What's he going to say - he's worried?!! Hewitt is now the fourth player who has beaten Federer that was previously dominated by him. I'd say he's a little worried heading into Wimbledon after a five month dry spell.

What's with Federer? He keeps on losing matches and saying he's not worried and it's all good! Weird!

He's losing all of these matches in exactly the same fashion, as well. Dominates the first set, goes to second set tiebreak after easing off it a bit, and then blows it in the third set. It's shockingly consistent in these best of 3 tournaments this year so far.

Though I agree with you guys, but if Federer were to admit that he is worried............that would give the other players a phsycological egde on him!!............no?

All he has to do is to just sharpen his game...........(and his mental state)!!!

nice post monalysa. give fed a call, will ya?

"What? Me worry?" -- Alfred E. Neuman

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/405962-federer-could-be-done-at-1

an article related to roger's future..

If I really thought he wasn't worried....*I'd* be worried. But it's not as if he's going to go into an presser saying "yeah, I'm playing crap and I'm scared to death somebody's gonna beat me at wimbledon".

my statements exactly. This could not be less revealing. Like he would sit in the room and tell everyone he IS nervous for Wimbledon. LOL at the mere thought!

What is intriguing me the most is Roger's lack of emotion on court of late, especially when he's struggling. It used to be that you would at least see frustration in his face but now he just hangs his head almost resigned to the fact. Of course I've no idea what's going on in his head but even with Rafa when things are going the way he wants you see his brain working trying to come up with a "B plan". I think Roger is in a place he's never been before and perhaps he's not quite sure how to change a game plan that has been working for so many years.

"...Like he would sit in the room and tell everyone he IS nervous for Wimbledon. LOL at the mere thought!" - RickyDimon , 6/15/10 4:58 AM

Why is it natural for Rafa to say that he is nervous and unthinkable for Federer?

Phoenix- that is because Rafa is honest and doesn't mind admitting that he isn't perfect, that he is like the rest of us. In short it is because Rafa is more down to earth than Federer.

By saying that clay does not need serve and volley... ridiculous comment... I think perfect volley and perfect serve are the right words...

isa, Rafa is lucky then to have us as fans. :-)
We don't place him on a pedestal and treat him as god-like. To us, Rafa too has feet of clay.

Fed blew my mind with that comment about Clay not needing Serve and Volley, because it shows how biased he is to his own game.
As it can be argued that all is required on hardcourts, are massive serves and massive forehands, (hence why the AMericans do so well) where as on clay you actually have to have variety in your game, be consistent and mighty fit to be able to play long points.

I know which surface shows which players are the best athletes and better tennis players!

Federer game is based on finishing off point quickly, if he cant rely on his serve and forehand he loses, like he lost to Hewitt

Phoenix- and that is why I love Rafa, because he isn't fake, he is humble, respectful, fair and an amazing champion and an all round good guy, who doesnt underestimate his opponents. I love how he loves his family and his home and how he isnt afraid to show his vulnerability or his nerves and more so because he is a fighter.

Good point about Rafa not afraid to show his vulnerability! What he shows us is how he overcome his vulnerability in the end. That to me is even more impressive.

Perhaps it?s a matter of Federer having to show a strong front to keep the rest of the field guessing whereas Rafa can show some vulnerability because he knows he can back it up on the court :-)

Maybe he SHOULD worry about how his opponents have snared into his defense mechanism...
I think that Federer lost all these matches because his slice was ineffective. It used to provide him with so many cheap points and now that it is not as potent as it was in the past. Maybe Rog's opponents have finally cracked his game!

Federer's game is based on instinct and this has served him very well for years, that's why he doesn't spend too much time training because he normally reacts to his opponents on the day, so he comes up with shots that are so unusual sometimes, because they are invented on the spot, not practised over and over again. If his instinctive shots keep missing the lines or the opponent is able to counter them then he's got no plan 'B', because he never has a strategy.

Players like Murray and Rafa think on their feet, they always have a plan 'B', they have very intelligent tennis minds and are very talented tennis players in the sense that they can switch one strategy for another on court as required.

