Agreed. This was a much needed win for Roger to breathe new confidence into his tennis year. Had Roger not won - especially in a final against Rafa - that would have been hard on him. Instead we get an invigorated Roger and because of that a more invigorated next couple of months at the top 4.

I still wonder what it is that has been bothering Nadal last two months... he's closer to his previous level now but not quite there. I don't think whatever it is will be a factor in out of 5 sets matches at Rolland Garros, but as a fan I hope he will be (t least) at the same level on grass as he was last year.

good article CM ...conclusion . nadal is the fav. to win RG ....but... " you can never count Roger Federer out " :) a true underdog :)

Everytime Nadal loses a match people think he is now vulnerable, like he'll never win anything anymore. No one can be expected to win everything all the time. To me winning all the time is as much a pressure as losing. When Rafa lost to Andy M at the USO, people were saying Andy was the in-form player, he would end 2009 as No 1.......bla, bla, bla. This is what gives me the confidence that the loss in Madrid will have no effect on his confidence whatsoever, also, Roger has shown him his hand, you can bet anything that Uncle Toni and the team will now be working the offensive against that. If Roger had not played Rafa in Madrid and unveiled his strategy at RG, it would have been too late for Rafa to do anything about it, so in a way it's to Rafa's advantage that he lost to Roger before RG.

I actually felt sorry for Novak when he lost to Rafa at Madrid, even though I was delighted that Rafa won, which sounds like contradicting myself. But Djokovic worked so had and played so well, it would have been nice to go home with a win.

For Roland Garros...............VAMOS RAFA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

federer remarked some weeks ago that he felt that rafa always had an upper edge(mentally)....coz he used to beat him at clay before.......now that roger has beaten him at clay......it would be really interesting to see(if they meet at the final)......how things gonna turn out......i predict rafa to win......nd if that happens this time too......i dont know wats gonna take to beat rafa at rolland garros......roger federer has beaten him at madrid on clay........he should go for it


i being a rafanatic........predict rafa to win the coupe des Mousquetaires again

vaamos rafaaaaa!!!!!!!!!

Roger has a shot at RG along with Novak and Murray....and in that order....Rafa is the one to beat....we fed fans know that. Roger knows that and also when excuses have been used in terms of Roger having an easy draw? Disagree.....Strange cheryl because Peter fleming...sky sports and Marcus Buckland...all saying....Ooh...fed's got a dangerous draw....Soderling, blake, Roddick.....firstly you can NEVER count Soderling out...he came into the madrid masters having won a title himself, he was on a high....whilst I know that Blake beat fed in the olympics last year....he must have been feeling pretty confident as he reached the final of another tournament BEFORE coming into Madrid...Well yeah....we all knew that Roddick had got married and so was 'out of action' in terms of practice time...but only a fool would count roddick out in any tournament. He is A-L-W-A-Y-S dangerous. So whilst it can be said that he had an' easy' draw....Completely disagree.....these are three 'dangerous' players that can change results in a matter of one fantastic serve....it just wasn't their time....roddick was close for two sets, but the final set, he couldn't keep up with federer.

Federer is P-U-M- P-E-D and ready to go for a shot at the title.....Still No. 2 and climbing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Blake and Roddick are not dangerous on clay, malteser. I'm sorry, but they're not. Soderling hasn't been at his best recently and Del Potro simply doesn't have what it takes to beat Federer.

I'm not saying that Roger couldn't have beaten better clay court players. Maybe he could have. THe fact is though that he didn't, so making predictions based on his clay court form in Madrid is difficult.

Chlorostoma, re: your comment about what is bothering Nadal is interesting; I have felt the same since he became No 1, he has just not been the same.

Could he be one of those guys who is always comfortable as the underdog, which he was for 4 years while Federer dominated tennis??

Also regarding Madrid, the moment Nadal won that very tough semi final against Noval Djokovic, I knew he would lose the final. The truth is Rafa has nothing to prove against Federer, he owns the guy on all surfaces, but he will not give in to Djokovic or any other up and coming player, at this stage.

My theory is that Rafa, having proved that he can be No 1, would not mind slipping to No 2 so that he can play freely and without pressure.

