Wimbledon 2014 final: Federer vs Djokovic

[the AntiPusher]

Nah, You aint petty.. you just ain't gonna ever show Rafa any love.. it ain't happening

Since I'm on a roll trying to squash any recognition of the existence of Rafa Nadal, let me add on the subject of "no love" for a player! I think we all have what some might call a bias, when in our minds we have a legitimate reason why a particular player is not so deserving of all their accolades! In my era the top dog was Jimmy Connors and the obvious villain and foil when there was a single's contest! He has the most complete record for his time winning 3 majors (AO,W, USO) in '74 alone, but like Rafa, he had obvious holes in his game and weaknesses were glaring! He came along with a very aggressive game from the baseline as well and took advantage of the players put forth; old man Rosewall in both W and USO finals in '74! :cover His confidence was fueled and he went from there until his opponents started being more cerebral in their approach to playing him; Ashe & Borg at W, Orantes at '76 USO, and Ilie Nastase when he could control his emotions! I feel good about Connors' status as it is now; recognized well, but nowhere near as ICONIC as he would have thought when he retired! :clap

I can only hope besides Roger holding onto his legend and records, that other players like Nole will surpass Rafa in some circumstances as well! In my mind, I won't ever be able to get it to wrap around such a player being THE GOAT with obvious deficiencies! Like Serena with her on again, off again willingness to play and represent "the game," Nadal hasn't been able to hold onto the #1 ranking for any real length of time in comparison to Fed and Sampras! He normally fades after the summer with horrible losses in the fall and no Masters win! Even players like Nalbandian, Corretja, and Davydenko have won the WTF! :nono He owns all 4 majors and should be commended for it, but it's a little weighted on clay winning 9 FO! Other greats have more of a balance with more USO's and Wimbledons! He has got to take another couple majors in London and New York before I get off this feeling! So far, it hasn't looked promising losing earlier and earlier on grass to wildcards, qualifiers, and never-weres! You just didn't see that happen too often to Sampras, Federer, Borg, Connors, and even Lendl! Enough of my rant! Sorry! :angel: :nono :dodgy:

For my part I'm no fan of Nadal, but I struggle to identify glaring weaknesses. Yes he's markedly stronger on clay than on other surfaces, but I think he's done enough on other surfaces to garner respect. If I have any issues where he's concerned it's more to do with his antics which - in my opinion - border on unsportsmanlike (time-wasting, opportune injury/ toilet breaks and of course the biggest one... coaching). He's by no means the worst or the only player in some of these aspects, I just find it particularly annoying from him because I really don't think it's necessary.

Even with all this, my frustration is at least partially directed at officialdom and their utter spinelessness in terms of reigning it in. Even greater than the aforementioned is my contempt for some (I repeat.. some..) Rafa-fans who seem to have such deficits in their lives it almost seems as if they try to exist vicariously through his success, but hey.. it is what it is. Others like Moxie and BS (to name a few) are completely reasonable.

My final (and probably biggest) bug bear is the manufactured narrative in the media and also amongst his fans that most of his losses are due to injuries.. at least it feels that way to us non fans.

But as to the quality of his tennis? It simply cannot be denied. It's simply too good, too strong and he's unquestionably one of the 3 most accomplised players to ever play the game. The facts just can't be argued with. To do so is to open oneself to accusations of being delusional in my view. You don't have to like the guy.. but.. he really is that good I don't get any particular joy from watching him play, it's true.. but it's just a question of taste

Even greater than the aforementioned is my contempt for some (I repeat.. some..) Rafa-fans who seem to have such deficits in their lives it almost seems as if they try to exist vicariously through his success, but hey.. it is what it is. Others like Moxie and BS (to name a few) are completely reasonable.

I think there are other Rafa fans who are also reasonable such as Kirean and Myself with the caveat that you agree with the majority of what we posts..

Really, Yes, Rafa has his quirks and idiocentrics but overall wouldnt you say that he is a pretty good fella.. I never seen him lie about a call or try to show up his opponents(I am quite sure the "other fans" will have issue with this). Look at Rafa just as you would a family in law, he is going to be around, you dont have to love em, so just keep living your life and focus on the positives.

 

[Denis]

Good grief, Uncle Toni as family in law :cry

Where do I file for divorce?

 

[Kieran]

Is Rafa getting hitched?

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Is Rafa getting hitched?

According to a recent interview I read when Rafa was asked about getting married and having children

Dont expect a wedding invite till after Rafa retires....

Rafa said that he has a very understanding girl friend Maria,( by the way she hates to be know as Xisca), who realizes the schedule,training,traveling of being a elite Top player.Maria also has her career.Rafa also said she is young.Rafa did say he loves children and one day would like to have two children.At the moment while he is still playing and competing he will stay single.

