Hi Pete! Hope your vacation/weekend away is going well. You brought back lots of memories of my younger years in Maine. No hunting but learning to shoot in beautiful outdoor surroundings;)).

Back after I read.

It took me awhile to warm to Patrick I think because I was so caught up with John;)). This sounds like it'll be a good read. I like hearing "war stories" in the tennis world.

I'm sometimes put off by some of Patrick's comments (e.g., his AndyR effusiveness) but, all in all, he's good at his commentating job. Some here expressed not caring for John and Patrick being in the booth together but I didn't mind.

And he obviously succeeded where John couldn't with the Davis Cup. (Hope I'm remembering correctly that John's captaincy did not result in winning the Cup.)

Wow, great news, Pete! Looking forward to reading it... I hope you're are bagging and tagging an many-pointed buck right now...

Can't wait to read the new book, Pete! And speaking of 'A Champion's Mind' I'm hoping to finish that soon too.

Pete: That book with PMac should be, as you predict, a very good read. I always enjoy Pat's tennis commentary, even when I disagree with what he's saying -- which is always a good sign for me of how much I like and respect a commentator in any field. And I've loved hearing Pat hold forth on other sports on ESPN. It was fun watching him when he was the substitute host on (I think) te Jim Rome is Burning show.

I held on to ALL of my tennis books when, in my serious preparations for downsizing my living arrangements within the next year or so, I donated about two-thirds of my books to my local library. But I can't wait to add the PMac book to my own "library," so keep working, you guys! Any potential titles being tossed around yet?

I'll be in NYC from Sunday to Tuesday on my annual pre-Christmas trip with my two Baltimore nieces and three grandnieces (a little earlier than usual this year), so I'll have to take my laptop to follow the scores and the TW talk from the WTF -- when I get a chance -- on those first days of this final event. After wearing myself out in NYC, old Aunt Ruth will be happy to plop down in front of the TV and enjoy the tennis for the rest of the week!

All matches to be LIVE on Tennis Channel except the final, which ESPN2 will have. Times listed are USA EST

Sunday Order of Play
Nestor/Zimonjic vs Fyrstenberg/Matkowski at 7:30 AM
Andy Murray vs Juan Martin Del Potro at 9:15 AM
Bhupathi/Knowles vs Cermak/Mertinak at 2 PM
Roger Federer vs Fernando Verdasco at 3:45 PM

Monday Order of Play
B Bryan/M Bryan vs Mirnyi/Ram at 7:30 AM
Rafael Nadal vs Robin Soderling at 9:15 AM
Dlouhy/Paes vs Kubot/Marach at 2 PM
Novak Djokovic vs Nikolay Davydenko at 3:45 PM

Tuesday Order of Play - Time to be determined
Roger Federer vs Andy Murray or Juan Martin Del Potro
Fernando Verdasco vs Andy Murray or Juan Martin Del Potro
Nestor/Zimonjic vs Bhupathi/Knowles or Cermak/Mertinak
Fyrstenberg/Matkowski vs Bhupathi/Knowles or Cermak/Mertinak

Wednesday Order of Play - Time to be determined
Rafael Nadal vs Novak Djokovic or Nikolay Davydenko
Robin Soderling vs Novak Djokovic or Nikolay Davydenko
B Bryan/M Bryan vs Dlouhy/Paes or Kubot/Marach
Mirnyi/Ram vs Dlouhy/Paes or Kubot/Marach

Thursday Order of Play - Time to be determined
Andy Murray vs Roger Federer or Fernando Verdasco
Juan Martin Del Potro vs Roger Federer or Fernando Verdasco
Bhupathi/Knowles vs Nestor/Zimonjic or Fyrstenberg/Matkowski
Cermak/Mertinak vs Nestor/Zimonjic or Fyrstenberg/Matkowski

Friday Order of Play - Time to be determined
Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal or Robin Soderling
Nikolay Davydenko vs Rafael Nadal or Robin Soderling
Dlouhy/Paes vs B Bryan/M Bryan or Mirnyi/Ram
Kubot/Marach vs B Bryan/M Bryan or Mirnyi/Ram

Tennistv.com will show all doubles matches for free and for 24.95 you can stream all the singles matches

Here is the link telling us about doubles:

http://tinyurl.com/ykgsyuc

Semifinals
Afternoon session - 7:30 AM for doubles and 9:15 AM for singles
Evening session - 2 PM for doubles and 3:45 PM for singles

Finals
Doubles to be played at 7:30 AM
Singles to be played at 9:30 AM *

* ESPN2 will be on the air at 8 AM with semifinal highlights before the live final

Morning everyone!

