commentators and media have been mentioning rafa's name endless number of times. either smugalot is deaf, iliterate or sucking up to himself as he does best! more like smugalot would like to forget about araf asap.

This is why Sgt Smugalot really gets on my nerves! He would like Nadal to be forgotten, but even now during the final Rafa has been mentioned umpteen times. One thing I know, the only epic matches since McEnroe and Borg have been provided by Rafa.

Cuz as long as Rafa is out, fed can relax and know he doesn't have to face him and make that H2H any worse. But according to certain fed fans, EVEN THO THEIR GOD ROGER SAYS TENNIS GOES ON, if we dare to root for another player (unless it's fed) in a tourney, then we are "shameful.....absolutely shameful" fans.

fan4tennis..for once in your life...grow up! we couldn't care less what you say...cos you talk crap a lot of time.....you self-obsessed fake.

Andrew Castle has just said Rafa is missed.

So has Jmac and Carillo and Robinson!

Rafa is not missed... This is Fed's moment!!!!!!!! 15th SLAM !!! HE IS JUST THE BEST!!!!

lol everybody misses Rafa :-)

I think Roger meant the British Press..It could be that he wasnt reading anything much about Rafa eversince AndyM took on..I for one certainly didnt.. :D
Thats also not the only thing he said about Rafa.He even said Rafa was unfortunate and deserved to be on top of the rankings too.That his injury was extremely unfortunate.
Not that I expect Nadtards to understand.Rather they will ignore it..Just thought I'd put in my understanding.Even without the explanation...of what he said is arrogance.........well...I guess its the way a bitter mind works :D Roger is a competitor..its not like Rafa's owned him in every match they played.I'm sure he wants to beat Rafa in a GS more than anyone.
Anyway,I too hope Rafa gets better soon.Never wish injury upon any player.I'm sure he'll come back very strong.

Thank you jan for your nice words about Rafa. What you may have missed is that with Rafa out, some people rooted for Murray and were attacked by malt and torres and being fake fans and was told that we were "shameful..absolutely shameful fans". Then when Murray was out, I chose to root for Roddick (am American) and was accused of being a fake fan again and also of being a traitor. According to them, people only root for other players "just to see fed lose" and don't consider that people actually like others besides fed.

f4t dont you worry about what someone else says at all.I personally ignore all of it.You have a right to root for anyone you choose...I love Andy.This is a final I just sat back and enjoyed and I absolutely agree you dont have to root for anyone and I dont care much even if people root against a player because I myself have been guilty of it at times.That said it would be great to see lesser amount of nitpicking.i dont expect credit,but some amount of consideration would be great.We have to great players at the top of the sport and I wish people would see that and not make mountains out of molehills.
The whole fuss over this article is really laughable.

See, this is what I mean. With the decent fed fans gone, the other ones have constantly harassed everyone else for anything and everything. We need more of you back here jan. You and I disagree at times, but at least you're sensible and I understand you have your fave fed and I have mine (Rafa) and if fed was ever out of a tourney, I would never question why you might root for someone else in his absence.

I'm not sure I understand what is wrong for rooting for another player if your guy is out. I, for one, love Andy Roddick - have said so many times (he's my SECOND fave player, and don't we all have #1's, #2's and #3's?). Go for it! Tennis is multidimensional.

Now, that being said, I don't appreciate Fed bashing, which several Rafa fans are fond of - that just makes my blood boil. Why be so rude and childish? Just back your guy, ok? And, if your guy's out for one reason or another, go to your #2 fave, #3 etc. I don't even care if you root AGAINST my favorite (the GOAT Roger Federer)! Just get some manners when you do!


~~Roger is THE ONE~~
Rafterfan

Manners like zoey?

rafterfan, If you want manners like zoey is exhibiting on the "Roddick and fed Battle For The Wimby Title" thread, then I will oblige you.

"Rafa got forgotten quite quickly"??? How does he know? Maybe it will surprise him but there are people who actually miss Rafa...

and why did he suddenly start to talk about how great Murray is? I thought he didn't like Andy's game,so why all of a sudden has become Murray the story of tournament? I wonder if Murray had been through to final and beat Roger somehow,would he call Andy as "the story of the tournament"?

anyway,congratulations Roger for his 15th GS title...

"It's unfair to a degree. But at the same time you have to move on. I'm sure Rafa will be coming back next year and playing great tennis here. That the way this sport works really'

Why do Rafans do not read this then?

sister, that wasn't what Roger meant. I think Johan's title is what flared up emotions on this thread! Roger meant the reporters/news media and them not commenting that much on Rafa. He was referring to Murray Mania being the big story, and it was! The only problem was, Andy Roddick knocked their hero out! And the rest is history.

I do appreciate where you're coming from - Rafa is missed very much by almost everyone, including Roger. I hope he comes back full throttle.

haha...why are you rafa fans soo afraid that he will be completely forgotten !! are you guys so damn insecure !
OF COURSE HE WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN ! thats not what the article was insinuating in any way ... the whole article just focuses on the fact that tennis goes on ...regardless of who is playing and who is not . If fed were not playing ...it will still go on ...and there would still be fantastic matches ....the same thing the other way round with nadal not playing ...wimby09 was brilliant ....especially all the 5 setters . The final lived up to expectation ...in fct ..it was wayyy more than what people expected ...tennis goes on ....independent of what happens to ONE player ...thats all the article says ...people ( general public ) were dissapointed the first few days with Rafa withdrawal but the tournament went on ...and we had murray mania and the roddick put a stop to that and stole the limelight only to be overshadowed by FedExpress which is on a ROLLL !!!

