Rafa......dont wish for any support from the French!!!.........thay are already set in their ways......nothings going to change that!.........and they wonder why their best chance for a GSlam title lied with one who was alledgedly caught with cocaine is his urine!!!!!

Its no wonder why its been years since a french man has won RGarros.......and if the french continue on that path.........it will take lightyears before a French man ever achieve what Rafa and Fed have!!!.............as a matter of fact its really bad for THEIR own players if they treat other players the way they do bcos France is not the only place where GSlams and tournements are played!!!.....if other people treat their plaeyers the same way........im sure they WILL not be happy about it!!!!!!

The attitude of the French is DISGUSTING to say the least!!!!........im even ashamed that my country was ever conquered by that nation and that we have a historic ties with them!!!!

Thank you Uncle Toni for chastising the French crowd. Their treatment of Rafa was absolutely appalling -- he is a four-time defending champ, after all! I am disgusted in general with the crowd's behavior -- booing a player ANY time they dare question a line call, including Rafa, -- even when the player is right. The Nadal family can take great pride in Rafa and his behavior. He is incredibly mature (at the ripe old age of 22, as of this writing) and so gracious in victory and defeat. The crowds in Paris could learn a thing or two from him. He will come back and win again in Paris -- hopefully, the crowd will give him the respect he deserves next time.

Uncle Toni, you are on to something all AMERICANS know!!! Parisans are idiotic, selfish and mean, NADAL you are the best!!! Sorry not enough Americans and Spaniards were at the match to cheer you on during your one and ONLY off game! Have a Great B-Day and relax, your legend will never be surpassed and greater things are yet to come for the world to see from you!!!!!

Toni might be right, but that's not the way to say things.
He called parisians to be stupids... something that has not been published on here. I wonder how the french crowd will receive Nadal next year after this...

Next year I hope to be there thus removing 1 frenchman from the arena. Thats my hope anyway. Also next year, just punish Soderling by running him corner to corner the entire match. He will never withstand that treatment.

If there could be an excuse for poor sportsmanship in Paris, I wouldn't even dare try and dignify their behavior with it. Nadal is not only a remarkable young man, he is also a source of great pride for true tennis fans. He carries his countries ideals with pride and grace. We in the US have some of that caliber but sadly not enough. Toni was right about the crowd, unfortunately it won't temper them in the least in years to come. You have to understand that people with such low ideals simply cannot understand or embrace the class that is Rafael Nadal and the high standards that he was raised with. Vamos Nadal, Vamos Espana, Vamos True Tennis Fans Everywhere!

this is putting fuel on fire. Nadal will not get any support from the French crowd after this and as strong as nadal's mentality, I do think it will affect him a little bit. He's human after all and how will he respond when every mistake is jeered and every winner is also jeered.

From now on, he should play a challenger event during the French Open!

Cut his nose to spite his face - I will still support him! RG crowd doesn't deserve him.

rightly said uncle toni........vamos rafaaaa!!!!!..........i always wondered y rafa maintained that his fav grand slam is wimbledon,now i know y,coz these parisians dont deserve rafa to play for their idiot crowd!!!

nd the jealous crowd is not only anti rafa,those mindless sheep booed haas whenever he made a ue........i mean COME ON!!!!........CHEER FOR A GOOD POINT,wat do they get by cheering on an unforced error!!!!1

hang on a minute ...are we really starting to blame the crowd for the loss now ? i dont think he lost because they were cheering for soderling ...he lost because he was outplayed.
I am not saying the fact that they were all ( crowd) on soderlings side is not weird ....it is ...and till now i dont understand it ...you win there 4 times and they still hate you ....go figure ...but thats their right and prerogative. In fact if anyone were to play in spain against nadal the support for him would be overwhelming ( i know soderling is not french , but the logic applies in terms of crowd support) ... in the finals against fed in madrid the crowd was insanely behind nadal ....how come that was not a problem for anyone ....I understood the crowd reaction ....and i knew as a professional on court you cant let them get in your head ..and even if fed lost ( which he didnt) ...the crowd would not have been an issue ...its a 'job' hazard...its no suprise

btw , this move really does not make any sense ...to complaint about the crowd is to basically give them more reason to hate you ....not a good move ...far from it ...

C'MON !!!

Fedexfan. I think it is just that it's weird that Rafa the 4-time champ is not treated life Fed the 5-time champ in Wimby. I think maybe Rafa didnt do enough PR with the crowd or French public. Or maybe France do not like a warrior-type player. It's hard to know exactly why. I dont think Rafa is affected too much but when he lost to JMDP, the Argie fans went nuts everytime he loses a point to JMDP. Maybe one of Nadal's weakness is having a really biased crowd.

