There's one issue here: What style of play would it take you to win week in, week out? With the changes in racquet technology and slowing down of courts, the grinding style is inevitable. I think Nadal had a fair point last year at Roland Garros when he proposed a system that would work, i.e. keep a lot of 250s at the end of the year for the lower ranked players, and reduce mandatory events for the top players.

The two-year ranking system is absolute tosh, but I'm with Nadal on season length. Whether or not his views on Federer are correct is a moot point, since we don't know what actually happens in those meetings. But Davydenko did speak out too, so maybe there is some truth to what they feel.

Well said samprallica!

Cheryl- Very well written.
Being a traditionalist is not a crime after all!

Hope RAFA & Roger would find a way to get this solved.

Don't worry, they will. They're like an old married couple, get along well most of the time but occasionally there'll be quarels and disagreements, but at the end of the day, they'll reconcile because they still love each other.

@luckystar LOL...

"With the changes in racquet technology and slowing down of courts, the grinding style is inevitable."

Then why not bring back the old courts. Tennis would win, most players would agree with it. We wouldn't have baseline tennis at Wimbledon, Isner wouldn't be able to take 2 sets off of nadal in RG. Varied styles of play would coem up and be relevant. Less grinding, less 20+ shot rallies.

The only change I think the ATP could make is take out the mandatory 500's, that way the top players would only be obliged to play the masters 1000 (except MC that should be changed to 500 status) and they would also play the slams obviously.

No the best way is to reduce the mandatory masters events from eight to seven. Players are allowed to choose which seven they wish to play. They can play all eight but only the best seven are countable towards their rankings. Reduce the required 500 events from 4 to 3, so make it best of 16 I/o best of 18 countable events for the rankings. The 4 500 events requirement are not strictly 'mandatory' as players get '0' pointers onlyfor not meeting the requirements, no other penalities involved. Players like Fed and Rafa didn't meet the 500 events requirement for the past few years, but their rankings were not affected. It's the mandatory Masters events that may be the problems with the players, especially the back to back ones.

Take out the mandatory 500 events totally? Easier said than done.! How are they going to answer to the tournament organisers and sponsors? Just reduce the number of events players are required to play, so that they can plan their schedule better and allowed themselves more time to rest between tournaments.

I don't think what Rafa said came as any surprise to Roger because it's been said in the locker room Rafa just made it public. Thank goodness for that, or we'll never know what's going on behind the scenes. I sure that in time to come, we will all know the extent to which the players feel that Roger is not seeking their interest by seeming to side with the establishment.

lucky, wouldn't be too sure of that...think Rafa's consulting a lawyer re a separation, on the grounds of irreconcilable differences...

^^^^ lol.

Some people prefer the lendl/connors/mcenroe approach.
I think it's good for the game that the top guys get along or at least don't hate each other.

Fedfans, like their idol, prefer the comfort of the illusion of harmony rather than the reality of life. Rafans and Rafa, the opposite.

A fair article. I think that 2 year ranking system is really a blatantly self serving idea made by a few of the top players like Nadal. How would any 19 or 20 year old fighting his way from No. 100 feel about that? Federer is also near the end of his career and probably doesn't want a acrimonious last one or two years.

It is difficult for Nadal, there is no question, and I'm glad he complained (in Spanish). I think if more of his native language interviews were translated we would get a better picture of him. I'm impressed he managed to fight off what seems to be a serious knee injury to somehow win his first match.

Excuse me Bharata, don't make up story. Who says it is a serious knee injury? You're the only one saying it!

Nobody knows how this two year ranking works, so before we know the details, we should stop all these criticisms. And what's wrong with Rafa criticizing Fed openly? Didn't Fed criticized Nole openly too when Nole retired from his AO match in 2009? What better picture of him(Rafa) are you talking about? We know he's human, he has his frustrations, moments of weaknesses, unlike some Fed fans, who believed that their idol is a saint, who would do no wrong. Maybe Bharata you're the one who thinks that Rafa is a saint and hence your comment?

