zenggi Thanks for the clairfication of the word,I am not even going to try to spell it in future though.I have enough trouble with 4 letter words lol!

Possibly one of your best posts, Pete. And that's saying a lot :) Well done!

Federer will always be remembered as the greatest talent, the most elegant mover on the court...but as a person, he is at the bottom of the list of all champions. He has no character, no class...and he does not even know how to hide his miserable persona.

He was always my favourite before I have realized what kind of person he was.

Hopefully this isn't the beginning of the end for Federer.

Arun - lol at your 2:55 :)

AM - we know all about you and your four-letter words.

On further investigation, the definition of my word "Spumante" is: "To kick ass while drinking a sweet sparkling wine". Not really the same thing.

"He has no character, no class...and he does not even know how to hide his miserable persona."

Why, I bet he has so little class that he anonymously calls people classless!

AM,

Where have your half italian genes gone? :)

arbiter- I'm sure he'll die a lonely, friendless and bitter man. Then you'll be vindicated.

Grant Ok,you didnt have to bring it up lol!

zenggi I decided to use my French ones ok lol!

Greenhopper,
I do not think Virginie will play but who knows.

hi, jb. howz work? :)

BlueDog...tennis is just entertainment, Federer is a public figure. Part of my entertainment is to have the freedom to like or dislike characters on the show. Obviously, I don't like Federer character.

What is he going to do in his life - I couldn't care less.

I am just having fun at the expense of "journalists" like Bodo...so clever at presenting things...now he is trying to convince us that mr. Federer is this great, positive character...I can only laugh at both Bodo and Federer. Both are forever negative characters in my book.

The best thing for tennis is the Sarah Palin book. It just blows Agassi out the door. Makes him old news quickly.
No more talk of tennis players taking meth and tanking matches, hating tennis.
Except on tennis blogs.

BlueDog, I responded...but my response disappeared.
No, I totally don't care what Federer is going to do with his life.

He is there for the entertainment, and that is all.

arbiter: well, you can take comfort in knowing your views are shared by Federer's fellow ATP players, who have consistently awarded him the Stefan Edberg "negative character most resembling Pete Bodo" award.

The Sarah Palin story is indeed genius, particularly the parts where she invents the inside-out two handed BH while riding on Todd's snowmobile, using her racquet to brain a moose when the ol' AK47 ran out of ammo.

AM,

I'd like you to watch the CNN interview I linked on the previous page. Roger talks about Rafa and their rivalry with a lot of "affeto" and "rispetto". (Easy-peasy words for you, I think)
The only 4-letter word I know in Italian could be use for those comments we usually scroll.

'cupcake draws' (and other assorted terms that have been bandied around as federer racked up the wins over the years) is still a little insulting.

posters here have argued this to death but the valid point is that fed has to play the same number of guys in any tournament that the rest of the field has to play if they want to reach the final. does a draw become 'cupcake' when fed wins the final? or is squashed pound cake when he's taken out in the second round (a la Bercy/Benneteau)?

it boils down to looking at from a 'half full', 'half empty' approach.

the whole notion of draws being easy or hard is nonsense. any player can get on a streak and play 'no holds barred' tennis and take down a top ranked player. the fact that fed dominated for so long and made it look so easy makes us think, incorrectly, that all his draws were easy.

one of the things i like about fed and nadal is that they don't talk a lot about their feelings or emotions about a certain player or match...in fact, we may never know all that was going through fed's mind when nadal crushed him at the FO in '07. maybe has was thinking ' you little spanish f^%$er'. do we need to know it all? no. do pros have to say it all? no. (they can wait for the 4 figure book advance a la agassi...ha ha)

Andrew 3:33pm...hahahahaha. The Pete Bodo line made me laugh aloud. At work!! Do you know how hard it is to make me laugh while at the grindstone?

Master Ace,

@2.21pm. It would be totally unthinkable. Not going to happen anyway.

Andrew- I thought Sarah was more of a down the line moose dung kind of gal.

Grant writes:

"It used to be you'd get a bronze statue for leading your men off to a glorious defeat, but now all you get is a golden parachute."

Incompetent Confederate generals, such as John Bell Hood and Braxton Bragg, also had forts named after them.

Fort Hood, unfortunately, has been in the news for the wrong reasons, lately.

Of course, the governments that named these forts was the victorious United States (the "Union").

Perhaps a reason for the choice of names was to give thanks to these incompetents that made the United States' victory in the American Civil War ("War Between the States") easier.

Pete in your article, you should have that Fed shirt is like a silk shirt under a gold jacket. You know, that one he wore at Wimby that you memoralised (is that a word?) in a previous blog.

