They will make gentelman out of him when they lengthen his sleeves and shorten his pants and his bright outfits take a muted tone. What next a hair cut?

nirv01,""they" don't need to "make" a gentleman of him. Have you met him? He already is one.

In case you've missed it, he's been wearing his sleeved polo for a lot of his press appearances here. But he decided for the time being to go back to what he was comfortable as opposed to debut something new on court (and, I suspect, what he's been winning in). And if the shorts go any shorter, some of us are going to be in danger of missing half the actual match. We really are trying to pay attention to the tennis, no?

And he's had a haircut. More than one since before Wimbly, actually. With the exception of the runaway lock on the left side, it actually frames his face much like Roger's does his. Check the difference in length between 2007 U.S. Open and now.

Further, Rafa has been quoted as saying some of his colors -- like the ones on his polo with the sleeves and collar you actually appear to prefer -- are what they are because they are reminiscent of Mallorca. You know ... home? (The xenocentrism - it burns.)

What next? Stilettos, hats and white gloves only for ladies in summer, going into the fall season, from you, hmmm?

Or were you "just joking"? *rolls eyes*

OT, Ms. Murray, an interesting premise. If I didn't know Rafa was a Gemini, there are times with his off- and on-court faces/demeanors I'd swear he was actually two people.

Yeah, how dare those evil-spirited tennis purists say that Mr Rafael's game isn't beautiful?! "Ruthlessly efficient" is so much better than beautiful. Who needs beautiful if you can win ugly anyway, huh?

Interesting article Cheryl, didn't expect it, but it sounds like you hadn't initially planned it yourself too. :) I've seen this happen at other matches, where the crowd 'turns' to support the u/dog midway or later in a match. At those times, I've attributed it to us wanting a 5 setter to get our monies worth, particularly if it's a great dog fight deep in a GS. I must admit, depending on who's playing, I've been guilty of it myself in the past.
Enjoyed the article! Looking forward to the one on Murray.

CherylMurray and mara2, don?t get worked up! Nadi is a frustrated, talentless radge who lives in mom?s basement and hates on the best.
People who know a thing or two about tennis and actually play tennis know that Nadal?s game is the real deal. All pro players know this and say it repeatedly in interviews.

Jean, it's a good thing to quote the very best.

Jean, why do you care about Fed's "flashy cardigans"?

I saw Nadal vs Gonzalez Olmpic Final. I am a huge fan of Rafa, but midway I started to cheer for Gonzalez. I felt really sorry for him. He looked desperate and no one was cheering for him. Great observation Cheryl

Jean, why don't you move out of mom's basement?

I had registered the people at the USO applauding when Nadal was losing points but attributed this to the particular nature of the fans in NY. I assumed this was a sadistic pleasure in seeing the new No.1 make errors. Was it noticeable when Nadal was No.1 'in waiting' or has it become more obvious since he took over the crown?

There is also the David and Goliath factor: the frisson that goes with seeing a lower ranked player bringing down one of the big boys - that is, unless it happens to be the one you personally support through thick and thin, or you are passionately patriotic.
Part of the fascination of the Federer and Nadal 4-year duel was that frisson of watching this young, raw player challenge the great man and waiting for the outcome.

Federer's demolition of lesser players used to be clinical, efficient and sometimes ruthless. But, as Cheryl pointed out recently, he has now lost his invincibility and with it his most effective weapon.

Nadal's style is so different. Gladiator, warrior, matador being the overworked adjectives we all resort to. And, yes, we can feel sorry for the victim when he goes for the kill. But his matches rarely have that air of inevitability that allow you to relax and assume he will win.

I don't believe it is the underdog syndrome that is causing the swing factor but I'm blowed if I know what is. However, I do wonder if it could be something to do with his extraordinary concentration and lack of interaction with the audience during the match. This is something which is palpable when you see him in action but is less obvious when watching on TV.

IMO it's nothing more than 1) they want to see as much tennis as possible, and 2) they don't want to see anyone humiliated (especially an American) unless it's someone they hate

Dynasty - I'm not sure I agree with you. I certainly don't notice the crowd cheering for Federer or Roddick's opponents (and those are really the only other two HUGE stars that are comparable).

Maybe people just feel sorry for Roger... I mean, Roger has more fans than anyone, thats pretty much a fact. And in the US Open, hes very very well loved. I don't think its very complicated, most people just don't wanna see Nadal break Rog again. When Nadal settles down pple will be back to normal - the guy has a lot of fans, but in the US, Roger has more.

Oh and Ed- yeah his lack of emotion is something. When Fed let go against Andreev the other day I think the crowd fell in love with him all over again, I certainly did.

Nadal will be loved as much one day, prob when hes going back downhill tho :)
Tall Poppy Syndrome- thats all.

i think it's something that is specific to american audience. i watched the wimbledon quarterfinals between murray and nadal and there was nothing like this. the crowd was purely objective from the beginning to the end and were applauding both sides. there was a massive support to rafa throughout the match. in fact,john mc enroe even felt sorry for murray when one of the audiences made a marriage proposal to rafa:)
kaitepai-nadal is the one who lacks of emotions? are you sure? who's the one throughout all these years like an iceman: roger or rafa? i have nothing against roger but when you compare these two in terms of their emotions,you cannot call rafa "lacking of emotions".

