congrats hewitt!!
juanqui!!!!
where are you????
watch and learn from your old rival !!!!

Well, well, well!!! Some "impossible" things are happening on GRASS! Halle wasn't spared of a surprising upset, as well!
Is this a sign of what will happen in Wimby next week?

Two things are evident with the recent losses of Nadal and Fed; Nadal (I think) went out on his terms - Fed didn't. That is to say Rafa is sitting at home watching the football and enjoying time with his family and friends before heading to Wimbledon; Fed is sitting in his hotel room in Germany wondering what's happening :)

cal23- that's TRUE!
Halle is somewhat a MUST win tournament for Fed, considering his recent results. Even with Hewitt's abilities, it's such an unimaginable thing to say that Lleyton will win over Roger on GRASS!
Congratulations to Hewitt,,, great moral booster for the Aussie!

Never count Hewitt out, especially on grass. He has true grit! Congrats! Now all he has to do is continue his championship play.

hewitt just brought back so many old memories for me.......many glimpses of that YOUNG hewitt.......played a gr8 match today...VAMOS!!!

Since AO things have been great today's loss was a shocker
One day the serve is perfect the next day a disaster he is totaly un predictable these times

Undoubtedly the problem lies with his service. He can no longer rely on it to get him out of trouble and this seems to be unnerving him and causing a higher rate of UEs than we have been used to seeing from him.

If the King of Grass cannot win a 250 tournament on grass then something is wrong. After his loss at RG, Fed said his success has almost been too easy, he doesn' t know how to fight, he's sailed through year after year effortlessly, and that's one of the reasons I never warmed to his brand of tennis.................too easy a winning makes the prize light in my eyes. Now that he is having to compete because players are not playing dead anymore, he can't handle it.

Fed's serve has dug him out of holes on numerous occasions, and if that's not working then he is vulnerable.

Rafa's loss was what he would have wished for, Feli beat him fair and square, but I think Rafa was happy to fulfill his obligation at Queens, get some grass court matches under his belt, then spend the weekend relaxing and watching football at home with family and friends, before he starts training for Wimbledon............perfect.

Rafa doesn't need the Queens title, and he doesn't need the points, Roger on the other hand only has one title to his name so far this year, and in the last 10 months, and his points are dropping off fast.

nadline, 6/13/10 5:19 PM Very interesting. Do you remember where you read that? But it makes a lot of sense - he had everything his own way for too long (except on clay) and has forgotten what it is to have to fight for every win. Have you noticed how you can often predict the outcome of his matches just by watching Mirka's face and if she is biting her fingernails or not?

Davydenko winless in 12 matches until he won 2 in a row.
Del Potro winless in 6 matches until he won 2 in a row.
Hewitt winless in 15 matches until he won in Halle.
Soderling winless in 12 matches until Paris.
Bagdhatis winless in 6 until Indian Wells.
Berdych winless in 8 until Miami.

Looks like it's Andy Roddick's time to improve his win record against Federer by taking out Federer in Wimbledon ..

i cant still say whether Nadal will win Wimbledon or not, Bur Federer winning is Wimbledon looks highly unlikely

Bookmark this !

ed, he said it after he lost to Gulbis in Rome:

A great moment for Latvian sport but Roger Federer?s limp exit at the hands of Ernests Gulbis at the Rome Masters was one of his worst defeats in recent memory.

It was drizzly but otherwise Federer had no excuses. He just did not look interested half of the time and even after nervous Gulbis wasted six match points, Federer could not fight back.

?Sometimes when you are winning, it seems too easy. When you lose you realise how tough it is to dominate the tour. So I won?t get carried away with the defeat,? Federer said.

Clay is not his favourite surface but after finally winning the French Open last season, he might have been expecting an easier ride.

At least the Swiss can have a breather now while Rafael Nadal wears down those knees on the punishing red terrain?.


http://blogs.reuters.com/sport/2010/04/28/whats-happene d-to-roger-federer/

what a binch of bullshit on this site. He already won the Australian open. Now he plays like crap, do you really think he cares that much. This guy has won eveything there is to win, has several records. He wil be 29 this year, give him a break. NAdal loses in queens in the quarter final, he is the favourite for wimbledon??? Federer lose in the final, and he wont win wimbledon, you are talking about someone who has 7 straight wimbledon finals. Nadal didn't win a tournament in a year, he also came back ( last year ), federer has already one grandslam this season. I think there are lot of guys who want the Australian open and play like crap the rest of the season. What has Federer still have te proof to you guys? You really think he can play his best till he is fifty.

taxon, save the excitement, there are too many tards on this site who could use their spare time for something more useful ....

congrats Lleyton.

Roger was sickness 2008 2009(mono) And 2010 (disease of lungs) After the sickness,Roger always becomes in a slump.

