Roger Federer and Steffi Graf voted most intimidating players.
- Thread starter Warriorroger
- Start date
1
15_ounce
Guest
I found that when he serves, his cold stare towards the opponent(s) looks venomous... and his tight lips almost snake like.... it's quite intimidating. His confident, cold and calm body language on the court is really intimidating. The fact that he's nice, calm, and relax on the court and playing with not too much effort but very hard to be beaten is really intimidating....... it feels like you have to have 10000000000 bullets to defeat him... for most players anyway... (I know how you feel, Roddick)
^ I agree. it's that calm , collected, 'I've got this in the bad' demeanor that is so intimidating. I recently played against a guy who gave off a similar vibe and it really threw me off. you wonder 'is he just toying with me?' 'why does he feel in complete control of this match?' etc. and you realy start to doubt yourself
Raiden
Hall of Fame
Intimidation doesn't only mean jumping from the bench and dashing in lateral/zig-zag direction before the coin toss or frowning your eyebrows while pumping fist.
I suspect that for most of the very top guys the only truly intimidating thing is the actual groundstrokes of their opponents and not any facial expressions or antics or noises. Those are more annoying than intimidating.
But when a bullet-like straight or otherwise mega-spinning power ball blasts past your left and right side for the umpteenth time, then at one point it is bound to get into your head.
So not really surprising about the result of the poll... except perhaps those players (and few others on court) who faced Serena might have a different opinion
I suspect that for most of the very top guys the only truly intimidating thing is the actual groundstrokes of their opponents and not any facial expressions or antics or noises. Those are more annoying than intimidating.
But when a bullet-like straight or otherwise mega-spinning power ball blasts past your left and right side for the umpteenth time, then at one point it is bound to get into your head.
So not really surprising about the result of the poll... except perhaps those players (and few others on court) who faced Serena might have a different opinion
Sentinel
Bionic Poster
^^ Thanks all for clarifying what intimidating is not. I have an opponent who keeps bouncing the ball, and i find that extremely intimidating. By the time he serves, i've often wet myself.
Another one, keeps toweling off, arranging his socks and occassionally even loosening his shorts which i find threatening.
Another one, keeps toweling off, arranging his socks and occassionally even loosening his shorts which i find threatening.
MotherMarjorie
Banned
Mother Marjorie's guess is that you didn't watch the 1988 French Open finals. If you had, you would understand why Stefanie Graf was so intimidating.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DbJAKPue20&feature=related
The difference being, Graf's tennis game was intimidating, and she didn't use gamesmanship to intimidate her opponents. Serena uses her body language and mouth to intimidate her opponents (and lineswomen alike).
Mother Marjorie A 2 the nn
Queen Talk Tennis Warehouse
Last edited:
Fandango
Rookie
dont believe everything bleacher report posts.
Sentinel
Bionic Poster
Last edited:
Warriorroger
Hall of Fame
She was intimidating, many women went on court with her hoping to stay there for more than an hour.
yellowoctopus
Professional
So true about the intimidation factor not only encompassing the staring and other primal stuff. I would also like to add that for Mr. Federer, the perceived intimidation also comes from the fact that he can do so many things well. Opponents find that there are so many things that you have to protect in your game because there are no many things he can do to hurt you. Adding to that is the mere fact that you have to do so much more to hurt him on the court.
I think the only person on the court right now who doesn't feel the Federer intimidation is...Mr. Nadal, and his on-court staring, fist-pumping and all.
Last edited:
Joe Pike
Banned
Testud, Likhovtseva, Suarez, Shaughnessy, Schnyder, Rubin, Petrova, Jidkova, Farina Elia, Craybas, Sun, Hantuchova, Bammer, Chan, Chakvetadse, Srebotnik, Wozniak, Li, Azarenka, Zakopalova - although they never made a slam final - weren't intimidated by Serena.
SirGounder
Hall of Fame
You wouldn't be intimidated playing against somebody with the most slams ever? And that chest hair!
Fedex
Legend
P_Agony
Banned
I can understand that. I mean, ask most players on tour who they don't want to play, even today, and most would probably say Federer. As someone who watches on TV, I think Nadal is by far the most intimidating, because at times he looks inhuman where Federer can make his fair share of UEs and can lose concentration during matches. Nadal always looks so focused and determined and fearless, scary stuff.
Fedex
Legend
I would say they are both equally intimidating in different ways.
Federer is like a robot, showing no emotions as he picks and executes the right shots time and again then switches on post match interview play button whilst Nadal is like a giant Gnat that never gives up trying to harass and bite you.
Speranza
Hall of Fame
Holmes: Exactly.
(PS How did you get all the way up there Watson? I'd head back before that snow starts up again at the end of the week!
)
JeMar
Legend
Bleacher Report is a prime example of why proper newspapers and news organizations are still important and why bloggers will never take over the information age.
It is a cesspool of journalism and should not be taken seriously. Ever.
MotherMarjorie
Banned
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_hcXiGb6_s&feature=relatedHolmes: Exactly.
(PS How did you get all the way up there Watson? I'd head back before that snow starts up again at the end of the week!
Mother Marjorie A to the nn
Queen of Talk Tennis Warehouse
S
Serendipitous
Guest
Watson:
Holmes:
Holmes:
Speranza
Hall of Fame
Holmes: And so it would indeed seem. Hope all's well with you Jemar!