Fed has won against some tough crowd in Madrid and also the USO final against Agassi. I think Fed focus more on opponents than crowd. Nadal might not care about the crowd but he always has the feeling that everyone is against him so this time it might be too much for him to take.

i spoke to a few french guys the other day ...they told me that other than a french player ...the only two other things they like in tennis are 'upsets' and 'Roger Federer' ...hahhaa....if there is anyone french in this forum i would appreciate some insight on the hostility towards nadal ....

C'MON !!!

I never read such craps thing ! French crowd supported both players. I was in the stadium, only a small part of the crowd was 'booing' Nadal like always (this is a shame and not only because he is the 4 time winner) and this is not a unique case. But on television you only hear that kind of noise and not those who are supporting Nadal. Toni reaction is an uncle reaction and not a coach reaction. I can understand it, not those I read here.
Don?t speak about Parisian crowd, this is a non sense. A huge majority of the crowd does not live in Paris. And almost a quarter of the crowd was not French.

The French crowd enjoy exceptional moments and they have support Söderling just to have a great match from both player (not like Nadal vs Hewitt) No one was expecting nadal to lose. Even in the last set, those who were encouraging Söderling were expected Nadal to wake up and to finally win the match. That is why lots of people have encouraged the Swedish till the end.
I have travel on every grand slam and the French crowd is not worse or better than others. I have saw people talking on the phone in the US open while a players was serving. This year the guy seat next to me in Australia was applause every direct fault from Kleybanova against Dokic and he was not the only one (And that dos not change the fact that I found the ausies extraordinary friendly).
Maybe some of you guys may go to Wimbledon some times, you will see some nasty behaviour like every were (no offense but this is true)

The French don't like the Spaniards, just like they don't like the English. If Andy Murray was English he would get the same treatment, but he is Scottish, although still British, but it makes a difference.

The French are jealous of the the Spanish success, and want anyone but them to win. Rafa is so magnanimous, that he is not bitter, but hopes they will support him in the future. He must be rest assured that he has loyal fans all over the world who love to see him succeed, and are rooting for him all the time.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RAFA!!!!!!!!

@carrie Are you serious ?

Why French don't like Spanish or English ? I can't see any reason but maybe you have some (don't talk about jealousy; find out intelligent reason and not that poor argument. All French want Federer to win and I am sure you have notice that he is not french so jealousy can't be realistic)

spoonie, the French and the English don't like each other, I live in England, I know. Even at international level, the are always at loggerheads. It is a well known fact in England that the French and the English don't like each other. One thing everyone looks out for in the Eirovision Song Contest, is whether the French would vote for England, and time and time again they don't.

So if it's not the Spanish they dont like, is it just Rafa? How can anyone not like Rafa. He never does anything to upset anyone.

I don't think uncle toni is 'blaming' the crowd fedexfan. He's just lashing out becaues the jeers were pretty loud and sickening and of course no uncle would want that for their nephew. They jeered even when he slipped on the line and fell and that's disgusting. Would you take that kindly? There's nothing wrong cheering thte underdog but both deserve to be treated with respect. No player should ever be booed. They booed him last year when he retired at the TMC - so was that justified and normal?

The French and Spanish have a history but they aren't the only ones yet it still comes into play. In AUstralia the Serbian and Bosnian or Serbian and Croatian fans always seem to clash with each other. Why is that? Of course every crowd have trouble makers. This crowd cheered almost every Haas mistake as well and in the past have booed their own French players who ask them to shut up because they were too loud and aggressive. It may not be everyone but overall they seem pretty loud, hostile, fical and vindictive. But I don't see Toni blaming the crowd for the loss and I don't think everone blames every single person who was in the stands but if it was only a small number, that would be obvious and that doesn't seem to be the case.

Hey people,

Feel like adding something to the mixture here:
Spoonnie, Thank you for your first-hand contribution :). It's nice to hear it from someone who has actually been there. I think you're probably right, wherever there's a bunch of people there's always gonna be some disrespectful misbehaving dimwits. It's just the way people are. And we can consider ourselves lucky because of tennis not being a hugely popular sport (if you compare it with european football [soccer] or american football) - the less people the better...
But still, uncle Toni isn't doing his nephew any favours by venting his frustrations over a radio - he stepped right into the snare of the journalists who always do what they do best (nothing wrong in it, just doing their job like everybody else).
Soderling outplayed Nadal and end of story - we have to accept it.