Excuse me Bharata, don't make up story. Who says it is a serious knee injury? You're the only one saying it!

Nobody knows how this two year ranking works, so before we know the details, we should stop all these criticisms. And what's wrong with Rafa criticizing Fed openly? Didn't Fed criticized Nole openly too when Nole retired from his AO match in 2009? What better picture of him(Rafa) are you talking about? We know he's human, he has his frustrations, moments of weaknesses, unlike some Fed fans, who believed that their idol is a saint, who would do no wrong. Maybe Bharata you're the one who thinks that Rafa is a saint and hence your comment?

Come on luckystar.. Well, how do you imagine a 2-year ranking system working and who would it benefit?

I know if tables would be turned and it would be Federer vehemently stating to the press on a night before AO that the tour should impose faster courts again as soon as possible to shorten the length of the matches and reduce the grind /physical toll it has on players, the response here would probably be "Foul play! Mind games!" or/and worse.

All this does put Federer on the defensive, while playing at AO. And makes it look like ALL the changes Nadal is speaking of represents united majority (doesn't Davy disagree regarding the schedule?) and aren't happening because Federer isn't publicly backing them up.

Let's just wait and see what proposals supermajority of players actually agrees on. From what I've read, it's mostly around money.

And I do however believe all this was provoked by constant media drilling combined with Nadal's frustration at one particular moment and place.

No, Ssunn you're wrong. I for one will be happy if they speed up the courts. I commented earlier on that the AO court seemed so slow, and I don't want to see some thirty or forty shots rallies. Just watch today's AO matches, you'll see so many matches with long rallies, I'm so sick of them. Also all these long rallies would end up damaging the players' bodies, so I'm hoping for Fed to speak out as the players council president and proposes all these changes.

Neither you nor me know exactly what the players discussed so your guess is as good as mine. The fact that Fed was being criticized for his inaction tells me one thing, that Fed is not doing a good job as the council president. By keeping quiet and not communicating with his fellow players about his thoughts, he has led them to believe he's not willing to help them.

I've no comments about this two year ranking, as I really don't know the details; details as to the number of countable events, number of mandatory events, the point system, the penalty, etc and etc.

Hi Luckystar, according to the article in the Telegraph I read, Nadal had an MRI and felt the 'worst pain he had experienced'. And he had intensive treatment, apparently. I am not making that up, it looked taped up in his match. I thought MRIs were done if a serious injury is expected. I said 'what seems to be' an injury. Hopefully it's nothing. I think you are assuming I think that Nadal is just a hypochondriac? Certainly not.

By 'better picture' of Nadal I meant we will get to know him better. I am not saying we will 'find out he's a terrible person' or something. Frankly, I find his usual comments generally very generic and predictable (partly not his fault due to English) and I like seeing this side of him. It makes him more human. I liked the fact that he crititicizes Fed openly. I think it's generally a bad idea, when negotiating, to go public with rifts within your own side, because the other side (the ATP) will be less likely to compromise. But at least Nadal was just speaking his mind.

Ok, Bharata, noted.

I'm a Rafa fan and accept the fact that he's human and that's why now and then when he makes mistakes, I'm not surprised or disappointed. I like this grown up version of Rafa, the one who dares to speak his mind, gives his opinions, though sometimes he talks too much. He needs to be careful though, not to fall into the trap when baited into revealing too much info to the media and ended creating some unnecessary controversies.

Darren Cahill
Federer all class in his press conference re the Nadal issue. Shook off any conflict with ease.

Christopher Clarey
Federer handling this sensitive presser like a professional diplomat #AusOpen

TennisReporters Cronin
Federer: I support other players, just dont want to talk issues w/ press. I think of players first & I think of lower ranked players first."

Tennis Panorama News
Federer to media - no hard feelings with nadal just have different opinions

SI_BTBaseline
Federer says it used to be that nadal would agree with whatever he said. But he's grown up now and has his own opinions and that's fine.