Grats on the book Peter.

Looking forward to London :) And I got a question for you, what racket would you recommend, for baseline player, among:

Monfils's: Prince Exo3 Rebel 95 ( very similar to my current Wilson 6.1 95 but more flexible):

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/descpage-PXOR.html

Hewitt's/Ana Ivanovic's: Yonex RQ iS 1 Tour (lighter, yet still stable and powerful enough):

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Yonex_RQ_iS_1_Tour/descpageRCYONEX-RQIS1T.html

Soderling's: Head MicroGEL Radical Mid+ (again lighter):
http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Head_MicroGEL_Radical_Mid/descpageRCHEAD-HMGRAD.html

Also on a funny note, last night it was the first time for me, when I've organized a tennis tournament (Small social RR, for the evenings): I had to do pairings until the last minute, due to many people joining late (Two of them being ambassadors from Spain and Uruguay, on top of prime-minister's son that we knew already).

Then we had more people that we could fit on the 7 indoors doubles courts, so the extras, about 3-5 of them at a time had to do fun drills with one of our pros (that I had to keep working late, for free, although it was his bday and the manager didn't quite put him in the picture). Rotate the people from the drills court into the main draw and other people out, while keeping the time and blowing a whistle to switch courts and partners (i.e. winners move up, losers move down), while playing myself after the first round.
At least I wasn't in charge of the pizzas as well :)

It was fun, but also some sweating, more then at work lol

How is your own tennis coming along?

Myself, I'm playing more singles (6 times a week), including against stronger players and once a week lessons with the head coach and I've incorporated biking into the woods in the preparation, before that.

I wish people would talk more about their own tennis experiences here, so that we can exchange pointers, besides being fans of the pros :)

Cheers!

Roger:
"In London now for the ATP World Championships. This arena is amazing and will be great for tennis. Its always exciting to play in a new arena, especially one this big. Hope to see some of you at the O2!"

It is hard not to notice that John McEnroe's book was so poorly written...and that Agassi has everything so carefully prepared. It seems that the whole media world is working for Andre...

And now...they are going to write a book about John's brother...? Why is John so politically not wanted? What is wrong with him? Is he too honest? Is he too real? Is he too much of a legend? Maybe he is too conservative...so modern democrats cannot stand him?

What?

arbiter-- So, JMac's book was poorly written because of a conspiracy by modern democrats (like, I believe, himself)? Intriguingly absurd.

If I recall correctly, JMac's book got plenty of press at its release (though people seemed to care far less that he was doing coke than they do that Agassi did meth).

Pete--Looking forward to this. Should be a great read!

I'm sorry but unless Pmac admits in his book that he was taking drugs, hated John or something earth shattering I have no interest in a book by the other McEnroe brother. I'll admit he's good in the studio filling for Fowler but in the booth, especially with his brother he is terrible.

Hey, I'd love a book about the McEnroe parents and the non-tennis brother! But since I'm probably alone, I suppose I want to know how it really feels not to be able to beat Croatia in Davis Cup.

JMac has always been known for brutal honesty, so his book was less of a surprise than Andre's.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/8371708.stm

rafa's interview with bbc.

Pete, Sounds like it will be a great book.Good luck.

Pete, can't wait to read the book you're doing with Patrick. He's one of my favorite commentators and I don't think he's quiet at all! Maybe compared to his older brother but I thought they made a great team at the USO with their jokes and stories. I didn't know Patrick had a major title to his name. I need to look up his record now...

Interesting. And a nice reminder that Patrick McEnroe, like darren Cahill, was a top flight doubles player as well as a half decent singles player (top 50 in the world at anything is much better than half decent, of course).

With any luck, we may get a few words from John McEnroe Sr. The quality of family discussions about tennis must be at least as high as that around the Nadal and Federer dinner tables...

Good to know, Pete.
Looking forward to the book.

Hope Verdasco wins tomorrow!

Thanks, Pete, for the heads up! The outline for the book sounds like good reading for us tennis fans.