I remember Gulbis saying after his match at Wimbledon with Rafa in 2008 that he thought he'd got the better of Rafa, but suddenly everything changed and he couldn't tell know what Rafa did to change it.

nadline, good post....federer used to pulverize opponents in his peak days , staying widin his comfort zones....it all comes so natural to him, he isnt a hard worker like rafa but his game is based so much on timing and instinct and he is adamant to change things abt his game..yes i have see him change strategies in terms fo going more or holding back sometimes or slight changes but sum one like rafa or murray change strategies with a complete 360... that gulbis match is a gud example , rafa made fine adjustments to return gulbis serve and take gulbis out of his comfort zones...

rafa thinks on the court A LOT, roger also does that but rafa has been doing it much more often.

nadline - I absolutely agree. Murray and Rafa are particularly good in changing tactics within a game or two. Federer came onto the scene with such a good reactive game that it held him up but like you said the minute his game is off he's in trouble. I think his defensive game is not as effective as his offensive game and therein lies the problem. Federer has been wining with the same formula for so long (unless he's up against Rafa) that there was no need for change. Now that that same formula is not so effective other players are getting the better of him. Do you think the years without a coach have taken their toll?

nadline, interesting observation about Fed's game, but I don't think that he doesn't have a plan B. He is too good not to have a plan B as he is also a good strategist. He won't become a 16 slams winner if he is not a good strategist.

I think at his peak, from 2004 to 2006, Fed played with so much confidence and aura, and with his game at it's very best, he practically went to the tennis court without even having to think of how to play against his opponents. He would play a few games, figured out how his opponents played and he would then played their game and beat them at their game! That was how good Fed was then, on grass and on hard. On clay, it was a different story, with the emergence of Rafa.

In 2007, we saw Fed coming down slightly from his peak but still able to win three out of the four slams, though he lost more matches during that year than in 2005/2006. I think as age catches up with him, he would have to play with some game plans in mind before facing off with his opponents. I remember one match he played against Tsonga at the Madrid Masters in 2008; after Fed had beaten Tsonga, Tsonga came up with comments like: Fed didn't allow him(Tsonga) to play his game, ie Fed didn't allow Tsonga to come to the net throughout the whole match, keeping Tsonga deep at the baseline, and that was the way to beat Tsonga. Don't forget also each time Fed played against Davy, he always don't allow Davy to play his own game. Fed also mentioned that he studied how Soderling played against the other players during the FO 09, and came up with a game plan when he played Soderling in the FO 09 final. All these point to the fact that Fed does play with strategies and not just simply react in a match based on instinct. I believe those days where relying on instinct alone would suffice have long gone. Nowadays, he'll have to get ready and prepare well for each match he has to play.

@Luckystar
your post hits the nail on the head on why Federer is so successful. He is probably the best in the world(or was in his prime at least) aat breaking down an opponents game. Read this article. It was written a while back,but still relevant I think.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/368351-fed-and-rafa-two-differe nt-paths-to-greatness-pt-1

i don't agree with a fact that " he never has a strategy."

a player cann't achieve so much in game without a strategy. it's almost impossible that every time his instinct works out again and again against every top player.

now a days he has strategy but the burning will power is lacking thats make the difference. if once he will got it again then still he has 2-3 years of good tennis in himself :)

i actually think that Federer did more thinking on court than ANYONE. Its just that he has reduced it in recent years and adopted a more high risk game. Thinking throuhg every point can burn a player out(just ask Wilander) and Federer has changed his style bcoz of that perhaps.

Hard to quantify who thinks more on the court, but I think the three best strategists out there are Rafa, Murray and Fed. Murray is arguably the best out there (as many commentators would have us believe) but I would like to think that Rafa is the best, as he has all the training about point constructions on the clay court since young. Both Rafa and Murray can 'trap' Fed with their games and forced Fed into errors. Even Simon can frustrate Fed by getting every ball back. Fed match up better with those 'attacking' styles but not so well against good counter punchers, the likes of Murray and Simon. Its really difficult to say objectively who is the best strategist out there, may be a tie among the three?

Federer doesn't have a plan B, but it's only because he hasn't needed a plan B. Until this point, if Federer played his game anywhere near his best, he could beat anybody but Rafa. He never needed to beat his opponents strategically - he simply beat them with his tennis.