WIMBY09 ...where WE'VE right the wrongs
C'MON !!

Only the ARROGANT ONE is saying that Rafa is already forgotten. I dare all fedtards to show proof that I am wrong!

15 slams or not he is still a tool...I like how fake he gets, when he says that he doesnt worry about records etc, yet in the same breath mentions a record he has broken and pulls out a top with number 15 on it...

bianca..your so ignorant and irresponsible with the above comment...but...to save you a job.....you can either read this or RF's homepage...click onto sponsor.....

the top with no. 15 was ONE top he had IF he won the slam....IF......IF he hadnt have won wimby...it would have been an RF top....

secondly...he is in a contract with NIKE....they TELL him WHAT TO WEAR...THEY DESIGNED THE WHITE JACKET/TROUSERS FOR WIMBY...they are the boss...as they are paying roger millions to market THEIR PRODUCT (Federer is THEIR PRODUCT advertising THEIR NAME)...then he is gonna wear what they say...like rafa wore the pink shirt at FO...so get real please.

whether or not you like fed...and it's clear you don't...he is an ICON...a LEGEND....when an interviewer asks him about the records he has broken...he answers them.....it's what interviewers do.....

if you don't like fed or his answers why don't you switch channels? hell...why don't you be a basketball fan?

Fed Won! A great...great....feeling!

He is an arrogant tool! What has this truth got to do with him wearing Nike?

malteser1, get a grip and calm down....
It's not like he's your brother so you find yourself personally offended by my comments!

Being Roger Federer, no one and I mean no one tells him what to do...so he is the one that picks the outfits and the insignia on them...Nike markets the outfits & pockets a nice profit from it... Same with Rafa, if he said no to the pink shirt or change of clothes this year, it would not have happened. To think otherwise is naive and foolish.

The fact that he had the No15 jumper ready, condradicts what he says...that he doesnt care...he does and I wish he would stop pretending it doesn't matter. He is human after all and of course he cares....

Cudos to him for all the achievements, no one denies that. Wheather I like him or not is beyond the point here, my argument is that he often says what the public (or his PR manager) expects him to and rarely offers insight into what he truly thinks. I personally don't like that in a person...if you fall for it...that is your problem!

Fans will always miss their favorite players. But in the end tennis will go on. As Roger says if not him or Rafael then somebody else will win tournaments. Tennis is not like music that people listen to even after eras. People will watch new players live in new finals.

actually bianca..why don't YOU get a grip? what a ridiculous comment to make!

malteser1, get a grip and calm down....
It's not like he's your brother so you find yourself personally offended by my comments!...unquote.....

i couldn't care less about what you say unless it is INCORRECT....go read about NIKE...it is NIKE who tells fed and all the other sponsors what to wear...honestly bianca why do you come up with such crap? there can only be one reason....to stoke it up....

I don't fall for anything as you put it.....I certainly don't have a problem...so I'll thank you to perhaps try to work out YOUR own character rather than preaching to me...how arrogant of you... he has his own mind as we all do.....so don't come across as the oracle on life bianca.....ridiculous.........ridiculous....

this is all just cyber fun to me...you mean nothing to me as i mean nothing to you....long may it last.....

wait a minute..why are Rafans hurt by reading this?

I guess it's the title that makes it sound bad,because as I read the title I did not think it was refering to this part of Roger's interview!
in the beginning of the tournament Roger said he and the tournaments would miss Rafa(sth like that),and that all "the greats" had to miss one or two slams and it was only due to bad luck(,while others are saying different things),
in this case Roger was asked at the end that what had the tournament missed?
and he said this. torres is right why don't u read the part where he's encouraging Rafa for US open...btw he did not say he was forgotten cause I was great or what...he said without me and Rafa there are still other topics to focus on,so he thinks the tournament has not lost much without Rafa(and he has said this about himself in the past,that he's only a part of the sport and the sport goes on without him)

ok Rafans we ALL miss Rafa but I agree that the tournament does not lose much without Rafa ,Roger or anyone else...cheer up everyone,I really don't think this is anything bad...Rafa is fresh for the hardcourt season,and life goes on!!!
we can enjoy this rivaly more without fighting so much!!!

"if you don't like fed or his answers why don't you switch channels? hell...why don't you be a basketball fan?"

what a ridiculous BS. So,does every tennis fan has to be also a Roger fan? I respect and appreciate all his achievements but as a character,he's not the most likeable person in the world.So,I don't have to like what he says in his interviews.
If I were Roddick yesterday,I would have cried yesterday in the ceremony just to steal the limelights from Roger just like Roger did to Rafa in Melbourne.

I just want to see Rafa with his racquet in his hand again.

VAMOS RAFA!

I am posting this article here, because it partly relates to Nadal's presence being felt at Wimbledon, it's mainly to do with his injury.

f4t, it cmpletely backs up your point that only Rafa's doctor is qualified to talk about his injury.