But that just my theory and who am I? Just a rabid Rafa fan who adores him win or lose. :)

malteser1 - Federer had one of the easiest draws I have ever seen in Madrid. Soderling, Blake, and Roddick. I'm not even going to begin to describe how bad those guys are on clay.

I think the only thing it really does is improve Federer's confidence, which--dont get me wrong--is EXTREMELY important. But other than that it won't do anything, and simply improving his confidence won't be nearly enough to win the French.

I agree that Federer's win was not "diminished" by 1) Nadal being tired, and 2) the court playing as far from a clay court as a clay court can get. 30 years from now when we are looking back on the rivalry, nobody will remember the context in which Federer won this match. But while it isn't "diminished," it also tells us nothing about what will happen at RG. The difference between Madrid and RG is immeasurable.

"I'm not saying that Roger couldn't have beaten better clay court players. Maybe he could have. THe fact is though that he didn't, so making predictions based on his clay court form in Madrid is difficult."

He beat rafa who is a relatively good clay courter so I dont see how anyone can doubt his form. The win no doubt helps his RG chances but they are still very very slim I believe.

Apart from the fact that experts like Ricky and Cheryl say Madrid is no comparison to RG as far as the surface is concerned, which is music to my ear, one loss does not put Rafa off, it only makes him more determined.

When he lost to Tsonga at the AO last year, everyone gave up on him ever winning any significant hard court tournament; what happened? He won Gold at the Olympics! Murray was tipped for that one.

VAMOS RAFA!!!!!!!!!!!!

Carrie, I don't think that anybody is arguing that this recent loss will directly affect Rafa in any negative way. However, it does give some hope to his one main challenger -- Roger Federer -- as well as a little sliver of hope for the likes of Novak and others who now see that at least Nadal can be beaten on some type of clay court surface this year. And the question for Federer is whether all of this hard work he's been putting in, in combination with his new tactics and newfound confidence -- does that seriously boost his chances? Does that lift him to anywhere close to Nadal's level at the French? I think that picking up a second win over Nadal on clay was crucial to Federer's psyche and if he does earn the opportunity to play Nadal in the final, he'll do better than he has in the past 4 French Opens.

Nam1, I did not mean that Nadal has been at a lesser level since becoming number 1, but rather since that seriously off day in Miami.

Since you've brought it up: I don't think that not being the underdog is much of a factor. I could be wrong.

come on fed win that french !!!!

Rafa has never had a "perfect" clay season. He has lost one match per year. This year, so far is NO different. He was considered the King of Clay in those years too so why should this loss change everyone's outlook of him? He is still the best on clay, followed by Novak, and then Fed.

Sure, the win was good for Fed's psyche, but on the other hand, Rafa knows what tactics he is using and can adjust accordingly, as can anyone other player who watched a tape of that match.

Hey!!!!!......stop being greedy Rafanatics like myself.......Rafa cant win EVERYTHING!!!.....thats the main reason why I stopped watching tennis when Fed was winning everything!!!!.......so lets not turn Rafa into that kind of player.....please!!!!

But I do want him to win RGarros so help him on his way to make and breaks records!!!!!.....lol!!!!!!!!

And fan4tennis........i agree totally!!....the only reason why this win is talked about sooooooo much is because Fed, in terms of titles, was on a hiatus!!!!!.......but in my humble opinion this win will do NOTHING to influence the final outcome @ RGarros!!!

To Rafa!!!!....vamos!!!!!

I totally agree with you MonaLisa!!!! All of it!!!!

VAMOS RAFA!!!!!

Hey just wanted to join in the fun.

VAMOS RAFA!!!!!!! LOL

VAMOS ROGER!!! LOL

A title is a title, but there's about zero heft to the "will he/won't he @ RG" debate. Exactly right- Hamburg 2007. The surface in Madrid, which is basically a red hc, plays nothing like the one in Paris. Everyone knows this. If Federer had knocked off Nadal in Monte Carlo, for example, THEN I'd be worried.

Federer played Soderling, Blake, Roddick and Del Potro- a combined 3-36 against him, btw. Federer faces a post-Djokovic, exhausted Nadal in the final. Better question is how could Federer NOT have won in Madrid.

Sure- Fed's a virtual lock for RG if ever there was one.

Pardon me, I forgot to add the most important sentence of all- I was too busy laughing at the crackhead pundits who believe Federer will actually win the thing...

