Quitter. Next time take your beating like a man. He played two exhibition matches and lost. He lost his confidence and mentally lost it. He knew he couldn't win especially with Murray in his side of the draw so he decided to give up his title and likely his #1 ranking. Loser tennis doesn't need you. Here's to a great Wimbledon.

Tennis needs him more than it needs you! And he's a much better person that can ever dream of being so crawl back to your hole street worker and stay out of a sport you know nothing about!

rafa made the right decision and i believe that now he will learn from his mistakes.
He is young and will come back! rest well rafa!
I feel sorry for chr18 because you sound like a very young,uneducated ,direspectful person that has no class and is not a very nice person.i feel sorry for you as a person.

its a sad move ...but the right move no doubt .... i hope he learns from this and modifies his style of play ...if not its just might get worse and more frequent.

Johan ...you must have put a lot of thought in the title ...very catchy

C'MON !!

chr18, Nadal is anything but a quitter. If you want to point your finger at a real quitter, look no further than Djokovic, who quits mid-match when he is losing. Sure Nadal could have started the tournament, but he feels not only that his chances of lasting 7 matches is slim, it may jeopardise the rest of his career. This from the Wimbledon's official website:

When Nadal was asked about his many fans and how disappointed they would be that he was not appearing at Wimbledon, the 23-year-old replied: "no more than me".

It's interesting that Nadal's chance to take over the No.1 ranking last year was when Federer was ill and suffering from mono. Now Fed has the chance to take over Nadal as Nadal is ill and suffering with his knees. Just goes to show you how talented both players are and how hard it is for them to overtake each other. Essentially, an opportunity has to arrive for both players.

Both playes are extremely talented, humble and respectful people. Even after Nadal lost at the French Open, he wished that Federer would win it. Federer stated that Nadal absolutely deserved the win last year at Wimbledon. Federer only wishes the best for Nadal too.

They respect and admire each other very much. We have to do the same for both players, whatever decisions they make.

iolife, I couldn' agree more. You're on the money. Both of these players are, I believe, the most talented in the game.

I think Rafa's injuries are as much mental as they are physical. He's tired, and at times, seemed distracted during his matches. I think his mind needs a rest as well as his knees. Either way, he's nowhere near ready to play Wimby.

I watched a rerun of the 2008 championship match the other night; it's gonna be a while before we see that again. I just hope we do.

Seriously chr18, are you for real?

iolife, I am in complete agreement of all that you said.

Here's to Rafa coming back for USO09 with a roar! Hope he rests up for now with lots of relaxation. I'll miss him, the tennis world will miss him and Wimby especially will miss him, but I believe he made the best decision for himself. All the best to a great player, person and champion.

Nadal's knee problems are a great worry to him because tendernitis just does not clear up like that. It could take 6 months to 1 year as I know I have had kids playing championship tennis and that is how long this takes to get better. He probably will loose his No. 1 ranking to Federer soon and Federer's fans would love to see their idol No. 1 again. This is how the cookie crumbles.

chr18..keep ur bloody mouth shut..dont u dare to repeat these wordings for rafa...he is the best sportsman...tries so hard and wasnt fit...scared of murray??? remember wht he did to him last year?? muray admited he got killed by nadal....

chr18....quitter? Who the hell are you a fan of, cause if it is any of the big 4 they have all had moments of jumping off the wagon, mainly with good reason and sometimes with far less notable reasons.
Nadal you already booked a place in history with that French-Wimby double last year. You will get better! I hope in time to protect your rank from Murray, though I doubt you'll have time with Roger.

Chr18 You should be ashamed of yourself. You are an embarrassment to the people who love this sport.

iolife , 6/20/09 3:50 PM:
THANK U!! beautiful post...couldn't have agreed more...
my blood is still boiling of things i read on another forum about Fed,and these posts calmed me down a bit..(nonesense like Fed had wished for Rafa's injury!!!!!!!!!! GOD!!!!) I wish all ppl were like u,they picked a favorite,cheered for him and respected the others,and let everyone enjoy the sport.
really sorry for Rafa,although I'm a Fed fan the tournament won't be the same for me...get well soon boy!! must have been a tough decission..but the right one.

chr18: I find the depth of your cynicism profoundly depressing and shocking. Of all the things you could call Rafa, "quitter" isn't one of them.
As I got cross with one or two Rafa fans who seemed to take delight in tormenting Roger fans just b4 the French Open, just not appropriate, so I am equally annoyed that you should think this is the right time to insult Rafa and upset his fans. It's called kicking a man when he's down and it just ain't done.