(Hell, yes. I have not forgotten.)

i never post here but this is a first class post. beautiful.

Hi everyone.
"You gotta love The Mighty Fed."
Hmm, well, kinda. "Respect" would be more like it:)
But that sure is a fine piece on the Fed, Pete. By the way, we only have one prince around here:) I read the interview, and the explanation for his famous "G-o-d, it's killing me" (i hope that's not moderated), makes sense to me. And he sure comes out as a nice, happy guy.

Andrew...nice try :)
ATP is a corporation, Federer is their symbol...of course they will make up stories, of course players will say all the best about him. They need to sell their product (ATP).

We now know what a miserable, self centered character Micheal Jordan is (from his own mouth). There were players at his time who knew exactly what a selfish ignorant, person he was, yet they never said it. They were advised by their agents what to say.

MA, you could threaten to cut off your ear. Then I could cheer for Fed in every major yet sleep well at night unconcerned at missing any match calling by you in the future.

Well, I imagine I may only have to worry up to the AO. If Fed loses that then Zeniigi might as well erase the entry from his diary.

Oh man did Jordan win a lot of sportsmanship awards, provided that 'a lot of' means zero.

if only roger had not choked so many matches away against rafa.
he really would be the GOAT.

zenggi Yes indeed

Scroll Baby Scroll lol!

Also just back from my run,to the idoit who had a garden blower who saw me coming,thanks so much.I just love having leaves,grit in my hair and in my eyes.pff.t

Thanks, MA. Also read elsewhere that Stubbs is pairing up again with Lisa Raymond. Sammy Stosur wants to focus more on singles next year.

Kind of a fun discussion, but I feel obliged to reverse my usual stance and ask you to read more, rather than less, literally when it comes to my "discipline" comment. Read literally, it means that Federer does not use the world very much at all, which I don't believe he does. The reality of how disciplined he really is (or isn't) has nothing to do with this. And let's remember, he had to step out and clarify how disciplined he is, perhaps because he so rarely speak or complains of it.

Greenhopper,
Yes, Aussiemarg posted a few days ago about Rennae and Lisa reuniting but I believe their magic ended years ago.

GH I was hoping Renee would team up with Alicia Molik,I was quite surprised that she teamed up again with Lisa,though they did win 3 GS titles together.

Maratski is giving his flowers ( that he got in award ceremony) to Myskina: http://tinyurl.com/y8hgrrc
awww, so nice :-))

Marat and Shamil
http://tinyurl.com/y867r3o

Myskina looking good...
http://tinyurl.com/yel73p5

and more Marat :-)
http://tinyurl.com/yd2ngxl

"The Sarah Palin story is indeed genius, particularly the parts where she invents the inside-out two handed BH while riding on Todd's snowmobile, using her racquet to brain a moose when the ol' AK47 ran out of ammo."

You betch'ya, Andrew!

Well, it wasnt moderated. Good.
Now, since this is the watercooler post for today, i have some news from the Spanish media, apart from the coverage they are having on Nadal's interview that has already been published here. Mainly, the part where he says he was "out of this world" for a month after his parents' divorce. But that's old news.
But here's the juicy part: i had been waiting for days to hear what the guy that probably is closer to Agassi in the tour had to say about what Andre says in his book. I'm referring to Fernando Verdasco, and i heard in a Spanish radio these words from FeVer today. This is the direct translation of his words. Watch out, Brooke Shields:
"Well, i train with Andre quite often when i'm over there, and i do know him a little.
Of course, his words were strong and had a big impact in the tennis world. I think everything he did back then must have a reason, and it's obvious he regrets it, but maybe he wanted to tell to feel better with himself. To me, it doesnt change a thing to know now, me as everybody else, what he did in those years. For me, he is the same person, the same friend and the same player he was before.
He will always be my idol, the player i liked the most to watch, and the fact that he tells in his biography what he did in 1997 wont change that.
I think he did what he did not because of tennis, but more because of his marriage with Brooke Shields. I know well he had a horrible time in those years, as he wanted to save that marriage by all means, but she made his life impossible, and she was a constant pain in the @$$, and it's difficult to keep playing tennis with such a wife, and it's normal that he lost his head at some point and did what he did."
Asked by the interviewer if he is considering marriage himself, Verdasco says:
"No, no way. Well, i mean, in the future of course, but in a quite distant future. And when it happens, with someone that's not like her. I dont want anybody driving me crazy. I'm crazy enough"

Pete: when you love what you're doing it doesn't take much discipline to do it.

