Temat zawiera porównanie osiągnięć obu graczy, kiedy byli w tym samym wieku. Naturalnie, wszystko będzie dostosowywane do aktualnego wieku Rafy, gdyż jest graczem młodszym ;) .
STAN NA DZIEŃ : 25.08.2008 rok
( wiek 22 lata , 2 miesiące, 3 tygodnie)
Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal
wygrane turnieje/przegrane finały 10( 8 ) - 31 ( 8 )
Tms (finały) 1 (2) - 12(4)
Tmc 0 - 0
Gs (finały) 1 - 5 (2)
ranking 3 - 1
ilosc tyg jako nr 1 0 - 1
Wyniki Rogera pochodzą z dnia 29.10.2003.
Przepaść między osiągnięciami niesamowita, jednak trzeba pamiętać że południowcy szybciej dojrzewają fizycznie. Inna sprawa że Nadal zaczął występować w seniorskich rozgrywać bardzo młodym wieku. Wydaje mi się jednak że końcowy rezultat tych dwóch graczy po zakończeniu przez nich karier będzie na korzyść Szwajcara.
To już się zaczyna odwracać. No może nie całkiem ;)
Nadal zgarnia wszystko, ale Federer w tej statystyce w ciągu najbliższych miesięcy zacznie nadrabiać. Tygodnia mu brakuje do Masters Cup 2003, trochę więcej do AO 2004 i numeru 1. Przez najbliższe 4 lata ta statystyka po stronie Rogera będzie nieprawdopodobnie sic w górę, a jak będzie z Nadalem? Czas pokaże.
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12.09.2008 - będąc w wieku Nadala (22 lata, 3 miesiące i 9 dni) Roger Federer wygrywał po raz 1 w karierze turniej Mistrzów - Masters Cup w Houston , grając tenis niebotyczny, zdaniem wielu, najlepszy w historii dyscypliny. Szwajcar po tamtym sukcesie przesunął się na 2 miejsce w rankingu i był na ostatniej prostej przed upragnioną "1".
Tabela porównawcza:
STAN NA DZIEŃ : 12.09.2008 rok
( wiek 22 lata , 3 miesiące, 9 tygodnie)
Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal
wygrane turnieje/przegrane finały 11( 8 ) - 31 ( 8 )
Tms (finały) 1 (2) - 12(4)
Tmc (finały) 1 - 0
Gs (finały) 1 - 5 (2)
ranking 2 - 1
ilosc tyg jako nr 1 0 - 3
Wyniki Rogera pochodzą z dnia 17.11.2003.
Roger president, Rafa vicepresident, the new power formula of tennis.
The Swissman became the new President of the ATP Players' Council, while the Spaniard became the vicepresident. Never before the best players were so involved in the development of the ATP.
"We all want the best for tennis" Federer said today in Madrid, he was elected last saturday as president in the spanish capital. In the same election, 22-year-old Nadal was elected Vicepresident...
..."I'm involved", Federer said "I'm the council's president, Rafa is the vicepresident. I hope we can move on the process of finding a new President in the next weeks"
Those are some of the best news for tennis, the Roger-Rafa duo keeps the best relationship that there ever was between a number one and number two of the world
Nadal says about Roger that he's a "really nice guy" and Federer thinks that the spaniard “deserves” the number one spot. They sent each other SMS, care about the other when an injury prevents them to play and stick together to achieve a power shift at the ATP. De Villiers, whom opted not to run again, knows how is it like to have the two most powerful players against him
http://youtube.com/watch?v=is-JCJCUy18
warto oglądnąć, naprawdę warto : (
ROGER
"If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;"
Rafa
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
ROGER
"If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!"
Znowu zaspałem :/
28.11.2008 - będąc w wieku Nadala (22 lata, 5 miesięcy,4 dni) Roger Federer wygrywał po raz 1 w karierze Australian Open, i został nowym nr 1 rankingu światowego. Był to wówczas 2 wielkoszlemowy tytuł w karierze Szwajcarskiego Mistrza.
Tabela porównawcza:
STAN NA DZIEŃ : 04.12.2008 rok
( wiek 22 lata , 6 miesiące, 1 dzień)
Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal
wygrane turnieje/przegrane finały 12 ( 8 ) - 31 ( 8 )
Tms (finały) 1 (2) - 12(4)
Tmc (finały) 1 - 0
Gs (finały) 2 - 5 (2)
ranking 1 - 1
ilosc tyg jako #1: 2 - 15
Wyniki Rogera pochodzą z dnia 09.02.2004.
Rafa: "Być nr 1 nie czyni mnie lepszym od Rogera"
World No 1 Rafael Nadal has praised arch rival Roger Federer, saying winning Wimbledon and becoming the world's top player does not make him better than the Swiss master.
The Spaniard, who ended Federer's run of five straight Wimbledon wins in a pulsating final in July and knocked him off the world No 1 spot, praised Federer and also dismissed fears that his body was struggling to deal with his high-octane style of play.
'One number and one match doesn't make me better than Roger,' he said. 'Roger carries on being Roger: a champion who has showed everyone how to be a normal person and have normal relationships with people.
'I have improved and I hope to carry on improving, but I will always be the same. I don't think about records or what's happened in the past but about playing well.'
Nadal edged out Federer in an epic five sets in the longest final in the history of the tournament and the 22-year-old from Majorca admitted his previous Centre Court bouts with Federer made him determined to come out on top this year.
'I could have got scared playing against the best grass court player of all time or when he levelled the match at two sets all but I had to tell myself: I want to win this match so much that I can't let him beat me.
'I had to be sure I was going to give 200% as my first final was a shock to me and the second was so hard - I cried for half an hour in the dressing room after that match.
'This year I had a tough draw but I got to the final and won an incredible match. I realised a dream but it was my career, not my life, which changed.'
As for accusations that the intensity of his game could see him retire early, Nadal complained: 'I've been hearing this for five years and I've been on the circuit for seven, which in itself is not a short career at this level.
'Sometimes people talk without knowing what they are talking about and they don't see that I have changed. For example, I run a lot less than three years ago because I play much more within the court.'
Rafa to świetny gość. Nie zmienia to faktu, że nie jest lubianym przeze mnie tenisistą (kibicuje mu chyba tylko wtedy jak gra z Novakiem :D ), ale skromność tego faceta i szacunek dla dokonań innych ludzi naprawdę godna podziwu. Zwlaszcza, że Hiszpan jest jeszcze bardzo młody a 22 lata w zestawie z takimi wynikami niejednemu poprzewracałyby w głowie.
Respekt.
Co do samej wypowiedzi to wie co mówi. Ostatnimi czasy gra lepiej niz Roger, ale biorąc pod uwagę dokonania to mimo wszystko dużo pracy przed Rafaelem. Korzystnie dla Niego, za On sam ma tego wielką swiadomość.
Rafa dziś = Roger 29.03.2004 - mowa o wieku graczy. W obecnym wieku Rafy Roger już miał za sobą 1 mecz z Hiszpanem. W marcu 2004 roku w Miami niespełna 18-latek z Manacor ograł Szwajcara 6-3 6-3 i to był pierwszy wyraźny sygnał Nadala, że kwestią czasu jest dominacja Rafy na światowych kortach.
Tabela porównawcza na 24.01.2008 r. :
STAN NA DZIEŃ : 04.12.2008 rok
( wiek 22 lata , 7 miesiące, 3 tygodnie)
Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal
wygrane turnieje/przegrane finały 14 ( 8 ) - 31 ( 8 )
Tms (finały) 2 (2) - 12(4)
Tmc (finały) 1 - 0
Gs (finały) 2 - 5 (2)
ranking 1 - 1
ilosc tyg jako #1: 9 - 22
Wyniki Rogera pochodzą z dnia 29.03.2004 r.
http://www.atpworldtour.com/1/EN/NEWS/N … E_1967.ASP
Genialny artykuł poświecony całej rywalizacji między Rafą a Rogerem do końca sezonu 08, nie uzwględniający wyniku finału AO09.
STAN NA DZIEŃ : 10.03.2009 rok
( wiek 22 lata , 9 miesięcy, 1 tydzień )
Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal
wygrane turnieje/przegrane finały 14 ( 8 ) - 32 ( 9 )
Tms (finały) 2 (2) - 12 (4)
Tmc (finały) 1 - 0
Gs (finały) 2 - 6 (2)
ranking 1 - 1
ilość tyg jako #1: 15 - 28
Wyniki Rogera pochodzą z dnia 15.05.2004 r.
Lider światowego rankingu ATP Hiszpan Rafael Nadal, wyznał, że nie obawia się powrotu swojego najgroźniejszego rywala, wicelidera klasyfikacji tenisistów - Szwajcara Rogera Federera.
Po raz ostatni ta dwójka spotkała się w finale Australian Open. Mecz wygrał Nadal, a Szwajcar po porażce nie był w stanie wykrztusić z siebie słowa i rozpłakał się. Nie wykorzystał pierwszej szansy na wyrównanie rekordu Pete'a Samprasa w liczbie zdobytych tytułów wielkoszlemowych.
- Nie ma co tu dużo analizować. Nie chcę robić z tego, co się stało, jakiegoś dramatycznego filmu. To była po prostu chwila pełna emocji - powiedział Nadal po wygranej nad Serbem Novakiem Djokoviciem w meczu Pucharu Davisa (Hiszpania wygrała 4:1). - Nie rozmawiałem z Rogerem od tamtej pory, ponieważ nie widziałem się z nim - wyznał.
Hiszpan w czasie tamtej wzruszającej ceremonii starał się podnieść na duchu Federera. Mówił, że jest jednym z najlepszych tenisistów w historii i z pewnością doścignie Samprasa. Nadal nie sądzi, aby te komplementy mogły zostać odebrane przez Szwajcara jako protekcjonalnie. - Czy mogły go zdenerwować? Szczerze w to wątpię. Po wszystkich tytułach, które zdobył i po tym, jak był tak długo na pierwszym miejscu w rankingu, można powiedzieć coś innego? Nie sądzę - powiedział zawodnik z Majorki.
- Jeśli Federer powiedziałby, że jestem najlepszy na świecie na pewno bym się ucieszył - stwierdził. Nadal prowadzi z Fedrerem 5:2 w wielkoszlemowych konfrontacjach. Ponadto zakończył rekordowy okres okupowania przez szwajcarskiego mistrza fotelu lidera męskich rozgrywek. Federer był numerem jeden przez 237 tygodni.
O sytuacji w męskich rozgrywkach wypowiedział się tymczasem Djoković. - Roger stoi przed wielkim wyzwaniem, bo nie jest przyzwyczajony, że ktoś jest przed nim w rankingu. Rafa jest w wielkiej formie, więc ciężko zawodnikom takim jak Tsonga, Murray czy ja skutecznie z nimi rywalizować - ocenił Serb.
tenisowy.com
-----------------------------
O i Novaczek się wypowiedział :D
Ta, on do Tsongi i Murraya w tym sezonie.
Federer relishing Nadal rivalry
Refreshed after taking a break to resolve a lingering back injury, Roger Federer is eager to resume his rivalry with Rafael Nadal at ATP Indian Wells.
Federer, sidelined since losing last month's Australian Open final to the Spaniard, said he was more motivated than ever to end a losing streak of five matches against Nadal.
The Swiss world number two, a three-times champion at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, is seeded to meet top-ranked Nadal in the tournament final.
"I love playing matches against him, especially those five-setters, seeing if I can hang with him physically without a problem," said Federer. "He's the greatest challenger I've ever had."
"I am really motivated because I don't know how much better he can play. I don't know how much better I can play but I am right there and he's playing the tennis of his life."
Federer was unable to seal a record-equalling 14th grand slam singles title after losing to Nadal in a five-set thriller at Melbourne Park, but he was largely pleased with his performance.
"I thought I played a great match for four-and-a-half sets," the 27-year-old said. "I guess I let go a little bit at the end. He looked tired and I couldn't take advantage of it.
"I think I played great off the baseline, I just didn't serve great and I think that cost me the match also.
"He's a great player at the moment," Federer said of the Spanish left-hander, whose last three victories against the Swiss have come in grand slam finals.
"He has proved himself on all surfaces now and I guess it all started for him when he beat me comfortably at the (2008) French Open. He forgot how it feels losing and I had lost to him a couple of times before that."
Federer said he would continue working with Swiss Davis Cup captain Severin Luthi as his part-time coach after an experiment last month with Australian Darren Cahill had been abandoned.
"I am very happy with Severin," he added. "We have been working the last one-and-a-half years together, so nothing really changes. I just continue with the great team that I have."
(eurosport)
Roger - Rafa w dniu 23 urodzin.
STAN NA DZIEŃ : 03.06.2009 rok
( wiek: 23 lata)
Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal
Wygrane turnieje / przegrane finały 19 ( 8 ) - 36 (10)
Tms (finały) 4 (2) - 15 (5)
Tmc (finały) 1 - 0
Gs (finały) 3 - 6 (2)
Ranking 1 - 1
Ilość tygodni jako nr 1 28 - 43
Wyniki Rogera pochodzą z dnia 08.08.2004.
Czas ponownie wznowić jedną z moich ulubionych tenisowych zabaw :P
23 lata, 1 miesiąc
Roger Federer, będąc w obecnym wieku Rafy Nadal wygrywał w pięknym stylu US Open 2004. Był to wtedy Jego 4 tytuł wielkoszlemowy.
Poniżej tabela porównująca osiągnięcia obu graczy w wieku 23 lat i 1 miesiąca.
STAN NA DZIEŃ : 03.07.2009 rok
Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal
Wygrane turnieje / przegrane finały 20 [8] - 36 [10]
Tms (finały) 4 (2) - 15 (5)
Tmc (finały) 1 - 0
Gs (finały) 4 - 6 (2)
Ranking 1 - 1
Ilość tygodni jako nr 1 33 - 46
Wyniki Rogera pochodzą z dnia 08.09.2004.
http://www.gototennisblog.com/2009/07/2 … s-no-bore/
Wywiad z Borisem Beckerem, w którym Niemiec wypowiada się na temat Federera i Nadala. :)
Rafael Nadal o :
Swojej przewadze nad Rogerem Federerem:
I have an advantage in regards to him (Federer) and that is my age, 23 years, compared to 27 or 28 for Roger. My career is not finished at age 23, and I hope to have time to keep fighting and be at the top. And I do not mean (fighting for) the number one position but continuing to win major titles – that’s what motivates me in the end, although I will not deny that I love being Number One and wish I could be right now.
O rankingu:
“Winning important tournaments is what motivates me more than being Number One.”
“One or two, the only thing that changes is the number. I wasn’t consumed with being World Number One, and nothing’s changed now as number two. What really matters to me is playing well, then anything is possible.“
O swoich oczekwianiach odnośnie reszty sezonu 2009:
“Even if you are already one hundred percent, one must be realistic. The remainder of the season will be difficult because after stopping for a month, nearly two, you lose the rhythm of competition while others have continued.”
23 lata, 2 miesiące
STAN NA DZIEŃ : 03.08.2009 rok
Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal
Wygrane turnieje / przegrane finały 21 [8] - 36 [10]
Tms (finały) 4 (2) - 15 (5)
Tmc (finały) 1 - 0
Gs (finały) 4 - 6 (2)
Ranking 1 - 2
Ilość tygodni jako nr 1 38 - 46
Wyniki Rogera pochodzą z dnia 08.10.2004.
You’re Either for Federer or Nadal, Not Both
By Jeffrey Marcus
The two most popular — and dominant — players in the men’s draw at the United States Open are inching ever closer to the final many expected. Sure, Roger Federer still has to defeat Novak Djokovic on Saturday afternoon, and Rafael Nadal faces the imposing Juan Martin Del Potro in the semifinals, but few fans will be satisfied with anything but Roger and Rafa duking it out for the title.
They’ve had memorable meetings in Grand Slam finals, like Nadal’s epic, grueling victory over Federer at Wimbledon last year. That’s what fans of both players want to see. For all the talk about Djokovic’s revamped image or Andy Murray’s promise (unfulfilled), the past two weeks have seemed like little more than buildup to Federer-Nadal.