As to the BBC interview with Rafa (see above comment for the link): Rafa's such a mature young man and his acceptance of life as-it-is is the evidence. He's always been gracious, but his tough personal and physical year have brought him even more perspective. That said, in this interview he looks and sounds like he's answered the same questions a million times and is doing his very best to keep it animated...

Davis Cup is his primary goal, but he said he's going to give it his all in London. We know we can always count on that from Rafa!

Apropos of nothing - Bryan Brothers "Autograph" (featuring Djokovic and Murray) is totally worth 99 cents on iTunes, if only for Novak's bit.

Great news, Pete!!

I look forward to this book a heck of a lot more than I do reading Andre's melodrama. :)

tina - you're not alone;)). I'd enjoy a book on the McEnroe clan.

rc - thanks for the BBC Rafa link. I agree with Dana, tough year and more perspective as well as great patience answering those questions.

Ahhh Sherlock we all need a little melodrama in our lives.

Annie [7:20 AM on W.C thread]: "she's [Tigress] mad I tell you..."

Acually, I wasn't going to respond to your initial post stating the above, but since you are still bringing it up and repeating it days later ... here goes.

This is on the face of it a demeaning personal attack, which is clearly in violation of the site rules. But it's so off the wall that I won't request that anything be done about it. To tell the truth, I almost fell off my chair laughing when i read it. Nevertheless, i think you should look at what you're doing before attacking other posters personally. In absentia, which is even worse. Beware of hypocrisy.

You might note that I never make personal remarks or attacks on other posters, but try to maintain a rational and civil discussion, sticking to tennis. I hope you can and will do the same.

This is the last I'll say on this matter.

Never, Tigress? Seems you had to take a break from this site for a while, no?

Well AM, I think we have our melodrama. :)

Mr. Bodo - good luck. Any chance on McEnroe's opinion on changes in the game, and the advantages of height and strength in today's tennis outcomes? I looked at the picture on the previous post of the world's top 8 players (omitting Roddick), but it's clear that everyone in the top 8 is above 6'1''. That means the game has changed.

Pete,just a quick note,Sampras book "A Champions Mind" is still not avialable in Sydney.Last year I ordered it from ov/seas.I still find this amazing given the fact we are talking about a legend of the game.

Nice picture of Andy Roddick above. He's such a handsome guy, I've never understood why he usually covers up his good looks with that silly baseball cap at trophy ceremonies and interviews. At least he doesn't wear it backwards any more.

Sherlock: "Never, Tigress? Seems you had to take a break from this site for a while, no?"

Fot alleged "baiting" (whatever that may be). Not for any personal attack on other posters.

Ah, yes. Whatever that may be, eh Tigress? I guess as long as you can claim ignorance, then all is well. *rolls eyes*

Being as you were banned, you might want to take if easy on the high horse about trying to "maintain a rational and civil discussion". Hypocrisy indeed.

Sherlock: Repeating from my first post: "This is the last I'll say on this matter"

Trying not to let myself get baited and drawn into an endless back-and-forth signifying Nothing.

Tennis channel is showing Fed-Nalbandy WTF of 2005. That irritating 5 set marathon. Does anyone remember the scoop about Fed's ankle in that tourney? He is not moving well, the commentators are not saying much and Fed has a big ankle strap (very rare) on his right foot.

"since you are still bringing it up and repeating it days later.." is completely inaccurate as usual, tigress. Susan quoted me, so i mentioned the quote in my reply to her. I had no intention of ever mentioning it again. get it?

Yeah Triple F, he didn't play Basel or Paris that year due to his ankle injury, and started practicing again just a week before the YEC.

Tigress, keep posting. I certainly don't agree with some of your posts, especially on the subject of draws, but they are well written and at least substantive.

I'm a Fed fan too, but that's no reason not to like other players as well. I like this era of civility and respect between players which he has certainly led the way on, along with Rafael.

Thanks Or.
Fed looked clearly 50% and still managed to drag it to the 5th set tiebreaker. That Gaudio 6-0, 6-0 semis was no brainer as Gaudio was harldy a resistance. Fed was throwing points away, then wakes up and plays scintillating defense to bring it back only to lose it again...point by point, game by game...hard to watch. Nalby was in a great player no doubt and those were his best 3 years...But it's amazing to watch Fed not moving well on his right side (or left) and made a contest out of it.

