jackson,

Its true that Rafa has not just burst onto the scene..but he has always been his Fed's shadow.

Its not fair..but its only because the Fed came first and is a current legend. If the ages were reversed, it would be Fed in Rafa's shadow right now. Rafa started out as a Fed beater, though his fans may not agree..but he made his name by knocking Fed out of tournaments. He had to beat Fed in all the GS he won until this year. Their narrative was unfortunately tied together that way. It carried tennis for years.

As Fed winds down, he is going to get the attention that a legend does...crowds will cheer out of sympathy and memories, writers will write about fading glory and mull about how the once invincible player faces his own mortality and age.

As I said, Rafa...going in as favorite for all of next year's slams...the narrative will mostly focus on him. Even his sneezes will get paragraphs. I think next year Rafa's narrative might pull away from Fed a bit..but i doubt if it will be too much. I don't see it happening until the Fed starts losing early in tournaments. The Fed dosen't have to completely retire..just not being a favorite will help focus the narrative completely on Rafa.

Hey GB!

GB, I didn't catch the whole explanation, but my commentators said that Djokovich had accidentally put two contacts in one eye and one had gotten lodged in his eyelid. Haven't heard if there is any lingering damage.

Thanks GB! I'm always impressed by how geographically diverse this board is. It helps to know that other people lose sleep for tennis as well (the Australian Open is especially brutal to watch on West Coast time).

GB Jason was just talking about Nole and he said he hopes he will be okay.

Lilscot I hear our Song

Give Me Shelter? I have seen the Stones live 3 times.One of my fav groups

So what are the "numbers" in this match? What do they both have to do in order to get to semis? I really can't keep up with all this lol.

Come on, ladyjulia (@8:53).... When have you heard Rafa say that "he's not going to win" or had no chance? Underdog, yes. Loser, no.

jackson: I think I like your idea that Murray was just doing a little leg-pulling of the media. Or, I'd just prefer to believe that since I like the young man and never ever saw him as a being a defeatist until I read those quoted words today.

Yes, I'm going to believe that either MAnd was misquoted or he was having a little fun with te media hounds. :-)

AM:

I hear it marg, I hear it! I've got my Valium I.V. drip all hooked up and my bottle of Absolute on the desk. All ready now! :)

MG Are you from WA? Welcome we are from Sydney

Holds 2 Love Hi, thanks for that info regarding Nole.Ouch 2 contacts in one eye?

Definitely diverse mg. The AO's like the only tourney that's conducive to normal hours for me.

I have serious frazzle about this match, wilson75.

Thanks Holds 2 love. Such an unfortunate, freak thing. I know absolutely nothing about contacts or what it means to be wearing 2 in the 1 eye (!) but hopefully it's ok now.

Ruth and Jackson...i don't remember...but he always claimed that he wasn't the favorite in the match..which I interpreted as that the favorite is going to win (that's what favorite means) which directly implies that Rafa is not going to win.

Since they are only two people playing. That was my interpretation. I don't remember his exact words...but as far as i remember, he always said the Fed would win..which meant that he wouldn't.

Ladyjulia,
I agree with both you and Wilson. I also think that if Nadal continues to dominate we will hear fans of newer or upcoming players complaining about all the coverage given to Nadal. It goes with the territory.
At the same time though, writers/bloggers are just like the rest of us and have their preferences and it's not surprising that they tend to write more or more favorable about their own favorites even while trying to be as objective as possible.

Wilson,
This is again a case in which I understand what Murray was trying to do but he could have shown a little more spirit without appearing too confident. I guess it's a difficult balance to reach.

Lilscot Hell at least at this stage I have never had a drip?

Good thinking though if you kind of de hydrate in one of Rafa's matches lol!

it's beyond confusing temes. In true KAD fashion, I only know that Rafa has to win a set.

Berdy starting out well.

AM: Northern CA actually. Though Seattle is one of my favorite cities.

Hi AM, yes, I've never worn contacts, but I can imagine that if you found one contact floating around you wouldn't understand why you could still feel something foreign in your eye. Berdych holds.

Lets face it Murray is a whinger lol!

That was a good start by Berdy. Frazzle. Please hold here, Rafa!

Yup, frazzle definitely going up

Jackson,
No problem. I really understand where you are coming from and in my years of lurking I've never thought or gotten the idea that Pete goes out of his way to write about Rafa while Steve tends to do it quite often.