I am MOST interested to see if he meant what he said when he said he was willing to win ugly now. a year ago, that sentiment would have been unthinkable.

Cheryl, I totally agree.

If you look at the performance timeline you can see that Federer's win-lose percentage peaked between 2004-2006 but has has been dipping since 2007 - the year before the mono episode.

Federer 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Win % 70% 72% 82% 93% 95% 95% 88% 81% 84% 77%
Career Win (% '98-'10): 82%
The importance of Grand Slam titles in defining a player is dramatically illustrated when you consider between '07-'10 he has won 43% (6 out of 14) Slams but only 23% (10 out of 44) of all the other tournaments played.

In spite of only 1 more GS and far fewer other titles than Rafa over the past four years, Federer is still regarded by many as the superior player.

As a matter of interest the stats for Rafa are:
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Win (%) n/a 50% 56% 64% 89% 83% 82% 88% 83% 89%
Career Win (% '01-'10): 82%

From '07-'10 Rafa won 38% (5 out of 13) Slams and 36% (19 out of 52) of all other tournaments played.

Sorry these tables are difficult to read. They were tabulated when I made the entry but re-aligned themselves before appearing on the site.

very interesting stats, ed

they speak to Federer's softer performance post 2006, and to how much he has achieved still in his softer years

it also points out that Nadal has been achieving more than Federer last 4 years - especially given that injury took away his chances to defend to slams last year

and also shows that at age 23 and 24 Roger's winning percentage was a chunk higher than Nadal's in the last two years - but of course the reverse would probably be the case if the number of claycour and hardcourt tournaments per year were reversed.

I believe Rafa had entered his prime since 2008 but unfortunate for him, he was down with injury in 2009 that hindered his progress. Had he planned his schedule well last year and prevented the injury, I won't be surprised that he might end up winning AO, FO & Wimby last year and pushed his slam tally to eight last year; leaving Fed still with thirteen (with Delpo winning the USO). He might even continue his momentum into this year too. A misstep cost him one full year of his career. Nevertheless, it is still not too late now for him to catch up on the slam tally. He is still at the start of his prime and I foresee at least another two solid years at the top for him if he takes good care of his body and manages his schedule well.

The time line comparison may have to shift a bit due to Rafa's injury, so we should be comparing Rafa's results at 2010 to Fed's at 2006 instead of 2007. (Rafa has lost almost a year, not winning anything). Fed had 9 slams by 2006, 12 by 2007. Even if Rafa were to win Wimby n USO, he can only match Fed's slam results as at 2006. If Rafa can achieve that, I think that is very respectable, as I think Fed is the
only player who can accumulate so many slams within such a short time frame (8 years to date with 16 slams).

Well spotted chlorostoma. It could also be argued Federer enjoyed a higher percentage win at 23-24 because there was no Rafa in his way! When you consider Rafa arrived at No.2 in 2005 and had the likes of Djokovic and Murray to contend with - not to mention Roger himself with the advantage of five years more experience - it underlines, for me at least, the scale of his achievements.

I am in no way belittling Roger's formidable achievements although I do not buy into the GOAT debate: it was simply an observation that the trend of under-achieving in tournaments other than the Slams dates back to 2007 and lends credence to the theory that Roger puts all his effort into the Slam calendar - to good effect.

Much as I am a fan of especially Nadal, I do not see Nadal being in Federer's league... altough perhaps he is not that when comparing them age 23 /24 to age 23/24. Only in several years will a career comparison make sense. It is far from certain that Nadal will wim many more slams, although I'd love him to and I'm sure he will do his best as his desire is enormous.

Rafa's main opponent is/are his knees. Even with all the precautions I am not sure he will remain mostly injury-free for years to come - and I hope sincerely that he will prove me wrong - not because of breaking slam records but because his tennis when healthy brings him and us so much joy.

corr: perhaps he is not that >far< when

ed, Rafa had it more difficult than Fed. As you mentioned, Rafa has to contend with Nole/Murray/Delpo etc, his peers (in term of age group) and at the same time, has a Fed standing in his way. When Fed reached his no.1 status in 2004, he needed to contend with his peers, the likes of Hewitt/Roddick/Gonzo/Ferrero and the very talented Safin/Nalby but there was no one standing in his way.(like what he is doing now to Rafa.) He need not fight off a long time world no.1 that Rafa has needed to do. So, while Rafa's statistical results may not seem as impressive as Fed's, actual fact is Rafa has a more difficult task at hand than what Fed has had earlier on.

chlorostoma, too much has been said about Rafa's knees. His tendinitis won't go away unless he undergoes surgery. However, his problems are not so serious that he needed surgery. What he needs is enough rest and not to stress his knees over the limit. Therefore, he has to manage his schedule well. We see him not playing at Barcelona and the reward is he has won four consecutive titles and his knees haven't given way.

