60 freaking percent chance of rain tomorrow.

Click here.

Federer-Nadal possibilities.

1. Five sets – Federer, IF Nadal calls for trainer.

2. Five sets – Nadal.

3. Three sets – Nadal, if Nadal wins the first set.

4. Four sets – Federer, if his ace count exceeds 20 for the match.

5. Six sets – Djokovic, if the medication does not wear off, it will get even uglier. Quick somegoat hit submit.

Is there a chance of Nadal winning in straight sets if he wins the first set?

Under normal circumstances it wouldn’t have been on the table. So what’s the ONE reason it’s even possible?

It’s the straight set with a bagel humiliation at Roland Garros two weeks ago. It appears, as an outsider, that it’s been blown beyond proportions, but if you slip into Federer’s shoes you will start to see the logic.

If you are Federer, that has got to leave a huge and deep scar on your psyche which, no matter how many times “I have gotten over it” BS is repeated to the press etc. is not going away in two weeks. What it has essentially achieved is this: It has eliminated the actual game you produce on Sunday to the actual person you play. Of course, that does happen to a certain extent in any match, but that scoreboard on clay has created a beast which negates all the shot making ability on which rides Federer’s superiority.

Losing for Federer is not an option here, least of which is the sixth straight title. That, right now is like adjusting dinning chairs on a sinking Titanic. There’s so much more and obvious BS at stake that No. 6 or No. 13 is relegated as a by product. If that doesn’t tell you how important this win is for Federer, please start digging a hole right where you are standing…….

There’s a very real possibility of Nadal repeating here what he did at Roland Garros in the finals, despite the mini run Federer’s been on since Halle. If there was any doubt, Nadal’s stats on grass, starting with the title at Queens against Djokovic and to the last match he played yesterday, have pretty much hit the ball out of the park.

This match will, once and for all, answer that question, whether Nadal owns Federer mentally or not. How else will you rationalize anything short of an outright win against a clay court specialist, considering how consistent your numbers have suddenly turned into since Halle AND that you dismantled the Tsonga of Wimbledon in Safin who demolished Djokovic in straight freaking sets?

Even if Nadal currently is far superior than anybody else on grass, there is no way he should be able to rattle the best grass court player the world has ever produced. I mean, a clay court specialist who cannot buy a title on any surface not called clay, cannot, within a year, become the greatest grass court player of the year.

No matter how you slice it, Federer is far superior in every aspect of the game, except mental. Question is whether that mental edge has grown large enough to eclipse the superiority Federer enjoys due to his amazing skills. By all accounts, based on this year’s results alone, it seems Nadal has tipped the scales already.

So this match on Sunday is basically an official stamping of how far Nadal has gained on Federer mentally. For there is no way anyone can beat Federer today just based on their game. There has to be some very strong intangible(s) running parallel to even offer a small opening to anyone including Nadal.

Add to it the fact that even if Nadal loses here, he will still come out unscathed, thereby putting even more pressure on Federer, comparatively.

That’s the reason, coming from behind to win this will not work for Federer. If he gets rattled and starts with his emergency ‘coming to the net’ at every point BS, Nadal will finish it off in straight sets.

Federer has got to be feeling a huge load on his shoulders, just knowing where the journey could be headed based on what he comes out with at the other end. “W” or “L”.

But Federer has the weight of the last five years behind him, not to mention the crowd who will be solidly behind him. That won’t matter much to Nadal but it will make a difference to Federer’s fragile psyche. Roland Garros had the same atmosphere which for Nadal was as if he was playing alone.

If there’s just ONE act that Federer should consistently produce, without complicating it, it is his strong desire to snuff out rallies, whether it is with his ace or coming to the net or whatever. Nadal is better, stronger and more mature in his ability to attack that Federer backhand with even more juice and bounce. He has gained more control on his shots, evidenced from lower unforced errors since the beginning of the year. His backhand has seen the biggest turnaround, to plug any loophole from either wing.