On days when Federer plays, the United States National Tennis Center is teeming with fans wearing Nike’s “Advantage Federer” T-shirts and the “RF” logo on red and black hats and track jackets. They look like cosmopolitan alumni at a well-catered college football tailgate. When Nadal plays, his fans wear bright yellow and green T-shirts proclaiming their love for “RRRRAAAFFA,” as if he were a singularly monikered futbol star.
For fans of these two men, you’re either for one or the other, certainly not both.
The Nike concession near the entrance to Arthur Ashe Stadium is marketing the partisan dichotomy to fans as they would any sporting rivalry. Show your pride. Support your player. Buy our stuff. Fans are responding. The Federer and Nadal lines are neck and neck at the register, according to Nike, and often sell out, depending on who is playing on a given day.
The two players’ lines of clothing are not just inspired (and marketed) by Federer and Nadal, but they are also designed specifically for each player’s proclivities on the court.
“Rafa has a more powerful style,” said Janice Lucena, the design director for Nike’s tennis line. “He grinds, sprints, runs. He needs more moisture management.”
Switching from his signature sleeveless top to a polo for the Open meant Lucena’s team had to be creative with the placement of mesh.
Federer, as his fans note, never seems to sweat. He’s got a streamlined game and Nike aimed to dress him that way. “With Federer, we try to eliminate, take away as many distractions as possible,” Lucena said. She noted that Federer’s red and black polos did not have stitching. Instead, seams and plaquettes are bonded, using a sort of glue.
These subtleties may be lost on most weekend players, but they matter to elite athletes who can be sensitive to the slightest variations (and are sometimes quite superstitious). Besides, fans are not likely to pay as much attention to seamless plaquettes and mesh underarms as they are to their player’s colors. But unlike football or baseball fans, who wear replica jerseys, tennis fans get a chance to wear the same shirts, shorts and head bands as the pros.
“Obviously, as a brand, it’s an advantage to have so many of our top athletes so deep in the tournament, creating more attraction to our products by fans,” said Derek Kent, Nike’s communications director for New York. And although tennis is a small part of Nike’s brand business, Kent said, the game’s two top players (yes, Nadal is No. 3 right now, but will soon reclaim the No. 2 spot) are leading a U.S. Open sales boom among fans.
For good reason: the Federer-Nadal rivalry, at this point in tennis, may be the closest thing the sport has to Yankees-Red Sox or Redskins-Cowboys. As Lucena notes, “It’s a great to be a fan of this time and place in tennis right now.”
Kiedy Rafa leciał do Pekinu, Roger będąc w Jego wieku spędzał wakacje po pierwszym wygranym sezonie w ATP - 2004.
Kilka dni wcześniej Szwajcar po raz drugi wygrał Turniej Mistrzów.
STAN NA DZIEŃ : 03.10.2009 rok
( wiek 23 lata , 4 miesiące )
Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal
wygrane turnieje/przegrane finały 22 ( 8 ) - 36 ( 10 )
Tms (finały) 4 (2) - 15 (5)
Tmc (finały) 2 - 0
Gs (finały) 4 - 6 (2)
ranking 1 - 1
ilość tyg jako #1: 46 - 46
ilość wygranych sezonów (Year End #1): 1 - 1
Wyniki Rogera pochodzą z dnia 08.12.2004 r.
Andre Agassi says Federer-Nadal era is ending
HONG KONG -- Andre Agassi says Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's domination of the men's game is coming to an end, tipping Scotsman Andy Murray as the most likely successor.
"Now we have possibly the changing of the guard. You have those top two who are now losing ground to the likes of (Novak) Djokovic and Murray and (Juan Martin) del Potro," Agassi told reporters in Hong Kong by phone from Las Vegas.
Nadal has struggled with injuries since his stunning exit in the fourth round of the French Open. Federer won the French and Wimbledon, breaking Pete Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slams, but was beaten in the U.S. Open final by 21-year-old Argentine del Potro. It was the first Grand Slam won by a player other than Federer or Nadal since Djokovic won the 2008 Australian Open.
Agassi, who preceded Federer in winning all four grand slam tournaments over his career, believes the Swiss "still has the chance to do some more special things," but the 28-year-old's chances are diminishing with age.
Agassi, who was promoting his upcoming exhibition match against Sampras in the Chinese gambling enclave Macau on Oct. 25, worried that Nadal's injuries may be chronic.
"If you're struggling with your knee, it tends to be recurring and not to be easy to do, so I got to believe he'll struggle with it probably for his career," Agassi said.
Agassi said the 22-year-old Murray is the man most likely to be the dominant figure over the next few years. The world No. 3 is still seeking his first Grand Slam title.
"From a talent standpoint, Murray is a person who should win multiple Slams," Agassi said.
"When I look at his game compared to the other players, he has what it takes to win and to win against anybody on any surface."
Rozumiem, że z wiekiem wzok się pogarsza, ale to już chyba lekka przesada. Jak się porówna Murray'a z najlepszym (28 letnim, o młodszym nawet nie mówię) wydaniem Federera na hard, trawie, a nawet i mączce i z Rafą w normalnej formie z cegły i najlepszych występów z innych nawierzchni, to widać wielkie NIC. :]
Dla mnie też tego typu przepowiednie są niezrozumiałe, zwłaszcza po ostatnich turniejach. 3/4 turniejów WS w tym roku to skalpy "Fedala", a w mastersach także imponujący ułamek: 5/7.
Owszem być może częściej dochodzą do głosu inni gracze, ale trudno oczekiwać, by Rafa i Roger cały czas tak dominowali, jak choćby w latach 2005- 2007. Nie oznacza to jednak, by ich częstsze porażki od razu były sygnałem końca przodownictwa tych graczy w rankingu.
A Pete się z Andre nie zgadza :P
Sampras: Roger, Rafa Still Top Major Threats By Adrianna Outlaw
Sampras on Nadal: He's going to be around in the top two or three in the world for as long as he wants to be. He's an animal, a great athlete, a great player.
Pete Sampras had the top transition game of his time and when he surveys the pro circuit these days he does not believe there will be major turnover at the top.
The 14-time Grand Slam champion said today he believes World No. 1 Roger Federer will win more Grand Slam titles in the coming years and expects second-ranked Rafael Nadal to retain his spot among the world's top three.
"When push comes to shove, I still like Roger at these majors," Sampras told the Associated Press in a conference call.
The 23-year-old Nadal has won five titles this season, but was sidelined for two months with knee tendonitis, which prevented him from defending his Wimbledon title in June. Nadal, who was runner-up to Nikolay Davydenko in the Shanghai final on Sunday, has not won a tournament title since he beat Novak Djokovic to win Rome in May. Despite Nadal's recent battles with injury, Sampras said the four-time French Open champion remains a top contender for Grand Slam titles.
"He's going to be around in the top two or three in the world for as long as he wants to be," Sampras said. "He's an animal, a great athlete, a great player. He's going to go through different lulls in his game, but when push comes to shove, you're always going to see Rafa in the last couple of days of the event."
The seven-time Wimbledon winner's comments on Federer and Nadal come less than a week after Andre Agassi, Sampras' former archrival, suggested Andy Murray will eventually challenge Federer and Nadal in emerging as a multiple major winner.
"From a talent standpoint, Murray is a person who should win multiple Slams," Agassi said. "When I look at his game compared to the other players, he has what it takes to win and to win against anybody on any surface."
Federer – Final field is particularly wide open
Roger Federer sat down with a table of journalists on Friday – including Tennistalk – to answer questions about the upcoming Tour Finals starting on Sunday.
Roger Federer has played two tournaments this fall, with losses to Novak Djokovic and Frenchman Julien Benneteau to show for his efforts. With those recent results in mind, the Swiss was asked how he thought this year’s group of 8 sized up against other years. "I wouldn’t say it’s the toughest," Federer mused. "But this one is particularly wide open."
Federer was referring to the fact that many of the top players have had wins over each other. Novak Djokovic has beaten both Federer and Rafael Nadal in the past two months. Federer also brought up Robin Soderling’s win over Nadal at Roland Garros as perhaps impacting the tournaments (Soderling is in Nadal’s round-robin group).
Unlike Nadal, who claimed that finishing the year No. 1 was not important to him, Federer stated firmly that his goal is to win the tournament and finish the year as the world’s top player.
03.01.2010
STAN NA DZIEŃ : 03.01.2010 rok
( wiek 23 lata , 7 miesiące )
Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal
Turnieje/Finały 25 ( 8 ) - 36 ( 11 )
Tms (finały) 4 (2) - 15 (6)
Tmc (finały) 2 - 0
Gs (finały) 4 - 6 (2)
Ranking 1 - 2
Ilość tyg jako #1: 59 - 46
Ilość wygranych sezonów (Year End #1): 1 - 1
Wyniki Rogera pochodzą z dnia 08.03.2005 r.
03.04.2010
STAN NA DZIEŃ : 03.04.2010 rok
( wiek 23 lata , 10 miesięcy )
Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal
Turnieje/Finały 28 ( 8 ) - 36 ( 11 )
Tms (finały) 7 (2) - 15 (6)
Tmc (finały) 2 - 0
Gs (finały) 4 - 6 (2)
Ranking 1 - 3
Ilość tyg jako #1: 72 - 46
Ilość wygranych sezonów (Year End #1): 1 - 1
Wyniki Rogera pochodzą z dnia 08.06.2005 r.
ROGER AND RAFA: A CONTRAST IN STYLES
Federer breezes, Nadal broods in press conference
While the top seeds at Masters 1000 tournaments are given a bye in the first round, they still have work to do while their slightly less illustrious counterparts are out on court – they are called on to speak at pre-tournament press conferences. Gatherings such as these are seen by most players as a necessary evil, and most of them (with the odd exception such as the truculent David Nalbandian) are well versed in giving stock answers, deflecting pressure and feeding the media neutral lines.
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have obviously had more practice at this art than most, having annexed virtually every major title between them over the past half a decade. On Sunday, they delivered an illustration of how different their styles are. On the court, Federer conserves his energy and can usually be relied on to deliver a master-class in smooth tennis – even when he doesn’t win. Nadal on the other hand is all-action, scrambling around and wearing opponents down. In the press room, they are equally contrasting.
The Swiss world No.1 one was first up, and wasted no time in heaping praise on his rival – a tried and tested tactic of his. “Rafa’s been on a tear these last five years, he’s never lost a shock result, only ever to top 10 or even top 5 players. He should’ve won in Qatar this year but when he had to drop out of the Australian Open due to injury, everyone wrote him off. I suppose he is the number one on clay,” said Federer of his rival who has dropped to No.3 in the ATP standings after injuries and a lean spell up until his recent win in Monte Carlo saw him lose precious ranking points.
Federer was as smooth as his trademark backhand throughout the 15-minute conference. He joked with the assembled journalists about playing doubles here with Yves Allegro and not his gold-medal winning partner Stanislas Wawrinka (“We just used each other for the Olympics, me and Stan!”), happily regaled them with tales of setting up the hotel room differently now that his twin daughters come on tour and was his usual charming and urbane self.
Half an hour later, it was Rafa’s turn. This time last year, he was (if results are to be believed) on unstoppable form. He had won in Monte Carlo, was about to cruise to victory in Rome and was being hailed as the man to take Federer’s crown (a case of “when”, not “if”). His English was improving with every tournament he won, and he was getting more at home in press conferences, cracking the odd smile and showing a good line in wry humour. Injury then blighted the rest of 2009, and though he returned to winning ways in the principality a week ago, the fact that he now can only go as far as his overworked knees will carry him seems to be weighing on his personality.
When told that Roger had declared him the favourite, the old (or rather younger, care-free) Rafa would have praised his opponent to the hilt with a self-effacing smile. 2010 Rafa gave the kind of broody stare he usually reserves for on-court opponents, exhaled loudly then launched into his best impression of a teenager being forced to apologise for crashing his parents’ car. “It only starts today, I only arrived yesterday. It’s a very difficult tournament and the best in the world are here so it’s impossible to say.”
“I felt I didn’t really play well in 2009. I had great results without playing at my best,” he continued, to the surprise of the roomful of journalist who had watched him sweep all before him up until Roland Garros 11 months ago. “For the past one-and-a-half years I’ve had more physical problems that I would have liked to have had. This makes it more important that I run well and practise well now that I have physical problems.”
Questions about approaching the French Open differently now that he is not the defending champion, and the relevance of changing seedings based on past performances at the tournament in question as opposed to basing them purely on current rankings, were met with almost monosyllabic indifference, and only when talk turned to the new centre court here at the Foro Italico did Rafa allow himself to relax a little.
The physical problems he regularly refers to have obviously affected him mentally to a similar extent. Who knows, perhaps if he retains his title here then storms back to reclaim “his” French Open crown, we will see the return of the carefree young Majorcan that so many grew to appreciate in 2008 and 2009. The last year or so has seen him realise that he can no longer take tennis for granted though – a harsh realisation for someone who lives and breathes the sport like Nadal...
03.06.2010
STAN NA DZIEŃ : 03.06.2010 rok
(wiek 24 lata)
Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal
Turnieje/Finały 30 ( 8 ) - 39 ( 12 )
Tms (finały) 7 (2) - 18 (6)
Tmc (finały) 2 - 0
Gs (finały) 5 - 6 (2)
Ranking 1 - 2
Ilość tyg jako #1: 80 - 46
Ilość wygranych sezonów (Year End #1): 1 - 1
Wyniki Rogera pochodzą z dnia 08.08.2005 r.
Federer, Nadal at odds over Madrid victory significance
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have agreed to disagree on the significance of the Spaniard's revenge title at the Madrid Masters.
On the one hand, Federer says the clay season will come down to French Open performances, while Nadal - logically - disagrees after winning all three major events leading up to the Sunday start at Roland Garros.
"The clay court season will not be judged here, but in Paris," said the Swiss. "We will see what happens in three weeks. It's unfortunately -- or fortunately -- like that. If we win all the tournaments like Rafa now and then go out in the first round of the French, everything will be questioned."
But he added: "I feel I'm ready for Paris. I felt a major improvement in my game compared to last week when I came here from Estoril."
Nadal takes the opposite viewpoint in a rare public disagreement with his friendly rival.
"Well, that's a respectable opinion that I don't share," said the Spaniard who lost at the french Open for the first time in his career a year ago after winning four straight editions.
"And not because I have won the three (Masters 1000s) leading up to it, which some might think, but because I think it is unfair to think the whole clay season is decided by one tournament."
Both men will rest this week with light training and perhaps an exhibition appearance scheduled before the weekend start of play in the French capital.
French Open - Federer wants Nadal in final
Roger Federer is looking forward to facing his great rival for the French Open crown a year after Rafael Nadal missed their rendezvous in the final.
With usual contenders Nikolay Davydenko of Russia and Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro having pulled out injured, the road looks clearer for another Roger versus Rafa classic.
"It is hard to pick anybody to say if Roger and Rafa are not going to win who else will it be," Federer, wearing a blue polo shirt and looking calm, told reporters on Friday.
"We'll see how we play. I hope we can play again in the future, because a year away from each other was maybe a bit long," he added.
After 12 months without meeting Nadal, Federer finally caught up with him last week in the Madrid Masters final.
The muscular Spaniard beat the Swiss last Sunday, a year after losing at the same stage in the same place.
"I think anywhere we play is special", said Federer.
"It's always a big match regardless of where it is, how it is. It's one of the great rivalries in sports right now, and obviously in our game the biggest one."
Nadal and Federer have met 21 times, with the Spaniard coming out on top on 14 occasions, comfrotbaly winning three French Open finals against the Swiss.
Neither was keen to jump the gun and anticipate a fourth final showdown on the Paris clay, although the temptation was greater for Federer who made the draw at Roland Garros.
"When you're sitting in that room, you feel like, ah, if only I could have picked maybe (...) Oh, no. You don't even want to start thinking that way," he said with a smile.
"It was a bit nerve-wrecking in some ways. But I'm used to pressure situations, so it was moderate. It was fine."
The pressure will get stronger by the day for the defending champion, who could meet France's Gael Monfils in the fourth round before a possible quarter-final clash with Swede Robin Soderling who he beat in last year's final.
"Fourteen days down the road and six matches for each of (us) to get into the final. (It) is not my priority to play Rafa," said Federer.
Federer beats Nadal (in World Cup and Wimbledon seedings)
By Chris Chase
The greatest rivalry in tennis took to the soccer pitch Wednesday when Roger Federer's native Switzerland faced off against Rafael Nadal's beloved Spanish national team in a World Cup pool game. And for the first time in what seems like a while, Federer came out on top.