Another way to manage his knee problems is to have a six to eight months break from the tours to rest his knees and let the tendinitis issue healed to a more manageable level. Of course that will mean missing out many tournaments for Rafa and there is no need to do that at this moment. I'm sure the Rafa camp knows what they are dealing with and will find the best way to manage Rafa's career. We need not worry too much about Rafa's knees; after last year's bad experience, Rafa has learned not to take his own body for granted. At least that is something positive he/we can take from all the negativity of last year.

luckystar,
I agree entirely with you. (And at the same time I think it is too early to place Rafa at the same level as Federer and a rare few others.)

To your point: It is especially Nadal's overal achievements and their H2H that have been reminding many people over the years that GOATing Fed is overstretching. The GOAT question is rather unanswerable - it is a deeply flawed question (just as is imo the claycourt GOAT question). On the other hand the question whether the Fed belongs in the very short list of all time greats has been answered already a while back.

It is because Nadal has achieved so much, and because of their H2H, and then even more because of how it has been putting doubts into the flawed dream of the goat (sorry, oh dear: GOAT) that has turned a great number of fed fans into knee-jerk Nadal haters, disguised or not. A great number of fed fans, but by far not all. Too bad as if you appreciate excellent tennis and great consistency from one of the greats (Fed) surely you would want to appreciate also the excellent if different tennis and the equally great consistency of the other (Raf). And, to repeat what has been said often, their rivalry and Nadal's passion did not only revive tennis world-wide... they have forced Federer to become an even better tennis player.

Sure sure, Rafa is not in Fed's league yet. Its just that out of interest, we (esp ed) started this time line comparison. Nobody knows what will happen in future, so we have to take things as they come; hope for the best and be prepared for the worst.

luckystar,
good comments on Rafa's knees
and I agree with the time line comparison, I've been doing one in my head for years.

The bright light of Federer incredibly dominant years at the time made it hard for many to see just how much Nadal was achieving at the same time and while 5 years younger. A little like the sun's strong light that makes other starts not visible. And in the meantime we have Rafa with 7 slams, which arguably would have been 8 and even possibly 9 already but for overdoing it with the knees, at barely 24.

federer is never worried but that does not mean he wnt stop losing?anyway since when has he ever admit that he is fearful..he is too arrogant for that

We are currently in an era of tennis when it is almost the norm for players to be out of the game for months at a time and often needing surgery to repair the damage done to their bodies.

One of Federer's greatest weapons over his closest rivals is the natural athleticism and almost superhuman fitness level which have kept him virtually injury-free throughout his long career.

He also holds a little mentioned record (well I believe it's a record - Clayking please confirm!) of being the only Top 10 or so player never to have retired during a match. It is rare even for him to have to pull out of a tournament due to injury (Paris Masters, and Master's Cup November 2008 being exceptions which come to mind).

@ed
I think its becoz clean ball strikers like Fed and Agassi don't practice hitting a lot of ball. The technique is what it is, it's not going ot break down. I'm sure he puts the bulk of his gruntwork into his physical fitness. (which explains Fed having a lack of injuries and Agassi playing for so long)

Federer can still be productive well into his 30s like Agassi, just don't expect the results he had in his mid 20s. He has been at the top for very long, so a slump in his career should not be a surprise. His main problem now is motivation and also the loss of his aura of invincibility he had when he was at his best. His focus now should move away from that #1 ranking, and leaving to younger players to chase.

The bit about him not admitting to be fearful does not make him arrogant. It is as much an off court psychological game as it is on court. Admitting weaknesses only gives opponents hope... not something he needs to give away. This applies to all players, not just Federer.

