For when the news about a recent interview by nadal in spanish media?

Here's an article on the interview: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/tennis/01/15/nadal.federer.austr alian.ap/index.html

Such a whiner this nadal. Selfish egocentric manchild.

Vamos Rafa! No more worshipping Federina....................tell it like it is.

Why bleck? Why is he selfish, a whiner? I mean he has been saying this since past 2-3 years, his stand is consistent

And he is right, he sad he is the only one who seems to be talking for benefit of tour and it appears as f hes the one whining, so since it is not yielding any results hell stop

Hes also right in saying if super majority( his words) feel that calendar needs to be adjusted etc, then we should go with the majority as thats how democracy functions.

I think that rather Fed is being selfish by not speaking much and not going with the majority . Rafa said Fed has an extra ordinary body and is not injury prone and at end of his career he will feel like a rose regarding his body but he,Djoko , Murray and many others wont feel that, so its high time they consider not burning the players.

But what surprised me is that he said nothing in AO presser and said hell not talk anything anymore as its painting him in bad light but then went and spoke to a Spanish paper..I also am sceptical about the translations :-)

Whatever be it, look for the media now to play this up big time and hype it before the semi :-)

Any idea what is Djokos stand on this? Hes No 1, its high time he speaks openly about all these things now, he cant let Rafa or Fed take the lead all the time.

http://tennis.com/articles/templates/news.aspx?articleid=15797&zoneid= 25

Another article.

My favourite quote: "At what age we are going to stop in tennis? 28, 29 or 30? Then you have left a lot of life ahead and it's also important as you physically fit and now I fear that then I won't be able to play soccer or ski with my friends."

LOL

Nadal's only wants what's better for him. He doesn't care about the other players. It's all me, myself and I.

Nadal wants a 2 year ranking. That would only benefit the top guys. It would make it even more difficult for new players to break through. Nadal wants less events, then play less. Or change your playing style if you can.

bleck- if he says its about him, why are super majority players supporting him? Ofcourse they all think its better for them right

Dont make statements and pass accusations just for the sake of doing so..

bleck, you better get things right. Majority of the players supported Rafa and that's to be understood, as not every player can be like Fed, who can now skip two Masters events. By 2013 when hes past 31 yo, he can skip all Masters event and pick and choose what he likes to play. How then can Fed's view be a fair representative of majority of the players' views.

Rafa has the right to complain and talk about the tour schedule as he's the vice president of the players council. I understand that he'll be stepping down as he feels there's nothing he can do to change the current system. He speaks not for himself only but for the other players too. Fed OTOH didn't want to complain because there's no need to. IMO Fed's not doing much work as the president of the players' council!

exactly luckystar..since it works for him, hes keeping quiet..its Rafa who is doing all the talking

However I dont know as a viewer if I support Rafa..Rafa is making his points as a player himself and representative of players..we are used to this system..to see loads of tennis matches in a year..if it goes to 2 year ranking system, players may opt not to play certain Masters etc and it may deprive tennis fans of some mouthwatering competition/clashes..thats my honest view

any idea what is Noles view on this?

No idea about Nole. I don't care about this two or one year ranking, what I'm interested is that the mandatory events are cut down so that players have more flexibility playing them. Masters pay good money to the winners, so I do believe they're still attractive to many players, regardless of the ranking system.

Anyway, both Fed and Rafa can skip some Masters events so chances of not having Fedal at the Masters is greater these days. There are other good and interesting players around so we should give them a chance to perform without Fedal being around. I'll still enjoy tennis matches without Rafa, as long as the players play good matches. I wish for Rafa to have enough time to rest so that he can produce excellent tennis and wins many more titles for himself and his fans.

I hope both Roger and Rafa get to the semis...................................this really gives spice to that match!!!

Maybe Rafa is right, but me as a fan of tennis those stars at the top better give me week in week out tennis because there are many players who will sacrifice skiing for 30 million dollars in career earnings

All athletes need recovery time. All sport has time off between tournaments/matches. Tennis, being an almost year round, individual sport, makes that much harder than most sports.

Fed should leave the player council and let the rafa become the president and then see how the rafa can improve the tennis calendar!!

2 year ranking ... tennis calendar ... motivation ..excuse,excuse and more excuse!!

I mean he reaps the benefit form his grinding play style when he was young and now when it start really bothering him he is all over the tennis calendar.