GB, yeah. But thanks for the little info anyway. Let me go figure out Berdy's chances lol.

Frazzle

MG Oops sorry.I guess my brain and eye etc havent clicked on as yet its just gone 1.00am here.I did welcome you here yesterday.Glad to see you dont Lurk anymore.

Crap:(((( I really wish Rafa could have played Berdy in the first match!

Ok my posts were in response to posts in the previous page so they may appear a bit disjointed now :)

On to this match though, Berdych playing well and using the right tactics so far.

Well I see the tactics of Tomas early and he is executing his plan well

Rafa?

Besides, this is what Murray said...he dosen't use the expression that he is going to lose..

"I'm going to be playing against someone like Rafa. I'll try and win but I'm not sure I've got a whole lot of chance if I play him. I've watched his matches here. He's been playing unbelievably well. I don't seem to beat those guys in the big matches. I need to do it in a big match, in the semis. I have to see whether I can do that or not. Am I confident? No, not really." - Andy Murray

All he is saying that he is going to see if he can do it..and he isn't really confident about doing it given that Rafa is playing unbelievably well.

Nadal with an ace facing BP

Good save there by Nadal to get back to deuce.

hello mg, recently de-lurked myself. NorCal is beautiful. and Nadal holds.

So basically I gather Berdy has decent chances of reaching semis even if he loses in 3 sets, though much depends on Andy-Novak outcome.

15-40 for Tomas as he came forward to hit volley winner after running Rafael side to side
30-40 Rafael FH winner
40-40 Rafael Ace at T
A-40 Tomas nets FH
Rafael holds as Tomas BH sails wide

Tomas to serve 1-all

Robbie and Jason in full fawning mode. I'm sorry to say but Rafa is not going to win SI Sportsman of year.

Lasdyjulia Murray on a hard court against Rafa has a good chance to win.

Rafa needs to change his tactics.Actually Injimmy and I were saying the very same thing yesterday.We shall see.

wilson75 LOL!

Both Jason and Robbie have their Rafa hats and eyes on at the moment

Robbie said Rafa was Petry in Motion? hey I have said that of Roger and he glides up the forecourt.

I cant see Rafa winning the SI either.

Morning all :

Looks like Berdy is going to fight hard - but I think Rafa will too, he wants to qualify.

"Its true that Rafa has not just burst onto the scene..but he has always been his Fed's shadow."

Oh c'mon now lj. That's a Fed is the GOAT comment if I ever heard one and it's that kind of attitude that gets under the skin of some Rafa fans. If being the youngest man in 40 years to achieve a career slam and the only won to win consecutive slams on three different surfaces, on top of being #1 for months and months and months isn't enough to have the light shine on him far away from Fed's shadow, then I don't know what would be. Federer is not the best in the world any more. Rafa is. He is not in Fed's shadow any more and shouldn't be treated as if he is.

Or we could get a Roger v Rafa semifinal, who knows?
I doubt Fed would come out and say he's not confident in that case ;-)

AM: I can't stand it when the commentators are fawning over any player, even Federer. It's just gets on my nerves. I'm close to putting the TV on mute.

And Berdy again wins the 1st pt on Rafa's serve:((

Nothing wrong with a little commentator slobbering. So what if they're fans of Rafa? A lot of people are. Bring on the slobber because tennis careers don't last long.

More like Fed is the sun and Rafa is the eclipse. lol

jackson: yes, Rafa is the best in the world.

temes LOL!

Wilson75 I agree.I mean commentators to me have to be objective

I think Robbie after a Rafa match takes a long cold shower at times

wrt Murray's weird comments - he was either:

a) Trying to call Rafa's usual uber-humble pre-match comments and raise them or
b) He was in one of those moods where you just want to say something completely unexpected and see what the reaction is

Just no way that the #4, #5 player in the world makes comments like that to be taken at face value...

lilscot I hope you dont mean Rafa wont be having a long career lol!

lilscot: It's okay that you like it. I'm just saying I don't.

lj: I'm no sports linguist or lexicographer, but I think that your interpretation of the meaning of "favorite" in the sports context is a bit off. :-)

Murray is just playing Head Games

Most players do it lol!

Good morning all. I hope that those who celebrated Thankgiving did so with gusto.

Before running back to the Nadal Berdych score, I just want to add that I thought that one thing that made doubles more interesting this year was the relatively new team of Bopanna/Quereshi (not sure of the spelling).