Cable: Wise advice from you. He made a very revealing remark when first relegated to No.2 ('I dont like hearing myself introduced as No.2, it sounds all wrong') and publicly declared his ambition was to regain No.1. With a healthy Rafa back on the scene the writing was on the wall he could lose his crown again and with it the chance to beat another Sampras record. You're right, he needs to rise above the ranking race, stop letting it gnaw away at his mind, and concentrate on winning. As Rafa said - when the results come then the points come too.

Fed is smart in managing his schedule. Since 2005, he's
been playing 15 to 17 tournaments a year, with the exception of 2008. He is also smart enough to withdraw from tournaments if he is not fit, eg Paris Masters 2008, before his match with Blake, he also withdraw from Stockholm in the same year; unlike Rafa who is 'silly' enough to carry on playing and has to retire midway and get booed off court. Maybe that explain why Fed has little injury problems, though he is still plagued with back problem. I guess for sportsman injury is inevitable.

oh,and just more thing about Federers fitness. A few years back, I actually witnessed Federer in a practice session in Dubai once during his offseason. I was in Dubai to see some family,and one of my frens knew the pro at the facility Federer worked out at. He mentioed he was in town and we went over. We sat up in the press box without being noticed for a good hour. What I saw was very different to what most people see when Federer is on the practice courts at a tournament. First it was incredibly crazy hot. Federer was working on conditioning drills with weights strapped to his ankles. We used to call them "suicides" in high school football practice. He then hit with a partner and they were going all out. The other player looked like he would collapse at some point and another player took over, while Federer never let up. It was a brutal practice. I am guessing this is when the hard, nitty gritty work to get in shape is done,and what most people witness when he is doing his "during tournament practice routine" he is most concerned with keeping his timing, etc at a high level. The hard work that he puts in that most people don't see has already been done.

Exactly tj. People always say Fed's tennis looks effortless on court, but there is a lot of hard work being put into the training. No one is so blessed that he can just eat, sleep n laze around and then go to the tennis court and produced that kind of tennis that Fed produces. Both Fed and Rafa worked very hard to be where they are now even with their talent.,

It seem that Fed is following Agassi's path in longevity of career but both are plagued with some back problems. Quite coincidental.

I knew he had suffered some back trouble but hadn't realised it was an on-going problem. Does this explain why his serve % is so up and down and those timely aces are not coming when they are most needed.

Wimbledon seedings are out:

http://aeltc2010.wimbledon.org/en_GB/pdf/2010_seeds.pdf

ed, I don't know much about Fed's back problem and how serious was that. Maybe his fans would have a better idea. I only learned about it when he withdrew from the Paris Masters after the QF, in 2008, followed by some on court treatment to his back during the Tennis Masters Cup 2008 match against Murray. It seems that since then, his serves suffered. He also withdrew from the Dubai tournament and the Davis Cup ties in early 2009. Sometimes during matches, you can see Fed squatting in between service points; I saw it during the USO final last year and was wondering whether his back problem act up again.

So Federer is seeded 1 and Rafa 2.

I imagine the Draw will be on Friday but does anyone know what time it will take place?

Roddick, Djokovick and Soderlick might be drawn on Rafa's half while Murray Davydenko and Verdasco will be in Roger's half.

Can't wait to see the W draws.

Rafa and Roger can't get away from each other, Spain is about to play Switzerland in the W.Cup. I wonder who will win, I suppose it will be business as usual..........Spain will beat Switzerland.

this is the same thing he (and everyone else) said the same thing after losses to Gulbis, Almagro and Nadal before RG....Maybe its a sign of things to come...

You mean Montanes not Almagro Jaskarans?

switzerland score in w.cup match. spain choking,like they always do at the WC..

at this moment, fed is surely the happier man..
nadal is surely upset now!!

Ha Ha so much for being favorites! I guess everything depends on the day's performance. Maybe the Spanish team should learn something from Rafa, about how to handle pressure! Oh yes, and also learn some defending skills from Rafa too!!

What a choke team! Why don't they let Torres in earlier?

ahhhh!
my 2nd fav team loses!!
well, well!!!
this is surely a rare moment since jan 2010 when fed will be the happier man!!
nadal is now surely mourning over this loss!!