Roger participates in the this tournament until 2015. He contracted. It is happiness of all Roger's fans.

Love Roger

Roger participates in the this tournament until 2015. He contracted. It is happiness of all Roger's fans. Love Roger. classic greatest.

Being insulting calling people here tards heh?

So Fed doesn't care, then why did he play the tournaments in the first place? When he wins, he gets all sorts of praises but when he lost, he didn't care? So either way, he wins!

Warm up tournaments like this highlights areas where one's game needs improvement. I'm sure Fed cares, and I'm sure he'll go and make the necessary improvements to his game. Both Fed and Rafa are favorites for Wimbledon, as they both had won that tournament; next level favorites would be Randy followed by Mandy. As all of them suffered some kind of defeat during the warm up tournaments, that showed that they all need to tighten up loose areas of their games to be ready for the Wimbledon challenge. Nothing to lose sleep over about these losses, as all of them are in the same boat.

Certainly, someone is going to suffer sleepless nights because the pain is TOOOO unbearable and the disappointment is TOOOOO ugly. Someone here can not comprehend what was transpired and it's KIIILLLINNNG "her" so bad. How in heaven Roger's lost to someone whom, he used to dominate? Roger is Greatest Tennis Player Ever played the game (her undying claim) why oh why oh why oh why he lost?...it's simply UNNNNACCEPTABLE and UNNNcomprehensible.

Uh, no one can help "her" to get through terrible nights.

Now that the rest of the field are inching up on their H2H with Fed, what chance now has Fed to improve his own H2H with Rafa? Will it improve or will get worse than the current 7-14?

"Hmmmm...why should I play with all that bunch of loosers... Before I take French Open... I will go smoothly in Estorill.... Whoooops... what was that... Mirka!!!"
"I am the best... there is spot on YouTube where I sing that.... trala lala la... I wont go to Queens... I will go to Halle... there is only old Hewitt and Radek there...
Woooops what was that..? How it is possible... I am the best... Mirka!!! I wanna watch YouTube....!!!!"

taxon,

It's not necessary to use language like that. I have read a lot of the same from Fed fans when Rafa lost to Lopez at Queens. Let's not be disingenuous, shall we? Fed fans pretty much wrote off Rafa when he had to withdraw due to another knee injury in his match with Murray at this year's AO. So we know what it's like to be on the receiving end of this kind of talk.

I want to just congratulate Hewitt for an inspired win. Good for him! He has hung in there and kept on playing through injuries and surgeries and this has to be a very gratifying moment for him.

nadline and ed,

I think your comments about Fed's problems with his serve are absolutely correct!

Hello Native,

I never wrote Nadal off!! What i dont like on this site is that if Nadal or Federer win a grandlam they are the best in the world and if they lose a match then they should stop playing tennis and retire!! Some people on this site said if Federer wins Halle is is the favourite for wimbledon, but if he loses then he wont win wimbledon?? What kind of bullshit is that?? So if Rafa wins queens he will win Wimbledon but if he loses he wont win Wimbledon?

all fed fans see this...........

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/more-sport/2010/06/13 /roger-federer-s-riposte-to-rafa-nadal-s-feat-of-clay-115875-22329684/

@Jaskarans That is why I have never warmed to Roger Federer, he is an excellent tennis player and yes the all time GS champion but its his arrogant manner I cannot stand at times, give me the humble Rafael Nadal anyday, he is full of dignity and praise more than most and has been a credit to the game in more ways than one.

Federer said: "I'm not trying to take anything away from Rafa, but on clay you don't need to have a volley. You almost don't need a serve.

"All you need to have is legs, an incredible forehand and backhand and to run things down.
.....wooow... another word of wisdom from Mr. Arrogant ExFed...
Afrodite... your comment is so true...

@jaskarans link:

..........Federer said: "I'm not trying to take anything away from Rafa, but on clay you don't need to have a volley. You almost don't need a serve.

"All you need to have is legs, an incredible forehand and backhand and to run things down.

*******************

So does that mean that Federer doesn't have legs, and incredible forehand and backhand, then? Federer keeps going on about serve and volley as if that's his game, it isn't Roger, you are a baseline player, don't fool yourself.

What wouldn't you give Roger to be called the King of Clay?

What a sourpuss silly man!!!

Is Fed on the move again, or is he sticking around on grass to see if he'll do anything. Since last year he's been moving on every time he hit a brick wall; now we've come full circle and apart from OZ (just as well) he hasn't had much joy. He was fed up of h/c and wanted to move on to clay, then he got sick of that and wanted to move on to grass, now what, well let's see what happens at Wimbledon.

Has Federer forgotten that he said their (him and Rafa) clay season would be judged by what happened at RG, because he was sure he would retain the title, now that he has come out of there empty handed, and Rafa has got a clean sweep, he doesn't rate clay at all.

