Did Federer throw his racket?
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Fedubai
Semi-Pro
Well I'm not surprised he got the award...gosh, he isn't perfect. I'm not making excuses here, let me be clear, that isn't the best behavior and he should have kept control, but...what can I say, he's human. I don't doubt his class though. Just let himself get a little too caught up in the moment there.
ShooterMcMarco
Hall of Fame
USCfan said:
yeah, its funny to watch tennis players get mad. fed doesnt slam racquets too often, he gets mad but doesnt slam too much.
FuriousYellow
Professional
ShooterMcMarco said:
The pressure must have been getting to him in this tournament. That was the second match in a row he broke a racquet. He hit his racquet against the ground in frustration in his match against Agassi. It wasn't quite the "Serena Slam" like she did against Venus where she shattered it. He just cracked the frame.
raftermania
Banned
Well, it's all those times he watched Safin express his anger through the destruction of racquets. He just had to try it out! But unfortunately, he didn't actually break it - those ncode's are built tough.
West Coast Ace
G.O.A.T.
I think it slipped out of his hand 
Doing it occasionally, considering the pressure the pros face, isn't bad. It's the guys who do it after one or two misses and follow it up with lackluster play, constant complaining about line calls, and/or downright tanking, who are the problem.
Doing it occasionally, considering the pressure the pros face, isn't bad. It's the guys who do it after one or two misses and follow it up with lackluster play, constant complaining about line calls, and/or downright tanking, who are the problem.
ShooterMcMarco
Hall of Fame
i thought this was a funny quote from roger himself about racquet throwing.
Q. We don't often see you throwing your racquet. I understand in your junior days you were better at that. What was going through your mind?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, I was so happy. I was really so happy because... no other reason (smiling).
Oh, you mean..? The other way around (laughing).
I was happy it looked good on TV, you know, the first throw. The second throw, I was really angry, you know, so I threw it out (laughing).
My God, where are we going here (smiling)?
Q. We don't often see you throwing your racquet. I understand in your junior days you were better at that. What was going through your mind?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, I was so happy. I was really so happy because... no other reason (smiling).
Oh, you mean..? The other way around (laughing).
I was happy it looked good on TV, you know, the first throw. The second throw, I was really angry, you know, so I threw it out (laughing).
My God, where are we going here (smiling)?
USCfan said:
Yes, I saw and heard this. He threw the racquet to the ground, though it looked like a fairly well controlled "throw." He sort of made sure the racquet landed flat on its side (not on an edge) which would of course be less likely to cause damage. I think this made him out to be more "human" than when he looks so utterly cool and in control of his emotions, keeping them bottled up inside. Apparently, he exhibited temper tantrums in his junior days, and has since learned to keep more control of his emotions on the court during match play. Remember when he won Wimbledon how he was in tears after the match?
I know the Fed is a great player, but sometimes his demeanor struck me as being a little arrogant. But maybe its really an alloofness he uses to keep his emotions in check. What did he say about Nadal after the match? Someone told me he said something like Nadal had played excellently and that it is a shame he (Nadal) had to lose. If that is anywhere near accurate, I must change my mind. You are not arrogant if you can say that about an opponent whom you have just defeated.
FuriousYellow
Professional
aj_m2009 said:
Because he doesn't scream or try to stare down linespeople or the chair umpire if he feels he got a bad call. He doesn't start celebrating every time he makes a great play and he makes a lot of them. He's always complimentary of his opponents even the ones he crushes. Personally, I'm sick of the in-your-face type of bad sportsmanship of sports like basketball and football. It's great to have someone like Roger Federer who's so much better than everyone else, but lets his play do all the talking for him.
Speaking of Fed's racquet. Did anyone else catch the very beginning of the CBS telecast where they were doing the intro? They showed an extreme close-up of the throat of his racquet and it obvious it wasn't an nCode as the racquet had a box beam.
James Brown
Semi-Pro
how did he win the award? that was ONE racquet. you're allowed to. christ the guy missed like his third EASY overhead in the match, that point cost him the set or a break I believe. i know the one before cost him the 2nd set. he was pissed at himself for tanking those overheads (a shot he is known to be skilled at . more specifically his backhand overhead..but none the less) he was still very classy. He didn't complain about too many calls (and some of them weren't great..he did get a break on a call tho but he was polite..unlike nadal who was belligerant on some calls that he was wrong about). He's the classiest high ranked player out there and that's why he won the damn award and why he deserves it.
VamosRafa
Hall of Fame
Well, Roger may not win it next year.
But Nadal might. For overruling a matchpoint in his favor in Brasil. He and Calleri were all but shaking hands at the net, and Rafa said the ball was good.
A set and a half later Nadal won it -- the hard way.
Not many guys would do that. He does that have part of Moya in him.
But Nadal might. For overruling a matchpoint in his favor in Brasil. He and Calleri were all but shaking hands at the net, and Rafa said the ball was good.
A set and a half later Nadal won it -- the hard way.
Not many guys would do that. He does that have part of Moya in him.
Fee
Legend
He threw a racquet?!?!?! He must now be tried and face the death penalty.