I don't think Chr18 is completely serious and anyways, he/she already expressed sincerest condolences for Rafa's loss on another post.

I like Rafa but am relieved he pulled out of Wimby cos it would have only prolonged his suffering and his fans suffering and the public in general suffering....plus there is more to tennis and this Wimbledon than Rafa's injured knees, a typical sport injury that can happen to any of them. As much as I love RF, I am not talking about Roger Federer here. On one hand
men's tennis is and has been about 'them' but there are others, other new talent, more variety is a GOOD thing!

I get what Chr18 is saying, I think. Tiresome, same ol, same ol and.....here's to a great Wimbledon! He/she just injecting some dark humor.

And Homos, how can you criticise ANYONE... absolutely no ground and not a leg to stand on , buddy. Your preferred and usual method of letting off frustration is name calling directed at RF or special RF fans... live and let live, tolerance...that's what I remind self when reading your posts.

Moving on...Cheers to Rafa...rest, recoup, regroup and come back to tennis soon!

Get fit soon. :)

Mmmmm...feeling sad ......Get well soon Rafa..........

well.........it was alwayzz there on the cards.........his style of play is more a physical ......

I salute torres9 for his prediction few months ago when he was consistently posting that Rafa is exhausting his body with his style of play !!!!!! wow mann..... bullseye........

look.........m just telling wt he / she had said earlier & people never listened to him / her but he was alwayzz on target ......... m just sharing ........I have nothing against Rafa for sure .........believe or not !!!!!

My good wishes will remain with u .............n Best with Roger alwayzzz !!!!!!

Go Roger Go................

Am I right Ch18? you have like that jack-ass sense of humor...irreverent....but deep down, you are a sweetheart...

You know insulting tennis icons is gonna cause a ruckus. REFORM or seek cover!

This from a fan on espn sportsnation : ?
hmmm, Nadal may be really in pain, I don't know, it seems he doesn't want to get beaten early and rathers withdraw. On the other hand, Fed was hampered by a bad back, and still got the the AO finals and played 4 sets of good tennis. ( lost in 5 to Nadal ) or remember the last Agassi's USOpen, the guy could barely walk, had 3 cortisone injections on his lower back, was 35 y/old and still played his heart out. ( beat Baghdatis in a 5 set thriller then lost ) but he gave us his best effort ever.

? -- gustrainer

That's all I'm saying. Finally someone who agrees with me. And zoey234 you are so right ....about me being a sweetheart.

Hey Rogerians............read our Champ n Raf's withdrwal !!!!!!!

Roger Federer is sad Rafael Nadal's knee injury has put a temporary halt to one of the sport's greatest rivalries, the world number two said on Saturday.

Spaniard Nadal, who beat Federer in an epic five-set Wimbledon final last year, withdrew on Friday with tendinitis in both knees, leaving the Swiss to once again open play on Centre Court on Monday, albeit a little sheepishly.

"I shouldn't deserve it this year because Rafa deserves it (as champion) but I am obviously very honoured that the championships chose me again to open the tournament," Federer, who trails Nadal 13-7 in their head-to-heads told Reuters.
Nadal's decision to pull out opens the door for Federer to win a record 15th grand slam although the five-times Wimbledon champion would prefer to make history with another clash against his great adversary.

"We played the last three years against each other here at Wimbledon," Federer told reporters. "So we definitely won't see the same final again. That's disappointing for me, of course, because I'd love to play him.

"He's my main rival. We've had some wonderful matches over the years, and especially the one here last year was the one that obviously stands out.
"That we can't potentially repeat that is obviously sad. I'm also sad for him because it must have been a very difficult decision to make."


NADAL STRUGGLING

Federer said he had an inkling Nadal was struggling when they had a brief chat at Wimbledon on Wednesday.
"We had a quick a 10-second chat maybe," said Federer. "He congratulated me for Paris. It was good to see him.

