Roger on Rafa - Redux

[federerhoogenbandfan]

Becker won the USO and Wimbledon in 1989. Of course give that Becker and Edberg "only" won 6 slams over the course of their entire careers, it's not that suprising that Edberg didnt' win 2 in one year.

Sorry, I put Becker in the wrong list by accident first time around. However the fact Edberg did not do it, and Agassi very likely would have not ever done it had Sampras not injured his back prior to the 99 U.S open(Sampras had won their last 3 meetings, all in straight sets, all in the 2 months leading into the U.S open, perhaps the most lopsided stretch of their rivalry when Agassi was playing well ever, and the most devastating form Pete had ever shown going into a grand slam where he is always tougher to beat), indicates to me how challenging a task it is.

If you add Becker to the list it represents a pretty hefty chunk of the multiple slam winners from the last 25 years. I agree to a certain extent, however, I'm not at all sure it's clear how significant 2 slams in 1 year is. It's a tremendous accomplishment, but is it that rare for these champions? Sometimes the titles come spread out, sometimes a 2 or 3 clump close together. As you mention, Courier's all came in a short time span, a guy like Vilas doesn't make anyone's GOAT list, but indeed he won 2 of his 4 in the same year. In any case, I'd say the law of averages is more likely to equate to average number of slams per year over the course of a career(somewhere between 0 and 1 generally) but I don't know that it works on a single year basis. Certainly, given the differing surfaces and the time span, I think it's folly to say on some mathematical basis, well he already won one this year, no way he can win another.

You are right the list makes up a pretty significant group of players, even in my last 25 year category. However it is an extremely elite group for the most part, when one considers the names. Only Courier of that group seems to be a notch down from the rest, that is not to say Courier isnt a great player, but those others will all be talked about many years from now. Prior to that you would to go as far back as Vilas to find another player who doesnt quite meet that level of greatness. Given his inconsistency, I have a hard time seeing Safin in that elite group of greats that all, apart from Courier, seem to fit well on that list. It may be true, as you say, that the law of averages has more meaning as to the average number of slams per year a player has in their career, as opposed to any one year. It would help to see a few more of the moderate great player achieve this, in order to feel more convinced though.

I agree, but once again, he shows his erratic nature. I still feel that if anything, his AO win slightly increases the odds of a good performance at Flushing but there's no way to be sure.

The last time he has struggled this severely for a period of this long, was after his 2000 U.S open win(which went longer than his current drought of form has gone on). From the time he reached the U.S open semis in 2001, until the Australian Open win this year, as unpredictable and sketchy as he is, he did not go through a period, more than about 6-8 weeks, that he was struggling this much and playing full time. I exclude his 2003 year since he was not playing full time, he entered occasionaly coming back from a different injury, before bailing on the year altogether.

I could be wrong, but it is a sign of things to come for me. I would be shocked if he returned to form enough this year to win another major, or if he were able to win both hard court slams this year all things considered.

 

[Rabbit]

Your point is? That you never mispell the name of a great player of the past. Sorry but that is not true, you also have made spelling errors on great players in the past.

Yeah, but I never ran around nitpicking posts like you have, again you've missed the point. English must be your second language.

Really just as after the Australian Open you claiming I had been gauranteeing Federer to win the calender slam this year. If you would like I could show you making this claim, yet you will no find nowhere on here I actually did.

Yeah, show me, because I sincerely do not ever even remember addressing you in the past.

Well that says it all about you for me as well. You form an opinion on somebody based on them using a name to indicate they are a fan of a particular tennis player, and a particular swimmer. So telling indeed.

Again you've missed the point. My opinion of you is based soley on your interaction with me.

 

[federerhoogenbandfan]

Point number 2 is a statistical reality. Which I stated after Rickson & Davey basically guaranteed a Grand Slam this year from Federer.

I was/am an ardent Federer fan, but between Davey25 and Rickson constantly trumpeting Federer as the greatest player in the history of the game, well I get a little tired of it.

There you have it, so apparently I have basically guaranteed a Grand Slam for Federer this year. Apparently I have also trumpeted him as the greatest player of all time, on a constant basis. Your turn, show me when I said these things.

These by the way are from http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showpost.php?p=285350&postcount=29

I can understand you not being aware that I had changed my login name. However either way it does not change the original point. That point being that you have made claims in the past of things I have stated, which in fact I have not. So stop calling my kettle black.

 

[federerhoogenbandfan]

Oh, and your hoogenband thing kind of says it all for me.

Again you've missed the point. My opinion of you is based soley on your interaction with me.

As you can see I did not miss a thing, including the manipulation of your first statement to something that excludes it altogether.

 

[Rabbit]

I can understand you not being aware that I had changed my login name. However either way it does not change the original point. That point being that you have made claims in the past of things I have stated, which in fact I have not. So stop calling my kettle black.

You know this is laughable. You want me to remember back some offense and you have changed your login? And you wait until now? I stand by the posts I made then as I stand by them now.

If you bothered to read my post, Davey, it said basically guaranteed, it did not say that you had in fact guaranteed, but by your statements the implication was there that you thought that Federer was going to win a Grand Slam in 05. Those statements, had come from another thread by the way. Be honest now, did you or did you not think that Federer was going to do it? You did and you know it.

If you bother to read past your initial response, other posters said you were twisting my words. Pot/kettle? Now exactly who's who? I invite anyone to read the entire thread and then come to a conclusion.

Also, if you bothered to read the entire thread, I said that I was an ardent Federer fan, but the constant bellowing by you and Rickson, two folks who I considered then and now terribly uninformed had made me less a fan of Federer's. Much the same way that Vamos' constant posting about Nadal wears on one. If something is constantly rammed down your throat, you begin to resent it even if there is some truth based in it. If someone is so dogmatic about something happening as, for instance, Rickson is about Federer winning out the remaining Grand Slams, it begins to get under the skin.

If you had any concept of taking something in context, all I was saying in that thread was that the Australian Open hadn't started and as far as I was concerned, Coria had just as good a chance as anyone to win it. I had watched Coria on TTC in the Hopman cup and was impressed with his play. Therefore, I thought he had just as good a chance as anyone since the tournament had not even started. If is hasn't even started, then don't all 128 men have the same chance of winning? Do you dispute that?

Further, you discounted Safin in that same thread. The same Safin who won the AO later that month. You really do enjoy being very selective in your facts, davey. Now that I know who I'm dealing with, it reassures me that there was no offense.

 

[friedalo1]

Federer will be added to the top 10 player of all time. Than 10 years from now their will be others.