World of tennis: Nadal?s camp insist he will be ready for Montreal

Last updated at 12:01 AM on 06th July 2009

Taken as a whole, this will not go down as an exceptional Wimbledon and one contributory factor to that was the unfortunate absence of defending champion Rafael Nadal.

However, it seems that some of the wilder rumours about his future are wide of the mark and, as his spokesman Benito Perez Barbadillo tells me, causing some annoyance to the Nadal camp.

The Mallorcan is currently doing pure fitness work while having treatment on the tendinitis in his knee and is expected to be back on the practice court within the next
few weeks.
Rafael Nadal

Returning: Rafael Nadal is working hard to get fit and could be back next month

Perez Barbadillo said yesterday: ?The plan is still very much that he plays in the Montreal Masters beginning on August 10. He is entered into it and that is what will happen if things go as we think they will.

?There seem to be experts giving opinions about Rafa?s knee from a long distance when they have no details and have no knowledge of his condition. He has his own specialists and they are the only ones who are qualified to give proper opinions. It is disrespectful to Rafa and his doctors for those who have not examined him to be saying how he is.?

Could there be any chance of a return sooner? ?You never know with this guy,? he replied.

sisterofnight12: of course u don't have to like Fed and noone can criticize u for that.but I just don't get why ppl who don't like him dislike every word he says and never hear his good words.in my previous post I explained that Roger said this in response to a Q about what the tournament had lost...the article does not do the justice...and did roger ever say sth like 'Murray mania'??? no he did not. he encouraged Rafa for the US open but said that the tournamnet is still interesting .and he had already paid his tribute to Rafa in his pretournament interview...
.he has called Rafa a 'phenamona' 1 million times...or keeps saying how well they get along. and how much he likes Rafa.don't Rafans hear those interviews?

..."Rafa got forgotten quite quickly"... ????!!!!... How DELUDED is Roger????

I think it will be a long hard road back to top form for Rafa. Usually he uses the clay season to gain confidence but hardcourt season is coming. SO it will be a long road back. I wish to see Nadal, Murray and Roddick battle it out in USO. As for Fed, well, everything from this point is BONUS!!! Wouldnt bet against him to win USO tho.

Bianca, Roger said he doesnt care too much becoz he knows he will have a lot of chances to get no.15 and also it's a psychological thing to not put unnecessary pressure on himself. IF he lost he wouldnt have worn it, what's wrong with preparing for it? RF is a brand now and is more and more popular so it's promotion in my opinion.

ekattor , 7/6/09 2:58 PM: could u read the rest as well please??????
esp. where he says :"it's unfair" where he includes himself in the same list? and where he gives thumbs up to Rafa for US open??????

niloofar,right now,he can say whatever he wants because he's got 15 Grand Slams and got his no.1 ranking back.But when things start to go bad or when he loses an important match,he becomes a sore loser.It's easy to be humble or gracious when you're winning...

Not sure why this Mr. Lindahl chose this matter of topic... is it to manipulate all us tt acolytes into hurling at one another?
I'm a Rafa fan and frankly, I don't see anything bad at what he said (the contrary actually) - just read the article instead of only the headline.

Carrie, you are a star! Thanks a lot for posting the update on Rafa's condition. I missed him, you missed him, plenty of people missed him this past fortnight.

But I must acknowledge that Tejas is absolutely right too. The absence of My Guy did not prevent eleven million-plus viewers from tuning in to the unfolding drama yesterday. Proof enough that it's the tennis itself that matters - though it will be immeasurably enhanced by the return of Rafa next month, in my view.

But hang on a second, do I detect a whiff of mischief on Johan's part here? He is not being clear on the circumstances surrounding what Roger Federer said. I do not doubt that he said it. But context is, or at least can be, huge - as janhavi has in effect noted.

Even the Daily Mail correspondent wrote an apologia this year concerning Andy Murray's "any team except England" remark in which he now says that Murray was speaking entirely sarcastically at the time. Thus it seems the World No. 3 was inclined to support Ingerland after all, once Scotland were out of the championships.

[Q. Does this make Murray a fake fan...? Hmmm, better strike that. Things are sore enough on here as it is!]

Too late, Mailman. Damage done.

Johan knows perfectly well that lots of partisan fans are going to jump down the other guy's throat at any and every opportunity, little devil! Perhaps he is trying to wear us all out before beddie-byes. Why take the bait? Anyway, I distinctly heard Roger Federer mention Rafa in his post-match interview with Sue Barker yesterday, and not merely in answer to a prompt either.

I am advised by my in-house Youth Correspondent that I should say "Props to the Fed" and leave it at that. I just hope to goodness I have not been duped into insulting - sorry, dissing - him just there, the doctor has me warned off stress and I couldn't cope with protracted e-abuse just now.

Now: roll on, Montreal. Vamos, chicolito!

sisterofnight12 , 7/6/09 5:30 PM :
u mean sore loser like when he was asked about losing his rank to Rafa in Beijing and he said :"Rafa totally deserves it so I'm ok with it" or sore loser who without being asked said Rafa deserves the no.1 spot during the AO.or the sore loser who keeps calling his main rival a phenomena? ok,I agree with u on AO,he cried and his postmatch interview was not more that B,but it happens at times when u're too sad the same for Rafa in Paris...both are great just get along with it.

gorafago, you're right. Federer did acknowledge without any prompting from Sue Barker that his regaining No 1 is due to the fact that Rafa could not play at Wimbledon due to injury, but he then went on to say that injury was part of tennis. I have to say, if that was the case why does he keep making excuses that he lost because of his back problem.