"I asked him how his knee was. He was like, it's okay. So I kind of knew it wasn't great, because he's very honest to me. So I knew that something could be coming up."

______________________________________________________________

Nadal's knees were still the main talking point among the players as they milled around the Aorangi Park practice courts on Saturday.


Britain's Andy Murray, who is now effectively the number two seed as he goes for his first grand slam title, shared Federer's disappointment over Nadal's absence.
"It's obviously a shame," said the 22-year-old who lost to Nadal in the quarter-finals last year and was seeded to meet him in the semis this year.
"I think over the last couple of days it was kind of expected, it sounded like he was struggling in the matches that he played. It's always disappointing if someone like him pulls out of Wimbledon especially when he was the defending champion.




Serena Williams had a rather different take on the big pre-tournament talking point.

"I'm sad. I'm a huge Nadal fan (but) I'm sure there's a lot of guys on the men's tour who were probably celebrating and partying," she told reporters.
_______________________________________________________


wt does it mean Serena ??? Is she pointing out Roger ????


Go Roger Go...............

No, tnj....Serena, imo would b thinking first I think of Roddick...she and a-rod are tight...

Fed would have preferred to have a rematch of 08, of course with a different outcome!

And as sensitive as Fed is, I hope he comes out on fire to win, otherwise....well this is not going to be easy.....soderlings, murrays....even Haas, Nole ...it's just going to be a great tourny!

Thanks for the post tnj and chr18 too :) I get your point...chr18...tho as sick as Fed was when he played AO 08...wow, amazing effort to make it to final. But I doubt the AO08 effort helped him recover mono sooner. Nadal has been fighting
knee problems a long time and winning until just recently...I believe he must be eyeing US open, even if the risk is losing #1 to Fed or Murray

Hi zoey...chick....leave homos honey...he started to bad mouth me on another thread..so have had enough of his arrogance and sheer bad mouthing of fed every bloody time...it's just tiresome....when you read some of his posts...he says very little except criticises others....says nothing about the game, absolutely nothing...that's because he has nothing to say and can only reply in two liners...that's the extent of his education.......enough about him...he's not worth it...and to think that H-E...of A-L-L people comes on to tell others to 'crawl back into a hole'..just a ridiculous person.

thanks for the posts....

i have to say that i think your serena over in the usa has a b-i-g...........m-o-u-t-h...no tact or diplomacy....great that she 'says it how it is'...but sometimes she needs to reign back...know what i mean? have kind of gone off serena the last couple of years...i think she can come across as very arrogant sometimes....overly confident and really her ego surpasses her.......

i think she could have been a little more sympathetic to rafa's cause and not be so harsh on the other players...i don't care what anyone says zoey...no-one would be happy for rafa to be out of the tourny...no-one....and if she was thinking of roddick...then she should not answer for others....fine to speak her mind (about herself)...but she should keep her goddamn trap shut when it comes to speaking for others..she has no right!

anyhow....catcha later zoey.......remember...this is fed's journey...i couldn't care less about murray...far too much of it over here in UK...seriously....if you wanna come here...i'll go to usa and we can do a swap....he is nauseating.....bleeerrrrrr...i cannot speak about him in the same breath as federer....federer is just class...murray ain't.

C'MON!
Allez Federer!

From Roddick's twitter: 'feel for rafa... could not have been an easy decision especially as the champ, and also considering what a great competitor he is'

CHR18----I just HOPE you experience 1000 times the PAIN RAFA was experiencing while playing with injury. More than that , I absolute WISH that whatever injury that will hit you in the conming days will give you lingering AGONY forthe rest of your pathetic life so that you will have to think about what is going to come out of your stinking mouth before you let it go all over the place!
THAT openning salvo on this article was uncalled for and was done in bad taste THAT YOU, chr18, a FED fan obviously, deserves to be cursed for the rest of your life!
SORRY, Please pardon my ANGER mr.Johan, but that comment was utterly DISGUSTING. For the longest time, I haven't lambasted anyone like this ....BUT, I stand by what I've just said and would say it again if that THING plays dirty the way "IT" did!!!

chr18: it's just not the moment...

