4-time world champion John Higgins: Federer retirement was cringey.

UnforcedTerror

UnforcedTerror

Hall of Fame
Higgins said: “I did get shown bits of the TV footage of the Roger Federer retirement match at the Laver Cup, and if I’m honest I thought it was all a bit…cringey!

“I didn’t watch all of it and I am glad I didn’t from what I caught. Listen, what a player he was and what a great champion.

“Put it this way, if Ronnie retires I don’t think I’ll be there holding his hand and crying – I am never doing that.

www.thesportsman.com

John Higgins: Federer Retirement Was Cringey - When I Go It’ll Be A Handshake

John Higgins insists that he found the tearful retirement of tennis legend Roger Federer “a bit cringey”. The Scot and his fellow ‘Class of 1992’ members…
www.thesportsman.com www.thesportsman.com
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I totally agree with Mr. Higgins. Fed has been always an emotional mess so him crying on his last day on court was to be expected. BUT him holding Bull's hands with Bull weeping like a child who had lost his candy was sooo over the top. I closed the stream at the time because it was embarrassing. Some of my friends who have seen the clips on socials media even thought it was fake, that they were putting on "an act for the audience" and honestly I think Bull felt that he had to cry on such occasion so he did.

Do you agree with Mr. Higgins?
 
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Roubaixcomp

Rookie
UnforcedTerror said:
I totally agree with Mr. Higgins. Fed has been always an emotional mess so him crying on his last day on court was to be expected. BUT him holding Bull's hands with Bull weeping like a child who had lost his candy was sooo over the top. I closed the stream at the time because it was embarrassing. Some of my friends who have seen the clips on socials media even thought it was fake, that they were putting on "an act for the audience" and honestly I think Bull felt that he had to cry on such occasion so he did.

Do you agree with Mr. Higgins?
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Yes I do. Laver Cup seems to be an opportunity for tennis players to have a go at acting.
I love both players immensely. Respect Is off the charts.
But I feel this needs to be said. Only a week earlier in the same city the funeral or Queen Elizabeth took place and I'd argue death is more upsetting than retirement. King Charles wasn't crying to that extent or holding anybodys hand.
Higgins is right. It was a bit OTT. Many ATGs have retired and I cannot recall that level of emotion. Twitter of course loved it. CNN and the BBC loved it.
 
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pj80

Legend
UnforcedTerror said:
I totally agree with Mr. Higgins. Fed has been always an emotional mess so him crying on his last day on court was to be expected. BUT him holding Bull's hands with Bull weeping like a child who had lost his candy was sooo over the top. I closed the stream at the time because it was embarrassing. Some of my friends who have seen the clips on socials media even thought it was fake, that they were putting on "an act for the audience" and honestly I think Bull felt that he had to cry on such occasion so he did.

Do you agree with Mr. Higgins?
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they didn't really hold hands....Fed just tapped top of Rafa's hand in an appreciative way
 
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StrongRule

G.O.A.T.
Why does Higgins care about it, anyway? I have always seen him as the Djokovic of snooker. A boring and not liked player, especially after the story with him cheating in 2010. Comparing him and O'Sullivan to Nadal and Federer makes zero sense. Yeah, I'm sure these two will not be holding hands. So what? People are different. Just like snooker and tennis are different sports.
 
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Roubaixcomp

Rookie
StrongRule said:
Why does Higgins care about it, anyway? I have always seen him as the Djokovic of snooker. A boring and not liked player, especially after the story with him cheating in 2010. Comparing him and O'Sullivan to Nadal and Federer makes zero sense. Yeah, I'm sure these two will not be holding hands. So what? People are different. Just like snooker and tennis are different sports.
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I think the point is was it all a bit choreographed ?
 
Tshooter

Tshooter

G.O.A.T.
Roubaixcomp said:
Yes I do. Laver Cup seems to be an opportunity for tennis players to have a go at acting.
I love both players immensely. Respect Is off the charts.
But I feel this needs to be said. Only a week earlier in the same city the funeral or Queen Elizabeth took place and I'd argue death is more upsetting than retirement. King Charles wasn't crying to that extent or holding anybodys hand.
Higgins is right. It was a bit OTT. Many ATGs have retired and I cannot recall that level of emotion. Twitter of course loved it. CNN and the BBC loved it.
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www.newstatesman.com

How private schools create Britain’s emotionally stunted leaders

Boarding schools force boys to become cynical and detached. Then they grow up to run the country.
www.newstatesman.com www.newstatesman.com
 
S

StrongRule

G.O.A.T.
MeatTornado said:
I'll never understand why this game has so much relevance on this forum.
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Because it makes sense for tennis fans to like some other singles 1vs1 sports, and snooker is such a sport. There are some similarities between them. I actually watched snooker before I started watching tennis, but also lost interest earlier.
 
