Federer's comments rubbed me the wrong way too. If he was trying to make a joke about how his best tennis was in the finals, "as usual", it didn't come across that way to me. I've seen enough of him in interviews to think that his English is pretty good - most Swiss speak many languages, and I think he has at least 4. I agree that he's not as arrogant as SamprASS but it still sounds cocky.

That's too bad about Lleyton Hewitt and his family. They probably did push Kim away, but I'm wondering why they objected to her. Because she's a foreigner? I thought they looked good together and she seems like one of the nicest girls on the tour. He's under a lot of pressure, but she seemed like a good influence for him.

I think it was a joke because he smiled when he said it. I don't know. Personally, I like that someone who speaks such great English still says stuff like "everything is pink," "Rochus is a cute player," and that two Americans in the semis "doesn't happen every day." I can't see anything that suggests he's being arrogant or rude. He always seems so pleasant. Oh well. It appears our reaction to his comments reflects our general opinion of him, which is natural.

This time two years ago, Federer had as many GS titles as Safin, JCF, and Roddick. Now he's caught Becker and Edberg and is just two away from Agassi. Amazing!

You're right about Federer needing a coach if he doesn't want to have a tennis midlife crisis. He does seem a little complacent now, but I'm the first to admit that the boy knows how to play the important points well. Sometimes I wonder if he deliberately messes up just to keep his opponent in the game and make things interesting. (You know, with all of those unforced errors. Work on your backhand, Roger!) Maybe I'm giving him too much credit here, but there were so many times he could've broken Agassi and didn't just because of lapses in concentration and sloppiness .

And yeah, Federer might be a little on the cocky side but he's also got a lot to be cocky about. (As opposed to, say, Roddick or Hewitt, whose accomplishments are far outweighed by Fed's but who conduct themselves like little punks on the court. Well, Roddick not so much anymore but he was so insufferable post US Open '03.)

I was glad when she stopped sitting with them. Quite often, after Lleyton let out a "C'mon!" on the replay they would show Kim with her intense bitchface pumping her fist. I hated that for some reason.

Tony Roche might disagree with this.

I know, it's a tough call, I consider Tony Roche Roger's "part-time coach/advisor". When things are going well, you can't complain with success.
But how long can Roger keep this up? How long could anyone keep this up? The winning statistics just boggle the mind - I don't recall a male player ever having such an immaculate win-loss record. On the women's side, Martina N. and Steffi had seasons with less than 5 losses.

Of note, Roger is almost on par with Pete Sampras in terms of Grand Slam tournaments at similar ages (Pete had 7 at age 24, Roger now has 6). Pete had a tough 1996, where he had to win the US Open to keep the #1 Ranking (which he did). What will Roger's 2006 be like?

Unless he's injured, I could see him doing a three-peat with the whole Wimbly/USO thing. Clay court season? He was doing pretty well in the FO last year until he ran into Nadal. Maybe he'll actually win the thing this year.

Provided, of course, that he work on his backhand.

From SI.com's John Wertheim's U.S Open Parting Shots column: Does anyone know what this is and how to do it?

I really do love Roger's way with words.

It's like the elimination game they play on NFL Countdown. Basically, everyone picks a winner for one match. If you lose, you're out. If you win, you pick again, but you can only pick a team/player once. I've never done one for tennis, so I'm not sure if you make the picks by round or day.

Wertheim:

Well, I'd say it's eerily appropriate when you consider her adulthood is essentially "less than one minute old."

I don't think Feds is going to win at RG next year, not with Nadal and other claycourt specialists around. Roger's type of game is far more suited to faster surfaces like grass and hardcourts. If he's going to be any kind of threat at RG he's going to have to change his strategy. Nadal's probably going to defend RG next year and Feds will defend Wimbledon. As for AUS Open and next years US Open, it all depends on what happens when Nadal and Federer slug it out for the Masters Cup at the end of the year.

Yay, Feds is gonna be on Letterman! Finally, some recognition from the American media.

