Beauty Killed The Beast and Booing Killed The Bull

I’d say this is more like the federer 2008 hiccup. Around same age same tournament etc. Nadal too good. He will be back and he’s nothing like henin when she cowardly ducked out. She was classless that moment. Nadal wasn’t and isn’t.

If you are looking for a complainer look at federer and his sour grapes in complaining about nadal post match. For a classy player that was a low blow. Sadly it won’t help federer to dislike nadal when they play. At this point the rivalry is too lopsided to consider anything as fuel for federer when he plays nadal. He loses indoor outdoor fast surface slow surface. Even lost on a dual clay grass court in an exhibition.

I would say nadal too much in his head. As for wawrinka who knows . he likes the french but let’s be honest nadal since 2005 is 55-1 at the French. 8 slams at Roland Barros alone – as many French opens as agassi has slams. Wishful thinking.

I know you like to exaggerate to make your pieces more interesting Scoop which I totally get as someone who does some writing myself LOL but Stan’s NOT beating Rafa at The French Open anytime soon… This could be a win to build on but it’s a little late in Stan’s career for him to seriously be at the level of the Rafa/Novak freight train consistently… This is Stan’s career crowning achievement & a well earned 1 at that… History doesn’t bode well for guys who have their career defining victory over Rafa & “The Bull” usually extracts an emphatic revenge on them-remember Soderling at the ’10 French Open Final or Novak last year at the US Open Final? Enjoy this high while you can “Stan the Man”… I do think Stan is capable of winning future Majors because he’s talented enough but I wouldn’t bank on it!

Anything is possible but 1 win in 13 career matches against Rafa does not equate to solving any puzzle… Nobody solves puzzles & makes adjustments like Rafa… Stan’s not even a fraction of the clay court player that Rafa is which beatdowns in Rome & Paris displayed last year… Winning 3 out 5 versus Rafa on the red dirt is a whole other animal so MARK MY WORDS-it’s not happening… Every year somebody’s supposed to knock Rafa off at The French & every year they fail… His supreme movement, grinding ability on longer points & unmatched defense to offense skills are just too much at that venue on that surface… Just admit Scoop, you are eager for someone to send Rafa into decline & gradually put him out the picture… You should know by now, it’s not going to happen… He’s the HEART of the entire tour & sport so you should want Rafa around because when he’s gone Tennis suffers financially & TV ratings wise not to mention the fact the sport is far less thrilling/dramatic… Wawrinks like Del Po becomes a very exclusive member of the LONE GRAND SLAM TITLE CLUB during The Big 4 Era! VAMOS TRUE GOAT

I hear your points Scoop but unless there’s definitive proof that Rafa wasn’t truly injured than this is all speculation on both sides… I choose to give the benefit of the doubt to this EXTRAORDINARY CHAMPION & SPORTSMAN who has always been gracious in victory & defeat… I’m not naïve enough to not be aware of the possibility that there could have been something going on but a Rafa who isn’t giving max effort isn’t a normal Rafa… Just my opinion which I’m sticking to & vice versa Scoop… I respect your views which you have every right to have… If in fact Rafa did pull a stunt, it’s DISAPPOINTING & BENEATH SUCH A GREAT COMPETITOR to do so… Stan WON today based on his tremendous level of play & deserves all the praise that’s coming his way… Today changes nothing in the big picture as Rafa will be continue to be THE BEST along with Novak & hopefully Murray… We now just have another member joining the party which I think is a good thing… Even though I’m an admitted NADALISTA, I respect & acknowledge his worthy opponents giving credit when & where it’s do… I enjoy the site & appreciate the fact you allow me to contribute! I will just add that while Federer does deserve credit for never resorting to gamesmanship tactics to try & kill the momentum of his opponents, let’s not overlook the fact that Federer is probably the biggest excuse maker out there & he never gives his opponents the proper credit for beating him… He’s a smug, pompous snob who can’t accept the fact that he’s pretty much out of the significant titles picture & his hero worshipping, delusional fans who live in a Fanatasy World specialize in venting sour grapes & throwing out unfounded accusations so let’s just hold all players/fan bases to an equal standard here!