Can Federer this time come out with a set strategy to counter the ’every freaking cucumber knows plan’ of Nadal, or will he just run around putting out fires as they come, to hand Nadal his first Wimbledon title?

Answer coming up in about 16 hours!!!!!

Roger Weighs More Than Nadal? From Neeraj. Thanks.

NEERAJ

Roger Weighs More Than Nadal, are u freaking kidding me !!!!!!

Nadal : 85.5 kilos (188 lbs.)
Federer : 88.2 kilos (194 lbs.)

What about all those muscles that rafa has?????I can’t believe that hairs put so much weight on a man’s body, may be that’s why i am feeling a bit heavy from all those years!! Got to go and find a barber’s shop tomorrow ASAP. TP, is there any, in your basement ?? Is Chekz still there or any other female barber ???

What about all those hair under Nadal’s armpit, are they just transplantaion??????

It will be a pity if aces once again decide the winner between Federer and Nadal tomorrow.

For otherwise, you come away with that strange feeling that probably the best player did not win. Of course, it’s all within the rules and all, but as a fan you want to see some rallies peppered with incredible shots, with the winner winning the point and game based more on his shot selection / execution than an ace.

Last year Federer had 24 freaking aces and there was no doubt what the result would have been without them, since Nadal appeared a better player in the rallies. Fans, more often than not, shell out big bucks to watch scintillating tennis – something that’s thrown out the arena the moment aces start to pile up.

Federer clearly has more variety and touch in his shots. Full display of those abilities and the subsequent sixth title would be a dream come true for most fans worldwide. Sampras used that weapon in abundance too and although it’s a part of the game that your opponent needs to know how to overcome, it’s more of a balloon bursting the very reason you are there in that scorching heat braving the elements.

Based on the stats the two have piled up in these six matches, ace discrepancy is the most conspicuous and lopsided - double – favoring Federer. Duh!!!!

Although Nadal has added a few more of those numbers on the stat sheet, he is not even close. And against Federer, it will get even slimmer.

If Federer gets on a roll with his aces, the match may turn out to be the mother of all anti climaxes. If not, and if his first serve percentage drops AND he loses the first set, Nadal will turn it into a spectacle matching or exceeding last year’s final.

OK, I took a day off. Big freaking deal. It was 4th freaking July, for crying out loud!!!

For ‘not all there’ freaks, that’s our day for barbecuing, also called the Independence freaking day. It may also have slightly to do with somebody sleeping the whole freaking day after a night ‘in’ with goats.

Why do I have to esssspllain these things in the first place? You cheap lazy freaking freaks are exerting too much control on some innocent basement lunatic.

Federer Engages in Nadal mind games. From Neeraj. Thanks.

NEERAJ

Federer Engages in Nadal mind games !!

Q.One of the things you will have seen if you watch that particular part of the match is that when matches are tight, he slows things down a great deal. It’s something he has been criticized for. What is your view of that?

ROGER FEDERER: Uhm, yeah, I mean, I’ve played him plenty where he took his time. You know, I mean, it’s obviously a fine line, you know, because I think until he gets into position to serve, you know, he takes his 20 seconds, whatever, and then he takes another, you know, 10, 15 seconds until he really serves.
It’s a tricky situation, you know. But the unfortunate part, let’s say, is the umpire will always give him a warning, but he will never give him a point penalty. I’m not saying he abuses it, but he never really feels the heat that much.

Q.Is that irritating for you?

ROGER FEDERER: It used to be irritating let’s say in the early days when I played him the fifth or sixth time, when I played him quite a few times in a row, and I really felt he was playing very slow. I think he’s speeded it up actually a little bit since those times. I actually felt like he was playing fair, you know, lately. He does still play slow, but not as slow as maybe eight matches ago when I played him. Look, it’s up to the umpire. I try to concentrate. I don’t think I win or lose a match because he takes five seconds extra per point. That’s not going to kill me.

