Tennis 2019

NM

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It doesn't matter how many cheerleaders Federer has in the stands or how beautiful his tennis was. Whoever of the 3 ends up with the greatest accomplishments at the end of their careers will be GOAT irrespective of their popularity or lack of it. As things stand it'll be Federer but there's a good chance Novak can catch up.
That's your opinion..
And it's probably wrong.
 

Peyroteo

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Your whole argument on other factors influencing popularity besides sporting prowess in Federer vs Djokovic falls apart when you consider how many Djokovic/Nadal/Murray fans are more anti-Federer than pro their own.
Is that even true? And why would it matter at all towards what I'm saying? Djokovic and Nadal certainly get a lot more hate than Federer as far as I've seen.

Of course it’s not limited to that, but how they play the sport plays a big part in how sport men are perceived, otherwise 2/3 of the football world wouldn’t hold a beard, chunky midget above an international sex symbol. Sports are games, games are meant to be enjoyed, to be fun.
Because we all know being a sex symbol makes you more likeable in the eyes of society :lol: Seriously, what is that example? Ronaldo's as divisive as it gets. You're trying to argue against me by giving me an example that perfectly proves my point.

You're turning the greatness of athletes into PR stunts and personality contests instead of how good they are at their sports and what they accomplished. That's ridiculous logic. I guess Djokovic would be be closer to being the greatest tennis player ever if he had a few funny talk show appearances and some charity auctions than if he won the next 5 or 6 Grand Slams then.
 

wr8_utd

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Well I do think CR7 Is greater than Messi while Messi is a better footballer so I'm consistent!
What's the difference between greater and better? I don't think you'll ever find anyone who says the other two are better to watch than Federer but if Federer's feats are surpassed (above and beyond the Slam count) whoever it would the the GOAT even if maybe not the actual better player. I'm a Rafa fan and even if he had 5 Slams more than Roger I'd never say Rafa is the better player to watch but he'd still end up going down as the GOAT in that scenario.
 

NM

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What's the difference between greater and better? I don't think you'll ever find anyone who says the other two are better to watch than Federer but if Federer's feats are surpassed (above and beyond the Slam count) whoever it would the the GOAT even if maybe not the actual better player. I'm a Rafa fan and even if he had 5 Slams more than Roger I'd never say Rafa is the better player to watch but he'd still end up going down as the GOAT in that scenario.
The difference is more than just achievements. Better = in a 1 vs 1, who would probably win (all things being equal). Greater = effect on the sport, the public etc. It's not Djokovic or Nadal's fault but Fed arrived when tennis needed a superstar, and played a style of game that made him a favorite. The way he plays (1 handed back hand etc.) makes a huge difference to most people watching.

Edit: The simple difference is how many slams Rafa and Fed have outside clay and grass. You can clearly see one guy is all court, while the other is the clay GOAT.
 

wr8_utd

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Is that even true? And why would it matter at all towards what I'm saying? Djokovic and Nadal certainly get a lot more hate than Federer as far as I've seen.



Because we all know being a sex symbol makes you more likeable in the eyes of society :lol: Seriously, what is that example? Ronaldo's as divisive as it gets. You're trying to argue against me by giving me an example that perfectly proves my point.

You're turning the greatness of athletes into PR stunts and personality contests instead of how good they are at their sports and what they accomplished. That's ridiculous logic. I guess Djokovic would be be closer to being the greatest tennis player ever if he had a few funny talk show appearances and some charity auctions than if he won the next 5 or 6 Grand Slams then.
Nadal is pretty respected and doesn't get hate from crowds but a lot of Federer fans hate him, especially on Twitter etc.
Novak doesn't get much love at all from the crowds though and honestly I feel for him. He's had to work a lot harder to win his Slams than anyone and yet gets very little love or affection just because, unlike the other two, he actually shows a lot of emotion on court.
 

wr8_utd

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The difference is more than just achievements. Better = in a 1 vs 1, who would probably win (all things being equal). Greater = effect on the sport, the public etc. It's not Djokovic or Nadal's fault but Fed arrived when tennis needed a superstar, and played a style of game that made him a favorite. The way he plays (1 handed back hand etc.) makes a huge difference to most people watching.