Next time Rafa plays Fed on clay he should make him eat some of the red stuff. How long will it be before he starts slagging off Halle.

Pathetic.

Don't you guys get bored of this stupid and inmature Federer vs Nadal eternal discussion ?

I cant believe he said that!!!! He is so UHOA. Does he really believe all the bullshit that comes out of his mouth? Even when he is praising Nadal there is always that final sting in the tail of his pronouncements. Remember Roger 'what goes around comes around'.

Oh well, congratulations to Hewitt - well played by him. Hope Roger does better in Wimbledon.

Nadline - that is just Federer's mentality. To move on from things. That doesn't mean he regards hardcourts or claycourts with contempt, it just means that he is always trying to look to the future, for good results. That doesn't mean he will ignore his recent poor results (I hope he'll want to learn from them), but he won't let them bog him down with misery or worry. From my viewpoint, I feel that that is just how he is.

On the other quote which you posted - I think it is his considered opinion, and I happen to agree with him - not totally, but to a certain degree. I also don't think what your judgement of what he said is totally correct. I don't think that is how he meant it at all. I think that he was just giving his opinion on what was needed on clay. Look at Roddick - huge serve, does well at Wimbledon - terrible on clay. The servers effect is greatly reduced on clay, as are many other shots that are good on other surfaces.

I think we can agree on one thing, however - only Roger knows what he meant by his comments. We can only guess. You could be right - I could be right.

@Champion7
i think that the fact that he moves on from things so quickly,is the reason that he has done so well in his career,and moved on from his defeats so quickly and rebounded. Anyway,no ones talking about Hewitt here in Oz-they are all talking about how Germany clobbered Aus in the World Cup.

@tj, its the SOCCER WORLDCUP so its a big thing :P i wonder how much less attention will wimbledon get due to the ongoing worldcup...btw germany was brutal today.

@vamos
yes. Thomas Mullers a guy to look for in this World Cup. It will be interesting to see how the other contenders fo the title perform.(like Brazil,Spain etc)

tj, don't remind me! Germany was absolutely merciless, and the result was a crushing defeat for the Aussies! Embarrassing defeat...

I blame Hewitt!! I watched the Hewitt/Federer match and thought "this is a good omen" ... what I didn't realise was that Germany was looking for payback, how dare that Australian take the title away from Roger......

On the other note, I don't think anyone here questions Rogers accomplishments over the years or the records he holds. I think what we are seeing is that Roger is in new territory and he doesn't know how to deal with it. I just don't think saying "oh well" and moving on is the right attitude anymore, I think he needs to get annoyed and bothered by the losses and figure out a different approach to each match. Its obvious that he can rely on his "standard" game anymore because its just not cutting it.

sorry... I meant he can't rely on his "standard" game anymore

If I'm not wrong, Fed mentioned about clay court tennis needs only good pair of legs etc... when he lost to Montanes in Estoril, just before the Madrid tournament started. I think he was referring to a pure clay court player, someone like Montanes, and not someone like Rafa who has already moved away from the clay court specialist model. Still it sounded a bit like a sore loser, something a gracious champion shouldn't have said after being beaten, but as many believed, Fed was being frank and honest there. Maybe that's what he really believes, whether he really looked down on clay courters or not only he himself knows it and he is entitled to his own opinions. Its just that its unfortunate that he chose to voice his opinions out loud and caused some controversies there, not very wise I think.

Fed really needs to concentrate on his game, even on grass, as I see that Hewitt's victory over him in Halle may raise some hopes in others, like Roddick, Murray, Nole that Fed is more beatable now on grass.

cal23, 6/14/10 2:59 AM ' Its obvious that he can't rely on his "standard" game anymore because its just not cutting it.'
Couldn't agree more cal. He needs to address the problems or run the risk of tarnishing his golden reputation. The competition is getting fiercer and the days when it was a 'given' he would be in every Slam final may well be over.

Re his comments after recent losses: the trouble is he loves the sound of his own voice and the press lap up every word he says. . There is a fine line between trying to sound confident and coming across as egotistical and arrogant. He would do well to be less verbose and reduce the opportunities for juicy 'sound bites' which rebound on him.

Remember what he said after losing to Rafa in Madrid this year? He said that performance on the clay season will be determined at RG. Here he was being arrogant and over confident that he can defend his title, while at the same time belittling the 3 consecutive master titles of Rafa on clay.

@luckystar
in all fairness,i think that based on current form,Murray,Nole and Roddick would not even be thinking about beating Federer on grass-they have their own games to focus on,as they arent exactly in red hot form either.
@cal
i think that his "standard game" has reduced over the years. Its just nature. When you age,you still can play like you did in your prime,just not as consistently. There were countless times in his later years when agassi was in horrible form,but suddenly caught fire.

tj, yes agree with you about the forms of Murray, Nole and Roddick. I hope Rafa wins the Wimbledon trophy this year, as he really missed the chance of defending it last year. For Rafa, I feel more confident about his game than say Murray and co., as Rafa in the past also reached QF stage at Queen's but still went on to reach the Wimbledon finals in 06, 07.