I saw them in D.C. at the Legg Mason & at the US Open. Aside from the curiosity of an Indian playing with a Pakistani, they were great. As a team, they made great strides this year, beating even the Bryans, I believe, at some tourney or other. No small feat. I'm not sure of their ages, but I presume that they will be around for some time. Too bad that they did not make this last tournament. I imagine that both of their nations are well represented in London, which might have energized the arena even more.

Good early return Rafa on the b/hand too about time we saw that more often

Come On

Breaking here would be a good idea, Rafa!

AM: I agree Murray is playing mind games. How can anyone believe that Murray doesn't feel he has a chance against Rafa?

Great shot Tomas down the line

I guess it was just a matter of time Nadal figured out Berdych's tactics.
Good point there by Berdych though!

:((((

Hmmm Rafa back to deuce?

GB
Don't dispair, early goings still :)

Good to see Berdych holding his own under pressure.

Impressive breakpoint saving from both.

k. Keep holding, Rafa!

15-40 for Rafael as he hit CC BH passing shot for winner as Tomas hit BH DTL and comes forward
30-40 Rafael nets stab volley after Tomas got FH and hit FH passing shot DTL
40-40 Rafael FH return long
A-40 Rafael FH return long as Tomas served at T
Tomas holds as Rafael FH return sails wide

Rafael to serve 2-3

Terrific pass from Berdych to save that first break point.

I saw a lot of Indian fans out for Paes and Bhupathi, certainly.

The Bryans did mention Bopanna and Quireshi (I can't spell that either), saying that they were an exciting team and definitely would be in the top 8 next year. They're not young either, though, I remember looking up their ages last night and they're both late '20s.

Would be lovely to see them in London next year.

Good 2nd serve Tomas

Good hold Tomas

Rafa you were looking at soo many 2nd serves there? should have broken.

LOL x-fan, the frazzle can't be contained.

Bopanna and Qureshi are both 30, which is young for doubles players these days but "old" by tennis standards in general.

BTW, I would hate to see doubles discontinued ... heck, it's tennis, isn't it ?

Berdych saved a BP in style there. Then went on to take it, 3-2 on serve. Hi Jay, thanks for your comments on Bopanna/Qureshi, 2010 winners of the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award. Thanks also to Hannah on her Numbers/Doubles post. Really interesting stuff. Would like to see her Drop Shot Index become a regular stat category. ;-)

Thanks for the info Tina! BTW, have you heard anything more about Nole's eye?
----------------

No, I haven't - Serbian news sites aren't talking about it (maybe due to superstition) and Croatian sites are completely biased. When I see accusations of bias on TW, I always ROFLMAO.

I'd check Twitter, etc., but if there's a lingering problem with contacts, I doubt it's something he'd want to broadcast before playing Roddick. It's always a bit of a grudge match between those two, Novak doesn't want to give RAndy any ammunition.

Why do players wear caps when they are indoors?

Tina Thanks for that info on Novak.I hope he will be ok.

Holds 2 Love: good to meet another lurker.

"That's a Fed is the GOAT comment if I ever heard one and it's that kind of attitude that gets under the skin of some Rafa fans."

As a Rafa fan can I just admit that I really appreciate the Fed shadow. Before I fell in love with Rafa's game, I really just fell in love with the fact that at in Miami in 2005 he stood up to Fed. Although I'd been rooting for Fed to realize his potential, by 2005 I was ready for a rivalry.

Since I fell in love with Rafa as an underdog, there's still a part of me that enjoys Fed being there as the standard. I also think it keeps him honest.

I guess the more important reason I enjoy the continued Fed presence is that it legitimizes Rafa. For some reason I suspect that if Roger was not around some of Rafa's accomplishments would be questioned. E.g. "did he benefit from a generation with weak competition?" Every time an article is written about Fed's brilliance it makes me realize how awesome it is that Rafa is winning slams in this era.

AM: I think they get so accustomed to wearing a cap that they feel naked playing without it.

Rafa keep those returns Low? come on think

Thanks Gauloises and crazyone for the follow-up.

By the way, I continue to enjoy your articles, Hannah.

Another missed chance Rafa?

Bad luck Tomas there?

Okay Rafa keep pushing

Too good Tomas well done

Berdych with a volley even I could have gotten to and Nadal punishes him for it. But Berdych holds, 4-3 on serve

40-40 Rafael gets to volley and hit CC FH for winner
A-40 Tomas service winner wide
Tomas holds as he hit FH winner

Rafael to serve 3-4

I must admit Berdych is playing very well so far. I still think Rafa will win.