Q.You wouldn’t classify it as gamesmanship on his part, would you?

ROGER FEDERER: No, I wouldn’t.

Q. He was okay for last year’s final?

ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, I mean, that’s what I’m saying. You know, I didn’t feel like he was taking a super amount of time that it would start to bother me the last few times I played him. It’s on the edge I’m aware of that. It’s up to the umpire to decide what he wants to do.

http://www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/news/interviews/2008-07-05/200807051215268773750.html

Roger or Rafa: Clash of the Wimbledon sex symbols. From Raf. Thanks.

RAF

Roger or Rafa: Clash of the Wimbledon sex symbols

It’s the question that seems to have divided half of the nation. On the eve of another encounter between the world’s best – and sexiest – tennis stars, we ask who really sets the pulses racing on Centre Court

Saturday, 5 July 2008

Susie Rushton: ‘Federer is a dream – he’s graceful and effortless’

The Stones or The Beatles. Ken or Boris. At certain moments, opinion isn’t merely divided but drawn along battle lines. So it is with Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

Tomorrow’s showdown is about sophistication versus brute force. Grunting Rafa is the neon-clad Rambo of tennis, all over-pumped biceps (and disproportionately underformed pectorals, if we’re going to get anatomical about it), and sodden rats’-tails. On court, he “runs around like a rabbit,” as Andy Murray says. His game is about power. It looks exhausting.

Then there’s the world’s No 1, the 26-year-old dusky-skinned, floppy-haired Roger Federer, aka the Maestro, Fed-Express, Fedi, the greatest tennis player of all time. He’s a dream – and his game is rather pleasant to gaze upon, too: in contrast to Rafa’s pitbull stance, his play is graceful, fluid and apparently effortless.

“The fleet, lissom seraph of the lawns, whose temperament flows like a cool stream over the rocky bed of his desire,” is how one of this paper’s sports writers described him this week.

But not everybody gets it. Some complain that the men’s singles game has become boring. The entertainingly stroppy likes of McEnroe and Becker, they say, have been replaced by androids with the mental focus to hit second-serve aces even at break-point down – but no charm. Think, if one can without slipping into a coma, of Sampras, Lendl, Courier …

Outrageously, some would bracket Roger in this gallery of bores. The reasons offered are usually (a) he’s Swiss and (b) he’s so damned cool under pressure. Well, prejudice against Switzerland aside, to my mind the case against Federer is one of sour grapes.

He has dominated the grass game since 2004. He is as equable in victory as in defeat, bespeaking a confidence that I and fellow Federettes everywhere find more alluring than any Murrayesque petulance or Henmanlike fist-pumping. But detractors should note his self-control is hard won. In fact, in his early years, he was prone to tantrums and even racket-flinging. Then he grew up.

The appeal of Roger isn’t only that he possesses a forehand that John McEnroe calls, “the greatest shot in our sport”. With dash beyond his years, he relishes the old-world glamour of lawn tennis. Rather than flaunt his fine, loose-limbed musculature, Federer has single-handedly brought class back to the tradition of Wimbledon whites.

In past seasons, he has strolled on to court in a jaunty blazer and long trousers; this tournament, it’s a gentlemanly cardigan with “RF” monogram, even wearing it for the warm-up. How cool is that?

If he’s stylish, he’s had coaching from the best: last year he popped up on the front row of Marc Jacobs’s fashion show, in New York, as the arm-candy of a clearly smitten Anna Wintour, editor of US Vogue. Asked that evening what sporting couture she favoured, Ms Wintour gushed, “Anything that Roger wears.” Right on, Anna.

On the subject of women, since 2000 Federer has dated Mirka Vavrinec, a tennis player three years his senior, who is attractive, but not quite the 19-year-old totty usually favoured by millionaire sports stars. You have to like him for that. His opponents love him, too, as do journalists, because he always answers questions smilingly.