Holmes: This did tickle me something rotten, as I tried to imagine Julie finding some peaks near Dundee to start her tutoring on the major scales of western music!
Speranza
Hall of Fame
Watson:
Holmes:
Er.... has anyone seen my flat mates? They seem to be visiting everyone else at the moment. If you guys are where this post indicates, I'd take start taking your anti-histamines pronto Holmes, you know what you're like with the hair of a feline.
Sentinel
Bionic Poster
Beautiful voice and speaks English well unlike the folks across the pond
D
Deleted member 3771
Guest
Unfortunately intimidating 99% of the opponents doesn't help when facing Nadal in a slam final.
jamesblakefan#1
G.O.A.T.
Yep, Bleacher Report is worthless and the stories on their are usually written by people the likes of Bud and TMF. Yeah....
tacou
G.O.A.T.
I cant even tell what happens in this awful video who cares thanks for postinn
I think Fed is by far the most intimidating player of the last 10 plus years. In 04-07 who even thought they had a chance against him other than nadal. he won just stepping on courst usually
tacou
G.O.A.T.
I feel youre living in the past. Fed is still prob #2 in tennis but when a guy like Monfils beats you there is no more intimidation factor
namelessone
Legend
Only since 2008. Nadal gets the "inhuman label" while having at least 10 losses in his best years but it was federer who was losing 4,5,6 matches IN A YEAR(and usually 3-4 of those were to his bad matchup Nadal), entering 13 to 17 singles events in those years. What do you call that then, if Nadal is "inhuman", machine-like with at least 10 losses per year?
If we take primes, Federer was more intimidating. Rafa is only really intimidating on clay where he is a monster. Two thirds of all the players Fed played in 2004-2007 literally shat their pants. The question was not IF they were going to lose but how bad they would lose. They knew they had no chance so they just tried to hold on. Hell, some guys were actually delighted at the though of getting their ass kicked in, swiss style. A Federer loss was NEWS in that four year period, with Rafa, if he losses it's like "well you can't win'em all" and we move on to the next tourney.
Last edited:
D
Deleted member 21996
Guest
Namelessone: : blah blah blah
Holmes: :zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Serendipitous: ron ron ron
Holmes: :zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Serendipitous: ron ron ron
namelessone
Legend
D
Deleted member 21996
Guest
Forgot to add:
Gorecki: complaining about posters
gorecki : grrrrrrrrrr
Sentinel
Bionic Poster
I see what you dun dere (avatar)
Fedex
Legend
Fedex
Legend
Holmes: Exactly.
(PS How did you get all the way up there Watson? I'd head back before that snow starts up again at the end of the week!
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: I'll just stay put in my Homeland, cold as it is.
Polaris
Hall of Fame
Sentinel
Bionic Poster
D
Deleted member 21996
Guest
wait wait before you diss belchear report....
Mandy: you dippytard
the lone puppy : (silence due to forced absense)
gorecki: kentucky fried haggis... hum... schlep schlep...
Last edited by a moderator:
D
Deleted member 21996
Guest
^^ what is this new thing going around ??? haha
Mandy : at least <he> doesn't post cat pics. *rolls eyes*
I noticed you said absense instead of absence. Was the "s" intensional, suggestive of a lack of sense
im postiing via htc phone... pardon my french!
Fedex
Legend
Watson: Well it looks like people are finally catching on Holmes, and how long did it take?
Fedex: No, this is well and truly your domain Speranza and we shall leave well alone.
It is very addictive and great fun talking in the third person via another character though.
You feel pleasantly mad.
Fedex shall try to resist, my precious.
Speranza
Hall of Fame
Holmes: It's like those Pringle crisps; once you pop, you can't stop.
However, I'd give that third person rein to Mother Marjorie. I am happy to speak as myself in the first person.
And having taking this thread of topic completely (sorry OP, that wasn't my intention!), what is the text in your avatar picture Fedex?
Fedex
Legend
William Peter Blatty's - The Ninth Configuration - about human suffering, sacrifice and faith. The film also frequently blurs the line between the sane and the insane.
Speranza
Hall of Fame
Holmes: Interesting subject matter. I'll see if I can get hold of a copy.... Thanks Fedex.
MotherMarjorie
Banned
Mother Marjorie appreciates the nod, and she wishes you a Feliz Navidad Hannukah.
Mother Marjorie A 2 the nn
Queen of Talk Tennis Warehouse
Rock Strongo
Legend
I wouldn't be that intimidated by Federer. I'd be much more intimidated by Sampras, Ivanisevic, Edberg or Borg. Borg is friggin' scary!
D
Deleted member 21996
Guest
Dex... how's the old man doing? best wishes mate...
mine just underwent another eye surgery! :neutral:
Fedex
Legend
William Peter Blatty also screenwrote and produced The Exorcist and once referred to The Ninth Configuration as the true sequel to The Exorcist.
The image shows an astronaut's recurring nightmare which helps to convince him that he is going to die up there and abort the mission seconds before launch.
It's a low budget film but sometimes these are the best.
Fedex
Legend
Thanks for asking M.
His body's in a bad way and deteriorating as you would expect but he's still fighting tooth and nail and has a great spirit.
Amazing man.
Hope your father is responding well.
What is wrong with his eye?
Similar threads