Lovely article Muz, como siempre. :)

Kelli - agreed. Although in response to "how could Federer NOT have won in Madrid," well, I can think of a whole host of ways in which Federer could have lost in Madrid!

I've been reading around on the web after the Madrid final, and I am really puzzled. Most *reputed* sports writers seem to think that Federer is very close to solving the riddle on clay and 09 might be his year at Rolland Garros. How about the following facts:

* The madrid surface and the conditions are nothing like those in Rolland Garros. Even if the difference is not meaningful enough to influence the results, It's pretty clear that Rafa believes it is. He's commented that Paris has nothing do with Madrid. Sometimes the belief alone is enough to allow it all to get to you. And I suspect that?s exactly what happened with Rafa, starting right from his initial skepticism of playing the tournament.

* Rafa was handily beating Federer on clay in 2005-2007, when Federer was in his prime and Rafa was half the player we know now. So what gives in 09?

*Federer's draw was composed of hard court specialists, a personal whipping boy Andy Roddick and previously Double-Bagelled Del Potro. Is there a better draw possible? Seriously?

* Before we talk about about Fed's resurgence, does he not have to beat Murray. Djokovic more consistently? Including Madrid, he still has a 1-8 loosing head to head against the top 3 after the Us Open. Let's see him in a messy 3rd set/5th set and find out whether his serve. forehand, backhand (basically his whole game) can function under pressure. It has soo not done precisely that in most recent close matches.

* Nadal played a 4 hr + marathon against Djokovic. Physical fatigue may or may not be an issue. But mental fatigue is another matter. After having saved 3 MPs against Djokovic and having come back from 0-4 against Verdasco, surely the percentages were due for Nadal. Everyone has only so many slices of luck. Sure it was not Fed?s fault that Rafa played for 4 hrs in the SF, but the fact remains that it probably won?t be like this in Paris.

Given all this I had assumed that Federer would win in Madrid, and he did. True he played well and displayed new tacticts. So for that reason, I thought speculation about Fed recording a GS victory at the Wimbledon or the Us Open this year would be understandable. But to call him a favorite after a lone Madrid win, (where the conditions and the draw favored him), and over a Nadal whose never lost at the Philip Chartier even once in his career.. Am I missing something here?

I'd even say you missed a point, imjimmy. The format of a grand slam benefits Nadal immensly. Why? because they play matches every other day. There is no WAY Rafa would have won in Australia if his final match came the day after his semi. In other words, the odds of Federer happening upon an exhausted Nadal in a Slam is slim to none, because of the extra day of rest.

"Am I missing something here?"

Yes, you are. Journalists create hype about fed's chances of winning RG because it creates hype, excitement and interest which is much more beneficial than saying its a fight for second place. I highly doubt %95 of pundits, experts, journalists etc. who say fed will win RG even believe what they are saying.

I agree Cheryl. Having no rest day is impossible. Most fitness experts say that the muscles need at least 12 hrs (after waking up the next day) to heal and get rid of all the swelling. Otherwise we're looking at cramps and/or other injuries. In that sense, I am glad Nadal did not push himself too much in Madrid.

I also agree with you, that the draw in RG is inconsequential for Nadal. I just hope for Djokovic's sake that he lands up on Federer's side so that he can have a shot at the final, rather than loosing to Nadal in the Semifinal every time for the past few years. In my book, Djokovic still #2 on clay this year.

And I'm sorry.(I forgot in the last post) - Thanks very much for a reasonable, unbiased article. I'm glad you did not blindly jump on the Federer is back bandwagon.

In my humble opinion Roger has never taken Rafa as seriously as he is doing now, because Roger has never had a real plan for Rafas' game. If Roger reaches the final at RG, we know Nadal will be on the other side of the net (that is almost a given). Roger Federer has never been quite this prepared before... Rogers' drop shot for instance is a great new addition to his arsenal. With this, Roger can be smarter, and vastly more flexible. Let the game begin...

Sky, since you are the one who expressed it, I want to ask you why you think "Roger has never taken Rafa as seriously as he is doing now, because Roger has never had a real plan for Rafas' game." They have played enough times over the years. Why did it take til now for him to do take Rafa seriously? Beyond what some might say about me asking you this, it is a sincere question and I believe I can get a good,honest, non-insulting, perspective from you because you are one of the few Fed fans that I like.

cheryl and orion are right on

and I will add another obvious fact - you think it's hard to win 2 sets off Nadal? Try 3, which is what someone will have to do at Roland Garros.