Don't worry clayking, this is a round robin match. I'm sure the Spanish team will do better in their next two matches. If Spain finish as no.2 in the group, which team will they face in the knock out stage? Is no.1 of Group H facing no.2 of Group G, and no.2 of Group H facing no.1 of Group G? In that case most probably either Brazil or Portugal??

Rafa has to remain calm for his Wimbledon conquest and not be affected by the results of the Spanish Team's World Cup conquest!

well luckystar..
I badly want them to end on top of their grp and avoid brazil(who will top their group)..
I simply don't want the armada to be knocked out in round of 16..
I'm badly looking for a brazil spain final...
and if armada gets out in round of 16, rafa won't be a happy man!!

clayking, what do you think is the likely scenario for Spain?

I don't like the way the Spanish players played today. Their passing were good but their attacking were poor, it seems that they were seeking personal glory, all wanted to score regardless of whether they were in the position to score. Sometimes, passing the ball to fellow team mates to score might be better! The defense, don't know what to say about their defense! Really need to learn that from Rafa!

speaking of scenario,
well they have to beat chile and honduras by a good margin and hope one of those teams take out swiss army..
that will leave both spain and swiss army on 6 points, with spain getting 1st place due to better goal difference and hence avoiding brazil..
because if they have to meet brazil in round of 16, they can pack back to home..
brazil are much better at handling themselves in later stages while spain are the perennial underachievers..
so, I think spain has to win and make sure they top the group to avoid brazil..
of course brazil can slip to 2nd but that is unlikely..
as speaking of their performnace, I think their teamwork lacked badly..
yes they controlled midfield but their execution was poor..

Yes the execution was poor, they made a mess out of every chance that they had! Are the Barca players having problem with the Real Madrid players in the team? If there is no team work, I don't think they can succeed. Looking at Brazil, they played beautiful attacking football and both their team work and attacking skills are better than that of Spain's. Even if they were to meet in the final, I'll favor a Brazil win over Spain, if both teams continue to play they way they played now.

Sorry, can't stand football. But the gist of it seems to be that the Spanish side has too many chiefs and not enough Indians - is that right?

Well, if that's the case, I don't think it foreshadows events at SW19 in the coming fortnight at all. Rafa gets to go out there and do it by himself. Watch and learn.

VAMOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Apparently there is some back biting going on between the Barca, Madrid and the Basqye players so they paid for it.

Whilst watching the game I couldn't help wondering what a shame it would have been if Rafa had chosen football over tennis, and it occured to me that at least as a tennis player he makes his own decisions, he doesn't have to wait to be picked and told what to do.

Of all the ridiculous things ever said by Fed fans, the idea that Switzerland beating Spain in soccor portends a Fed win over Rafa at Wimbledon, has to take the cake! However, I guess if you need a "sign" or anything to build up your hopes, then you will latch onto whatever you can.

Yes nadline, I'm glad that Rafa has chosen tennis over football.

I watched football since I was very young, watched the World Cup and the EPL regularly then. My favorite English team then was Liverpool. That was long time ago. When I grew up and started working, I somehow lost touch with football and only watched the World Cup. Favorite team for World Cup was Brazil, and later on it was Italy for me. I started watching tennis in the late eighties, during the Graf and the Becker era, but not on a regular basis. Its only after I spotted Rafa that I began to watch tennis matches regularly (also due to availability of the sports channels here in my country).

Tennis is such a beautiful game and the player out there has to depend on himself/herself to do the job, unlike team sports where you have your teammates to help you. What I like about tennis is it is not a contact sport, so there is almost zero chance of getting into fights or physical violence and hence lesser injuries to the players. I can't imagine Rafa getting into fights on the soccer field! Rafa seems a peace loving character to me.

When I was talking about today's win by the Swiss over the Spanish with my wife I mentioned that Nadal would be upset and Federer happy and that they had both made a choice between soccer as a career and tennis. She could not believe Federer ever considered playing soccer professionally. Since she watches tennis very rarely: major finals, she may have not realized just how utterly athletic Federer is (and Rafa). Good choice for both of them for having chosen tennis...

While we are a little on the topic of vuvu, sorry, tennis... did any of you see Maicon's first goal against North-Korea? Pure brilliance, in the same league as some of his other amazing goals... like Federer's between the legs improvised winner and some of Nadal's around the post running shots.

