Federer: "I know I'll never win Roland Garros as long as Nadal is playing"

[VamosRafa]

FROM AN INTERVIEW IN SIE7E MAGAZINE

Federer: "I know I'll never win Roland Garros as long as Nadal is playing"

EFE | MADRID
Roger Federer, the world's number one player, has praised the talent of the Spanish player Rafael Nadal, saying that he is "unbeatable" on clay and "has a really frightening desire to win". The player from Basel said that he could not win Roland Garros while the young Spaniard played in Paris.

In an interview for SIE7E magazine, the Swiss showed his amazement at the Spaniard's great tennis: "He is incredible, but not because of his muscles. He has talent, strength and a desire to win that is frightening. He's like Arantxa: her male equivalent." The world's number one has great belief in the Spaniard's chances: he considers him to be the best on clay. "I know I will never win Roland Garros while he's playing," he said emphatically.

He even dared to joke about Nadal's famous pirate pants: "They suit him, but I find them uncomfortable."

(As translated by nou.amic)

Full article:

ENTREVISTA A LA REVISTA SIE7E

Federer: "Sé que nunca ganaré Roland Garros mientras Nadal esté en la pista"

Haciendo gala de su conocida humildad, el tenista suizo ha sido precavido al hacer un pronóstico de cara al Open de Australia


Roger Federer felicitó a Rafa Nadal tras ganarle en las semifinales de Roland Garros el año pasado. /ARCHIVO

EFE | MADRID
Roger Federer, número uno del tenis mundial, ha elogiado el talento del jugador español Rafael Nadal, al que ve "invencible" sobre tierra batida y "con unas ganas de triunfar que asustan". El tenista de Basilea ha dicho que no podrá conquistar Roland Garros mientras el joven español juegue en París.

En una entrevista concedida a la revista SIE7E, el jugador suizo se mostró deslumbrado por el gran juego del español: " Es increíble, pero no por sus músculos. Tiene talento, potencia y unas ganas de triunfar que asustan. Es como Arantxa, pero en tío". El número uno mundial confía mucho en las posibilidades del español, al que considera el mejor en tierra batida. "Sé que nunca ganaré Roland Garros mientras él esté en la pista", dijo tajante.

Incluso se atrevió a bromear sobre los famosos pantalones pirata de Nadal: "A él le sientan bien, pero a mí me resultan incómodos". El tenista se mostró precavido al pronosticar su posible triunfo en el primer Grand Slam de 2006, el Open de Australia: "Dependerá mucho del calor, de cómo llegan jugadores como Roddick, Hewitt o Ljubicic".

No quiere adelantar acontecimientos, ni apostar por su triunfo, ya que "en los últimos años, el circuito ha visto cómo jugadores que han sido números uno, como Ferrero o Moyá, luego se perdieron en el ránking por lesiones o por diferentes motivos. Aquí ni yo ni nadie es invencible".

Para el tenista, los elogios de míticos jugadores como Mc Enroe, Sampras, Becker, que le consideran el mejor con diferencia, son exageraciones: "Están completamente locos. ¡Cómo iba yo a ganar a Becker en Wimbledon, a McEnroe en el US Open o a Cash en Australia! Creo que ahora me ven invencible porque están ya un poco fondones".

Durante la entrevista, Federer también analizó el tenis femenino y la vuelta a las pistas de Martina Hingis: "El tenis femenino ha cambiado mucho desde que ella se fue. Ahora ya no dominan las hermanas Williams, y lo mismo te puede ganar el músculo de Amelie Mauresmo que la técnica de Justine Henin. No creo que Martina haya vuelto a las canchas para hacer el ridículo". Por último, Federer, gran aficionado al fútbol y, sobre todo, a la Roma, alabó el último fichaje del Real Madrid, Antonio Cassano: "Pienso que es un verdadero 'crack' y un gran fichaje para el Madrid".

http://www.laverdad.es/murcia/pg060113/deportes/200601/13/RC-federer.html

 

[menelaos]

I don't if you really believe that.....this is probably a joke....

 

[jhhachamp]

If this is true, I would be shocked. I would never imagine Federer would say something like that.

 

[Keifers]

Clearly a joke.

 

[kabob]

I think the Spanish press is embellishing things a bit to bolster their hometown hero...