I'm really bummed out about this. Grand Slams just aren't the same without some people, Rafa being one of them. It'll just be so strange not having him there...

And chr18, I don't think you can say "Well, Agassi played with three cortisone shots." or "Roger played with a bad back." In comparison to both of those players, Rafa is at a different stage in his career, being younger. If he wants any sort of longevity, I think he should look out for the long-term. Plus, when he enters a tourney, he's in it to win it, not HOPE he does well. And as defending champion, he wasn't fit enough to do that, so he didn't play.

TnJ, thanks man. I knew Rafa has 2 rivals, Roger and his knees. But he had to push the limits to compete and beat Fed because if he did not push himself, he can't win against Fed who have almost-perfect technical abilities.

Rafa pushes himself just as Hewitt pushes his limits. It is the only way they can compete with Fed and it is admirable. This is the result of Fed having an almost too perfect game. His opponents have 2 options: push themselves to 150% or just accept their loss.

I read an article saying Fed won 129 of his last 135 GS matches. Saying it's ridiculous is a massive understatement. It's inhuman. 5 were lost to Rafa. 1 against Djoker. It's good that Rafa stops him otherwise he would have 20 Slams and he would probably just retire out of being too bored of too much Grand Slams.

FED IS THE BEST

Malt.....I am not the hugest fan of Serena's but I read her quote I think differently than you do. She was not meaning the men would be disrespectfully literally, dancing, popping champagne celebrating Nadal being injured, that's sad, "I'm sad...." she meant they would be celebrating an easier, a better chance for themselves. Andy Roddick is one who comes to mind and I don't know if she was actually thinking of him when she said that but she thinks of him, they talk, grew up playing in the same school, ect. I don't read that as disrespectful at all....maybe a cultural difference...she is known to "keep it real." Can be interpreted as lack of diplomacy ...not everyone charms the fruit off trees. And what a boring world if we were clones.....she's not out of a Jane Austin novel, no doubt.

No thanks about the swap malt...I love it right here while I am here....but you can come visit. : )

Usually love the British press and I read as much as possible....it is sweet on Muzz, dressed in proper black for Rafa, and twisting RF into villain. Totally typical and boring leaning toward barf bag sickening.

So sorry about Rafa's knees but it had to come to this to get him to address a problem that had become chronic...it has to be frightening for him as he adjusts but the best part is he is 23 and time is on his side.

Let's all get on with Wimby 2009. Would not be fair otherwise, nor would someone of Rafa want his absence to cast a pall or diminish the winner.

zoey234---well said, regarding Serena's comment! She's not so conscious about being politically correct most of the time....sometimes to the point of being CANDIDly insulting!

agf? dddooooo you want to talk tennis with moi? Or, the usual. Cos i know i am not in your league when you have a full head of steam on

meant to say....." would someone of Rafa's STATURE want
want his absence to cast a pall or diminish the winner."

bye agf....don't bite a federite

chr18's comments were uncalled for and nasty but agf's comments are downright obnoxious

zoey--- you took me so wrongly, I just AGREED with what you said about serena. You must have read the "she" as pointing to you when it's not.

orion--- I addressed my comment to chr18 with anger as I stated and I intend it to be "obnoxious" as it was! It's so tamed compared to what I REALLY wanted to say to "it"!

Nadal is not a quitter but he definitely has lost a little bit of mental strength especially that he had concentrated too much on the early season winning so many tournaments.

But I think he would be satisfied with what he had achieved so far this year by sacrificing his knees.

It's a shame that Rafa can't try to defend his title at Wimbledon but he's made the right decision. No doubt it's his style of play that has brought about this problem for him. Hope the rest will do him good. In the meantime, go Roger!

i think that rafa knee injury is not something to be taken lightly . We have been saying for the longest time that the negative effects of his playing style is going to catch up with him and it has . And worst of all ...it happened come the biggest event of the year.
With that said , as much as he needed to redraw from wimby because of the knee ...i also think that there is a mental aspect to it that should be taken into consideration also . First the loss to Fed in madrid in front of his home crowd ...then he lost the one sure thing he had coming in to 2009 and that is the RG ....and he lost it in the 4th round ... i think that should take an emotional toll ...