Nadal is lucky to have him playing in this era. If the chairman is not Roger, If it is Jimmie Connors.
Connors would give Nadal the middle finger.

For your information arrogant little cheat Connors actually admires Rafa, so maybe not.

Well, we'll see how much Federer can achieve. At the end of the day that's what will count.

Federer said Nadal is grown up now?????? He forgot who console him at the trophy ceremony AO 09 final??????

I despised the acrimony and bad behavior of the Connors/McEnroe era. Lendl had his hands full with the two of them. He never showed emotion, but Lendl had his own way of getting his point across on court. There were times when he would hit the ball right at Connors or McEnroe to send them a message. He did it with action, not words on the court.

I have to laugh when people talk about gamesmanship in this era. They should have watched tennis in the 70's. The stuff that goes on now is child's play compared to what went on back then. Just take on look on youtube at Ilie Nastase's antics on court. He is the reason why they created a code of conduct for players. Connors and McEnroe always tried to outdo each other when it came to bad behavior on court.

I much prefer seeing the top players getting along for the most part and showing mutual respect. I am pleased to see Rafa speaking his mind and standing up for what he thinks. He and Fed will always like and respect each other and there is nothing wrong with the two of them having different opinions.

Rafa indicated in his press conference after his first match, that he is not going to discuss this publicly anymore. That's a smart move. Focus on the tennis. Regarding his so-called "serious" knee injury, what Rafa said is that this was the worst pain he ever felt when he was just sitting and the knee acted up. Then he went for an mri and it was negative. He said that there was a lot of physiotherapy and it helped him to feel much better.

No one here knows what is going on with Rafa's knee. People should just keep their mouths shut unless they have specific medical information.

@bleck, I for one wouldn't mind seeing the old courts back in play, at Wimbledon etc. I'm sure a person like Andy Roddick would feel the same way as well. In any case, I think shortening the season by a month is the best move. It IS too long, give the players a chance to have some decent rest and recuperation time and then some time to work on stuff for the new season.

For whatever it's worth, Brad Gilbert thinks that the majority of players agree with Rafa. As I've said before, it could be possible that the lower-ranked players would like to get more prize money so that they could also play fewer tournaments. Complaints about the schedule may not only be a concern of the top players.

Oh, pleeeeaaase, where r the mods? This is getting beyond a joke, except it never was one!

I feel that Federer should be able to prioritize these issues, if not a majority vote by the council should push him in the right direction. I don't think any of the players expect Roger to go to the atp over mundane issues. He may be a traditionalist, but it really doesn't matter what he wants, how well he plays or how well he schedules his tennis, as president of the council it's his job to advocate for the majority. I guess we'll never know all the ins and outs of this situation, and I would love it if this were somehow a misunderstanding between Fed and the council, but this automatic love for everything "Fed" has to stop, not by his fans but by writers who have some responsibility to know what they're talking about before they start waving the swiss flag.

It's obvious that the same person is registering under different usernames. Whatever needs to be done to stop it, please someone do it.

@Maya: I agree with you. Maybe Rafa should not have gone public with a rift, but to whatever extent journalists are siding with Roger just because he's Roger, that is ridiculous. Too many sports analysts and journalists cannot keep their fanboyism or fangirlism under wraps. I understand that some of them are commentators and are paid to voice an opinion, but so many, whether they are writing about tennis or some other issue, simply play favorites.without giving any logic for their opinions. I may not agree with some columnist, but if he or she at least attempts to have some facts to back up an opinion, I can respect their point of view. When they speak in absolutes such as "Roger is always a diplomat, is always gracious, always thinks of others, etc.," that gets my dander up. That's when commentary turns into cheerleading. Even a cursory review of the record shows otherwise. Whether the cheerleading is for Rafa, Roger, or someone else, it is unprofessional.

cheat - Oh good, you've got some reliable statistics. Can you tell me where you got these please? I'd love to review them as well.

Fanfan - I agree, cheerleading in general just leads to the dumbification of fans. I hate being treated like a child. Just give us the facts and let us decide.