 

[Shabazza]

Federer clearly has a lot of respect for Nadal, but he would never (as well as any other of the top guys) say something like this and never has.
Wishful thinking + fake quotes.

 

[Rabbit]

Reminds me of Bear Bryant or Steve Spurrier. They'd bad mouth their own teams to the point that you thought they sucked. Then they'd go out and hang 70 points on you.

 

[Keifers]

I think the Spanish press is embellishing things a bit to bolster their hometown hero...

Agree entirely. The irony is that Nadal needs no such bolstering. In fact, you could call it a disservice to his ability, results, competitive spirit, and demonstrated respect for his opponents (especially Federer) to be spreading this kind of hokey drivel around. Gotta be a joke, right?

 

[Phil]

Reminds me of Bear Bryant or Steve Spurrier. They'd bad mouth their own teams to the point that you thought they sucked. Then they'd go out and hang 70 points on you.

Exactly! I think young Roger, now an experienced vet with a track record, is doing a little psych job on Rafael, courtesy of the obsequious Spanish media. He's getting into the boy's head. Smart guy, for a tennis player.

 

[VamosRafa]

Just reporting what I saw, and nou.amic generally does pristine English translations. She's going to translate the rest of the article later, and when she does, I'll post it. If we see the actual SIE7E MAGAZINE interview, I'll post that, too.

 

[BabolatFan]

what a silly joke.

 

[Virtuous]

Federer clearly has a lot of respect for Nadal, but he would never (as well as any other of the top guys) say something like this and never has.
Wishful thinking + fake quotes.

ditto

 

[legolas]

I don't if you really believe that.....this is probably a joke....

yeah

 

[devila]

Federer's clever!!! The jokes are as funny as Dana Carvey's "Girly Man" impersonation. Awww

 

[West Coast Ace]

Reminds me of Bear Bryant or Steve Spurrier. They'd bad mouth their own teams to the point that you thought they sucked. Then they'd go out and hang 70 points on you.

Rabbit, first off Lou Holtz was the best at 'talking up' the opposition on college ball. And I'm not buying it here for two reasons: a) there are two reasons college football coaches do it - to dupe the pollsters into thinking they're slaughtering good teams and to fire up their players and fans; b) if that's what Fed were doing he'd have said "I have to play my best in Paris to win as long as Rafa is around.

I think I know what happened - Roger decided to learn a 6th language and chose Spanish. He wanted to do the interview in Spanish for practice - and he meant to say:

"I could never look as good in the Capri pants as Nadal"

or

"I could never beat Nadal in a weight lifting competition"

 

[devila]

Federer looks good if you're drunk and fat. Poor Mirka V"whatever".

 

[kbg]

Another article by the trashy Spanish press trying to play up the home boy. How pathetic. If Nadal can't overtake Federer in the rankings then the Spanish press makes up some quotes to try to make Federer look stupid and intimidated. *Yawn*

 

[Babblelot]

Another article by the trashy Spanish press trying to play up the home boy. How pathetic. If Nadal can't overtake Federer in the rankings then the Spanish press makes up some quotes to try to make Federer look stupid and intimidated. *Yawn*

What's more pathetic is that his pimp posted it on this mb on the eve of the Aussie Open.

 

[Marius_Hancu]

let's talk before and during RG
this discussion is only a diversion at this time

 

[devila]

To be fair, Federer has always wanted to make his opponents look stupid.
"What a pity, Nadal lost."

 

[VamosRafa]

What's more pathetic is that his pimp posted it on this mb on the eve of the Aussie Open.

Hey, don't shoot the messenger. Roger gave the interview the eve of the Open, not me. *lol*

 

[sureshs]

I thought the original post was a complete fabrication, but the web site (http://www.laverdad.es/murcia/pg060113/deportes/200601/13/RC-federer.html) is real. Here is an automatic translation from FreeTranslation.com.