The Swiss pulled off the biggest upset of the 2010 World Cup on Wednesday afternoon in South Africa, stunning top-ranked Spain 1-0. Federer and Nadal are passionate supporters of their national teams. Nadal, in particular, is known as a big soccer fan and was said to have celebrated into the night against his coach's wishes in 2008 when Spain won the Euro Cup during Wimbledon.
The small amount of soccer pride wasn't the only good news for Federer on Wednesday. In defiance of the current ATP rankings, Wimbledon organizers installed Federer as the No. 1 seed at next week's grass court Grand Slam. Nadal is the No. 2 seed, a flip-flop of the current rankings. Wimbledon is the only tournament that breaks away from the rankings when determining seeds. It was an easy, obvious decision — Federer has won six of the past seven events at the All England Club — and one that matters in stature only, as the pair would have been on opposite sides of the draw regardless.
Federer and Nadal will learn their respective Wimbledon draws on Friday. As defending champion, Federer will have the honor of playing in the first match of the tournament on Centre Court. He'll have more incentive than usual to make quick work of his first-round opponent. Switzerland's second match kicks off at 3 p.m. London time on Monday.
Wimbledon 2010: Rafael Nadal shows a purity that puts him above Roger Federer
Rafael Nadal fell to the ground in salute of a second Wimbledon victory, but it was ritual rather than the real thing. The big celebration took place on Friday night when Nadal keeled over and kicked out in triumph after beating Andy Murray.
Deep down Nadal knew that was the moment when he had clinched his eighth Grand Slam title.
Usually, people ask "is he the greatest" when they are deep into emotional extra time after an epic match, but it is a deeper question after an anticlimax like this. Sunday's final took place in the shadowlands of greatness because Nadal was far too good for Tomas Berdych. Is he now the best tennis player of all time?
The Federalists will squawk in disbelief and point out that their man has 16 grand slam titles, twice as many as Nadal. It's statistically incontrovertible, but Roger Federer beat a long list of not-quiters, has-beens or youngsters in those finals. Look them up if you don't believe me. The only thing golden about Federer's era was the appalling No 15 he wore on his tracksuit after last year's smug Wimbledon triumph.
Thank goodness we didn't get that sort of syrup from Nadal. The Spaniard may have more tics than a mangy horse, but he knows how to behave in victory and defeat. He even took the trouble to thank the Centre Court crowd for "the amazing respect" they showed him during his semi-final victory over Murray. Even in his moment of ultimate triumph Nadal was still thinking back to that match.
The only amazing thing about the final was Nadal's rise and surge on the big points. The Spaniard has a mind forged from Toledo steel. Maybe Donald Bradman may have been more unflinching, more remorseless than Nadal, but it's a close-run single.
Nadal saved the first break point that he faced with a big serve and a colossal forehand, but the second was erased with cold-hearted calculation. Nadal hit a second serve at just 93mph with such spin and accuracy that it swerved away from Berdych's scrabbling racket. The Czech must have felt like throwing himself into the river Vltava.
It is that purity of thought at the big moments that gives Nadal the vote over Federer. It's the brain against the body. It's Fangio against his Ferrari.
Surely no one has ever moved better than Federer on a tennis court, but he has never had Nadal's strength of mind. The Swiss cried tears of self-pity when Nadal beat him at the 2009 Australian Open and said: "God, it's killing me." It was an admission that Federer at his best didn't think he could beat Nadal at his best. The Spaniard kept raising his game against Federer to the great man's despair, but against Berdych Nadal only needed what Tiger Woods used to call his 'B' game.
Nadal probably missed more forehands in the final than he has in the rest of the Championship put together. Some of that was down to the fact that Berdych was trying to play Nadal with short, slow balls. It worked for Arthur Ashe in the epic 1975 final against Jimmy Connors, but Berdych is not such a craftsman, Nadal missed a lot of shots, but he never looked as if he really thought he had to raise his level.
Everyone loves Rafa, but could someone please have a word about some of these tics. The 24 year-old seems to suffer from some strain of obsessive compulsive disorder. Nadal's two drink bottles have to be replaced on exactly the same blades of grass, he towels off between every point, he picks at his shorts, he won't step on lines.
In the third set new balls were bowled into play and Rafa wouldn't accept delivery until he had moved the ballboy back into his original position. Even then he asked for three balls to sort through and they hadn't even been used.
At that point you could begin to sympathise with Federer saying: "God, it's killing me", but Berdych just looked happy to be there.
A deep, English male voice shouted out: "I love you, Rafa," but nothing could quite spike the match into life. It was as inevitable as Saturday's women's final. Another voice shouted: "You're a genius, Rafa." Ah, but genius is sometimes rather boring. Some of Tiger Woods's victories have been as exciting as a five-hour airport delay. It was like that with Nadal. I almost yearned for the return of Federer.
Then the memory flashed by of the Fed saying on his way out of here: "Rafa's played terrible lately." Is that the same Rafa who leads you 14-7 in all-time games, 6-2 in grand Slam matches and 12-5 in finals?
The Fed is dead, viva la Rafa-lution
Ostatnie zdanie to mistrzostwo. Federer, na konferencji prasowej, został zapytany o szanse Murraya. Odpowiedział sarkastycznie, że ma duże szanse, bo Nadala ostatnio grał tragicznie, Soderling to żaden rywal, a Djoković nie umie już grać w tenisa. Oczywiście żart, na sali wybuchła salwa smiechu.
Następnie Roger poprosił dziennikarzy, aby szanowali swoją pracę, jak i każdego tenisistę z osobna, bo wszyscy są rewelacyjnymi zawodnikami.
Autor powyższego artykułu chyba tego nie zrozumiał i za bardzo wziął to do siebie. Ale tak to jest, jak się fan zabiera za pisanie dla poważnej gazety.
Dawno się tak nie obśmiałem. hahaha W ogóle Cały tekst uroczy.
Trudno uwierzyć, że Telegraph mógłby coś takiego opublikować. Kreowanie Nadala na Boga nie dziwi, ale deptanie Feda niczym przydrzwiową wykładzinę szokuje.
EDIT:
http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis … fteen.aspx
Jednak muszę przeprosić. Artykuł okazał się strzałem w "10, że w dużych ilościach cytują go na stronie ATP. ;)
The Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal rivalry, 2010 edition: Roger's Last Stand
The rivalry between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal is notoriously skewed. Twelve of their 21 matches have been played on clay, so Nadal's 14-7 lead simply isn't a fair representation of how they stack up against one another. Nadal, ever-humble and generous, points this out himself.
A comparison: The vaunted John McEnroe-Bjorn Borg rivalry is generally considered an even-steven proposition, seeing as they split their matches at seven each. But none of their matches were played on clay -- not a single one. What if Johnny Mac had been the second-best clay-court player of his time, as Federer is in his era? How many French Open titles would he have won before Borg's retirement? Almost certainly none, and his clay-court prowess would only have caused his head-to-head with the legendary Swede to suffer. Yes, Borg was that good on the dirt. Time and again he rolled over first-rate claycourt specialists like Guillermo Vilas and Manuel Orantes and Harold Solomon without breaking a sweat.
Rafa, similarly, is all-but-unbeatable on clay, and he leads Federer 10-2 on that surface. But Rafaelites point to Wimbledon 2008 and Australia 2009 as proof that their guy has it over Federer on all surfaces. And there's no arguing with those results. Nadal is indeed a great player on all surfaces. He broke Federer's will in both of those classic five-setters.
However ... so far, he has not won a match that mattered against Federer on the Swiss champion's best surface.
I'm talking about good old asphalt. Melbourne offers a bouncy, sort-of rubberized surface, and Wimbledon's grass is now slower than hard courts. To be sure, Nadal has beaten Fed on hard hard courts: in the third round of the Miami Masters in 2004, when Federer was fighting a cold and Nadal was a teenaged nobody, and in Dubai -- really, an unofficial exhibition, to be honest -- two years later. But one suspects Roger wasn't willing to go the extra mile in those two matches. Rafa, we know, is always ready to go to hell and back to win a point. It doesn't matter what the tournament is. This is admirable -- professionalism of the highest caliber. Federer, on the other hand, gets bored much more easily. His mind drifts at the smaller events.
In those early years, Federer's problem with Nadal on hard courts wasn't with the Spaniard's skills, which were rudimentary compared with those of the complete player who just won the French Open-Wimbledon double for the second time, but with his willfulness -- his refusal to lay down. Nadal forced Federer to ask himself: Do I care about this fiddly little match like I care about a Wimbledon final? In the 2005 Miami final, faced with losing to the still-unproven Nadal for a second straight year at the tournament, the answer for the first time was yes. There Federer was, cruising along in third gear, playing beautiful tennis, expecting his opponent to swoon before him. It no doubt perturbed him to look up after more than an hour and find himself behind by two sets. Federer gathered himself and stepped it up, running off three straight sets -- still the only time Nadal has lost a match after winning the first two sets.
Federer always has been able to throw off his torpor when the moment required it -- that is, at the big tournaments. And the tournament where he has always played his best tennis is not Wimbledon, but the U.S. Open. Recall the two bagel sets he dropped on Lleyton Hewitt in the 2004 final, or the way he kept Andre Agassi -- "the Punisher" -- from dictating points in the 2005 final. Or take another look at any of the next three finals, thumping wins over Andy Roddick, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. Federer was barely pushed at the U.S. Open for nearly six years, until Juan Martin del Potro finally sumo-wrestled him out of the ring in last year's final. Through those six dominant years in New York, Federer never faced Nadal. Rafa couldn't make it to the final for the much-sought showdown.
The Federer-Nadal matches that are probably most like what a U.S. Open face off between them would be came in 2006 and 2007 at the World Tour Finals (formerly the Masters Cup). It's too bad the year-end event, played on fast indoor hard courts, has never caught the public's fancy, despite the ATP's big-dollar marketing efforts over the years. Federer always has taken it seriously, which has led to four titles. Nadal also takes it seriously (as we've said, he takes every tournament seriously), but he hasn't won it. Twice his season has ended with a loss to Federer there.
These are the matches, and the results, you could have expected had they faced each other at the U.S. Open in those years. Did you watch the clips? Rafa tries to pick on Federer's backhand, but it just doesn't work on this slick surface. Federer hits blistering winners from both sides; he consistently wins the battle for positioning; he owns the sharp angles on big points. Nadal puts up a good fight, and each sets has moments where the outcome is in doubt, but Federer hits the accelerator when he needs to do so, and he lifts off -- up to another level of play.
This might be the year Nadal and Federer finally meet at the U.S. Open. Rafa is managing his schedule better than ever before, and he's looking even tougher than he did during that magical 2008 season. Plus, now that Federer has fallen to number three in the world, the two great rivals might not have to wait until the final to meet. The question is, can Federer, a 16-time major champion and soon to turn 29, still hit the accelerator when he needs to?
03.08.2010
STAN NA DZIEŃ : 03.08.2010 rok
(wiek 24 lata, 2 miesiące)
Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal
Turnieje/Finały 33/8 - 41/12
TMS/Finały) 8/2 - 18/6
TMC/Finały 2 - 0
GS/Finały) 6 - 8/2
Ranking 1 - 1
Ilość tyg jako #1: 90 - 55
Ilość wygranych sezonów (Year End #1): 1 - 1
Wyniki Rogera pochodzą z dnia 08.10.2005 r.
Who’s the best? Roger or Rafa?..the debate is just beginning.
‘Wimbledon champion Rafael Nadal is capable of overhauling Roger Federer’s record haul of 16 Grand Slam titles.’
That’s the current view of several tennis experts after Nadal’s brilliant win last week. But, and there’s always a but, he has to stay healthy.
Federer has rewritten the tennis history books over the last few years, in particular becoming the most decorated player in terms of Grand Slam singles titles with 16.
”He (Nadal) has every chance, he’s still very young and has got eight now, he looked very good again on Sunday, you have to wonder whether Roger Federer can respond. We may have to revise our views about who’s the best player that ever lived.” say the experts.
The Spaniard has just turned 24 and at the same age Federer had won just six of his 16 majors.
“It depends a lot on whether he can stay fit and avoid his knee problems as his whole game is based on movement. If he can’t move, he’s dead.” This expert will be surprised if Nadal is still on the tour 2 years from now! The biggest difference between the two great players is their movement, and Federer’s success and longevity at the top is a result of his graceful, ballet-like movement. Nadal’s body will breal down if he continues to play his brand of clay court tennis on the grass and the hard courts. It’s a disater waiting to happen.
Nadal’s tendonitis problems threatened to re-emerge at Wimbledon when he complained of pain during his five-set win over Philipp Petzschner.
The one major he has yet to win is the US Open on the surface which is the most unforgiving to Nadal’s joints.
The two shades of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer
The two shades of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer
The last decade has been dominated by the rivalry between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Tennis fans around the globe cherish the time when they see both these greats of the game battle it out in a major final.
There has been much talk over the last few months about whether the days of Federer are over and whether the Spaniard Nadal will reign supreme. Furthermore speculations are rife as to whether Nadal will be able to equal or break Federer’s record of sixteen grand slam titles.
However, one factor that is eluding those writing about records and statistics is the fact that the world might not see the same quality of tennis that is exuded from a Nadal-Federer final.
The sheer pace of the game, the velocity of shots, the depth of the serves and the magnitude of brilliance that is displayed on the show courts when these two face each other may become a distant memory in the near future. If that is to happen, tennis is sure to miss the level of competition these two adversaries brought to the fore.
The level of tennis produced by Federer and Nadal is unmatchable. The last time the world got to witness such a treat was at the Wimbledon final in 2008. It was a day that has gone down in history as one of the best tennis matches the world had a chance to see.
It was a gruelling five set match but in the end Nadal had managed to dethrone the King of grass. They are each other’s worst enemies on the court but outside they share mutual respect and admiration for each other.
Ever since then Nadal’s injury forced him out of most of the majors in 2009 and then in 2010 Federer’s dwindling form has left people thirsty for a Nadal-Federer encounter.
Fans are now pinning their hopes on the US Open. Nadal has never won a title there and Federer will be looking to gain some form. Hence both players will be pushing themselves to reach the finals and more to play each other.
This is one rivalry that would be remembered for years to come and it will be a huge task to fill the shoes of such greats by the next generation.
What exactly is it that makes this rivalry so special? The answer lies in the on and off court personalities of the Swiss and the Spaniard. It could be said that their rivalry is akin to that of Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi with Nadal being as boisterous as Agassi, whereas Federer as sober yet fiery as Sampras.
Dressed in sober, elegant attire Federer walks out on court enveloped with an aura of calm, his racquet stringed to precision to commence his onslaught. Just like his predecessor Sampras, emotions are rarely witnessed on Federer’s face. His celebratory move is a slight fist pump and when he loses a point he quietly walks back to the baseline in contemplation.
Only when he is in dire straits can “allez” be heard from the Swiss. There is artistry in his play, he glides all over the court without making the slightest bit of noise and puts the ball exactly where he had planned. When hitting a lob it seems as if he is ascending in the clouds to fetch the ball; Roger Federer is elegance personified.
In a stark contrast, wearing the most up to date garish men’s fashion, Rafael Nadal would run onto the court in preparation to nab his victim. Nadal’s muscles would be ripping through his colourful t-shirts and his shoes bearing his name would be the cameramen’s subject.
He comes out on court with a vengeance, generating power behind each shot that he plays. He scales the skies when he wins a point yet chides himself after playing a loose shot. Emotions are riding high when the Spaniard is on court. His ability to run each ball down and use double the amount of top spin on his ground strokes is what troubles his opponents. The Spaniard’s weapon lies in his power play.
The contrast between the two makes it a match made in heaven. The world stops when these two walk out on the court to test each other. It becomes a battle between extreme power and sheer precision. The winner at the end is the game of tennis that has produced such idols.
Nadal, Federer and History
My how the tides have changed. Rafael Nadal asserted himself in 2008 over the entire ATP field after being the only real challenger to the reign of Roger Federer, finally emerging from behind the Swiss star after years in the number two spot. However it was a momentum Nadal's body could not sustain after battling Fernando Verdasco to the death for a spot in the 2009 Australian Open, where he claimed his first hard court Grand Slam, claiming one slam on all surfaces before the man he beat, Federer. After the Australian Rafa's body and life spiralled out of control.