Maya: Some journalists are columnists who are being paid to have opinions on the issues of the day. That's fine, and I don't have a problem with it as long as they are not simply using their column to be a cheerleader for favorite players and teams. Some sports columns by professional journalists read more like something I would expect to find on Bleacher Report or a fan's website.

Maya, 1/18/12 5:35 PM,

Bravo! You said exactly what I have been feeling about this whole issue! It's about time that someone called out these so-called writers for their idolatry of Fed.

It is true that he should be acting in the interests of the majority of tennis players. Well said!

Bravo!

Yep, well said Fanfan. This Bodo guy is one such journalist. What has the lastest episode got to do with Rafa's humility and he's now questioning Rafa's personality , questioning which is the true Rafa? Seriously? There's no fake Rafa, in the past Rafa was still a kid, maybe a bit idealistic and took Fed to be his idol. Now that he has grown up, he may have seen some flaws in Fed, if not he won't voice his unhappiness about Fed and his attitude. It's just a simple matter and yet Bodo is now insinuating that all along Rafa may be faking about this 'humble warrior' image. Maybe the problem lies with Bodo himself, that he expected Rafa to be some kind of a saint. Rafa is human, he has his opinions, likes and dislikes. He has already expressed his regret of voicing his criiticism of Fed in public. However, that does not mean that he can't criticize Fed if Fed fails in his position as the president of the players council. All the players can criticize Fed if he's not doing a good job, as he's being voted in by the players, so he has responsibilities towards the players.

Bodo thinks that the top players should not complain about working conditions, since they are paid so much. He said so in a previous column. I don't agree with him on that, because having a right to express opinions about and lobby for better working conditions doesn't have anything to do with salary. If Bodo thinks that the top players should be happy with all they have, given that so many people are struggling, that's one thing. I don't agree with him, but I understand his stance.

To question someone's humility because he dared to voice criticism of Roger or the schedule is something else altogether. I really don't think that Rafa did anything all that bad, and what he said has nothing to do with his humility or lack thereof. To his credit, Bodo has been one of the few journalists/columnists to call out Roger on his behavior--at least on occasion.

I don't see what's wrong with Rafa going public on this kind of issue, or why he needed to apologise for doing that.

To be fair, Bodo uses a cynical approach towards most players at some point or the other.

I don't agree with the players salaries, but that has nothing to do with the season length itself.

To say Rafa was inappropriate in going public is just nonsensical political correctness. Maybe what he said about Federer itself wasn't quite the classiest thing to do - but I don't really blame him since I find Federer a smarmy elitist myself.

Fanfan,

Your last three posts have been awesome! I know that you are new to this site, but please keep posting your thoughts! Well said and I am in complete agreement!

Also some great comments from samprallica.

@Fanfan , 1/19/12 1:42 AM

Yes, it had occured to me that the media do engage in propaganda on behalf of the ATP, ITF and some players, and lets' face it, why would they want less tournaments, it will only mean less work for them.

I thought Roger was the candid one who spoke his mind and Rafa was the caggy one who hides his true feelings with the media. Since when has Roger become a diplomat.

If any of the players' demands are met, they will have Rafa to thank for exposing Roger's cosy alliance with management.

Tennis chief Brad Drewett says players 'frustrated' but rejects strike

From: AFP
January 18, 2012 2:50PM

Drewett said he heard "loud and clear the other night about their issues" after meeting players on the eve of the Australian Open, which is continuing in Melbourne.

"There are frustrations out there. As I said, I plan to take them on board. I've heard them," he said, adding: "Nothing's ever perfect in any world, and certainly not in the tennis world."

"The player meetings are a very rare opportunity for these guys to get into one room. You have 150, 200 players. That only happens once, maybe twice a year," said the Australian.
The full digital experience

"Last weekend they were very vocal about a number of issues, but that is not new. I mean, I've been in plenty of player meetings where the guys get in there and voice frustrations."