*Shudder* wow I didn't even see this promo spot but thanks CBS/USA for making one of my favorite Stevie Wonder songs seem creepy to me. Gross.

Are they ever going to replay the US Men's Final? I didn't tape the match and now I wish I did. I'm hoping that they will replay it on USA channel or somewhere. Does anyone know?

Billie Jean King and James Blake spoke at Madison Square Park on Saturday night right before the women's final. BJK did an interesting Q&A.

BJK liked Serena's earrings because tennis is entertainment along with a sport; She likes the bigger rackets; the six minutes per injury thing is way too much--she explained the trainer gets as long as they want to check out the injury and then the six minutes kicks in.
She also spoke about how Americans were so dominant in the sport back in the day that the fans at the USO would cheer for the foreign player over the American.

Both players signed autographs. James Blake is even more handsome in person. My god is he ever handsome!

Word to the person who mentioned yesterday's ceremony had a very weird vibe about it. Both players seemed to want to get off the court ASAP.

I just read this in Wertheim's 50 parting shots:

Could someone explain? I don't remember this.

Thanks, everyone, for the insights on the Hewitt clan. I never knew any of that, and it helps me temper my dislike for him. I basically struggled to stay fond of tennis during his reign, but I've been impressed with the changes in his demeanor over the last couple of years. His graciousness toward other players has really impressed me as of late, and I think that if even your own dad isn't really in your corner, it'd be easy to see the world as a threat/enemy.

Late to the discussion, and I don't want to start it all up again, but I tend to think that Roger's issue is more shyness than anything. Did anyone see him last year on the now-defunct JMac show? He seemed quite shy and yet trying hard not to be awkward. I remember it clearly, because he had seemed so relaxed on Charlie Rose (where there's no live audience).

I'm a sucker for the shy-awkward type, so I found it endearing.... Of course.

What's the big deal about Federer's 23 straight finals wins? I know that they're saying that he's been in 23 finals, and he's won all 23. But they aren't counting all the times he doesn't make it to the finals, like in the French and Australian this year.

Because that is what that particular stat is measuring. It is not measuring straight match wins, but how many finals wins he has had in a row. Behind him on the list are Borg and MacEnroe with 12. Essentially, if Roger is playing on a final Sunday his ability to win is unprecedented in the Open Era.

Federer has not lost a final since July 2003 when he lost to Jiri Novak. I am amazed that he has been in 23 finals since then - wow and has won 23 tournies in just a little over two years.

So all it's saying is that he's won the big match when it's counted. But we already knew that, because as usual, he always plays his best tennis in the final. Sucks for everyone else.

CNNSI's Wertheim:

So much word. I've never been able to get behind Davenport because of her sourpuss expression on the court. Buck up Lindsay, or just call it a career and save us the frustration.


Hee. Venus - open mouth, insert foot. When will you learn? And you don't even have the excuse that you don't speak English well! Venus should just learn the standard cliches ("I gave it my best, but she was better." "Nothing seemed to work for me today.") and just leave it at that. Because she continues to look like a spoiled princess.

In Nick Bolletieri's memoirs, there's a chapter on Mark P. and NB discusses Mark's father a bit. I don't recall anything in particular off hand, but I do remember it being mentioned that Nick Philippousis would get so worked up over Mark's matches that they'd have to medicate him. Bolletieri said that prior to working with Mark, he'd heard horror stories about Mark's father, but upon working with him, Bolletieri said he actually got along pretty well with Papa Philippousis. Bolletieri seems a bit crazy himself, so who knows how much that means.

Don't know much about Chuck Gambill, apart from this one Q&A I read with Jan-Michael Gambill, back when he was an up-and-comer. He seemed way too eager to discuss his family's wealth, and definitely came across as a spoiled brat. He talked about how now that he was older (I think he was in his mid 20s at the time of the Q&A) he had moved into his own "wing" of the family's house. That, or the guest quarters. I can't recall which. But at any rate, bottom line is, he came across as conceited and like he was *proud* of having been pampered all his life. So it doesn't really surprise me to hear that his father may be a nightmare tennis dad.