jean ...i watched on tv...but i did not see any booing ...i just realized that there was an overwhelming support for the swede....now it might have been for soderling or against rafa ...either way ...it dont matter .
If they booeed rafa or cheered when he fell then i think this is not just wanting the underdog to win ...but its just pure dislike for rafa ...
Im dislike him ...and i have my reason .....but i would not boo considering his achievements ....it deserves respect ....to have ppl in the crowd booing at u just says something which probably rafa fans would not want to admit ....

all in all ...i dont think anyone was booing him.....i just think they were supporting soderling cos they didnt want rafa to win . thats all ...it was the same in madrid ...they were supporting rafa like crazy , and rightfully so ! ....but of course that uncle of his didnt take this into account before shooting his mouth . sometimes i think its not the uncle talkin ...its more rafa talkin ....i would be more interested in rafa if he just spoke his mind ...told it how it is ...( im speculating here about this being rafa's true feelings . heck , who knows !)

C'MON!!!

Rafa is not the only one who gets booed. Players have been booed in other grand slams I've been to. Nole got booed at USO last year, corwds in Australia boo players as well. They are often the minority and just ill mannered.

to have ppl in the crowd booing at u just says something which probably rafa fans would not want to admit .... (fedexfan, 6/3/09 11:57 AM)

I don't think Rafa fans are under any illusion that there are people who don't like him. There are always people who like and don't like everyone. I do not like Fed at all myself for my own reasons but like you, would never boo a player, even if he didn't have 13 grand slams. Do Fed fans admit there are people who don't like him, do you guys deny it? Please give us some credit. Anyway this is not a Fed vs Rafa debate. It's obvious everyone here has different opinions about the crowd's behavior based on whether you like or dislike Rafa. Only spoonie has probably the most objective view based on his/her perspective on that day.

And what is the point of speculating on Rafa's true feelings? You're interested if Rafa spoke his mind??? So now you are accusing him of being a liar and a fake - not speaking his mind. When will you guys give it a rest. Is this going to be another Fed-Rafa bitch fight. No wonder some people have this website because certain Fed fans. No matter how you try to twist it, it's just plain ugly.

oh no... not the race card again.
i think ppl just love to watch any player take down a champion. it's like when someone's always winning, you'll be thinking ok now who'll be the one strong enough to beat the champion this time...

...DIAMOND...
..." Parisans are idiotic, selfish and mean, "...and all american knows that!!!
Thanks man...I wasn't laughing like this since...I don't know.
Americans know something..! Are you just stupid or you are also nationalist.._

jean ...did not mean to start a war ....it was just plain curiosity ....i did not have any ill intentions ....chilllllll dude ...........re-read my post with that in mind....thats why i mentioned im speculating ...im actually really curios ...i am so not interested in starting a war here ....

ppl dun like fed ....i think ive been involved in tennistalk long enough to know that ... not denying it at all ....in fact i welcome it ....speak ur mind :) ... but give respect where its due ..

C'MON !!!!

much as i think uncle toni is a genius... this was a bit stupid of him. the crowd are gonna be even worse to rafa next year

fedexfan: speak ur mind :) ... but give respect where its due ..

While you are preaching to me, who did I disrespect? You said you don't like Rafa, I reiterate another example but this time Fed.

fedexfan, what exactly do you not like about Rafa? I'm just curious.

yep,
I'm kind of curious too

I agree with Sib69, it requires a genius to come up with a technique like Nadal has and Nadal is talented enough to employ this tecnique which obviously no one uses.

But this time Toni makes a mistake by attacking the a crowd. Look what happened to Djoker and Berdych who dared to attack the crowd. Nadal will have even mentally tougher next year. Not so smart from Toni's behalf.

Next year is a long way away........but even if they boo Rafa next year......he would already have gotten over his loss........improve his form and win RGarros like he has in previous years!!!!!

However, the fact remains that the french DID behave badly!!!.........but i think the players should be accustomed to it........bcos they do this EVERY year to one player or another!!!!!

VAMOS RAFA!!!!

What Uncle Toni said was completely justified, every once in a while one good brave person needs to speak his mind. Rafa, is very great sportsman, never says or does anything to upset the crowd, his demeanor no matter what is going wrong is always impeccable and the behavior towards him by the Parisiens, left a lot to be desired. They were just pure jealous of the Spanish achievements in tennis so far. But also this kind or behavior towards good players is not only uncalled for but also ignorant. Love You Rafa and the entire Rafa entourage. Vamos and Good Luck. Radz Nice

That's Coach Nadal's observations and it's a straight forward assessment of the crowd's behavior and reactions with respect to his Rafa, SO however SUBJECTIVE it is...IT IS HIS OPINION, we have to live with it !

People in different countries react in peculiar ways and that's the reality of life....we have to live with it!

