Federer on Mike and the Mad Dog
- Thread starter AM28143
- Start date
snoopy
Professional
Thanks for the link. That was a good interview.
Some points that I found interesting:
-Fed briefly mentioned that he was feeling under the weather and didn't have enough time to prepare for Oz. I think he would have won if he was fully ready and I think that he believes he would have won.
-Fed's upbeat and not upset about the loss. He even said losing can be a good thing once in a while.
-Fed is dead serious about playing until he's 35. Thats his long term goal. He says he will eventually have to play fewer matches to keep his body healthy.
Mad Dog loves tennis but he doesn't always know what he's talking about. I'm suprised he did a nice job.
I think tennisnj saw Mad Dog play at a charity event once. If I recall correctly, tennisnj said he was barely a 4.0.
Some points that I found interesting:
-Fed briefly mentioned that he was feeling under the weather and didn't have enough time to prepare for Oz. I think he would have won if he was fully ready and I think that he believes he would have won.
-Fed's upbeat and not upset about the loss. He even said losing can be a good thing once in a while.
-Fed is dead serious about playing until he's 35. Thats his long term goal. He says he will eventually have to play fewer matches to keep his body healthy.
Mad Dog loves tennis but he doesn't always know what he's talking about. I'm suprised he did a nice job.
I think tennisnj saw Mad Dog play at a charity event once. If I recall correctly, tennisnj said he was barely a 4.0.
Leelord337
Hall of Fame
thx, enjoyed listening to it.
Sentinel
Bionic Poster
Nice interview.
Also, said that for French he needs to be more on the baseline and work his way to the net. He'd like to come to the net more often, but he doesn't have a Sampras serve.
BreakPoint
Bionic Poster
Great interview!
Thanks for the link.
BTW, so Federer is not playing anything for over a month until Dubai in early March?
Thanks for the link.
BTW, so Federer is not playing anything for over a month until Dubai in early March?
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TheShaun
Hall of Fame
coincidentally i don't have sampras' serve either. i guess roger and i are a lot more alike then you might imagine.
ladude1957
Rookie
AM28143
Semi-Pro
ladude1957
Rookie
Chris does a great job. I don't think mike said 3 words.
You are right about that interview, Mike did not say 3 words
. In general they day after day.. they both do a great job.
M
Morrissey
Guest
I heard that interview at work with the radio on and I was laughing when Fed said "I may not have been feeling 100%, but no excuses you know." I immediately thought of Gut Reaction's threads about the "Fed language". Making excuses and then saying "no excuses". So it comes off as humility, but fake. In this interview I saw what he meant.
AM28143
Semi-Pro
He wasn't 100 percent. A report stated that Federer was on medication throughout the AO, and he threw up during his match against James Blake (remember the bathroom break).
jorel
Hall of Fame
Whats he suppose to say>?? He is a champion and he thinks like one... he cant be an arse about things and say that he considers himself the greatest athlete to walk on this earth, but i bet deep down he thinks it ... like a champion should think... its called confidence.. without confidence, the greatest athlete would be mediocre at best
in interviews.... one needs to be pc and also honest which is a tough balance sometimes
ladude1957
Rookie
Yes...
They are all schooled (well not the Williams Sisters) in the right way to do an interview. He is one of the best players of all time and one of the best at doing an interview.
Dude
Leelord337
Hall of Fame
I can't believe he said he wants to play til he's 35. i'm going to hold him to that
BreakPoint
Bionic Poster
Who would know better how good Sampras is and how good the Top 5 are? You or Federer?
AM28143
Semi-Pro
Did Federer say Sampras would be in the Top 5? I do recall Federer suggesting that Sampras is still good enough to defeat top 5 players on a given day and on a certain surface, however, I fail to recall Federer saying Sampras would be consistently in the Top 5. Correct me if I'm wrong.
-Adam
Roger Federer 95
Rookie
I Think if Sampras returned he would probably be in the top 100, if he trained well.
Polaris
Hall of Fame
The interviewer is the same ********* whom Pat McEnroe took to task for some of his macho and idiotic remarks when Sports Illustrated chose Dwayne Wade over Federer as Sportsman of the Year.
He kept talking about Fed's loss to Djokovic, to Safin, to Sampras ad nauseum. And then, he displayed his great knowledge of tennis if Fed was going for five Wimbledons.
Federer seemed to be in an accommodating and modest mood today. This particular interviewer should stick to baseball and football.
He kept talking about Fed's loss to Djokovic, to Safin, to Sampras ad nauseum. And then, he displayed his great knowledge of tennis if Fed was going for five Wimbledons.
Federer seemed to be in an accommodating and modest mood today. This particular interviewer should stick to baseball and football.
BreakPoint
Bionic Poster
I think you inadvertently added 1 or 2 extra zeros. :shock:
Leelord337
Hall of Fame
Here's a direct link to the audio so you don't have to scroll through a month's worth of interviews.
http://www.wfan.com/topic/play_window.php?audioType=Episode&audioId=1385361
scineram
Professional
I think you inadvertently added 1 or 2 extra zeros. :shock:
He should have added 3.