In Rotterdam he limped to the finish line against eventual winner Andy Murray. After a brief stint off to rest his legs the wheels really came of the Nadal bandwagon. While everyone was busy focusing on Roger Federer's 'decline' after he smashed a racquet on the US hard courts, Rafa was struggling in Miami to close out matches, his focus patchy as he tried to deal with the disolution of his parents marriage and the worsening state of his knees. Despite not moving as well as he can when he stepped on to the European clay courts Rafa cleaned up, winning Monte Carlo and Barcelona for the fifth consecutive time, Rome for the fourth time in five years and then making a strong start in Madrid. After his Madrid final loss, where the Spanish star looked jaded, people assumed he would once again reign in Paris. But it was not meant to be.
Everyone remembers Roland Garros 2009. Nadal was beaten for the first time ever in Paris by Robin Soderling, Federer who had been struggling in his matches battled his way to the final, knowing this was his best chance ever, finally claiming the one Slam that had eluded him. With Nadal out of the picture it was like the early years of Federer's dominance - there was no one to really challenge him again. Federer won the Roland Garros-Wimbledon double, claiming a record breaking 15th Grand Slam in the process, which he added to again this year at the Australian Open.
As we stand, waiting at the gaits of Wimbledon for the mens singles finals, Rafael Nadal stands awaiting history. If he beats Tomas Berdych he will have claimed his 8th Grand Slam, second Wimbeldon title and complete his second Roland Garros-Wimbledon double all while reclaiming his place at the top of the men's rankings, stopping Federer from surpassing Pete Sampras all-time record of weeks at number one.
If he wins Nadal will add 2000 points to his tally, further separating him from Federer and will be reproducing his incredible 2008 results - and people were talking about his career being all but over. Now instead of talking about the demise of Nadal people are talking about hte demise of Federer, wildly thought to be the 'greatest of all time' - BUT there is a significant difference between the two champions (besides statistics). When Nadal lost in Roland Garros in 2009 he was gracious in defeat, refusing to discuss his injuries, not wanting to distract from his opponents well earnt victory. The other day we saw that Federer, on the other hand, does not handle defeat particularly well, blaming injuries and saying he was unlucky and he hasn't had much luck lately - a big statement from a man who almost always gets a good draw and has had more luck and good fortune in one year (during any time in his career) than most people have in a life time.
It is worth noting this is not the first time Federer has struggled to deal with the prospect that his reign may be over thanks to the man from Spain. Think of the sobbing mess we saw at the Australian Open in 2009.
So here we are, looking at almost the exact opposite of what happened last year, wondering if Berdych can do what Roddick couldn't... Win Wimbledon.
Here are soome of the differences between the two men who have dominated the top two spots in the rankings, and Grand Slams, for the last five years.
Two great Champions for an exceptional decade
On the eve of the upcoming US Open I find it interesting to focus on the absolute domination of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer over the last ten years.
These two great champions have printed their name on the history books.
It is also the moment to analyze their real chances to win at Flushing Meadows, which will start in a few days.
Two players have written tennis's history over the last five years.
If we take a closer look at the history of tennis, we can notice only one, or two players have dominated a decade of tennis.
In the 70's it was Jimmy Connors and Bjorn Borg who were on top of the tennis world and claimed numerous Grand Slams.
In the 80's, it was Ivan Lendl, Mats Wilander and John McEnroe turn.
In the 90's Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi have written the most wonderful moments of tennis.
It was then the turn of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal to make history headlines since the beginning of the twenty first century. However there is a clear distinction between the Swiss and the Spaniard and the others since they have totally dominated the tennis world for the last five years.
It is also very surprising if we also consider today's general level of play have improved so much. Therefore, many specialists think it will be more and more difficult for players to dominate.
But one statistic is still stunning:
Federer and Nadal have claimed 17 of the last 19 majors played.
Taking the numbers one step further, over the last 27 majors, only 4 have not been claimed by one of these tremendous players.
Numbers tell the story for these two great champions, who managed to downgrade all players ranked under them, even if they are also true very good players.
We have to look at the facts clearly. We are lucky to be in the most amazing era in the history of tennis.
They managed to downgrade very talented players.
We don't measure enough the dimension of this unparalleled situation. Two amazing players fight in order to mark history books time and again. They took away most of the majors and left an entire generation of very good players with small pieces of the pie. It was unfortunate for them to fall in the same era. Of course I'm thinking of Nalbandian, Safin, Roddick, or Davydenko, who would have had a greater career in another era. They constantly had to face Roger or Rafa and gave up.
After countless setbacks they had to be happy with being forced to win minor league events during their career.
Andy Roddick won the US Open but then had to be satisfied by reaching three Wimbledon finals and one US Open final. He lost all four matches in the hands of Roger.
Marat Safin met the man from Switzerland 12 times, but only managed to win a couple of times against him.
Davydenko was a semi-finalist in four majors and lost three times against Roger Federer.
As for the actual generation, they are also heavily punished by these two greats despite being very talented. Of course I'm thinking of Berdych, Söderling, Murray, Djokovic, Cilic, and Del Potro.
Federer and Nadal have not been in the same shape at the same time for almost three years.
The constant fight undergone by Federer and Nadal is exhausting for the body and the spirit.
That is why they have not been at the peak of their form at the same time.
We had the total domination of one, or the other in succession. Rafa often struggled with his fitness, while Roger had a lack of motivation.
2007 was a Federer year, where the Swiss won three Grand Slams. He then showed less motivation and let Nadal take the lead.
2008 was a Nadal year, where he won both the French Open and Wimbledon. The Swiss was said to be declining slowly. Some even thought he would retire.
In 2009, Nadal was injured and it was Roger's turn to take command of the ship.
The man from Switzerland also managed to grab both the French Open and Wimbledon, claiming at the same moment his first Roland Garros crown and breaking another record by winning all four majors. Some specialists are upset about the Spaniard's health. We could read on some papers his knees would not last long.
In 2010, the Mallorcan made a very successful return to competition. He suffered from being out of the game for weeks and his motivation is huge. Once again he managed to claim both the French Open and Wimbledon. However the Swiss is having trouble finding the same interest in the game after what happened in 2009. His wife also gave birth to two twin daughters. Roger clearly was in quest for a new motivation.
But despite his loss in the two midseason majors he started the North American series with a boost. His fighting spirit and determination are back after reaching the Toronto final and winning Cincinnati. As for the actual Rafa, he seems to be struggling finding his game. He lost both tournaments making unusual unforced errors.
No clear favorite on the US Open.
Nadal is struggling with his game, while Roger is just starting to find it, which means a bunch of very promising talents and the already old guard could turn tables around :
Murray, Djokovic, Berdych, Baghdatis, Nalbandian and Fish are determined to break the absolute domination of Roger and Rafa.
Federer says rival Nadal could challenge as best ever
Roger Federer doesn't doubt that Rafael Nadal could one day challenge him for the title of best in the game as the pair head for the second week of the US Open.
"He's had some incredible clay court records that are going to be very hard to beat," said the Swiss who holds a record 16 Grand Slam titles.
"Clearly has a chance because he's young enough. That he has already so many, let's say, French Open titles (four) to his name just alone at his age (24) is an amazing accomplishment.
Federer - like Nadal - has always been ultra polite when speaking of his hottest rival. Even standing No. 1, Nadal refuses to actually concede that he has the edge on the Swiss, whom he's beaten on 14 of 21 occasions.
Nadal is chasing his first US Open to complete his own career Grand Slam of all four majors, Federer is bidding for his sixth new York trophy in seven editions. "(Nadal) would need to win the US Open, put himself there (among the all-time best). He's won the Olympics, done some amazing things. So he'll have a shot at it, I'm sure," said Federer, aiming for a sixth US Open trophy from the past seven editions.
03.09.2010
STAN NA DZIEŃ : 03.09.2010 rok
(wiek 24 lata, 3 miesiące)
Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal
Turnieje/Finały 33/8 - 41/12
TMS/Finały) 8/2 - 18/6
TMC/Finały 2 - 0
GS/Finały) 6 - 8/2
Ranking 1 - 1
Ilość tyg jako #1: 92 - 60
Ilość wygranych sezonów (Year End #1): 1 - 1
Wyniki Rogera pochodzą z dnia 08.11.2005 r.
Chasing Federer, or Pulling Away?
With a pair of 2010 Grand Slam titles already in the bag and a potential third delayed one day because of rain, Rafael Nadal has clearly distanced himself from Roger Federer.
In pursuit, mind you, of Roger Federer.
It should be achingly apparent that the most compelling and current tennis rivalry is no longer Federer-Nadal, but more of a one-man show, a physiological drama, Nadal against himself.
All due respect to Novak Djokovic — handed much-needed rest and improved odds of an upset Monday in the United States Open men’s final by Sunday’s rainout — but nobody threatens Nadal’s domination quite like the body parts that occasionally surrender to the swashbuckling abandon with which he plays.
For his part, Federer has not beaten Nadal at a major since 2007, has lost six of their last seven matches and, based on form, was probably spared a deflating and defining beatdown when he dropped his five-set semifinal to Djokovic on Saturday.
He and Nadal, likable Europeans and affable competitors, have electrified their sport and at times even remedied the myopia in our nationalistic circles regarding the search for the Next Great American. But what was perhaps the best rivalry in sports for about three years has seen its best days. It is either over or on indefinite suspension until Nadal proves healthy enough to restore it in a more historical sense by, say, 2015.
Nadal dismisses such talk, remaining charming and humble as he sledgehammers his way from opponent to opponent. “I am not on the way to be the best in history because that’s very far,” he said after dismissing Mikhail Youzhny on Saturday in the semifinals. “I really don’t believe I can arrive to Roger’s level, no?”
“We’ll see” would probably have been the less modest but more honest response. Nadal, a couple of months past his 24th birthday, is eight Grand Slam titles behind Federer’s record 16, and entering the years when Federer, who won 10 of them between ages 24 and 29, did the bulk of his winning.
If Nadal departs New York with a ninth, if he becomes more selective of the tour tournaments he plays and more protective of his tendinitis-ridden knees, it’s entirely plausible that Federer’s record, established in 2009, could have a shorter shelf life than Pete Sampras’s, who won his 14th and final title in 2002.
Federer insists he is not going away any time soon, and it would be premature to characterize him as a stationary career target for Nadal, no longer capable of running the seven-match table at a Grand Slam event.
There are times when Federer is overpowered by tennis’s young sluggers, but other occasions when he seems impatient and distracted. It is possible that his most vexing issue right now is his stage of life, married with young children, more than his age, 29.
Once upon an era, premier players tended to burn out or just become bored by their mid-20s — John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg, to name two. But technology has transformed tennis, turned it into a game for fully developed bodies and minds, for men and for women.
“The science of training is going to prolong everyone’s optimum playing years,” said Mike Wolf, whose 17-year-old charge, the American Jack Sock, won the junior singles title Sunday. Wolf’s point was that Sock, a high school senior, could go to college for a couple of years, grow up in a variety of ways, and have plenty of time to become a world-class player.
We can wait another year before writing off Federer as a serious contender at the Slams. But even given the benefit of the doubt, hypothesizing that he can win one or two more, a healthy Nadal has the goods to restore the rivalry to full historical bloom by the time Federer is gone from the sport, playing family doubles with his wife and twin girls.
•
The unforeseen always lurks, of course. Juan Martín del Potro, injured and absent from this year’s Open after bludgeoning Federer in their five-set final a year ago, could return to mount a challenge to Nadal. Djokovic seemed to be on the threshold of muscling his way into contention for No. 1 a couple of years ago and has a huge opportunity Monday.
For all we know, an American is even out there waiting to grow, then pounce. Ryan Harrison showed potential in upsetting Ivan Ljubicic in the first round, and Sock has endeared himself to Djokovic as a hitting partner during the Open.
In the meantime, there is nobody in the top 10 or on the radar quite like Nadal, who has transformed himself from the king of clay into the dictator on all surfaces, who has lost the absurd total of two service games in six rounds at the Open and who goes for No. 9 Monday on the road back to an enduring rivalry with his good friend Roger.
By the Numbers: Nadal vs. Federer
Rafael Nadal completed the career Grand Slam Monday, adding the 2010 US Open championship to his five titles at the French Open, two at Wimbledon and one at the Australian Open.
He is more than two-and-a-half years younger than Roger Federer was when the Swiss accomplished the Slam sweep at the 2009 French Open.
As of Sept. 13, Nadal is 24 years, three months and 10 days old. Federer was the same exact age on Nov. 18, 2005.
While tennis media and fans debate about the greatest player of all time, Nadal is ahead of Federer's pace in several key categories.Nadal on 9/13/10
Overall Record 460-98
Winning Pct. .824
Titles 42
Major Titles 9
Majors Played 26
Davis Cup Titles 3
Olympic Gold Medals 1
Longest Win Streak 32
Rank 1
Weeks at No. 1 60
Record vs. No. 1 14-6Federer on 11/18/05
Overall Record 390-119
Winning Pct. .766
Titles 33
Major Titles 6
Majors Played 27
Davis Cup Titles 0
Olympic Gold Medals 0
Longest Win Streak 34
Rank 1
Weeks at No. 1 93
Record vs. No. 1 2-3
US Open - Nadal: I don't think I'll match Fed's titles
Despite the triumph of a first victory at the US Open, Rafael Nadal says that he is still some way short of achieving as much as great rival Roger Federer.
"I think talking about if I am better or worse than Roger (Federer) is stupid," he protested. "Because the titles say he's much better than me, so that's true at that moment. I think that will be true all my life."
Federer, 29, has a record 16 Grand Slam championships, but the 24-year-old Nadal made his ninth Grand Slam triumph something extra special.
The 6-4 5-7 6-4 6-2 victory over Novak Djokovic of Serbia for his first Flushing Meadows win made Nadal the seventh man to claim all four of the sport's Grand Slam titles, and the first since Rod Laver 41 years ago to close a season with wins at the French Open, Wimbledon and the US championship.
The question, however, still remained.
Almost from the moment he stepped on to the court as a teenager raised on dusty red Spanish clay courts, Nadal has been answering the same question: Was he going to be the greatest player of all time?
Nadal's New York performance made a huge statement.
After piling up five French Opens, two Wimbledons and an Australian Open the hard-hitting left-hander had set his sights firmly on the final jewel in the Grand Slam crown.
He improved his serve, honed his volley and nurtured his fitness to triumph at a Federer stronghold where the Swiss had won five titles and reached six successive finals.
"It was an amazing feeling," beamed Nadal. "I played my best match in the US Open at the most important moment, so I am very, very happy for that, for sure.
"To win in here in the US Open I think is the more difficult tournament for me to play, more difficult conditions to adapt, to adjust my game on this court, for the balls, for the court, for everything."
With Nadal sweeping through the Slams, it is easy to forget the turnaround the Spaniard has made.
Last year his chronic knee problems were so bad it kept him from defending his Wimbledon title. An abdominal problem weakened him at the US Open, and his physical woes were so bad he quit his quarter-final at the Australian Open in January.
"Life changes sometimes, no?" said a philosophical Nadal. "Ten months ago (it) seemed like I was never gonna be the same. Now, seems I gonna be one of the greatest....
"When you come back, you are ready to value how difficult it is win titles and how difficult is to be there all the time."
Nadal understands how quickly things can change in tennis and in life, but he served his rivals a dire warning in addressing the state of his game.
"For me the most important thing is try to keep serving like I did during this tournament," said Nadal, who lost only one set in the championship.
"If I can do it, it is gonna be a big change for me and my tennis career, because if I have those free points that I had during all this tournament, (it's) gonna be different for me.
"I can play more aggressive. I can play with more calm when I am returning.
"After that, I can improve everything: volley, keep improving the volley, keep improving the position on court, being more inside the court.
"I improved a lot since last year, but never is enough. I am not a perfect player, so everybody can improve."
Even with improvement, Nadal was loath to speculate on catching Federer.
"We will see what happens in the future. I am not a genius."
