[Albert Pujols]

Anyone watching the Australian Open? Haas v Federer match is coming up.

[lavar78]

Yep. It should be interesting.

[Jawbone54]

Let's wait about 10 years, look back on Federer's entire career, and then judge. Right now he's just exciting to watch, and definitely has the potential to be one of the greatest talents in the game's history.

[wallinbl]

Originally Posted by Jawbone54

Let's wait about 10 years, look back on Federer's entire career, and then judge. Right now he's just exciting to watch, and definitely has the potential to be one of the greatest talents in the game's history.

No, it's better to judge quickly and then criticize him when he does not keep pace with the collective achievements of all the great players in history. We treat the stars of other sports this way, and it's only fair to extend Federer the same courtesy.

[lavar78]

Move over Becker and Edberg, Federer's now at 7! He's tied with McEnroe and Wilander (among others). Next stop: Agassi, Conners, and Lendl at 8. The big one is up next in Paris.

[Cubeoid]

Well, Roger won the Australian Open today against a charming Cyprian underdog, in four sets. Great match. Congratulations Roger.

[amsalpemkcus]

Federer fights back to take title

Roger Federer overcame a mighty scare to beat unseeded 20-year-old Marcos Baghdatis and claim his second Australian Open title in Melbourne.

The world number one was in serious trouble at a set and a break down but held his nerve.

He reeled off 11 games as Baghdatis tired, and the Cypriot needed treatment on his calf in the closing set.

Federer, however, got stronger as the match went on, winning 5-7 7-5 6-0 6-2 for his seventh Grand Slam title.

As the world number 54 and playing far and away the biggest match of his career, Baghdatis was a huge outsider against a man who had never lost a Grand Slam final.

But the Cypriot had seen off Andy Roddick, Ivan Ljubicic and David Nalbandian on his way to the final and was not short on confidence.

It was Baghdatis who set the pace as the match started and his huge hitting and impressive serve had Federer struggling.

The pair swapped breaks in games five and six but it was an edgy Federer who made the crucial mistake in game 12, dumping two shots in the net as he lost the set.

Baghdatis powered on at the start of the second, converting his third break point to move further ahead and wasting two chances in game three for a double break.

Baghdatis should be in the top 20 this year - he gave Federer a hard time in the first two sets That gave Federer a lifeline and the top seed capitalised immediately, recovering the break and from 5-5 going on a run of 11 games that virtually sealed the match.

Baghdatis suffered a fall in game two of the fourth set and immediately called the trainer but the damage was already done.

He bravely battled on and forced one more break point but Federer was not to be denied, sealing victory when Baghdatis hit a backhand into the net.

As the Wimbledon and US Open champion, Federer becomes the first man since Pete Sampras in 1993-94 to win three consecutive Grand Slam titles.

And after receiving the trophy from Rod Laver an emotional Federer broke down in tears, embracing the Australian who was the last man to win all four Grand Slams in one year.

That will now be the target for Federer, who will go for a first French Open crown in May.

EDIT: Souce - http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/4656846.stm

-----------------------



"[It's] certainly amazing how well he plays in the finals. I wouldn't bet against him," Laver said of 24-year-old Federer

"He's got so much talent. There's a lot of ingredients that go into being a tennis player: the temperament, to start with, the stroke production. Court positioning and anticipation, I think, is something that he seems capable of doing a lot more than other players.

"A lot of other players go back a little deeper on the baseline and slog away and hit heavy groundstrokes, but Roger seems to just move around the baseline. As soon as they make a mistake, he sits on top of them and he's got a wide-open court because he's not back very far and doesn't allow a player to get back into play. I think just his court coverage is quite unusual, uncanny. He doesn't seem to be out of position."

[Cubeoid]

Originally Posted by amsalpemkcus

Baghdatis suffered a fall in game two of the fourth set and immediately called the trainer but the damage was already done.

Not true, he got a cramp.

