He isn't going to admit that he wants it because let face it, even if he could win the FO and Wimbledon this year, he no longer is a certainty for USO given the likes of Del Potro and Djokovic. Murray may also be in contention if he can reverse some of his recent results against Federer but until then if they meet again, you know who will almost certainly win.

Djok hav never beaten Fed in USO

Seems like whoever wins AO will be touted as Mr.Calendar Slam (i.e. Rafa last year). I like Fed's chances, truth be told, but I think it would be really difficult.

Regardless of how Rafa's knees are like or his fitness etc etc...I seriously am not going to discount him for French Open. As far as I am concerned, he IS still the main contender. And if he tumbles out of the top 4 as time goes by (dear God I hope NOT), he might be seeded to meet Roger in the QF...and who knows, that might mean the end of Roger's semis streak.

Just sayin'. Glad to hear that Roger isn't too obsessively focused on the Calendar Slam. At this point of his career, he should just enjoy playing. I think when he enjoys and plays without pressure and expectations, he tends to perform better.

cable ...everyone ....and i mean EVERYONE wants it ....but whether its something they put as thier aim ...i dont think so ! Its a big feat to accomplish . "If" Fed wins FO and Wimby then it would make sense to ask him if he is aiming for it .
Right now , being 3 GS's away ....not so possible . And its not a realistical objective . Still a long way to go before he can say its something he will aim for .
More over , i think every time after the FO the talk of the Calender Slam starts . We will all just have to wait and see how this year pans out .

C'MON !!
AO10...sweetttt 16 Babyyyyyyy!!!!

typo ..." i think every time after the AO the ..."

where is chr18? how come that thing hasnt come forward to say fed is gutless and spineless to not say what he really wants just like the thing accuses rafa of doing???

homos , what are you going on about dude ?
did you constant need to bad mouth fed get out of control .....

i just said its not just fed that wants it ...EVERYONE does . heck , i want it . Calender Slam ...awesome ...

however ,to want something and to actually aim and work for it are 2 different things. its just too early .....and should not be a priority . One can only aim for something like this after they have taken 3 out of 4 slams ...and lets face it ...we are a long way away from that day .

C'MON !!
AO10... where we've lifted one more down under

That sounds very humble from our champ but hey c'mon how cool would it be to have a calender slam to boot? ;-)

this is not against fed, but if he wins the calendar slam, djokovic, delpotro and nadal should retire from tennis without possibility to compete ever again.

fedexfan you are either dumb or don't read english. i'm not bad mouthing fed, im asking his fanatic a question. put up or shut up.

at this time of last year everybody was asking Rafa about that even about crossing Pete's record of GS little they know what happened later last year.
so Federer being logical about that is quality of a champ if it meant to happen it will happen if not then he crossed every record that was set by a human with a raquet!
rfzr: i realy dont believe how some people can still say that about the man realy does it seem even rational to you for saying something like that
delp didnt do anything since USO, Djokovic he is number 2 even though in the last 4 slams he made it once to semi, do you realy mean that, Rafa ofourse is a champ and he will rise again once his body clicks again i would actualy understand if you mentioned Murray becuse he has a real champ material but needs few adjustments other than those two the rest are one slam wonders!

"If it happens, it's great; but it's not something that's like my number one goal - not at all." (quote)

Roger is showing (by his words here) that he is quite a balanced/healthy person. Now more than ever, there is no need for him to want, "EXCEPT" to compete and have fun, just for the shear joy of it. I really like this guy, a genius tennis player, with a good head on his shoulders. He exudes healthiness both physically, and mentally. I believe Roger Federer can be a GREAT inspiration for the younger players like this way (with this attitude), and to younger people in general.

All this speculation starts after the AO. Whoever wins it is at the recieving end of it always. Fact of the matter is that a lot can change in tennis in a space of 2-3 months. its better to wait till Wimbledon before starting off such speculation. I dont know before 2004 but since 2004 no same person has won both the AO and FO. Fed is doing the right thing by playing down such speculation.

homos,
Fed is on the downside of his career at 28. It really speaks to his greatness that he can still win GS and each one is like a bonus at this point. Only a fool would be thinking about a GS after winning the first one of the year. I stand by my prediction at the beginning of the year:
1. AO-Fed
2. FO-del Potro
3. W-Fed
4. USO-del Potro

Is that clear enough for you to understand? Now try to grow up.

Only a fool would be thinking about a calendar slam after winning the first one of the year.

Max, there is always a first. I count Djokovic as one of the players who can take Fed out if he has a good day and when Fed isn't at his sharpest. He managed to do just that on a couple of masters tourneys last year and the AO 2008. Federer is good, great even, but do not underestimate the younger players that will replace him eventually.

grow up to be like you?

when rafa speaks similar words, you say he's gutless. when fed speaks them he's great. i couldn't careless about your dumb predictions based purely on your biased opinions and hatred of players and just to avoid the because you know full well you're guilty and blind at the time. don't talk to me about fed's greatness. all on this forum can see you know nest to nothing about tennis or even fed's game. there are rafa fans here who probably appreciate fed's talent and game more than you ever could. you're just here to bash the players you hate.

is that clear enough for you? now try to grow a pair!

homos appreciates Federer's talents and game?
i remember alot of stuff you said about him they totaly had nothing with appreciation maybe you meant the other Rafa fans. that would make sense!