Tomorrow, elegantly volleying away craven suggestions that he’s losing his edge, Roger will continue his imperious march into the sporting history books and seize his sixth successive Wimbledon title, in style. Oh, gosh, and I’ll try and keep up with the score, too.

Hannah Betts: ‘Spain’s man-child would scrub up rather nicely…’

Let’s not beat about the SW19 bush here. The sexiest thing about Rafael Nadal isn’t his swarthy biceps, or his Ninja Turtle moniker. It is the fact that he thrashed the British hopeful thus removing any vestige of national pride and focusing attention on what really matters about Wimbledon – the sex.

Accordingly, the female-admiring section of the audience finds its thrills in orgasmic girlish moans and Athena-poster eroticism – while we women and gay men get our kicks in two chaps coming up against each other in the manner of rutting stags. And, this year, it is clearly the moment of the glowering young buck.

I admit it, in former tournaments, my libido has been won over by Roger Federer’s geek chic: I swooned over that blazer, gasped over his magician’s flair. But, Roger, baby, it – and you – are beginning to look old.

Nads, to be sure, is something of a flawed hero: sweaty and straggle-haired, with the look of a pubescent who might inadvertently break into air guitar. The chav rebranding inflicted upon him by Nike – all bandanas, sleeveless tops and lamentable pirata pants – are demonstration that one can take the boy out of Majorca but one cannot take Majorca out of the boy.

Still, we girls like nothing better than a makeover opportunity: with a haircut, a wash and a little light Gok action, Spain’s man-child has the makings of an individual who would scrub up rather nicely.

After all, Nadal is not lacking in physical charm. A straw poll as to his attributes conducted among his many Spanish flag-bedaubed admirers yielded but one response: “It’s the arms, stupid.”

Men fatally underestimate this region of their anatomy. It is not that they should look as steroid-pumped as our boy’s, more that they should inspire some notion of what it would be like to be encircled within them. Young Rafael’s have the air of being an extremely safe space indeed.

His favourite film is – whisper it – Gladiator – and there is a certain Maximus Decimus Meridius appeal to his on-court thuggery. With his tree-trunk legs and frying-pan grip, he is the personification of brute physical prowess. One has to be pretty damn fit to be crowned King of Clay – with all the dashing about that the surface requires – and Nadal has achieved this status with a barely contained machismo. Where other players gasp, he grunts, ripe with Neanderthal savagery. If Federer fences, Nadal annihilates, eyes black as shark’s, the very embodiment of pugilism. Should the Swiss player be victorious, it will be a crime against beefcakery.

And, yet – oh joy! – Nadal is a paradox. For all the on-court loutishness, our hero is beguilingly puppyish when not equipped with a racket. His coach Uncle Toni – who is his uncle – has brought up his man cub to be a “nice boy”, strictly no racket-lobbing allowed.

Rafael lives in Manacor, the sleepy town he grew up in, and is a positive Mr Manners. Bashful concerning the slavish admiration he inspires, he has as his WAG a childhood friend, who – shock! – studies rather than shops. Her beau describes his perfect day as bobbing about in a fishing boat rather than having intercourse; an anecdote rich in the implication to aspiring Mrs Robinsons that he has yet to encounter the woman with whom to channel his hyperactivity.

A noble savage with a devastating top-spin in need of a little off-court education? Raffy, baby, come to Mamma.

Nadal interview: Schuettler. From Dalia. Thanks.

DALIA

Friday, 4 July 2008

Rafael Nadal def. Rainer Schuettler 6-3, 7-6, 6-4

Q. What do you think of your performance today?

RAFAEL NADAL: Well, probably wasn’t the same like quarterfinals. I played better in quarterfinals. But, you know, always be in semifinals is one pression match.

Probably against Rainer, I think he was coming probably a little bit tired. I started the match very easy, the first set. Probably always is good start like this, no? But at the same time is difficult, because when the other starts to play a little bit better you feel strange on court, no? But, anyway, the most important thing is I am in the final already, and very happy for be in this final another time.