Yes chlorostoma, saw that goal. Its amazing!

Has anybody else noticed the fact that whenever rafa does poorly, our football team does exceptonally well! But the moment rafa perofrms well, the football team completely slumps into the dumps! Wonder if rafa tried tanking his last match to help the prospects of spain? But apparently that helps in only the warm up matches cos that was a warm up match for rafa! now i am caught mid ways if i want rafa to tank wimbledon so that the first ever spanish team with a real chance at a world cup can atleast try for it or forget football and just cheer rafa to another wimby title?

What do other spanish fans here say? rafa or Spain? Whom do we choose? Oh this is killing me, i wish rafa success was not such a bad omen for spain. even our economy downs when he tops :( there was an article in todays paper on this... so that got me thinking..

With all due respect, I would like to think that Rafa and the Spanish soccer team are both in control of their own destinies. I don't read anything into when Rafa does poorly meaning Spain will do well, or when Rafa does well, Spain will do poorly. I think it's just a coincidence.

I don't think we have to choose either Rafa or Spain. I am American, so my loyalties for soccer would be to my country. However, when it comes to tennis, my loyalty will always be to Rafa. Maybe it's best to just watch and let things play out on their own.

hey native, even i dont believe in such rubbish.. well mostly.. but when it comes in an article by a respected spanish economist, i couln't ignore it when my bro pointed it out to me.. it analyses over the last 5 years rafa's performance with the rest of the country and it shows that not only our soccer team but our economy itself spirals down as rafa soars to new heights.. It seems spain is such a sports crazy nation that investment decisions are made largely on sporting outcomes influencing the investors.. so even though rafa success makes us inordinately happy, it seems the investment confidence in the nation and our spending tendency tends to come down as if it is portentiously gloomy thing deep inside for rafa to win..

All this saddens me and i dont pretend to understand everything i am typing here.. i amreading from the article and typing it on here for you..

Also, foreign investments trickle down to a near halt when rafa performs well and it picks up whenever rafa goes through alean patch even if it is only for a part of the year.. our economic index has always shown a major dip during the clay season time of the year which used to be a profitable time for us before rafa came on the scene.. the only year when the index took an upturn during the june-july time was when rafa was dumped out by soder...


So this has got lot of us thinking if we are being anti-national by supporting our all time fav sporting hero and the countries greatest sporting icon of today... How can such a nice suy be bad for a whole country i cant figure but the details were jus too convicneing for me.. i am still in a dilemma on whom to wish well for the soccer team and the country or just rafa and hell to everything else? any spanish fans here??

The article concludes categorically that if there are any loyal spaniards reading it, please pray for an early exit for rafa since we finally have a worthy football team and rafa can always come back and try next year, besides the country really cant afford the economy slowing down anymore.. rafa's success somehow kills motivation deep inside people hough on the outside his never-say-die attitude is supposed to be inspiring.. wonder what is the reason for that?

Also an appeal to rafa concludes it.. saying that dear nadal, please put your country above your own personal ambitions for once...


<Sob> i will type the whole article here because it is in spanish if anyone wants a translation

opinions welcome ok? by the way i am doing an english course and i would like to have feedback on how my english is.. sorry if i sounded snobbish.. but english comes out too formal when i speak..

Here is some perspective to the ridiculous ( ie. Spain losing means Rafa will lose)

- Hewitt beats Federer (Yes). Therefore the Australian Soccer Team will beat Germany (Hell NO. They lost 4-0)

Destiny's are separate!

My goodness, I didn't know Rafa is so influential! He can influence the economy of a whole nation!! Wow something new to me!

Hello, Spain's economic performance was/is influenced by the world economy! Remember the global financial crisis and its after effects, from 2008 till 2009, even till now, 2010??

rafanadalfanforever - shame that a supposed economist can write an article like that. He might as well said that Rafa influenced the world economy!! Spain should be proud that they produced a sportsman like Rafa, a world no.1, and yet some superstitious people are trying to bring him down. What has Rafa's performances got to do with the Spanish soccer team's performances?? If they can't perform, blame themselves, and not find a scapegoat and cast all their blame on him! Ridiculous!!

hahaha the article is really funny!!!! Spain people themselves trying to put pressure on Rafa, but I am sure Rafa will fight fr the wimbyy!