Have a lot of fun analyzing the unintended distortions of automatic translation! Pirated pants!!! Is Hingis doing the ridiculous one?
---------------------------------------------------------------------

EFE | MADRID

SPORTS INTERVIEW TO THE MAGAZINE SIE7E Federer: "I Know that never I will gain Roland Garros while Nadal be in the trail" Doing gala of their known humility, the Swiss tennis player has
been precavido al to do a forecast looking al they Bid for of Australia
Roger Federer congratulated to Rafa Nadal after gaining him in the semifinals of Roland Garros last year. ImprimirEnviar Roger Federer, number one of the world tennis, has praised the talent of the Spanish player Rafael Nadal, al that sees "invincible" on land beaten and "with some desires to succeed that they frighten". The tennis player of Basilea has said that he will not be able to conquer Roland Garros while the Spanish youth play in Paris. In an interview granted to the magazine SIE7E, the Swiss player he was shown dazzled by the great play of Spanish: " he Is incredible, but not by his muscles. He has talent, power and some desires to succeed that they frighten. Is like Arantxa, but in uncle". The number one world trusts a lot in the possibilities of Spanish, al that considers the best in land beaten. "I know that never I will gain Roland Garros while he be in the trail", he said unequivocal. Even he dared to joke on the famous pirated pants of Nadal: "TO they sit down him well, but they turn out to be uncomfortable me me". The tennis player was shown precavido al to foretell their possible triumph in the first one Grand Slam of 2006, the they Bid for of Australia: "Will Depend a lot of the heat, of how players arrive like Roddick, Hewitt or Ljubicic". Does not it want to advance events, neither to bet on their triumph, since "in recent years, the circuit has seen how players that have been numbers one, like Ferrero or Moyá, then they were lost in the ranking by wounds or by different motives. Here neither I neither nobody is invincible". For the tennis player, the compliments of mythical players as Mc Enroe, Sampras, Becker, that consider him the best with difference, are exaggerations: "Are completely crazy. How it went to gain to Becker in Wimbledon, to McEnroe in the US they Bid for or to Cash in Australia! I believe that now they see me invincible because they are already a little fondones". During the interview, Federer also analyzed the female tennis and the return to the trails of Martina Hingis: "The female tennis has changed a lot since she went. Now no longer they dominate the sisters Williams, and the same thing can gain you the muscle of Amelie Mauresmo that the technique of Justine Henin. I do not believe that Martina have returned to the courts to do the ridiculous one". Finally, Federer, great enthusiastic al soccer and, above all, to the Rome, praised the last acquisition of the Real Madrid, Antonio Cassano: "I Think that is a true one 'crack' and a great acquisition for the Madrid".

 

[jhhachamp]

Federer looks good if you're drunk and fat.

How would you know this? Are you drunk and fat?

 

[VamosRafa]

I thought the original post was a complete fabrication, but the web site.

One thing I wouldn't do around here is post a fabricated article, thank you very much. Nor would I post anything but a good translation of such article.

The same or similar article is now on El mundo:

http://www.elmundo.es/elmundodeporte/2006/01/13/tenis/1137170897.html

El Mundo and marca.com provide the mainstream sporting news in Spain. They are the Spanish CNN and MSNBC when it comes to sports and other news.

 

[superman1]

I doubt he would say that especially considering Nadal has been injured since November. If he did say it, it was out of humility and it was probably mis-worded; it'll be extremely difficult to win, but it's not guaranteed that he won't. I give Federer and Nadal equal chances at winning Roland Garros this year. It's too early to tell, we haven't seen either of them on clay yet, but I think it's just a matter of time before Federer figures out how to deal with Nadal's game. Also, they will be seeded 1 and 2 so if they do meet, it will be in the final.

 

[sureshs]

One thing I wouldn't do around here is post a fabricated article, thank you very much. Nor would I post anything but a good translation of such article.

Thank you very much for posting it! The English speaking world came to know of the article much faster. Your translation had some portions missing though ...

 

[VamosRafa]

Thank you very much for posting it! The English speaking world came to know of the article much faster. Your translation had some portions missing though ...

You are welcome. But the person who posted it, who is in Spain, translated the parts about Rafa and said she would do the rest later, as she was busy. We do Rafa's site, so only that part was of immediate concern to us.

But I'll get the rest shortly. I have an idea what he said in the rest of the article, and I want to see a better translation as well, especially his words about Hingis.

 

[MasterTS]

Federer is being so c0cky he is poking fun of Nadal now.. what a fooL!

Didn't gaudio beat and bagel nadal early last year?

 

[VamosRafa]

Federer is being so c0cky he is poking fun of Nadal now.. what a fooL!