Fed, together with his top rivals, may feel the threats of those dark horses lurking around, the prime candidate being Hewitt. Gasquet/Tsonga/Gulbis, if they are not injured, may cause some troubles too. I like to see how Berdych/Cilic/Baghdatis perform at Wimbledon this year, also the Sod and the S & V players like Lopez, Fish, Llodra.

With all due respect to 250 tournaments as well as to other lower ranked players on tour I think you guys are overrating the importance of these tournaments for both Fed and Rafa. They are nothing but warm-up tournaments and that is how they both experience it. IMO Fed did much better than Rafa, he reached finals but yet what is his motivation behind it? What would be his driving force to win this tournament other than habit and meeting expectations? Fed form should not be judged by his performance in Halle neither should Rafa's or Roddick's...if you watched the matches you must have noticed how not-motivated both Rafa and Roddick looked...they seemed like they were asking a question: is this really worth fighting? And I believe deep in his head Rodger was thinking the same...why bother now when Wimby is around the corner...of course, all of them understand what needs to be done to improve their games respectively...and these tournaments are exactly about that: practice, warm-up and get the feel of the grass...Again, Fed and Rafa are heavy favorites for Wimby and there is no one on the tour to doubt it...does anyone think here that Feli would be able to win a three-setter over Rafa in Wimby? Can you really be so blind to think that Hewitt even playing best tennis in last four years is going to endanger Fed's run for the title? That is rather ridiculous...there will be underdog to watch for that is for sure, but Fed-Rafa ?pact? for finals is not broken yet...just sit and enjoy...

By the way, with the WC and all the football mania, Wimby will be made less important and that is what bothers me a lot...well, it is clear that I will need to harmonize my work obligations with fabulous sport offerings...:)

Luckystar, Federer started of by saying "I don't want to take anything away from Rafa...." so it wasn't to do with Montanes.

Someone said here recently that Roger only praises Rafa when Rafa is down, as soon as he is back on track the knives come out. If he didn't think much of clay he should have said that ages ago, that he wasn't at all bothered about winning RG, because his talents do not lend themselves to just running around on the red dirt. He shouldn't have spent many agonising years trying to win it and being sent packing time and time again. Look how happy he was when he finally won it last year, and he fervently believed that he would retain the title this year.

Rafa should answer back by taking the Wimbledon title again this year, preferably beating Roger in 3 in the final.

Actually I do not know Fed enough to know what is his intention when he past those comments, so I'll just stop commenting about them now.

Favorites or not, Rafa and Fed still have to play those matches to get to the final. I'm sure they know what to do. Dark horses are well, dark horses, and on their day, may cause some serious troubles. Remember Andrev at USO 08, Tipsy at AO 08, Kohl at AO 08 and FO 09, or Berdych at AO 09? The most recent upsets being Sod at FO 10, and of course FO 09. We can't underestimate these dark horses, esp during earlier rounds of the tournament, when the top players are still feeling their way on the surface.

So Rafa is already placed in the final? :P

^^

what about it .. if Roger-rafa both will not reach final of wimbledon ;)

very mere chances but still very much possible Ist time in last 8 years !!

luckystar
it feels strange to say it but i completely agree with you
they have to go through the six matches to be in the final and it is guranted no more Soderling proved that two years in a row nothing is for sure anymore,Federer in the RG was yet to lose a set then he losed in most pathetic way he didnt play to win he played not to lose and with all the respect to natashao i dont think that Federer made it up to the finals of Halle to start thinking about 250 or 500 tourny and that was Hewitt the guy the he met 6000 times!
lopez beating Nadal in streights Federer losing in the final to Hewitt: make no early predictions for Wimbeldon and dont set your alarms for the final already they still have to go all the way :the way that passes though many ambushes forgatten names that can make all the noise of upsets
(God forbidden)

going on Roger praising Rafa issue I have never heard him talking about Rafa like the way he was this clay season : he was full of praise he actually used terms that are new to tennis " Rafa was on tare " and "rafa cast a shadow on the rest of us"
even after wining everything Nadal insisted in naming roger as the favorite for RG "as always" Roger replied that on clay Nadal is always the favorite .
on talking about the clay court player qualities Roger named the main qualities he is a good court player but to be Nadal you need other qualities I don?t think in clay court you can put nadal with any other group he is in total different league so don?t take his words out of context!
Man you are hard to be pleased !