Do i think he would have skipped WIMBY because of these losses ..no ....do i think that the effects of the losses combined with the knee injury played a major part in his decision ...yes ...

He will be back im sure . hopefully sooner than later ....

C'MON !!

agf25agf , 6/20/09 9:35 PM

agf...what chr18 wrote in the above post......is what every single fedfan on this post has had to put up with from you ever since federer has been on these threads....

and as zoey pointed out.....And Homos, how can you criticise ANYONE... absolutely no ground and not a leg to stand on , buddy. Your preferred and usual method of letting off frustration is name calling directed at RF or special RF fans... live and let live, tolerance...that's what I remind self when reading your posts..............

so agf...and homos are now criticising others yet they are t-h-e........w-o-r-s-t... using much stronger terminology than (chr18)....has and yet are pointing fingers at others....talk about................. T-W-O..........F-A-C-E-D.......

chr18 shouldn't have said what he said about rafa.....but as zoey said....i think this was more to do with disappointment...and he did go on and say how sorry he was on another thread....may be homos and agf...you are just getting a taste of your own medicine? It's not nice when people say horrible things about your own player...which is why it is the two of you who need to grow up...no one else..you are both....and have been.....m-u-c-h......m-u-c-h........worse and you know it.

fedex! buddy!
get ready!
C'MON!
Allez Federer!

Hello Rogerians........... :hug:

U r welcome torres9 ,zoey...........

well, I was just sharing wt happened in the past here in TT as I have a bad habit of not forgetting !!!! lol

Well......u r absolutely right .... abt his rivals......

but u know he was forced to have two rivals as he was desperate to beat Roger & gave away 150 % every time when he beat Roger ...........so by too much of effort he lost his physical balance ........slowly .........slowly ..........

no offense........Roger forced Rafa to have Knees probs ..........

I hope he recovers soon & we get to see more b/w the chapms !!!!!

@Torres..........its ridiculous to win 129 of 135 GS matches(lost to only two players in the process ) :O ........this is wt our CHAPM is all about !!!!

Go Roger Go................

I don't think Rafa has some mental problems.Well,of course,he's had some problems for a couple of matches but I think that was related to his knees.He said that he was concentrating on his knees more than on the match.So,I think when his knees are fine,his mentality will come back...

materser---- You can't help it do you? You really HAVE to poke your BIG nose to every single comment EVEN IF it doesn't concern you.
You're so into EVERYTHING in this forum.... your finger is always itchy to answer just about anything!
Coming from you..."live and let live, tolerance...that's what I remind myself when reading your(homos) post" ......... I HOPE you khow the meaning of what you're talking about! OR IS IT (I'LL) live and and (I WON't) let (you) live !

agf...zoey said 'Live and let live, tolerance...'............N O T.....M E....go read H E R post buddy...and like we have said in the past...W E........ALL....have the same opportunities to post....

You can't help it agf...cos the truth hurts doesn't it? like i have said..it's okay for you to say horrible things about our fave player but when someone says it to you (i don't think it is right...i don't like it agf..i never have)...y-o-u....c-a-n-t......s-t-a-n-d..............i-t-............. .you still haven't grown up have you agf....how long is it gonna take?

your just weird man.

I said so many "horrible" things about Federer AGES ago! Maybe you havent noticed, even if I'm DYING to do it, I refrained from doing that because it will SURELY "hurt" your(fed fans) feelings! I'm so sick and tired of doing that.
I INTENTONALLY addressed that "furious" post to chr18 and N*O*T to FEDERER nor to ALL the fed fans in general!
So, who's the one who DIDN"T MOVE ON?.....who didn't GROW UP?
You're still embracing the memories of what I've said a million threads ago AND YOU KEEP ON REPEATING words that you've already said when opportunities LIKE this come your way.
ARE you and chr18 the same person?.......Why does it seem to me that you're here to defend him?

agf..i think it is safe to say that i am not that clever to come on this forum and be two people...i don't support chr18....none the less..he is entitled to his opinion...i think that i have posted many articles of support for the rafa fans and i mean it with a good heart and a clear conscience....

i would hate that to happen to federer...it would be soul destroying so i would not wish that on any player and what you think of me is no distress or concern to me...............you say the following agf....

quote.....Maybe you havent noticed, even if I'm DYING to do it, I refrained from doing that because it will SURELY "hurt" your(fed fans) feelings! I'm so sick and tired of doing that....unquote...

you put certain words in capitals and say that you are dying to say bad things...that is certainly what you are implying so don't deny agf....if you feel the need to say what you wanna say..then say it...because if you have to 'refrain' yourself from saying the things you really wanna say...

then you are just penting up your frustrations because you really do want to be horrible...that is your nature...i don't think that you have changed at all.....you are just waiting for an opportunity to revert to your old character and you know it....