Very impressive hitting from Berdych I wonder what was up with him in the Novak match he is like a different person.

I was wondering about the cap thing too - seriously, does it help with the lights? They're amazingly bright.

Come on Berdych!

temes: He said he was very nervous in the first match.

I never said I like the commentators raving about a player. I just said that I didn't mind it. That's what mute buttons are for. I was just saying that during a nice competitive match I block the commies out and enjoy the tennis. I can complain all I want after the match. If it was a boring match I can see wandering off and thinking about how the talking heads are annoying, etc.

For now, for me, I choose just to enjoy the tennis. There's already enough negativity in the world. :)

wilson75, that's understandable it's his first WTF afterall I think. He has done a great job turning it around.

4-all Nadal 12-3 W/UFEs

not only is it Berdy's first WTF, but he was coming in with zero momentum after a disastrous post Wimby season

Good service game Rafa

Your 1st serve percentage stats much improved in this match good to see

You have only lost 5 points on serve.

Wow, what an impressive game by Rafa there. Let's keep up that aggressive form my man. Tomas looking a little shell-shocked after that game. Do I hear Sympathy for the Devil on the loudspeakers? :)

"I guess the more important reason I enjoy the continued Fed presence is that it legitimizes Rafa. For some reason I suspect that if Roger was not around some of Rafa's accomplishments would be questioned. E.g. "did he benefit from a generation with weak competition?" Every time an article is written about Fed's brilliance it makes me realize how awesome it is that Rafa is winning slams in this era."

Good point mg. Rafa can never be accused of winning his titles in a weak era.

Is anyone else watching the match on Bet365? Is it working well for you? My stream is really choppy but I'm not sure if it's my crappy old computer or the source.

Holds 2 Love: Thanks for reminding us of the Humanitarian award. That they are playing together at all is a noteworthy accomplishment, but I have a feeling that in the future, they may be more known for their excellent playing.

Hey, Gauloises changed the title of this post since I last refreshed. Speaking of being "rock stars", another reason some might wear caps indoors is the very "rawk" lighting of this venue - those lights seem particularly bright without throwing off much ambient light outside the court area.

Isn't today the day of the Annie/Jewell/Hannah meet-up? I'm assuming Annie is in the O2 right now.

I'm glad this match isn't a blow-out. Tomas's maiden trip to the WTF and all.

Rafa step up good time to break 4 games all

Ruth,

Okay..fine...my interpretation of favorite is wrong.

jackson,

As i said, Rafa has begun to cement his legacy this year..the fawning will start very soon...its already started among the commentators etc..soon the writers will start it full throttle too.

"That's a Fed is the GOAT comment if I ever heard one and it's that kind of attitude that gets under the skin of some Rafa fans."

I don't subscribe to the GOAT argument. Most illogical thing if i ever saw one..given how tennis has no structure and uniformity across eras.

What I meant by shadow is that Fed is the older legend who is currently still playing. You can't reverse the fact that Fed is the older legend who is still active.

There are only two legends in the game right now...Rafa and Fed...they are going to be compared to each other...whether Fed fans and Rafa fans like it or not. There is a reason why their exhibition tickets sell out in 2 minutes. Its because they carried tennis together.

Until the Fed stops being a favorite for tournaments...Rafa is not going to get all the ink for himself. The writers write about the contenders for the titles. Rafa gets ink and Fed shares the ink. When Rafa dominates and is the clear favorite, nobody will bother writing about the Fed when he isn't a contender.

Ofcourse, Fed isn't the best player in the world anymore...but he's still winning titles...people still pick him to win the big titles..so Rafa has to share the limelight unfortunately.

He might be #1...but it seems to me from what i read..that he isn't the clear favorite. He might have 3 slams this year...but people are picking Fed to win the WTF. It surprises me ofcourse..I would think the #1 player has set himself apart...but writers don't think he is apart yet. He may have been months and months at #1...but there is another player in the field who has been years and years at #1.

Like I said...they both have to share the limelight. Comparisons are inevitable in their legacies as of now. Its not fair to Fed..and its not fair to Rafa. But they both have no choice in the matter.

Man, Rafa has got to do more with those second serves for crying out loud. (increases the I.V. drip...)

Well, I hope he's ok and that he qualifies, Tina.

Rafa you were looking at a second serve?

Lame

Honestly that former b/.hand return too? geez.