Sorry, late to the party.

According to the NY Times, though:


Last year I was at the men's final and I could see Kim in attendance. I couldn't help thinking, when the hell will she be back? I'm thrilled that just a year later she's shed Lleyton and won the whole shebang. His losing doesn't hurt my happiness level either.

Word. I also loved USA's to U2's New York. It also perfectly matched the words to the action, e.g. "hot as a hairdryer" to Dent wiping the sweat off his face and "I found a new friend" to Sanguinetti and Srichaphan hugging at the net.

Ha! But I think you mean Gil Reyes, his strength trainer. Darren Cahill is his coach.

I never thought of that. I may just have to become a Federer fan.

Wasn't it more, as someone said, that she tired of them? That they were a pain in the ass plus she was away from her life and her family and swallowed into their circus?

ITA. The man has absolutely no charisma. He sounds like a has-been desperately trying to relive his glory days.

And it's not like he's defeating scrubs either. During the streak so far, he's defeated current #3 Safin (2x), #4 Roddick (5x), #5 Hewitt (3x), and #6 Agassi (2x). He's also beaten Nadal, Henman, Moya, Coria, Gasquet, and Ljubicic (3x in a row).


Well, everyone who has to play him at least. I'm thoroughly enjoying it. That streak is the reason I wasn't worried when he was down 2 sets to Nadal in Miami. I figured he'd find a way to win (as usual).

Wow, Venus certainly has had a rough time in the press lately. First her obliviousness to the hurricane and then her ungracious words after her loss to Clijsters. I like Venus and rooted for her to win Wimbledon, but she certainly does make it hard. You'd think after so many years she would learn by now.



Not sure if this is a "suicide" pool, but maybe this is what he is talking about.

BTW, Here is a link to TennisKatrina, where items players put up for auction are.

I know this is a hard time for Federer haters. But the streak in finals is, to me, unbelievable. It just shows that, unlike Roddick (for example) who has barely beaten a top ten player in a year and a half, Roger plays his best when the competition is tougher. It shows how far ahead he is of everyone else.

And like Distant Sun, I'm thoroughly enjoying it.

And Chrissie did it three times, two back to back ('77: 54-4; '78: 50-3). She also, unbelievably, went 92-7 in '75 and 81-8 ten years later in '85 and had several seasons with only 6 losses for the year.

What impresses me so much about Roger is how he can go from seeming so down and playing so poorly (by his standards anyway) and then just decide "That's enough of that" and just turn it on so suddenly. When he was down 2-4, 0-30 on Agassi's serve in the third, he had been spraying balls on the backhand side wildly, was muttering to himself, and yelling at himself and Agassi had all the momentum.

Roger then won the next ten points in a row and completely seized control of the match. And it all happened in the span of 5 minutes. Scary.

Sadly, Chris Evert's involvement in Team Tennis (whatever, BJK) actually denied her even more impressive results during the 70s.

I checked Andre Agassi's career stats, and the US Open was his 36th Grand Slam where he reached at least the quarter-finals. That has to be an Open Era record amongst the men.

Another thing I love about Roger is that his is doing alot for the sport outside the court. He has his own foundation and wasn't he elected as the ambassador of tennis or something like that? I'm just bitter that they don't talk about it at all. I think the only person that remotely mentions what a great one number player and how you can readily get an interview with him is Mary. I ususally don't like Mary commentary but I really love her during Federer's matches b/c its so obvious that she has a crush on him. Even thoughout the Agassi final she just kept piling the compliments on Roger. Keep it up Mary! I'm beginning to like you.



Word to your statement. I notice that when Roger is winning, it happens so fast, the other opponent didn't know what just happen. This is what happened with Hewitt. Its really like Roger has a switch. When he wants to ground his oppenent to the ground, he just turn on the switch and leaves them all in the dust. Thats why I just love watching him play. Just b/c he down doesn't mean he's out. I also like the fact that before Roger became the World Number one, he was a bad player who couldn't win a major. He had to figure it out by himself and that probably makes him a better player b/c he knows how it feels to be on the bottom. He is defintely the greatest tennis player of all time. I can even see Hollywood making a movie base on his life (of course 20, 30 years from now).