And how all here are sure that majority of player with rafa ..no proof of that !! they may be with rafa on some other issue(e.g. money distribution) but there is no proof that on schedule issue majority of player with him!!

What difference would it make if Fed resigns from the players' council? He is not representing the players at the moment, only seeking his own self interest.

Nadline..

in your dreams ... you think rafa is managing the player councll ..the person who needs many people help to manage his own things can manage the coucil!1

..............First the London Times reported that Rafa was ready to resign his vice-president?s position on the ATP?s Player Council because he wasn?t getting anywhere with his concerns. Then, in a press conference at the Australian Open today he was asked about his role in the players' meeting that was held Saturday night, and whether he would be leading the charge on the issues he has championed. Nadal, with some agitation, said that he was tired of being a public face for the complaints, that a lot of players agreed with him, but that the ?right guys? weren?t in the positions ?to fight for us.? It seemed that he had finally had enough with politics.

http://blogs.tennis.com/thewrap/index.html


Federer should be sacked as president. You can't have a president who does not empathise with the players but with the establihment.

Nadline..

It has nadal said that many players are with him but not the player himself!!

Sacked ...nust be joking ..lol!!

He does not need this presidency let be the nadal happy by getting the presidency post.

Roger was only president because he was No 1 in the world, he is now No 3 so I think he should go.

Rafa should just concentrate of winning the tournament and not waste his energies on things he cannot change.

I'm afraid mani4Tennis has got it wrong. Rafa wants to step down as vice president because he believes he can't do much to change things. Even if he becomes the president he won't be able to do much either. So, he doesn't want to become the president, he wants to leave the players' council, understand?

Rafa has been complaining about the tour calendar as far back as 2008, not what mani thinks, that he's complaining now when he's older and having already benefitted from the system. Again please get your facts right mani. In 2008, Rafa was just reaching his peak and wasn't earning much prize or endorsement money yet, please don't make it sound like Rafa is one ungrateful fella.

Rafa mentioned that majority of the players agreed with him. How can he lie about it when these players are watching and listening to him speaking out to the press now? What's the problem with mani, who made it sound like Rafa was lying about this whole thing?

mani..its straight logic..it wasnt a 1-1 conversation between 2 people that no one else heard or knows and Rafa can say anything and get away with.

Hes saying it in full public view in a press interview that majority people feel tour is long and calendar needs tweaking..you think hell lie about it when all players will read about t and watch it..God what happened to something called logic?

However even though I am a RAfa fan..ss a viewer I support Feds stand that calendar is good the way it is mainly because I as a tennis watcher gets to see more tennis and more matchups and rivalries..However I dont have to go out there and play to worry about injuries etc, so I am talking purely from respect of a viewer..I cant put myself into a players shoes because I havent been there :-)

And ofcourse I dont understand how 2 year ranking works, how points will be calculated etc so I am at a loss to appreciate how 2 year ranking will function in reality.

We can maybe start with Davis Cup making it once in 2 years as it has no points and I guess not make any 500 pt tourneys mandatory like it is today to play some 3-4 ATP500 too..To begin with I think we should keep ranking as 1 year and make Davis Cup once in 2 years and not make any ATP500 mandatory to play and avoid penalties

nadline...

He was not only no.1 player but was most experienced among top players that why he was president.

luckystar...

I never said that rafa wants to be president but i just said that roger should leave the post and rafa should take president post and then try to do some changes and we will see the result!!
It's very easy to blame the others and he is giving the impression in public that roger is responsible for everything.

Rafa may be mentioned the schedule thing in 2008 but he was not talking about this in every 2nd press conference but he is feeling the urgency now

I am not saying that rafa is lying but has he talked with every player ??

may be some players (e.g murray) has approached to him about the schedule that's not complete the majority of player!!

Hehehehe.......................Rafa's back, baby!! He's taking a leaf from Roger's tactics and using them against him!!

All we need to see now is Don King separating the 2 of them, oops! Roger don't rumble.............he's a gentleman!!

sanju, by wearing out the bodies of the players, they are going to kill the goose that lays the golden egg. I would love to watch live tennis everyday but the players are human beings they are not machines. It's not like sitting at a playstation non stop everyday.

To satisfy my hunger for tennis I watch old matches on DVD.

http://blogs.tennis.com/thewrap/2012/01/slow-burn.html

Tignor's take on the issue !!

agreed.

No, they had a players meeting on Saturday, so many players were involved since its at the AO now. Tignor has his take and I've mine. I need not listen to him, he doesn't have any authority over any one of us.