I played team sports actively & participated in baseball tournaments but I am sure an individual sport is a different animal all together because of the self interests & more personal driven pride going on… The thought of Rafa faking this injury entered my mind, I’d be lying if I said it didn’t… I am choosing to give him the benefit of the doubt while holding on to the possibility that he pulled a stunt because he didn’t know how to handle getting overwhelmed like really never before on such a stage… Novak had himreeling a few consecutive Finals between 11-12 but Stan was taking it to a different level of 1 sidedness as he was just IN THE ZONE… I do think Rafa hurt something but who knows!? I said Stan earned his title & I meant it… I still favor Rafa in this matchup moving forward because history suggests he will bounce back even stronger… Stan’s in the mix & has taken his game to Elite Status in the last 12 months… I enjoy watching the guy play & the natural power/artistry he possesses on the court so I think it’s great to have another player of significance to add some intrigue to the tour… I just put a big emphasis on a player competing at the PEAK of the sport over the long-haul & Rafa has been THE STANDARD along with Roger for so long that I see him maintaining the level he’s established for the foreseeable future since he shows no real signs of diminishing yet… Today just wasn’t his day & a Career Double Grand Slam may not be in the cards for Rafa but more achievements & records likely are!

Who won on the % of matches? Do we get a “thattaboy”?

Anything but an expected Australian Open this year & perhaps the surprise developments to begin the 2014 ATP & WTA tennis season is a sign of things to come? Just have to see how the year unfolds… I will say that a little shakeup in things wouldn’t necessarily be the worst thing for the sport of Tennis from an interest or entertainment standpoint! I hear Dan’s claims or observations & they’re valid points… I will just say however that Rafa IS NOT the only player including AT THE TOP to be suspicious of nor is he the only guy to call out for less than commendable gamesmanship tactics when things aren’t going his way… Try not to be so undisguised in your targeted bashing of & agenda towards 1 player!

“He’s the HEART of the entire tour & sport so you should want Rafa around because when he’s gone Tennis suffers financially & TV ratings wise not to mention the fact the sport is far less thrilling/dramatic… ”

That simply isn’t true. Tennis did well when he was out for 7 months. There were new records at the tournaments like usual.

Nadal tries everything to win. He took MTOs against Federer was well.

He said it’s not the time to talk about his injury, but all he is doing is talking about it.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2014/01/4/Australian-Open-2014-Day-14-Final-Nadal-Reaction.aspx

Pretty harsh words, Abe, and btw, welcome to the site. We like harsh and respectfully truthful words here. Look, I’ve said it again and again only to be pellet-shot down by the Nadal lovers, that Rafa uses un-championship-like tactics. We’ve seen it again and again. I’ve never seen Federer call for an injury timeout in a slam match, particularly a slam final. Cite one instance when he did. Never saw Sampras do it, even when he was throwing up against Corretja.

But Nadal we’ve seen do it numerous times. I didn’t see this match live, but I’ve seen most of the first 3 sets on the Tennis Channel repeat. Nadal looked like he was moving for the ball ok over the first set and 2 games until Wawa was up 2-0 in the second. You have to ask yourself why a 27-year-old has gotten injured so much in his career. And he only seems to come back stronger.

It was an amazing performance by Stan in this tournament, but Rafa was injured. He was barely moving to the ball. And Scoop, someone trotting off to the locker room is different than moving full speed. I doubt Rafa was that affected by the crowd. He’s used to playing in hostile territory and winning in spite of it.

This maybe a sign of injury problems yet to come for Rafa, but it also maybe nothing. Most back spasm injuries which are muscular get better in a matter of days. If it is arthritis, slipped disc, nerve impingment, a bit worse. Rafa is not one to fake injuries. It’s not like Djoker and Roddick claiming injury then a few points later, running like a daisy.

I was impressed that Rafa can play injured and win a set without his high level topspin. He knows the court and how to play tennis. He should decrease his intensity on some points and play a liitle more finesse after seeing this! Stan, however, may have had trouble adjusting to the toned down shots of Rafa, but eventually he adjusted and went on to win.

I think the hand blister made Rafa have to play more defense and play longer matches with all the tie breakers in this tournament and it took its toll on him. Hats of to Stan for mentally being able to take advantage and win. Stan had a few advantages going into the final. He had one more day of rest and had a walkover and a retirement. Overall, this does not bode well for Stan winning another major. Stan did get lucky to some extent.

