US Open 2011

[Slava]

Guys like Ivanisevic, Safin and Philippousis were cannon balls during matches but when they lose they stay gracious.

I'm not saying Federer is the worst in sports or for that matter even in tennis because there are arrogant A-holes like Hewitt, Serena and Roddick out there but Federer is often compared with greats from all the elite sports.

Players like Sampras, Agassi and Nadal are great champions and also model sportsmen.

Federer on the other hand has cracked everytime he's been put under some pressure, like in the french open against Djokovic when he asked Novak's camp to shut up in the middle of the game, argued with the chair umpire when Del Potro sought a review in 2009 and there are other instances too when he started losing to Nadal initially.

You can see why someone like Hewitt can be insecure because he has a Napoleonic complex and he hasn't won much to satisfy his ego but atleast after becoming the most successful player in the sport the least Federer could do is be magnanimous when he loses rarely, especially when he's coming to the end of his career to have a good legacy.

[REDDzone]

I just don't mind about the in match stuff as much. Like I said, tempers flare and it happens to everyone IMO. I can dig that.

I have two issues: 1) People act like Federer is a class act who can do no wrong. Maybe its just casual tennis fans who don't watch post match interviews, etc. But his actual personality does not live up to his image imo.

2) Its the sore loser aspect. I'm not sure there exists a better winner. Always complimentary of his opponents. In fact, although he can be quite self-complimentary, I can dig that too. He is probably the GOAT, he SHOULD be confident. But when you are legitimately beat by a superior opponent or at least someone who was better than you on the night, give the credit where it is due and don't give backhanded comments. Nobody can take away what you have achieved, do not try to do it to others.

[Doctor MJ]

Wow just saw a replay of Serena going off on the chair umpire! WTF?!??!

Anyone who says Federer isn't very complimentary towards his opponents sometimes, at least he doesn't abuse officials the way Serena has done at least TWICE at the US Open now. Seriously girl I know you're pissed but HAVE SOME EFFING RESTRAINT!! That was just sad and embarassing to see.

Yeah, and I guess clearly different things bother different people.

Seeing other posters say "I don't mind the in game stuff". Wow, well okay. To me "in game" stuff means yelling at yourself, throwing your racket, etc. Serena goes AFTER the people on the court that she deems to be out to get her. And these are the peons. I mean, "Ooh, you weren't as complimentary to the other mega-millionaire Djokovic as you could have been?", I just can't make myself care.

But when an athlete bullies the non-rich people for minutes on end I find this to be sick. The power imbalance in these situations is drastic. Serena is an icon, and she's accusing you of bias across the board (at least the accusations of racism aren't as common any more, although the Williams sisters STILL won't go back to Indian Wells). It's just terrible.

Then you listen to what she's saying and it's just clear she's a lazy, self-centered fool. She doesn't know the rulebook, she essentially implies that she can't tell white people apart while ranting, and to top it all off she says "and I NEVER complain" when she's the most notorious complainer at this point since John McEnroe. Idiot.

I say all this, I don't even really dislike her, I just have mixed feeling. There's so much I like about her, and so much that makes me ill. After dealing with her crap for the past decade plus, people getting upset at Federer just seems so silly. I can't even muster outrage for Federer after the Serena-type stuff, and yet for some, it's as if Federer is the most offensive athlete around this side of the racists.

[Doctor MJ]

You can see why someone like Hewitt can be insecure because he has a Napoleonic complex and he hasn't won much to satisfy his ego but atleast after becoming the most successful player in the sport the least Federer could do is be magnanimous when he loses rarely, especially when he's coming to the end of his career to have a good legacy.

Hewitt is 5'11" so I'm afraid he doesn't qualify. The rules clearly state:

12C. A man taller than 5'9" does not get to have a Napoleon complex.

99Z. Don't be a racist you Aussie redneck.

[REDDzone]

LOL. Dude some people said Federer isn't as classy as some of his fans think he is, and you paint it as if 10 dudes came in and called him the devil.

It'll all be okay. I promise.