I'm just saying i am agree with his opinion you may have some different opinion.!!

And Rafa was complaining about the tour,too many hard court events, since 2008, almost always when he was being asked about it. He was asked about it when he was injured, and we know he was injured almost every year since 2008 (2009 knee injury; 2010 knee injury at AO; 2011 thigh injury at AO; foot injury at Wimbledon; shoulder injury after WTF, knee injury during DC final...). See why he's complaining now, when his injuries are mounting by the years?

Fed is not much better: 2008 back injury; 2009 back injury; 2010 thigh injury during grass season; 2011 wrist injury during USO, some other minor injuries that he needed to skip the Asian swing to rest and recuperate.

Read Tgnors article..As I feared he hyped up the rift between Roger and Rafa whereas actulaly it was a difference of opinion.

Now as I fear, watch the press beat this to death and ask everyone questions on it

I personally feel something terribly wrong must have happenedin the players meet for Rafa to speak like this..and I also thing the timing was wrong..it will distract him totally now with the constant barrage of questions..

Even though Roger has always taken digs at Djoko and Murray repeatedly and somehow spared Rafa, I still think Rafa should have weighed his statements carefully and not uttered those 2 lines about Federer the way he did eg: Its easy to not say anything, pretend its all right and come out looking like a gentleman. It unnecessarily adds fuel to the whole thing.

I feel Rafa talks a lot and goes to length explaining his point of view and he should actually keep it to the point..His non command over language aggravates it further..Roger has the same issue..some of his pressers are arrogant and he attracts criticism..

BTW I heard that Bolgo junior guy tweeted Yes player strike finally all players agree after long time

Fed should leave the player council and let ANYONE else... coz anyone else would be better!
He does not represent players... only working for ATP, ITF fat as*es... Novak said loud and clear last year... "We don't have a good representative...Every time we hit the wall..."
And I can say... Nole and Andy are 100% supporting Rafa... like majority of players...

"For him it's good to say nothing. Everything positive. 'It's all well and good for me, I look like a gentleman,' and the rest can burn themselves."
Well... I am considering right now to become Rafan. Way to go Rafa !!!!

zare..any link to what Nole said?

Rafa has never been spare of Roger's digs it's just that Rafa has always turned a blind eye.

I have to disagree with Rafa on this one or at least be a bit sceptical. It all depends on who this so-called supermajority is. If it's mainly the top guys in the rankings doing the talking, than some parts of this proposal could turn out to create an even bigger rift between the tennis elite and the lower-ranked players.

I think Roger once stated towards the end of last year, that one) you have to see the bigger picture, meaning that the lower ranked players need to play more tournaments to earn much needed money (since they don't have the luxury of playing exhibitions like Abu Dabi and get special invites that pay the top players big bucks), and to move up in the rankings (which the two-year ranking would also inhibit, besides making the year also quite dull or stagnant in terms of ranking and getting to No.1; two) that you have to make an official proposal and if it is turned down, re-evaluate the reason - is it to hurt players in general or what that reason is.

What I disapprove of is this perhaps unintentional use of language, which comes across as a personal and centered attack in the statement above (fresh as a rose/daisy, or being a gentleman who serves one's own image) - it's something that majority of the posters here on TT get off immediately and see it as a validation of the demands on Rafa's part, just because he is dissing Federer. Things can also be turned around and some people will undoubtedly see this as Rafa's pursue of selfish gains.

If the majority Rafa mentions above includes lower ranked players, that this proposal will be put in motion, sooner or later. Perhaps having less mandatory Masters events for the elite is the right step, as well as better scheduling on the part of top players. I don't think Roger's body is extraordinary or out of this world, it's his playing style and smart schedule that makes the difference in terms of career longevity.

I think Rafa will regret making this kind of statement, he should have articulated it differently.

Rafa is only disputing the number of mandatory tournaments. He has said that he understands that the lower ranked players need to play more tournaments because they need the money. Lower ranked players play 2 or three rounds usually if they are lucky, some of them only one round so they don't get too beaten up in every tournament like the top players who play all the rounds at virtually every tournament.

"Rafa will regret making this kind of statement" usual company line baloney. As long as Rafa keeps winning he will regret nothing.

Is he not aloud an opinion? The interview ws in Spanish, all you people are reading are excepts translated into English. If you read the different wire services, what Rafa is purpoted to have said is different! Why don't people question the quality of translation instead of his articulation?