Only time will tell how it's all going to pan out by this time next year. No one would have predicted what's happened so far this year - Rafa winning the AO, Roger winning RG, Andy Murray at No 3. This time last year, Andy M could not buy a title, then after the Olympics, his game took off. He was even beaten in the first round at the Olympics by an unranked player.

I hope Rafa will be top dog agin, but we can only hope, it's all in the lap of the gods.

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

Shireling and gorafago:
you 2 are as amazing as your man.thank u so much.gorafago: really nice of u to remind us of yesterday's on court interview...
this is what Roger said about his reserved celebration:"It was a combination of being maybe a little bit sad for Andy after seeing Rafa was sad for me at Wimbledon last year," he explained.
I don't know how could some ppl say he's nasty about Rafa...!

To All Rafa Fans :-
You people are really forgetting that during the build of Wimby 2009,as long as there was Murray still in the fray, not much was getting written about the other competitors except him in the British tabloids. And as British media is the strongest in the world and it was there where Wimby was taking place, it can rightly be said that not just Rafa, but almost all other players including the eventual finalists of the Mens Singles were very much forgotten. Rightly pointed out by Federer in the above interview.
Next, you people are forgetting that Federer is going on dominating the tennis world completely for the last 6/7 years,and Rafa just took away a few finals against him as far as achievements are concerned. And found that winning so hot that he had to sit out for an entire Grand Slam tournament, whereas the man whom you are comparing him with, has played 21 Semi Finals straight,and still counting leave alone sitting out on any one. That is in itself an achievement, leave alone all the Slams he has won till date.That is a feat which can NEVER be matched in anyway by Rafa because game is not as devastating and as perfect to match that. So, considering the time spend and the domination showed, Rafa is just no match to Fed. You can compare some greats like Sampras,Rod Laver,McEnroe,Connors,Becker,Bjorn Borg,but Rafa is still quite a distance away from that Big league of legendary stars. No matter if he has won a few matches from Fed, but still that is not enough to contest Federers greatness in any way.

"No matter if he has won a few matches from Fed" and " Rafa just took away a few finals against him as far as achievements are concerned"

Niloofar, you talk about people not showing respect for fed BUT we Rafa fans are supposed to put up with idiotic comments like those by solitudine (who is obviously a fed fan) that not only disrespect Rafa's achievements but make him sound like a journeyman player that happened to get lucky a few times?

SKY NEWS: Federer says he is going to take a break from tennis because of his impending role as a dad. He says he'll be back in time to defend his UO title, but he is not setting any immediate targets. He says records are on their way to be broken and it's amazing how close he is to breaking them, but the focus on his life right now is the birth of his baby.

Thanks carrie. From the man who doesn't think about records.

This is an interesting article for all who would take it as me merely bringing it to the notice of posters who have not seen it. It is a very balanced and interesting view of where tennis is with regard to the two top players. It is someones opinion (and everyone is entitled to their opinion) that's all it is!

Anyone who wants to us it as a vehicle for launching into uncalled for insulting tirades is whistling in the wind as far as I am concerned.

Why Tennis Needs a Healthy Rafa Back

by Akshay Madhavan (Contributor)

Opinion

July 06, 2009

Today's Must Reads

With Roger Federer having been crowned almost unanimously by the greats of the game as the greatest tennis player of all time, Nadal fans, veteran tennis enthusiasts, and even casual fans (who like a little spice in their sport) are wondering, What Next?

That Federer has been dominant is beyond the realm of the subjective now. It is as clear as day as an objective fact could possibly be. And dominance is something that pales in all sports and is detrimental to the sport in more ways than one.

Nobody grudges Federer his success, let there be no mistake about that.

The man is a genius, a true one of a kind sportsman. The likes of which tennis hasn't seen in a long time. His style is unmatched in the long history of this game. There is no more aesthetically pleasing player to watch in the game (again, a subjective claim, but one almost unanimously agreed upon).

The man is a champion, humble, and pleasant, both in the locker-room and outside of it. He is mindful of the legacy of the sport and of his career in it. He understands his role as an icon in the sporting world and has been a responsible statesman for the game. He's won everything in sight and more, but one only wishes we could make it harder for him to do so.

His triumphs would only be sweeter and the sport and its audiences the richer for it. In this regard, there is no greater service Rafael Nadal could do to the game of tennis than to come back to the tour as fit as he can, and make it as hard as hell for Federer to do what he wants to do.

It has been made abundantly clear that, apart from Nadal, Federer has no equal on the tennis court. With his win yesterday, he became again in the eyes of everyone the best tennis player in the world (a title he had temporarily lost to Nadal in the last 13-14 months), and quite rightly assumed the No. 1 ranking too.

The rest of the field has been shown up as merely pretenders to the throne, with no semblance of consistency from Novak Djokovic or big game mentality from Andy Murray. Andy Roddick had to play the match of his life simply to go five sets and lose to a far from on song Federer.

All this leads everyone to believe that there is only one man who can do anything about the Federer juggernaut, and it is in the interests of us all that he come back to the game as quickly as possible.

Nobody should doubt Nadal's credentials for the job as champion beater. If there is one man who can make a match of it with Federer and challenge for each and every title and make this an interesting few years, it's him.