Q. What do you think the quality of the final this time will depend on?

RAFAEL NADAL: You never know, no? I think I did a very good tournament. Well, I think both Roger and me, we did a very good tournament. Right now I just — well, always is tough play against Roger. At the same time, Roger, I think, is tough play against me, because we played a lot of times in a lot of important matches, and this is one more, no? I lost the last two times here, last two years, and this year I gonna try my best another time for try to win.

Q. Do you feel you’re a better player on grass this year than the last two years, particularly winning Queen’s Club? Do you feel more confident?

RAFAEL NADAL: I think doesn’t matter win on Queen’s or don’t win on Queen’s for arrive here with good confidence, no? I get a lot of confidence in my clay season, in my hard season in United States, and later for sure winning on Queen’s is important. But I was coming here with good confidence because I played two finals the last two years here, no? I think I am better player in general, but not on grass, because on grass I don’t practice too much.

Q. A few minutes ago Roger Federer said your victory at Roland Garros was more or less irrelevant, a long time ago. He says it was on clay a month ago, and it doesn’t affect him now. Does it not affect you either? Does it not give you extra confidence?

RAFAEL NADAL: I think it’s totally different court, different surface. Everything is different, no? You know, I think doesn’t matter. I prefer have the victory, but… I think don’t will be important for the Sunday.

Q. You practiced with John McEnroe today. Why was that?

RAFAEL NADAL: Was good. Was a very nice experience with me, practice with one champion like him. For sure always is a pleasure for me practice with one person like John, no?

Q. Your leg is quite heavily strapped up there. Is that going to be a problem for you on Sunday?

RAFAEL NADAL: What?

Q. Your leg is quite heavily strapped up.

RAFAEL NADAL: No, is nothing.

THE INTERPRETER: It’s a bruise, a burn.

RAFAEL NADAL: Is nothing. Is nothing.

Q. You’ll be a hundred percent fit for Sunday?

RAFAEL NADAL: I hope so.

Q. How much do you want to win this?

RAFAEL NADAL: The same like every match and the same like every time when I’m in one final, one important final. So win here — I think playing three finals here, I don’t have to show anybody if I can play good here. But for sure win or lose is a difference, important difference – in the finals especially. And probably if I win on Sunday, my careera is changing a little bit more, no?

Q. Federer says, I know how to play Rafa. I know what I have to do. Do you know what you have to do to beat Roger Federer on grass?

RAFAEL NADAL: No, no. I only gonna try my best, no? Go on court, try to play my best tennis, try to put my rhythm, my intensity. Later, if he play better than me, he beat me, just congratulate him like every year.

Q. You have a long relationship with your uncle Toni as your coach. Does it surprise you that Roger Federer, he seems to like not to have a full-time coach with him. Does that surprise you for a top player?

RAFAEL NADAL: Everybody’s different, no? Is different. I think have a coach is important, but not irrelevant, no?

Q. Would you describe what, if anything, carries over from the experience last year in the final? You said that the French Open this year doesn’t make any difference for this surface. What about having played Roger in that great match at the end of last season?

RAFAEL NADAL: Well, every year is different and every match is different. Depends of the moment. I say always the same: depends how you arrive to the final; how you feel in the moment; how you are playing. The match can change a lot. Last year I was very close. I hope on Sunday be at the same performance, a little bit better, I have my chances for win. I say, well, if I have the chance, I hope win this time.

Q. On court you’re so intense. Off the court you’re so relaxed. Could you talk about that. What is that about?

RAFAEL NADAL: I don’t know. That’s my character, no? What do you want to listen?

Q. I want your thoughts about the difference between the two.

RAFAEL NADAL: On the court I am relaxed, too, I think. I never say nothing. I never put the racquet outside of the hand. You know, I think I am under control when I am on court, no? That’s my feeling.