Come on, Fed, Calendar Slam for goodness sake! And while you're at it, could you please fix Al Qaeda, bring peace on earth and do something about the global recession!

Talk of Fed winning a Calendar Slam is simply the polar opposite of the people who were saying this time last year that Fed wasn't going to get ANY slams in 2009.

Who throws out these crazy ideas? Probably some blogger looking for comments:)

Fedexfan - if you want to feed such dreams, be prepared for disappointment if he ONLY wins 3 slams this year:)

tennislover -

I hear what you say about muzz needing adjustments, but I think the best thing for muzz in the near future would be to meet fed in a slam OUTSIDE of the final, where nerves wouldn't cramp his style so much. The main adjustments muzz needs were actually in evidence in his pre-fed matches in Oz. Plus, of course, you need better than 57% first service to beat Fed.

chr18 -

fed on the 'downside'? Big smile:D. They've been saying that for two years and all we've seen is a resurgence. Fed looks as fit or fitter than anyone and is enjoying a new spring-time since breaking the slam record and becoming a father. Alan Wells won the 100m Olympic gold at 28. Most professional soccer players are at their peak at 26-28. Some go on at top fitness into their 30s. And remember, Fed doesn't have to play all these lesser tournament like the young guys. I think Fed's growing desire now is for his little girl to grow up remembering Daddy winning a slam.

As a muzz fan, I hate writing all this ...

chr18 -

PS. delpo to get TWO (2) slams in 2010 ???

He'll do well to get one.

"since 2004 no same person has won both the AO and FO."

atul, I go you one better. Since the AO was moved from the end of the season (when no one played it) to the beginning of the season (which forced everyone to play it if they wanted a shot at the Grand Slam) in 1986 only two people have won the AO and FO in the same year: Mats Wilander in 1988 and Jim Courier in 1992. Both were summarily dismissed at Wimbledon.

While it's obvious that ONLY the guy who wins the Aussie has a chance at the Grand Slam, it's pretty apparent that there's no sense talking about it until after the French.

alex, I think we FEDfans are so happy with the FED we would be hard pressed to be disappointed with him. It's all gravy. the FED is ALREADY GREAT, what is beyond GREAT?! I don't subscribe to "GREATER". When you have reached GREAT, you are "IT". Maybe "GREATEST" might/could be used when he finishes his career... Who is to know? What will be, will be. Obviously MORE is on the horizon... C'MON! :) Happy 16th FEDfans! Happy 16th. :)

homos,
Unlike you, I don't hate anybody. I have had many nice things to say about many players. I even complemented Nadal on his mental toughness, physical fitness and uber-competitiveness. Fed isn't going to talk about any calendar slam after winning one GS.

You're just extra bitter that he won another AO. Sour grapes! Try to not let it consume you. Oh and try to get a life........find a girlfriend.........go outside.........do something..........you might get over it faster.

Fed is the greatest. Nobody is close.

the FED is "GREAT" no doubt about it chr18, but in my opinion to be "GREATEST" he will have to break more records... Of course I expect he will! :) Go FED go! :) Happy 16th EVERYONE! (FEDfan at heart!!!)

as for winning the calendar SLAM, of course we are going to think about "IT"!!!! LOL DREAMS...! DREAMING...!!!! There is a small window of opportunity here. And when opportunity KNOCKS?!!!! %^&+^&$# Whammo!!! :) Shebang!!! :) the FED What will he do about it?!?!?! LOL :)

alex: the adjustment i was refering to was regarding the offensive approach that Murray was more tending to (thank god) in the AO this year which was the reason he was able to handle Rafa that was realy efficient but against players like roger even novak that approach can be little tricky because these guys do have the offensive approach as a style of their game which make them already able to handle it so well, that is why Roger was able to play rallies with patience do not go for the quick winners as he always goes to until he get Murray out of the court to hit the online winners Murray was planning to be in the position for hitting his own winners when Roger was prepaing for the killer shot.that is why Roger called it "technical match" it was all about the timing,Murray started to attack more but that needs time so he just has to work on his timing and everything will click.
i think whomever was against Roger that fortnight the result would very much the same , he would walk away as a winner it was un matchable at any stander.
calendar slam is hard for you as Qaeda fixing: Roger was a step away from doing that for two times remember 06,07: it took another champ to stop him from doing it, dont deny him that they invented a term for it :"Federer slam" which: means winning 3 of 4: did you hear anyone got that close after those who did it

too hard to upset a Federer fan these days we are in the happy mood!

Fed will probably finish the year with 2 slams out of 4. And well done to him, he deserves it.