Didn't gaudio beat and bagel nadal early last year?

And are you trying to provoke something here, or do you want to legitimately know Rafa's record against Gaudio. If so, here it is:

http://www.atptennis.com/en/players/headtohead/head2head.asp?player1=Gaudio&player2=Nadal

 

[sureshs]

You are welcome. But the person who posted it, who is in Spain, translated the parts about Rafa and said she would do the rest later, as she was busy. We do Rafa's site, so only that part was of immediate concern to us.

But I'll get the rest shortly. I have an idea what he said in the rest of the article, and I want to see a better translation as well, especially his words about Hingis.

Ahhh so you are a professional journalist/web publisher. Good source to have on this board.

 

[VamosRafa]

Ahhh so you are a professional journalist/web publisher. Good source to have on this board.

Before you get flamed for this post, I'll just thank you for your kind words, and let others tell you how misguided you are. *lol*

But truly, I work on Rafa's official site, and have done his site for almost 3 years. So we get a lot of Rafa info, and believe me, I know folks around here love to hear about Roger -- so this article involves them both. Hence, I posted it. I, too, was surprised by the title. And I'm anxious to see the actual mag interview and translation. And I promise I will post it once we get it (and I'm sure we'll have it about 15 minutes after it appears in print).

 

[DashaandSafin]

Haha sound like something Aykhan would write as one of his jokes...
Im dying to see another Federer vs Nadal on clay and hardcourts.

 

[Docalex007]

 

[VamosRafa]

Very clever, Docalex, but the folks on our site are even more clever with photos and sayings. I think I'll post this thread over there, and get them going on some charicature responses.

Rafa isn't playing, so they don't have much else to do, right?

 

[VamosRafa]

And even more frightening, your cartoon is going right into Mac and Carly's bar, as we speak. *roflmao*

 

[Keifers]

What's more pathetic is that his pimp posted it on this mb on the eve of the Aussie Open.

Amen to that.

 

[156MPHserve]

I woudln't be suprised if he said that. Federer is very confident and talks very confident as well. He has every right to, because it's just an age where all of the top 100 are GOOD players, and the way he can dominate the ATP is just unhuman. However, I think it puts that much more stress on him. I remember him talking about how everyone's gunning for him the way people gunned Pete. I think saying something like this would relieve him of some stress.

 

[VamosRafa]

I woudln't be suprised if he said that. Federer is very confident and talks very confident as well. He has every right to, because it's just an age where all of the top 100 are GOOD players, and the way he can dominate the ATP is just unhuman. However, I think it puts that much more stress on him. I remember him talking about how everyone's gunning for him the way people gunned Pete. I think saying something like this would relieve him of some stress.

Perhaps, but I think he's a really nice guy who says what he thinks. I think he is challenged by Rafa, and he knows it will be a challenge to beat him at RG. That's not to say he doesn't have hopes of (a) beating Rafa there or (b) playing the event when Rafa isn't playing it. But from everything I've seen, these two guys respect each other a lot. And the fact that he thinks Rafa is the best player on clay isn't exactly a news bulletin. That was pretty much established in 2005.

 

[Docalex007]

And even more frightening, your cartoon is going right into Mac and Carly's bar, as we speak. *roflmao*

Why do I have this strange feeling telling me I should know what you're talking about?

What is Mac and Carly's bar?

 

[Tennis_Monk]

FROM AN INTERVIEW IN SIE7E MAGAZINE

Federer: "I know I'll never win Roland Garros as long as Nadal is playing"

EFE | MADRID
Roger Federer, the world's number one player, has praised the talent of the Spanish player Rafael Nadal, saying that he is "unbeatable" on clay and "has a really frightening desire to win". The player from Basel said that he could not win Roland Garros while the young Spaniard played in Paris.

In an interview for SIE7E magazine, the Swiss showed his amazement at the Spaniard's great tennis: "He is incredible, but not because of his muscles. He has talent, strength and a desire to win that is frightening. He's like Arantxa: her male equivalent." The world's number one has great belief in the Spaniard's chances: he considers him to be the best on clay. "I know I will never win Roland Garros while he's playing," he said emphatically.

He even dared to joke about Nadal's famous pirate pants: "They suit him, but I find them uncomfortable."

