Calling out to all Fed Fans out there

[gugafanatic]

It appears to me their are alot of Fedex fans on this board that are constantly expressing the greatness of their idol. Comparisons have been made with Sampras, and some have already accepted him as the greatest player ever!!. More recently, it seems any player mentioned in the same breath as Federer is subject to ridicule and heavy criticism. I just wanted to ask you Federer fans one question, Did you even know Federer before hes rise to fame???. I gurantee most of you Fed lovers, never supported Fed prior to hes first Grand slam win.

 

[raftermania]

People like winners, what's your point???

 

[snowpuppy]

Actually I started liking in the houston master series after he won wimbledon. At that time I don't know about his oozing talent or his "greatness". In fact that wimbledon I was cheering for the scud (since he was the unseeded underdog). Futhermore, I thought he was look cold and emotionless and I regarded as some evil dude crushing an underdog's dream (Fact is I never watched the match and only read about it cuz I started getting into tennis then). But when I finally watch his match for the first time, damn was that backhand sweet! Thoese beautful down the line backhand did the job for me. The more I watch the more I was like damn!

But just to show you, not everyone jump on the bandwagon. And the reason for people's ridicule probably due to his record vs top 10's in the past year or so

 

[obackvalobasha]

snowpuppy, same here, same here. I was cheering for scud may be because he was better looking then roger haha. I was ignorent about tennis and still i am but now i know more than then. no? But now that i understand some tennis. I am a fan of federer. GO fedex

 

[Marius_Hancu]

I gurantee most of you Fed lovers, never supported Fed prior to hes first Grand slam win.

Not quite true. I saw him in Hamburg 2002, where the beat Guga, Mirnyi and Safin. Quite a show.

 

[splink779]

I'm not exactly a fan of Federer, I'm neutral towards him. I never root for him to win a tourney. But I think the reason not many liked him before he started winning is because he was not a good player but then suddenly began winning - big. There are other players that no one is noticing right now but may do the same as Federer did. I want Ferrero to win the french, Henman to win wimbledon, and Roddick to take back the US Open.

 

[snowpuppy]

snowpuppy, same here, same here. I was cheering for scud may be because he was better looking then roger haha. I was ignorent about tennis and still i am but now i know more than then. no? But now that i understand some tennis. I am a fan of federer. GO fedex

Lol. Actually i was like that too. I was like damn that dude and his ugly nose. I couldn't imagine what hell it will be to look at his face for years down the line if he is actually good. Thank god, now i only look at his tennis. (personally i think he look better with the shorter hair and not the pony tail.)

 

[johnmcc516]

I just started liking him and enjoyed watching his matches. He is leaps and bounds above everyone else on the tour right now, and its fun to watch. I have a feeling the crowd will catch back up.

 

[obackvalobasha]

O man i was thinking about the nose too. Nobody wants to cheer for a guy with that kinda nose. hahah if you were seeing tennis for the 1st time in your life, no? anyway it hink he looks better with pony tail on the court.

 

[drexeler]

comeon gugafanatic, everybody loves their faves and sometimes goes overboard in praising them. You yourself have done this w.r.t Nadal who you said is better than Federer.

For the record, I became a fan of Fed after his virtuoso performance in Wim 2003 SF against Roddick. This was similar to Edberg's (my other all-time favorite) USO performance in '91 against Courier.

 

[drexeler]

People like winners, what's your point???

Not only that, people (at least purists and old-timers) are entranced by Fed because he brought back old-school skills, beauty and artistry back into the game.

There used to be a hue and cry about how power is killing men's tennis. The slowing down of grass at Wim, replacement of carpet with slow hard courts were steps to reduce the effect of power in tennis. McEnroe was even suggesting going back to wood rackets (in addition to limiting racket head size to 90 sq.in), others suggested elimination of second serves. I am not hearing these complaints after Fed's breakthrough. I am not so sure that would have been the case had Roddick or even Safin been dominating like Fed has.

 

[activentures]

I remember seeing him as this gangly teenager with short hair playing on the outside courts in the juniors at Wimbledon. He used the same racket as me (sad but very significant to me at the time!), played the way I like to see the game being played, and had a Sampras-esque way about him, so he caught my attention. He was then quoted as one to watch in a tennis magazine and won the junior singles a year or two later.

He was one of the guys for me that you kinda like and look out for their results. However, I still remember being disappointed that he beat Pete at Wimbledon. You have those guys that you like more than others (normally because of their style) and I think that is only exaggerated when they are successful. On top of that, I agree with what drexeler says about fed being a figurehead for romantics of the game and their belief about how it should be played.

 

[Polaris]

Gugafanatic, you have to understand that for most of us, it is impossible to watch a player in action unless he starts winning and makes it to the final rounds. In effect, for most watchers, a player sort of springs into existence only when he is available on TV. So it is to be expected that the number of Federer fans would increase after he started winning.

Other than that, drexeler's reason is the one that worked for me. I've been very late in catching on to the Federer phenomenon. I knew about his Slam victores but had never watched him play until late last year (Reason: no TV, no cable ) and consequently, was not a fan. Now that I've watched a few of his matches, his game and general bearing appeals to my aesthetic sense, if there is such a thing. I've never trashed other players, because I don't think it is useful. Since we're mostly just recreational players, there is probably something to be learnt from most pros playing today.

Regarding the debate about his being the greatest ever, it is futile to argue either way. Anyone can think what they like and find the means and the criteria to justify it. Its like the widely publicized but often idiotic university rankings that US News releases every year.

 

[Goenitz_196]

They're like Manchester United fans all over again...

 

[alfa164164]

Good point gugafanatic, I'm sure supporters of Pete, Guga, etc. admired those players pretty much at birth, whereas the Fed fans are just jumping on the bandwagon. Shameless idolization.

 

[White Satin]

Originally posted by gugafanatic
I gurantee most of you Fed lovers, never supported Fed prior to hes first Grand slam win.

I first started watching him early in 2001~~then, when he defeated Sampras at Wimbledon~~I thought, *Yes, he's on his way*. But, no, I had to wait a little while.
Then he found his game!

I've been believing in him before he even had a band~~or a wagon!
And I will continue to.