Enjoy the high:)

Hey sky -

I know you're excited right now, but all that upper case stuff makes me tired just looking at it:)

Isn't it a bit ... dare I say it ... unfederer-like to be so intense?:)

Just kidding you, enjoy him while he lasts - and that may be another good 2-3 years yet.

I think its very possible that fed could win the calendar slam; with Rafa oput of the mix , I dont see anybody else challenging him, even Delpo and Andy i dont think can be verry significant this year.

cable ...everyone ....and i mean EVERYONE wants it ....but whether its something they put as thier aim ...i dont think so ! Its a big feat to accomplish ...
fedexfan , 2/3/10 6:09 AM

The difference between the others and Fed is that they only dream of doing the "Grand Slam" but only hope to win one slam. With Fed, he knows it's within his reach. He came very close in 2006-2007 and currently holds FO90, W09, AO10 and was RU at USO09. It's a very big ask but he knows it's within his reach especially if Rafa on clay, the opponent he fears the most is injured going into this years FO.

Dont think Rafa, Djoker, Delpo, Muzza, will let Fed win. Here's my pick for Slam winners

FO-Rafa or Djoker
Wimby-Fed or Muzza
USO- Fed or Delpo or CIlic or Djoker

homos,

"fedexfan you are either dumb or don't read english. i'm not bad mouthing fed, im asking his fanatic a question. put up or shut up".
homos , 2/3/10 9:58 AM


why do you want to be so cruel to others?what's the point?

Of course fed wants to win as many tournaments as he can - that's why EVERYONE is in the same boat. It is no different to rafa who says that he (prior to his injury at AO), said he was feeling "100%" and "hopes" to win "every" tournament. In fact rafa was the polar opposite in terms of of he "did" say, roger was a bit more cagey - but isnt that him being a bit more relaxed? What a healthy mindset he has right now.

homos, relax.

homos
there is a great article on tennis.com that will help you to relax
http://www.tennis.com/articles/templates/features.aspx?articlei d=4048&zoneid=9

it is entitled "Sorry Roger.... forgive us"
you will bond!
regards............
:)

@chr18!

I was going through these comments, and I must say that your prediction sounds very realistic to me. I think, no matter what, for the next few Grand Slams at least, there will be intense fight between Fed & Del Po! Well, there are a lot many talents indeed in the circuit today, but most are a little less than what it is called "Grand Slam" element, and this Del Po is at least a few steps ahead of them. Another guy who could become a true contender for at least at the Wimby & US Open is Cilic.
So, the year is very likely to see a equal split of the 4 Grand Slams between between Fed & Del Po as well as some great contest between the two, irrespective of the surface they are playing at. Del Po looks like the the only successor of Fed once he retires from the game.

@ everyone else in this thread
This homos is certainly a psycho or something. The moment he sees something good is written about someone else other than that clay court specialist Nadal, he is just extremely furious and will certainly write something to dampen the spirit of any excellent discussion like this. He is just such a blind fan of that Nadal, but sadly his idol is repeatedly giving rough time to him and fans like him. And that is making him attack everyone else in the forum as if it is the fault of the other players fans that Nadal has to give up on Grand Slam Tennis! He is such a fool that he tries to play down the greatness of the greatest of all time Roger Federer, and in the process not only belittles himself but also brings shame to Tennis fraternity alike. In his relentless pursuit to pull Nadal up, he forgets that Fed is not only acclaimed greatest by the Tennis fraternity, but also many people outside Tennis does the same as well. His posts should not only be ignored, but psycho people like him must be thrown out of such a forum like this. He constantly disturbs the entire tennis lovers in his relentless pursuit of putting up Nadal above everyone, as if Nadal has hired him to do so. He promotes hatred in a public place.

solitudine, you are a laughingstock! homos has the right to say what ever he chooses, so long as it is appropriate. you people are a bunch of sick fanatics who think that out of all these players on tour, everybody should suck up to federer. it doesnt work that way; get use to it! people like you, chr18 & fedex, don't know squat about nothing until someone tells you what to think!

federer is overrated! what part of that don't you understand! you can repeat how perfect he is all you want, but it won't change a thing for those who know the truth!

it's funny how a clay court specialist, as you refer to nadal, can ring circles around your so-called great, all surface player, reducing him to tears like a child who sobs for a toy that doesn't belong to him! it's pitiful how sick you people are! fans like you come a dime of dozen, you have no original thoughts; you just repeat what you hear the media, writers, & commentators say! if nadal was so one-dimensional, you and the others lunatics wouldn't be singing his name day-in and day-out! you want him out of the way because you know that's the only way rog can get more slams! these other players kiss up to him too much; they are too afraid too beat him! that's why tennis is nothing without nadal because all other players want federer to be their friend and he makes fun of them and pretend he's joking! so, think of something new or go to sleep!

btw solitudine, in case you don't know, what a player is going do, doesn't mean one iota of nothing. what counts in tennis or any sport is what has been proven! in other words, when del potro, cilic, davydenko, murray, etc. actually produce a resume that resembles nadal's, you can talk, otherwise, you need to shut up until you expand your knowledge of the sport!