Oh well at least my credit card wont have a big dent in it...I have time up my sleeve to buy a stunning outfit when Rafa finally ties the knot...of course all Rafa fans should be invited to his wedding...like he owes us Big Time for what he has put us through over the years....

 

[DarthFed]

Nah, You aint petty.. you just aint gonna ever show Rafa any love.. it aint Happening

Smart man

 

[Riotbeard]

What timely moment to bring this up?

Didn't Fed say after the match that he was surprised that he was able to take it to a 5th?

 

[Billie]

Never! I don't play petty games, yall should know that by now

I know, it always makes me smile. I don't dislike anybody like you in tennis or football so your reactions always make me smile. Although I did learn not to mess with you when you are in a really bad mood (Packers or Fed lose). Other times I can tease you.

 

[Fiero425]

What timely moment to bring this up?

Didn't Fed say after the match that he was surprised that he was able to take it to a 5th?

So was I; but not really! It keeps happening to Nole; esp. in majors when he's serving for a match! Against Rafa at '11 USO and '12 AO, then Wimbledon against Federer in July, he was serving for it and the next thing you know he's broken and he loses the set in a TB! It's not like he pulled back or made errors! Somehow they weather the storm to extend the matches, but losing it to Nole eventually! He has got to learn and "push" to close these matches out sooner! He'll start losing them if he persists in allowing this to occur again and again! :nono :dodgy: :cover

 

[Billie]

What timely moment to bring this up?

Didn't Fed say after the match that he was surprised that he was able to take it to a 5th?

So was I; but not really! It keeps happening to Nole; esp. in majors when he's serving for a match! Against Rafa at '11 USO and '12 AO, then Wimbledon against Federer in July, he was serving for it and the next thing you know he's broken and he loses the set in a TB! It's not like he pulled back or made errors! Somehow they weather the storm to extend the matches, but losing it to Nole eventually! He has got to learn and "push" to close these matches out sooner! He'll start losing them if he persists in allowing this to occur again and again! :nono :dodgy: :cover

Nerves Fiero. Even the best have them and cause them to miss opportunities. Anyway this is what Vajda said their plans with Nole are in future (in an interview with l'Equipe yesterday):

"Novak needs to finish certain points faster. We'll work on it, but it's a balance that needs to be found. He's not Federer. He needs to construct his points. We've changed his service motion a bit. His accuracy is fantastic, but we still can get a bit more power.

 

[DarthFed]

What timely moment to bring this up?

Didn't Fed say after the match that he was surprised that he was able to take it to a 5th?

Not sure I remember that. The main thing he focused on after the match was talking about how his ROS was so bad that he couldn't put much pressure on Nole's serve for most of the match.

 

[Riotbeard]

"Can't believe I made it to 5"

[video=youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pR-er0btEMw[/video]

 

[JesuslookslikeBorg]

well the fedster was 2-5 down in the 4th set..

so winning 5 games in a row and taking the set 7-5 might not have been the most expected thing.

 

[DarthFed]

"Can't believe I made it to 5"

[video=youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pR-er0btEMw[/video]

Ah, so he did say it. A little bit of humor but also the truth. I'm sure when he was down 2-5 he didn't expect it to go to 5, but that also was probably the only point in the match where he thought it was over until it actually was over.

 

[Kieran]

At least with Darth, we know where he stands. He hates Rafa. He's stated that he can't wait until Rafa is gone from the sport. He breaks out in hives at the sight of the man. So we know where Darth is coming from, because he's honest enough to tell us. I dislike Federer because I dislike entitled prissy narcissists. He's just not my type of bloke. But I admire him to the hilt, and when I praise him for battling in matches, it's the same as when I praise others for this too. I can say good things about Federer and I'll miss him when he's gone, though I suspect that he'll be playing top five tennis beyond his forties. Leave Mirka's milk for the babies, ya blumming great lummox! :laydownlaughing

But I suspect that Darth will miss Rafa. Tennis misses him, it's bland when he's out, he has a distinctive swashbuckling, white-knuckle style, his face contorts with all the agonies, he's carries his wear and tear heavily, we can relate to him as an artisan, working his socks off out there...

