Djokovic, I think that marble belongs upstairs.

 

Going without competitive, ‘something on the line’ matches for over a month, a good idea?

Well, it depends. OK, but how about the top three clowns? How does it look for them individually?

 

Federer:

Considering he could not play at Kooyong, was not at full strength at the Australian Open, it appears he has not really played a competitive match with 100% fitness. Playing a match when you are not fully ready is a lot different. You cannot be proactive. You are trying to just get by with the minimum of effort, thereby throwing a wrench in your regular aggressive game.

Under these circumstances, I feel, Federer should step on the court this month for a ‘real’ match. He will have to rediscover many things in his game, after what’s happened so far. To achieve that against the top tier players, having just lost in a Grand Slam, and without match play, will be called ’winging it’. Essentially, he has not played ‘on the line’ match in full form since November. That’s three months of zero match play at peak, by the time Dubai rolls in.

Practicing is not the same as the actual match and the difference becomes even more stark, under the conditions he has been in.

 

Nadal:

Nadal was wise to withdraw from Davis Cup schedule. His knees need this time off. I think, Nadal must have been hit emotionally too after that loss to Tsonga, being so close to not only his first hard court title, but also the top rank. Not as bad as that Wimbledon loss, but close. So this rest will work to his benefit.

 

Djokovic:

Djokovic’s participation at Davis Cup will keep him grounded and away from the endless celebration that he and his friends are bound to engage in. He is still 20 and the more matches he can get under his belt, within reason, the more likely he is prone to improve his game.

But most importantly it brings him down to earth and reality, after the euphoria of his first Grand Slam. Going into a jungle right after that extended party would have been disastrous.

My last words on death bed.

I hid all the cash under …………

Is the hidden ‘Guide’ testing Federer?

 

Here’s what N. Hill writes about failure and persistence:

“Those who have cultivated the habit of persistence seem to enjoy insurance against failure. No matter how many times they are defeated, they finally arrive up toward the top of the ladder. Sometimes, it appears that there is a hidden Guide whose duty is to test men through all sorts of discouraging experiences. Those who pick themselves up after defeat and keep on trying, arrive; and the world cries, “Bravo! I know you could do it!” The hidden Guide lets no one enjoy great achievement without passing the persistence test. Those who can’t take it simply do not make the grade.

 

A few people know from experience the soundness of persistence. They are the ones who have not accepted defeat as being anything more than temporary. They are the ones whose desires are so persistently applied that defeat is finally changed into victory. We who stand on the side lines of life see the overwhelmingly large number who go down in defeat, never to rise again. We see the few who take the punishment of defeat as an urge to greater effort. These, fortunately, never learn to accept life’s reverse gear. But what we do not see, what most most of us never suspect of existing, is the silent but irresistible power which comes to the rescue of those who fight on in the face of discouragement.”

 

That better be a woman AND straight, or my ‘boys’ are leaving the basement.

 

And if that’s a trainer, who’s the doctor? Rosie O’ Donnell? Geeeeeeeeeeezzzzzzz!!!!!!!

Federer’s Secret Coach? From Katie. Thanks.

Katie |

Nice article on Federer and his friend Reto.

Federer’s Secret Coach?: Longtime friend a source of advice

By James Martin

Reto Staubli, a longtime friend and former national player in Switzerland, has often served as tennis advisor and sounding board for Federer, who has been without a coach for long periods during his career.

© AP
In the third set of the 2004 Wimbledon final, Roger Federer found himself tied at one set all, but down 2-4 to an in-the-zone Andy Roddick. That’s when rain forced the players off the court. Roddick huddled with his coach, Brad Gilbert. Who did Federer seek out? A proprietary trader at Credit Suisse named Reto Staubli, a good friend who, as the world No. 1 put it after the match, “also used to play tennis a bit.” Staubli’s advice: Start charging the net.

It was a turning point. Federer won in four sets. That’s right, a banker helped save Federer that day. In fact, he’s been supporting Federer as a friend and informal advisor for the last four years.

Staubli, 37, met 14-year-old Federer in 1995. Back then, Staubli, who played at a club in Basel, was one of the best players in Switzerland, he says. “Roger wanted to watch the elders play,” Staubli says. “It was interesting for him to see good-level tennis.”

Who was better? “We never had an official match, but in practice I was much better than him,” says Staubli, who had no plans to travel to Australia this year, where Federer lost in the semifinals. “But two years later, he was already better.”

Fast forward to the end of 2003: Federer was about to part ways with his coach, Peter Lundgren, but was concerned about traveling to the 2004 Australian Open without an adviser. He gave Staubli a call. “We were close, even back then, and Roger was just 22, not as mature as he is now,” Staubli says. “He knew I was a good player, [and that I] knew the game.”

Staubli ended up traveling to 10 events that year and watching Federer win three Slams. While he wasn’t paid for his efforts, Staubli says, “It was an unbelievable collaboration . . . the most amazing experience.”

Federer hired Tony Roche as a part-time advisor in 2005 but has again been coachless since the two split last May.

Staubli has curtailed his travel, but he gets time off to attend big events, such as Miami and the U.S. Open. At tournaments, Staubli and Federer discuss his opponents. “It helps for him to talk things through,” says Staubli, who also attends many of Federer’s weekend matches in Europe.

“Reto is a great friend,” Federer says, “and has been extremely helpful to me during the most difficult times in my career.”

While not much rattles Federer, Staubli says that his buddy was clearly nervous before last year’s Wimbledon final. He also says that Federer could have a second career as a coach. “He knows all about the players, why certain grips and techniques might be wrong, all the strategies,” Staubli says. “He could be an unbelievable coach.”

Federer, a better coach than player? That’s a scary thought.

This story appears in the March issue of TENNIS magazine.

If history is any proof, Federer will come out firing.

 

Whenever a dominant athlete has been challenged in the past, whether it’s by the players, coaches, media or even fans, he has gone on an absolute tear, not just to shove their foot in the mouth, but to make sure it comes back out the other end.

Jordan was once challenged by the opposing coach. When the two teams met next, Jordan dropped a whole truck load of points. I think it was over 60. Needless to say Bulls won the game. Not only did that coach decide to keep his trap shut from then on, no other coach since then even ventured to look that way.

Ali was challenged by the media for not having any power in his punches. His next fight against Cleveland Williams produced a virtual clinic of power boxing. Williams was knocked out three times, before finally surrendering. Till date, it is considered one of Ali’s best performances.

Sampras was ridiculed for losing to Safin in straight sets at the 2000 US Open finals. At their very next meeting at TMC, Sampras took him out in straight sets 6-3, 6-2. And of course, at the 2001 US Open, when Sampras defeated Greg Rusedski, Rusesdski stated that Sampras is not playing his best and is a step slow and predicted that Haas will feast on his second serves in the next round. Sampras won the title. When asked about Rusedski’s comment, he replied “I don’t have to play my best to beat Rusedski”. Well, that win could also be attributed to the press attacking Sampras’s wife, for being responsible for his decline.

If Federer did not get his manhood challenged bad enough by last year’s stats, this loss to Djokovic must have certainly done the trick.

It looks like it’s time for history to repeat itself. If it does, all blame will lay at Djokovic’s feet. Canas, Hewitt, Roddick, Santoro and many more can testify to that.