Vamos Rafa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nadline, I agree about what you're saying above.
But if that is the case, he should have stated it differently. This is what I'm trying to say. Maybe it is the supermajority of top-ranked players, while players in lower rankings aren't really affected by this issue or proposal and support it as solidarity to the top guns, if that is the case. It is a proposal that would benefit the top players more atm.
But by articulating it in the offensive way he did, it is now all about who "the hypocrite" Federer is trying to burn, and that comes off as extremely strange to say the least. Therefore, it isn't all that incomprehensible that many people feel that the reasons for his frustrated statement lay elsewhere.

Well Federer has dissed Nadal a lot of times it's about he got some payback.

oh, well, I see this whole issue as a prefect way to put an emphasis back on Rafa-Fed rivalry...I think the timing for this kind of statement from Rafa is chosen carefully and very well planed...Rafa never speaks to the press about these issues unless he is 100% prepared for this...he carefully thought this out with his team and with his PR and he has purposely done it in Spanish just to be sure that he articulated it in a right way...this way both Rafa and Fed will gain central attention and the focus of the press will switch on these issues and most importantly media will finally leave Rafa alone with questions about Djokovic and whether he feels the pressure of those lost finals and so on....I think this was such a smart move from Rafa and I don't think it had any intention to hurt or insult Fed...Rafa even paid a compliment to Fed saying that he has "got a super body" and how for Fed "it's effortless to play" tennis...it is just a "worming - up" exercise for the media before the possible semi final showdown between Rafa and Fed...that is my honest opinion and I might be wrong, but you all see the results already: everyone is talking about this and possible antagonism and "war" between Rafa and Fed...the press will be stupid enough to focus on this and they will rush to present these two champions as enemies...media again will easily jump into wrong conclusions which will heat up the whole situation...for me, this "verbal war with Fed" is just a game...

Rafa was frustrated with these issues long before the AO, and it's high time he stepped out of Federer's shadow and said what he really felt. Factually speaking, Federer is quite happy with the status quo, it serves his purpose best. Rafa and the majority (I'm sure we'll know exactly who the "majority" is in short time) feel that the system could be improved on. I think Rafa has taken his role as vice-president very seriously and worked hard to make the issues known in the hopes of creating some positive change. Roger on the other hand has been all about "let's not bite the hand that feeds us". Rafa's efforts have garnered alot of criticism with few really taking the time to understand what it is the players are asking for. There's much in tennis that has changed in the last decade, and there's no reason why the players shouldn't have some kind of voice in how to address the issues their facing NOW. You mention the word change and all the "chicken littles" pop up with their "sky is falling" arguements. It can't be done. If it was good enough in 1980, then it's good enough now. As far as I'm concerned Tignor is just another Chicken Little. If Roger Federer's psyche is bruised by Rafa's statements then so be it. Rafa isn't 18 anymore and he has every right to his own opinion, and good for him for having the metal to make a few waves in Roger's world.

Hopefully we will know in some days that what is the "Supermajority" which is the root cause of the issue!!

BTW..

Bodo written an article ..

http://tennisworld.typepad.com/

The players meeting was held during the AO so I think it's not only the top players were attending, if not Rafa won't said 'majority' of players. He's not stupid! If players are considering a strike then how can that not be the majority involved??

Concerning Fed being smart about scheduling and taking care of his body, do note that he's fortunate that during his early days, the court surfaces were not as slow as they're now and it favors his style of play. The players now have no choice but to play on slower surfaces that allowed long rallies and so more demanding on the bodies. Don't blame the players or their style but blame the surface changes! Fed also have his injuries lately. If Fed had to play on slower surfaces right from his early days, I'm not sure hebwont be complaining about injuries now!

Players like Davy, Delpo, Tsonga, Monfils, Ferrer, Simon, Nalby, Murray, Berdych and lately Nole, all have their fair share of injuries. Not to mention veterans like Blake, Haas and Gonzo, so again it's not only Rafa or his gruelling style. Of course having the main clay season cramped into two months won't help Rafa and his body.

Rafa was always being singled out about injuries and his style of play, but he plays more matches than the others, not because he wants to but because of his own success. Others playing fewer tournaments also get themselves injured so it's more of the playing conditions more than the players style that's causing the problem.