Stan will be in the top five for 1 year and top 10 for max 2 years. But, I’ll take the bet against Stan for winning another major. Historically, tennis is a young man’s game, and multiple slam winners are younger, and players that win majors after their prime don’t win 2nd majors. In fact, players that win in the middle of their prime for the first time mostly do not win second majors. I will give you a very interesting age stat. In the open era only 4 men won their 1st major at age 24 and beyond and got multiple majors. These are Lendl, Vilas, Rafter who won at age 24 and went on to win 2 or more, and Nastase was 26 when he won his first and managed a second major. If Dan or Scoop want to bet on Stan winning a second major, I’m game and Scoop will owe me another steak dinner. I’m definitely trending well to win against Novak winning 10 majors, Scoop. You made a sucker’s bet, and Stan would be too. Stan could join Nastase and do it, but I doubt it. In fact Stan is 28, older than all previous 4 men that defied the young man statistic. I use 24 as my cutoff when determining a player’s ability to win multiple majors. Dmitrov is getting close!

Even JM Del Potro winning a second major is in doubt, though he was quite young when he won the 2009 US Open. I still contend that he was lucky to beat an injured Nadal in the US Open semi and then had enough for Federer. And yes, I know everyone is going to bring up his little wrist injury to his opposite hand as an excuse. And yes, I will take any bet against JM Del Potro winning a second major.

I believe Stan’s victory tarnishes Federer even more. Many on this site disagreed when I was critical of Fed’s lack of Davis Cup. Now that Stan won a major and David Ferrer didn’t, I am even more correct in my criticism of Fed not playing Davis Cup and not winning when he did. Rafa’s resume of 4 Davis Cups is looking mighty nice in comparison to Fed who has a second GS champion that he played with!

Will Rafa’s chances of becoming the GOAT decrease with this loss. Yes, but it’s still possible to win either a Aussie Open or Wimbledon in his career and have the overall 2 of every major or 3 of every surface argument in his favor. But time is running out and this effort may prevent breaking 17 and becoming the undisputed GOAT. I’m still hopeful for either the qualitative career marks or even the quantitative grand slams.

But congrats to Stan on his first and likely only grand slam championship trophy!

Gusta

For those who claim that Rafa fakes injury, he actually loses when he gets injured.

Though Fed has not called the trainer in his matches historically as much as Djoker or Nadal, he has in the past. In 2003 Wimbledon he had back spasms and called the trainer against Fish or Lopez. Also he intentionally did that long bathroom break against Davydenko in 2010 Australian. All players are guilty of gamesmanship, even Fed.

Nadal has had injury issues, and loses when he does.

Gaurang, if you believe the gluten intolerance nonsense, you were born yesterday. Being a physician, I know gluten patients, and I know the difference from gluten fadists. If Djoker had gluten intolerance or celiac disease he would have had a weight loss problem prior to going on the diet, and then gain weight after. So that alone tells me he is just a fadist. Instead the reverse occurred and he lost weight on the gluten free diet. Let’s not be ridiculous.

Gusta

good catch scoop….’2001′ is one of my all-time personal favorite films. and of course kubrick’s body of work is deserving of another website/symposium completely dedicated to it’s interpretations, accolades, etc..

What do you mean Rafa loses when he calls injury timeouts? What about the one most egregiously, when he was down 2 sets to 1 against Petzschner and totally through the German off, and Rafa came back to win that match. I’m sure there’s been other times where he has pulled this injury stunt and come back and won matches, too.

Actually Dan, no Rafa has not called injury timeouts and come back to win historically in his career. He has lost most of the time he called an injury timeout. It is simply paranoia on the part of players and Rafa haters.

Scoop, I don’t know what match you were watching. Rafa couldn’t run for the ball in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th sets. I knew he was going to lose once I saw him moving slowly. And what manipulation by Toni Nadal? Toni is a coach with no ATP experience as a player, is a complete amateur, and somehow he is a diabolical genius to some of you!

One moment, many of you claim Rafa is injury prone, and then when he calls an injury timeout, he is faking it. A contradiction won’t you say?

I have to correct Gaurang about Djoker’s breathing problems. Gluten sensitivity or celiac disease causes diarrheal illness, not respiratory illness. Djoker may have minor gluten sensitivity, which many believe is a fad, while celiac disease is real gluten intolerance. He said he corrected a deviated septum that supposedly caused breathing difficulty. In fact that is also in his head as this is usually not the case.

Rafa lost because of injury. Only the paranoid Rafa haters think otherwise, and most credible journalists agree he was injured.

Gusta