Triple F:

“.....'a few weeks ago I needed crutches and now I'm already back out there..........' Roger had missed six weeks of action since injuring his right ankle in practice. He wore a black brace on the ankle in this one, his first match since winning his 11th title of the year at Bangkok on October 2.”

http://www.rogerfederer.com/en/rogers/news/newsdetail.cfm?uNewsID=233

This is one of the best fifth-set (almost) comebacks!!

I was so disappointed at the time but now I'm just amazed at what he was able to do.

Tigress : I did find many of your posts with something fundamental and key in them and hence, I always do read your posts, somewhat like another poster some time ago, who was a diehard fed fan and diehard rafa non-fan (his name slips my mind now, vincent? i think it was). I also think of you as an honest poster who just says what is on his/her mind, really.

As you can see from my moniker, I am fed fan too and curious to know, if you feel any hesitation before you spank the likes of rafa and murray with some blasting comments, if not for the players themselves for the fans of those players?
Consequently, when someone puts Roger down justfiably or not, are you able to accept it with what you expect, say murray fans, to accept your posts on their favs?

Just bored at work on a saturday and invoking some conversation, nothing more.

Annie: "get it?"

No

federerfan: "Consequently, when someone puts Roger down justfiably or not, are you able to accept it with what you expect, say murray fans, to accept your posts on their favs?"

Yes, without reservation. Doesn't bother me at all. Fed has 16 GS's, Career Grand Slam, 257 weeks #1 and counting, 6 Wimbledons, a French Open title, and on and on. He is at least "one of the GOATS" (oxymoron?). So who cares what people may say against him.

Ok Stop everyone please

I am sick and tired of all this crap,also I am not the only one

Everyone has the right to put their point of view across,also another poster has the right to reply.

We do live in a democratic society last time I checked.

What is not necessary is the snipe and baiting that goes on.

Both both sides!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maybe before writing one has to really Think before puttinn g pen to paper

Roger and Rafa practising today in London.
N.B. the report is from Spanish TV

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KySdNpFieQ

They played a set, Roger won 6:3.

wilson 4:35,

thanks for the clip.

Spanish reporter says Rafa and Federer had never practiced together before (which I found surprising) and that they played a practice set, which Federer won 6-3.

One thing I find strange about most of the Rafa practice videos I see on the Internet is that Rafa usually displays "lazy feet," such as on one of the forehands shown on today's video.

Strange, because in matches, when Rafa is healthy, he is one of the best movers on the tour.

MSF: I didn't think they had ever practiced together before. Odd that rafa would choose to do it now.

Thanks MSF. Is it just me or Rafa looked to be standing miles behind the baseline even in that short video? He was moving closer (to the basline) in Paris.

Anyway, good practice for Fed, seeing that he has to play a lefty (Verdasco) in his first match. For Rafa, not so much. Wonder why they decided to practice here..

I agree with imjimmy Rafa appears to be standing way back

Oh no here we go again?

I also agree with Manuel Rafa is one of the best movers on the tour,his footwork is amazing to watch.

Also, IIRC - Fed was still wearing that ankle brace when he went on to win the following AO. At that point it was purely as a precaution. But again, it shows how important conditioning is to any athlete. And if they miss conditioning for any reason, illness, injury, etc., then the piper must be paid.

And I see I missed a skirmish in the Fedal wars. Yeah me!

I assume Roger wanted to practice with Rafa because Tabascoforbrains is his first opponent and he would like a little lefty spin to work against. And Rafa is the only other lefty there. Since THEY don't indulge in Fedal wars, they have the option to work together occasionally. The last time Fed and Rafa kads here were able to do that was when the Djoker seemed ascendant. Ah, those were the days - unity was found in trashing the Djoker AND his parents.

CL Tabscoforbrains Me likey LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Simply Classic.

OK. so if all of us know rafa is too far back, do you think he does? seriously. It's a big problem for him. I hope tio toni is working on this.

Aw, don't worry Rafa fans...he's just playing a little ropadope with Fed. Fed is SUCH a sucker for a sucker punch. lol.

Annie Have you got a video or tape of the AO at all,see where Rafa was standing there? big difference to now.Again to me this is a sign of no confidence.Maybe I am wrong in thinking this.He has said he know he has to play agressive more? how can he when he continues to make friends with lines people.

He always stands back to receive 1st serve,then on 2nd serve he dosent move forward.His return game? mmmmmm.

Pete,

I will look out for the forthcoming book, is the release date planned? Didn't you co-author "Tennis for Dummies" with Patrick McEnroe?