I hope after Rafa steps down from the vice president post, he'll stop talking about the calendar and just concentrates on his game and skips tournaments to rest his body. I also hope for him to play more clay court events (other than the Masters) and cut down on hard court events. I hope to see him healthy and plays till 30, and still has a healthy body to enjoy his life after tennis is over for him.

I for one likes this new Rafa.......................no more Mr. nice guy!

No doubt gentleman Fed will reply in his usual snide manner.

Just to clear up a few things. First, Nadal was not fired as VP. He stepped down.

Second, I wouldn't call it a rift, I'd say it's a difference of opinion. Federer is the sort that is naturally inclined to back the establishment. He is an obvious traditionalist. Nadal is slightly more radical. Nothing to get worked up about.

Maybe Rafa or someone on his team finally took a good look at Roger's website and saw how much of a "gentleman" he is. I'm tired of Roger being portrayed as classy and never injured. Neither of those things is true. His true nature comes out after a loss and every day on his website.

I agree with Cheryl that this more a difference of opinion. Much as Roger and his fans get on my nerves, I doubt that the situation is as dire as the story is making it out to be.

Russia's Nikolay Davydenko said on Monday that "perfect" Roger Federer was distancing himself from problems in the men's game, weighing in after Rafael Nadal's surprise broadside against the Swiss.

Nadal criticised Federer on the eve of the Australian Open, claiming the 16-time Grand Slam title winner should be doing more to support growing complaints over the professional tour.

Nadal has long advocated changes to the playing schedule and last year said strike action could not be ruled out. On Sunday, the world number two said Federer, the ATP Player Council president, needs to support his colleagues.

And Davydenko, speaking after his five-set defeat to Flavio Cipolla in the first round on Monday, agreed that Federer was not taking a leading role over the issues at stake.

"I don't know why Roger doesn't support players. I don't know why. Because he doesn't do any problems. He's a nice guy," the Russian said.

"He's from Switzerland. He's perfect. He don't want to do anything. He just tried to be outside from this one," he added.

"But he was sitting in the (players') meeting (on Saturday). He just listened to everything and I think Sunday was meeting the top four guys. I don't know what happened there."

The Russian, who has slipped to 52 in the world rankings, said it was important for the players to have the backing from the likes of world number one Novak Djokovic and Nadal.

"For sure Federer doesn't want to do anything because he doesn't want to make any strike or something. Nadal, Djokovic is with the other players, the top 100 players," Davydenko said.

Players met new men's tour chief Brad Drewett in Melbourne on Saturday and are reportedly unhappy over Davis Cup scheduling and their share of prize money at the grand slam tournaments, among other issues.

Well....Swiss have a long history of being "neutral".....

He is also from South Africa... Double nationality... But then again... that doesn't sound so perfect like Swiss...

Ha, go to tennis.com and see how Rafa was being heavily criticized there by the, ahem, Fed fans I supposed. They're just not happy with Rafa, regardless of what he does, more so now, when he even has the audacity to critcize Fed openly!

It's so different there where majority of the posters at their featured articles (not the regular blogs by Bodo) are anti Rafa and pro Fed. Some people don't even know what Rafa and the players are proposing but jumped into conclusion and criticize Rafa ( and Davy) right away. I've being following Rafa news for a long time and knows what Rafa proposes for changes. I don't know what the players actually discussed in the meeting but Rafa is certainly not being selfish, as it seems many players are supporting the idea for changes.

In the early 60s, when Margaret Court (Smith) won the AO she got an umbrella as her prize. Now the winner gets $2.3m only because the those players took action and boycotted the tournaments. Talking didn't do anything, it was active action that changed things. Had those players not done anything, champions today would probably still be given a His & Her's umbrellas whilst the establishment paid themselves fat salaries plus their expense accounts.

^^^errors and ommisions excepted!

LOL. ?Again nadal's Arrogant blind ego fans.


nadal performing EX how many times?


He is doing many games for money. except for a tournament. But a complain of a schedule is made?


A arrogant hypocrite.

shame

and his arrogant, annoying blind fans



as always.


shame

Roger Federer is the 1st place of a favorite player whom a tennis fan chooses for nine consecutive years. record.

And the sportsmanship prize which ATP players choose? is won 7 times. records.

It is a simple fact.

but I like novak more

rafaisthebest. = nadal's arrogant annoying blind ego shame snide fan.

GO TO HELL

to Fanfan.
no. Roger Federer has declined clearly from 2008. age and sick influence. mono. Illness of a lung. And chronic pain of the shoulder or the back, from his young time.