[Albert Pujols]

I woke up at 3:30 AM to watch the match at my buddies place. I was definitely hoping for more of a fight from Baghdatis in the third and fourth sets. I don't know if his cramp got in the way or if he just got tired, but I hope I see him play again..and his hot girl friend too

[spectre]

Baghdatis will be fun to watch in the future... he almost plays a bit like federer, which is a good thing. (and yes, his gf is hot... though only 17)

[the_glassman]

Originally Posted by Albert Pujols

I woke up at 3:30 AM to watch the match at my buddies place. I was definitely hoping for more of a fight from Baghdatis in the third and fourth sets. I don't know if his cramp got in the way or if he just got tired, but I hope I see him play again..and his hot girl friend too

http://sports.163.com/06/0127/09/28FDI6N500051KMG.html

[Cubeoid]

She's very cute.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by Cubeoid

She's very cute.

Stop staring at her boobs

-t

[amsalpemkcus]

Better a bit late than never.

Federer defeated Blake in the final at the Pacific Life Open tennis tournament in Indian Wells, California March 19, 2006. World number one Federer demolished Blake 7-5 6-3 6-0 to win his third consecutive Pacific Life Open title on Sunday.

[Albert Pujols]

haha, I think Federer basically has the Nasdaq-100 wrapped up too. Well pretty much after he plays Haas.

[Albert Pujols]

Well Federer wins another one, not much of a surprise.

I hope no one minds if I link up my blog, but we've written a little article about the match.

http://sbstennis.blogspot.com/

[amsalpemkcus]

Federer in Roma, Italy. ATP Master's Series.



5th set tie break!!

[amsalpemkcus]

∂amn! that was close! Nadal wins again...

[DIPESH14]

What a great match. Congratulations Nadal!

[lavar78]

Federer's getting closer and closer to beating Nadal on clay. That doesn't bode well for the rest of the field...

BTW, it's either "Roma, Italia" or "Rome, Italy."

[amsalpemkcus]

Looking fwd to French Open after this game.

BTW, CNN saez Roma, Italy,

[Albert Pujols]

Originally Posted by amsalpemkcus

Looking fwd to French Open after this game.

BTW, CNN saez Roma, Italy,

I'm expecting to see the same Nadal v. Federer match up for the finals in Hamburg this week. Same for the French. Hopefully they're all of this quality. There will definitely be less pressure for Nadal in Hamburg though, since he doesn't have to worry about breaking any streaks. Congrats to Nadal for the 53 clay court win streak, and for bringing his match record with Federer to 5-1.


we have a small write up on our blog if anyone is interested in reading it http://sbstennis.blogspot.com/

[lavar78]

I expect both Federer and Nadal to back out of Hamburg to rest for Roland Garros.

I don't care what CNN says. It's "Roma, Italia" in Italian and "Rome, Italy" in English.

[Albert Pujols]

No way they would pull out of a Masters Series event. Either way their names already on the draw. I can't wait to see the out comes.. this is so exciting.

[lavar78]

Originally Posted by Albert Pujols

No way they would pull out of a Masters Series event. Either way their names already on the draw.

Sure they can. IIRC, Federer skipped Rome altogether last year. I'm sure he'd like to defend his Hamburg title, but I doubt he'd play two straight weeks before the French.

[spectre]

Well Federer is getting closer to beating Nadal on clay. They are clearly the undisputed number 1 and 2 players on clay, though Federer really should have won the match. Maybe this will give him confidence going into the French.

[amsalpemkcus]

Originally Posted by spectre

Well Federer is getting closer to beating Nadal on clay. They are clearly the undisputed number 1 and 2 players on clay, though Federer really should have won the match. Maybe this will give him confidence going into the French.

Yeah, it sucked to see him miss out on all the break points.

[amsalpemkcus]

The wizard spoke thus after his loss:

"I just have the feeling that every time I play Rafael that it helps me to find out more about his game," Federer says. "OK, maybe he can say the same the other way around. But I believe I have more tools to dismantle him than he can do against me."

[Albert Pujols]

Originally Posted by lavar78

Sure they can. IIRC, Federer skipped Rome altogether last year. I'm sure he'd like to defend his Hamburg title, but I doubt he'd play two straight weeks before the French.

oh damn you were right!

[lavar78]

Originally Posted by Albert Pujols

oh damn you were right!

Yeah. They're human. In all likelihood, playing Hamburg would've had them playing grueling matches for four straight weeks.