Q. What would it mean to you to win the title on Sunday?

RAFAEL NADAL: I said before, no, for me for sure if I win here probably gonna be one of the most important wins in my careera, no? But I don’t want to speak about win. I only want to speak about I have to play the final, I have to play my best tennis if I want chances for win this final. Later if I am here on Sunday with the title, well, you can ask me what I feel.

Q. If you do win on Sunday, do you think that confirms you as the best player in the world once you’ve beaten Roger on grass?

RAFAEL NADAL: I continuing — if I have the title on Sunday, on Monday I continuing be the No. 2. I gonna have more chances for be No. 1 in the next months, that’s true.

Q. Was there some difficulty with the shoes today? An extra pair of shoes were sent down to you.

RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, no, was my mistake. I really didn’t want to change the shoes before the match. Was a little bit worn out. But for tomorrow new, and no problem for Sunday.

Q. Do you think Roger is the greatest ever grass court player? When you look at his record of five in a row, do you think that’s an achievement that never will be broken?

RAFAEL NADAL: I think for me he’s the best of the history. I don’t know if he’s the best on grass because Sampras has seven, no? He has five – hopefully not six this year. So he has to win two more times for be at the same level as Sampras here on this surface. But in general I think he is the best.

Interview with Roger Federer: Safin. From Zihwye. Thanks.

ZIHWYE

Interview with Roger Federer.
Roger Federer def. Marat Safin 6-3, 7-6, 6-4

Q. You seemed to be very relaxed and confident. At 2-All in the third set you hit one shot under the leg, another one behind the back. Is that what you really felt at that moment?

ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, I mean, I was winning my service games pretty comfortably, you know, except at one stage in I think in the second set maybe it was. But I was playing well. You know, I was feeling good out there on the court. It was perfect conditions to play. I was playing a good and tough match. I’m always very, you know, relaxed, so today was no different really.

Q. Was it easy today?

ROGER FEDERER: Uhm, well, easy in terms of, you know, being able to control a really dangerous player who’s got the potential to upset anyone, you know. So in this aspect, yes. I mean, it was quite easy if you look at the score now. I was able to break him in the first game of the match and in the last game of the match. I think in between I was just really consistent, didn’t really give him too many chances. It was a perfect match for me.

Q. Were you relieved it was straight sets, given that Rafa might have a quick one?

ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, I mean, we don’t know how he’s going to play yet. But, I mean, it’s not going to come down to conditional — you know, just to fitness in the final. We’ve got a day off, as well. If I would have played five hours today, I don’t think it would have mattered a whole lot. It would have been worse for Rafa, because maybe he couldn’t have finished today. So, no, I mean, I’m just happy to have won again in straight sets, beating a great player. You know, it’s a huge thrill every time when I get to another Wimbledon finals because it’s a big occasion.

Q. What were you reading from Marat Safin’s attitude on the other side of the net? Were you expecting something else, other kind of attitude?

ROGER FEDERER: Well, he’s always very fiery as a character. You know, he’s never really changed over all the years. So, you know, it seems when he does that he tends to play better – sort of like John McEnroe was like. So it’s always a little dangerous because he gets the crowd involved, you know, by doing that. The momentum can shift sometimes because of it, you know. And thank God I’ve played him plenty of times and I’ve got so much experience that it’s not going to worry me really a whole lot.

Q. Now that you’re here in the final, how would you describe your whole route to get to this point?

ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, I mean, pretty simple: I mean, I haven’t had many problems whatsoever throughout The Championships. It’s been, you know, a perfect way to the finals, but there’s one more left. You know, I need to win to get it. But so far it’s been quite unbelievable, actually.

Q. Assuming it is Rafael Nadal in the final, what do you think the match could turn out to be after that incredible last year?

ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, I mean, big question mark. You know, I think we always hope that we can live up to the expectations, you know, because by now we’ve had so many sort of good matches against each other. It’s hard to live up to them all the time. So Paris was sort of a disappointment, you know, in terms of living up to the expectations. But that happens sometimes. You know, for me it’s obviously important to sort of bounce back from that loss. You know, even though I’m not going to draw anything out of that match because Rafa plays so different on clay and grass. He plays so much closer to the baseline that I have to draw from my two previous Wimbledon finals. So we’ll see what happens.

