going on there, as I'm sure you are aware but this scratches at it.

Marat better serve well to have any chance at it

why get the 2 breaks back if you're going to give it away?
nice job, Marat.
6-3, Dima.

It's not looking good right now :-((((

It seems the headcases are doing what they do. The other team with 4 MP :-((((

6 DFs. Nice team work.
8-5 with 2 service points away from the match.

and the dream is over.
shambolic.

Damm/Lindstedt FTW!

SO. ANGRY. i feel i jinxed the match by wanting them to win in straights. better to suspect otherwise!

thank goodness Ferru is at least alive in singles. he better freaking win tomorrow.

sokol, ha i'm not really sure what else. i wish i could tell them both off lol.

And they lose :-(((

Just the usual headcase stuff you get your hopes up and then step on your hear by losing. :-((((

they lost :-((((
Well, it was too good to last. It was also unfair to Ferrer to play 2 matches with a little rest in between.
I hope Rik/Dima will take the title now

Friday Schedule:

ATP: Dubai 5 AM - Novak Djokovic defeated Gilles Simon 3-6,7-5,7-5
ATP: Dubai 10 AM - David Ferrer defeated Richard Gasquet 6-2,6-2
ATP: Delray Beach 12:30 PM - Koubek/Rochus and Baghdatis/Chardy
Both: Acapulco 4 PM - Benesova/Pennetta, Vassallo Arguello/Almagro, V Williams/Zahlavova Strycova
ATP: Delray Beach 5:15 PM - Garcia Lopez/Korolev and Fish/Serra
ATP: Acapulco 10 PM - Jose Acasuso vs Gael Monfils

Sorry Saferu fans. :(

Was anybody rooting for the other two? Congrats anyway. :)

Now, Dubai is officially "dead" for me

Pete,

Being a huge baseball fan I enjoyed the analogy of pitcher vs. batter. I understand the point you're making about certain pitchers having a batter's number or vice versa. I would like to see how the statistics work for other great tennis players in history who are discussed as GOAT candidates who had comparable abysmal records against their chief rivals of their eras. Because tennis is such a high form of individual sport (possibly the highest). It is still stunning to me that during Federer's run to 14 majors that he has consistently been beaten by Nadal so many times. Did Borg, Laver, or Sampras have a guy during their primes they just couldn't beat? If you or someone has these statistics I'd appreciate them.

Thank you,
waylandboy