Players have long complained about the tough tennis calendar, often blaming it for injuries, and they are reportedly unhappy over Davis Cup scheduling and their share of prize money at grand slams, among other issues.

A number of the top men have spoken out this week, including former world number one Andy Roddick, who said there was a strong mood for change after the "passionate" pre-tournament meeting.

Top-ranked Novak Djokovic said he also supported improvements and Nadal accused Federer, the ATP Player Council president, of not doing enough to back his fellow players.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/sport/tennis-chief-br ad-drewett-says-players-frustrated-but-rejects-strike/story-e6frg7mf-1 226247442602

Fanfan,

I took a break today from posting, but came back to read the comments. As someone who has been here for some time, I think you should just let it go. You weren't insulted as a troll per se. I have learned the hard way on forums, that if you go on defending yourself then you end up making yourself look like the one with the problem.

The statement was clarified and I think it's fair to say that no one is calling either you or myself any kind of troll.

It's not for me to tell you what to do, but it would be great if you could just move on and continue posting and put this behind you. :)

:ast week, there was an interesting interview with Olivier Rochus in a newspaper from Belgium. He talked about his earnings and costs that he makes during a season. Bottom line was that he is in the top 100 of the world and hardly has 2000 euro to spend in a month, after everything is paid for tenniswise. If he doesn't perform, he'll even lose money. He also stated that about 13% off the earnings in a slam is used for prize money.

No wonder that players are unhappy about the prize money... looking at the top 10 players, they make so much more money during tournaments. Of course, someone who wins or goes very deep should get rewarded but the gap shouldn't be that wide.

It's absolutely true that those guys that aren't "top tier" players can barely earn a living. Travel is EXPENSIVE. trainers and coaches and equipment is also expensive.

And yet every time they raise the prize money at majors, it's always for the later rounds. I would like to see $$ get raised evenly across all levels.

The players are being used.

After all the caffufle over Nalby's treatment by the umpire during the Isner match, he has been fined $8k for splashing water over a member of staff.

Cheryl, sounds fair to me. Also it might encourage kids aspirations to become a professional tennis player as opposed to gravitating towards other sports with a higher earning potential.

Fanfan - You really shouldn't take Ricky's little slap personally. It wasn't your problem it was his. Isner is a really likeable kid, plus he's American, thus Ricky's response. I've watched John in person a couple of times and he really does seem to be a bit of a nerd when it comes to crowd response and such. Honestly, your a great poster, so don't be hurt. That was Ricky trying to protect his bro.

Fanfan,

Wise words from Maya! She is exactly right about Ricky. It's not meant to be personal. You didn't do anything wrong and neither did I. We both gave our opinions. I agree with Maya that Isner is kind of a nerd when it comes to crowd response and also not entirely comfortable dealing with controversy. It was an awkward situation, so I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt over how he appeared in his post-match interview. Is there really a right way to handle this?

Fortunately, we don't often see such egregious behavior from a chair umpire. Isner did nothing wrong. He played well. I am sure he didn't want the match to end that way.

You are not a troll! You can speak your mind and have your opinions. It just doesn't serve to get into a long, drawn-out back and forth. You stood by your opinion. Good for you.

Now keep posting!

I got in my last shot with Mr. Dimon. It wasn't nice, but I did feel good for a few minutes. I still feel very strongly that I did not say or do anything any worse than what other people engage in around here day after day with no slap down from anyone. The main difference is that I got into it with the wrong person, one of the writers here, instead of another poster.

I expected a mature, reasoned response and didn't get one. Maybe I expected way too much in this 24/7 snarky world of the internet. I don't hate Ricky Dimon. I don't hate Jon Isner. I'm not going to run to the ombudsmand. I have nothing more to say on the topic.

Fanfan - just listen to Maya and NNY, who are sensible posters around here.

If you have any personal discussions to tend to (and this goes for everyone), feel free to do so through e-mail.

If you have an input about this Federer-Nadal blog, feel free post it here.

oh and thank you Maya and NNY for trying to clear this (whatever this is) up. All your comments are right on.