We are FANS who prefer different personalities....we have to live with each other!

I think Uncle Toni has every right to be angry, despite the fact that they may dislike Nadal even more next year, I feel something had to be said. It is a shame for Nadal his fan base didn't penetrate the French crowd well. I am honestly surprised they don't like Rafa, I mean we(Americans) went wild for Agassi but have since been desperately praying for Federer. I mean 4 times the man won, they don't want to see records?

Toni was asked a question and answered honestly. It's not like he went looking for a microphone at RR to tell everyone off.
Rafa has been booed in every court in the world. If the Parisian crowd wasn't particularly bad, they wouldn't have said anything.
Every time Rafa has won RR he has had nothing but kind words for the public, the tournament. He even thanks the ball boys.
Yes, you can say Spain and France have a history. Napoleon was invited to bring his troops into Spain pretending to be an ally, but once in his troops proceeded to savagely massacre innocent peasants, just because they could. It was a war between the world's most powerful army and women and children with sticks and shovels. Napoleon was the Hitler of his time. Yes it was a long time ago, but I don't think the Jews will have forgotten all about the Nazi atrocities 130 years from now.

Ironically, the French players are far better treated when they visit Spain than the other way around.

I know this is all over the news right now, but it will soon disappear from peoples minds. Often the player opposite Nadal gets support (wherever he plays). i think Toni was just reeling from the loss (as many of us were). I suspect, though, that what Rafa actually said was exactly what he meant ... in hoping that the fans would support him there next year.
I for one, am not at all curious as to what someone with a callsign like fedexfan thinks of Rafael Nadal.

Maybe they will forget next year but not in Paris Master Series especially with the 'Parisian is tupid' remarks where Nadal retired halfway through the match. There's always gonna be some clown+hooligans who will bring it up again next year.

Uncle Toni can say anything but still is an undiplomatic thing to say and Nadal is gonna have to deal with the Paris crowd now.

.....ZARE,

You must be Parisian!!! No further comment.

He guys here is a fantastic article for u rafans.
More individuals are coming to understand why we respect and love this guy and Nadal WILL be remembered for his gracious behaviour OFF and on court.

Rafa Nadal leads the way, but who are the world's most sporting sportsmen?
Times Online

Rafa Nadal has won new friends around the world due to the graciousness with which he accepted his first defeat at the French Open on Sunday.

After four straight victories at Roland Garros, it would have been understandable for the world No 1 to shun the press, hop on a plane and sulk at home in Mallorca.

Far from it. Nadal, speaking exclusively in his Times Online blog, insisted his defeat to Robin Soderling in Paris "was not a tragedy". "It was only a tennis match," he said. "No big drama. It happens, and I knew it would happen one day. I played really bad and on top of that he played well.?

Readers of his blog have been quick to congratulate the Spaniard on his attitude. ?The way that you and Roger Federer conduct yourselves, win or lose, is a great credit to you both and your sport. I wish people in other sports could learn from that,? said Chris.


Peter added: ?Even though I'm much more of a Federer fan, Rafa your humility shines through and you show what a great champion you are in victory or defeat. I doff my hat to you,? while John Lewis claimed: ?I'm a huge Federer fan so personally I was not too disappointed that you lost to Soderling. What I would like to say is how incredibly gracious you are in defeat. You are a true warrior.?

Which other current and past sporting stars have elicited such deserved praise?

The image of Andrew Flintoff comforting Brett Lee in the immediate aftermath of England?s victory in the second Test of the 2005 Ashes series stands out. And perhaps Paolo Di Canio could make the list for his decision to spurn an open goal for West Ham because Paul Gerrard, the Everton goalkeeper, lay injured on the ground in front of him.

But who else should be included in a hall of fame of the greatest sportsmen?
And who would make the hall of shame?

Didier Drogba surely cemented his place for his outrageous behaviour in the wake of Chelsea's Champions League defeat by Barcelona. And Jeff Tarango has to be in there for storming off court midway through a third-round match at Wimbledon after claiming umpire Bruno Rebeuh was "the most corrupt official in the game".

And what of Arsene Wenger? Let's examine the rap sheet: chest-bumping Martin Jol, shoving with Alan Pardew and pizza-throwing with Sir Alex Ferguson. Few managers accept a loss without any sourness but no one can quite equal the Arsenal manager, or can they?.

So, over to you: which are sport's greatest sportsmen and who are the worst losers?

Whoops forgot to contragulate our man on his birthday. Well there is never better time than the present. Lol. SO Happy bday Nadal and may u continue to have a successful and glorious career.

The worst loser?