I despair of Transport for London. The BarcWTF at the o2 arena starts on Sunday and guess what: this weekend, major maintenance work on the underground with 2 lines to the arena partially closed. Argh

To all Rafa fans stop worrying I'm sure he will have a good tournament.

As for the two of them practising together, it's more evidence of how well they get on. I can't imagine Borg and McEnroe hitting with each other at the height of their careers. Plus, it's probably the only tournament where roger and rafa can do that anywhere else would be hysteria, pandemonia and too much of a distraction.

AM: I was watching the AO semi the other day. He's much farther in and his returns are deeper because of it. Whenever he returned a short loopy shot, hott sauce would pounce on it and cream it. You would think rafa was smart enough (i know he's smart enough. He talks about playing "inside the court" all the time). So it must be a confidence issue. But he'd get better results if he moved up and that's what will help his confidence! sort of a catch 22.

Did David Jones ever call?

CL: the spaniard is just playing possum :) But really, I can't believe how well he was playing in Oz. And the court coverage was just crazy. I want that rafa back, please.

"They played a set, Roger won 6:3."

heee heee. Admittedly though, it doesn't quite make up for the AO Final.

geez Rog, cant believe you lost three games to The Wall, your game really is on a slipper slope :)

well, since Roger is the like the worst practice player ever, maybe it's not that bad a result...

Fed-Agassi 2003 Masters final on TC, the day Fed really took over the game...

I don't know what Tio Toni is doing, but Rafa's tactics haven't changed much recently. He looked to be making some progress against Tsonga (in Paris), but was flat again in the Djokovic SF match.

I also notice how often he's started to use his slice backhand. Earlier during '08 and AO '09 he had such a solid flat backhand that used to penetrate through the court. Nadal was very good on both wings and it was hard to dominate him in neutral rallies. But these days his backhand is just a average shot and he's usually on the defensive on that side. Other players see that and start attacking him there and they are helped by the faster surface. The problem is that Rafa cannot run down everything on a hardcourt, and the fastcourts further take time away from him. If he wants to slice as much, Nadal should learn to keep the ball low and give it lower net clearance. If that happens in the future the slice could be a potential weapon, but it is not one now.

Nadal has played 3 good matches since his return(berdych,monfils,tsonga) and it's no surprise that his backhand(and fh obviously) was solid in those matches. A solid BH + good old FH + decent serve should help Nadal in the future. But when the backhand breaks down and the serve goes missing, it's tough to rely just on the forehand and the movement. That's why he's loosing control of the pts, standing far back and continually defending.

Annie I rang them yesterday,being Saturday here.No they still havent found them??? They said they would ring me when they do lol! They said they have gone to another department.There is another book shop selling Andres book,I have to go shopping later I will get my copy there.Gee I could be dead and buried before they find the missing boxes lol!

Gee we are only having 41 deg f here today lol!

The slice b/hand when used correctly is a great shot

Point being Rafa needs to think more when using it

Annie: "But really, I can't believe how well he was playing in Oz. And the court coverage was just crazy. I want that rafa back, please."

Indeed, Nadal was playing so crazy well at AO that he barely beat an injured Federer (who couldn't serve because of his bad back) in a 5 setter that Roger should have won in 3 or 4.

Agree that it would be nice to see that Rafa, though.

He started to flatten out his b/hand at RG08 which has become a weapon.

Most players on a h/court go to his f.hand to break it down

I still think his b/hand is better and can use Defense and Ofense with it.

imjimmy: his 2hbh was on fire against verdasco and federer in oz. i thought he used the slice on low balls and the two hander when the ball is right in his wheelhouse. I don't get that and I don't get where his passers have gone. I also don't understand why he isn't using the newer strings that increase spin. Can you imagine what his shots would be like with even more spin?

Annie Players get their strings strung usually to coinside with weather and playing conditions.

I am a serious Fed fan who does due diligence on various Fed sites. I know of no reliable information that Fed's back was acting up at the AO. He served brilliantly against Roddick in the semis. IMO, he lost the AO final to a player...and arguably a very TIRED player.... who played better for more of the match than Roger did. The whole final was a study in Federesque inconsistency.

Same as the USO - he served lousy in the final and served almost as poorly in the semi against the djoker. The rest of the tournament he served quite well. Again, I know of know reliable information that his back was a factor. He just had a bad day at the serve office at the wrong time.