Apparently "his actual personality doesn't live up to his image" means "Federer is the worst sport in the world and also the most offensive".

[REDDzone]

The funniest part about this is that I actually like Federer and was ROOTING for him yesterday. I wrote on another forum "can we get a Federer/Rafa final". That doesn't mean I can't call it like I see it, and he definitely has his moments where he is not as classy as he is perceived to be.

[REDDzone]

Anyway, glad Stosur won. Haven't been a Serena fan in a long time. Too much apathy in the past and the random bullying irritates me.

[Raps in 4]

Wow just saw a replay of Serena going off on the chair umpire! WTF?!??!

Anyone who says Federer isn't very complimentary towards his opponents sometimes, at least he doesn't abuse officials the way Serena has done at least TWICE at the US Open now. Seriously girl I know you're pissed but HAVE SOME EFFING RESTRAINT!! That was just sad and embarassing to see.

Yeah, and I guess clearly different things bother different people.

Seeing other posters say "I don't mind the in game stuff". Wow, well okay. To me "in game" stuff means yelling at yourself, throwing your racket, etc. Serena goes AFTER the people on the court that she deems to be out to get her. And these are the peons. I mean, "Ooh, you weren't as complimentary to the other mega-millionaire Djokovic as you could have been?", I just can't make myself care.

But when an athlete bullies the non-rich people for minutes on end I find this to be sick. The power imbalance in these situations is drastic. Serena is an icon, and she's accusing you of bias across the board (at least the accusations of racism aren't as common any more, although the Williams sisters STILL won't go back to Indian Wells). It's just terrible.

Then you listen to what she's saying and it's just clear she's a lazy, self-centered fool. She doesn't know the rulebook, she essentially implies that she can't tell white people apart while ranting, and to top it all off she says "and I NEVER complain" when she's the most notorious complainer at this point since John McEnroe. Idiot.

I say all this, I don't even really dislike her, I just have mixed feeling. There's so much I like about her, and so much that makes me ill. After dealing with her crap for the past decade plus, people getting upset at Federer just seems so silly. I can't even muster outrage for Federer after the Serena-type stuff, and yet for some, it's as if Federer is the most offensive athlete around this side of the racists.

You didn't mention Roddick? He's the ATP version of Serena when it comes to being an idiot.

[Doctor MJ]

LOL. Dude some people said Federer isn't as classy as some of his fans think he is, and you paint it as if 10 dudes came in and called him the devil.

It'll all be okay. I promise.

Apparently "his actual personality doesn't live up to his image" means "Federer is the worst sport in the world and also the most offensive".

Understand: "Federer is a poor sport" comes up on this board all the time. And this is a board with like no traffic. It's how common the complaint is that sets me off. I get that it happens in part because he's one of the most prominent people in tennis, but there are other prominent players with issues too and they don't come up that much.

The whole thing just makes me think that first and foremost, people don't like someone who won't pretend to be modest nowadays, and it drives them to post more than more serious issues.

[REDDzone]

I rarely visit this board. So if this has been a common argument in the past, then your characterizations make more sense. I was just referring to the comments in this thread, none of which have been unfair imo.

Looking back, I'd like to clarify something else. Things like Serena today are completely and utterly unacceptable. Federer's occasionally condescending comments are not even close to close to as inappropriate as that. When I was referring to on court antics I meant more along the lines of racquet breaking and some guys barking at their boxes.

Serena today and occasions like Troicki not leaving the little ballboy alone after a mistake are just examples of people being crazy and frankly out of touch with reality.

[Black Milk]

Just came in to say that Serena Williams irritates the crap out of me. Venus needs to smack her upside the head and tell her to grow the hell up. I really didn't care which of the two would win but after another episode Serena abuses the ref, I'm glad she lost.

[Doctor MJ]

You didn't mention Roddick? He's the ATP version of Serena when it comes to being an idiot.