Wimby is famous for the early round exits of high profile players - particularly when they played on No.2 court otherwise known as the Graveyard Court.

No.2 court was renamed No.3 court last year when a new No.2 showcourt was built on the site of the old No.13 court - hardly a good omen!!!

I wonder if it will continue to be the graveyard of Wimbledon hopes.

Just as a matter of interest,Gulbis and Tsonga are playing in the boodles challenge(an exhibition event ) http://www.theboodles.com/view_players.php which i think means that they have recovered from their injuries. Verdasco and Djokovic are also playing.

Yes, Queen's and Halle are just 250 pt warm ups for Wimbly. But go look up the history of winners. You'll know the names and they're almost all top players. Fed's won at Halle every time he played there in the past several years. I don't think he suddenly lost interest during the final this year. He didn't look unduly distressed either. Call it a bad day - lots of fh errors + a very good day for Hewitt, who btw has won Queens four times. Losing to Hewitt on grass is very unusual for Fed but not exactly a disgrace.

Rafa lost at Queens because he was due for goodness' sake. He looked like his head was about to explode. He's won the last four tournaments, including a very emotional and stressful FO win. Add the bad weather limiting his grass practice time and a little grass ass twinge and Rafa needs a rest. A month vac would be about right but he'll have to make do with a long weekend. Will it be enough? Dunno. The desire is there, can the body respond?

Hewitt must be the only player to have won Queens and Halle.

I wondered at the time why Hewitt chose Halle over Queens and surmised he probably thought he had a better chance of playing more matches there than in London. But I dont expect for a moment he really beieved he would win it. Bet he's now pleased he made that decision!

good observation ,nadline

and regarding fed's comments and his recent crisis here is what i think

regarding his comments : actually luckystar made a good pnt when he referred to montanes and the fact that fed was referring to a pure dirtballer like montanes, not rafa who has excelled on all surfaces. He could have said it in a batter manner but he was being honest imo, isnt it true that montanes lacks dimensions? he has a good forehand and a backhand plus good legs but his transitional game for instance sucks...but if fed was referring to rafa then it really sucks becoz its pointless.

abt his recent crisis: he can stil play at his best level, how can u beat andy roddick in 3 sets at oz open 09 semi final..how can u win ur most dominant ever qtr final in ur slam career by beatin delpo when u are not at ur best ??? (oz 09) ...how can u blow away murray and seem like as good as ever (us open 08 final when ppl were saying his career is over)...his consistency may have come down BUT there is another reason...ppl now know better how to deal federere, its natural when u top the game for so long its goan happen ..rafa's success over fed is another factor , he really taught the world that u can wisely create a weakness in fed's game by xxploiting his bakhand whereas 06 was the time when ppl used to say fed's game has no weaknesses but rafa proved everyone wrong..for e.g murray once said that he watches vids of rafa beating federer before playing fed so i hope u ppl get this point..
there are always multipel factors involved , NEVER one factor alone works ... when rafa fans say rafa lost RG 09 due to injury , ok fine but was this the only factor? NOPES...SODA's level on that day was also a factor ! so this was an e.g .

Yes, never underestimate a champion (Fed/Rafa), for they really know how to come back from where they fall.

Regarding Sod's win over Rafa at RG 09, there are various factors involved. Of course the main one is Rafa's physical condition, followed by Sod's performance on that day. Sod played with a right game plan, ie consistently attacking Rafa's forehand side of the court. This was the game plan that was being discussed till death by various commentators, fans or whoever. Its just that none of the players was able to execute that game plan consistently enough to reap the reward until Sod came along on that fateful day. Sod played like a mad man that day but with unwavering consistency and belief. It speaks volume as to how great Rafa is on clay, and we see a healthy Rafa in this year's RG that Sod failed to beat. Even if Sod was to play like a mad man again like last year, I doubt he could have success over a healthy Rafa. Rafa simply knows how to deal with Sod and never allows Sod to take control or dominate the match. That's the way to play against Sod, trying to overcome Sod with your own attacking and you are heading for a defeat, like Fed and Berdych. I think only a healthy Delpo can overcome Sod with his attacking, though I think he also needs to go the distance to overcome Sod. It will be interesting to see how Murray, whose defense is only second to Rafa's, deal with the Sod. I'll go for a Murray win in four sets (not on clay though).

@luckystar
the other way to beat soderling is to slice the ball a lot,as he struggles a LOT with low balls. You can also hit a lot of drop shots against him(a la gulbis) as his movement sucks so badly. But soderling plays an all or nothing game. When he's on,there is not a lot an opponent can do(tho there are some tactics) but when he is off,there is not much he can do. As for Del Potro,i think that he is a horrible match up for Soderling. Not only does he hit his groundstrokes even bigger than Soderling(the forehands he hit in the USO final were amongst the biggest tennis history),he is also far consistent and he would eventually win.