Q. It’s been a while since you’ve been in a Wimbledon final not as the sort of racing certainty favorite. Will that make life a bit easier for you in that you’re not such a heavy favorite this time?

ROGER FEDERER: Well, I mean, I wasn’t an overwhelming favorite going into the Philippoussis final or into the Roddick in the first final in ‘04. Maybe after that I was always the favorite, but that’s only been two or three times. So it’s not been a whole lot. Look, I mean, I don’t think it matters really a lot if I’m the favorite or not. I’m on an incredible winning streak on grass. First somebody has to be able to break that, you know, before we start talking differently. But, yeah, should be an interesting final. I don’t know if Rafa’s gonna win this, but it’s definitely going to be an interesting match if it happens.

Q. Would you say you’re playing better than ever this year, right now?

ROGER FEDERER: Well, I mean, my way to the final’s been great. You know, I cannot do much better than this. But I’ve just been playing consistently well. I wasn’t maybe pushed to the degree where I have to say I played my best tennis ever. I just think it’s been good tennis so far. You know, if I were to win tomorrow, on Sunday, then maybe I can say I’ve been playing my best ever. But at the moment I think it’s a little bit too early.

Q. Knowing you are a tennis expert, you like to do trivia tennis questions to your colleagues sometime, do you know anything about William Renshaw, the fact he won six times here in a row?

ROGER FEDERER: Yeah.

Q. Have you studied this?

ROGER FEDERER: No, I haven’t studied. He was in the finals every time, so it was a little easier for him to win six in a row. A little different for us. Anyway, look, that’s like in the heyday, yeah. Not my focus at the moment.

Q. Does your tough loss in Paris, presuming Rafa gets into the final, put a little different complexion on the next match?

ROGER FEDERER: Well, I mean, it’s gonna be more talk about it, I guess, than normally, you know. But I think Rafa deserves, you know, the respect he has from you guys and from us, the players. I mean, he’s definitely had the best start to the season ever. He’s been playing well, consistently well. Was a little rocky start maybe in the beginning losing quite comfortably against Youzhny and Tsonga in, you know, where was it, Chennai and Australia. Then I think he really sort of caught himself and played really well. Had one more tough loss against Djokovic at Indian Wells. But from then on, he was playing I think really well, you know. Clay court season was phenomenal again, you know. For me it’s just a matter of sort of — I mean, for me, anyway, that final is out of the picture. I hardly remember anything of it. It went so quickly. Yeah, for me it’s not really that big of a problem, maybe like you guys look at it.

Q. Is it sort of a pain in the neck for you or something that keeps things interesting that you have a guy so close nipping at your heels, challenging you all the time?

ROGER FEDERER: No, I mean, I enjoy the challenge. Geez, I mean, Rafa is a great competitor. I mean, he’s got a winning record over me. Every time I play him I want to try to beat him. The thing is, I’ve played him so often on clay, it’s more of an advantage for him in the head-to-heads. At the same time, I mean, he’s now become so good on all other surfaces as well that he’s a real threat, you know, on anything, you know. That’s not only for me, but, you know, for any player. Now, let’s see what happens now the rest of the season, because I think this is maybe my favorite part of the season, you know, trying to win Wimbledon and US Open back to back, and we got the Olympics stuck in it, as well. So it’s a huge, huge possibility for both, for any players right now. So that’s why I think it’s an exciting time right now for us.

Q. The women’s finalists are obviously playing doubles together. Have you had any interaction with Rafa these last two weeks, or do you stay out of each other’s way?

ROGER FEDERER: No, no, we talk. We see each other all the time in the locker room. So we were talking a lot on the rain delay, you know, when was it, when I was playing. Who was I playing last match?