So what, it was one racquet. Marat throws a racquet and it's endearing. Fed throws a racquet and he has to give back his sportsmanship award? I don't think so. Every player gets at least one toss per set as a freebie and most of the chair umpires will ignore 2. It's the smashing/breaking/bending that gets them the warnings and violations.
So what, it was one racquet. Marat throws a racquet and it's endearing. Fed throws a racquet and he has to give back his sportsmanship award? I don't think so. Every player gets at least one toss per set as a freebie and most of the chair umpires will ignore 2. It's the smashing/breaking/bending that gets them the warnings and violations.
VamosRafa said:
Then in his post match interview after Miami final, all Nadal talked about was that bad call against him when all Federer talked about was how great Nadal is, how he was having problem adjusting to Nadal game and how he considered himself lucky to turn that match around.
One racquet throwing under that circumstances and Federer should not be winning sportsmanship award. Just so some of you know, that award was voted by all the tour players. They play Federer, they know better than any of us here of how he is.
VamosRafa
Hall of Fame
SydW said:
That was all Nadal talked about???
Okay, let's post the players' interviews, so there's no misunderstanding.
NASDAQ-100 OPEN
MIAMI, FLORIDA
April 3, 2005
R. FEDERER/R. Nadal
2-6, 6-7, 7-6, 6-3, 6-1
RAFAEL NADAL
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. I'm sure you're unhappy that you lost this, being so close to winning it. Are you still happy with the tournament, how it went from today?
RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, I am happy for my tennis. I am improving. I am playing good. But today I won two sets to Love, 4-1 in the third, 4-3, Love-30, and the ball, the forehand of Federer, is out, should. The referee say good. But 5-3 in the tiebreak, he play one forehand on the line. But he is the No. 1, no? He won this matches and I am happy with my tennis and not too happy for the result final, no?
Q. After you were unable to win the third set, his momentum began to build and you seemed to lose a little power off your ground strokes that you had in the first two sets. Did you have a sense that it was slipping away from you in the fourth set?
RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, I lost little bit power in the fourth and five, I think. But in the third I have a good sensation, no, good feelings. I was playing good tennis and I am with confidence for win the match, no? But he play good the important moments, and I feel good. I think I play good match all time. But in the fifth set when he break me, the serve, I lost.
Q. Were you tired?
RAFAEL NADAL: (Through translation) He said at 4-3, he was still fighting.
Q. In the third set, when Federer throws his racquet, what was your reaction? Is that a point where you think "I've got him now"? How did you react when you saw he was so upset and frustrated?
RAFAEL NADAL: He broke the racquet I think in the 5-4, no, in the 5-4 in the third. So I... (Through translation). He says that there was a ball that they called in and that he was told it was, even on TV, that they saw it called out. It became 0-40, and he had to serve.
Q. My question was about your reaction to Federer throwing his racquet.
RAFAEL NADAL: (Through translation) He's played with a lot of players that throw their racquets. Of course it's surprising to see Federer throw his racquet, but it makes you think you're closer to victory because he's frustrated and throwing his racquet.
Q. What does that say about Federer, that even with 73 errors he's able to come back and win?
RAFAEL NADAL: (Through translation) Federer is a player who makes mistakes, and that's not his strength. His strength is the way he can surprise you, and that usually in those important moments he doesn't make mistakes.
Q. Rafael, except for a brief period in the second set when Federer began to hit the ball very, very well, he was having a very difficult time handling the extreme spin that you put on the ball. Near the end of the second set did you feel very confident that, "I can win this match. He's not handling my ground strokes"?
RAFAEL NADAL: No, I don't think I can won for the spin, no, I think I can won because I won two sets to Love and I am playing good, I have good feelings. I only think about the next points, no. I hope break the next game and think about the next set, no. (Through translation) He says that he played a very close game and he could have had it, and it wasn't because of the topspin that he could have won the game. It was because he was playing at his level and Federer had more pressure than he did.
Q. In the fifth set, was it experience that gave Federer the edge, or were you tired?
RAFAEL NADAL: (Through translation) In the fifth set, once you get to that point, it's not really about experience. Federer hasn't lost in a very long time, and at that point he doesn't think...
Q. After the break of serve.
RAFAEL NADAL: (Through translation) Yeah, after the break.
Q. What are your plans for the future?
RAFAEL NADAL: I gonna play Valencia now. I play against Ferrero first round (smiling). Good draw (laughing)? I play Valencia, is the first tournament for prepare Monte-Carlo. Monte-Carlo, Barcelona, I stop one week, and I play the next two Masters Series in Rome, Hamburg. I stop one week for play the French Open if I don't have injury for the first time.
Q. You came very close. I know it's disappointing. But this match was watched in 200 countries around the world. Were you having a good time out there, the way you were playing?
RAFAEL NADAL: Yes. (Through translation) Any time he plays well and then he plays matches like these, he has fun. But as soon as you lose the last point, the fun stops.
Q. Before the tournament started I sat on Stadium Court and watched you practice for an hour with your good friend Feliciano Lopez. You seemed to struggle with that practice session. Did you ever in your wildest imagination think about the fact that you might get to the final and be within two points of taking the title?