If anyone has different information from a reliable, non kad source, I'd like to hear it.

"that he barely beat an injured Federer (who couldn't serve because of his bad back) in a 5 setter that Roger should have won in 3 or 4.

It's funny how Federer's back was absolutely fine in the Semifinal match against Roddick at AO 09. which Federer won in straight sets. During that match Federer outaced Roddick by 2:1: Federer served 16 aces to Roddick’s eight, and had no double faults with a 68% first serve percentage. Fed hit 51 winners and basically gave Roddick a tennis lesson. Suddenly after 2 days of rest (ONE extra day compared to his opponent) Federer's back went bad?

Whereas Nadal, OBVIOUSLY, was as fresh as a daisy after playing a 5 hr+ SF (longest match in the AO history) and having ONE LESS rest day than Federer. Never mind that Rafa was also leading throughout the entire match in the final.

Let's give it a rest. The excuses are getting a bit old. Nadal won the final comprehensively, and in the final set out-muscled and intimidated Federer.

CL Back problems can come and go

Sometimes you think its gone and can come back to bite you

CL: thanks. I never heard fed make any excuses for that loss.

isn't that what nadal always does to roger??

I think all players when losing put things into more prospective than their fans do lol!

Annie: I was going to say the same thing. Roger in the aftermath of the AO and USO losses never said that his back was the reason him losing. In fact he stated that Rafa and Del potro were the better players in those matches.

AM: I agree. Slice could be a great weapon. But at present Rafa's slice sits up too much, and has major room for improvement. But if and when he learns to keep it lower, deeper, and more accurate, then it could be an excellent shot.

Annie: That's what I meant. He used to make some impossible gets from his backhand with amazing power (being a natural rightie). But recently he's not moving as well to his bh side nor hitting it with as much authority.

Regarding the strings, it's been a long standing question as to why Rafa doesn't use the newest 100% poly luxilon. Many commies have said that it would increase his spin by 40-50%. Beats me..

CL: I believe that Andrew or some other 'reputable' source here cited photos and videos showing Roger's truncated serving toss and motion at the AO presumably due to his continuing back injury from late '08, as compared to earlier years (maybe Cincy '07, if my memory is correct). It should be in the archives sometime in February or March '09.

imjimmy, lets just stick to that 'no excuses' rule when it comes to Rafa's loss at RG, shall we?

imjimmy Yes indeed thats the way to use the slice to perfection

Interesting, Pete. I'll look forward to that book.

I see not much has changed around here... but CL, thanks for your 5:49 pm.

AM! you went blue!

GH Not for long

I cant keep it Blue,changed to a new moniker,though it wants to stay on the old one

Any tips,you know I am a slow learner when it comes to this computer stuff

Gee I count my blessing when I get the computer to start.

Bring back the Carrier Pidgeon I say.

Annie: "I never heard fed make any excuses for that loss."

That's because Fed never makes excuses for losing, even when he's demonstrably hurt. Unlike You-Know-Who.

imjimmy: As AM said, back injuries come and go. So the fact that Fed served well against Roddick 2 days earlier means nothing in itself, except to show what he could have done to Nadal had his back not acted up.

you're doing it again.