I hope it'll go better than Goran's appearance there right after he won Wimbledon. That was so disappointing. I love Goran, and I love Dave even more, and since Dave was a big tennis fan and Goran such a delightful interview, I was expecting something really good. Instead, Dave seemed a bit at a loss, didn't ask him interesting questions, and I got the feeling that the audience had no idea who that foreign guy was.

You're probably right. I checked Lendl's stats (he was the first person that came to mind) and he only did it 34 times.


I'm not so sure I agree. In the past year or so, I think J-Mac, Enberg, and Cliffy have mentioned it numerous times.

I also wonder why Federer doesn't have any endosement deals? He's the current number 1 for a while now yet I see no commericals. Is this b/c he's just not into any of that? I read that he doesn't have an agent so this may be the case. But I wonder if he was even approach.

I can't stand the guy, I think I've made that well-known. I would suspect that others can't stand him either and his bitter beer face. Hard to have endorsements with that image. Perhaps if he got a different haircut, lost the headband, learned to smile, and lost the frown, companies would come calling. James Blake is going to get more endorsements than Roger, even though Roger's talent is better. Kind of like the Agassi/SamprASS endorsement discrepancy of years ago.

From what I understand, he's not really pursuing endorsement deals, though he has a couple in Switzerland. There was a really nice article in Deuce magazine in which he talked about that briefly. And I remember printing off an article a year or so ago - though I can't remember the source - in which they were discussing the impact Roger's lack of interest in endorsements was having on the issue of sports agents/etc. on the whole.



I have yet to hear that the issue is that he wants endorsements that he can't get.

Here's 3 out of 4. I guess he's on his way!

That picture must be from when he went to South Africa to visit the town that his foundation is helping out.

There were some great pictures in Deuce a couple of issues ago from his South Africa trip and he looked very happy. There was one with him laughing with a bunch of kids that was really cute.
.

But I think the question is being asked is the other way around. Why is nobody pursuing him? He is the #1 player and companies aren't exactly beating on his door to sign him up. I doubt that if anyone pursued him, that he'd turn them down.

mmmmmmMaria probably doesn't have to actively pursue deals, they just seem to come looking for her. I'm sure some are sought out by her agents, but other companies actively want her to be their image and spokesperson.

Federer? Not so much. I agree with Rainmaker that he just doesn't seem like a very personable guy. Seems very dour. He doesn't have the charisma that someone like James Blake or Agassi have. Even Tommy Haas (?) and Mark Philipoussis made it into a commercial that aired here. I don't think Federer is as uncharismatic as SamprASS, but he seems to come close. At least IMO.

Which is the company that does the bitter beer face ads? Is it Keystone Light? Now there's a commercial that Federer would be perfect for.

Rainmaker

You kill me with that. At least now that he has a haircut, he no longer looks like a "female" shotputter from East Germany.

Please tell me "ambassador of tennis" does not exist in this world.

Don't you think that's a bit of a leap in logic? We already know he's somewhat unconventional (no coach for over a year, no entourage—"no Ari Gold for him" seemed to be Ted's mantra for a while, vacationing in Dubai). Besides, he's making a killing on tennis alone. Perhaps he doesn't want to deal with all of the endorsement responsibilities?


I'm a huge fan of Blake's, but Federer seems much more charismatic to me. That interview with McEnroe alone was fabulous.

Wrong. He's turned down endorsement deals. There was an article in the NY Times during Wimbledon (I think) where some agents were quoted as saying that Roger's not getting the money he could be getting in endorsements precisely because he doesn't want to have an agent. Mind you, none of the agents quoted gave permission to use their names, so that if Roger changes his mind and decides he wants an agent they can all happily apply for the job.

The UN has a sporting commission or something and Federer was chosen as one of several sporting figure ambassadors.

He has said how much he has enjoyed it.