memi, 2/4/10 11:52 PM

Memi, you say you KNOW the truth. Do you? From my perspective, you are simply stating what you THINK. Please, don't pretend to know the reason behind everything Federer does. Only Federer knows what he means when he says things. The rest can only guess, and when you state that all this fact beyond any doubt, you look fairly foolish
On the other hand, you are perfectly right when you say that Nadal is not one-dimensional. If he was, then he would not have won Grand Slam's on grass, hard, and clay. However, he is certainly far better on clay than he is on hard, and that IS where much of his head - to - head advantage against Federer comes from.
I am sure that I am not the only Federer fan who does want Nadal back. I think their rivalry is one of best things in the game today, and I think any real tennis fan would want such a great thing to continue.
I personally don't like it when some Federer fans feel the need to put Federer up on a pedestal, saying that he is perfect. He is most certainly not perfect; no one is perfect. I do feel he is one of the greatest, however, and I don't understand how anyone could deny that. If Nadal can manage his body with more care, he could be named one of the greatest as well.
Much of what you said I most certainly do NOT agree with. However, both you and Homos can post whatever you think. It is your own opinion. In future posts, however, please post your opinion as your opinion in furture, and not as fact.
I hope Rafa and Roger give us some more great matches in future, and that they stick around as long as possible.

Corrections to my post:

"Please, don't pretend to know everything Federer says or does. Only Federer knows the meaning behind what he says or does. The rest can only guess, and when you state you opinion as though it is fact beyond any doubt, you look fairly foolish."

Champion7, you concentrate on what you believe and i'll concentrate on what i believe! is that ok with you? that way, you won't stress yourself trying to enlighten me on things you don't understand!

I can see people are dismissing Rafa just because he's experiencing a slump. His defeat at the FO was a freakish event caused by a combination of circumstances which won't likely repeat in 2010. Rafa will beat top ten players again on clay, He will win at the very least 3 titles on clay: Rome, Barcelona and Monte Carlo, even if he plays on one leg. Then he will win the FO... I have no doubt in my mind that after last year Rafa will be back with a vengeance and won't let what happened hapen again... So there is 1 GS for Rafa. Then for Wimbledon... Rafa in top form will be a contender again. After his clay victories and FO he will be back to #2 so I predict a repeat of the famous 2008 final with Federer. The USO is more open, between Delpo, Murray, Djoko and Roger... I will pick Roger, so there you go, in 2010 it will be 2 for Roger and 2 for Rafa and balance will be restored to the force.

memi: That has always been the case here. Those who are fans of the sport will not simply jump on the Federer bandwagon and write of everyone else they DON'T LIKE. It all come sdown to that - who they blindly worship and who they hate, no matter how much they deny it. Your post was spot on. When homos brought up the toilet incident, they trashed it, accused homos of conjuring the incident. Whereas those who are fans of the sport can love a favouritae player but still enjoy, appreciate and look forward to what the others bring to the game. That's why people like chr18, fedexfan, solitudine can't wait to jump on a thread when Rafa retires or loses a match, they sit back like vultures, not watching the maches but waiting to pounce on the keyboard to sledge Rafa. Why? Because he many times denied Roger some great moments - calender slam, FO, 6th Wimb, he got the Olympic gold medal, was the first in the open era to hold slam titles on 3 different surfaces, etc. Hard for them to stomach.

Roger was 2 pts away from winning the US Open last year, and had he won that he would've had the Roger slam. That kinda kills me. But yeah, just because he wins the AO people automatically talk about the calendar slam. If Nadal is in tip top shape for clay season, he's got the best chance for the French, Wimbledon is a slam that Roger treats like his property, and I agree the US Open is wide open because there are so many awesome hard courters. I'm curious to see whether Del Potro can defend his title.

Memi: yes, that is fine with me. I'll agree to disagree with you then. Hope you enjoy the tennis season.

grafight - nice predictions.

Here are mine... for those who are interested.

French Open - Nadal
Wimbledon - Federer
US open - Murray

Nadal to dominate the clay court season, carefully avoiding any injuries in the processs, and beat Fed in the French Open final in four sets.

At Wimbledon, it will be a repeat of the 2008 final, with Fed emerging victorious over Nadal in five epic sets, 21 - 19 in the fifth:D

And at the US open, Murray will finally break though, defeating Roger in five sets in the final.

jean, you are so right! they want to muzzle anyone who doesn't jump on federer's bandwagon. i'm sick of it! i can hardly watch a match involving roger without constantly hearing how perfect he is everytime he makes a shot or how no one has made that shot, bla, bla, bla! observe how his opponent, no matter who he is, is hardly ever given any credit! yet, the same people exalting roger are the ones who apparently don't have faith in roger's ability to beat nadal! what does that tell you about how great roger is, if his own supporters are afraid he can't beat rafa; therefore, they rather rafa lose than face federer. if they weren't afraid, they would be like me and some others, they would want roger and rafa to meet in tournaments. in all due respect to other players, i always want roger & rafa to face each other. it is the perfect ending to a tournament!