[amsalpemkcus]

WTF!!
After destroying Nadal in that first set Federer takes a nap in the second! Jeez!
Heh. Nadal is looking worn out already though. I think Rogi may win it in 4 sets. Nevermind Federer just got broken in 3rd. Damn! wtf!

[amsalpemkcus]

5-5 in the foutth set!!! what a play by federer!! GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !! ROGI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nadal was serving for the match! lol!! A moment and a rally to remember that turned it around for Federer..... wow!!!

[amsalpemkcus]

damn! Overall, I think Nadal never gave up so he won, simple! What happened to Federer's game after that first set I wonder...incredible number of unforced errors..the guy beat himself I guess. But I will remember that one rally in the fourth set that must have given his fans a glimmer of hope..well..good tennis games all around. On to the grass courts now.

[Apple Pro Underwear]

i watched the match... nadal imo has killer instinct and resiliency. the only reason he let federer come back a bit in the 4th set is because federer is so damn good. if it was a lesser opponent, he would have smoked them.

anyway, where's roddick? on top of mandy moore somewhere?

[threestain]

Nadal appears completely unstoppable on clay, and more importantly unstoppable against Federer - 6-1 he now leads on head-to-heads! Plus it was the first grand slam final Federer has ever lost!

[Albert Pujols]

Originally Posted by Apple Pro Underwear

i watched the match... nadal imo has killer instinct and resiliency. the only reason he let federer come back a bit in the 4th set is because federer is so damn good. if it was a lesser opponent, he would have smoked them.

anyway, where's roddick? on top of mandy moore somewhere?

Mandy broke up with Roddick a long while ago. He's playing in a grass tournament in London this week and has a decent chance to go far, but he probably won't win it.

Nadal looked really well today, everyone was expecting Nadal to win it. I thought Federer had a decent chance to win, as he was getting closer and closer to beating Nadal everytime he played him. But today was different, I guess Federer can't figure out Nadal's "one dimensional" game after all.

Nadal's clay streak will go very far by the end of the year, there are still a few clay tournaments he's going to play, and this time Rafa is gonna be playing on a few grass tournaments too. After all, his dream is to win Wimbledon; he still has time to improve on grass.

[threestain]

I'm pretty sure he's looking to win Queen's Club - like he has the last three years.

Wimbledon? Hmmm... maybe not with Federer around.

[Albert Pujols]

Originally Posted by threestain

I'm pretty sure he's looking to win Queen's Club - like he has the last three years.

Wimbledon? Hmmm... maybe not with Federer around.

I doubt Roddick's chances of winning this year, there's a tougher draw and he hasn't been playing nearly his best tennis for a while now.

Nadal's dream is to win at Wimbledon but it is a long shot. I doubt Federer and Nadal will even play each other in a grass tournament anytime soon anyway. Nadal would be the number two seed at any tournament both he and Federer were in, so their only chance of seeing each other would be in the final round and Nadal would have a tough time just reaching there.

[Agasthya]

I think Fed had 2 or 3 games where he was up 0-40 on Nadal's serve but couldn't close it out.

And there was definitely one game on his serve where he was up 40-0 and lost 5 straight points.

Fed will get there - he just need to give more effort - the one point in the 4th set where he set up the break point... that is the type of effort he needs to give against Nadal ALL the time. He can't get by on pure talent like he can with everyone else in the world.

I was really disappointed this morning because it really looked like Rog gave up after the first break of the 4th set.

[lavar78]

I can't say I wasn't disappointed. Nadal seems like a really nice kid, but Fed was so close to a calendar Slam. Oh well. At least it's not like the Federer/Roddick "rivalry." Roger hasn't won a lot, but almost every game is close. He's clearly the 2nd-best player on clay (and first everywhere else)—he'll break through at some point.

[spectre]

I hope Fed gets at least one French Open title before he calls it quits. I guess he still has many chances left though I really feel Federer has the tools necessary to beat Nadal, even on clay, but he just needs to mentally break through against Nadal. I really feel Nadal, right now, has the mental edge over Federer.

[molala]

I really thought Roger had a good chance. He had those breakpoints and four or five straight errors in that 4th set TB were so unlike him! Too bad. That said, Rafa played really well and his groundstrokes were solid. I just felt that (especially late in the the 4th set), Roger was finding ways to win points by patiently going to the net and I wish he kept that up.

