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Post by Denise49IQ on Jun 8, 2008 9:30:52 GMT -5
Why would the fact that one of them has the clear upper hand on the surface they happen to play the most on mean their rivalry should come to an end? If The Rivalry isn't competitive in the surface where The Rivals are likely to meet more often, then what does that leave? Roger has the edge on three of the other Slam surfaces. They've had a few great matches on two of them already, particularly at Wimbledon. But yeah, the ones on clay are not that great most of the time now, it seems. It's still very much a rivalry, though, IMO.
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Post by lexpretend on Jun 8, 2008 9:49:37 GMT -5
Well, their best match was probably on clay. The trouble though is that the result of all their matches is so predictable. Three years and every single match has followed surface (apart from...was it Dubai one year?). The narrative of their 'rivalry' is whether each one can make any incursion on to the other's turf, and the answer for three years has been "no". Every single time.
At least Nadal is getting closer at Wimbledon. But this match is just bullshit from Federer. Nadal is in his head and he can't/won't make any effort to get him out for more than two points at a time. Nadal barely has to leave his comfort zone at the moment.
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Post by janie on Jun 8, 2008 9:52:39 GMT -5
It's not easy to get Nadal out of his comfort zone on red clay. The entire court and its whole surroundings IS his comfort zone.
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Post by lexpretend on Jun 8, 2008 9:53:06 GMT -5
I mean...Federer's just acting as though he's helpless right now. He's not. It's like he's sulking because he can't beat Nadal the way he wants. Thomaz Bellucci put up a better fight than this.
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Post by janie on Jun 8, 2008 9:54:42 GMT -5
I know. It stinks watching him roll over like this.
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Post by GoDom on Jun 8, 2008 9:55:00 GMT -5
Booooooooooo.
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Post by lexpretend on Jun 8, 2008 9:55:38 GMT -5
Federer's best period of this match - all two games of it - came when he was using angles and junk. Otherwise, we've just had endless neutral rallies ending in shanked shots. Or aggressive points ending in botched putaways.
Boooooo, goes the crowd. I concur.
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Post by Denise49IQ on Jun 8, 2008 9:56:23 GMT -5
^ Well, and Hamburg last year. The Dubai match was in '06 I think - 6-4 in the third to Rafa. They've met at the YEC before, and that match wasn't a foregone conclusion... Rog won in two tight sets I think. At Wimbledon, Rog was on the ropes for periods of both finals. After today, their matches on the other surfaces aren't going to be as predictable either.
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Post by Denise49IQ on Jun 8, 2008 9:57:20 GMT -5
^ That "^" was a bit late.
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Post by Denise49IQ on Jun 8, 2008 9:59:02 GMT -5
Rog's performance today is a total embarrassment though. Here I am defending The Rivalry. ;D
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Day 15.
Jun 8, 2008 10:00:09 GMT -5
Post by GoDom on Jun 8, 2008 10:00:09 GMT -5
I am very glad that Federer gets his lazy butt kicked hard by JesusRafa.
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Day 15.
Jun 8, 2008 10:00:54 GMT -5
Post by janie on Jun 8, 2008 10:00:54 GMT -5
Will Rog say he beat himself?
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Day 15.
Jun 8, 2008 10:03:04 GMT -5
Post by GoDom on Jun 8, 2008 10:03:04 GMT -5
I don't know. But there's no doubt that Rafa hit quite a few lucky shots.
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Day 15.
Jun 8, 2008 10:05:47 GMT -5
Post by Denise49IQ on Jun 8, 2008 10:05:47 GMT -5
To think a couple of people here picked Fed. Teehee. Oh well. ONTO THE GRASS!!! ;D ;D ;D
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Day 15.
Jun 8, 2008 10:06:11 GMT -5
Post by GoDom on Jun 8, 2008 10:06:11 GMT -5
Rafa didn't even wallow in the dirt.
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Day 15.
Jun 8, 2008 10:06:19 GMT -5
Post by janie on Jun 8, 2008 10:06:19 GMT -5
Lucky shots! Such an easy day for Rafa! Well, congrats to him; he really is impressive, even if Rog did make it way too easy for him this time.
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Day 15.