I moved on a long time ago by not answering your posts but this one struck me (when you responded to chr18)...because that person at that point was you....but you were much worse as you have said.....that you were sick and tired of doing that.....ummmmm.....

i think you were probably warned about your behaviour on the thread agf...cos let's face it...you really were horrible...scarily so....but i do hope that you move on from this and are able to become a much nicer person when it comes to tennis...and not wish such bad harm to anyone...nothing good will come of it otherwise......

cheers agf.....

Allez Federer!

malterser--- I know you understand what I felt when i read chr18's post... you're a PASSIONATE, very SOLID fed fan... most people here who've been posting for quite a while would DEFINITELY say YOU ARE THE #1 FED FAN in this forum HANDs down!
I won't say I'm Rafa's #1 fan ,but I'm an avid NADAL follower.... i don't care if people would hate me for that. I admit, I'm always ready to throw the sink to anyone like chr18....without remorse!!!

malteser you are the one without a leg to stand on. like i said before, you are just an ugly hypocrite, a self-professed angel on a high horse thinking you can point the finger at everyone and criticize them because you think you're nice and fair. you are an a-hole so STFU and piss off! uni must not be giving you enough homework that you are ble to come here and argue til you are blue in the face and go all out to have the last word just so you can feel good about yourself. buddy, get a life! go cry to cheryl! it's all you are good at!

agf...am gonna respond to you buddy because you responded to me...so thank you for that.....I don't think that i am the no.1 fed fan...i think there are many of us....here which is why we joined this forum...right?

I think if you say that you are 'trying to change'...then agf....good for you....seriously and honestly.....it must be bloody hard sometimes when your guy (rafa) has had some serious crap thrown at him.....it's awful...it's bad...it is those posters that are not true tennis fans......(so you seem understanding when i mentioned that was what i saw in you...'at one time'....and hey...when attacked...i

can defend....but despite what people think.....i will ONLY attack when someone has attacked me FIRST...i will NOT start it....i don't like it....so you see....the second post from homos....who clearly is yet to grow and has a wonderful time himself by criticising others because of his own inadequacies.....that's his problem.....

but agf....i do wish your fave player the best of what is to come.....he has millions of fans and he will use this 'rest time' wisely...whatever any of the negative posters say about him is irrelevant really...don't you think?

homos? piss off yourself...i can argue if i want to...you are not my father...my boyfriend...my brother.....you are just a nobody who brings nothing to this forum in terms of insight, articles, genuine interesting discussion and debate.....you actually win the gold award for the biggest arse on this forum.....congratulations and celebrations to you homos....

Allez Federer!

i think it's a wise move for RN to rest & recover. i said before that he seems fatique & now we know that it's his knees. he can't play even if he wants to cause then it'll just make his knees worse. just hope he works on something else cause i think with the way he was playing, it's just not good for the body.

mateser---- good point....at least we're crystal clear on one aspect of our perspectives... FUNNY,we can be the same in our differences!!!

sorry---typo error....L missing....don't get it wrong!

agf....i think this might be the start of a beautiful friendship.......

C'MON!
Allez Federer!

agf...I knew what you meant the first time. Only surprised you posted to me, that's all.
I liked you when you were bad. Like you even more now, mwah!

Malt....going deep into Wimby draw with thinking cap and crystal ball to parse out predicitons.....c'mon!!! EXCITED, chick!

Zoey...honey...read what Pat Cash has said regarding the tactics that Fed should employ at wimby...what do you think?