@vamosrafa
I agree. However,Federer doesnt play as well as he does on a consistent basis like he used to. He shanks a lot more balls now. But I think that it is natural. WHen you get older,you can still play like you did in your prime-just not as consistently.(see agassi in his later years as evidence) I certainly wouldnt discount him at this yrs Wimbly,after all,prior to the 08 USO,he lost early in both masters prior to it-and still won. Also,he has a knack of winning when people consider him down and out. Also,Federer and Nadal are still favourites ofc,as they both have that x-factor that only great champions do.

Yes tj, agree on the slice and drop shots to deal with Sod. We see a relatively good form Fed beating Sod at FO, Wimbledon and USO last year. I can't remember what Fed did to beat Sod, he may have used the slice and the drop shots. However, we see Sod getting closer and closer to beating Fed, with the scorelines getting closer and closer, with many tie break sets, one in FO, two in Wimbledon and two in USO last year. Sod had the bad luck of running into Fed three out of four slams last year, and he met Fed also at Madrid last year.

tj -Sorry a bit off topic, what do you think of Cilic as a player? He lacks the fire power and consistency of Delpo, however he has a better all round game and his movement around the court is better than Delpo's. Do you think he has the making of something like Delpo if he improves on his weaknesses?

You all can speak about underdogs and how it may be difficult for Rog and Rafa to win Wimby, and also how Fed's form is declining and how he makes more UEs...you may also say how Rafa being a clay court perfectionist and having lost early in Queens should not be considered favorite for one of his favorite tournaments which is Wimby...but you may also be all wrong! The two of them won a GS each this year and all other players no matter how much were praised and made favorite failed to stop them...Rafa and Fed simply have that factor that makes them great champions... one of them should win it! This time it's Rafa's turn...:) Fed can have USO instead...

I hope Rafa wins them all! A bit greedy I know, but that's what fans hope for, that their favorite player is always at the winning end! Really hope that this will be a very good year for Rafa (to compensate for the heart breaking last year), if possible get his career slam, year end championship and year end no.1. That way, going into next year, he can go play with all his passion, intensity and minus the pressure of having to complete a career slam.

I'm always amazed at the lack of consistency of a lot of players, one day they are exceptional the next day their standard drops. Feli played lights out tennis to beat Rafa at Queens, and then bombed against Fish, Fish on the other hand played so well against Murray and Feli and then fell to pieces Querry.

That's why we have to take our hats off to the two players who have been at the top consistently in the last few years.

@luckystar, I tend to agree with you, although I sooooooooooo much want Rafa to win USO this year!!!

VAMOS!!!!!!

True, maybe Sod would have defeated Rafa at RG 09, even if Rafa had been in perfect form. We'll never know. But what troubled Rafa the most was not losing to Sod, but not being in good condition "physically or mentally" to compete. Rafa's convinced that even if he had beaten Sod he'd have lost in the next round or two anyway. I think he once mentioned that Davydenko would have been the next opponent, and would have made him run. Rafa had reached his limit.

Rafa is still making progress.. he wants to improve his volley, serve, backhand... he is still 24 and greatest in mind... strong, tough, etc.... and now he knows how to handle his body better to avoid injuries... he could become a better player for sure...

Rafa mentioned that he is always looking for improvement, and if he can't improve anymore, he won't be interested in playing the game. I like his attitude; he also mentioned that he has to improve so that his opponents can't keep up with him, for after a while playing the same way, your opponents may be able to read your game and come with a game plan to counter it.

We see since 2005, Rafa has been improving and he adds in more varieties to his game and more varieties of shots at his disposal. His approach is different from that of Fed's or Murray's. Both Fed and Murray developed a whole arsenal of shots when they were younger but lack the know how of when to use them. It took Fed quite a while to figure that out and we see a champion emerged. The verdict is still not out yet regarding Murray, as he still has some figuring to do (more on his motivation than anything else).

For Rafa, I feel that he is one systematic person, he'll develop one shot, practice it till perfection and use it during matches, then move on and develop the next, so we see him adding new things to his game each year. Maybe that explains why sometimes people view Rafa as robotic or mechanical, while Fed seems more smooth and comes with flair. Rafa may not have the wide array of shots that Fed has now, but I won't be surprised that by the end of his career, he is as complete a player as Fed, having the same array of shots that Fed has. For me, I like the way Rafa is; with his built, I can't imagine him moving and playing with that graceful style that Fed has. Rafa is a more rugged version of a tennis player, and I like it that he is not afraid to show off his awesome masculine power on the tennis court, and yet he still has finesse at the net (that separates him from the other big hitters who just know how to hit hard and serve big). For me, that combination of power with finesse is beautiful.