It is simply hard -- borderline impossible -- for me to believe that Nadal is going to lose 3 sets in a single match on clay....with at least one day of rest before every match as cheryl pointed out.

""In my humble opinion Roger has never taken Rafa as seriously as he is doing now, because Roger has never had a real plan for Rafas' game.""

To say that Roger did not have a 'real plan' against Rafa, and it took him 20 matches and 5 years (since Miami 2004 when they first met) to get his tactics right is basically an insult to Roger Federer. Fed wasn't born yesterday. You've got to give him more credit than that. If he knew something was remiss he would have changed years ago. And it's not like he hasn't tried.

As for Roger not being serious, what does it take to make him serious?. Isn't the loss of 5 Slam finals, one slam semifinal and numerous other Master events enough? Did it finally dawn on him to become 'serious' after he was having one of the worst years of his career (by his own high standards)?

This post is not meant to be nasty. I've always been a admirer of Federer. But I just don't understand how this lone victory is construed as a watershed in the Rafa-Fed rivalry.

I agree. It's all media hype which Federer fans all too willingly swallowed hook, line, and sinker! :-)

"""It is simply hard -- borderline impossible -- for me to believe that Nadal is going to lose 3 sets in a single match on clay.. ""

Ricky: It's just not the clay, it's also the philip chatrier in RG Paris. I'm sure you've noticed the extra space on that court (unlike in Madrid). Rafa covers that court so well: cuts down the angles and makes it look so small. Plus the pace and bounce also suit him perfectly. He's never been beaten or even taken to 5 sets on that court. Not even in his early days in '05 and '06. Plus we all know what happened last year. Not even a single set lost! After all this, I just can't imagine a scenario of him loosing 3 sets this year.

One wild thought: Maybe a quadraple punch like Monaco (4th round) - Verdasco (quarters) - Djokovic( Semifinals) - Federer (finals) would be needed to have Nadal tired in the final. And maybe then Federer would have some small chance.

imjimmy, that's why I asked sky why he thought that. Sky has always been nice and fair, so I am curious as to why he felt that way.

hi cheryl , I was waiting for your blog.
will , I agree with you , It's too early to judge what will happen in RG , for me , I think Rafa won't lose it this year , for roger or anyone, It's a bit Impossible
Based on Madrid , nothing can be predicted , It's too difficult and it's completely wrong to say that "Roger had beaten Rafa on Clay before RG , so that's a sign"
No. it's completely wrong , based on Hamburg 2007 , and taking into the consideration that Roger was at His best at that Time , and he couldn't make it to 5 set's even , come on , It's Rafa what we are talking about !
Second important thing , roger won Rafa in madrid with Hard court weapon's .net approach , serve , chip and charge , and this would work only for Madrid red hard court .
would those weapon's work against Rafa in RG , and give Roger advantage? no way .
because they won't be as effective as they are in fast court.
If we like it or not , Roger needs lots of different thing's in RG . absolutely serve would give him a good start , but , rally against Rafa at slow court with backhand roger , what would you expect ?
He need's a good timing if he wants to approach the net .
he need's drop shot to take the point after approaching the net , or , stop volley would do the work .

so , It's too far for Rafa to lose , to far for Roger to win, If Only he came up with new strategy , less mistake's , 100% mental preparation , confidence , and physical preparation as well.

The article refers to the Spanish fans saying that Nadal was tired! However Nadal did say before the Madrid open that he was not comfortable playing because of the altitude!! For some reason he knew he might loose the game.

Hi cheryl\can't wait for your next blog
so excited:)

I'll be publishing one tomorrow, Noody. :)

In my humble opinion Roger has never taken Rafa as seriously as he is doing now, because Roger has never had a real plan for Rafas' game.
sky , 5/21/09 5:01 AM

F4T & imjimmy: I think sky's point has some validity and I don't think he/she is insulting roger. I DON'T think fed has NEVER taken Rafa seriosuly but perhaps he's only now taking Rafa as seriously as he SHOULD?? They've played each other 20 times and I'm under the impression Fed has never seen a real necessaity to make significant changes to his game to deal with Rafa. For the most part, he's never had problems with other players until about 2008 and 09. Nadal has always aimed to learn and improve. Fed has had easy (convincing?) win over other players for 4-5 years, why would he change his game plan if he dominated the way he did?