He's the guy who cried a river during the awards presentation :-)

Haha danny, I dont think someone who cried during the awards presentation is any worse than someone who lost in the 4th round as a 4-time defending champion and repeating to the Press, 'I didnt play my best tennis' 50 times. So much for the most humble guy on tour, huh? :)

The way that you and Roger Federer conduct yourselves, win or lose, is a great credit to you both and your sport.

Even readers of Rafa's blog mentioned Roger's name too so you guys just need to understand that Rafa's humility is the same with Roger.

Cheers for both great sportmen in sport!!

"hang on a minute ...are we really starting to blame the crowd for the loss now ? i dont think he lost because they were cheering for soderling ...he lost because he was outplayed." -fedexfan , 6/3/09 7:06 AM

Uncle toni was complaining how his nephew, a four-time champion at RG was treated by the french crowd. How it was interpreted as blaming the crowd for the loss is typical of fed fans, like exfedfan. Did you see how they cheered when Rafa slipped and fell? Or maybe you were one of them.

heheheeeee, just tiptoed over to read the thread......going back to my corner lol

wow!! it's unbelievable!!! the capacity we have to bring every article to Fed and Rafa!!:)
I feel for uncle Toni,he must have been really upset about the crowd...

but let's not disrespect the whole french nation because of what a small group has done!! I understand how french ppl may feel about this because it's what happens to my country....the ppl who express it in the world are a lot different from the majority!!!!

danny: I think Fed's crying at AO ceremony has been discussed 1 million times and it had MANY reasons besides losing...just listen to other player's comments about Fed!! they all like him : Rafa,roddick.BLake,Lubicic,Davydenko and recently some players from WTA and former players!! I don't know why we need to discuss Roger and Rafa's character in this way,they are BOTH good ppl...but Roger is nicer to me for some reasons as Rafa is nicer to others!! :)

Danny shouldnt be taken seriously. He is the same guy who said Rafa need not play the tournament and should have just be handed the trophy. Karma just left a big bite mark in his behind LOL..

Nothing is impossible in tennis. Rafa is not unbeatable anymore as was Rog was not unbeatable in Wimby. So danny, the self-proclaimed modern nostradamus should keep his delusioned predictions to himself.

Get it, danninkanpoo-boy? You're the joke of Nadal fans.

You're a LIAR tosser9.
Point to the post where I say "...Rafa need not play the tournament and should have just be handed the trophy."

But then as a "tosser", what else can we expect from you.

danny's in denial and having memory-loss. Someone call the ambulance... FAST!!!!

You did not refute that I call you a liar tosser9. That's admission enough! Thanks.
:-)

I don't understand your racism against the french : the public use to support the outsider that's all. Everybody knows that nadal is a fantastic player, probably the best player ever on clay, and I'm sure they don't want to insult all the spanish community booing Nadal ... stop it ! You shoud have mentionned that in the meantime the crowd was supporting massively the spaniard Verdasco against Davydenko on the other court ! I was there !

My picks:
Greatest Sport persons ever:
1- Billie Jean King
2- Lance Armstrong
3- Arthur Ashe
4- Michael Jordan
5- Rafa Nadal
6- Roger Federer
7- Andre Agassi
8- Mohammed Ali

Worst:
1- O.J. Simpson
2- Mike Tyson
3- Tonya Harding

At the risk of setting off Fedfans, I really hate it when people can't praise Nadal with praising Federer as well. How can they say Federer was as gracious in defeat as Nadal was at RG, after his behaviour in th AO.

Nadal did the same thing here. He said ' I didnt play my best tennis' 20 times. Watch the interview. THis is taking away credit from Soderling.

I'm not taliking about that, how about Fed crying during Rafa's happiest moments at the presentation ceremony, spoiling his day?

that is not intentional and it was only 10 minutes. Nadal real celebration is after the trophy presentation.

Rafa didn't play his best tennis against Soderling BUT torres, you conveniently (as usual) forget to also say that Rafa said Soderling played great tennis. He didn't use his knees, the wind, being tired or pressure as excuses. He just played bad tennis. How many times have we heard about Rafa AND Roger that neither of them are playing their best tennis in a match? Rafa gave full credit to Soderling....what the hell else do you want him to say?????????

Sidenote: At Madrid, when they were presenting trophies, you noticed Rafa smiling? He was asked if it was hard to lose at Madrid, if he felt like crying. He responded that it was an AWARD CELEBRATION and should be that way for the winner! Even Nole in his hard losses, still acted selfless at the presentations and thought of someone else besides himself.

When Rafa lost to Fed in Wimby07, he wasnt smiling.