If Roger wins Wimby this year he will have won 4 in a row, last man to do it was Sampras (97 to 2000) but Borg has the record for consecutive wins at 5. Good luck to Rog!

Btw, did anyone see the complete trophy presentation? What did the players say? Did Roger speak French? Were there tears or jokes from either player? The BBC only gave us highlights.

[amsalpemkcus]

"Sampras - Federer will surpass me"

The 14-time Grand Slam winner said: "I just think Roger's got all the tools, he's got the demeanour. He really has the whole package to do it." - Pete Sampras

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/5156620.stm

Well, that's #8 now. Awesome!

Congrats on your 4th consecutive victory at Wimbledon, Rogi!

It was a good fight there by Nadal, I think Nadal can win a Wimbledon trophy if he keeps evolving the way he has done so far, still has to work on his serve I think for grass court at least, also I think Nadal just can't just give away the first set like that without much of a fight. But, I also think that Federer has another level of play hidden in him. You see flashes of brilliance off and on, prehaps Nadal's talent to fight every point and the power he packs into his tennis can bring out that level.

Going to be fun to see who beats whom first on their favorite surface!









Anyone wondering about that jacket?

"Federer is a man who loves tradition, and he is clearly delighted with the personalised jacket that his kit manufacturers, Nike, have come up with for the Championships, where he is hoping to become only the third man in the modern era to win four straight Wimbledon titles. Federer is a man who takes an interest in clothes. The world No 1 likes to look smart, and never more so than when he is playing at his favourite grand slam, and on a green rectangle of grass that he must surely consider his domain.

The jacket is classically stylish and has a special crest which incorporates a Swiss cross, a tuft of grass, his Leo star sign, an F for his surname and three rackets representing his three Wimbledon titles. After acknowledging the crowd's applause, Federer carefully put the jacket around the back of his change-over chair. This is no ordinary tracksuit to be casually thrown aside.

Apart from the jacket, Federer was also modelling his new high-technology shirt, one with special vents which he had described beforehand as "air-conditioning" (not that he was in need of any air-conditioning in yesterday's cold and soggy conditions - an old-fashioned vest and woolly jumper might have been more appropriate). Federer, it seems, does not wear new clothes these days so much as launch them." -- Mark Hodgkinson (telegraph.co.uk)

[Agasthya]

Nadal is growing on me. I love how he leaves everything on the court.

But of course I'll only cheer for him when he isn't playing Fed.

[Webscreamer]

Great hitting match. But Federer was the better player.

I love to see Federer win!

[Apple Pro Underwear]

I think it was quite kickass for Nadal to reach the final. I guess you can't claim he's a "clay specialist" now. I don't see Roddick or Hewitt in the Wimby finals.

I'm dissappointed in US tennis, so Nadal is going to be my "guy". He's humble and not a jerkface, so he'll some karma from me.

I'm tired of that pathetic loser Roddick (who i don't like because he spends too much time in the limelight instead of winning his ass off), who's the next teenager coming up for the US?

[rickey939]

Federer is the greatest player since Rickey Henderson.

[lavar78]

Originally Posted by Apple Pro Underwear

I think it was quite kickass for Nadal to reach the final. I guess you can't claim he's a "clay specialist" now. I don't see Roddick or Hewitt in the Wimby finals.

I'm dissappointed in US tennis, so Nadal is going to be my "guy". He's humble and not a jerkface, so he'll some karma from me.

I'm tired of that pathetic loser Roddick (who i don't like because he spends too much time in the limelight instead of winning his ass off), who's the next teenager coming up for the US?

What's wrong with James Blake? He'll be in the top 5 very soon.

This was an excellent match with an excellent result.

[Albert Pujols]

Imagine if Nadal had some how won at Wimbledon. That would have just turned the ATP upside down. It's good to see that Nadal proved everyone wrong, including Federer. Federer did not believe that Nadal could make it to the final, but he made it, and he took a set off him too.

I can't wait until the start of the hardcourt season.

[threestain]

I think Federer played beautifully, had a little wobble which let Nadal in, before swatting away the challenge again. It's going to be great fun watchin a lot of really good matches between the two!