 

[DarthFed]

At least with Darth, we know where he stands. He hates Rafa. He's stated that he can't wait until Rafa is gone from the sport. He breaks out in hives at the sight of the man. So we know where Darth is coming from, because he's honest enough to tell us. I dislike Federer because I dislike entitled prissy narcissists. He's just not my type of bloke. But I admire him to the hilt, and when I praise him for battling in matches, it's the same as when I praise others for this too. I can say good things about Federer and I'll miss him when he's gone, though I suspect that he'll be playing top five tennis beyond his forties. Leave Mirka's milk for the babies, ya blumming great lummox! :laydownlaughing

But I suspect that Darth will miss Rafa. Tennis misses him, it's bland when he's out, he has a distinctive swashbuckling, white-knuckle style, his face contorts with all the agonies, he's carries his wear and tear heavily, we can relate to him as an artisan, working his socks off out there...

Or you dislike him because he beat pretty much all of Pete's records and Rafa was the only thing that stopped him from making a total mockery out of the sport. :devil

 

[brokenshoelace]

No my attitude is that Roger is better than both those guys on grass by a good margin and therefore should normally beat them. 08 was mostly pathetic from Roger, this past year was a lot about Nole playing better than normal.

I'd get behind that logic had you applied it to every time Federer and Nadal played on clay throughout the years.

 

[brokenshoelace]

I give him credit for fighting back in both matches. He showed a champ's heart both times. Nothing wrong with that, feller...

So he was supposed to badly underachieve and get blown out? He did amazing to pull off the 4th but played an awful 5th set this year. Still I will agree that he fought great throughout until the 5th, the 3rd set was amazing stuff from both guys really. Roger had to be shocked he lost it with the way he served and that might have led to his big dropoff at the start of the 4th.

In 2008 he decided to show up after 2.5 sets...and then still showed a lot of weakness in the 5th, hitting errors left and right in the big moments at the end.

Trust me... in 2008 it was too dark to play. At the time my house was a 5 minute walk away from the courts. I would have stopped playing on the public courts in Wimbledon Park with the light at the start of the 5th set. Clearly Rafa handled the dark better than Roger did. I recall feeling the same way as a Roddick loss in the dark against Monfils at Roland Garros one year. Couldn't believe they were still playing...

Man, Rafa fans are such excuse makers... tsk tsk tsk.

 

[brokenshoelace]

And your memory is free of bias I suppose?

I should know never to debate someone who is always correct! We will always disagree on 2008, and it is especially rich to suggest anything would've been different had there been no rain delay. It was 5-5 in the 3rd so you're basically left saying Rafa would've broken serve at 5-5 right away or Roger would've played an awful tiebreak had there been no delay.

It didn't take much heart to get back in that match...his level went from non existent to normal. At no point did he really step up to a great level in that match aside from the 3rd set TB and 2nd half of the 4th set TB.

Ah, so the only time he stepped up is the two tie breaks that would have ended the match had he lost them. But yeah, he didn't need to step up to get back in that match. I don't know if you can actually spot the lack of logic and contradiction in your statement.

 

[brokenshoelace]

Rafa didn't have to play at a very high level to win

What a load of horse$hit. Your tune throughout the years kept changing further and further about this match, to where, because it's a distant memory, you could now spread this hyperbole unchallenged. Nadal played really well from start to finish. Roger was average at best for the first two and a half sets, but played great afterwards. His serving, inside out forehand, and net game were all on point in the second half of the match (post first rain delay). He can't have all those 3 elements on and not be playing great.

Sorry for being harsh but you get increasingly hyperbolic talking about this match when there's no need to. Roger played well if you take the match on the whole. Average at first, very good later. Nobody suggested it was his greatest display.

You think he would have lasted 5 sets if he hadn't played well?

I find it hilarious that this sort of post goes unchallenged and gets "likes" but we're supposed to believe Nadal was himself against Rosol and Darcis. Oh, but Nadal "always stunk" in the first week. Well yeah, and Roger always struggled with Nadal. So I guess that means his level is irrelevant.

 

[brokenshoelace]

At least with Darth, we know where he stands. He hates Rafa. He's stated that he can't wait until Rafa is gone from the sport. He breaks out in hives at the sight of the man. So we know where Darth is coming from, because he's honest enough to tell us. I dislike Federer because I dislike entitled prissy narcissists. He's just not my type of bloke. But I admire him to the hilt, and when I praise him for battling in matches, it's the same as when I praise others for this too. I can say good things about Federer and I'll miss him when he's gone, though I suspect that he'll be playing top five tennis beyond his forties. Leave Mirka's milk for the babies, ya blumming great lummox! :laydownlaughing

But I suspect that Darth will miss Rafa. Tennis misses him, it's bland when he's out, he has a distinctive swashbuckling, white-knuckle style, his face contorts with all the agonies, he's carries his wear and tear heavily, we can relate to him as an artisan, working his socks off out there...

Or you dislike him because he beat pretty much all of Pete's records and Rafa was the only thing that stopped him from making a total mockery out of the sport. :devil

This on the other hand, is spot on.