.... sorry to divert from the article's subject...
I consider myself a Rafa fan or Rafan as I call them but I'm going to say this (please go easy on me) 'I don't think Rafa will ever win the USO'. I'm taking his past performances as a guide, also his body doesn't seem to take it in a hard court Grand Slam event. Up to date he's still yet to prove that he can find the confidence needed to win it.
And I can say this as well: 'I don't think Federer will win Wimbledom again' either..

of course I might be wrong in both cases, which wouldn't be too bad either :)

well..the same was said about him winning wimb and AO so we'll see. he still has time on his side and i think he'd like to answer that question for us. i think after his recent triumph over his own demons and shutting up a lot of people (and he's done it before), i like his chances for uso...and hope you are wrong ;)

Shireling, 'I don't think Rafa will ever win the USO'.

**********************

Famous words. Everyone said that Rafa would never Wim, USO or OZ, two down one to go. I attach no significance to his record at the USO, he's made the SF twice - once when he was dogged tired in 2008 after winning the Olympic gold and last year when he was playing at 50%, because he was recovering from his knee injury and picked up a stomach injury on the way to the USO, which reduced his ability to serve well and move well.

THe USO in on Rafa's list of things to do this year, and I know that if Rafa wants something he'll work for it. He may not achieve it, but the chances are that he will.

I have never been one to speak in terms of absolutes. I don't believe that anything is impossible or beyond one's reach. It is true that the conventional wisdom in the past was that Rafa couldn't win Wimbledon or any hard court grand slam. Rafa proved them wrong on both counts. He surprised a lot of people when he won the 2009 AO. It is true that the slower hard courts are more favorable to his style of play, but a hard court slam win still counts.

I am confident that Rafa can win the US Open. I know that he has his sights on it to achieve the career grand slam. I think the recent adjustments and changes Rafa has made to his game, will help him have the opportunity to win the one slam that has eluded him thus far.

I also would never say that Fed cannot win Wimbledon again. I would never bet against a great champion. He has won it six times and would love to equal Sampras' seven titles.

Undeniably Rafa has difficulty at USO but that does not mean he will stop trying to win it. I was just wishing that he will remain healthy & fit to keep the hope alive and maybe this time, USO is his.

wo wo wo...wait ... what debate is this? CAN NADAL WIN US OPEN? those who say 'no' are lacking rationale basically.... didnt nadal win olympic gold? what was the surface on which he did? clay? grass? plexicushion? carpet? NOPES..none other than the same surface used at the US OPEN! and he beat djokovic ( some one u ppl say rafa will find very hard to deal at US open) and then the hard hitter gonzo in the final...so no other justification is needed to supprt " NADAL CAN SURELY WIN US OPEN!"

and rafans, last night i had a dream (seruously and honestly) .. rafa wins US open and i am sooo delighted ! LOL

@vamosrafa...the olympics were best of 3(not best of 5)...and rafa was at his very best then......winning uso will be a bit tougher...he will have to be at his very best again...both physically and mentally....6 best of 5 matches on an unforgiving surface....will be such a challenge for rafael....but im pretty sure he will ONE eventually........and wat a day will it be for us RAFANS!!!

Of course Rafa is more than capable of winning a US Open. Whether he does or not is in the lap of the gods. We wont know until it happens. Meanwhile vamosrafa keep on dreaming and who knows you might just influence the gods.

vrael, the Olympics is played everyday for six consecutive days, 6 rounds (including the final) no 'bye' for the first round. The final is played as a best of 5 set match. It is worst than the IW or Miami Masters (they do have 'byes' for first round and the final is still best of 3).

Rafa won the Olympics after he played at Toronto (winning it) and Cincy (reached the SF), so he wasn't that 'fresh' after all. Yet, he still reached the SF of the USO that year! Last year Rafa reached the QF of Montreal, SF of Cincy and with a broken abdominal muscle, still managed to reach the SF, so if he is fresh, fit and ready this year, I don't see why he can't reach the final if he plays his best tennis.

With so many of the top guys having their own problems now (Nole/Murray having their own problems; Delpo out with injury; Roddick/Fed not at their best of form too; Davy just back from injury; Sod may have some problem too after his defeat at the FO; Cilic/Berdych/Tsonga/Gulbis/Almagro not consistent yet to challege in a slam; Verdasco most probably can't repeat his performance of AO 09), this is the best year for Rafa to try his hand on the USO trophy.

Rafa please do your best to win that USO trophy! Vamos!!

I don't buy this talk about the USO being beyond Rafa's reach, whatever type of hardcourt it is. He's made the SF 2 years in a row even when he wasn't fit; if he had never got past the 4th round or qtrs then there might be a case, but to make the SF twice in a row, he must be doing something right.