BreakPoint
Bionic Poster
OK, go tell Tommy Hass he shouldn't even be in the Top 100,000 in the world since he couldn't even beat Sampras. :roll:
slice bh compliment
G.O.A.T.
This makes Indian Wells and Key Biscayne even more interesting. And I really hope RF gets a crack at both Djoko and Rafa at Roland Garros this year.
I think Roger also understands just how grueling this season will be.
aceroberts13
Professional
Nice interview, sounds like Fed is gonna either blast away the competition the rest of the year or wilt slowly. But he seems to have his schedule set up to go for the French Open.
M
Morrissey
Guest
Get your stuff straight. I listen to these guys on the radio at work and Chris "Maddog" Russo is a big Fed fan and he's always trying to find ways for Fed to beat Nadal on certain days when he's talking tennis. He actually was outraged at Dwane Wade getting the Sportsman of the year instead of Fed and called up the Sports Illustrated chairman (thereabouts) to complain and question his decision. His answer was pathetic and Maddog was yelling at him saying that Wade only won because he's more popular in the US and with him on the cover it'll sell more copies instead of an unknown tennis player from Switzerland. The average Yank doesn't know who he is and if they know I don't think they'll be compelled to buy the SI issue because of him.
Maddog knew this and stated it to the SI chairman and he gave the "well, he only won 3 grand slams and not all 4 in the same year" excuse. PMac was actually listening to the show on that day and he called in to voice his opinion and agree with the Maddog as well. He felt that the answer the SI chairman gave was a cop out and a really poor excuse for not putting Fed on the cover. I agreed and for once I was rooting for Fed and defending his case. Now, having said all that. Russo is really a baseball & football encyclopedia (ala Bud Collins) and should stick to that on the radio. Which he usually does. But he does know enough about tennis to talk about it on occasion which he also does. At least he's talking tennis occasionally, which is more than any other AM sports radio in the country. So I appreciate that. Even though I know more than him he's fairly competent in his knowledge of the sport.
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SteveI
Legend
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blubber
Rookie
Hi,
I am also told that Chris plays at the 4.5 level... not too bad..
Steve
Where did you hear that? How do you know?
I have always been interested in Mad Dogs tennis abilities. I have a hard time advancing my mediocre game and it always gets me angry to think that a big doofus like Mad Dog can beat me.
Here are a few things I remeber learning about Mad Dog's game:
1) About 2-3 years ago, Mad Dog was going up to Albany and he announced on the air that he'd like to meet a listner inorder get some tennis in. He said something to the effect that he didn't want any rinky-dink 4.0, he wanted a good player who could challenge him. Well, he apparently hit with a 5.0 and got destroyed. The score was something like 6-0, 6-1.
2) During one of their summer shows at the Jersey shore, I believe it was last year, they had Mad Dog's tennis instructor on for a few minutes. Mike was asking the coach questions to try and determine how good of a player Mad Dog is. The coach said that Mad Dog's 2hbh is his best shot and that he needs work on the forehand side. The coach said that Mad Dog is a Northeast 4.0; he would be rated lower in FL or CA.
3) Tennis Nj saw him play. He said he stinks and is a 3.5 at best.
4) In a New Yorker (or is it New York magazine) article profiling Mike and the Mad Dog the author mentioned that Russo had been suspended from his racquet club. Mad Dog was near the end of a close match when his court time expired and another member tried to kick them off b/c he had reserved the time. Mad Dog through a fit.
So, I doubt he's a 4.5. On the other hand, he is in good shape for his age and does have a lot of free time (his show runs from 1-6:30). Plus he is rich (apparently he earns 1.5 million+/year) and therefore he has access to courts (indoor and outdoor), coaching, and equipment. So he might be nearing the 4.5 level. That would really tick me off b/c that would mean he could beat me.
M
Morrissey
Guest
I doubt he's a 4.5. He doesn't look like an athlete and I heard also that his instructor said his forehand is weak. I have a friend, mid 40's and good shape who has money (dentist) and he always tells people he's a 4.5 and he's a 3.0 at best since I destroy the guy every time and so do the girls in our neighborhood. I don't get the feeling that Maddog would beat a 4.5, let alone most 4.0's. I would love however to get a piece of Maddog on a court. Then after the beatdown tell him his SF Giants suck and constantly remind him of that stupid 49-3 Super Bowl prediction of the Patriots beating the NY Giants.
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blubber
Rookie
I think Mad Dog might be a decent athlete. He's about 6' and he's definetly in pretty good shape for his age (almost 50). He's an avid runner. He can run a 10k in sub 8 min/mile. He's a decent golfer, they showed some of his shots on tv and he looks ok. Pus I heard he's starting to hit the weights with the express purspose of improving his tennis game.
I hate to think about it, but maybe, just mabe he is a 4.5.
He's got fire and energy. So he can get himself pumped up on the court.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=lM_8AQwk4gY&feature=related
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Zy6ShZYlj68
Plus he's got some sweet footwork.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=umKg5Sxyljw
I hate to think about it, but maybe, just mabe he is a 4.5.