And, At the time of the heyday in 2005. Achilles tendon of the ankle was cut. And He is an 30-year-old old player now. declined clearly.

Add, All players have sick or injury slump. OK?

@luckystar: I don't need to go to tennis.com to know what Roger's fans are doing. This is one of the few tennis or sports websites that has not be ruined by Roger's rabid and obnoxious fans. MTF, Talk Tennis, Tennis.com, TennisX, Bleacher Report, ESPN, and notably Roger's own website are full of Roger fans who lash out at Rafa no matter what he says or does. In their twisted minds Rafa is always wrong, his records don't count, Roger's losses to him don't count, and so on. Mr. "Classy" has some of the least classy fans I've ever seen on any website on any topic, sports or otherwise. I write that as someone who used to like Roger a lot, but now I've come to realize that his classiness is mostly an image that he and his team have sold to the public. I don't think Roger is evil, but his website and the comments he makes reveal a very insecure person who has a nasty streak.

As for the topic at hand, I can imagine Rafa's frustration. I've belonged to several boards and committees over the years. There are always people who will support change or some new proposal outside the meeting, but when it comes time to go on the record or take a vote they clam up. Roger may very well support Rafa and the other players, but perhaps he refuses to rock the boat.

nadal certainly being selfish. and ego.
too noisy annoying always. gamesmanship. Fake time-out. self-centered ego time. excuse injury. always exaggerated appeal of self condition.

looks down on Sampras and past players. arrogant smug. Arrogant annoying blind fans. really sick.

Thanks for proving my point, tennisba.

thanks for the comment.
add. In famous tennis forum. Whose fan being the most troublesome annoying, and questionnaire taken. The 1st place is always a nadal fan. not a fan of Roger or Novak, etc.
And, A disagreeable player's questionnaire is taken. Nadal is 1st ranks sometimes. The usual annoying noisiness in which he has it clearly, or doubtful gamesmanship are reasons. and his arrogant fans are also reasons.
This forum is a gathering of Nadal's fanatic fan. just hell.

This forum is not a gathering of Nadal's fanatic fans. What it is a one of the few places on the internet where tennis can be discussed with some degree of reason, unlike almost every other tennis sites out there. I'm convinced that most of Roger's internet fans are more anti-Rafa than pro-Roger, and your posts have not proven otherwise, tennisba. I'm sure that there are others such as Native New Yorker who would back me up the state of tennis websites. The hatred toward Rafa is ridiculous. I have to wonder why so many Fed fans spend their time spewing bile and vitriol all over the Internet all day every day. Some of them post the same things over and over on every tennis or sports website. I don't much care for Roger, but I don't spend all day every day dissing him all over the Internet. I have better things to do with my time. Plus, I am not consumed with hatred for Federer. I don't care for him much anymore, but I don't hate him.

That should say "every other tennis site" not "sites." Ugh. Sorry. :)

To me, you are also nadal's fanatic fan.
The three months ago that I came here before. I am not fanatic Roger's fan. I am busy.
Do you write the comment here every day for nadal? It is a fanatic fan truely. sick..

No, I do not write comments in favor of Nadal every day here or anywhere else. I don't spend much time here at all, actually. I prefer Rafa over Roger--which was not always the case, by the way--but I am not a fanatic. I don't much care for Roger anymore, but that does not automatically mean that I am a Nadal fanatic.

OK, I dislike Nadal. but I dislikes a nadal fan more. These are really arrogant and blind and noisy.
They are always insulted Other players in self-importantly.

Nadal is overestimated by his fans arrogant blind always.

nadal = fake time-out. gamesmanship. cheat. too noisy annoying.

always exaggerated annoying appeal of self condition. looks down on Sampras and past players. etc.
and arrogant annoying blind fans most.


That Why, Nadal rank of a disagreeable player 1st sometimes. fact

some trolls who come here once in a while and pew venom can atleast do us a fvaour by learning English and atleast make sense in what they write or try to convey..

And yes I agree almost 80% of Roger fans are Rafa haters..very bad and not appreciated.. I think had the H2H been 17-9 in Rogers favour, it wouldn't be the case, I think its those losses to Rafa again and again and the fact that he lost his No 1 ranking to Rafa is what the hatred is all about..I dont think so much quantum of hatred existed before 2008 :-)

Fanfan - welcome to TT. It is nice to have a new poster who can see things the way they really are and is not afraid to say so. I hope you will continue to post here in the future. Especially liked your post at 5.24am. I have had similar thoughts for quite some time now.