(As translated by nou.amic)

Full article:

ENTREVISTA A LA REVISTA SIE7E

Federer: "Sé que nunca ganaré Roland Garros mientras Nadal esté en la pista"

Haciendo gala de su conocida humildad, el tenista suizo ha sido precavido al hacer un pronóstico de cara al Open de Australia


Roger Federer felicitó a Rafa Nadal tras ganarle en las semifinales de Roland Garros el año pasado. /ARCHIVO

EFE | MADRID
Roger Federer, número uno del tenis mundial, ha elogiado el talento del jugador español Rafael Nadal, al que ve "invencible" sobre tierra batida y "con unas ganas de triunfar que asustan". El tenista de Basilea ha dicho que no podrá conquistar Roland Garros mientras el joven español juegue en París.

En una entrevista concedida a la revista SIE7E, el jugador suizo se mostró deslumbrado por el gran juego del español: " Es increíble, pero no por sus músculos. Tiene talento, potencia y unas ganas de triunfar que asustan. Es como Arantxa, pero en tío". El número uno mundial confía mucho en las posibilidades del español, al que considera el mejor en tierra batida. "Sé que nunca ganaré Roland Garros mientras él esté en la pista", dijo tajante.

Incluso se atrevió a bromear sobre los famosos pantalones pirata de Nadal: "A él le sientan bien, pero a mí me resultan incómodos". El tenista se mostró precavido al pronosticar su posible triunfo en el primer Grand Slam de 2006, el Open de Australia: "Dependerá mucho del calor, de cómo llegan jugadores como Roddick, Hewitt o Ljubicic".

No quiere adelantar acontecimientos, ni apostar por su triunfo, ya que "en los últimos años, el circuito ha visto cómo jugadores que han sido números uno, como Ferrero o Moyá, luego se perdieron en el ránking por lesiones o por diferentes motivos. Aquí ni yo ni nadie es invencible".

Para el tenista, los elogios de míticos jugadores como Mc Enroe, Sampras, Becker, que le consideran el mejor con diferencia, son exageraciones: "Están completamente locos. ¡Cómo iba yo a ganar a Becker en Wimbledon, a McEnroe en el US Open o a Cash en Australia! Creo que ahora me ven invencible porque están ya un poco fondones".

Durante la entrevista, Federer también analizó el tenis femenino y la vuelta a las pistas de Martina Hingis: "El tenis femenino ha cambiado mucho desde que ella se fue. Ahora ya no dominan las hermanas Williams, y lo mismo te puede ganar el músculo de Amelie Mauresmo que la técnica de Justine Henin. No creo que Martina haya vuelto a las canchas para hacer el ridículo". Por último, Federer, gran aficionado al fútbol y, sobre todo, a la Roma, alabó el último fichaje del Real Madrid, Antonio Cassano: "Pienso que es un verdadero 'crack' y un gran fichaje para el Madrid".

If you believe in this..then you might also believe the follwing.

Roger actually told me to stay off the ATP tour. He is scared that with me in the tour, he has no chance of winning any titles.so scared was he that he Infact he declines to play with me even a friendly game.

In his own words .."I would rather play Sampras and Agassi than with you. I sure wish i had your game.I dont envy the guys who has to play you if you ever play on the tour "

French ( i dunno anything abt French so really dunno wat it means)

Je jouerais plutôt Sampras et Agassi qu'avec vous. Le souhait I sûr j'ai eu votre game.I n'envie pas les types qui doit vous jouer si vous jouez jamais en excursion "


Spanish (same deal)

Jugaría algo Sampras y Agassi que con usted. El deseo seguro I tenía su game.I no envidio a individuos que tiene que jugarle si usted juega siempre en el viaje "


He also said the same in Swiss but i couldnt Google it..

 

[VamosRafa]

Why do I have this strange feeling telling me I should know what you're talking about?

What is Mac and Carly's bar?

Oh, not to worry. You can't possibly understand MAC and Carly's bar unless you visit it. And even then you may be perplexed, but they are darn creative:

http://vamosrafael.com/messageboard/viewtopic.php?t=2327&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=3680

But now I can ask them do something creative re Roger's interview. And I'm sure they will, as soon as they wake up. Most of them are in Europe.