RAFAEL NADAL: (Through translation) He said he had been playing on clay before coming here and he had just gotten here. Of course at that point you're not thinking about the final unless, you know, you're playing against a Federer or Safin. In the first round, and he played Schuettler.
Q. Is he surprised that he made it to the final?
RAFAEL NADAL: Is my first final of Masters Series, no? I am little bit surprised. But I am playing good and I only hope not the last, no.
Q. It certainly looked like at the end you ran out of energy. Were you more tired physically or more tired emotionally at the end of the match?
RAFAEL NADAL: (Through translation) He says it was a little bit of both. When you get to that point and you're playing against the best player in the world, he thinks he was prepared mentally, but at that point when you're playing against the best player in the world it's tough mentally as well.
Q. There's still seven weeks before you play your first French Open. Are you prepared to think that you are one of the favorites in that tournament, even though it could be your first try?
RAFAEL NADAL: (Through translation) He says he's never played the French Open. He has a lot of other tournaments before then that he's concentrating on, three Masters Series tournaments that are just as important in his points for his ranking that he needs to concentrate on and is very intent on doing well in.
Q. What do you feel you did well today and what mistakes did you make?
RAFAEL NADAL: (Through translation) He says he thinks he did a lot well. One of the biggest improvements was his serve. He says that if he can improve his serve and get points off his serve, that's one of the things he needs to improve on. And the control of his shots, control more the direction of his shots as well is something he needs to improve on, the placement of his shots.
Q. At what point did you realize that you weren't going to be able to win this match?
RAFAEL NADAL: (Through translation) In the fifth set, when I was losing 4-1, that's when I lost hope, in the second break.
VamosRafa
Hall of Fame
And here's Roger's interview: I tried to enter it, but the text is too long. Unlike Rafa, he can go and on and on in English, you know.
Here's the link:
http://www.nasdaq-100open.com/news/2005/interviews/0403b.html
BTW, folks on our site have counted how many times Roger says "you know." *lol*
Here's the link:
http://www.nasdaq-100open.com/news/2005/interviews/0403b.html
BTW, folks on our site have counted how many times Roger says "you know." *lol*
Isn't that what I said? He brought up that bad call twice in the whole interview. Look, I wasn't even trying to say Nadal can't feel terrible about that bad call, which it obviously was and it is understandable why he see the need to bring that up. But you apparently think Roger threw one racquet and he probably won't win the sportsmanship award next year but Nadal might? So he gave a matchpoint away in his favour and we didn't see Federer just accepting horrendous call and overrule twice on his match points in TMC Houston against Safin last year? So what made your claims valid there?
Before you go on and on, I have no problem with Nadal, he is just 18 and I won't hold anything he said or does on court seriously but some of your claims made here are rather out of line.
Before you go on and on, I have no problem with Nadal, he is just 18 and I won't hold anything he said or does on court seriously but some of your claims made here are rather out of line.
ShooterMcMarco
Hall of Fame
VamosRafa said:
how many times did he say it? Roger says "you know" more than any other sportsman today, maybe even in history. Theres also MaSha.
aj_m2009 said:
I didn't say it was the exact same thing. I knew someone is going to tell me that. My point is against VamosRafael who think one incident will give Nadal the sportmanship award.
Those award are voted by the players, they know better than us and I don't think they won't vote for Federer just because he threw a racquet or didn't give a point away like Nadal does. That is all I'm saying.
For the record, I actually like Nadal and think he already shows a lot at the age of 18, till I read some of VamosRafael posts, that was a huge turn off and I just enjoyed arguing with her.
VamosRafa
Hall of Fame
ShooterMcMarco said:
I don't know. I lost count. But if you post a note on our Messageboard at http://www.vamosrafael.com, they will let you know -- you know.
Not in an unkind way, though. They just were surprised by it, too.
VamosRafa
Hall of Fame
SydW said:
Enjoying arguing with me is a reason to argue with me. But it's not a reason to dislike Rafael.
You can dislike me, without dis-liking Rafael. And I have no problem with that at all.
I actually have no problem with your dis-liking Rafael, but he's a pretty likeable guy overall. I expect you all will see that as time goes on.
Fedubai
Semi-Pro
I was laughing when I read this paragraph:
ROGER FEDERER: Well, he's an outstanding athlete, you know. Of course he moves totally different to most of the players, you know. Of course he's fast, you know. But because he's a lefty, you know, it kind of changes so many things, you know. His forehand is huge, you know. Even on the run, you know, can hit it with the spins, you know, backhand to the court, make you hit another tough shot, you know ‑ anyway for me.
I'm not making fun of him believe me, it's just hilarious how many times he says that phrase! It's neat actually.
ROGER FEDERER: Well, he's an outstanding athlete, you know. Of course he moves totally different to most of the players, you know. Of course he's fast, you know. But because he's a lefty, you know, it kind of changes so many things, you know. His forehand is huge, you know. Even on the run, you know, can hit it with the spins, you know, backhand to the court, make you hit another tough shot, you know ‑ anyway for me.
I'm not making fun of him believe me, it's just hilarious how many times he says that phrase! It's neat actually.