And as for Federer being "dour" he has the reputation of being one of the nicest and warmest guys, if not the nicest and warmest guy on the tour. And I don't think that comes out of nothing. I thought, for example, that his stopping his interview to acknowledge Keifer as Nicolas was walking off the court after his win was really sweet.

But- we can't all like the same players.

True. But we can all make assumptions based on our irrational hatred and project our own feelings to the general population, can't we? :p

...[small voice]I'm still waiting for someone to tell me where I can get a copy of this[/small voice]...

BWAH! blackwing, glad to see there's somebody that shares my opinion of the guy. He'd be perfect for Keystone Light.

Roger has turned down endorsements? Which ones? And for how much money? I find it hard to believe that any professional athlete would turn down guaranteed millions simply because he doesn't want to deal with the paperwork. Maybe the conversation went like this... "Roger, you want to wear a Tag watch and we'll pay you $2 million a year? No? You like Timex better? OK, let's go talk to Maria."

I agree with the "dour" description. It goes well with Bitter Beer Face. While he may be well-liked on the tour, his post-match interviews make him seem like an arrogant ass. He's currently the Tiger Woods of tennis. Yet his popularity is nowhere near that of Andre.


Guess it's just a matter of opinion. Blake seems like a fun-loving guy who's having fun playing and enjoying the moment. Federer seems robotic and completely devoid of character on the court. JMac even pointed it out yesterday when Federer yelled at himself after a point, and he said that's the most animated he'll ever get. Reminds me of... SamprASS!

I'm the guy who coined "Bitter Beer Face" for Roger, but I don't think it extends beyond his general look. I guess one man's "dour" is another man's "focused" or "intense."


Come on. Is it so hard to believe that money isn't the end all and be all for some people? The guy is already rich. Come to think of it, they mentioned in the women's final that Mary Pierce doesn't have endorsements because she doesn't want to deal with all that.


While he's usually very composed, he is animated at times. In fact, he proved J-Mac wrong at the end of the match. As far as the comparison with Blake goes, we were talking about different things. Blake is more charismatic on the court, but I think Federer is much more charismatic off of it.

Apparently Roger doesn't want the endorsement deals; he just wants to play tennis. He's even said so in a couple of interviews. I really like that about him, that he's not a media whore. It's even more admirable in the face of such image-shilling from his counterparts. (*ahem*Roddick*ahem*) And he has done a lot of work with Unicef and the United Nations, including organizing a fundraiser for victims of the tsunami and starting his own foundation.

I guess people will nitpick on his hair or even his nose because the one thing they can't fault is his tennis. I mean if people are basically criticizing someone for not wanting to cash in on his fame, that's pretty much grasping at straws. Because the tennis? Is superb.

Speaking of which, here's James Blake chiming in on the Federer love:

You see, I disagree. I think a lot of people, including some announcers, are stuck at what they perceive to be a "lack of personality". I think that's a mistake. PMac has said that Federer is a lot more animated on the court than people gave him credit for. And I agree with him. He screams, he pumps his fists, he talks to himself, he throws his racket from time to time. I think some people are so not into him that they can't bear to watch him play and just fall into the whole "oh but he's so robotic" line.

Yeah, that's information that's easily available. Not. I think it's enough to know that there are a quite a few agents salivating over the prospect of ever getting him as a client. Because getting him as a client would mean money. Even if people call him bitter beer face, or think he's dour, or just hate him in general.

Good quote by James although I do have one nitpick. He makes it sound like everyone else (including or rather mainly Nadal) is throwing tantrums, destroying raquets, disrespecting the umpires, etc. Just because Nadal may be a bit overexcited with his vamoses does not mean he yells at the umpires or breaks raquets- in fact he is really very good about that.

I have the kings of the yelling at umps and what not are Hewitt and Safin (although Lletyon was very subdued this USO).