It's not the maestro's fault Nadal can't make it to any GS finals lately. Don't worry though. There is a chance he can play Fed in a GS but probably will be QF if his rank keeps dropping. Don't be too bitter guys. It's only the first GS of the year. All is not lost. Look how things changed from one year ago. It's hard to argue that 16 GS and 23 straight SF constitute over-rated though. Fed could retire now and nobody can take that away from him.

chr18,

Please tell me that you aren't going to demean the last three grand slam victories that Rafa has had over the so-called "maestro"! How on earth did Rafa manage to do it? After all, you and others have gone to great lengths to minimized Rafa's considerable talent and strengths of late. Do you really wish to make the argument that a one or two dimensional, limited, not terribly gifted player could beat your guy, the maestro himself, on all three surfaces? By doing so you are insulting the man you claim to admire so much. How could a guy like Rafa dare to take anything away from your one and only? Hmmm....

Well, let's see. Maybe it's because he truly is just that extraordinary. Maybe it's because he really is that talented and gifted a player. Fed doesn't give away grand slams, they must be taken away and Rafa managed to do just that. Maybe he has a kind of mental toughness and will to win almost unimaginable in one so young. Yes, he is still so young. People like tend to forget that simple immutable fact. Rafa has accomplished so many things while he was so very young. It's a testament to the fact that Rafa is a truly great champion.

Guess what! You can't take those grand slam wins away from him. Nobody can. He is in the history books. He has done what no other player has been able to do thus far. For Rafa fans it's never been about the stats and the records. Of course, they are there and it's quite an exemplary resume. Well all is said and done, it's about the sheer pleasure and joy of watching him play tennis like I have never seen it played and I have seen them all. He has something rare and special, an excitement, passion and fire like no one else. It's a privilege to have witnessed the force of nature that is Rafa. Whatever happens, no one can take any of it away from him!

chr18, i know your tank ain't full and your bread ain't baked, but it's doesn't matter to me what round roger & rafa meet in; it could be the first round for all i care, as long as they play each other! can you say the same? ranking has never guaranteed that a player will beat another player; that goes to show how much you know about tennis. i tell you what, i would give anything if rafa is placed or drawn in roger's half of the draw, especially if he's seeded 4 or 5, now, that would be worth waiting for, but i won't be holding my breath! doesn't matter to me if roger retires with 30 majors and 100 semifinals, if people like you have to pray for rafa to lose or for his knees to slow him down in order for roger to get excel tell me all i need to know!

Isn't is strange that Delpo who has only made one GS final and happened to win it is now going to be Federe's successor! This simply exposes the Fedfans hatred of Rafa, and refusing to acknowledge his achievements. This Federer who is seen as the god of tennis has been thrashed 13 out of 20 times by the man they are trying to write off as a claycourter, forgetting that it doesn't make Federer look that great if a claycourter could turn up after a gruelling 5 setter, with Federer having had an extra day's rest, and beat the living daylights out of him, reducing him to tears like a baby.

OK Rafa is having a rough time at the moment, but at the moment, tennis is diminished without him. People get fed up of seeing one person winning mediocre matches where the opponents refuse to put up any defence. Take the first round of Wimvbledon in 2008 where Federer's Hrbaty was so pleased he was being trashed that they were joking and laughing between games, people don't pay to go and see a white wash of a match they want a contest. If Hrbaty was playing Rafa, he would be stretching every sinew to try and beat him.

Everyone, particularly the sponsors are praying that Rafa will be back fit and fighting again because he is the face of tennis today, the man who draws the crowd and the man who put the star quality into the game. He is the man who provides the buzz, whether it's the first round or the final.

Isn't it amazing how everyone has forgotten all the people who beat Federer last year - Benneteau for example. He went out in the 3rd round in M. Carlo and the 2nd round in Paris.


Rafa Get Well Soon
Vamos

Tennis is very much interesting with all hte players and quality of tennis . If u htink only rafa can make tennis interesting then it is just that u dont know to enjoy tennis. Roger vs Andy match was a grat match with quality tennis.

well it was i agree. BUT sorry it wasent as good as Wimbly 2008 and 2007. Therefore Rafa does make a difference

Tennis sure is interesting without Rafa BUT with him it is even more interesting

Exactly, atul1985.

