Great Interview with Roger Federer

I came across this interview today, thought it was worth posting for fans who have not seen it. An honest interview with some nice words about Rafa.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWLi8Ju85OI&feature=related

Yes - She is talking about friendship with Rafa. He says "we get along".

I didn't mean that but take from it what you will, found it interesting he mentions getting in your head and breaking you down physically. It's what a lot of people believed was Federer's problem against him, Nadal has a only one game plan but that A game is pretty devasting until Novak got his fitness straight and absorbed the forehand with his backhand.

CAS wrote:I didn't mean that but take from it what you will, found it interesting he mentions getting in your head and breaking you down physically. It's what a lot of people believed was Federer's problem against him, Nadal has a only one game plan but that A game is pretty devasting until Novak got his fitness straight and absorbed the forehand with his backhand.

Isn;t it what I've always said. It's the breaking down physically that has been Federer's misfortune when meeting Rafa. He seems cool about it though.

do you think that Nadal never accepts any suggestions that he is better than Federer or that he may surpass his records because deep down he knows in terms of talent there is a bit of a gulf? It crossed my mind when he mentioned how effortlessly Novak and Roger take the ball early, implying he isn't able to, or is it he just wants to deflect pressure?

CAS wrote: It crossed my mind when he mentioned how effortlessly Novak and Roger take the ball early, implying he isn't able to, or is it he just wants to deflect pressure?

He probably can take the ball early but can he do it regularly and consistently against those who have been doing it since they picked up a racquet? I don't think so.

I like the staging of the interview, as though they're old friends who've just bumped into each other in a supermarket, then without preamble it's straight into the rigidly scripted questions. It's a Credit Suisse reunion.

Credit Suisse has won more grand slam titles than any other financial institution.

Tenez wrote:

CAS wrote:I didn't mean that but take from it what you will, found it interesting he mentions getting in your head and breaking you down physically. It's what a lot of people believed was Federer's problem against him, Nadal has a only one game plan but that A game is pretty devasting until Novak got his fitness straight and absorbed the forehand with his backhand.

Isn;t it what I've always said. It's the breaking down physically that has been Federer's misfortune when meeting Rafa. He seems cool about it though.

Fortune has nothing to do with it. Every tennis player tries to break the opponent down physically, mentally or preferably both.
It requires immense skill to break the will power of a player as talented and as physically strong, fast and fit as Roger Federer.

Nice to hear Federer giving credit to Rafael Nadal for his game and the way that he has developed into a complete player by adding much more variety.

Nice to hear Federer giving credit to Rafael Nadal for his game and the way that he has developed into a complete player by adding much more variety..

Well not sure how much he meant that. Just after his FO match he said that Nadal always does the same thing.

And clearly we did not see Nadal trying to vary much his game in the last 5 times he met DJoko.

Tenez wrote:

Nice to hear Federer giving credit to Rafael Nadal for his game and the way that he has developed into a complete player by adding much more variety..

Well not sure how much he meant that. Just after his FO match he said that Nadal always does the same thing.

Because the same thing always works against Roger! Just ping the backhand until it self destructs. Maybe Roger should try to vary his response after 17 beatings and counting ....

And clearly we did not see Nadal trying to vary much his game in the last 5 times he meant DJoko.

No, we have. Just unsuccessfully. He has tried everything but Djokovic is clearly too strong at the moment.

He's tried slowing the play down? Serve/volleying? Playing just up the middle?

What variety are you referring to?

Amazing: fed said he so much missed to play against , amongst others, Henman: I think he should feel rather flattered in hearing this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nTsaoYGlqY&feature=related

Just discovered this video...nice to see the Arabic commentators love Federer as well!

This is a nice video,

but the translation is fake.

They commentators don't actually say anything resembling the translation.

Yeah I did realise! Out of interest do you know the gist of what they do actually say? I'd like to know what those Arabic commentators talk about; I had to endure them during an internet stream of the champions league final and they literally did not stop talking for a single second...

It's pretty standard tennis commentary, just a bit more excitable. They do like Federer though.

Here's how it starts:

'What a fantastic serve, and what a time to deliver it'

'ooooooh, Andy Murray in the style of Pete sampras'

'71% first serves, and now Roger moves to the net'

'great return'

and so on..

Yeah arabic football commentary is crazy, it always sound funny to me because they use standard arabic instead of regional/dialectical arabic.

It would be like commentating in English in Shakespearean fashion.