"if Nadal drew Roddick and Federer drew Soderling would you still be saying Soderling is the toughest QF opponent any of the big four might face? "
ActionFlunky: Don't pretend like you don't know the answer for that one. ;)
Anyway, if you read back those Wimby'09 and USO'09 threads, imjimmy was saying quite different things re the Fed-Sod matches that he's talking about here.

imjimmy: Sorry if it seems like I'm treading upon your thoughts. Re your draw analysis - frankly, different tournament but same tunes. And you have this knack of making it sound as if there is a perennial conspiracy against Nadal. ;)
Yeah.. This draw seems comparatively tougher for Nadal, of course. This is not new to him. By the same token, he's also had easier draws before. More importantly, he has shown us that he can win against all kinds of competition. Like CL and jb said, there is no point in predictably complaining about the paper strength of the draw even before a match has been played. Sorry - but hearing the same tunes again and again makes it look like baking the excuses ready (as opposed to harmless frazzling), though that might not be what you were/are trying to do.

:) well duh! lol

Rafael Nadal, as nice a kid and good a sportsman as he is, gets into the mind games a bit, wittingly or not. He makes his opponents wait on him, not just between points (for which he gets criticized) but in the locker room and on the sidelines as well. When the tournament officials call Nadal’s match, he goes to take another piss, making his opponent stand there, waiting. When the umpire calls them out to the center of the court for the coin toss, Rafa will often stay in his chair, fiddling with towels or his bottles while the other guy walks right out— and has to wait.

I can understand how Toni Nadal, Rafa’s coach and uncle, tried to drill it into the young, impressionable eighteen- year old of a few years ago that it was important for him to take his time, not feel rushed or obligated to do anything until he was comfortable and well- organized. But you have to grow out of that.

Arun, come now, IMJimmy complain about Rafa's draw, scheduling, fitness, lack of sleep, mental health, weather forecasts, etc.?

never!

and Tim, your never ending bashing of Nadal.....you are like a vuvuzela, only much more annoying

Tim's back! Yay!

wonder if it's off-topic to comment on the article above!

Re:the time-wasting issue:
I don't think the people who believe Rafa's timewasting is not meant as gamesmanship and is merely his 'routine' are entirly wrong,BUT I think giving a free pass to Rafa for what he does is a bit unfair to all the other players who stick to the rules and don't do whatever makes them feel more comfortabel. wether these acts were meant as gamesmanship or not in the 1st place,they have certainly become sth Rafa is used to and does as a habit.but the least I would say about them is that they're a bit selfish. it's funny how people ask other players to find ways to cope with Rafa's routines,why not ask Rafa to give up a bit of his rituals in respect to the game and the opponent?
I do think that Rafa is a nice guy overall and shows good sportsmanship in some aspects(respect to the opponent,correcting the calls,etc.) but his over all behaviour on the court does not come across as very sportsmanlke IMHO,rituals or not.

lol and Rafalicious, your relentless whining when ANYONE points out these obvious issues with your King Hero are equally so, just in case you werent aware of it ... Pat Mac speaks the truth, I just cut and pasted it in the box, so its MY fault lol

brilliant, really...

lol and Rafalicious, whats annoying to some is funny to others, another realty check for you, share the planet with those who dont agree with you, if you can manage that...

Tim, it's funny how you cherry pick. :)

The above snippet from P-Mac also says, "Rafa is genuinely liked and respected by everyone."

Something tells me if he was as evil as you portray him, genuinely liked and respected wouldn't be happening.

"Something tells me if he was as evil as you portray him, genuinely liked and respected wouldn't be happening."

he's definitely not evil,and definitely not an angel either,unlike what some of his fans think(same goes for Roger and some of his fans).

of course no fan is going to come out saying they think their favorite player is an angel,but when they can't accept the slightest criticism on the most clear issues then they do think so! rarely do you see any fan of the 2 admitting that the other one is better than their own fav in one particular aspect(personality issues).

Sharin, it's crazy, isn't it? And it continues on like clockwork. :)

cherry pick? look who's talking! i read more snark about rafa this week and not a peep from sherlock or the mama lions in response, and then when I post something, that happens to just be a cut and paste from the US Davis Cup captain, they holler and whine ... you guys gotta find someone else to blame for awhile...

like clockwork, indeed!

Pat Mac is a boorish trash talking imbecile. He has had his tongue up Fed's azz for years. He is always looking for a way to trash Nadal. He needs to come out of the closet once and for all, between his man crush on a young Roddick and his azz licking of Fed it is obnoxious to say the least

its so hysterical to think anything of this post is 'trashing' nadal, only a mama lion fan gurl could get upset over such a portrayal, and anyone's whos ever watched the guy play knows its all true anyway! as I said, Fed fans can totally deal and even joke about Fed's mysterious lapses and flaws, or get angry about them, too bad many nadal fans refuse to do the same and see him as an angel with Rear Admirals ... but then, this kind of thing is the very definition of KAD now, isnt it?