NNY,
I said nothing to demean any of Nadal's GS wins nor did I imply anything of the sort and obviously nobody can take them away from him.

memi,
You stated that a Fed/Nadal match is the perfect end to any tournament. I simply stated that with his rank falling, they could meet earlier. That in no way implies that a lower ranked player can't beat a higher ranked one. Remember the Sod?

carrie,
You and others here only follow tennis because of Nadal. There are many other good players. Let's see if the RG crowd cheers for or against him this year.

chr18,
I hate to disappoint you, but I have been watching tennis much longer than you care to know. Every era has their stars and some eras have none, right now Nadal is the brightest star in tennis, whether you like it or not. The RG crowd
have had it in for Rafa ever since he beat their rising star Gasquet the year they had all their hopes of him winning the title. However, RG is just one venue, all over the world Rafa is very popular, and people will sonn get bored with Federer winning mediocre matches. I was camping overnight in a field at Wimbledon before Rafa was born, when the likes of McEnroe were on the tour, so don't tell me that I only like tennis because of Rafa.

You are right, right now Nadal is my main interest in tennis because I fell out of love with tennis for a few years until he came along because I got bored with the whole thing, the lack of competition especially, with boring players behaving like sitting ducks to be knocked out without even trying.

Can I point out that it will not be music to Federer's ears if he has to meet Rafa in the early rounds, because he knows what that means - Federer most likely to be knocked out in an early round. Why do you think Federer likes Rafa to be his No 2, because he can avoid him until the final, so it's swings and roundabouts. Anyway, I'm sure Rafa will be back where he belongs soon enough.

Get Well Soon Rafa
Vamos

What does the RG crowd have to do with anything? chr18 bringing up something like that is so clearly a poke at Rafa. He's not the only one the crowd has it in for - Serena and Pioline sufferred the same on centre court because the sadistic crowd eithe favoured the opponent or didn't like being shown the middle finger.

Why don't you instead write:

Let's see of Roger takes more toilet breaks during slam matches like he's been doing since FO 2009 when he's behind in a match!!

Carrie: I think chr18 is just full of hatred for and fear of Rafa. Why else would come up with such stupid comments.

Exactly, jean. Fedfans don't mind anyone else beating Federer as long as it is not Rafa. Even Roger can cope with anyone else beating him apart from Rafa, that's because Rafa takes the shine off Federer. The image of Federer at RG in 2008 after being thrashed has stayed in my mind ever since, he looked absolutely distraught; he was the same at Wimbledon 2008, and of course at the AO 2009 he cried like a baby, whereas when Delpo beat him at the USO, he didn't look to distraught.

carrie,
Finally winning the FO, breaking the GS record of Sampras, regaining your W trophy, regaining #1, getting married and having twin girls may explain why Fed was not too distraught after losing USO to del Potro. The man now really has it all.
So Nadal has an edge in the h2h over Fed and Davy has the edge over Nadal. Does that mean Davy is better than Nadal or has accomplished more in his career? Of course not. The only thing Nadal fans can hang their hat on is that h2h against Fed. I guess that comforts you all in a time like this. You said Nadal was soooo popular. Give me one stadium , GS , Masters or smaller venue where Fed is not loved and cheered heartily. He was cheered when he won Madrid last year! Even the Spanish crowd loves and appreciates him.

jean,
Belabouring the toilet break point again. Tisk tisk is that all you've got against the maestro? Toilet breaks are within the rules just like timeouts in other sports. Taking 45 seconds between each point to "adjust your underwear" and rest is against the rules and we know who does that the most.
P.S. I don't hate Nadal or any other player.

chr18,
no matter what Fed has going for him, it's no excuse for Fedfans to try and belittle Rafa's accomplishments. Federer is 5 years older than Rafa, so comparing Federer's many triumphs to Rafa's is like comparing a 15 year old's academic achievements to that of a 20 year old.

It must be nice to have all the balls in your court like Federer has, and even when Rafa got his first HC GS, Roger had to spoil it even though he already had 3 in his bag, I'm sorrry, no matter what Roger has going for him, someone so self centred is just not my bag.

Fedfans portray the same characteristics, instead of enjoying Federer's achievements, they spend all their time running Rafa down at a time when Injury and personal problems have hampered his career. Why do you all have to continously put the likes of Del Potro above Rafa, even though it is evident that they are nowhere near Rafa in what he has achieved in tennis.

Nadal is not going through any tough times he is chronically injured at 23 he is just not the same player he was and most likely he never will be the same player he had a golden period between the 2008 clay court season till Madrid 2009 but after that everything has changed for him.

Nadal himself had said after he lost to murray that Murray will go on to win the Aus open but it didnt happen, so that's why nadal fanatics like Carrie are bitter, of course they are always bitter but now that Nadals career is on the ropes their frustration and disappointment is understandable. Of course Andy Murry and Del-Potro are likely to succeed Federer as world # 1 because not Nadal, more than half the matches are played on hard-courts and these 2 players are better than Nadal on hard courtsdd Nadals injury worries and it becomes obvious that even if Nadal gets the # 1 ranking back he wont hold on to it for long.