Maya @12.51 - great post as usual - totally agree.

Luckystar @ 1.47am - I hope the same for Rafa when he retires.

Nadline @2.56pm - it is only the people with guts that speak out - the rest are fence sitters who are more than happy to enjoy the fruits of other people's labours.

Fanfan, it doesn't matter what Fed fans do. Rafa fan base is ever increasing or enlarging. His facebook fan base has reached 9 million, closing in on Fed's. No wonder Fed fans feel threatened and spew more venom towards Rafa and his fans. Not going to help, Rafa is as popular as ever, no matter what Fed fans do or say, and that's the beauty of it all, that our Rafa is so charismatic and amazing, he's immune to all these venom, none of these can harm him.

Well said Luckystar.

Fed view

"Demands must be made privately and professionally to the Board of Directors?only once an official request as been turned down do we ponder the public opinion arena and if its turned down are they saying no to hurt us or are there real logistical reasons and will it hurt the game in general. As president I have to consider all the players regardless of rank, there has never been consensus on the length of the season?so if I use words like 'boycott' to the media I'm acting out of personal interest. Jarkko [Nieminen] and Peter [Luczak] have not said anything about the demands of the lower ranked guys and there is the demands doubles players to consider....Speaking up without proper consultation is premature?if the season is shortened it should be done with most guys on board....It?s easy for the top 10, we get offered exhibition matches and wild cards to shape our income and season how wish, that?s not a luxury afforded to everyone...a lot of livelihoods are at stake."

^^^^Oh yes. A statement written for him by the ATP to be put out as his own words.

I wasn't born yesterday. They have been making demands privately and professionally for ages and it's got them nowhere.

Thank you, schatz and luckystar.

As for what Roger said, it is about what I would expect from him. Nuff said.

mani4Tennis
, 1/16/12 8:11 PM

Fed view: did you catch that, sponsors? Mirka, where's my hairbrush, please don't let the twins play with it, will ya? It's very important to daddy.............

rafaisthebest , 1/16/12 8:58 PM

do you ever comes out your virtual world??

nadline , 1/16/12 8:27 PM

Fed make his own statement unlike someone else who mostly speaks his PR/uncle words.

Who is Fed talking about when he talks about championing the lower ranked players, because Davy pretty much indicated that the top 100 players are in consensus (majority) regarding the bulk of the issues and are not feeling supported by Fed. Fed makes it sound like the top ten are only interested in bettering their own lives, which as far as I'm concerned is very belittling of those players. Fed isn't God. I've watched all of these players for a few years now and I think they all have the ability to negotiate in the best interest of tennis, including all top 100 players. Fed is of the idea that only he has the right answers. If he were a little more of a team player he might find that some of the issues weren't as difficult to solve as he thought, but what are the odds of Fed becoming a team player?

It's laughable to believe that Fed said what he said without consulting his PR guy or whoever that may be able to help him. The whole Fed image, from top to bottom, is carefully packaged by his image consultant, his PR consultant and his own agent. Do anyone think that his speech won't be carefully thought out before he says it? And that's the reason why he always sounds politically correct. How many times do we hear him criticizing the ATP, or the tournament organizers, or the tennis federation? He does it the smart way, always be the nice guy; things that he's not happy or agreeable with, he'll keep quiet and walk away from it. Not happy with the DC schedule? Don't play. Season too long? No worry, he's allowed to skip some Masters and he'll drop some smaller events. Rain during tournaments? No problem, he always starts his match first so plenty of time for him to catch up. Why rock the boat when he has all these privileges? Let the other three young guys go and be the bad guys, whatever they can negotiate successfully, he'll stand to gain anyway; whatever that's not successful or gets backfired, they bear the rap. Good deal isn't it? Only the vice president is naive enough to do all the dirty work and gets bombarded by the press, by the Fed fans, and may have even offended the sponsors, the tennis authorities, the ATP and the tournament organizers. Yeah well done to both of them, well done!

rafaisthebest , 1/16/12 8:58 PM

do you ever comes out your virtual world??

mani4Tennis
, 1/16/12 9:21 PM

Er............you are on the internet, dear, virtual world? geddit?

Fed make his own statement unlike someone else who mostly speaks his PR/uncle words.

mani4Tennis , 1/16/12 9:21 PM


You know no more about who works whom from the back.