Not so long ago at Wimbledon, players used to want to be in his half of the draw not anymore, because not only did he make the final 3 years in a row, he actually won it on his 3rd attempt. So people are making the prouncements without looking at the facts. How many times did Delpo get to the finals before he won it? .........Once.

listen guys/gals,
I hope I'm proven wrong - and I didn't say it's behond his reach (USO Rafa) but I just think - gut feeling - that he will never win it.
And as for Fed not winning Wimby again, I don't really hope to be proven wrong :)

Never underestimate Rafa. If he puts his heart and his mind into doing something, he'll succeed. Nobody thought that he can win the Olympics in 2008, after winning and playing so many matches before arriving in Beijing. Worst still, he had to play against Nole in the SF, who had just beaten him in the Cincy semifinal. Yet, Rafa came through in three sets; and he played so well in the final to beat Gonzo in straight sets. We shall see what will happen at this year's USO.

@vrael...ok take an example ,so u think djo chances of beating rafa in best of 5 match are greater than best of 3? CERTAINLY NOT ! beset of 5 is not a problem for rafa...its abt finding ur best and executing it...he is gona do it one day inshALlah

@ed..LOL...i also met rafa in a dream once..that happend the night before his match against blake indina wells rnd 4..he had never beaten blake so i ws nervous, i was so annoyed that why doesnt rafa play more aggressively and apply cettain tactics..lol...swear to God i met in a dream ..it was a grassy area , i talkd to him in engligh aswell as my native language and i made sure i spoke everythng abt the tactics i knew and BELIEVE me he did some of them , played more agressively and also attack james second serve, down the line forehand was also on...he won and i was so amazed yet delighted..after that match his hard court game reached new levels... beat blake again in miami and then berdych too..LOL ok not saying my dream ws so influential but it was special to me :D :D

nadline, 6/16/10 2:17 PM I hesitate to articulate my hopes for fear of jinxing him but put like that, and given Rafa's determination when he wants something really, really badly (like Wimbledon, Olympic Gold and RG '10), the US Open title might well happen sooner rather than later.

@vamosrafa - i did not mean it that way at all.....rafa is much more difficult to beat in best of 5......but the flipside is that it will be physically taxing for rafa....if he plays shorter points...does not lose sets...like he was able to do this RG.....sure he can win.....for that he has to be aggressive....serve much better...earn free points....nd i feel that he has to improve in those areas...otherwise he will just be hurting himself......playing ppl like nole will happen at a latter stage at uso....he will have to deal with the other 4 guys b4 reaching semis.....a tsonga,soderling...even a gulbis is capable to test him at uso....

vrael, Rafa can deal with Tsonga, Soderling, Gulbis. Didn't Rafa beat Tsonga in Rotterdam and in the Paris Masters (both indoor hard courts) last year and at Miami this year? Best of 5 sets match, I don't think Tsonga can hurt Rafa. Same with Sod and Gulbis; Rafa can outlast them. Rafa needs to serve well, hold his own serve, retrieve as many balls as possible, something like what he was doing at the FO. Both Sod and Gulbis are big hitters and if they are being stretched to four or five sets, chances are they'll be exhausted and their go for broke kind of tennis may fail them. Best of 5 set matches favor Rafa more than those big hitting go for broke players. Seriously, I think now that Delpo is out, there are two or maybe three players who can really challenge Rafa in best of 5 set matches on a hard court - Fed, Murray and Roddick. Nole can't outlast Rafa in best of 5 set match.

Of course all these talks are well, just talks only. The outcome of any match will depend on how the players play on the day itself. Best of luck to you Rafa!

luckystar,

This is why this is called tennistalk , hehehhee
Can't wait for Wimby to start!
Rafa must be dissapointed.. Spain lost to Switzerland in the football worldcup

Yes Rafa would be disappointed, but Rafa being Rafa, will always look at the positives. Spain still has two chances at the round robin stage, and it is not too late for them to make some strategic changes.

Shireling , 6/16/10 2:23 PM

Regarding your comment about not wanting to be proven wrong about Fed never winning Wimbledon again, I understand your sentiments, however, I was just letting my reason trump my emotion. In my heart, I do believe that Fed can and will win Wimbledon again. However, this year I hope Rafa manages to get back the title that he was unable to defend last year. One by one, he is erasing the painful memories from last year!

Winning the US Open this year, would be the icing on the cake! Maybe it's asking too much all at once, but I have a feeling that this is Rafa's time! :)

I hear ya 'Nativenewyorker',
I've said it in several ocasions that tennis needs someone other than Fed to win majors (even if it ain't Nadal)... his flawless clinical tennis and demeanor (except as of late and definitely against Nadal) gets to be frustratingly tiresome sometimes.
I don't want to offend Fed fans, he's without a doubt in my mind the best tennis player that I've seen but until Nadal came along I had just stopped watching tennis matches.. what was the point? :) (he will not win Wimby again)