He has beaten Federer (more often than not) on all surfaces, and especially in the big matches. McEnroe once said he would chase Borg to the ends of the earth; Rafa has done much the same with Federer.

As one sports writer put it after the Australian Open Final, where Nadal beat Federer in the fifth set, ?Rafael Nadal is not the No. 1 because Federer is having an off year. He is not the No. 1 because a champion is fading. He is No. 1 because he has taken on and beaten the best, time and again on the biggest stages tennis offers.?

Nadal may no longer be No.1 (which is probably how things should be as his manager Carlos Costa says, ?Inside him, I don?t think anything has changed?he still thinks Federer is the best,?), and Nadal is comfortable being No. 2

fan4tennis:
I can't control Fedfans on what they say about Rafa.to me Rafa is a great player,and I really want him back...it hurts me less when ppl belittle Fed's achievements than when they trash him as a person. in this case there is nothing wrong with what Fed said and Shireling and gorafago agree on this.I also posted a qoute from Roger saying that,he felt sorry for Andy the same way Rafa felt sorry for him last year...if he's so mean and nasty why would he add that part??

carrie:
Fed saying injuries are a part of tennis,is not meant to make his regain of the no.1 sound better,he mentioned Rafa's name without being asked.actually many 'experts',fans,and even players like Hewitt blamed Rafa's injury on his style of playing,but Roger keeps saying that it's part of the game and all the 'greats' go through this.this does not mean that he thinks his back problem is not part of the game!
no one gives Roger any credit for his reserved celebration yesterday,the most silent I had ever seen from him,the only discssion is on a tiny no.15 that wouldn't be noticed if Sue Barker didn't mention it(and Roger later on said he didn't know about it)...no one says how modest he was about the GOAT discussion and how many times he said Rafa's name without being asked.honestly I'm not enjoying this win at all.

niloofar....please don't degrade yourself by asking for permission/acknowledgement from both carrie and fft...they both HATE federer and have taken away a lot of the enjoyment from these threads with their hatred, anger and vitriolic nature towards federer.....the fedfans as tomnjerry said KNOW how fed is...that he is a humble champion...a great guy...loved by the great champions.....did you know that he said to rafa he could travel in his 'private jet'....(netjets)....when he was injured?

none of the rafa fans..ever comment on how great a champion roger is...how humble he is.....how kind and generous is....they prefer to believe he is the conceited...person...both carrie and fft now call him 'smugalot'.....i mean how disrespectful is that? it's quite disgusting actually niloofar and shows such a lack of class on this thread....

Fed was..i agree with you....very quiet at wimby yesterday...he understood how Andy must have felt...it was truly heartbreaking....but he has the love of the UK crowd and we all want Andy to go on and win a slam...he is only 26 remember... a very different game from fed...but he pushed fed to the limit yesterday....also it shows just how strong fed's mental application is....

keep your own counsel niloofar...but don't ask for acceptance from fft or carrie...fakefans.....

niloofar,fair enough.I'm sorry that you feel like you don't enjoy this win.If you're a Roger fan,you should enjoy it to the extreme.I really respect Roger and really appreciate his rivalry with Rafa.

The thing that's put me off is his blind worshippers like malteser but you're a sensible Roger fan and I respect that.

why didnt we see this amount of critics of wht RF does and says in the Sampras era? with all that success he had! he was way more likeable despite that coolness, there must be smthing wrong with the actions of RF, trust me!

many thx niloofar for the compliment :)
I just want to say that the only thing I don't like about Federer is that .... he simply wins almost all the time... it's frustrating for someone who's cheering for other players (mainly Rafa in my case) - but that doesn't mean that I don't like the guy, not at all.
I also want to add that Fed fans could be a bit more lenient at times with the rest of us fans out there and perhaps try to see things from our perspective... sometimes, for some of us and out of pure frustration Fed's domination unknowingly deteriorates in our minds into sheer arrogance or smugness... in my case, especially during matches.. being hardcore fans brings out the best and more often the worse in us... but later... when the match is over and we've pondered a bit on things.. well, some of us can put things into perspective and others can't... (sorry, I'm rambling a bit) Peace

Shireling, you are absolutely right, we would prefer if our man won all the time, and obviously we take it out on the person who stands in his way - that's only natural. I don't dislike Federer, how can I when I don't know him, I just wish he would lose when he plays, because that gives Rafa more chances to get more titles, simple as that.

I do find him smug and arrogant though, at least the snapshot, and that's all it is, that we see of him in the media. He may be a very humble, nice man, but to me that doesn't com accross at all.

niloofar is iranian isnt it?

Really this argument is getting very boring, i am a Fed fan, and i dont like everything he says, like i dont like everything my father says or my brother or my best friend, He doesnt have to be perfect as a human being for me to like him, or even admire him. I dont believe he is arrogant or selfcentered, I do believe he is pretty straight forward when he speaks, and very sincere, and i like that in a person even if I dont like the content of the comment itself.. but beside that, after wining roland garros fed said on an interview the following: " I knew that some day Rafa wouldnt get to the final, and i knew that when that happen i will get there and win the tournament". So, isnt that something very Humble? he is admitting that he couldn't beat Rafa on a french open final, that is far away from dismising Rafa as a good player. Please let stop this nonsense discussion.
I think that what happened yesterday is a celebration for all humanity, because in this world of pure bullshit something that is great just happened, even if it is confined to a tennis court, something historical happened yesterday, and it shows all of us ( RAFANS FEDFANS or NO-Fans) that human greatness is possible, yesterday Roger did it on a tennis court, but it could have been a book writen or a Movie produced, or a Nobel prize won. So let just celebrate the amazing achievement that roger converted yesterday, because it is an example of human geniality and art.