Third Serve

Third Serve

Talk Tennis Guru
it truly is amusing how often TTW users attempt to pass themselves off as public intellectuals by labeling as many things as possible "fake" or "staged"

I thank these free-thinking individuals for seeing through the lies of mainstream media and sharing with us the ugly sides of stories Swiss pharmaceutical companies and the Rafael Nadal Tennis Academy withhold from us.
 
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Roubaixcomp

Rookie
StrongRule said:
It was fine. I usually don't show emotions on public, but I don't judge those who do that.
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I don't think Higgins was judging them per se. I think he is implying there may have been a wider agenda at play. Bear in mind the UK and USA are going through strange times regarding how men should be more in touch with their feelings publicly.
 
Djokovic2011

Djokovic2011

Bionic Poster
StrongRule said:
Even if that was true, is that the only thing you like about Djokovic? :unsure:

I compare their playing styles and similar things, not just achievements.
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Higgins has always been a great all round player but I've never felt there's anything he does exceptionally well unlike Djokovic with his sliding backhand or ROS.
 
Tshooter

Tshooter

G.O.A.T.
Third Serve said:
it truly is amusing how often TTW users attempt to pass themselves off as public intellectuals by labeling as many things as possible "fake" or "staged"

I thank these free-thinking individuals for seeing through the lies of mainstream media and sharing with us the ugly sides of stories Swiss pharmaceutical companies and the Rafael Nadal Tennis Academy by Movistar withhold from us.
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and Movistar is owned by Telefónica. Follow the money. :sneaky:

 
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ForehandCross

ForehandCross

G.O.A.T.
Two people Federer and Nadal, have emotions that only they have rights over. They expressed it the way they wanted and felt right to them.

Why the **** should it matter that anyone famous or not feels about it? You won't do so, you are absolutely welcome to.

But don't try to be a condescending psuedo alpha. Both Fraud and Ralph have had moments of pure alpha that probably exceeds whatever this guy ever did in his entire life.


People are different, men don't always have to wear a tough guy mask. What matters is when the situation does get tough, do they step up. Fraud and Ralph have always done that.
 
Federev

Federev

Legend
UnforcedTerror said:
I totally agree with Mr. Higgins. Fed has been always an emotional mess so him crying on his last day on court was to be expected. BUT him holding Bull's hands with Bull weeping like a child who had lost his candy was sooo over the top. I closed the stream at the time because it was embarrassing. Some of my friends who have seen the clips on socials media even thought it was fake, that they were putting on "an act for the audience" and honestly I think Bull felt that he had to cry on such occasion so he did.

Do you agree with Mr. Higgins?
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Fed’s an emotional guy, If you know Fed at all - you knew that was coming.

Others around him getting emotional only affirmed the reality that this was the end of the line in a career none of these guys wants to end (their own I mean.). And the beginning of the end of a truly golden age.

For some it was beautiful.

For others it was fine.

For some it was uncomfortable.

To each his own.

But there was nothing immoral about it. Nothing nasty or unfair.

It was at best a remarkable affirmation that respect and friendship and sportsmanship and goodwill among competitors are bigger than winning a ball game for yourself.

For that reason alone what happened can be worthy of celebration - or at least some respect.

If all you got out of it was “cringy”, then that’s probably a sign you’re being pretty shortsighted.

Just like if you could only mock Novak when he had that breakdown at the USO. Says more about you than him, I think.
 
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Clay lover

Clay lover

Hall of Fame
He doesn't empathize with Federer's emotions cus he's a calculating robot who match fixes and plays a boring game to maximize his benefits in and outside of the game, unlike Ronnie who truly plays for the enjoyment of the game and entertainment he can bring the viewers.

He won't be doing that for Ronnie cus he's salty that as contemporaries (they started the same year) Ronnie's the better one of the two.
 