Jun 8, 2008 10:08:56 GMT -5
Post by Denise49IQ on Jun 8, 2008 10:08:56 GMT -5
Fun Fact: The last time Fed was on the receiving end of a bagel was 1999. Dished out by P. Rafter, here at RG!
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Day 15.
Jun 8, 2008 10:10:27 GMT -5
Post by janie on Jun 8, 2008 10:10:27 GMT -5
Rafter!
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Day 15.
Jun 8, 2008 10:10:34 GMT -5
Post by The Chloe on Jun 8, 2008 10:10:34 GMT -5
My God. I've only been half paying attention this tournament. I just caught up to the fact that Rafa absolutely walloped everybody on his way to the final.
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Day 15.
Jun 8, 2008 10:11:56 GMT -5
Post by lexpretend on Jun 8, 2008 10:11:56 GMT -5
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Day 15.
Jun 8, 2008 10:13:42 GMT -5
Post by DBBN on Jun 8, 2008 10:13:42 GMT -5
Okay, I'm off to play golf - for the first time ever. Haha. I'll join you lot for the final. ;D Traitor. Golf will wipe out tennis. Not totally, because tennis players are generally while golfers, as a rule, are much less so. Tennis and soccer will survive because people are perverts. So. When does the final start? I just got up.
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Day 15.
Jun 8, 2008 10:15:02 GMT -5
Post by Grarliner on Jun 8, 2008 10:15:02 GMT -5
I was wondering ... has Fed ever been beaten so badly in his life?!
The third set was just humiliating. Roger better hope that Nadal retires ala Justine if he ever wants a French Open.
I suppose this means Nadal usurps Djokovic in the Race, but Fed will remain at #3. Makes sense. They've both been better than Federer this year so far. Whether Roger can pull it together the last half of the season ... is an open question right now, I think.
God, how do you go from those close matches at Monte Carlo and Hamburg to this?
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Day 15.
Jun 8, 2008 10:15:22 GMT -5
Post by The Chloe on Jun 8, 2008 10:15:22 GMT -5
Oh, Rafa. 4 years and your French is still awful
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Day 15.
Jun 8, 2008 10:16:38 GMT -5
Post by Grarliner on Jun 8, 2008 10:16:38 GMT -5
Oh, to quote Andy Roddick (after the 2004 Serena-JenFat Wimbledon beating), "I blinked and I missed it."
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Day 15.
Jun 8, 2008 10:18:38 GMT -5
Post by DBBN on Jun 8, 2008 10:18:38 GMT -5
Oh, Rafa. 4 years and your French is still awful His English is still pretty crappy too
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Day 15.
Jun 8, 2008 10:19:18 GMT -5
Post by The Chloe on Jun 8, 2008 10:19:18 GMT -5
Oh, Rafa. 4 years and your French is still awful His English is still pretty crappy too Indeed. I was going to point that out but decided to go easy on him. Not a linguist, that one.
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Day 15.
Jun 8, 2008 10:22:20 GMT -5
Post by The Chloe on Jun 8, 2008 10:22:20 GMT -5
Nadal has never been stretched to 5 sets at Roland Garros. I realize that we all probably already know that, but really?
In other news, Federer's ATP profile photo is creepy.
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Day 15.
Jun 8, 2008 10:23:49 GMT -5
Post by corswandt on Jun 8, 2008 10:23:49 GMT -5
Traitor. Golf will wipe out tennis. Not totally, because tennis players are generally while golfers, as a rule, are much less so. Tennis and soccer will survive because people are perverts. But golf has stolen, or is in the process of stealing, what was once tennis core constituency, hasn't it? At least in the Anglo world. Re: perverts, you must mean gay perverts, since the enduring notion that there are a lot of young straight men watching women's tennis to perv at the barely legal or just plain illegal hotties is a myth.
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Day 15.
Jun 8, 2008 10:25:31 GMT -5
Post by corswandt on Jun 8, 2008 10:25:31 GMT -5
Anyway, if the women's final had been this one-sided, I can't even begin to imagine what the punditry would be saying about the woeful state of the women's game.
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Day 15.
Jun 8, 2008 10:25:51 GMT -5
Post by R. Black on Jun 8, 2008 10:25:51 GMT -5
I like how Roger started his speech: "c'est moi!".
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