Off the top of my head, Serena's track record:

-Early on, her and that whole teenage girl group acts like Paris Hilton.
-Williams sisters begin habit of faking injury to get out of tournaments at an unprecedented level.
-Williams sisters take offense at Indian Wells, and refuse to ever play there again.
-Serena calls Henin a bitch
-Serena breaks a rule at US Open on international television and threatens violence against the ref.
-Serena breaks a rule at US Open on international television and threatens violence against the ref again.

Does Roddick really have a track record anything like that? Please expound.

I do want to make clear: I thought it was hilarious when the broadcast team today ribbed McEnroe on Serena being like him. It is important to note that Serena really isn't any worse than McEnroe.

[Ong_dynasty]

I think GQstylin is pretty saying my side as well.
I actually admire federer and consider him the best player of all time. But what I dont like is people saying he is a class act like no other player. He is like most tennis players (bar probably nadal, the pet peeve on Nadal is slightly different but that is for another time). I think the reason why Federer keeps on getting picked at being a sore loser was because when he was winning all you heard from federer fans is, not only is he a great winner but also a great act. Well it is easy to be a class act when you are going home with the trophy right?
I wanted him to win against Djokovic as I wanted to see at least a few more federer-nadal finals (as a Nadal fan, I actually do not mind him winning one against him just to get the monkey off his back).

And Congrats to Stosur.

[Raps in 4]

You didn't mention Roddick? He's the ATP version of Serena when it comes to being an idiot.

Off the top of my head, Serena's track record:

-Early on, her and that whole teenage girl group acts like Paris Hilton.
-Williams sisters begin habit of faking injury to get out of tournaments at an unprecedented level.
-Williams sisters take offense at Indian Wells, and refuse to ever play there again.
-Serena calls Henin a bitch
-Serena breaks a rule at US Open on international television and threatens violence against the ref.
-Serena breaks a rule at US Open on international television and threatens violence against the ref again.

Does Roddick really have a track record anything like that? Please expound.

I do want to make clear: I thought it was hilarious when the broadcast team today ribbed McEnroe on Serena being like him. It is important to note that Serena really isn't any worse than McEnroe.

I've seen him go off on refs several times. His bitching at a tournament last year (or maybe the year before, I don't remember) resulted in a linesman being removed from the game because he wouldn't shut up. Just the other day he was making the towel boy follow him around before throwing his towel on the ground. He's made snide remarks about Djokovic's past injury/health issues. I'm sure there are a lot more. He just carries himself like a douchebag at all times, especially if he's losing.

[Slava]

I do want to make clear: I thought it was hilarious when the broadcast team today ribbed McEnroe on Serena being like him. It is important to note that Serena really isn't any worse than McEnroe.

I remember my dad saying that with McEnroe it got amusing after the first few tournaments and he never threatened people like Serena did. It was almost comical to see him complain and most people liked him as an offbeat character on the tennis circuit.

I remember him saying that it was his way of dealing with his frustration when playing a player like Bjorg who barely put a foot wrong in any of his games.

[ElGee]

Epic match between Fed-Djoker. Such mixed feelings.

Love to see Djoker win a match like that, but the stronger feeling is probably sadness at seeing Fed lose a match like that. With Fed being where he is in his career, there now becomes the risk of him starting to coast or quit.

Food for thought:

Fed's been probably the 4th best men's player this year. He won 20 matches in majors while having his worst year in obviously a long time.

For perspective, Wozniacki leads the women's side this year with 15 major match wins so far.

Amazing match today -- amuses me that everyone is discussing another Serena meltdown instead of that match. Some legendary stuff from Djoker, but I'm a little bias because I'm a Djoker myself.

I watched the match on DVR and just assumed Fed had won after the first 2 sets. I thought Fed was pretty darn awesome -- movement still there, some great shot making. I questioned how much was him breaking down versus Novak stepping up...I mean, Novak has obviously played at a ridiculous level, and some of those points in the 3rd and 4th he totally dictated.

I think Federer has more Slams in him. Looking forward to the match today.

[REDDzone]

2000 dollar fine. lmao.

[Jugs]

Serena got beaten by a lesser opponent

[Jugs]

and Nole blitzed the first set

[Jugs]

This match has gone up a few levels now