Reuters
US Open, prasa: Ekspres Nadal zbliża się do Federera
Według "The New York Times" zwycięstwo Rafaela Nadala w US Open nie jest ostatecznym celem kariery Hiszpana, a wręcz przeciwnie. "Dzień po dniu, klimat po klimacie, Nadal wciąż podnosi swój poziom" - czytamy.
Nowojorski dziennik pisze, że Nadal przetrwał "skwar, potem deszcz, zignorował rozgardiasz Open, działających pod wpływem impulsu widzów, w końcu także Đokovicia". Choć jednak "stał się panem wszystkich nawierzchni", "Times" uznaje w tytule artykułu, że "marsz mistrza do wielkości wydaje się być daleki od zakończenia".
Nadal ma tylko 24 lata i dziewięć wygranych turniejów wielkoszlemowych, ale nie chce mówić o ewentualnym ataku na rekord Rogera Federera (16 tytułów). "Gdziekolwiek Federer był w poniedziałek - a obiecał finału nie oglądać - mógł słyszeć wycie zbliżającego się do niego ekspresowego pociągu Nadala" - pisze "The New York Times".
Największa fotografia na pierwszej stronie dziennika należy się wznoszącemu triumfalnie ręce, klęczącemu na niebieskim korcie Nadalowi.
W relacji z meczu: "Nadal oczywiście podzielił się erą z Federerem, co dało owej erze mnóstwo dobrego, ale ten sezon i tegoroczny US Open należą ekskluzywnie do niego" oraz "wygrał tytuł dzięki ścięciu z nóg Đokovicia ze swoim fenomenalnym zasięgiem, konsekwentnym returnem i ulepszonym serwisem, szczególnie slajsowanym serwisem w głębokie pole (ad court), co zmuszało Đokovicia do uwolnienia od bekhendu drugiej ręki i gwałtownego rzucenia się w desperacji przy wielu okazjach".
Mówi Toni Nadal, stryj i trener Rafy: - Oprócz samego zwycięstwa, wielką porcję satysfakcji daje mi to, że widzę, w jaki sposób poprawił się na szybkich kortach. To był nasz cel, o którego spełnieniu nie byliśmy przekonani. Ale teraz returnuje lepiej, serwuje nieco lepiej i gra bliżej linii końcowej. Slajsowany bekhend jest o wiele lepszy.
Wyjaśnienie dlaczego przeniesiony na poniedziałek finał nie zaczął się wcześniej, gdy prognozy były bardziej optymistyczne: "To sieci telewizyjne mówią sportom co robić". A w Stanach Zjednoczonych właśnie wystartował sezon NFL. "Po długiej przerwie deszczowej, transmisja została przeniesiona z kanału CBS na ESPN2, ponieważ CBS chciał pochwalić się swoim zaplanowanym programem w czasie największej oglądalności." Na głównym ESPN trwała pierwsza w regularnych rozgrywkach transmisja "Monday Night Football".
Przesunięcie finału na poniedziałek, tak jak w dwóch poprzednich edycjach turnieju, naraziło na dodatkowe koszty nie tylko organizatora, który musiał na dodatkowy dzień zatrudnić obsługę, służby bezpieczeństwa, policję. Jak wspomniano, ucierpiały także słupki oglądalności. "Już powodujący irytację turniej stał się logistycznym koszmarem" - pisze "Times". W 2008 roku finał Federer - Murray oglądało 6,7 mln widzów (najgorszy wynik w historii US Open); w ubiegłym roku mecz Federer - del Potro śledziło 14,6 mln ludzi (wskaźnik 2,3; drugi najgorszy wynik w dziejach turnieju w Erze Otwartej).
Nadal: Ja czy Federer? Tytuły mówią za siebie
- Myślę, że mówienie o tym, czy ja jestem lepszy albo gorszy od Rogera jest głupie. Tytuły mówią, że on jest o wiele lepszy ode mnie. Taka jest prawda w tym momencie. I wydaje mi się, że tak będzie przez cała życie - Rafael Nadal powiedział po triumfie w US Open.
29-letni Roger Federer w ciągu swojej kariery wywalczył 16 tytułów wielkoszlemowych. Rafael Nadal jest o pięć lat młodszy. Na swoim koncie ma 9 tytułów. Ten ostatni w US Open jest szczególnie ważny, bo pozwolił Hiszpanowi skompletować zwycięstwa w każdym z czterech wielkich szlemów.
To wielki sukces Hiszpana. Jeszcze niedawno zmagał się on z ciężkimi kontuzjami kolan. Niektórzy specjaliści nie dawali mu szans na całkowite wyleczenie. - Dziesięć miesięcy temu wydawało się, że nie będę taki sam. Teraz wydaje się, że będę jednym z najlepszych - powiedział Rafael Nadal. - Najlepszy mecz w US Open zagrałem w najważniejszym momencie , dlatego bardzo, bardzo się z tego cieszę - dodał.
Nadal sam przyznaje, że wciąż stara się poprawić coś w swojej grze. - Mogę poprawić wszystko: wolej, pozycję na korcie, wchodzić do środka kortu. Wiele rzeczy poprawiłem w porównaniu do poprzedniego roku, ale nigdy temu dość. Nie jestem idealnym zawodnikiem. Każdy może nad czymś popracować.
Zaskakujące jest to, że Nadal praktycznie zaprzecza temu, że kiedykolwiek osiągnie tyle co Federer, jeżeli chodzi o szlemy. Nie wierzy, czy zna swoje możliwości i warunki fizyczne?
Federer's strategy to stop Nadal
Since he's back on the tour, finally free from any physical issues, Rafael Nadal has won nearly everything mattering this year. Forced to pull out at the Australian Open, whereas he was playing great, he has now won the three following Grand Slams, which is outstanding. His record this season is the evidence of his domination of the tennis world. Like it or not, Federer, Djokovic, Murray or Berdych for instance have now to search a real « anti Nadal » game plan if they really want to get a chance of winning some Grand Slams in the years to come. If we take in consideration the way he dictates the game and the way he's constantly improving, his reign will only be able to be stopped by injuries or by finding someone who can really play at his level. It's obvious now that when Rafa is in his best shape, he can't be defeated. Waiting for injuries would be as putting their destiny in the hands of circumstances. For some, the strategy against him means improving again and again to become way better players. Roger Federer, on the opposite, has already all the weapons to disturb the Spaniard. Question is now: how to use them effectively?
At what stage is Roger now?
It's obvious again that the King Federer of the pre-Nadal period is struggling a lot since a year. Sure he has won a Grand Slam this season, played the quarters in two other ones and the semi-final of the fourth one. But his level is going down and here is how I see it. Even if it's tough to be really sure cause the Swiss communication is a bit cloudy, the issue can be coming from two sides. Whether he's still suffering from his back, which explained a lot of his recent losses (but has been revealed way later) and that would explain a trainer is now following him all the time, whether he's paying the hard way emotionally for his last triumphs last year at the French Open and Wimbledon and for the birth of his twin girls (he has become a father for the first time). Whatever it can be, since one year Roger isn't the same player. Despite all of this, he remains the main rival of the Spaniard, mostly because his game owns enough abilities to mess with Rafa's plans. Here is the strategy that, in my opinion, he should set up against Nadal.
He must believe in his ability to win
What strikes me the most in the Nadal - Federer battles is the lack of belief of the Swiss. In most of their matches, Roger seems to have the key to win but he's not as efficient as he is against any other player. In 2009, when Rafa won the Australian Open final, Federer looked overall better in terms of level of play. Too hesitant, waiting too much instead of dictating the game, he was advised to find a famous coach « in order to find new tactical solutions against Nadal. » I admit I had been shocked by this position cause I really find the Swiss really accurate in his choices. So why can't he overcome Nadal ? First, he often lacks lucidity cause he's suffering from a slight inferiority complex that hampers him in key moments. Then, because I think he's not entering the court in front of Nadal with a really clear mind on what he's going to do this time. He seems to try to beat Nadal playing the Spaniard's game, without thinking of a whole strategy. The least we can say is that it's not working very well.
Getting Nadal out of his comfort zone
Next reason why Federer is lacking lucidity against Nadal comes from the fact that it's Rafa who is making him play in his game style. After 6 to 8 shots rallies, Roger's lucidity starts to go down, he's becoming hesitant or too much impatient to end the point. He's struggling cause the forehand of the Spaniard coming on his own backhand with strop topspin and high rebound is preventing him from speeding up the pace.
Against Rafa, Roger isn't allowed to doubt. He has to make unforced errors, he has to get passed at the net but he must dictate the rhythm. He must put the Mallorcan under pressure and shorten the points. Until now it's Rafa who is neutralizing Roger by stucking him on his backhand and forcing him to play high balls and and be uncomfortable.
Making his serve's efficiency even better
Roger's first serve is really great cause it has everything needed at this level: accuracy, speed, and effects. He can slice on the deuce side and use the kick on the advantage side in order to get a player out of the court and get openings as soon as the second shot. Against Nadal, strategy demanding to be constantly aggressive is turning the first serve percentage in the main key. If he tries more for the serves with effects, he'll be able to stay with a high percentage and to take the lead of the points early on by being offensive in the second shot.
Attacking the second serves
Keeping up with this aim of depriving Nadal from time, Roger must, as Sampras was doing, be aggressive on the second serves. Rafa hates to be rushed when he prepares his shots. He needs time to play deep balls and to find his timing. So Roger must take the ball early and go in full force on Rafa's forehand. Sometimes he should follow his shots to the net; sometimes he should wait a bit to get a short ball. In any cases, Rafa's second serve is a big opportunity for Roger to dictate the point, to put the opponent under pressure and force him to play too short. Roger should really use it. Sure he'll be more prone to mistakes but will also get more winners this way. He has to put Nadal out of his comfort zone to prevent him from playing stuck on the baseline, what he likes the most.
Not hesitating to take the net
One of the main Nadal's strength is to push his opponent to play always one more shot again and again. His defensive skills are amazing so it's hard to get him out of the way. His topspin often makes opponents force to play far from the baseline, preventing them from taking the ball early. When it comes to rallies, Rafa is the best in the world. And it's enough of a reason for trying to shorten the points at the net. Roger isn't a serve and volley player, not the type who comes at the net cause he feels comfortable and strong there. But he remains really good in the net game, so it has to be a tool when facing the Spaniard. It's the last step he has to make when he has taken the advantage. Sure he'll often get passed but will get many points too and, even more important, he'll deprive Nadal from his best abilities: the point will be over before Nadal would have been able to bring back i don't know how many unreachable balls. Points will be shortened too. Enough to disturb the machine...
Keeping a perfect fitness
When one is facing Rafael Nadal, he has to be in his best possible shape and this for several reasons: cause you're facing the fittest guy out there, cause if you get tired you'll be less clear minded. It's often what's happening on clay by the way. Rafa's opponents seem to be fine for a time and then they're in a burn out. So mistakes are coming and the games are flying away. Finally cause if someone wants to go on in the anti Nadal strategy he'll need to be very punchy and fit to always take the ball early. Being late for just half of second and the ball is already spinning like mad and pushes to mistakes. The Spaniard often plays short but opponents aren't taking benefit of that cause their speed in the playing forward style isn't efficient enough.
To be followed...
PS: In the next papers, I'll try to come up with areas of work for the other rivals of Nadal : Djokovic, Murray,...
PS2 : Congratulations to Daria Gavrilova, member of my Academy, who won the Juniors title of the US Open and is currently the n°1 player in the Juniors ranking.
http://eurosport.yahoo.com/tennis/patri … ticle/531/
Jak zwykle z sensem. :good:
Sorry, ale dla mnie te dywagacje to sztuka dla sztuki. Jak Nadal będzie grać dość dobrze, żeby dotoczyć się do półfinału/finału, to na obecnym etapie kariery Fed ma marniutkie szanse z nim wygrać.
ANALYSIS-Tennis-Nadal's earning power may not match Federer's
* Spaniard earns less than half Federer's off-court income
* Sponsors wary of making deals in tough economic climate
Rafa Nadal has toppled Roger Federer from the summit of the tennis world rankings but overtaking his arch rival as the sport's number one in off-court earnings is likely to prove a much stiffer challenge.
Nadal, 24, joined the 29-year-old Federer and five other players on an elite list when he swept to victory at last month's U.S. Open and completed a career grand slam of all four major tournaments.
The Spaniard, who now has nine grand slam singles titles, has shrugged off the niggling injuries that had plagued him over the past couple of seasons and his career is very much on the up, while the Swiss, who has a record 16 major singles titles, is closer to the end of his.
However, Federer's annual earnings of $35 million from sponsorship and appearance fees are still more than double those of Nadal, who makes around $15 million, according to an estimate by Forbes Magazine.
Both players had lucrative sponsorship deals with Nike, with Federer's worth around $10 million a year and Nadal's $7 million, Kurt Badenhausen, a senior Forbes editor who compiles annual rankings of athletes' earnings, told Reuters.
Federer, who is sixth on the latest Forbes list of the world's best-paid athletes, has sponsors including Credit Suisse, Gillette, Mercedes Benz and Rolex. Nadal, who does not make the top 50, has deals with Kia Motors and Spanish financial firms Banesto and Mapfre, among others.
Nadal's victory in New York last month was likely to dramatically raise his profile among corporate sponsors and widen his earnings potential beyond the tennis industry and regional deals in Spain, Badenhausen told Reuters by telephone.
However, the difficult economic climate and the fallout from the revelations about the private life of golfer Tiger Woods, previously the darling of corporate sponsors, had made companies wary of committing large sums to endorsement deals, he added.
HARD PRESSED
"If you look around the endorsement landscape almost nothing is getting done," Badenhausen said.
"Nadal's already a pretty established player and I don't think we're going to see five or six companies rushing to give him new deals."
"He's going to be hard pressed to surpass Federer in off-court income but I can see his earnings going up to $20 or $25 million over the next year or two."
Like Federer, Mallorca-born Nadal has many of the attributes that corporate sponsors look for in an athlete, according to Antonio Martin, director of the Masters programme in sports management at the IE Business School in Madrid.
These included sporting success, an attractive character and physique, hunger to keep winning, a desire to improve and continue learning, humility, respect for opponents and accessibility to fans, Martin told Reuters.
In addition, Martin said, Nadal had a highly competent team of advisers at IMG, who also manage Federer and Russian Maria Sharapova, the top earner in women's tennis who recently signed a new deal with Nike that could be worth as much as $70 million.
Nadal's chances of overtaking Federer in off-court earnings would depend on how long he was able to maintain his current level of form, Martin added.
"His U.S. Open victory will certainly boost his brand value but I don't think as much as when he won the French Open or Wimbledon for the first time," he said.
RACE APART
Mario Oliveto, managing director for Spain and Latin America at Sport+Markt, a consulting firm, said that Nadal's hunger for success and his desire to keep improving set him apart from his rivals and made him a big catch for corporate sponsors.
He agreed with Martin that Nadal's victory at the U.S. Open would boost his earning power but probably not as much as after his first triumphs at the French Open or Wimbledon.
"His desire to keep winning is really that of a race apart," Oliveto told Reuters.
"If we add to that his humility, his always respectful attitude and his youth we have a player who has the capacity to carry on developing and winning for several more years, with all that implies for the value of his brand," he added.
Banesto chief executive Jose Garcia Cantera, speaking to Reuters in Madrid on Thursday, explained why the Spanish bank picked Nadal to front its advertising campaign. "We chose Rafael Nadal when he was not yet world number one," Garcia Cantera said. "We saw in him the skills we identify Banesto with, the same principles; always striving for more."
Federer 'different class' to Nadal
Federer is ranked third in the world and has won only two titles in 2010, but nine-times men's doubles Grand Slam champion Jonas Bjorkman is convinced that the Swiss player remains the best in the world.
.."There's a difference in class and Federer is a much, much better player than (world number one Rafael) Nadal at this point in time," Sweden's former world number four said.
Bjorkman's assessment may raise a few eyebrows considering Nadal has won seven tournaments this season, including the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open crowns.
However, Bjorkman was adamant that nine-times slam winner Nadal could only be compared to the Swiss maestro once the Spaniard had matched Federer's staying power at the big four events.
Not only has the 29-year-old won a record 16 majors but he also reached an astonishing 23 consecutive Grand Slam semi-finals -- a record many pundits believe is unbreakable.