Hope Verdasco wins tomorrow!
~~~~~

+1

I'd love to see him do well in his first season-ending championship. It'd be a much-needed confidence boost.

And what's this about Nole switching to Tacchini? Me no likey. :/

This Fed fan says that if a player steps onto court they are fit to play, unless they retire. Whether Fed had back twinges in AO or Nadal knee twinges at RG is utterly irrelevant to the basic fact -- they lost, the other guy won.

Players lose because they didn't play as well on the day as their opponent. Why they didn't play as well is usually a combination of many different factors, and for them to work out with their coach, physio, doctor, psychiatrist, lover, whatever.

Any player that is carry any injury coming into a tournament,even niggling that it may be would never come out and say.

Gee you dont give your opponent anything on any level.

We only found out after the US OPEN that Murray's wrist had been injured though he never offered that up as a excuse.

Roger has never used a excuse,that also applies to Rafa.

Hope Verdasco wins tomorrow!
=============

No, no. That's not in the game plan at all. His entry visa to London was clearly stamped with "minion", regardless of which group he was going to be in.

you must be kidding, i have heard many excuses from roger
after losing. you must be referring to someone else.

sally, please link to relevant transcript or withdraw your statement.

Neither player makes excuses. All the players on tour are very professional and gracious when they lose. They know the score even if their fans don't seem to get it.

I am a Federer fan and a relatively infrequent poster but I confess to suffering from FEDAL war fatigue. It is just tiresome and boring to be honest.

I enjoyed watching the FED/NALBY match on TC earlier today despite the loss. I had 0 expectations after FED losts sets 3&4 so his fightback to almost winning the match made me proud as a fan especially considering that after he went 4-0 down in the 5th it would have been easier to just throw in the towel. But he hung tough and gave himself the opportunity and almost pulled it off.

Now the tennis lesson he gave Agassi in the TMC 2003 was a sight to behold , ponytail notwithstanding!!!

*Delurking alert

CL
"The last time Fed and Rafa kads here were able to do that was when the Djoker seemed ascendant. Ah, those were the days - unity was found in trashing the Djoker AND his parents."

LOL, Oh! I remember those days mainly in the start of '07, but most of the people who used to post back then have stop or don't do it as frecuently, like Tari, Snoo foo, ptennisnet, highpockets, and many, many others, sigh!!!, Looks like I've gone down the tribes memory lane.

*Delurking alert

CL
"The last time Fed and Rafa kads here were able to do that was when the Djoker seemed ascendant. Ah, those were the days - unity was found in trashing the Djoker AND his parents."

LOL, Oh! I remember those days mainly in the start of '07, but most of the people who used to post back then have stop or don't do it as frecuently, like Tari, Snoo foo, ptennisnet, highpockets, and many, many others, sigh!!!, Looks like I've gone down the tribes memory lane.

any one of his losses to murray.
i will not withdraw my statement.

""So the fact that Fed served well against Roddick 2 days earlier means nothing in itself, except to show what he could have done to Nadal had his back not acted up. ""

Tigress,

Of course Nadal is not Roddick, as Federer has discovered repeatedly while coming on the loosing side 13 times out of 20 against Nadal.

""That's because Fed never makes excuses for losing, even when he's demonstrably hurt. ""

If you think Federer really gives credit to his opponents after a loss, read this -

http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/news/interviews/2009-02-01/200902011233411537875.html

and also the comment about loosing the Wimbledon Final 2008 because of bad light.

Awww Typepad, sorry for the doble post, not my fault.

The point I was trying to make was about being injured coming into a tournament.

Did Roger come out in 2007 after having blood tests and finding out he had mono? no he did not.He was sick when playing,picked up gastro virious and did not play Kooyong if my memeory serves me right

He made it to the s/finals regardless,being a fellow sufferer of this horrid disease,I dont know he he did it quite frankly.

JohnC: "[Verdasco's] entry visa to London was clearly stamped with "minion", regardless of which group he was going to be in.

Wrong. That was only if he'd landed in Group B. For Group A, his visa was stamped "road kill".

Ok the heat has melted my brain

That was in 2008 not 2007 sorry.

Welcome, Cupcake Lurker. Do delurk more often. Yeah, the said people (and many more) are missed. :( Using my expertise in rocket science, I've deduced that the posts similar to the ones seen above (from both the sides) are why they are missed.

Whenever Federer looses, he is injured/or does not play his A game. According to his fans, no one can EVER beat Federer if he's playing well.

Look at his numerous losses to Nadal and Murray. It's always because of bad back, lack of rhythm on service, backhand whatever.. Always excuses. The first serve % is a classic excuse which was used against Nadal in AO, Delpo in USO etc. Nevermind that the opponent might be causing him to miss the serves..

Federer has openly dissed Murray in the press including derogatory comments before Wimbledon and also recently where he said he controls all matches against Murray DESPITE loosing to him 6 times out of 9! Previously he's also called Nadal a ONE dimensional player.

Federer is never generous to players he looses too regularly. Fortunately for him there are only 2.

AM: Do you mean that you want to stay with your new blue moniker?

The discussion in this board was peaceful and informative until the following post by Tigress
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Posted by Tigress 11/21/2009 @ 5:39 PM

Indeed, Nadal was playing so crazy well at AO that he barely beat an injured Federer (who couldn't serve because of his bad back) in a 5 setter that Roger should have won in 3 or 4.
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This is textbook "baiting" designed to irk Nadal fans. Are the Mods taking note?