But was he crying his eyes out at the podium when they were presenting the trophies and making their speeches? NO!!!!!!!!!!!

fft ... neither was nadal on the brink of making history when he was playing in the Wimby 08 final....and Borg was not there too see him raise the cup ( he was there for fed) like the greats were there for Fed in AO09 ....please ...'you guys do understand' how the AO09 finals was a super letdown ...and how much the victory meant ...he was gona tie sampras with his idols ( the tennis greats) all in presence ....i am dead sure u understand how overwhelming that is .....if u dont , then i take back my comments and please dont bother replying to me , fed is after all playing 2moro and im just too buzzed ... if you do understand say you do understand and lets move on !! ....no need to be all 'my man is better in loosing' just cos he lost and there nothin else to talk about him . we dont really care ...


cheers fft ...good day !

20th semis ...2moro !!!

C'MON !!!!

Nadal did the same thing here. He said ' I didnt play my best tennis' 20 times. Watch the interview. THis is taking away credit from Soderling.
torres9
, 6/4/09 7:32 PM

That is what I responded to fedex. My response to him was appropriate. Reread my answer to him on that one and see if you agree? Rafa admitted he played bad tennis, but also that Soderling played great. I asked torres what else did he want Rafa to say but he answers with a Wimby 07 comment and ignores the rest.

Rafa was on the brink of history at Wimby 08. RG-Queens-Wimby had only been done before by Borg I think, but more importantly, it was Rafa, the young man's dream to win Wimby, ever since he was little. That's what meant more than any history book ever could! Just like this RG would feel to Roger.

fft ...my apologies for getting between u n torres ...u guys slug it out !

I assume the fact that u did not mock the living hell out of me a sign that you understand my point about how important the moment was for Fed in AO09 and the justification for the tears.
I would say that the loss at wimby 08 was HARD for Rafa without a shadow of a doubt especially cos it meant the world to him ....but to compare that to fed's loss at AO09 would be pushing it ... especially cos it meant the world to 'Fed and the world (history books)' .....

cheers !

Fed train stopping at final #19 2moro .....all on board ....featured movie : 'one match at a time' .....

C'MON !!

Fedexfan you wrote..........

"please ...'you guys do understand' how the AO09 finals was a super letdown ...and how much the victory meant ...he was gona tie sampras with his idols ( the tennis greats) all in presence...."

OF COURSE we understand what the victory meant!!!.........it may have been just as much a super let down as it is for us Rafanites when Rafa lost @ RG!!!!!!.......

However, that did not mean that Federer had to take the loss so badly to cry in front of the whole world!......whereas like Rafa says....its only a tennis game!!! Look now Fed has the perfect opportunity to win Roland Garros!!!! He did not have to wait that long......did he?......to equal Pete's record, and its even more special because he will also achieve the CAREER GRAND SLAM!!!!........every cloud has a silver lining!!!!!......so that is why many are of the opinion that he should NOT have cried at the ceremony!!!!.......period!!!

I like Rafa's phylosophy!....its only a tennis game.......and Rafa will have many other opportunies to make and break records.....like he has so many times before!!!!!.....you wait and see!

Rafa rocks!!!!!

Oh by the way.....................HAPPY BIRTHDAY RAFA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Still all the silly comments about fed's crying didnt end. He was thinking of himself, he did it to spoil rafa's moment, he did it for attention etc. you people think he did it on purpose? He got emotional and cried uncontrollably, whether it resulted in taking attention from rafa or not is another subject, the keyword here is UNCONTROLLABLY!

I agree MonaLisa. Rafa does let himself be defined by a tennis game or the history books. He defines himself by his acts, attitude and his beliefs in family and self. One loss does not define Rafa. The way he acted to that loss defines Rafa.

I gave the edge to Rafa for his behavior and humility, and Roger next because, even though he cried at AO, I'm certain he didn't intend to steal the spotlight. Rafa and Roger are just different people. Rafa is more grounded in family traditions. Tennis is just a sport, a game to him and that helps with his mental "toughness". He releases the pressure by reminding himself it's not the end of the world if he loses. He simply tries his best and takes what comes.
Roger on the other hand invests his whole being in the game, and that's how he became great. He keeps track of the numbers and knows exactly the place he occupies in tennis history. He feels the responsibility and the burden to become the Greatest of All Time. That's what the public wants of him, and he wants to deliver.

Neither is wrong. They are just different personalities and motivations. There is nothing wrong in becoming the greatest simply because you WANT to be.
There is nothing wrong in being great because you're so humble, you never underestimate a rival and that results in wins.