Mr X LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Chick Magnet words at the end

Ok I am done.LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, I see that Roddick's withdrawn from London, as expected. Sigh. I really don't think he'll qualify for the event again; I definitely don't think he will next year. Sucks since he had to withdraw last year too.

Good for Soderling, I guess.

Mr X,

Very interesting. Just shows two egos never work in a marriage.

My goodness. Someone tell Fiasco that Brooke Shields has lawyers. lol.

Mr X While you are around I need confirmation regarding a Spainish article regarding Rafa,which with my little Spainish I couldnt get literal translation of.It was on the other post,I dont know if you have read it or not.To do with him losing weight,which he has done in the past.Can you help me out please.

ATP has finally announced Roddick w/d on their site.

AM, Stubbsy wants to keep going for the GS titles, understandable at her age. I'm not sure she's patient enough to help out Alicia.

So TW has a new logo now? I see a green circle enclosing a 'T' in white on my browser.

"Just shows two egos never work in a marriage."

I have friend who saved her marriage by crushing her husbands ego. They seem very happy.

thebigapple @ 4:02,

I'm more than ready to erase MA's notation on my diary but being a woman I need a good reason to act on it. Nowadays those said notations multiply as the Plantagenet's heathlands i.e. Blackberry, 2 mobile phones, work computer, home computer, laptop etc.

I would miss MA's impeccable tennis updates and therefore I have marked said datum beforehand as problematic. :)

wow, what is it with poor Ms. Schields and guys who don't know her totally going off on her - first that Tom Cruise guy and now verdasco?!

I bet even Freud would lose some cigar ash over this one...

GH Yeah you maybe right there,also her age is a factor.Though she is a fit athlete for her age.

hello all. no surprise that FeVer doesn't have wedding plans in the near future.

um, did someone say i'd get to see Sod play in London? :))

Heh. Keep your mouth shut on things you're not sure about, Nando.
I'm 2/3rds my way into the book and it looks to me like Andre was confused about his relationship with Brooke from the very beginning, but kept holding on to her for 3 years. I don't see how his meth usage is entirely her fault.

Zenggi, Tigress and others,
I will revise my "promise". If Roger wins the Calendar Slam for 2010, I will not post any WTA articles, records, Ace rankings, and etc on TW.... even if someone ask me a question instead of not posting at all on TW.