So what are the Nadal fans upto here? taking out their frustration almost all nadal fans were backing Murray to win the Aus open but they didnt get their wish.
Btw irrespective of how much you cry and try to take the shine of Federers 16th Grand slam it doesnt matter to us, Nadal is almost always injured and he hasnt even achieved half of what Federer has. Federer 268 weeks and counting as world no 1, Nadal just 46 weeks Federer has 5 times won 2 or more majors in a year 2004, 05 06 07 and 09 nadal just once. Nadal 6 majors to Federers 16.Thats 10 more majors Your career is always defined by the number of majors you win, , Sampras was once asked what was the difference between himself and Rafter? He Said 10 majors( at that time Sampras had 10 more majors. Federers streak of 23 straight Grand-slam Semifinals is just surreal and by far the greatest record in mens tennis history i

Btw with Nadal ts obvious that he plays a game that his body cant handle for long and thats why at 23 he is closer to the end of his career than Federer is at 28, Nadal may still possibly win 2,3 more majors but anything more than that would be very surprising.

carrie,
I don't think in any way that I've tried to minimize Nadal's accomplishments. You must be aiming that at others. It's a great feat to have won 6 GS on the ATP tour. You correctly said we shouldn't compare Fed's 16 GS to Nadal's 6 GS since there is a five year age difference. I've said in the past you can only compare their career stats when both careers are finished. Then you put your foot in your mouth by saying del Potro hasn't achieved as much as Nadal when he is almost 3 years younger. You are entitled to your preference of course. You prefer Nadal and I prefer Fed and I honestly think del Potro has bigger potential than Nadal but that's just my opinion of course. To each his (or her) own.

i really cannot be bothered right now responding to any posts which continually criticise roger federer.boring.boring.boring.much jealousy dripping from people's minds.

roger federer is a wonderful human being.

maxi, nobody is bothered about them, their jealousy and frustration is so obvious

chr18,
I did not compare Delpo to Nadal, what I said was that after just reaching one GS and winning it, Delpo is now seen by Fedfans to be above Rafa.

You are entitled to your opinions. I remember when Tsonga beat Rafa at the AO in 2008, he was tipped to be the next No1 and to eclipse Nadal, Nadal came back the year after and won the title. So let's not be too hasty in writing Rafa off just yet, afterall Federer has not won every single match he has ever played, and he has also been beaten by much lower ranked players.

As you know, many people wrote Federer off when his stars were not shining so brightly but he has won a few GS since then. No one can see into the future, and if you are judging Rafa on his performances since his injuries and personal problems which have been well documented, I would say you are being a little bit hasty. Tennis is a funny game, just as everyone was thinking Sod was the new big thing, he went out in the first round of the AO; for all we know, that was just a streak of bad luck, had he won that match, he may well have gone into the second week. A match can be decided on a single point being won or lost at the wrong time, so there is an element of chance apart for talent and hard work.

Federer has not won every single match he has played but Federer has a streak of 23 straight majors at grandslams losing to a low ranked opponent at a tour stop is another thing but when was the last Time Roger lost to a low ranked player at events that count?

he has won 4 of the last 6 majors thats 67% and he has also been a Finalist in the other 2 thats consistency consistenct . f we Compare this with Djokovic who at 22 should be at the peak of his game he has won 0 of last 8 majors, this after Djokovics mom so proudly announced the demise of Federer and yet its Federer who has won 4 majors after it and Djokovic none. But then again people find an excuse

Federers greatness is not just the amount of grand-slams he has won, its his consistency, his fitness, his ability to bounce back, his the ability to stay ahead of players who are 4-5 years younger than him, and clearly they should have the edge in terms of fitness, but Federer is still not only the least injury prone player he also the best, most consistent and most complete.

No one is disputing Federer's greatness or achievements, it would be silly to do so, how can anyone argue against the facts. It's the people who are trying their hardest not to see Rafa's achievements simply becasue he has not done well recently due to circumstances that everyone is well aware of, that I am addressing my comments to.

tenns2010,

Do me a favor. Don't do my thinking for me and I won't do your thinking for you. So you want to know what Rafa fans are up to here? Well, this Rafa fan has no problem letting you know exactly what I am up to here! I am stating specific facts about Rafa's record against Fed in grand slams. You demean that at the risk of insulting Fed. You guys keep trying to find ways of getting around the truth. You start carrying on that Rafa fans are jealous of Fed and his 16 grand slams, his this, his that, on and on and on. You still just do not get it, do you? It's not about the records! It's about Rafa and the quality of the tennis he plays and how he plays it and how he conducts himself. Win or lose, he is always gracious, poised and a great sportsman. He doesn't have to tell the world every single thing he has done or won and how many records he has.

When Rafa was interviewed on espn2 during the AO, they told him that one more grand slam match win will give him his 100th win. He had no idea! Even the espn2 people were amazed that he genuinely did not know that. Rafa doesn't play for the records. He plays because he has this intense, fierce will to win, something that he was born with, it's in his DNA. He loves the fight. It's something you Fed fans will never understand. It is you who have come here not to celebrate Fed's latest triumph, but one more time to insult and trash Rafa. You just can't get him out of your system, can you? Who are the ones who have jealousy and frustration? Just look in the mirror! You can't stand the fact that Rafa has those grand slam wins against Fed and don't you dare deny it. If you do, then I will call you out for hypocrisy in the first degree! It eats at all of you, because it's the one blemish on Fed's stellar resume. You hate it and hate the young man who caused it.