What makes these 2 men great is not what motivates them, but what they DO with that motivation. They work hard, they play great, they exhibit exemplary behavior on an off the court. They respect their rivals. Roger has self-confidence which at times may appear as pride or arrogance. Well, he has earned far more than that with his accomplishments. He should always have faith that he is a favorite to win, because he is.
Rafa on the other hand, only needs to remind himself to try his best one match at a time. He has superstitions and nervous antics which can be irritating to some. But it's worth to tolerate those minor things to see what he can do on court. Nobody is perfect, but Rafa and Roger come very close.

Agassi, Sampras... they had their outbursts on court, far more often than Roger and Rafa do, but we overlooked those minor things because we know of their intense passion for the game, and how normal it is to lose your cool for a moment. Their genius and exemplary behavior after the fact more than made up for those "moments".

Rafa is a big Federer fan. Federer says nice things about Rafa often. On the occasion of Rafa's birthday I would like to propose a truce between Nadalistas and Federites and recognize the awesome contribution both men have made to Tennis, Sport in general and to the world.

My hat's off to both of them.

Oh HOW Stupid and Im not calling any one poster any names but there ya'll go again....the article is about the crowd in Paris not favoring Nadal but some of you cannot let Roger Federer crying go...always pops up and it is boring. Of course its your like your only course right now, how you vent your angst. You do it to piss off people like me. congrats

Thanks grafight. awesome explanation. Im too po'd to write such fair and balanced a post but my thoughts exactly.

Thanks grafight, good list and nice post. I might add Navratilova, Tiger, Borg and because of my Canadian ties, Wayne Gretzky - brilliant player and great human being.

Have to add JMac to that list too smr. As much as I hated his tantrums on court, he was a GREAT tennis player and is still very active in the tennis community. Monica Seles too. Thanks grafight!

Grafight

I totally agree and support what u have said ,i guess u have reached the point (like others) where u find the antics of individuals on both sides tiresome.

From my analysis, Fed cried becoz he couldnt withheld the emotion inside of him when the crowd unexpectedly yelled 'We love you roger'. Imagine u r feeling sad and then someone consoles you and say they love you. WHo wouldnt feel touched?

And I never really heard from ATP players condemning Fed crying nor did the players condemned him for smashing his racket. The crying incident was used by a lot of journalist to emphasis how much impact Rafa had on Rog. Sentences like 'Rafa reduced Roger to tears'. I think it helped Rafa's reputation more than it spoilt anything.

Rafa looks up at Fed because they are not exactly in the same era but their half-era coincides. Fed is a living legend and Rafa is honored to be able to duel with 'probably the best in the history (Rafa's word)'.

Anyway, I think I spent enough energy on this matter. Will just focus Fed until hopefully Sunday.

GO FED!!!! YOU ARE THE BEST!!!

Ohhh well well, whats new, Fed will cry for anything, expect him to do so again comes Sunday final. At least there is something he will be remembered for...

This is for the Rafa fans! Very moving article from a Flemish newspaper ( "Het Nieuwsblad".) Enjoy!

Het Nieuwsblad - Geachte heer Nadal (link to a video inside)

Here's the translation:

Quote:
Dear mister Nadal,

By Bart Lagae, Het Nieuwsblad
June 3, 2009

Dear Rafa,

We?re writing you with deep feelings of sympathy and guilt. We?re ashamed for not having done this sooner. Luckily, it?s never too late to say sorry. Therefor, today ? on your 23rd birthday ? we?re asking your forgiveness: perdón, perdón, perdón. lo sentimos mucho.

We shouldn?t have howled along with the wolves on Sunday after your defeat against Robin Söderling. Or in this case: along with the morons in the stands of Court Phillipe Chatrier. Your Court Philippe Chatrier. The temple where you wrote history 4 years long.

The booing you received when you left Paris is a disgrace to the sport. The cheers for Söderling are at least surreal. You only have to think back to your match in the clay court tournament in Rome and watch one of the dirtiest tricks in the history of men?s tennis Söderling tried against you (follow the link above to find that video).

Contrary to Söderling, you proved that a tennis player should not only be great in victory but also in defeat. Because you were great in defeat. More and more people bear witness to that after having watched it with their own eyes.

Dick Norman said that you ? even though you were in a rush to get back to Mallorca ? still took the time out to thank every employee in the players lounge personally. This is the sort of courtesy they can never expect to get from Robin Söderling. The (security) people at the gates of Roland Garros know very well that each morning when you come in, you greet everybody whereas Robin Söderling never even nodded at anybody.

We have to shiver when we see how Robin Söderling is described as a great guy with the face of an angel. When we met him in the hotel we shared ? he came out of the elevator ? we nearly suffocated in a cloud of sulfur and tar. It is high time that one thing has to be said clearly: in the world of tennis, devils are described as saints and the good souls as sinners.