"I think he did what he did not because of tennis, but more because of his marriage with Brooke Shields..."
~~~~
Whew, thank goodness you don't get paid for thinking, Hott Sauce. :)

Mina,
Yes, Robin name will be in the "hat" tomorrow at 4:45 AM.

Hi Mina,I see you finally got your Medibank papers

I can only do afternoon shifts though.I will go today and get my coloured passport photo Yikes!

I think everyone who reads Agassi's book is going to have a different view of things. Unfortunately, he and Brooke lived in two different worlds and should never have married.

lol, sblily.

"Asked by the interviewer if he is considering marriage himself, Verdasco says: "No, no way. Well, i mean, in the future of course, but in a quite distant future. And when it happens, with someone that's not like her. I dont want anybody driving me crazy. I'm crazy enough"

Holy cripes.

Fernando, pal, I think your worries are over. I think you can now consider yourself quite safe from any female EVER wanting to marry you...

LOL sblily

Andrew, Ms. Rubin (hi Ms. Rubin): when you live in Alaska, you don't run out of ammo. Not anymore then you run out of Pinot Noir when you live on Manhattan's Upper West Side.

"I'm crazy enough"

:-))

Boy, i knew FeVer would get some heat for that, and i think my translation of his exact words made what he said a little softer. If some of the other Spanish speakers are around, maybe they would find a better way to translate this expression (with apologies to the mods):
"estaba dando por culo todo el día"

AM, not sure what interview you are talking about. I went back to search, and in the last couple of threads i only found one interview with Nadal in Spanish, and it's the one that has been commented several times, where he talks about his year, his views on religion, world peace and all that stuff, but there's nothing related with losing weight there. This is the interview i'm referring to:
http://www.magazinedigital.com/reportajes/los_reportajes_de_la_semana/reportaje/pageID/1/cnt_id/3912

Why write yet another piece on Federer? It just leads to the usual commenters coming out of the woodwork to vent their fantasies about Fed's nastyness. They could find out what he was really like by reading about fan encounters with him or about those who met him on his charity work. But of course they don't want to know that.

I'd rather read some pieces on some other players like Gonzo, Sod, and Cilic, to name three who don't geet a lot of word space.

But since this subject has been raised.. To elaborate on Fed's words, "It's killing me," he said in that interview that he was referring to his frustration at not being able to control his emotions in public and he specifically mentioned hating that he was taking the limelight from Rafael. Nadal has also said he hates crying in public and that's another thing he's better at than Fed, holding off until the locker room.

Fed said he's better at the French and USO where there's music to distract him, but all in all he's the GOAT of getting emotional, ranging from his wedding to getting a sighting of R.Laver.

What a tactless comment from Fernando;(.

i'll hold MA to that promise. but only because i know that he knows what he's doing :) having seen the rollerrcoaster that was 2009, it's a pretty safe bet. i'd do it myself, but then i'm not as big on the ladies tour.

Mr. X,

Thank you for the last radio news. Have you read the article from El Pais where Lendl also says he hated tennis. What's happening to "fun"?

http://www.elpais.com/articulo/deportes/Agassi/mata/dragon/elpepudep/20091116elpepidep_13/Tes

Google translation into English: http://tinyurl.com/yfxodym

Nice article pete.I enjoyed it.

Hi Pete,

I enjoyed your piece on "The silk Shirt"...I believe it came straight from your heart and 100% accurate. I blew through the previous comments because I eyed a few bias tennis fans. I have to tell you, you must have a Very Thick skin to be in your profession! But this Fed Fan was smiling all the way through your very sincere and perceptive view of TMF.... It is comforting to know the Media (you!)can be unbiased and call it like you see it...That takes honesty, integrity and good journalism...Thank You!!!
Sheila

it sure got kind of quiet around here, Mr. X - boy, you are the "numero uno" source around here!

So, Roddick is definitely out. Not a big surprise. And the Sod is in. Err, well, fine, i guess. Pffft.
About this change, i have one question to anybody that knows the answer: before this happened, Fed and Rafa were gonna get in the draw one player between Muzz/Nole, one of Delpo/Roddick and one of Kolya/Verdasco. Now, Sod is in for Roddick. Are Fed and Rafa getting one of Muzz/Nole, one of Delpo/Kolya, and one of FeVer/Sod?
Or Sod just takes Roddick's place?
I hope i made my question clear.

AM, i've sent mine in. will be volunteering on mornings, as i need the afternoons to rest up. plus i've got tix to night matches fr wednesday to the Final.

Mr X Thanks anyway,I saw that article.Some people were referring to Rafa losing weight and muscle,mmmmmmm.He has lost weight in the past due to the knee factor.Though he has kept muscle,which one can do.Some were saying no wonder he has lost power in his shots? oh well dosent matter.Thanks again.

oh, you'll be volunteering too, Mina? Good. and Congrats.

arbiter writes: "Part of my entertainment is to have the freedom to like or dislike characters on the show. Obviously, I don't like Federer character."

Sure, but then don't expect to be taken seriously when your arbitrary judgment stands in clear and striking contradiction to the available facts: namely, Federer is as well liked and respected by fellow players and others on the tour (from officials to carhops) as any champion in the open era.

Oh, and Sally, it is particularly interesting that Nadal himself doesn't regard his record against Federer as relevant to Roger's status as one of the greatest players ever. But I guess you know better.

Mina Goodness me you were quick with the photo and all,I received mine through the post on Monday.

Gallant:

"I don't think it was just tennis, he was going through a lot of personal turmoil at the time too."

Goofus:

"The problem was that his wife was such a harpy. Women - they ain't satisfied till they've driven you to hard drugs, am I right fellas?"

Arun, yup. i'm looking forward to it... it's also my first time to watch live tennis. i was hoping i could go to Melbourne, but real life intervened. sucks.

Mr. X,
Correct with the last 4 names being Nikolay/Juan Martin and Robin/Fernando.

Hadnt read the article, zenggi. The part towards the end with his father telling him to quit is what interested me the most, apart from the fight between Agassi's father and Graf's father. The translation of Lendl's words is entirely accurate.
Mr Rick,
Well, glad you think that, but actually, i hate being a source. And i have always hated it, since my father pushed me to do it, at a young age:)

mr x - i think that they'll just remove andy roddick, sod won't take his 'slot'. the draw hasn't been made, so there's no reason for them to drop sodering in that exact spot.

once its been made with an alternate, then they wouldn't reshuffle.

may be completely wrong about that though! :)

AM, it just so happened that i had a passport pic lying around. hehe.

Ya just found out I can get a copy of Andres book in Sydney,will buy ASAP

Pete If you are still around.Pete Sampras book is still not published here.I had to order my copy from o/seas last year in Novemeber.I still cant believe it.

mina - good, glad you'll have free time to catch the tennis. you'll love it, its so fun to be right there! :)

LOL, Grant.
AM, all i can say is that if they were saying that, they didnt take it from that article. I honestly cant tell if he has lost weight. Maybe a little bit, to protect the knees, but i think the outfit change kinda hides the biceps.

I was reading the first page of this thread, and apparently, the Hott Woz is playing doubles with Anabel Medina next season. Not that i have any problem with it, but what happened with the Hott Woz/Cirstea team? That was sooo good:)

Exhibit No. 76 that Verdasco is an idiot.

Haven't read Agassi's book but have seen interviews where he whines that he was in a marriage (to Shields) that he didn't want to be in. (Grammar Alert. Sentence ending in preposition.)

Nobody put a gun (figuratively or literally) to Agassi's head, forcing him to marry Shields.

So how about you not be such a goddamn crybaby about it.

Amazing that Graf married such a whiner. She must have some issues, herself.

Mina I hate haveing my passport or drivers licence taken pftt.

One always looks horrid.I will try to make myself as beautiful as I can lol!

Doesn't everybody have issues? ;-)

Thanks for clarifying, Pete.

Good for you, Mina.

thanks jb. love the new moniker.

well played Mr X. hehe. btw i wasn't around to witness the fanboys react to the Woz + Radwanskas sunbathing pics... it's just not fair that we are not getting anything remotely similar! LOL but then again i've seen enough of Rafa + her on the beach :P

Sheila, thanks! Sometimes people don't realize that my job is to sit down and write what I'm thinking. It not written in stone, nor is it calculated, positioned, or slanted to achieve some ulterior purpose - although I always have to ask myself if I'm meeting my first obligation, which is to be thought-provoking and interesting. Some days you eat the bear, some days the bear eats you.

And Grant - you're on fire today!

Mr X Thanks.

Thank you, Master Ace and jb:)
OK, so the draw is tomorrow.
*phone call to the guys of the Spanish conspiration*
Hello?Yeah, it's Mr.X. I was figuring we have to get everything ready to fix tomorrow's draw, just like we usually do. Yes, i got the information you asked about. It's the Sod (yes, that guy), along with Fer in the last spot. Let's see our options:
Nole/Muzz: obviously, we dont want another beatdown, so i think we should go with Muzz. Well, i dont know, he doesnt look like a beatdown kind of guy, and i think we could avoid that going with him. So, Lestat is gonna be. Fix it.
Delpo/Kolya: Yes, i do know Delpo won the USO, but he's kinda injured, so i think we should go with him. Hey, wait, i just had a better idea. Fix the draw so that Rafa gets to play Delpo last. The way the Ent is, it's doubtful he will even play that match, let alone be in the right condition. No, we dont want Kolya, i think. Shanghai was enough. Can we do the Delpo fix so that he faces Rafa last? Nice.
Fer/Sod: yes, i know this isnt even questionable. Nobody wants the Sod. Besides, Fer is a "minion", remember. Yes, i think that will be quite an easy fix. Havent we done almost every tournament, giving Alamagro and Robredo to Rafa?
OK, i think we'll be able to get our guy to the SFs with these fixes. Good job guys.

Gallant:

Goofus:
~~~~~

*loves Grant*

Mr X, LOL!!!

*loves Mr X*

does anybody on this thread really believe roger can win the calendar slam next year?......sally i know it has probably been a tough year for you, but cheer up and try not to make statements like that regarding federer.....it is not an opinion that federer is the goat, but it is a fact and that is jus the way it is......15 majors and a career slam are something that you cannot argue with.....he could be 0-20 against rafa and he would still be the goat because of his numbers......put it this way.....the difference between the majors that roger and rafa has is greater than the h2h difference......sorry sally but you will never win his argument with anyone.......this is coming from a fan of roddick as well......i could care less about federer and have found the game to be quite boring the last 7 years with him dominating everything until the mono hit which was a relief for me because somebody else finallt started winning......having said all this though i will not tarnish my truthfullness just because i do not care for someone.......roger federer is the greatest of alltime whether we like it or not......

MR X LOL!

Well, mina, i didnt have much of a reaction to those photos. It was more like collapsing to the ground, and then having trouble to get my mouth closed for a while:)
By the way, since you are still a meanie, shouldnt you make some "Blahroline"-like remarks?:)
msf, since you are around, amybe you can confirm my translation of the Verdasco interview. Here's the link to the audio:
http://www.as.com/audios/20091117csrcsrdep_8/Aes