What I don?t want to see him do is play the majority of his tennis from the baseline. To me that is akin to Real Madrid buying Cristiano Ronaldo and then picking him to play a withdrawn role in midfield. I?m not alone. Around the dinner tables of the senior tour, the subject of Federer and the way he plays probably generates more discussion than any other tennis matter. To a man, John McEnroe, Mats Wilander, Michael Stich, Goran Ivanisevic and Henri Leconte all agree with me. We want Federer to attack more, to see the offensive tennis he was playing before Nadal, Murray and Novak Djokovic came along.

Murray has stepped up a couple of levels since losing to Federer in last year?s US Open final, in which the Scot was attacked from start to finish. Murray has since beaten Federer in each of their four matches on the tour, but in those games I believe the Swiss played too defensively and stayed on the baseline too much.

Why has Federer become more conservative? Maybe it?s something to do with getting older. More likely it?s down to the fact that he hasn?t had a forceful coach since splitting with Peter Lundgren six years ago. It takes a coach with a strong will to tell the player many revere as the best the game has known that he can still improve. Nobody now seems brave enough to take on that task.

Given the way I know Roger has taken exception to some of my comments over the years, there?s probably more chance of me being employed as Ivan Lendl?s next golf caddie than the Swiss master?s coach. But I?d be ready to talk to him about where I believe he could improve.

Teehee...I barely know who Ronaldo is but what I have seen of him.....whoa..make me a soccer fan...I loved playing soccer but watch none an next to none tv coverage....actually watch it on latin Univision....Mexican soccer...gooaal! A UEFA cup match would be so fun for multiple reasons!

I agree with the experts there, Malt and who am I to disagree....tho I watch Feddy w/ a microscope...and observe maybe different details....like: expression, posture, where he is glancing, is his service motion fluid, is he able to bend his knees like 2007, is he a step slow on this legendary footwork? Where is the laser focus ON or on Pause or OFF. Yes, Feddy would set in earlier, take the ball earlier more often
a couple years ago and that perfectly measured one handed backhand I love so much was a weapon, not a liability.

Maybe the baseline tennis was compensating for the times in 2008 when he was struggling with fitness post mono...that has been my take. RF only knows. But Fed is back to his full flight in terms of stamina, Malt.....just look at the health radiating from him! His back and the ability to strike that backhand, to a degree the forehand and most definitely the serve and footspeed depends more now on back health..

His serve was incredible to witness at RG and his service returns.....magnificent. He is healthy for the moment Malt but the hard court season might be different....his back was bad after the US Open.....but the 2008 season was one of adjustments, conquering illness, injury....it's funny what Cash says about RF and his reluctance to employ a coach and maybe Fed will rethink things as Mirka becomes less available......dunno....

About this Wimby.....it won't be easy....but a healthy, strong RF can beat Muzz on grass....if they both make it that far. I can't say the same for hard court at US Open, Malt....Muzz v Rafa there!

Taking cover!

M-1, wanted you to know I wrote a response to your post. Realized you were prolly asleep. Hope your have a great day....back to zzzzzzz's for me. I'll have live coverage but must work at 9am my time snozzzzzze

malteser/zoey--- If Rafa and Roger can be friends why can't their fans be? This is weird, but this might give a breath of fresh air in this forum. I won't and can't promise that I won't "misbehave" sometimes, but I'll try to be "diplomatic" to those who deserve it.
I appreciate your comments....honestly!

Nadal's withdrawal from Wimbledon is disappointing for all of us tennis fans. I'm a Federer Fan, but I would like to see him play. His decision to withdraw is probably a smart move for him. It's better to sacrifice one slam than risk his self for a permanent injury. He still young, I'm sure he'll have more chances to capture more GS. I'm sure he will try his best to win the US Open this year to complete the 4 GS.
Anyway, I hope to see another epic Wimblebon Finals this year!!!

The silver lining for Rafa is that next year, he won't have so many points to defend. I miss him terribly, but it's one of those things, and it's inevitable.

I wish him a speedy recovery.

VAMOS RAFA!!!!!!!!!

PS
Is this thread not about Rafa's injury, or am I missing something? Why do we have to redact all threads so that they all end up being about Roger Federer?????