Compared with the ?friendly Federer?, you were always described as that brutish animal. The beast who was only busy with his own game and who never took the time out for others. Do tennis fans not know how different it really is behind the scenes? That you?re always prepared to give autographs after a training session, whereas Roger Federer stopped doing that years ago? That you live more for your sport than your everlasting rival? That you are where you deserve to be: at the top of the ATP world ranking?

From a good source, we know that you cried non-stop in the taxi on the way from your hotel to the airport. This only proves how deeply the defeat and the behavior of the crowd affected you. It also proves how courageous you behaved in those first hours after your defeat.
Roger Federer also cries, but only in the presence of cameras.

For this and for so much more, for having written nothing and for having howled along with the wolves in the forest, I ask you: perdón, perdón, perdón. Maybe, some tennis fans will change their mind about you. Quizás, quizás, quizás

With the most humble greetings,

Bart Lagae
Paris, in a dark little cellar under the Court Phillippe Chatrier
June 3, 2009

Just show that Rafa is also a crybaby.

fan4tennis: Thanks for posting the article. It was a rough day at the office for Rafa on May 31st. Perhaps some inspiration from the crowd might have helped him raise his level. It didn't happen, and that's fine. The crowd wasn't the reason why Rafa lost, and they're perfectly free to choose who they want. Anyway Rafa's never needed the crowd support before, and I doubt he'll need it ever again. Trust me, there's still a few more F.O titles for the King of Clay!

Torres9: The whole point is that Rafa had the decency to cry in private, without anyone knowing about it. ( And I doubt that this article is accurate. What is the reporter's source? Who revealed it to the press? I am sure none of Rafa's support team did..so we are not even sure it happened) Anyway, such reactions are only natural after a heartbreaking loss. I don't blame Federer or Nadal for crying.

imjimmy, I agree. But it's not such a bad thing for Nadal. THe title is still his. He makes headlines and also announced his arrival as the to player. If Fed can cry like that intentionally than he is definitely the Greatest Actor of All Time, nevermind tennis player.

Just show that Rafa is also a crybaby. torres9 , 6/5/09 7:18 AM

When has Rafa cried at a trophy ceremony so as to steal the moment from the victor, torres?

Crybaby is a guy crying no according to u all no matter in trophy presentation or not.

Nadal and Fed are worlds apart when it comes to grace and humbleness. Fed has insatiable ego that makes him look ridiculous.

fan4tennis, thanks for the article, and GREAT video! It's too obvious how Soderling is trying to cheat.

nadal has withdrawn from queens citing knee problems........:( :(.....

Rafa lost to Soderling because he forgot to take his Ritalin that morning, LOL. Seriously, that guy has got ADHD apart from his butt picking OCD - must be a side-effect from taking all those PEDs. As for his knees...well, when you get too muscular from taking all that IGF ...I guess you start getting prone to injury (which he curiously has been, considering his age!).

who let this loony on the site? Honestly, you have got to be kidding me.

keeptennisdrugfree ...your nick and ur comments had me cracking up ....haha....but i think that was a low blow dude ....we have mutual feelings bout the spaniard but you gota give him some credit for his achievements :) ....

some lunatics lean witted fools are everywhere nam1.........u just got to ignore them...lolzzzz......:-)

JMDP cried at USOpen when he lost to Andy M. He cried at RG when he lost to FEd.
Shall we have a "spot the crybaby" contest???
Come on guys, leave it alone! Crying comments just boring, boring, boring......

deuce.... roger does not really have any bad habits on court come to think of it ...he has no weird obsession ....game is played within the rule book ...he does not push the limits of the rules ....he does not touch himself in weird places ...he does not mock opponent ...not really vocal ...nothin really to complaint about him on court ....i think this is why the crying thing is blown out of proportion even though so many others have teared on courts even when they did not have to stand in front of milliion ( and the tennis greats ) to give speeches .....

basically ...everyone understands the tears ....but with roger there is not much to pick on ..so like a broken tape recorder , you hear the same lame'o things from some ....what to do ...

C'MON !!!

yes it's boring that they keep bringing up the crying thing. How do you discount all the pressure and the fact that he lose to his main rival and also not getting his 14th Slam. That is all pressure for any human being to take. He would have held back the tears if he not suddenly felt the affection of the crowd. Imagine you are so frustrated that someone tells you they love you.

Roger said yesterday that he didn't miss Nadal in the finals....

fedex, torres, agree, but if crying is really the worst thing critics can say, well, not much to worry about is there?