Don't go lecturing Rafa fans about how they feel. When Rafa wins, we don't have to rub it in the noses of Fed fans. We just enjoy the win, like Rafa. We love him, we love his tennis, we love his heart, we love his courage and we love the fact that he is a class act all the way!

I am sick to death of having to listen to you people talking garbage about Rafa. It never ends, no matter how many grand slam titles Fed wins. That's the sad part. That h2h bothers you guys so much that you have to continuously rain down insults on Rafa and even wish for the end of his career or his death. I have read it myself. It's like an obsessive sickness with you people. Rafa fans are sick of it and will defend him right to the ground. I believe in Rafa. I will stand up for him. I will never, ever let any one of you get away with attacking him because he dared to win against Fed. That's the bottom line with all of you. It's time you owned up to it and stopped accusing Rafa fans of that which you yourselves are guilty!

native,
what a post! why dont you calm down.

If you dont mind me saying,I couldnt care less about the h2h.rafa deserves every single grand slam he has won.i love watching him play.but i am worried about him.it is so sad his body has broken down. everyone is worried about that. and even if that h2h of 13.7, stayed the same, equally it would not hide the fact that rafa has beaten roger more,but again, it could be argued that in some of those tournaments,rafa didnt reach the final,and roger did (in other words,if rafa was knocked out of a tournament),and roger went on to win the grand slam e.g, (FO)), then again, that doesnt move away from roger's achievements.this is all so silly.

the problem at the moment, is that h2h may very well stay the same,particularly if rafa's game deteriorates and he is pulled out because of injury.he has still had a great career and will still be remembered as one of the all time greats. i hope that doesnt happen,but reading what is out there about him right now, one cannot but worry. the h2h doesnt bother me at all. roger is a class act all the way, so i wish you wouldnt go on about it.

Yes, Federer is 2-5 in major finals against Nadal, but let's put that in perspective. Three of those finals are at the French Open, on Nadal's beloved red clay, the surface least suited to Federer's game. (Need we remind anyone of all the fast-court greats who never made even one Roland Garros final?) The other two losses came during Nadal's annus mirabilis and were five-set instant classics. Need we remind anyone that Rafael Nadal also will be remembered as an all-time great?)

Much has been made of Nadal's chronic injuries. He wears down every year and has failed to ever reach a final at the U.S. Open, which sports a fast hard court that Federer likes so much that he has won the tournament five times. Nadal's knee tendonitis and other health problems are always presented as simply a result of his grinding clay-court playing style. (Never mind that Nadal, in an attempt to match up with Federer on faster surfaces, has changed his game dramatically since those early days when he was strictly a clay-court phenomenon.)

Nadal's injury issues make me think of a particularly cruel remark that Joe Frazier once made about his foremost rival, Muhammad Ali. Ali won two of his three fights with Frazier and, of course, now famously suffers from Parkinson's Syndrome.

"Look at him now and look at me and tell me who really won those three fights," Frazier said.

The simple fact is, it's not easy to keep up with Roger Federer. It has caused truly exceptional athletes to push themselves to their physical limits and beyond. Novak Djokovic, Andy Roddick and Juan Martin del Potro have all struggled with injuries, including at the 2010 Australian Open. Nadal, just a couple of days after declaring that he was in excellent condition and had no lingering pain in his knees, defaulted mid-match against Andy Murray in the quarterfinals. Now he's going to be out of action for four weeks, and observers increasingly wonder if he'll ever be the same again. Federer, meanwhile, floats on from major to major, unimpeded by physical problems despite having to lift up all those heavy trophies. Sixteen major titles; eight straight major finals; 23 consecutive major semifinals.

Look at Nadal now and look at Federer and tell me who really won all those major finals.


did you read this article native?so please do not keep blaming federer fans.so boring.

I dunno why Rafa is discussed here. He's not even Fed's main rival now.

I watched Delpo dismantling Rafa in USO and I am well convinced Rafa will be Delpo's food in the future.

Delpo is simply better than Rafa's own game of power and strength.

6-2 6-2 6-2

hmm...i see the discussion has taken a turn as to why Delpo is tipped to be a bigger threat to Fed than Nadal ?
Easy ....Delpo just is ! His game , his serve , and he attacks !

"I did not compare Delpo to Nadal, what I said was that after just reaching one GS and winning it, Delpo is now seen by Fedfans to be above Rafa."
carrie, 2/5/10 8:36 PM

That is true for me carrie . Its not about how many GS's he won. It about his game and how well he is playing NOW . If you can pick Nadal (6 GS) to win the FO over Roger (with 16 GS's) , then i dont see the problem of picking Delpo ( 1 GS) over Nadal (6 GS) considering the number of hard court tournaments in a year.

C'MON !!
AO10..where we've lifted one down under.

Nice one maxi!