Spain would have won if the match was played on clay rather than grass!

Ha ha ha, newfangkc, good one there!

I hope the Spanish team will field Torres early in their next match. It seems that he is the one who can really do something out there; pity the coach let him into the match too late. Despite having so many stars in the team, and despite all the attacking, they just couldn't find the way into the net. I guess better team work is required, and please please beef up on the defense.

I hope they can beat both Honduras and Chile by a large margin, and hope they top the Group and avoid facing Brazil in the round of 16.

this is off topic,but verdasco lost to dustin brown at the boodles challenge.(an exhibition event) Not a good start to his grass court season.

tj, I have a feeling that Verdasco is trying to do as much as he can during the clay season (maybe also the grass season), then go for a long break to recover from whatever problem he has (I think he has some back injury). That explains why he went to Nice, reach the final and get 150 points. I think he may not want to defend his New Haven points, or even the final points (150) at KL. He may just go for the Masters and the USO, one or two more 500 events.

rafanadalfanforever, 6/17/10 4:11 AM Gosh I hope nobody draws Rafa's attention to that article and make him feel guilty about trying to win.

btw and off topic: Your written English is impressive - fluent and articulate with a very natural style. And dont worry about sounding formal. This is normal when you study a second language and then speak it correctly. - unlike many of the native speakers who have not bothered to learn the grammer of their mother tongue and wouldn't know a subjunctive if it were to hit them in the face.

rafanadalfanforever,
Even though a respected economist wrote the article, it's unfounded. It may sell a lot of newspaper / magazine copy but it is just not true. Sheer superstition. Stats tell us that there are bound to be many random coincidences in life and some of these are bound to seem meaningful. So don't worry about supporting Nadal...

And I agree with ed: your English is very good.

rafanadalfanforever: Was it you who translated the article into English? If so, 10/10
I am even more impressed at your standard of English. I would so love to be able to follow Rafa's interviews when he is talking in Spanish. He is so different - far more relaxed and at ease and with a lovely sense of humour. But I am amazed at how much progress he has made in English over the past two years but you can see it is still hard work for him.

rafanadalfanforever , 6/17/10 4:11 AM

I think your English is perfectly fine! No need to apologize or explain. However, I still must respectfully choose to disagree with the premise of this article. I am not a believer in superstition or predestined outcomes. I believe that Rafa and Spain's soccer team are the ones who control their own destinies.

If Rafa believed any of this for even a moment, then if Spain wins, he would pack his bags and go home! Rafa has always been a great example of someone who takes nothing for granted in any match, all the while knowing that if he plays his very best, then he will have his chance to win. That's all that matters in the end.

ed251137, yes it was my own translation that I posted and that is why i felt so conscious about it. Thanks for your liberal praise, it means a lot to me after the work I have been putting in. And you are right, rafa when speaking spanish is an intervier's delight and he seems like almost another person (shy, reserved almost artificially humble) when speaking english. Believe me, when speaking spanish he comes across as a dashing young man fully confident of himself and well, ahem, with a very sexy accent :) Do you know that he says "Space, coming through' when he walks along roads to clamoring fans?? All that modesty is just his shyness and apologetic attitude towards a foreign language. He is a perfect hunk a la Antonio Bandaras (to name a star you might also know, though I am not sure he is still popular in your country)

chlorostoma, nativenewyorker and luckystar, I must thank you three for not only supporting my effort but also helping me overcome any inhibitions that the article might have cause about choosing rafa over my country. But you are right, of course it is just newsroom propaganda and I too will have none of it! Vamos Rafa and Torres!!

ola rafanadalfanforever,
Reading your usual post, like this last one... your English is perfect. Many people even here in Canada in the English speaking provinces do not write this well in their native language... and I am not exagerating. I know about the work: I learned English as a young adult and in my third country so it wasn't my first or second or third language... it took time.

Now, about Rafa, I've read and listened to only a few of his interviews in Spanish with my basic Spanish so I can't tell exactly... besides very confident, is he not still essentialy humble ... ok, not artificially humble as you write about the English persona, but still non-arrogant etc.?