Posted on 01/28/2007 3:40:48 AM PST by beyond the sea
Myself, as a guy who has loved and played sports for well over 50 years, it's more than beautiful seeing a guy play at this level in any sport! It is sheer genius.
No wonder Tiger and he are quiclky becoming good friends.
ping .............
Ya, but I wanted Gonzalez to take him...
Amen - and gonzales was playing really well.
Federer is the best I've seen - ever.
It was the greatest tennis I have ever seen. The quality shots never stopped.
And Gonzalez was a perfect gentleman at the closing acceptance speech.
Bravo to both guys.
I don't know if you saw it on television, but between the end of the match and before the acceptance speeches, there were some really cool moments. Roger went over to where Fernando was sitting. Roger was standing and Fernando was sitting. Roger was talking to Fernando and it seemed like it was a real piece of his heart that he was passing on to Fernando. Fernando began smiling and the moment was made for me.
I am so glad I woke up in the middle of the night to see this match.
A great match. I never saw a guy lose three straight sets yet play so well.
ping
Carolyn
LOL........ then don't think so early in the morning.
A sense of humor may help you greatly.
Have a nice day.
I agree. With those incredible reflexes of his, it may be no coincidence that during his off-court time, he plays a lot of table tennis.
****
****
ping
****
****
Andy Roddick after his devastating 6-4, 6-0, 6-2 loss to Roger:
"It was miserable, it sucked, it was terrible .................. other than that it was fine."
lol
Federer continues to be invincible.
I think he may be a terminator in disguise.
Someone special agrees with you.
****
http://www.goroger.net/article/2007/telegraph070113.html
Laver Tells of The Tears of a Champion
(snip) - One person who knows all about Roger Federer's emotions is Rod Laver, as it was on the Australian's shoulder that the Swiss player cried during last year's prize-giving ceremony.
Laver, talking for the first time about Federer's victory tears on that occasion, said last night that the Swiss occasionally found it difficult to cope with all the acclaim that comes his way.
"It was an honour to be asked to present Roger with the trophy on stage last year," Laver, who is Federer's idol, told The Daily Telegraph. "I think that he's an emotional guy and he was clearly thrilled to have won the championship, but I think that it's sometimes overwhelming for him to have all these accolades and all this praise heaped on top of him the whole time. Roger is a great tennis player, but he's only human."
Laver, the only man to twice win all four grand slams in a year, has previously suggested that Federer could be the finest tennis player of all time.
"But I think people get too caught up in discussing whether he's chasing history, and whether he's going to win a record number of grand slams," Laver said. "I think that Roger goes out there and plays. He just enjoys the game and really loves competing, and he also likes that people want to come and watch him. That's what's really important to him. I don't think that these records are always on his mind.
"Roger is a great, friendly guy. I met him for the first time during last year's Australian Open, and it was great that he was interested in a player from a previous generation. I sat down with Roger and his coach, Tony Roche, and we had a good conversation. It was very amicable. He's a quiet individual, though, and I think that's why the praise can sometimes be too much."
****
Do you know if espn will be replaying the match??
Just woke up and hate to think I missed the beauty of Roger
I saw it too. I really never saw so many great shots (by both players) ever. It was incredibly beautiful tennis and ART.
That king of athletic exhibition, in my opinion, makes watching sports worthwhile. It was sheer genius! And both guys were perfect gentlemaen after the match. It was one great experience to see that match.
****
Rod Laver on Roger:
"He's a great champion and has proved it all along that he plays his best tennis in finals. I think he's certainly on his way.
"When I look at Pete Sampras, we all thought, 'could you get any better than Pete Sampras and his mark as being a great, great champion'?
"I think Roger is really in the middle of his career ... and the way he's compiling the grand slam titles, I think he's got a great chance of being the best ever.
"I have to believe it because he's got every shot in the book, and his experience of late seems to be (that) he's stepping it up even further.
"Just the shots that he uses in a match is quite incredible. He knows the safe zone and he knows when to hit out and go for winners.
"You don't see him being passed very often when he comes to the net and that's because he comes in at the right time. Sometimes (there is) the surprise attack and other times it's just (after) dipping the ball at a person's foot.
"I think the art of Roger is probably the best player I've ever seen."
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.