Edit: The simple difference is how many slams Rafa and Fed have outside clay and grass. You can clearly see one guy is all court, while the other is the clay GOAT.
I can accept all sorts of sporting criteria like H2H, consistency across surfaces, weeks at #1, Masters, WTF won etc because those are all worthy ways of judging tennis players but effect on the sport or public I don't think is important enough. If it is, Novak may not even be in the debate for Top 3 and we know that's not true.
 

Peyroteo

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Nadal is pretty respected and doesn't get hate from crowds but a lot of Federer fans hate him, especially on Twitter etc.
Novak doesn't get much love at all from the crowds though and honestly I feel for him. He's had to work a lot harder to win his Slams than anyone and yet gets very little love or affection just because, unlike the other two, he actually shows a lot of emotion on court.
Thanks. I wouldn't know, that's why I asked. Seems very weird to me that Federer would be the most hated player.

I only really follow the fans' opinions through here and what I hear during the matches.
 

InfiniteBoredom

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Is that even true? And why would it matter at all towards what I'm saying? Djokovic and Nadal certainly get a lot more hate than Federer as far as I've seen.
Social media is a poor metric, but it’s all we have, so just feast your eyes on twitter and YouTube comments. My experience is that fans of the other 3 spend more time shittalking Fed than extolling their own. There was a guy here who was Djokovic fan who came out with conspiracies of Fed taking PEDs in 2017, and this place is one of the more benign when it comes to tennis.

Because we all know being a sex symbol makes you more likeable in the eyes of society :lol: Seriously, what is that example? Ronaldo's as divisive as it gets. You're trying to argue against me by giving me an example that perfectly proves my point.

You're turning the greatness of athletes into PR stunts and personality contests instead of how good they are at their sports and what they accomplished. That's ridiculous logic. I guess Djokovic would be be closer to being the greatest tennis player ever if he had a few funny talk show appearances and some charity auctions than if he won the next 5 or 6 Grand Slams then.
And you are intentionally misrepresenting my point. These guys are popular because of their sporting prowess, and how they play the game is an intrinsic part of that. If the majority of people, pundits, coaches, past and present players are either fan or have asserted that Federer is the most skillful/entertaining tennis player they’ve ever seen, then maybe the roots of his popularity lays somewhere else besides ‘being the first tennis superstar after Sampras’ or whatever.

And ‘greatness’, vague as it is, is absolutely a popularity contest. For all we know, Di Stefano might have been the best player in football history, but people remember Pelé and Maradona, and in the near future, Messi/CR.
 

wr8_utd

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Thanks. I wouldn't know, that's why I asked. Seems very weird to me that Federer would be the most hated player.

I only really follow the fans' opinions through here and what I hear during the matches.
Yeah Federer absolutely isn't the most hated. I think Rafa and Novak fans, and that includes me, just dislike the crazy amount of media bias, presence of impartial commentators, the crowd behavior in Federer matches and the constant Federer wankfest that has been persistent forever. Federer in himself seems a nice enough guy who has a good relationship with Rafa on and off the court and plays some wonderful tennis and is a joy to watch in full flow.
 

FootballHQ

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Nadal is pretty respected and doesn't get hate from crowds but a lot of Federer fans hate him, especially on Twitter etc.
Novak doesn't get much love at all from the crowds though and honestly I feel for him. He's had to work a lot harder to win his Slams than anyone and yet gets very little love or affection just because, unlike the other two, he actually shows a lot of emotion on court.
Yep p
Thanks. I wouldn't know, that's why I asked. Seems very weird to me that Federer would be the most hated player.

I only really follow the fans' opinions through here and what I hear during the matches.
The forum I generally use for Tennis:

https://www.menstennisforums.com/2-general-messages/

Lots of fanboys of the big 3 on there.
 

Eddy_JukeZ

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So annoyed my recording wasn't extended for whatever reason. Cut out at the start of the 4th set.

Watched highlights of the final set.

Really good game to watch. Federer is just incredible. At this age too. He just has this incredible grace when hitting that tennis ball. Joy to watch.

Novak will probably take the final though.
 

Bojan11

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Think it’s incredible the level these three play at their age. Like I said yesterday Murray must be kicking himself on getting injured. Murray if he does of court return to singles will have to adapt. Serve a bit bigger and keep points shorter.