I truly miss Rafa.

I'm also a Rafa fan and I don't think Roger tried to do any harm by saying Rafa was not missed in the tournament. I believe he meant the media paid more attention to the local guy because he had a chance to win with Rafa out. That's all. Jeez... Rafa and Fed fans should learn to value this rivalry. Can't you see the rivalry between these two gave us the best tennis in years?

I don't want any of them to be injured or not fitted so my favorite player wins easily. I want them to be in top form so I can celebrate the victory (Rafa's victory in my case) knowing he was the best. And with one of them out, that's not possible.

I'm pretty sure for Fed fans it doesn't feel the same when he wins GS over other guys than if he won them against Rafa, does it? Their rivalry is a good thing, it keeps us interested in the game. I guess that's what I was trying to say.

One last thing - food for thought: this isn't the first time Johan (the author of this article/blog/whatever has titled something in such a way as to infuriate fans. Not impressed with him at all, so keep that in mind when reading anything he writes. Now, Ricky, Cheryl or Kelli? You can take it to the bank that they research their material and write their own stuff. Don't get sucked into stress and consternation by a title of an article - and if you see Johan wrote it, take it with a grain of salt.

Rafterfan is that a joke? Kelli writes with absolutley no objective sourced opinion at all. She focuses on the irrelevant superficial nuances of the game which no one cares about. Her writing is in-articluate and overly partisan. One should take her writing with more than a pinch of salt, she quite plainly writes rubbish, eg: the article on over affectionate tennis players. Please refrain from giving credit wher it is certainly not due.

will: Kelli's pieces are BLOGS which are OPINION PIECES so expect them to be partial to one opinion or another. They aren't news articles that someone tried to make inflammatory like Johan.

good point.

I root for other people when Fed is not there...usually Roddick, but whatever. I also root for Nadal after Fed loses, cause Nadal was my original...idol? Choice? I didn't like tennis that much when I liked him...but still, a nice guy.
Anywho, I don't think this was Fed being Sgt. Smugalot. I actually thought this was nice, I didn't really hear the ESPN announcers mention Rafa mention other then once or twice that he wasn't playing because he was injured, they really did talk about Andy Murray a lot. I was actually annoyed they didn't mention Nadal more often, but at the same time, talking about other players during matches is a bit annoying too...

RB, you won't be called constantly a fake fan because you also root for fed. For those of us who don't, we are belittled and harassed and called "unpatriotic", "shameful...absolutely shamfeul fans", "fake fans" and "Rafa would be ashamed of you" all because, in my example, Rafa was out of Wimby, so I rooted for Murray (all my past posts have always been complimentary towards Murray so I don't understand why it was a shock) and when Murray was out, I rooted for Roddick (since he has tried twice before and I am also American).

Questioning people's allegiances to any player is not up to me or anyone else!

As far as commentating, I know what you mean about talking of others during a match. Rafa was not mentioned much during the final, and I didn't expect him to be. I loved all the great things they said about Roddick! People got bent out of shape when I posted what Sampras, Laver and Borg had said when JMac interviewed them. I didn't say the words, Sampras did and if he chose to say something different in the many interviews he probably gave that day, that's not my problem. Same with the "fed nice or not" stuff. He has given thousands of interviews. Sure, he is nice in alot, but there are also ones where he is not so nice. Just because he is nice in one interview does not mean he is nice in all of them. All I'm asking is that people understand is not to be so shocked and defensive when it comes out that their man made some bad statements among all the interviews he gave. That goes for Rafa as well.

f4t, all around the news is Sampras, Laver and Borg talking that Fed is the greatest. WHat are you talking about?

And there's a different between rooting a player from the beginning of a tournament and rooting for the palyer that defeats the player that you supported earlier just so that you can see the player you hate lose.

fft =Fake Fan Tennis

fan4tennis- Thank you I think, I wouldn't want to be considered a fake fan. I just like more then one guy...Maybe some a little more but, it is a normal thing to have to chose someone after your fav has lost, same goes for second fav and so on. I wouldn't consider you one (a fake fan) either, if you don't want to root for Fed because you like the other guy more, that makes perfect sense. I would never in my life root for like...Soderling to beat Nadal just because Nadal just trampled Roddick, I still like Nadal better though I was be upset that Roddick was out of the tourney.
I have to listen to some of Roger's interviews again, some people make out to be bad the ones that weren't but...really I forget when it was...the AO something about the better man not always winning, that was a butt head statement, not to be mean, probably just to make himself feel better but that should have been thought, not said.

I concur with Sampras, it is questionable to call Roger the greatest. I'm sorry Rog, but you can't compare eras. Of course I just think that no man can be the greatest ever, so he can just enjoy his record 15 slams while it lasts....which might actually be forever, who knows. Pete was not happy to have to answer that question, Johnny Mac has isssssuuuueeees for asking it, especially with my personal favorite of champions Laver standing right there, he is about the only man who can be asked that question without fear of his answer coming to bit him since Borg and Mac, Sampras even feel somewhat lame next to him. (I love Laver, just so nice, a perfect gentleman. He is so modest too, mentioning Rosewall.)