"Nadal has to come up to the same level when it comes to grand slam titles before it (who is the greatest among Federer and Nadal) can even be discussed," Bjorkman added.
"It's a question of injuries and motivation and how long he (Nadal) can continue, but the big difference is that Federer is such a great ambassador. He does so much to market tennis.
"Nadal will need to stay healthy for a long time and break all of Federers records before it's even worth discussing."
Even though Federer has endured a lean season, by his own high standards, Bjorkman was delighted that he managed to pursuade Federer to compete in the tournament he runs in Sweden.
"He missed the tournament once before and he said that he wanted to make it up to people. He's a fantastic ambassador, he doesn't usually miss tournaments and he really felt that he wanted to come back here," Bjorkman said.
Reuters
http://eurosport.yahoo.com/12102010/58/ … nadal.html
Wreszcie ktoś po Naszej stronie. :D Jonas :beer:
Federer compliments Nadal's standout season
Roger Federer has nothing but praise for the record-setting 2010 season of Rafael Nadal as the Spaniard works to resume training after his recent shoulder complaint in time to front up to next week's ATP World Tour Finals.
Meanwhile at the Paris Masters, Federer is thick in the bid for a third consecutive title during the post-US Open period after lifting his third and fourth trophys of the season in Stockholm at Basel.
Federer called Nadal's effort at winning three of the four majors "obviously an amazing season."
"Winning three Grand Slams in a year is something I've done a few times, and I know how hard it is to do. So it's an amazing effort from his side. Not only did he dominate there, but he's won multiple other titles.
"He went through some tournaments where he was unbeatable, unreachable, which makes this a great season for him."
But the 29-year-old Swiss knows there is more of the same likely in store from the Spaniard. And the chance to prove it could come in just over a week when the eight-man season final starts in London next Sunday. Nadal missed Paris with his shoulder problem.
McEnroe: Federer nie może równać się z Nadalem
Niewiele jest bardziej imponujących widoków w świecie sportu niż Roger Federer przemieszczający się po korcie. Zdaniem Johna McEnroe Szwajcar nigdy jednak nie będzie równie wielkim atletą, co Rafael Nadal. Z Hiszpańskim tenisistą równać się mógł w opinii Amerykanina tylko legendarny Bjorn Borg.
- Borg i Nadal są największymi atletami wszechczasów - powiedział McEnroe na wtorkowej konferencji w Katarze. - Federer jest jednym z największych tenisistów w historii, ale nie wydaje mi się, aby był on równie dobrym atletą, co wymieniona przeze mnie dwójka - dodał.
Federer, który ma na swoim koncie aż 16 tytułów wielkoszlemowych, będzie miał okazję udowodnić swoją wyższość nad Nadalem, 9-krotnym triumfatorem w Wielkim Szlemie, już w rozpoczynających się w niedzielę w londyńskiej O2 Arena ATP Word Tour Finals.
Federer nie może równać... - TENIS - ATP World Tour Finals
Nadal, który wrócił do zdrowia po kontuzji barku, ma już zagwarantowane zakończenie sezonu w roli lidera rankingu ATP. Zwycięstwa w trzech z czterech turniejów wielkoszlemowych pozwoliły mu odsunąć Federera w cień.
Bjorn Borg uważa, że Hiszpana stać na kontynuowanie wspaniałej passy także w kolejnym sezonie. - Jeżeli będą go omijały kontuzje, a przy tym utrzyma obecny poziom motywacji, może pozostać na szczycie jeszcze bardzo długo - zawyrokował Szwed.
Drugi tenisista świata - Federer - wygrał na początku miesiąca swój 65. turniej w cyklu ATP Tour, wyprzedzając w klasyfikacji wszechczasów Pete'a Samprasa. Teraz Szwajcar w liczbie turniejowych triumfów ustępuje już tylko Jimmy'emu Connorsowi, Ivanowi Lendlowi i właśnie Johnowi McEnroe.
Robertinho wykrakał, zbliżamy się do Johna w ilości wygranych turniejów to mamy za swoje. :(
Oj tam, Mack już taki jest, lubi żeby było o nim głośno, taki starszy Agassi, tyle że włosami. :D Czy to nie ten sam pan mówił niedawno, że Federer to geniusz większy niż wszyscy wielcy mistrzowie razem wzięci, a jego forhend to najlepsze zagranie a całym świecie sportu? :D Choć z drugiej strony, ja bym tę wypowiedź odczytywał literalnie :P ; znaczy się że Rafa to kosmiczny paker, czemu nikt przecież nie zaprzeczy. :D Osobiście nie mam nic przeciwko zestawianiu Rafy z Borgiem, bo to po pierwsze niższa półka niż Fed jeśli idzie o osiągnięcia, po drugie grał nudny i monotonny tenis.
Jak powiedzą, że Nadal jest jak Sampras, zacznę się poważnie niepokoić. :P
Aktualizacja porównania osiągnięć ;)
03.11.2010
STAN NA DZIEŃ : 03.11.2010 rok
(wiek 24 lata, 5 miesiący)
Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal
Turnieje/Finały 34/9 - 43/12
TMS/Finały) 8/2 - 18/6
TMC/Finały 2/1 - 0
GS/Finały) 6 - 9/2
Ranking 1 - 1
Ilość tyg jako #1: 103 - 70
Ilość wygranych sezonów (Year End #1): 2 - 1
Wyniki Rogera pochodzą z dnia 08.01.2006 r.
Mało składnie i sensownie, ale mam nadzieję, że zrozumiecie:
W trakcie trwania WTF10 Federer wygra AO06. :o xD
Federer: Nadal will be tough to topple
Federer has arrived in London for the ATP World Tour finals a distant second to the phenomenal Spaniard in the rankings and while his desire still burns as strong as ever he is not expecting a return to the top any time soon.
"Sure, it's going to be challenging," Federer said from a hotel lounge overlooking the River Thames and the Houses of Parliament.
"It's going to be very difficult because Rafa is playing well and I have to defend my points in Australia and he has no points to defend here in London," he added.
"That's why things look very good for him over the next few months."
Federer, 29, who began the year by winning the Australian Open but subsequently lost the top ranking to Nadal just one week short of equalling the 265 weeks Pete Sampras spent as number one, has not ruled out the possibility altogether though.
"Right now the number one ranking is not something I have in my mind," said the 16-times Grand Slam champion.
"My goal is to play well here in London and then prepare well for next season and then hopefully, at some stage, I'll try get it back. If not I'll focus on winning tournaments because I enjoy doing that too."
Federer has won the year-ending showpiece four times and, outside the four grand slams, rates it as a priority each year.
"Right now it's about saving energy, getting ready to play the matches," he said. "I've played four of the last five weeks and my game is right where I want it to be.
"It's the ninth time for me and I know the drill. I feel like I've got one more tournament left in me. My body is not screaming for a vacation quite yet," said Federer.
"This is a huge tournament for me. It is a goal of the season to make it here. I hope I can save my best until last."
Federer is in a group with his French Open conqueror Robin Soderling, Briton Andy Murray and Spaniard David Ferrer, who he plays first on Sunday.
Reuters
Roddick: Savour Rafa-Roger rivalry
Tennis fans should savour every moment of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's domination of the sport because such champions do not come around very often, according to world number eight Andy Roddick.
The American is preparing for the ATP World Tour Finals where he will face world number one Nadal on Monday in his debut at London's O2 Arena having had to sit out last year's showpiece tournament at the spectacular indoor venue because of injury.
"Rafa has had an unbelievable year," Roddick said of the 24-year-old Spaniard who has won three of the year's four Grand Slams and could hold all the majors if he wins the Australian Open at the start of next year.
"What he has done is unreal. To put it into context what Roger and Rafa have achieved for the past five years I would hope that people appreciate it because I guarantee people will be writing in 15 years time that these were the good old days."
Looking ahead to his opening round robin clash with nine-times Grand Slam champion Nadal, Roddick said he was just glad to be involved in the season finale after the second half of his season was dogged by illness and injury.
He is also looking forward to a warm welcome from the British fans who have taken the Texas-based former world number one to their hearts after his three Wimbledon final defeats at the hands of Federer - most notably 2009 when he lost an epic encounter 16-14 in the deciding set.
Roddick watched from the stands last year at the O2 and still remembers with pride the ovation he received when he was captured on the video screen inside the arena - a moment he described as one of his most memorable.
"It's strange because it's a polarising event for the crowd here, I normally get a really good reception but then a tournament like this comes along and I've got Rafa in the first round so I can't take that for granted" said Roddick, who beat Nadal in Miami this year.
Roddick injured an adductor muscle in Shanghai in October and admits that he feared his hopes of qualifying for the year-end tournament for an eight time had gone.
"I felt pretty clean and played well at the beginning of the year but then I got sick and tried to play through it more than I should, then I got injured. So to be here at the end is a little bit surprising.
"I feel fine now though. I didn't know what I was going to bring to the table in Basle and Paris but I managed to sneak out some results and only lost to the guys that won the titles."
Reuters
03.01.2011
STAN NA DZIEŃ : 03.01.2011 rok
(wiek 24 lata, 7 miesiący)
Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal
Turnieje/Finały 35/10 - 43/13
(TMS/Finały) 8/2 - 18/6
(TMC/Finały) 2/1 - 0/1
(GS/Finały) 7 - 9/2
Ranking 1 - 1
Ilość tyg jako #1: 110 - 77
Ilość wygranych sezonów (Year End #1): 2 - 2
Wyniki Rogera pochodzą z dnia 08.03.2006 r.
Berdych still offended by Federer's comments
Tomas Berdych said that he voted for Rafael Nadal over Roger Federer for the ATP Sportsman of the Year award due to what he thought were the Swiss’ negative comments about his upset of Federer at Wimbledon.
“I was trying to just decide between two names, him and Roger,” he said. “I just decide to go for Rafa. I think he really deserves it. Just was a little bit disappointing after what I read in London, when I play against Roger and beat him. He was a little bit complaining about how he was injured and stuff like that. It was just kind of surprise for me. So maybe that was just the reason I vote for Rafa.”
Przypominam, że Rafa spotka się z Fedem 21 grudnia w Zurychu i 22 grudnia w Madrycie w pokazówkach charytatywnych. ;-)
Tak,tak Tomasku, wypłacz się w rękaw swojego właściciela Rafy, jaki to Ty biedny jesteś.
Znalazł się król dobrego smaku i wyczucia.
Rushing to the Finish Line
There’s a phenomenon in basketball where a team gets behind, scraps hard and expends maximum mental and physical energy catching up, evens the score, and then immediately deflates. It isn’t just that they’ve exhausted themselves physically. The psychology of the game changes as well. There’s no longer a target out in front, urging them on.
Something like that happened to Rafael Nadal today, and it happened in the second point of the third set. He had begun the match, as he had begun the tournament, on the flat side, and his opponent, Roger Federer, had succeeded in changing the usual dynamics of their encounters by nudging him out of the patterns he likes. Nadal forced himself to find some more energy in the second, and his dedication to aggressiveness tilted the rallies back in his favor. The first point of the third went the same way, as Nadal ran Federer along the baseline to go up 0-15. Federer’s early confidence had vanished, and he looked as if were groping for an answer. Getting broken here would extend Nadal’s momentum and begin to make Federer’s first-set performance look like a mirage. Now Nadal had him on the run again in the second point. Rafa moved inside the baseline and lined up for an open down the line backhand. He had the lead in his sights for the first time all day. It must have blinded him, because he caught the ball late and fanned it into the alley. He put his hands to his head in disbelief. Federer held. While Nadal would put together a strong hold of his own in the next game, Federer had evened the scales back up. Nadal’s run was over.
And that’s all it took. Federer began to serve well, as he had in the first set, and he had the confidence on Nadal’s next service game to chip and charge successfully on one point, and then break serve by cracking an aggressive return, a tactic that he had been trying to employ, with various degrees of success, all afternoon. He was, as they say, in full flight from there, and Nadal couldn't turn the tide a second time.
This was a quality match, but not an intense one by Federer-Nadal standards. Points and games went by quickly; it took just 90-some minutes to get through three sets. What can we take from it? As far as the play itself, the most intriguing element was Federer’s determination in the first and third sets not to let Nadal lock his forehand into his backhand and dictate the terms of the rallies. This is as effective as Federer has ever been with his topspin crosscourt backhand against Rafa. Just at the point in the rally when he usually loses control, Federer stepped forward and sent a surprised Nadal scrambling to his left. In the crucial game of the first set, with Nadal serving at 3-4, Federer fended off a ground stroke assault with his backhand, and then broke serve by snapping off a sharp crosscourt backhand angle, an angle that stunned Nadal.
Is the topspin crosscourt backhand the answer for Federer? Notice that Nadal changed things up in the second and had success going wide to Federer’s forehand. Nevertheless, along with the backhand, two other gambits that Federer tried today worked. He won points serving wide to Nadal’s backhand in the deuce court, and his commitment to returning aggressively, while it resulted in a quite a few free points for Nadal, worked when he really needed it. It's a gamble, yes, but one he almost certainly needs to take in the future.
So we end the year exactly where we’ve ended it for the last five seasons. With Nadal and Federer at 1 and 2, and with another big title going to one of them. This event felt more like déjà vu than normal, though. Federer capped a post-U.S. Open stretch where he went 21-2, and looked as sharp as he’s looked over any extended period in the last three years. He seems energized, and more important, more narrowly focused on what wins for him, after a few months with a new coach. There’s a sense of slashing urgency to his game right now, particularly on the return side. While Nadal was able, as he usually is, to throw a wrench in his plans, Federer was simply playing too well all week to be stopped for long, even by Rafa. Maybe it was the lighting or the bright red shirt or his attacking game, but Federer seemed to stand a little taller in London. He’s brushed aside all talk of decline, added a new wrinkle to his match-up with Nadal with his backhand and his return, and made 2011 a two-man race to start. Still, my favorite Federer moment of the tournament came in his semi-rambling and highly excited victory speech. He thanked the ball boys and said that if the players had to pick up their own balls, the matches would go on forever. How does that come to his mind right then? Brilliant and goofy, Federer goes out like the Federer of old.
Nadal, on the other hand, looked weary in his runner-up speech. Weary from winning, I guess; he did a lot of this year. Whatever happened today, 2010 still belonged to him. He lost the final, but it was a characteristic tournament for him—there was a sense of deja vu to his performance as well. In every major event aside from the French Open, Nadal has struggled at first, improved over the course of a couple of years, and finally won it. In Australia, he reached the semis in 2008 before bringing home the trophy in 2009. At Wimbedon, he lost two finals to Federer before winning the third. After semifinal appearances in 2008 and ’09 at the U.S. Open, he struck gold this summer. Nadal had never been to the final of the WTF, and he started this one looking like he never would get to the final of it. Now he has—after his first-set loss to Andy Roddick on Monday, he seemed to will himself to believe that he could. If history tells us anything, we know what will come next for him here.
Nadal also gave us what he usually gives us: a classic, grueling, back-and-forth, emotionally draining match. His semifinal with Andy Murray may have been the best of 2010, and it ended with what was the highlight of the week for me. Nadal was nearly apologetic when he hugged Murray at the end. As Murray walked away to his chair, Nadal gave him one extra pat on the back, with a look of commiseration that his opponent would never see. It was, on a smaller-scale, similar to the arm he threw around Federer’s neck after their 2009 Aussie Open final. Brilliant and empathetic, Nadal went out of that match, and out of the best season of his career, like the Nadal of old.
Roger Federer versus Rafael Nadal is like Ali versus Frazier, but with racquets for gloves
The greatest rivalries in sporting history have thrived on the highs and lows, the to’s and the fro’s, but they fade away when inevitability strikes.
So there were moments after the second set of yet another fabulous chapter of the Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal saga here at the O2 Arena that it just felt that we might be witnessing the end of a thrilling duopoly and the advent of a Spanish monopoly.
We had been here before; Federer, the prince, forging ahead, offering shotmaking from the Gods, looking untouchable – “unplayable,” Nadal called his opening barrage – like the best there has ever been.
Then finding himself being pegged back inexorably by tennis’s relentless dementor, the most astonishing athlete his sport has witnessed, sucking away his confidence and belief.
When the Swiss tumbled during the second set, trying desperately to retrieve a net cord and rose groggily, it felt as if it could be the same old, same old. A seventh defeat in their last eight encounters seemed to be gnawing at Federer. Good grief, he was even sweating under the lights.