L

Lauren_Girl'

Semi-Pro
UnforcedTerror said:
I totally agree with Mr. Higgins. Fed has been always an emotional mess so him crying on his last day on court was to be expected. BUT him holding Bull's hands with Bull weeping like a child who had lost his candy was sooo over the top. I closed the stream at the time because it was embarrassing. Some of my friends who have seen the clips on socials media even thought it was fake, that they were putting on "an act for the audience" and honestly I think Bull felt that he had to cry on such occasion so he did.

Do you agree with Mr. Higgins?
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Nope.
 
InsuranceMan

InsuranceMan

Semi-Pro
Man just give the guy some peace and a break for crying out loud, he’s done enough over 20 years for the sport love him or hate him, I wouldn’t hope for any less for Djokovic and Nadal. Y’all complain about the sport being too mundane or too boring and then when someone experiments or breaks it up a little it’s cringe.
 
Mivic

Mivic

Hall of Fame
I know we're not meant to judge guys for crying anymore and stuff but I do find public and elaborate displays of emotion coming from a man to be a bit jarring in most (not all) cases tbh. Maybe that's a me problem but nevertheless I don't think it would hurt if Federer was able to comport himself with a bit more stoicism from time to time. Since it was expected in this case however I still found the ceremony to be somewhat endearing and the event to be a nice send off overall (apart from the choice of music after Fed's speech).
 
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Mivic

Mivic

Hall of Fame
MeatTornado said:
I'll never understand why this game has so much relevance on this forum.
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It's not too surprising considering that communication on this forum is primarily in English and snooker (especially amongst the demographic of the population which drives tennis viewership) is pretty popular in the UK. Also grand slams (and some other smaller events) are (or at least were for a long time) primarily shown on Eurosport in the UK (and in Europe in general) so if you're a big tennis fan you're probably going to be pretty familiar with snooker since it's possibly the most televised sport on said TV channel as far as I'm aware. There are also some (albeit mostly surface level) similarities between the two sports. But yeah I do agree that it often gets forced into threads when it's not particularly relevant or necessary. I think there just happens to be a small group of snooker nuts on this forum who mostly drive the discourse (again not too surprising considering English is the primary mode of communication here) and then some other posters who watch it very casually just entertain it as an interesting and different way to break up all of the mundane talking points that get recycled around here to the point where its become quite commonplace.
 
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Mustard

Mustard

Bionic Poster
Tennis and snooker are very different etiquettes. Snooker expects you not to show much emotion and "keep yourself under control" while the tension and pressure builds and builds. Tennis is about releasing that emotion and pressure when you need to.
 
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BayAreaBooster

Rookie
UnforcedTerror said:
I totally agree with Mr. Higgins. Fed has been always an emotional mess so him crying on his last day on court was to be expected. BUT him holding Bull's hands with Bull weeping like a child who had lost his candy was sooo over the top. I closed the stream at the time because it was embarrassing. Some of my friends who have seen the clips on socials media even thought it was fake, that they were putting on "an act for the audience" and honestly I think Bull felt that he had to cry on such occasion so he did.

Do you agree with Mr. Higgins?
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Exactly. The whole ceremony was cringe fest including the Ellie Golding singing. Good ol' Connors days, when men were real men, not the Fed beta males.
 
Silverbullet96

Silverbullet96

Hall of Fame
Roubaixcomp said:
I love both players immensely. Respect Is off the charts.
But I feel this needs to be said. Only a week earlier in the same city the funeral or Queen Elizabeth took place and I'd argue death is more upsetting than retirement. King Charles wasn't crying to that extent or holding anybodys hand.
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That's not the same thing, Queen Elizabeth had already died 11 days before the televised funeral (I didn't watch that), King Charles already had 11 days to cry and be depressed about, who knows he might have cried even more ? Federer had retired just a few moments before he started crying.
Even if Charles hadn't cried as much as Federer during the death also, it doesn't matter, because different people express emotions differently.

Roubaixcomp said:
Higgins has lost weight so give him credit for that lol.
I think his point was about was it all staged. Not a criticism of Fedal but Laver Cup does often seem a bit over acted.
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Sure, I agree that the 'legitimacy' of Laver Cup seems a little forced at times with the celebrations, but saying the whole retirement ceremony and emotions were fake, that's ridiculous. You really think Federer or Nadal are THAT good actors that they can cry on command and make it look that convincing ? And why TF would anyone waste their energy on ACTING in such a moment ? What's next, Federer's trophy ceremonies where he cried were also staged and he used to practise both happy and sad crying in front of a mirror for hours for if he won or lost ?