Perhaps after losing to his nemesis 4 out of the last 4 years at RG in SF and 3 Fs, he's finally realized that to beat Rafa on his fav surface and court, someting MORE special needs to be done...

If he's taken Rafa seriously and it still hasn't worked, a different (even more serious and thought out) approach is due.

I didn't think sky would insult Roger but his post confused me, that's why I asked him to clarify. Sky did, but on another thread.

That's one of the things I've always liked about Rafa is his drive to improve. Never willing to settle in and be complacent. His hard work has definitely shown it's worth!

No f4t it wasn't you. imjimmy mentioned he thought the comment is an insult to Fed but I think it's just a thought from imjimmy, not an 'accusation' against sky. I was just saying that 'I' didn't think it was an insult. Just a minor point.

I think Rafa knows that as a top player, you are constantly chased after by those who hunt for you. Sampras said a long time ago that it's hard to get to the top and even harder to stay there. I feel Rafa knows this. The moment he got to no. 1 he immediately said that he was going to try to keep improving. There's always pressure and since you set the benchmark by being at the top, others are going to try and match or go beyond that so no way you can be complacent, you have to improve to stay there.

But what I also like about Rafa is that he's constantly aware that anytime he can be de-throned or beaten. He always says there'll come a day when he'll no longer be no. 1 or keep winning big matches. So the guy is no fool. I'm sure than when that happens, he won't take it as badly some because he's fully aware of the natural order of things. Even when he wins, he apologizes to the loser because he knows how it feels and never seems to forget where he came from - if you know what I mean.

Great article cheryl!!
Totally agreed!!
This win means a lot for Federer..
I think it will increases his confidence level when he is playing against Nadal after this.
It is nice to see Federer grab his first title of the year in front of the Spanish fans.
I would love to see he do that again at the French Open.
I have waited for so long to see him defeated Nadal on clay.
Sweet memory and great victory.
I just hope Federer will play his very best at French Open..

hi cheryl
are you okey?

I LOVE those last two sentences cheryl:

"Madrid proved that you can never count Roger Federer out. Just something to keep in mind. "

yeah...really interesting article cheryl.....a very positive one too!

golden rose....remember that roger also won kooyong title in january (preamble tourny to the AO), the madrid masters (making it his 15th masters series....equal with rafa)...AND his first grand slam this year at the FO......so this isn't his first title of the year......hope you enjoyed the match goldenrose...get ready for wimbledon honey!!!! see you there!
C'MON!
Allez Federer!

You are right malt,I forgot about kooyong..
French Open was just incredible..
He gave everything he had and played an amazing match on that final!!
I can never think of anyone as great as he is right now..
For me it's okay when he pulls out halle, he had nothing to lose..
Wibly is around the corner,he needs to prepare and save his energy as much as he can.
I have a good feeling about this,maybe he will win wimbly this year.
Cheer for our champ malt..

Go go go!!!gOOOOOOOoooooo fedeReRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrr!!

FO was his SECOND title of the year. Kooyong was only an exhibition so it does not count. We already established that before malty.

fan4tennis...getting bored are we?

Correction: YOU 'already established that Kooyong did not count'. NOT ME...I have read many articles about this 'exhibition' match....and IMHO, when you have some of the TOP 8 players playing, including the RED HOT verdasco, then I think it's a little more than an exhibition...but no doubt you will come back with you frothing fangs to argue my friend...look forward to it....xx

FFT ...its fine for u to have an opinion that Koo Yong did not matter ....

I ( and it seems malt also ) think that Koo Yong counts ...just like the Doha Exhibition early in the year counts ....( the one murray won $250 K ) .. ..

It really depends what u mean by "count" .....and i think in this case the word has different meanings for both of us . Cheers !


C'MON !!!

Fedexfan...no point in arguing with FFT she always right in her view.....Kooyong has ALWAYS been regarded as the 'premier' preamble to the AO...and I have watched it prior to the AO this year and it was fabulous!....... which is why so many of the top tennis players choose to play this tourny.....before the Australian Open.