PS: The Monk stuff is way overdone on TV, and is being done so here. *rollseyes*

 

[sunrise]

Rabbit, first off Lou Holtz was the best at 'talking up' the opposition on college ball. And I'm not buying it here for two reasons: a) there are two reasons college football coaches do it - to dupe the pollsters into thinking they're slaughtering good teams and to fire up their players and fans; b) if that's what Fed were doing he'd have said "I have to play my best in Paris to win as long as Rafa is around.

I think I know what happened - Roger decided to learn a 6th language and chose Spanish. He wanted

to do the interview in Spanish for practice - and he meant to say:

"I could never look as good in the Capri pants as Nadal"

or

"I could never beat Nadal in a weight lifting competition"

LOL. good one

 

[FedererUberAlles]

One thing I wouldn't do around here is post a fabricated article, thank you very much. Nor would I post anything but a good translation of such article.

The same or similar article is now on El mundo:

http://www.elmundo.es/elmundodeporte/2006/01/13/tenis/1137170897.html

El Mundo and marca.com provide the mainstream sporting news in Spain. They are the Spanish CNN and MSNBC when it comes to sports and other news.

But spamming your obsessive love for a teenager is acceptable. Okay.

 

[VamosRafa]

But spamming your obsessive love for a teenager is acceptable. Okay.

Of course. The info wasn't about Rafa -- it was about Federer.

So why do you of all people have a problem? It's about your idol.

Perhaps he didn't say what you would like him to say, but if so, research the issue, find the articles and show us that the info and translations are wrong.

Otherwise, I think the info is damn relevant around here. It's about FEDERER.

 

[devila]

Isn't this the endearing Federer Warehouse Forum?
Here, we use intimidation tactics. Federer has no problem with that.

 

[VamosRafa]

Isn't this the endearing Federer Warehouse Forum?
Here, we use intimidation tactics. Federer has no problem with that.

I don't agree with you about everything but I think you are right about this. I don't see how you can go wrong about something Federer-related around here. And no matter how you slice it, this thread is about an interview Federer supposedly gave.

 

[VamosRafa]

And the interview does speak for itself.

 

[alienhamster]

Not to doubt ya for doubtin's sake, Susan, but this does sound awfully weird for a Federer quote. I'll be interested to see some follow-up during the interviews during the next two weeks. Maybe we can get some clarification about what exactly Fed thinks about Nadal and his French Open chances.

That being said, I have found it really puzzling that Federer never seems to prioritize winning the French in his interviews. He's *got* to want to win this thing. It would be foolish to just assume that it'll just happen for him someday. He needs to fight for it. Even if he wins 8 billion more Wimbledons, he'll regret it if he never takes the French.

In the meantime, I'm just gonna continue watching the really awesome Henin/Schiavone final that's on now. Some really good tennis--no joke.

 

[Keifers]

Of course. The info wasn't about Rafa -- it was about Federer.

So why do you of all people have a problem? It's about your idol.

Perhaps he didn't say what you would like him to say, but if so, research the issue, find the articles and show us that the info and translations are wrong.

Otherwise, I think the info is damn relevant around here. It's about FEDERER.

Really? About Federer?

You won't mind, then, if we substitute Moya for Nadal in the story... or JCF... or...

Such a lame attempt (by you and the Spanish press) to keep Rafa's name in lights while he's out of commission. Does he really need this kind of desperate ploy for attention on the eve of a Grand Slam he can't play in?? I don't think so.

Again, a disservice to a great young champion whose tennis and impact on the sport deserve far better than the cheap promotion you give him.

 

[Deuce]

Such a lame attempt (by you and the Spanish press) to keep Rafa's name in lights while he's out of commission. Does he really need this kind of desperate ploy for attention on the eve of a Grand Slam he can't play in?? I don't think so.

Again, a disservice to a great young champion whose tennis and impact on the sport deserve far better than the cheap promotion you give him.

Very well and accurately stated, Keifers.

Nadal seems like a hmble and decent kid - and so he'd very likely condemn the type of utterly condescending, smug-as-all-hell incessant 'promoting' that Susan is doing of him here.

The Federer quote is simply a typical quote deliberately taken out of its original context by both the magazine and, typically, by Susan, who only hears what she wants to hear and sees what she wants to see - i.e., only things which are complimentary of her beloved 'Rafa' - or that seem complimentary when taken out of the original context.