Dennis Peterson said:
The man has no control over his emotion and is an overemotional freak. After winning his first wimbledon he was talking to the announcer lady after receiving the Trophy, he is smiling and talking and then suddenly he starts crying. :rolleyes: How freaky and sissy is that? Then you find him crying after receiving trophies from Rod Laver in Australia ? :rolleyes: Then you find him crying after losing to Nadal right in front of the whole world, he not only spoils Nadal's moment by making that occasion all about himself, but it took young Rafa to show immense maturity by consoling Roger and telling him that he is a great champ, will win 14th soon, he doesnt have to be upset blah blah like a bigger brother would console a younger brother, imagine.... a young Rafa had to do that to Roger... :rolleyes: So Roger's emotional stability has never been there. No wonder he is weeping and sobbing there on his last day.
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Yes, because that's how you become a billionaire and a 20 time Grand Slam champion, by having no control over your emotions... How TF can you call someone "emotionally unstable" because he just cries at some happy/sad moments in his life ? Does it affect his own functioning or hurt others ?
 
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abmk

abmk

Bionic Poster
Dennis Peterson said:
He is the richest ATG and a 20 time champ because of how good he is at his craft, not because he is tough mentally or in control of his emotions always. If someone like Stan Wawrinka or Lleyton Hewitt had Federer's skill and talent then they would be on 25+ slams by now, not sure about money because endorsement and such things have personality involved as well but in terms of toughness I can vouch that they would be on 25+ now, they would not cry after winning everytime because they are grown men in control of their emotions and not manchilds. They would not do this because they have control over their emotions and thats why they they would be in a winning situation they would not be burdened by the weight of expectations and cave in.
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Oh please, Stan even with Norman was worse mentally than fed. Before that, there is no comparison whatsoever.

Federer is very tough mentally.
 
abmk

abmk

Bionic Poster
Dennis Peterson said:
How can someone be mentally very tough after losing 24 matches from matchpoints and 6 of them being in Grand Slams? The man is extremely skilled, probably the most skilled of all time, plus he also has sufficient toughness to even come back from 2 sets down as his skills back him to do it, but when it gets really really close, it seems there are 2 voices in his head during MPs, one voice tells him "you can do it, you are the best" and another voice tells him "you are gonna fail", maybe it is his inability to shut off the negative voice at that moment which causes him to make wrong decisions and goof up. He is tough enough to take 20 slams but he cannot called among the toughest people after losing so many matches from winnable positions. :unsure:
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Because he won 11 out of 12 non RG slams from 2004-07. 23 GS semis in a row and 18/19 GS finals. In takes tremendous mental strength for such things.

After season till 2008 Wim, came back strong to win USO 08. After AO 09 loss, came back to win RG 09 in a roller coaster and then Wim 09. Beat Djoko in RG 11 including 2 clutch TBs when prime Nadal was struggling vs him in slams.
Beat Djoko+Murray b2b to win Wim 12. Came back from 1-3 down in 5th set vs Nadal in AO 2017.

Has the best TB record in tennis.

He's won as many matches saving MPs (more than anyone) aa he has lost. Those matches lost is one -ve but compared to the many positives, it isn't anywhere near much as your think.

Fed is definitely among the top 10 mentally toughest in the open era.

P.S. and Stan? Really? Guy couldn't even finish off hobbling fed towards end of YEC 14 semi and got outclutched in AO 17 as well. Got outclutched in set 1 and then dismantled in next 2 sets in USO 15 semi. Doesn't have a single win vs fed outside of clay. Has a very poor record vs Nadal as well

For a 3 slam winner, mediocre record outside slams.
 
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Russeljones

Russeljones

Talk Tennis Guru
UnforcedTerror said:
I totally agree with Mr. Higgins. Fed has been always an emotional mess so him crying on his last day on court was to be expected. BUT him holding Bull's hands with Bull weeping like a child who had lost his candy was sooo over the top. I closed the stream at the time because it was embarrassing. Some of my friends who have seen the clips on socials media even thought it was fake, that they were putting on "an act for the audience" and honestly I think Bull felt that he had to cry on such occasion so he did.

Do you agree with Mr. Higgins?
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I agree that he should have been banned for life for negotiating to fix snooker games. His opinion carries no weight.
 
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