P.S. I have come to believe that Johnny Mac is merely in love with Roger. His bias love is a little creepy.....I mean really the way he talks about Fed most of the time makes the way he was complementing Roddick in the final look like insult.

If you remember the Wimby final last year, JMac also talked alot about Rafa and was praising him to the hilt, but also showed respect for fed. JMac may have put the 3 greats on the spot when he asked them about the GOAT, but their answers were what they felt at the time. I only repeated what Sampras said in that ONE interview with JMac and it's not my fault if the fed fans don't like it. Here is a new article about Laver's thoughts you might like since you like him:

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -
.......

Rod Laver won all four of the sport?s most prestigious tournaments in 1962 and 1969, and he said Sunday at Wimbledon that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are both capable of matching the feat.

Invited by the All England Club to attend Sunday?s Wimbledon final between Federer and Andy Roddick, Laver said Federer ?would have won a Grand Slam if Rafa wasn?t there.?

Federer won three of the four major titles in 2004, 2006 and 2007. The latter two years, he lost to Nadal in the French Open final.

?The Australian, the U.S. and Wimbledon was pretty easy for him, when you look back at his career, winning three of each one,? Laver said. ?But Nadal came along and pushed him back.?

........

As for the debate about whether Federer might be the greatest player ever, Laver said that?s the wrong way to frame the discussion.

?I?ve always thought that you?re the best in your era. That to me is a pretty good compliment to your game, to your tennis, over your career. You know, if Roger gets to 16, 17 Grand Slams, you know, people in the press are the ones that are wanting to say it: Who?s the best ever?? Laver said. ?It?s hard for anyone, I think, to come out and say who?s the best ever.?

Wow!!
u see malteser...it's not the way u think...read all the poats above,actually the comments have turned to be very nice.

thanks everyone for the friendly commnets :

shireling,sisterofnight,fan4tennis,carrier,mdmch ,...
you're absolutely right fan4tennis,of course not all the things that Roger say are nice,but when I compare the nice ones to rest he seems fine to me.
as a Fed fan,I'm really happy that Rafa is there,and I think without him I wouldn't enjoy tennis this much,it's an amazing rivaly between two decent guys,can we just accept this and enjoy it all?

farhang1983: I 'm not sure how it was like in Sampras era,I respect him so much and I think he's a real gentleman who is TOO gracious about Roger,but from what I've heard there were also many ppl who disliked him,and Agassi was even more popular...and Sampras never won the sportsamnship award,so that tells u about popularity among peers...Fed is quite an outspoken person which gets him in trouble,at times,unfairly. one other reason is 'maybe'the more common use of internet and sharing thuoghts these days...and there is no need to compare him with Sampras to say if sth is wrong with him or not,judge by your own standards.

carrie...
1st of all ,sorry for misspelling your name in my previous post.
at first I read your post as :"I don't find him smug and arroagant",and I was overjoyed about it :)...I know I can't convince u ,but really look at all the praise ppl give to Roger:the media,former players...but considering that I think he has remained really modest.again at times I might not have liked his words and thought that it's a bit too much..but overall he is very modest about all the GOAT discussion,he admits when he's lucky in a match(like tha last one),and just as mdmch said,he accepted that he couldn't beat Rafa on clay,he accepted that his regain of the no.1 ranking was due to Rafa's absence(though he acknowleged Rafa when he became no.1),and during the past year he always called Rafa the best in the world...(just compare to Serena,with all respect to her),again I don't think I'll ever convince u but I don't know what he's done that makes all of these negligable to u.

niloofar,

it's fedfans like you who do credit to such a great champion. It's such a pleasure having a discussion with you even if we agree to disagree on most things, which actually is why we support different players.

Sometimes I do think that Roger intentionally has a dig at Rafa like last night on Sky when asked what he likes about the sport he said I think it's about enjoying tennis, not thinking I have to win The DC and the Olympics.............. In the first place he doesn't play DC, and last year this time, he was telling anyone who would listen that his goal was to win the Olympics.

Roger just is very articulated and have a lot of opinions and a lot of ideas which is why sometimes he just blurted some things that a lot of guys would have blurted if they were asked as much as Fed getting asked.

As for Nadal, he is a simple guy so he doesn't speak too much. But i saw Haas, Karlovic, Blake interviews and they were all as 'humble' as Nadal. It's just a matter of how you react in an interview. Roger is more of a talkative person and everyone knows when you talk a lot, you are bound to talk something which may not please everyone.

No carrie, I dont think he takes a dig at Nadal for saying he doesnt have to win DC and Olympics. He is just focused on winning Slams and you cant win them all. I hope he plays DC now after achieving always everything a singles player can achieve.