He's got fire and energy. So he can get himself pumped up on the court.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=lM_8AQwk4gY&feature=related
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Zy6ShZYlj68
Plus he's got some sweet footwork.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=umKg5Sxyljw
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M
Morrissey
Guest
So he's got fire. Here in NY we call them Tank and Fruitloops. I don't think he's all that atheltic looking to be honest. Yeah he's thin but he doesn't look like he could punch his way out of a paper bag. He looks like Santoro to me, junk baller.
Polaris
Hall of Fame
First, you try to get your understanding straight about the difference between facts and opinions. I expressed an opinion that the interviewer is a *********. It is a fact that he harped on Fed's losses in the interview.
This has absolutely nothing to do with whether he is a Fed fan or not. He might very well be a Fed fan. I just think he doesn't understand the game, it is as simple as that. That is nothing to be bothered about. I think Peter Bodo doesn't understand the game either, but that is just my unimportant view of things.
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M
Morrissey
Guest
I agree they're both pretentious, pompous, windbags but Maddog does like tennis and he talks about it enough that he has fair knowledge of the sport. But he wouldn't put down Fed, he loves the guy. He's always trying to explain game plans to beat Nadal, but he has tons of respect for Nadal too. I do think they're full of themselves and are extremely dismissive to their callers. If a caller makes a good point they'll say "I can't disagree" or "that's not a bad point". Uh, how about it was a great point and you wish you thought of it first?
As for Peter Bodo he's severely overrated and being paid for being "knowledgeable" about the sport of tennis. I think some people here should be in his position and get paid instead of him. Really, I don't think I like any tennis writers to be honest. I think I learned what I know just from simply watching the game enough. If Doug Adler, Robbie Koenig and Jason Goodall wrote articles I would read them for sure. But I'm lucky to hear them commentate instead.
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Tennisguy777
Professional
Looks like he's wilting!!!
Leelord337
Hall of Fame
he's wilting but soon to bloom again
Tennisguy777
Professional
Don't know I think he's tanking it. His running on E. He had his 5 years of fame. Everybody gets a 5 year window heck the Eagles couldn't get it done, had 5 great years. Well it is possible NE spied them hmm. Time for the Nadals and Djokovics to shine. I say he'll end up 2 or 3 at the end of the year. Only shot he has at a Slam is Wimbledon. As we saw recently his invisibility suit is rubbing off. Losing to the likes of Marty Fish - shame on him. I guess it was the mono again? That was his AO excuse. I hope he can pull it together it would be a shame to get this close to Pistol Pete and fail. Roger That!
Tennisguy777
Professional
Let's hope so if you're a FED fan. I am a Nadal guy.
SteveI
Legend
Mike and the Maddog gonna Split-up?
Rickson,
Maybe they are not the best, I still enjoy their show. BTW, I heard they were going to split up at one point in the last month or so. Any truth to that?
Steve
Rickson,
Maybe they are not the best, I still enjoy their show. BTW, I heard they were going to split up at one point in the last month or so. Any truth to that?
Steve
Under Contract
They've both admitted on the air that their relationsip has soured alot in the past year but they're still under contract and both make a ton of money. They dont work very much together during the summer anyway so we'll see in the fall but it seems that they're both going to honor the contract. The thing is they're worth alot more together than they are seperately.
They've both admitted on the air that their relationsip has soured alot in the past year but they're still under contract and both make a ton of money. They dont work very much together during the summer anyway so we'll see in the fall but it seems that they're both going to honor the contract. The thing is they're worth alot more together than they are seperately.
SteveI
Legend
Desnj1,
Thanks for the update. At times I get the chance the watch them live on YES while they are doing their show on WFAN. I have to agree that they are much better as a team. While I can stand Mike doing a solo, I have a real hard time watching Chris alone. Compared to what we have in WNY they are "Superstars". It is like watching a local group do a musical and then seeing a Broadway production.. no comparison.
Have a good one.
Rickson
G.O.A.T.
Believe it or not, a lot of people confuse them with Mike and Mike who are a completely different pair. Mike and the Mad Dog have even said they're not friends outside the work place so a split wouldn't be unusual. People just assumed they were buddies because they work together, but a working relationship doesn't have to mean a friendship.
Mike and the Maddog are no more!
I just got a bloomberg news alert (must be a slow news day) that Chris Russo is leaving The FAN. Cant say I didn't see this coming. He is speculated to have landed a job at Sirius. Unfortunately, during the US Open, Chris did a ton of tennis talk and he knows his stuff, so that will be missed.
I just got a bloomberg news alert (must be a slow news day) that Chris Russo is leaving The FAN. Cant say I didn't see this coming. He is speculated to have landed a job at Sirius. Unfortunately, during the US Open, Chris did a ton of tennis talk and he knows his stuff, so that will be missed.
SteveI
Legend
Hi,
Yuppers.. Mike is staying and Chris is leaving. They are doing a goodbye show right now.
Steve
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