I agree. He does the screams, the "come on" in three different languages, and talks to himself. My particular favorite is the "Niiigggcccchhhttt!" when he misses a shot. He is more animated than a number of players out there- including Andre. For most of this year, he has been much more animated than he was around 1.5 years ago. When he was a teenager he was really animated (a self-described brat who once yelled at his father to go home and get another drink during a match) but found that it took him too much out of his head. Then he tried to contol things more, and became more reserved. But the pendalum (sp?) now seems to have swung to the middle. It was funny during the final when JMac implied that a little bit of Roger talking to himself was the most animated you would see him- I was just wondering where he was during the other matches, in particular against Keifer. I was also wondering where he was in Miami when Roger ****shocker*** threw a raquet really, really hard in disgust. Roger was an angry boy that day.

Okay- I was getting ready to feel a let-down because no more tennis for a while.
But wait- the China Open from the quarters on will be shown on the Tennis Channel this week! Yahoo! That's where Safin won last year and really started to get his mojo (damn you AmEx for using a good, descriptive word) that carried him into great form through the end of the year and the Aussie Open. Won't be there this year unfortunately because of that blasted knee.

Yeah, Fed does seem to be very expressive on court. I guess Blake's probably just speaking from the experience of playing him, rather than those matches he's seen on TV. Anyway has anyone seen the video from the ATP site of the Tsunami benefit? It features an overly-enthused Safin running up to the umpire and kissing him on the cheek, as well as Agassi and Federer cracking jokes about their hair and Fed's backhand. It was pretty cute, actually.

As for Safin, it's a shame that he can't make it to the China Open. He's up to #3 right now but stands to lose that ranking pretty soon as he can't defend his titles, being out of comission.

That's why his stay at #3 will be extremely brief.


As I said, I'm an eternal optimist. That's probably why I'm usually defending someone. Anyway, I think James may have been referring to Nadal being such a showman and/or his frequent celebrations. I'm thinking it was supposed to be a positive for Federer rather than a negative for Nadal (or even Hewitt for that matter). I could be wrong. Blake has obviously been influenced by Hewitt's behavior in the past, so who knows?

I KNOW! He was at his best behavior. And he didn't need to be a jerk to play the best match he's played in ages against Roger. That was good to see.

This guy gives off a very creepy vibe to me. What is his deal? It sounds like he's actually in love with Andre when he talks about him. Is he a substitute father for him? I know they named Jaden Gil after him, so maybe that's it.

What's happened to Nike? Agassi is wearing adidas and Mary Pierce has no clothing sponsor. Do they toss their players aside at age 30 in a tribute to Logan's Run?

Speaking of sponsors, the Polo logos on the ballkids/umpire uniforms were so obnoxious this year. They were at least 8 times logo size. And the giant one on the back of the jackets was practically life size.

I went to the US Open Friday afternoon and worked at SmashZone, an interactive games place mostly for kids, although there were adults in the serving cages seeing how fast their serves clocked on the guns.

I didn't even try getting in to Ashe stadium. Frankly, even if my two favorite players are there, I'd rather see a lesser match on one of the small courts. I'm sure that would be different if I had seats in a corporate box or below, but that's never going to happen, and the nosebleed seats suck. I have no fear of heights, but I got vertigo the first year I tried getting to my actual seat in the top section.

Instead I watched a bit of Clijsters semi on the big screen, but I had a great late afternoon/early evening once my shift was over. I saw a senior doubles match that had Vilas on one side and Mansour Bahrami on the other. He's like the Harlem Globetrotters of the tennis world. He's got the greatest attitude about tennis I've ever seen.

I also saw some of the inaugural wheelchair tennis competition. They are allowed two bounces (the first must be inside the line), but all the other rules are the same. I saw David Hall and his partner win against two Americans. After that match was when I was watching the big screen, and saw Hall watching as well. I congratulated him on his match and spoke with him for a while. He's a super nice guy. I had no idea he was the #1 ranked player for wheelchair singles until I looked him up on the internet. I'll be watching for him in future tournaments, and definitely had more fun than if I had been in the nosebleeds watching Kim win. It's too bad they didn't show any of the wheelchair matches (at least I didn't see any TV coverage). They certainly had time after the women's final.