Cheryl - of course they haven't been cheering for Fed or Roddick's opponents. Federer played two jokes in the first rounds, crushed Stepanek so bad that there was no point in cheering for him, and then never had a big enough lead against Andreev.

Roddick was getting crushed by Gulbis so they never had an opportunity to cheer for him, otherwise they certainly would have. Seppi is a no-name and never game the crowd anything to cheer about. Gonzalez never started trying and the Americans don't like him to begin with.

Nadal has played THREE Americans. Period.

Sure but America loves Federer- he got a bigger cheer than Roddick for gods sakes.

Roger cries alot. Hes full of emotion. When he wins... boy does he let go.

tenstar and kai - can you tell me where you saw the clip of dell boy crying?

on the news yesterday - on all the channels. It was really sad.

crowd goes wild... its a kiwi show ...

tensta- its not sad, its dead cute.

sstay - can u call me kait not kai??? kai means food in maori... kaitepai means good.... im not 2 fond of being called kai hahahaha. just jking- not actually offended

The waterworks sure come on when Fed wins vis. the epic blub when he won the 07 Wimbledon. I was surprised at how well he controlled himself when he failed to get the 5th Wimby this year. He even managed to chat with Nadal while they waited for the ceremony. That must have taken a lot of guts.
If it is a Nadal-Federer final (which is not beyond possibility) imagine what will happen if he were to win? He will need a large supply of tissues.

Going back to Cheryls' thesis, if this is the scenario, I rather think the swing to Roger will start very early, if not from the outset. Nadal can handle the crowd being for the other man but normally they are not 'against' him. But he has been seen to get rattled when the crowd cheer at double faults, or unforced errors. Usually he manages to regroup and come back but if the crowd actively go against him in either the SF or Final, it could influence the result. This could be why he has not performed to standard in past USOs.

Del Boy crying! He's my new hero.

Nadi: I have just posted a question to you on the other thread. Didn't realise you had declared your allegiance here.
I didn't see Del Boy's tears but he is young and will have plenty more chances. He already has the 10 top looking over their shoulders.

On the subject of tears, Roger must have wept at Bejing once he was in private but poor Djokovic was beside himself at losing out on the chance of a for gold for his country. It was heartbreaking to watch his distress. The bronze was of little consolation to him but credit to him that he managed to put on a brave face for the award ceremony. At least he might get to try again in 2012: but at 31 Roger is unlikely to be competing in singles again.

mara2 A lot of people are up in arms at the idea Rafa is being asked to tone down his famous look If you follow these forums you will find we have a lot of lighthearted fun about players' dress sense and grooming in between addressing more serious issues.

ed, I answered your question on the other thread. Not sure how you'll take it though.

the usa crowd doesnt cheer for federer either because he is the heavy boring favorite.
it is more fun to cheer for the underdog

I do think the aforementioned intensity on court is a factor. He is so intense and so focused that it can be easy to view him as ruthless when imo he is just intent on the task at hand.

My father - who is retired and of that age group- once remarked to me that he and his tennis buddies were talking about Nadal. They said that he could look even mean on the court- but were surprised and pleased at how nice he seemed off of the court. My dad even said that in his interviews "he could charm the fruit off of a tree."

Oh and wanted to add- JMdP's tears were very endearing. After all of the hub-bub about Murray and JMdP before the match- they both were very respectful of each other and there was a sweet moment at the net.

I was endeared at Rafa crying after his first FO and the stories of him crying after Wimbledon last year, I go "awww" at Rafa crying, etc.

The people cheering for Rafa's opponent are NOT real fans. He is the most humble, nicest, most polite player on the circuit. Roger for the most part is also but if you will notice when he loses he gets his subtle digs in.

Mr Nada is the player with the best PR posse.

"JMdP's tears were very endearing"
Second, fifi. Saw it on ESPNVivo.
I figured he was taking his cues from the champions - Roger cried when he got his AO cup from Laver; Rafa after his first Wimbledon.

He couldn't have better role models. I figured Delpo figured it was OK to cry after a well-fought defeat b/c victory is coming soon. All the Top 10 are looking over their shoulders at him.

Real men are not afraid to cry on camera after a victory or a well-fought defeat. :D

Roger cried a lot in his early years when he lost, two big times, I remember (it's on YT).
Also, the one at Wimbledon in 2003 and the AO in 2006 (that one was cute and funny). Wimbledon 2007, so touching, and finally the Olympic gold medal !

All are great moments, I can't wait for Rolland Garros 2009. I cross my fingers! I'm touching wood !

"They will make gentelman out of him when they lengthen his sleeves and shorten his pants and his bright outfits take a muted tone. What next a hair cut?
nirv01 , 9/4/08 9:33 AM". I beg your pardon, he is the most gentlemanly player out there. I like his current outfit, I like his hair -- I will adjust if he changes it; what's that got to do with being a gentleman? Whatever he choses, it will be a heck of a lot better than that prissy cardigan this year and pretentious pants from last year that Roger wore. It made him look like an old man.

if anyone's got problems with the cardigan Nike will sort them out..besides the discussion is not about Roger..and needless to say ,he's just as much of a gentleman as Rafa is...

I do agree with Cheryl's observations ..Rafa is appears super-agressive when playing...however..somehow..i always tend to support him except for when he's playing Roger...

Thank you, Cheryl, for your article. Unfortunately, I had no possibility to watch Rafa's matches "live" :( , only on TV, so I can say nothing about crowd support. It was very interesting for me.