Tennis needs a fourth guy. If it’s not going to be next gen then hopefully Wawrinka or Murray step up again. Sadly Del Potro just when he was getting in the top four ranking and playing consistently gets injured again.
 

RobinLFC

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I can accept all sorts of sporting criteria like H2H, consistency across surfaces, weeks at #1, Masters, WTF won etc because those are all worthy ways of judging tennis players but effect on the sport or public I don't think is important enough. If it is, Novak may not even be in the debate for Top 3 and we know that's not true.
Impact on the sport is very important though. It’s why the likes of Woods, Gretzky, Jordan consistently get mentioned as GOATs and have a much more global brand compared to others who came close to their trophy haul.
 

jem

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Yeah Federer absolutely isn't the most hated. I think Rafa and Novak fans, and that includes me, just dislike the crazy amount of media bias, presence of impartial commentators, the crowd behavior in Federer matches and the constant Federer wankfest that has been persistent forever. Federer in himself seems a nice enough guy who has a good relationship with Rafa on and off the court and plays some wonderful tennis and is a joy to watch in full flow.
It truly boggles the mind that anybody could hate Rafa, Federer or even Djokovic (not saying you are - just quoting you because you mentioned it.) I'm a Federer fan, so of course I'm delighted he won, giving him another chance at a title. But how could I possibly hate Nadal? The guy is a supreme player and seems like a lovely guy as well. I really can't understand how people can become almost tribal in their support of one player. With football, I can almost understand it, because you're supporting the badge, so to speak. Thus, I can see why people get heated in the whole Messi/Cristiano debate. But it makes no sense to me with tennis. We are so lucky to have these 3 players. We should enjoy them while we can.
 

Bojan11

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Predictions for the finals?
Head says Williams and Djokovic; heart says Halep and Federer.
Djokovic for me.

First set important for Federer like today. If Nadal had taken it could have been a different outcome as he’s got like some crazy record after taking first set in five setters. Same with Djokovic you can’t play catch up with these guys because once the get in front they tend not to make any errors and it’s more pressure on the player who is a set behind.

If Federer takes the first set then it will be vital, but Djokovic will still feel he has a chance. Where as Roger can’t play catch up to these guys. Their last meeting in Paris masters was a classic. Djokovic has also won their last two meetings in Wimbledon finals. But I think Federer is playing better than he was in 14 or 15 to be honest.
 

amolbhatia50k

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Very proud of Federer's performance yesterday, and just glad I got to witness him once again at full flow in a big encounter. The way he combines, grace, artistry, style, power and skill is unique. It tends to go down hill very fast for old sportsman but given his current level, he shouldn't have any fixed plans for retirement. He's playing too well right now.
 

DoomSlayer

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The first time I ever witnessed Roger Federer was in the 2001 edition of Wimbledon, playing a match against no other than Pete Sampras. I was a little 6 year old boy watching the game on his extremely small TV but I was just in awe of this guy.

Instantly became my favourite tennis player along with Andre Agassi and was also the reason for my desire to start training tennis myself. I'm a bit sad sometimes as I've generally somewhat went off of the sport in the last 5-6 years, but seeing the Maestro at his best yet again just brings so much joy to my life. A true genius and an incredible man, really inspirational sports figure on a world scale that will stay in the history books probably for centuries, although I might be going overboard a bit with that. :lol:
 

amolbhatia50k

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How can you live through ‘je suis Charlie Hebdo/Paris’ and cannot work out ‘je suis monsieur twitterer’? I don’t even know French and worked that out :lol:
I couldn't work out either :( The copy feature wasn't working for Google to do it's magic. To be fair I know some of the words there but thought it may be unclear.
 

jojojo

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I've always wondered if the players themselves tweet all of this stuff. Looks so much like a prepared HR/PR statement.
It's pretty much the kind of things he says in pitch-side interviews and press conferences. Whether someone types his tweets so he doesn't have to check the spellings, I don't know - but he's usually pretty PR friendly in his after match stuff.
 

saivet

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The right thread this time...

I think Serena in straight sets and Djokovic in 4 tomorrow. Though Halep or Federer winning would be of no surprise.