Then, magically, Federer awoke, inspired and driven by the champion’s heart we so often take for granted because he can make the game look so absurdly easy, while the dementor perceptibly began to be drained of the energy that propels his malevolent intent. Yes, Nadal was weary after his Saturday best. Yes, Nadal was human. Hold the back page!
When it dawned on Federer that his final looping forehand had actually dipped on to the line, he screamed to the Dome top. It was not a Slam but it may have meant as much. It was the match he had to win. For his ego, his belief, perhaps even for his Grand Slam future.
He sounded re-energised. “I hope I can play for many more years to come,” he said. “I think it’s possible.”
Fantastic if it means countless new sequels in a duel which surely belongs up there alongside the likes of Coe-Ovett, Borg-McEnroe, Prost-Senna and Ali-Frazier. With one great difference, of course. There is not the same personal edge, from distaste to plain hostility, which characterised the others.
The theory is that if ‘hate sells’, Rafa v Roger just does not possess the ingredients of the tastiest sporting feuds. They’re just too damn nice, killing each other with politeness. So Rafa would never dream of making an excuse. “I don’t say I lost because I was tired,” he insisted. And as for rivalry, there was none, he shrugged. “We have a great relationship all the time, no?”
But isn’t that matiness actually what helps make it a completely refreshing rivalry for the ages? Cut out all of the hype and unnecessary posturing and manufactured animosity and just savour only the absolute competitive brilliance of two masters near the peak of their powers.
“We’re playing not only for ourselves but for history,” as Federer put it. “There will always be a lot at stake in all of our future matches, and I think it’s wonderful.”
The glitterati evidently thought so too, all wanting an ‘I was there’ moment, from royalty (Princess Beatrice) to Hollywood (Kevin Spacey) to rock ’n roll (Ronnie Wood) to politics (Boris Johnson) and, naturally, sport.
All just to witness just a few snapshots of the dazzling fare we saw in the match on a lawn across town two years ago. Two consecutive points in the sixth game of the opening set summed up the magnificence; two long rallies of high speed chess, fantastic retrieving, virtuoso shotmaking and amazing all-court athleticism.
Federer ended the first with a sublime, silky backhand winner and Nadal the next with a murderous forehand crusher. Ali versus Frazier, with racquets for gloves. Sport does not get much better.
Nadal helping to keep Fed great
I sensed for awhile that the latter half of the year was going to belong to Roger Federer so I'm not surprised that he went on and won the ATP Tour Finals.
He is playing exceptionally well and I am now confident he will be a consistent threat next season, even though I would still at this stage take Rafael Nadal to do better in 2011, unless he suffers injury.
Federer looks very nearly back to his best, I would not say he has rediscovered his absolute top level, but he is close enough to the frightening standard he has produced in the past to worry any player.
There were doubts three or four months whether he could keep up with Nadal but he has answered those questions - so really well done to him - and it is fantastic for tennis to see him back winning big prizes again.
Certainly the introduction of Paul Annacone as his new coach is a factor. Roger was very careful when it came to picking a coach and in Annacone he seems to have found the right man. A new input can make a big difference.
When it came to Federer the big question for me was always motivation, but he has answered that by showing he is still hungry for titles.
He has been overtaken by Rafa in the last year or so - there is no doubt about that - but he is now starting to narrow the gap again, and while I would still have Rafa as the favourite for the Australian Open, Roger is now right behind him. It is great to see the rivalry is back big time.
In my opinion, the main reason why Federer is still playing at such a high level despite the fact that he is now 29-years-old is because he needs to keep working on his game to keep up with Nadal.
If Nadal never existed, I've no doubt that Roger would still be playing tennis but not to the standard we are seeing at the moment because really he wouldn't need to.
Federer would still (and could still) win two or three Grand Slams a year as a gimmie if it wasn't for the challenge of Nadal.
Looking at Andy Murray's tournament - well he had another great match with Nadal but again he lost and there is the worry that Nadal could become a psychological stumbling block for him.
He was saying one or two strange things before the Rafa match. Talking about how tough it would be etc...
The strange thing about Murray is that some of the best tennis I have ever seen him play has been against Nadal but he has still ended up losing.
He has to break the habit of losing to the 'big two' in Grand Slams for it to stop being a problem.
I'm not sure he goes into Grand Slam matches against Rafa believing he can win, I do believe he goes into matches again Roger thinking he can win (he's just not doing it), but I think he still sees Rafa as the man he needs to overcome.
Roger Federer Could Nip the 'Fedal' Debate in the Bud at The Australian Open
Lately, after Nadal’s summer surge at the slams, pundits and fans alike have been openly discussing his standing as the best player of this era. Authorities no less than Martina Navratilova and John McEnroe have made the claim for him to be greater than Roger Federer.
While Federer’s records will forever be astounding, Nadal seems to be catching up really fast. He has already accumulated nine grand slams at the age of 24, completing the career slam and becoming the first man to win Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open in the same year since Rod Laver in 1969.
What’s more impressive is that he won each on a unique surface, cementing his stake as one of the most versatile champions of the modern game.
Nadal’s stunning level of success has not just been at the slams, but he’s also proved to be dominant at the prestigious Masters events. While Sampras in his illustrious career won 11 Masters titles, and Agassi 17, Nadal has already passed them both with a record 18 Masters victories at his young age.
Granted, Masters events have become more prominent in the last five or 10 years, and Nadal and his contemporaries compete in these events more than the previous generation. But that is still a great achievement, especially when one considers that Federer has won 17 thus far. If Nadal continues at this pace, he will probably end up with 25 Masters Shields. And of course his grand slam resume only seems to be getting more impressive.
Do You Agree that winning the Australian Open 2011 will definitively make Federer greater than Nadal?
However, it is likely that Nadal’s longevity will not be as impressive as Sampras’, let alone Agassi. Chances are he won’t be competing for slams by the time he is 29. But for the next few years it appears that he has enough game to win four to six slams.
He is likely to win two or three more in Paris, and his ability to win on any surface makes him a threat to win two or three slams elsewhere as well. That means he could end up with 14-15 Slams. For a lot of fans, that will put a significant dent in Federer’s claim to be the greatest of this era let alone of all time seeing that Nadal has a 6-2 head-to-head record in slams against the Swiss.
Of course this is all speculation and things can change quickly in tennis. Consider that Federer won his ninth slam at the 2006 US Open. At that time he looked good for 20 slams. Four years on, many are writing him off. And it does seem that Federer might not have more than a slam or two left in him. But let’s say he stops at 17, and Nadal ends up with 15. Who will be the greater of the two?
It will be hard to say Federer is the greater if Nadal continues to dominate Federer at the big events. But in my opinion, if Federer can win next year’s Australian Open the Federer-Nadal debate will be nipped in the bud for good, regardless of whether Federer falls in the first round of every other event he ever plays.
A win in Australia would give him five titles Down Under making him the only tennis player in history to win five titles each at three different slams. That, combined with Federer’s five wins at the year end championships, would make him an unprecedented dominator of four of the sport’s five biggest titles. What would make his dominance even more astounding is that he would have achieved all of this within eight years.
It’s highly unlikely that Nadal will catch up to Federer’s record at the ATP World Tour Finals. Neither is he likely to dominate another slam like he has in Paris. I don’t see him winning many successive Australian Opens or US Opens to give him the dominant status at those events. He’s built up quite a record at Wimbledon though, but unless he wins the next three his dominance there would never be up to par with Federer’s.
And for me, that will end up defining the “Fedal” debate. We will remember Nadal as a thorn in Federer’s side, but history will show that while Federer dominated three slams, Nadal was only really the big Roland Garros maestro who could bully his way through any tournament but often fell short.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/5338 … alian-open
Polać mu :P
Marca: Nadal i Federer sportowcami dekady
W głosowaniu na stronie internetowej dziennika sportowego "Marca" na najlepszego hiszpańskiego sportowca dekady prowadzi Rafael Nadal. Wśród sportowców zagranicznych na czele jest Roger Federer.
W głosowaniu na hiszpańskiego sportowca dekady do poniedziałku wzięło udział ponad 60 tys. osób. Ponad połowa (52,8 procent) uważa, że na tytuł najbardziej zasługuje tenisista Rafael Nadal. Urodzony na Majorce 24-latek jest aktualnie numerem jeden rankingu ATP, a w ostatniej dekadzie dziewięciokrotnie triumfował w turniejach Wielkiego Szlema (pięć razy wygrał French Open, dwa razy US Open, po razie zwyciężył w Australian Open i US Open) i wywalczył złoty medal igrzysk w Pekinie.
Na podium są także koszykarz Los Angeles Lakers Pau Gasol (12,7 procent głosów) oraz kierowca Formuły 1 Fernando Alonso (10,8 procent). Piłkarze Iker Casillas i Xavi Hernandez zajmują odpowiednio czwartą i piątą lokatę (obaj po 7,2 procent, dzieli ich kilkadziesiąt głosów).
W głosowaniu na najlepszego zagranicznego sportowca dekady także prowadzi tenisista - Roger Federer. Szwajcar ma 31,5 procent z oddanych do tej pory niespełna 10 tys. głosów. Na podium są jeszcze motocyklista Valentino Rossi (20,6 procent), a także piłkarz Zinedine Zidane (13,7), którego goni Argentyńczyk Leo Messi (12,5).
14 szans na mecze gigantów
Rafael Nadal i Roger Federer ogłosili swoje plany startowe na 2011 rok. Hiszpan wystąpi w osiemnastu, a Szwajcar w siedemnastu turniejach. W czternastu zagrają wspólnie.
Nadal i Federer będą razem rywalizować w Dausze, Australian Open w Melbourne, Indian Wells, Miami, Madrycie, Rzymie, Rolandzie Garrosie w Rzymie, Montrealu, Cincinnati, US Open w Nowym Jorku, Szanghaju, Paryżu oraz Mastersie w Londynie.
W swoim kalendarzu Nadal uwzględnił też wiosenne występy w Monte Carlo i Barcelonie (mączka), Londynie (trawa przed Wimbledonem) oraz Tokio (korty twarde). Federer zagra za to na betonie w Dubaju, gdzie ma swoją rezydencję, na trawie w Halle oraz w hali w rodzinnej Bazylei.
jaccol55 napisał:
Nadal i Federer będą razem rywalizować w Dausze, Australian Open w Melbourne, Indian Wells, Miami, Madrycie, Rzymie, Rolandzie Garrosie w Rzymie, Montrealu, Cincinnati, US Open w Nowym Jorku, Szanghaju, Paryżu oraz Mastersie w Londynie.
:zlypomysl:
Sporo się mówiło o przenosinach RG, ale żeby tak szybko. :o
Kuba, widzę, że spodobało Ci się kopanie leżących federastów. :D
No i chyba autorowi cytowanego artykułu umknął wspólny start w Wimbledonie...
Liczba wygranych turniejów w danym miesiącu :P
Styczeń: Rafa (1), Roger (6)
Luty: Rafa (2), Roger (6)
Marzec: Rafa (3), Roger (6)
Kwiecień Rafa (11), Roger (2)
Maj: Rafa (8), Roger (6)
Czerwiec: Rafa (5), Roger (6)
Lipiec: Rafa (6), Roger (8)
Sierpień: Rafa (3), Roger (5)
Wrzesień: Rafa (2), Roger (5)
Październik: Rafa (2), Roger (10)
Listopad: Rafa (0), Roger (6)
Grudzień: wakacje :D
Federer: Off the Matby Pete Bodo
Q: Do we have a right or good reason to expect another installment in the Roger vs. Rafa rivalry to cap the Australian Open?
A: We certainly do, given the most recent twists and turns in this rivalry for the ages. In fact, we may have more right to expect a showdown between No. 1 Nadal and No. 2 Federer in Melbourne than we ever had before. That's partly because Rafa added to his all-surface expertise (and confidence) considerably when he completed his career Grand Slam at the U.S. Open last September. Although he's won the Australian Open before—with a championship match win over his great rival in 2009—his lack of ultimate success in New York always cast some doubt on his hard court proficiency.
Nadal retired with a right knee injury during his quarterfinal match with Andy Murray in Melbourne last year, which certainly aided Federer's drive to the title (the Swiss handled Murray with ease in the title round). More important, the win represented Federer's 16th Grand Slam title and immediately guaranteed that whatever happened the rest of the year, he could consider 2010 an overall success. When a player tells you that any year in which he wins a major is a huge success, believe him.
But then the wheels came loose, if not entirely off. Federer really struggled through the late winter hard-court season in the U.S., and beyond. More surprising, he often seemed frazzled and frayed, losing matches he was in a position to win. He was lucky to have that Australian Open title in his back pocket; had Nadal triumphed back in Melbourne, Federer's problems would have been magnified, and by the end of Wimbledon (Federer was knocked out there and at Roland Garros a few weeks earlier) he could have been said to be in crisis. It doesn't take much to run a player, even a Federer, off the rails. And given Federer's age, record and depth of experience, it's hard to say how he would have reacted to that set of conditions.
There's no reason to get carried away here; it would be insulting to imagine that somehow a Nadal win in Australia last year would have driven Federer to his competitive knees. But when you look at how Nadal ripped through the subsequent spring and summer, and ended up winning three majors after he had to quit in the first one, you must concede that the bum knee played an enormous role in denying Nadal a chance to become the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to perform the ultimate feat in tennis—bagging a calendar-year Grand Slam. Rafa is positioned to accomplish the next best thing in that regard starting next week. If he wins the Australian Open, he will be the first man since Laver to hold all for majors at once.
This is all pure speculation; had Nadal won in Australia and positioned himself to accomplish a calendar-year Grand Slam, the pressure at the final three slams would been of a different sort, and probably a different order of magnitude. Nadal isn't crazy enough to set out to earn a calendar year Grand Slam; nobody is that loopy. But it must occur to him—and to Federer as well—that with their multi-surface skills, the Australian Open takes on special significance, because winning it creates the possibility of a Grand Slam, even if it remains a speck on a horizon littered with massive obstacles. The one thing everyone can be sure of is that if you don't win in Melbourne, you won't accomplish a Grand Slam. Duh!
I raise this issue partly because of something I wrote the other day for ESPN, on how the paradigms in tennis can shift surprisingly swiftly. The emergence of the "Golden Girls" theme in the WTA is one example. A more relevant one is the way nobody really thought that anyone in the Open era had a chance to break Roy Emerson's Grand Slam singles title record. Nobody, at least, until Pete Sampras seemed to declare, "Why not?" Since then, Federer has shattered Sampras's mark of 14 majors. So let me throw it out there—why not a Grand Slam, by Federer or Nadal?
The early portion of this analysis unavoidably cast Federer in a lesser light than he deserves, but let's face it, he was legitimately in trouble—his decision to hire Paul Annacone, the man who shepherded Sampras through his greatest years attests to it, as did his results. And give Federer all the credit in the world for taking a proactive attitude, as well as for taking advantage of his opportunity to take the Australian Open title last year. Depending on how things go this year and for at least one more, that win in Melbourne last year may stand out prominently as a critically important one—the affirmative result that helped keep Federer's confidence and motivation on a simmer despite the rough sledding he would face. It certainly was an achievement that he could turn to for consolation when things went awry. It would not have been fun for Federer, denied in Melbourne, to have to watch Nadal run the table in the three subsequent majors.
There were two main themes to the Federer-Nadal rivalry in 2010. One was the maturation of Nadal as a 12-month contender and dominant force. The other was Federer's late-season surge, as he sloughed off whatever temptation he might have had to hit the reset button. Federer finished strong, avenging his U.S. Open loss to Novak Djokovic (on his home turf at Basel). He nosed in front of his pal Pete Sampras in the career title count with win No. 65 (also in Basel), and later he joined Sampras and Ivan Lendl as the only men who have won the year-end championships five times. That he ended his year at that event with a command performance against his nemesis Nadal (Federer won, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1) only made the triumph more poignant.
Seen from high enough above the smoke and din of the battlefield, 2010 seems like a year when Federer approached the brink of submission to Nadal, but managed to pull his chestnuts out of the fire in time to reassert a general—and for us, marvelous—sense of parity. If he benefitted from Nadal's January injury, he also showed great resilience and competitive courage to finish the way he did. But this is how it's always been with these two. What seems a certain knockout either way tends to bring the seemingly beaten man popping back up off the mat, stung but reinvigorated. We saw it most recently at the ATP World Tour Finals.