Whenever Murray is hyped up on UK TV, (it's excruciating right now).....the sports channels ALWAYS mention Doha as part of 'his wins'...Always.....so if they mention it for Murray then why not for Federer.....I am well aware that it is regarded as an 'exhibition' and not as meaningful if you like as a masters series or a slam...of course....but nevertheless, Federer won and he won in style as well......in fact..... if you read back on FFT's posts...she had NOT even heard of Kooyong before I brought it to her attention.....
as you say fedexfan....
C'MON!
Allez Federer!

C'MON ROGER! C'MON! LOL :) Hello FEDfans, it has been quite boring without the FED around, but I still fell a need to keep in touch with you FEDERITES! Least YOU "get bored too"! LOL What "is" the latest news about the FED right NOW?! I guess I should do some surfing on my own to find out! LOL CHERIOS...

So sad malty and fedexfan that you don't know your tennis as well as you think. The commentators are mentioning Doha as part of Murray's wins because it counts as part of the ATP tour. Doha WAS NOT an exhibition! Maybe you are confusing it with Abu Dhabi which WAS an exhibition so therefore does not count in ATP standings. Kooyong WAS an exhibition so the same applies. Simple facts!

so FFT , my bad ...i meant Abu Dhabi...honest mistsake ( he won 250K there ? ) ..winner takes all ...that counts towards his wins even though not officially recorded in H2H matches .

We know what applies and what does not in ATP . I never said any exhibition applied in ATP . But Murray did "WIN" that ! Thats my point . It was a competition ....and they all were playing with tennis racquets and those yellow balls .
Same as KooYong ...was a competition....and Fed did "WIN" ....does it count in ATP ...oooo no .....did they win ...o hell yes !!!
I think u catch my drift ....like i said ...the difference is the usage of the word "count"....ur talkin count ATP wise ....we are talking count in terms of a WIN in a tourney (exhibition) or not . rest my case.

Federites ....SW19 coming up !! re-group ! :)

C'MON !!

well fan4tennis...if we were such experts as you...well...i'd give up my job and jump on a plane to the USA and become your pupil...you could be my pupil master?

Honey.....trust me...ii love it when you are sarcastic...because I can visualise you puffing yourself up like a peacock...it just makes me laugh like a drain......

f I am wrong about this..I will be the FIRST one to apologise..however, looking at a recent article contained in Sports Magazine...the Doha tourny is described as part of a '3 day exhibition event'...(hence commentators referring to it as such...) I have printed it here for you.....(I dont think for one moment that you would ever apologise for any mistakes fft...because I know that I have met a woman who is perfection personified....(I am bowing and scraping here to you)....

In November 2008, sponsor companies Flash and Capitala announced with IMG their partnership to create a new tennis exhibition for the beginning of the season, to take place in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The event was conceived to promote the sport in the region, creating another world class tennis event in the Middle East alongside the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Dubai Tennis Championships, already taking place in the UAE, the ATP Qatar ExxonMobil Open and the WTA Qatar Total Open, taking place in Doha, Qatar, and the WTA Tour Championships, also set in Doha from 2008 to 2010.

The six-players, three-days exhibition, with a winner-takes-all prize money of 250,000US$, preceded by weeks of tennis-themed activities in the region, including an amateur Community Cup tournament in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, was created to take place early in the season, before the start of the actual tour events, as a warm-up exhibition for the top players, similar to the Kooyong Classic. The championship features 6 players with the top two seeds getting a bye from the first round(Nadal and Federer in 2009).

It could well be FFT, that the media have reported it wrongly, but it definitely states here its part of an exhibition event....no arguing on this score....Simple facts really! If this isn't the case...perhaps you could explain it to me as clearly I don't know my tennis and you do.....(thank you..thank you...fft...)

malty, why don't you just read your fellow fed fan fedex's post right before yours.

why don't you read my post fft and reply to it like I asked? are you now denying that the article states this is a 3 day exhibition tourny or are you gonna come up with something else? I didn't write this article but if you want to enlighten me...am all ears....

malty, I suggest you reread the article you posted as proof. It talks of a NEW exhibition tourney (Abu Dhabi) to go along with other tourneys in that region which include the already established Doha Qatar Open which is a 250 ATP World Tour tournament. Doha was not a 3 day event ( it ran from 5th -10th of Jan but quals started on the 3rd). Since I cannot post the entire homepage of Doha to show you (look at the little ATP sign at the top), here is the link..... qataropen.org

I replied to your post now as you asked though I don't believe you like my answer. Ask fedex to explain it since you won't believe me.

fan4tennis..thats great.. thanks for explaining it to me....there's always going to be a 'however' between you and me tho' isn't there?