I haVe just come back from the USA, and it's so ironic that Rafa was on the cover of at least three magazines - AA infligt mag had him on their cover, so did Men's Fitness and Men's Journal, all enthusing about his fitness. He looked so fit on the covers and gorgeous - then I got home on Sat to the news that he had pulled out of Wimby. I was gutted!!!

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

It is indeed ironic that Rafa was voted the fittest guy in the world, but here he is sidelined cos of injury. This happens in sports all the time...history is filled with disappointing moments like this. The good news is, Rafa is still young and can surely recover in no time at all.
This "break" was imposed to him by NATURE....he's been working like a BULL, literally. Coach Toni will surely reassess their approach on Rafa's career.
VAMOS RAFA!!!!!!!

agf..quote:malteser/zoey---

If Rafa and Roger can be friends why can't their fans be? This is weird, but this might give a breath of fresh air in this forum. I won't and can't promise that I won't "misbehave" sometimes, but I'll try to be "diplomatic" to those who deserve it.
I appreciate your comments....honestly!

end quote......HEY we can only do our best right? we are gonna have good days and bad days...it is a learning curve for us all......i posted on another thread about the professor...expert on tendinitis and especially in rafa's case...i said to carrie i will post when i get home...he says that rafa will be better in 2 weeks....he doesn't believe it to be a chronic conditions...however... if rafa had played wimby for these two weeks.. then his career would really have been in jeopardy......i don't know about you...but i think this will change his whole tennis schedule now for the rest of the year/next year.....what do you think?

Agf...who is your second favourite player next to nadal? and why?

fedfans! where are you all tonight? are you out celebrating or just chillin' guys?! Fedex..sky....raftafan? tnj? mdmuch? where are you?!

C'MON! (not only to fed...but to the fedfans too!).....

I agree agf. Sports athletes all have a period where they cannot play due to an injury or illness. I have the Men's Fitness mag and the pic they used on the cover, tho still nice, is very old (from the NY mag pics). And now we have all these "experts" crawling out of the woodwork talking about Rafa's condition. As far as I am concerned, you can be a doc or an expert on the field of treating tendinitis, BUT unless you are treating Rafa himself, then these experts cannot know all the ins and outs of what is going on. The only one who CAN speak with certainty for Rafa's condition is Rafa himself and his doctor (Ruiz-Cotorro) who IS treating him (and he says 3-4 weeks to heal).

Exactly fan4tennis, too many people have opinions that they know little about.

I do think that Rafa might end up playing fewer tournaments to give his body time to recover between matches. Unfortunately, success is also a cause of injuries, there is a price to pay for winning all the time, because your match hours are much much more than players who only play one or two rounds on average, but to continuously play 5, 6 7 rounds week in week out can't be good for the body. That is one thing I think Roger has been very fortunate about, because he has been running the gauntlet for years and has been relatively free of injury most of the time.

The ruling bodies should start thinking about players' welfare. Today Benetteau had a nasty accident when he ran into the backboard at Wimbledon on what I believe is a metal frame behind the green canvas, they shouldn't have things like that around the court when they know players are likely to bump into them. Similarly, there are far too many tournaments, the players play virtually every week, even when they are not competing they have to do exhibition matches, they are only human!

Just in--- Nadal's parents are officially separated!
MAIL Online : Rafael Nadal's heartacheas parents split.

malteser--- my second fave after Rafa.... you really caught me by surprise, I actually paused for quite a while and summon my thoughts. My focus is on Rafa ONLY all these times. I love Gasquet's style.... i admire Novak's power, which can rival that of Rafa's on his best day (but he's so inconsistent after winning AO)...No one can refute Federer's consistency....but i'm so biased with the Spanish players (runs in the blood). BEFORE NADAL, I'm an avid Andre fanatic.

very, very sad about Rafa's parents. I don't even want to think about it. Rafa is soo family centered...has to be a loss hurting like a death. Life is never fair. Rafa will adjust and the knee will be fine but he'll figure all it out w/ uncle Toni.

Try another Spaniard meanwhile agf....Verdasco, Ferrer, Lopez...

Players dont "have" to play every week, Rafa chooses to do so and it hurt him badly this year. I hope he will be fully fit for USO at least. Tough news about his parents :(

Because of his HAIR style--- I'll go with VERDASCO!!!
VAMOS!!!