Roger Federer is a GREAT athlete ( a MASTER tennis player) and a condidate as the GOAT althought it is obvious at this point that there are people who will disagree no matter how AMAZING, or GIFTED a player is "W H O" is ACTUALLY the GOAT... An era is an era, but I don't believe that a player should be limited to, and looked at from the point of view of ONLY that "an era". With all do respect to Mr Laver I would have to disagress here. Why should a GREAT player be limited to an era when weighed against the concept of being the Greatest Player of all time! The only way to weigh such a thing "has" to/must be through records. There is no other way! Obvioulsly lots of egos fly around when this discussion takes place. Records speak for themselves! I don't believe that when you are taking records that personal feelings or beliefs matter any more. The GREATEST PLAYER of ALL TIME should be decided upon his RECORDS. Other aspects of the player are nice to talk about, but in the end it is "your" achievements that will be written up in the history books, and how they weighed against the achievement of all other players throughout the history of tennis not just an era. Not for a moment should such a consideration be taken from imagination/imaginary situations/circumstances (what could have been, or should have been). Simply put, the concept of a GOAT has to be defined with limitations if it is ever to become a "reality/fact". It can not be open ended. How else can a GOAT ever be determined. It has to be taken from "records" not people personal emotions regarding individual players. To this extend the GOAT would/could/should only be measured by the extent of the RECORDS the individual has made. What has to be considered is not merely how many records a player has broken, but how many records does the player hold as compared to all other individual player thoughout the history of tennis. Otherwise the discussion becomes redundant, and will remain redundant. There are to many numerous subjectivities for this phenomenon to be considered otherwise. In this way an ERA will remain an ERA, but the GREATEST PLAYER of all TIME will be remembered and recorded in the history books far beyond the capacity of "just" an ERA.

I know why some would love to let the GOAT be decided by record alone. But to do that is an insult to men like Laver, who completed TWO CALENDAR SLAMS (which all greats agree that is the hardest thing by far to accomplish) and by a change in the rules of the tennis governing body, was prevented from playing slams for 5 years due to turning pro. (Not the same as Borg constantly refusing to play the AO so he could rest--hell even back then Borg was complaining about the schedule being too long-lol) Most greats have said that if Laver had been allowed to play, he would have 20-25 slams. Roger is called the King of Grass but back then, ALL slams were played on grass or clay, no hardcourt. So now you have a surface difference. The players today also have technology on their side from their rackets and strings, fitness and physio equipment to recover, private planes to make their constant travelling easier and even Hawkeye to help them overturn a decision. That is why the GOAT (an unofficial title) will always be debated. Why some are not content with GOAE instead, which should be great in itself and decided when that era is over, is beyond me.

Laver's words:
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -
.......

Rod Laver won all four of the sport?s most prestigious tournaments in 1962 and 1969, and he said Sunday at Wimbledon that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are both capable of matching the feat.

Invited by the All England Club to attend Sunday?s Wimbledon final between Federer and Andy Roddick, Laver said Federer ?would have won a Grand Slam if Rafa wasn?t there.?

Federer won three of the four major titles in 2004, 2006 and 2007. The latter two years, he lost to Nadal in the French Open final.

?The Australian, the U.S. and Wimbledon was pretty easy for him, when you look back at his career, winning three of each one,? Laver said. ?But Nadal came along and pushed him back.?

........

As for the debate about whether Federer might be the greatest player ever, Laver said that?s the wrong way to frame the discussion.

?I?ve always thought that you?re the best in your era. That to me is a pretty good compliment to your game, to your tennis, over your career. You know, if Roger gets to 16, 17 Grand Slams, you know, people in the press are the ones that are wanting to say it: Who?s the best ever?? Laver said. ?It?s hard for anyone, I think, to come out and say who?s the best ever.?

carrie...thanks so much for the compliment...:D the same for u.

but again I have to disagree! I think Roger mentioned the ones that he himself had not won,not because Rafa had won them.he always said that he doesn't think he needs to break records,he said this from 2007.when asked about Pete's record at that time,he would say he's not sick ambitious about it,but he would be happy to get to it...the same for the FO. I truely believe that Roger likes Rafa as a person.I can't tell u how many times he has mentioned Rafa's name without being asked about him...like this last one about Rafa being sad that Roger lost Wimbledon last year.

So then There could "never" be a GOAT. There can ONLY be a BEST for/in an ERA (based upon Laver's interpretation) Hum, sounds rather limiting, but with a romantic tinge to it. Then the people should be content to have experienced the GREATEST tennis player of their era. PERIOD. The GOAT being a phantom, an imaginary figure, impossible to determine, never to be had. Perhaps.

Yes sky, that sounds exactly what Laver meant (he's also said as much in other articles too besides the one I posted). But he also said that (GOAE) cannot be determined until that particular era is over, not while it is still going on.

fan4t: how do you define an era?. Is it b4 and after the game went pro? Or is it defined by the players? Then, is it from first winning a Grand Slam or turning pro? Roger's and Rafa's eras are not easily defined. Certainly Rafa's peak has not corresponded with Roger's so where do you draw the lines. Admire Laver tremendously as a player but am confused. What is he talking about?

I think that's a whole nuther debate deuce--lol! That is probably why neither title (GOAT or GOAE) is official.

I think Federer would like to forget Nadal, because RAFA is the only person who can makes him cry like in Australia Open, because Nadal can win him. For the other hand nobody forgot Nadal during Wimbledon, WE ALL MISSED NADAL around the world, and the world is huge is not what Federer has in front of him. I didn't like his comments about Nadal. NAdal won his own place and Federer has to accept it.
RAFA we want you back, lots of people around the workd miss you, you are a true Champ!!!!