Q. Ancic.

ROGER FEDERER: Ancic, yeah. We spoke a lot, for instance. So we always see each other all the time at the practice courts. We just get in and out. But, you know, during match days we sort of talk a lot, yeah.

Q. When you come to Wimbledon, do you keep the same routine in terms of where you stay, your restaurants, the time you eat? How superstitious are you?

ROGER FEDERER: I’m not superstitious. I’m no Goran Ivanisevic. No, I’m not like that, you know. Give me a different dish every day, different restaurant, I have no problem. Or even a different bed.

Q. Have you ever thought to play doubles one day with Rafael Nadal just for fun?

ROGER FEDERER: Well, he asked me a couple years ago in I think Madrid or whatever it was. Well, it’s obviously intriguing, the same as I would love to play maybe with Roddick. Because I’ve played with Hewitt in the past; I’ve played with Safin in the past. I never played with those two guys. It would be something I would consider doing, you know. But playing so little doubles these days, when I play, I want to play with my friend, Yves or Stan or something like that. That’s why it’s sort of hard. Maybe it will happen.

Nice interview by Safin. From arbit. Thanks.

ARBIT

Hey TP
A very nice interview by Safin at http://www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/news/interviews/2008-07-04/200807041215185913359.html

particularly read the following questions:
Q: What do you think of the Nadal/Federer rivalry compared to Sampras and Agassi? Do you find it interesting? Or not so good that they’re two good friends?

Q: How will history remember Federer and Nadal, do you think?

Television coverage—-a pox on NBC Television. From Bettyjane. Thanks.

BETTYJANE

Television coverage—-a pox on NBC Television.

I can’t stand this anymore. In this day and age of Internet access, to air the men’s semifinal on a TAPE DELAY! Any true fan of the sport isn’t going to stand for this. I’m in the NY metropolitan area. The Williams sisters doubles semifinal match is airing live on ESPN this morning while the Safin/Federer match is NOT. Perhaps I should act like the match isn’t going on and hide my head in the sand for a few hours. Interesting to note that the ESPN coverage isn’t alluding to that men’s semi at all. Or at least it wasn’t when I was still watching.

Three tips to beat Rafa. From Anand. Thanks.

ANAND 101

Three tips to beat Rafa

Rafa looks almost invincible. But except Djoker (sometimes), the others are not really probing him. They do just the things he really wants them to do. Here are some tips, especially for Fed, one of the few who can put it all together. Applies to the others as well, especially on grass.

1. Attack the 2nd serve.
Murray had this to say about Rafa’s serve: “He can put so much spin on it, you know, that the ball kind of jumps at a tough angle – something that I think Federer sometimes struggles with against him. It’s hard to really just step into the court and go for it because he can put a lot of swing on it, and when it hits the court it bounces hard in the other direction. Yeah, I mean, his second serve is tough to attack. His first serve is returnable.”

If Fed can attack Rafa’s 2nd serve, (1) he gets easy points (2) Rafa will be under pressure on his 1st serve. Breaks will come more easily and Fed can relax even if he drops his own service games sometimes.

So, all Fed needs to do is to set up a machine to throw out lefty, spinning serves like Rafa and practice, practice, practice…

2. Drop/slice followed by lob.
Beating Rafa at the baseline or side-to-side has become nearly impossible. He defends everything with interest and then he attacks without errors. If you rush the net, it is target practice for him. The only way left? Bring him to the net with slices and drops. But if you rush to the net too, he has great touch and presence of mind and outsmarts you most of the time. So when he is at the net, just stay back, ready to go in either direction, and fully committed to *lobbing* him. Perfect the lob on both sides. Let’s see how often Rafa will be able to run front and back.

3. Double-handed backand.
While he’s about it, have that machine throw out those spinning balls into his backhand and practice some double-handed backhands, especially DTL. If Rafa can play a double-hander and slice single-handed, surely Fed can do it too, and give himself more options?? Wouldn’t you do it if you had what he has at stake? Or would you refuse to tinker with your game?