Yesterday, I speculated that WTA No. 2 Vera Zvonareva's eye-catching 6-1, 6-0 win over No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki in a Hong Kong exhibition may bear upon the events of the coming weeks in Melbourne. Much the same can be said for Federer's performance last week in Doha, where an ill (as opposed to injured) Nadal swooned and staggered out in the semifinal stage, beaten by the man Federer would crush in the final, Nikolay Davydenko. There are more similarities than differences in the comparison, starting with the most conspicuous one of them all: the No. 2s seem to be doing all they can to seize the high ground as the Australia Open bears down on us. They are ready.
Słówko o kolejnym pomyśle i aranżacji fedalowych pokazówek. Na nazwiska Nadal i Federer użyte w jednym zdaniu powoli dostaję skrętu kiszek. :P Wspaniali tenisiści, bardzo dobrzy ludzie, od zawsze darzący się wzajemnym szacunkiem - ok. Niemniej ta ich wielka "przyjaźń" kreowana od niedawna zaczyna mnie mocno irytować. Naturalnie wszystko przez tę modę na pokazówki. Nie rozumiem tego i nawet się nie staram tego robić. Nie kminie czemu to ma służyć. Z jednej strony marudzenie, że sezon za długi, dogrywanie meczów z kontuzją, a dwa dni po fakcie aranżacja cyklu spotkań pokazowych. Ta rywalizacja mocno zapisała się w historii dyscypliny, Panowie zdominowali tenis w ostatnich 5 latach, nie widzę żadnej potrzeby udowadniania poprzez media i tego typu "szopki", że dziś mamy dwóch prawdziwych tenisistów, a reszta to statyści.
Mniej więcej tak to postrzegam. :P
Jak tam wygląda to na chwilę obecną?
10.03.2011
STAN NA DZIEŃ : 10.03.2011 rok
(wiek 24 lata, 9 miesięcy, 1 tydzień)
Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal
Turnieje/Finały 37/12 - 43/13
(TMS/Finały) 10/4 - 18/6
(TMC/Finały) 2/1 - 0/1
(GS/Finały) 7 - 9/2
Ranking 1 - 1
Ilość tyg jako #1: 118 - 85
Ilość wygranych sezonów (Year End #1): 2 - 2
Wyniki Rogera pochodzą z dnia 15.05.2006 r.
LJUBICIC SALUTES NADAL & FEDERER
Ivan Ljubicic believes Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are still the players to beat.
World No. 15 Ivan Ljubicic believes that while a changing of the guard in tennis will come eventually, for now Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal remain the undisputed top players in the game.
In explaining their dominance, Ljubicic highlighted their absolute consistency when they step on court. “When they play, they play absolutely their best, and it’s really difficult to beat them. It makes a difference at the end of the day that they never give up on a single point. They are always in great shape when they have to be in the big tournaments. They are able to compete everyday and really give their absolute best when they are on the court, which I don’t think was always the case with past champions.
“I always felt with [Pete] Sampras and [Andre] Agassi they had two or three tournaments where they were not good at all and they would lose first round. That’s not happening with these two guys. That’s why they’ve been up there for such a long time, because it’s really difficult to win one single game against them.”
Australian Open champion and World No. 3 Novak Djokovic is one player threatening to break the Federer-Nadal stronghold, and confidently dispatched Federer in straight sets in the semi-finals in Melbourne. The 31-year-old Ljubicic insists, though, that the Serbian must maintain his focus if he is to dislodge the Top 2 in the South African Airways 2011 ATP Rankings.
“That’s what happened in Australia, Djokovic just played better than Federer. If he can do that five times a year then he’s going to be No. 1 in the world. But otherwise he’s still going to be behind and trying to get them. Now it’s a question of how motivated he is, whether he can keep going like that, because for Federer and Nadal it’s natural to be focussed and stay there.
“A changing of the guard will come eventually,” the Croatian continued. “Roger is 30 years old this year; he’s not going to be there forever. I still think that Roger can win Slams and I still think that if he managed to win a Slam this year, or a couple of Masters 1000, he would still be in the Top 2 or 3. He’s not going to disappear all of a sudden. But definitely Djokovic, [Andy] Murray and these guys will start to be more difficult for Nadal and Federer.
“It’s just nature. I don’t think it’s Roger’s fault or something that Djokovic and Murray are doing better than other guys. It’s just natural that that change will come eventually.”
Nadal On Federer: “Friendship Doesn’t Affect Our Rivalry”
They played a NIKE exhibition together earlier in the week, they combined to raise more than $1m for the Queensland flood relief efforts at Rally For Relief in January, and played two special exhibition matches during December to benefit each other’s charitable foundations. However, despite their close connection off the court, World No. 1 Rafael Nadal declared his friendship with No. 2 Roger Federer does not get in the way of their riveting rivalry on the court.
Speaking to media at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on Friday, Nadal said, “We love competition, but we understand outside competition [there] is the relationship of outside of the court. [It] doesn't affect nothing on our performance on court. That's the most important thing.
“At the end, we have a good connection together, and that's why we are always open to do exhibitions or events for our foundations or anything together. I think Roger, for sure he's a good person, but at the same time he's a good friend of mine at this moment. For sure, our relationship is getting closer and closer all the time, and I think we are feeling comfortable together.”
Seeded Nos. 1 and 2 at the BNP Paribas Open, there is the chance that the Nadal-Federer rivalry could be reignited with what would be their 23rd meeting in the final of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 hard-court tennis tournament. The pair last crossed paths in the final of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, where Federer defeated his Spanish rival in three sets.
Nadal vs Federer: FedEx ATP Head2Head
It was during the year-end championships in London that Nadal felt he last reached his top level, having struggled with illness and then a left-thigh injury at the start of the 2011 ATP World Tour season. Speaking ahead of his bid for a third BNP Paribas Open title, the Mallorcan said he is focussed on rediscovering that level now that he is once again fully fit.
“I felt I was in a very good position to try to start the season very well,” said the left-hander. “My feeling before I started the season was better than ever, but sometimes you didn't feel that well and finally the things go fantastic.
“This time I felt perfect. I was unlucky in the beginning of the season, so [I’m] just trying to find again the performance of the beginning of the season. I have to be playing similar to how I was playing before the start of the season when I practised in December in Mallorca. The finals of London, I think, was a very high level for me, and I have to try to be at this position another time. I'm trying my best, every day practising. And for sure if I am winning matches, everything is going to be a little bit easier.”
The 24-year-old Nadal opens his campaign on Saturday afternoon against South African qualifier Rik de Voest. The Spaniard previously won the BNP Paribas Open title in 2007 (d. Djokovic) and 2009 (d. Murray) and is bidding to win his 19th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown.
04.04.2011
STAN NA DZIEŃ : 10.04.2011 rok
(wiek 24 lata, 10 miesięcy, 1 tydzień)
Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal
Turnieje/Finały 38/13 - 43/15
(TMS/Finały) 10/4 - 18/8
(TMC/Finały) 2/1 - 0/1
(GS/Finały) 7(1) - 9/2
Ranking 1 - 1
Ilość tyg jako #1: 123 - 90
Ilość wygranych sezonów (Year End #1): 2 - 2
Wyniki Rogera pochodzą z dnia 15.06.2006 r.
03.05.2011
STAN NA DZIEŃ : 03.05.2011 rok
(wiek 24 lata, 11 miesięcy)
Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal
Turnieje/Finały 39/13 - 45/15
(TMS/Finały) 10/4 - 19/8
(TMC/Finały) 2/1 - 0/1
(GS/Finały) 8/1 - 9/2
Ranking 1 - 1
Ilość tyg jako #1: 127 - 94
Ilość wygranych sezonów (Year End #1): 2 - 2
Wyniki Rogera pochodzą z dnia 08.07.2006 r.
Dun, a nie zgubiłeś przypadkiem ostatniego tytułu Rafaela w Monte Carlo? :-)
Po części tak. Dodałem go do ogólnej liczby turniejów, pominąłem zaś przy ilości wygranych mastersów - poprawione. ;)
Czemu wyniki Rogera są z 08.07.2006 roku? Przecież mamy kwiecień dopiero.
kefirr napisał:
Czemu wyniki Rogera są z 08.07.2006 roku? Przecież mamy kwiecień dopiero.
Bo to jest porównanie wyników obydwu tenisistów w tym samym wieku (co do dnia, ew.tygodnia). Roger miał dokładnie tyle samo lat, miesięcy i tygodni, co Nadal ma teraz, w lipcu 2006 roku.
03.06.2011
STAN NA DZIEŃ : 03.06.2011 rok
(wiek 25 lat)
Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal
Turnieje/Finały 40/13 - 45/17
(TMS/Finały) 11/4 - 19/10
(TMC/Finały) 2/1 - 0/1
(GS/Finały) 8/1 - 9/2
Ranking 1 - 1
Ilość tyg jako #1: 131 - 98
Ilość wygranych sezonów (Year End #1): 2 - 2
Wyniki Rogera pochodzą z dnia 08.08.2006 r.
DUN I LOVE napisał:
03.06.2011
Jak to jest, że wyniki są podane ponad 2 tyg. przed tą datą?
jaccol55 napisał:
DUN I LOVE napisał:
03.06.2011
Jak to jest, że wyniki są podane ponad 2 tyg. przed tą datą?
Wydaje mi się, że Nadal do tego czasu nic nowego nie ugra. Z fotela lidera do dnia swoich urodzin też nie spadnie, więc po wczorajszym finale śmiało można aż tak wybiec w przyszłość. ;)
FEDERER, NADAL ANTICIPATE "SPECIAL" FINAL
Rafael Nadal is chasing a sixth Roland Garros crown.
Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer will meet for the eighth time in a Grand Slam final when they contest the Roland Garros championship match on Sunday in Paris. Nadal has won five of those matches and leads their overall FedEx ATP Head2Head 16-8.
“I am happy to play against [Federer], because it is always an honour to play against the best player in history. Playing against him always represents something very special,” declared Nadal in his pre-final press conference on Sunday. “I know I have to play at my highest level to have chances to win, because he is playing fantastic. After the victory of yesterday he must feel very confident.”
“It always seems to me that Rafa needs to be in a French Open final to make it special, and I got the match I guess I was hoping for,” said Federer after his extraordinary semi-final win over Novak Djokovic on Friday evening. “After beating Novak, it's in a way a gift that I get the chance, and I'm looking forward to it.”
It will be the pair’s first meeting in a major final since the 2009 Australian Open, when Nadal prevailed in five sets. They will clash in the Roland Garros title match for the fourth time after Nadal defeated Federer in three successive finals from 2006-2008. In 2008 Federer was handed his worst ever defeat, in terms of games won, as Nadal triumphed 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 in the most one-sided Roland Garros final since 1977.
“I'm happy I never got sort of a letdown just because he has beaten me here and just that I never stopped believing,” said Federer. “That's why I got the Roland Garros [title] in 2009, which remains one of my most special wins, really, in my career. And I have another opportunity to beat Rafa here and get the French Open title. I've got to play some extraordinarily special tennis. I'm aware of that.”
The 29-year-old Federer is chasing his 17th Grand Slam championship and his first since the 2010 Australian Open (d. Murray). Having already broken the Open Era record in the men’s game, the Basel native has now set his sights closing the gap on the five female players who have won more major singles titles than him.
At the age of 25, Nadal is bidding to equal Bjorn Borg’s record and become just the second man in history to win six titles on the Parisian clay. The Spaniard has a staggering 44-1 record at Roland Garros, winning titles from 2005-2008 and again in 2010; his lone loss came at the hands of Robin Soderling in the 2009 fourth round.
“All I know is that I need to play my tennis; to play very well, to strike perfect shots each time, so that I can have all possible opportunities to win and make him realise that it's not going to be easy to play against me.”
Despite Federer’s victory over Djokovic in the semi-finals, Nadal’s position atop the South African Airways 2011 ATP Rankings remains on the line in Sunday’s final. Nadal will retain the No. 1 spot if he wins, but will be usurped by Djokovic should Federer triumph.
DUN I LOVE napisał:
Wydaje mi się, że Nadal do tego czasu nic nowego nie ugra. Z fotela lidera do dnia swoich urodzin też nie spadnie, więc po wczorajszym finale śmiało można aż tak wybiec w przyszłość. ;)
Jak widać ugrał ;)
robpal napisał:
DUN I LOVE napisał:
Wydaje mi się, że Nadal do tego czasu nic nowego nie ugra. Z fotela lidera do dnia swoich urodzin też nie spadnie, więc po wczorajszym finale śmiało można aż tak wybiec w przyszłość. ;)
Jak widać ugrał ;)
Tylko, że dzisiaj jest 5, a nie 3 czerwca. ;-)
Dobra no, szczegół.
Jak się uprzeć, to to co DIL napisał jest w porządku ;)
Szczęście/nieszczęście tej jednej, konkretnej statystyki polegało na tym, że Rafa miał urodziny 2 dni przed finałem (DUN podaje dane dla konkretnej daty - urodziny są do tego w zasadzie najodpowiedniejsze), co nieco wprowadziło nieco zamieszania.
Ja tam bym zaliczył ten tytuł na poczet 24. roku życia, ale to bez znaczenia. 25 lat to wiek, w którym Fed był dopiero w 1/3 swojej dominacji i ten numerek nic nie zmienia. Rafa go nie dogoni, ale miło wyglądają dwie cyferki na liczniku :)
robpal napisał:
Ja tam bym zaliczył ten tytuł na poczet 24. roku życia, ale to bez znaczenia. 25 lat to wiek, w którym Fed był dopiero w 1/3 swojej dominacji i ten numerek nic nie zmienia. Rafa go nie dogoni, ale miło wyglądają dwie cyferki na liczniku :)
Czemu twierdzisz, że nie dogoni? Wiele wskazuje na to, że jest to jednak prawdopodobne.
10 szlemów a 16 to kosmiczna różnica (a Fed pewnie jeszcze ze 2 dorzuci). Rafa taką sprawność może moim zdaniem utrzymać jeszcze przez góra 3 sezony, a i tak jest już wolniejszy niż był wcześniej. Dopada go klasyczny "spadek szybkości" i on nic na to nie poradzi. Wyrównanie wyniku Samprasa jest możliwe, ale Szwajcara nie dogoni.
:D:D:D
Oj tak.!!!! rotfl
Przeminęło z wiatrem. Prawie.
Do porównania powinno się tylko rocznika używać a nie kto ile lat ma.
Mac wants Rafa to show a bit of ego
Serial egomaniac John McEnroe has called upon Rafael Nadal to back himself a bit more, with the American saying the Spaniard needs to lose the trademark modesty about the level of his game and career.
No matter how many majors he wins and no matter how long he stays atop the rankings, Nadal cannot stop praising rival Roger Federer, the player whom he continually calls the best ever.
Mac the mouth thinks it's time to stop all of that politeness, perhaps with the hopes of taking tennis back to the bitchy days of three decades ago when he and tennis streetfighter Jimmy Connors played as mortal enemies.
McEnroe, commentating on the BBC during Wimbledon, said he's "getting a little bit tired of (Nadal) continuing to downplay his chances."
Nadal consistently refuses to trash-talk Federer or even look ahead to a possible final next week with the world-beating Swiss who owns the record 16 Grand Slam titles.
"There is definitely an argument for him not only being the best player at the moment, but the greatest of all time," McEnroe said. "Rafa has won things like the Davis Cup and an Olympic gold medal (in singles) that Roger Federer hasn't, and he is right on his tail in terms of grand slam titles, too, so why can't he just say, 'Look, I'm the best'?"
03.08.2011
STAN NA DZIEŃ : 03.08.2011 rok
(wiek 25 lat, 2 miesiące)
Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal
Turnieje/Finały 42/13 - 46/18
(TMS/Finały) 11/4 - 19/10
(TMC/Finały) 2/1 - 0/1
(GS/Finały) 9/1 - 10/3
Ranking 1 - 2
Ilość tyg jako #1: 139 - 102
Ilość wygranych sezonów (Year End #1): 2 - 2
Wyniki Rogera pochodzą z dnia 08.10.2006 r.