In all seriousness fft...i don't profess to be an expert...unlike you with your snidey innuendos...no need in my view...all about one upmanship where you are concerned....a shame really...but there you go..i don't think there is any need for you to try and put me and fedex down...saying we don't know our tennis as much as we think we do? Who ever said that we did?

I go on what I read and then I give an opinion (means nothing..just my opinion).....I am what....20 years younger than you? So I couldn't possibly know as much as you about tennis...could I? So I will work on my tennis knowledge..... very hard in fact....so I can be a great a tennis expert like you fft....it's not that I don't believe you...but I sense..(even this far across the pond)...a certain self-satisfaction always coming through your posts...but guess that is your way of trying to put people down.....speshly me....and now you are calling me 'malty'...i guess you are developing a kind of affection for me and for that I am touched....

Thanks for clarifying things for me though......'muchly' appreciated.....
Like fedex said...a win is a win...right?

Yes, the comment about tennis knowledge that I directed to fedex and you was snarky. I admit that and I am sorry. Since you and I have been thru this discussion before and Ricky and others even said Kooyong was an exhibition, I was surprised you forgot. When I suggested that you were maybe confusing Doha with Abu Dhabi, that was not snarky but it was a possibility and fedex agreed. I tried not to get too far into it (hence my short answers), that is why I suggested you read what fedex wrote (and you demanded that I answer you), cuz let's face it.....you'll believe him over me when it comes down to it.

You made your share of snarky comments ("well fan4tennis...if we were such experts as you...well...i'd give up my job and jump on a plane to the USA and become your pupil...you could be my pupil master?
Honey.....trust me...ii love it when you are sarcastic...because I can visualise you puffing yourself up like a peacock...it just makes me laugh like a drain..."), but I know that is your way of putting people down and I don't let it bother me.

I could've gone all out on you because of what you posted as proof and what I knew but I chose just to suggest you reread your own post. It has nothing to do with "one upmanship" or age. This had to do with facts, that is all.

fan4tennis...i want you to know that deep down (and I absolutely being serious).....I actually think I love you.....

you do all the things that I look for in a soul mate (and if you were a man...then hey...things would be different..)...I think you are clever, sassy, clued up, strong, quick of wit (tho' sometimes you copy my posts and twist them too much...but i'll take that as a compliment).....intelligent, funny,honest...i could go on......but....when you discuss sarcasm.....what you fail to do is to accept that YOU were sarcastic FIRST.....and THEN i responded to you...Fact. And do you know what? I love it. I love the mental battle that you and i have....it fires me up...you keep me alive fan4tennis....you are better than any brain games/puzzles out there....you are my own personal battleship in my head...i don't need a pen/pencil to fill out those difficult crosswords (hate crosswords...even typing the word makes me feel ill)...but I love my conversations with you....so for that...I thank you and I promise you despite after you having read this and not believing me perhaps...I really mean it...I actually feel really happy this morning telling you this....I look forward to our battles over wimby....

reading the articles again...from fedex and yourself.....doha is classed as a 3 day exhibition.....so when you say to me that i don't know my tennis but go on to apologise for that...i want to thank you.

I know about Kooyong....remember...it was me that told you about it...so i hope i taught you something too?

also....i NEVER demand fan4tennis as you purport above.....only terrorists make demands....it was a request...can you point out where I said 'I demand'...because like it or not...I am NOT a demanding woman.....just the sweetest, cutest, kindest, purest woman you will ever meet....seriously....i just have a brain that hurts sometimes cos i love learning, facts, info....etc...etc...

I do respect my elders (in the nicest possible way)...I know age hasn't anything to do with anything...but i do sometimes get the impression that you like to be a little smug? No?
C'MON!
Allez Federer!