What does Rafa need to do to become more globally popular than Roger?

[mandy01]

Judging from post-match interviews, no.

He clearly indicated that he didn't have a problem with Nole needing time for this problem but he had a problem with the umpire being inconsistent with the time keeping and the warnings given.

Inconsistent in what sense? When he compares the time he takes to the time Djokovic needed to do something about his eye-problem that dosen't look like a reasonable comparison to me.
From what he said it seemd like he was doing some kind of a favour by not complaining against Djokovic's time-out and that in return the umpire must give him a free pass on his service games.

 

[Rataplan]

am I writing in Chinese without realising it?

 

[ashitaka2010]

It's about being frustrated with the lack of consistency in umpiring, I think.

Yes, you are right.

uhm..maybe but Nadal's problem seems to be with the time-out Djokovic took to sort out his eye-problem.(did he take a bathroom break as well?)From what I can tell he compared that to his taking more time on serve.Dosen't sound reasonable to me atleast.
That said,yes the umpire giving him warning against Djokovic of all people was funny .

What bothers me is that he seems to believe it's ok for both of them to waste time because it's a tacit rule between them. The fact that Murray isn't complaining either doesn't help. Hence, when he plays against an opponent who is actually bothered, he adjusts is timing just a little bit to avoid a penalty point. He never was forced to cut the habit and to rethink his attitude towards that subject.

 

[Tsonga#1fan]

I am considering his azz-picking a strange ritual!

 

[mandy01]

am I writing in Chinese without realising it?

No but you are seeing double standard where there was none.IMO Nadal had no grounds to complain and act like he was doing everyone a big favour by waiting for Novak.And now that I checked the match thread it seems Nadal was complaining about about Djoko's time-out so I'm not sure how he can say he didn't have a problem with the time-out.

 

[Rataplan]

No but you are seeing double standard where there was none.IMO Nadal had no grounds to complain and act like he was doing everyone a big favour by waiting for Novak.And now that I checked the match thread it seems Nadal was complaining about about Djoko's time-out so I'm not sure how he can say he didn't have a problem with the time-out.

Because his issue was not with the time-out itself but with the time keeping of the time-out vs the time-keeping of his time taken between points, meaning --> not bothering to take time for one occassion and giving a warning after 5 seconds in the second occassion.

Check out Neil Harman's tweets about it.

If you're giving one player a time warning after 5 seconds and you let the other player take several minutes extra, you're not being consistent. That's the double standard: if you're going to make sure that the players respect the time rules, you'd better make sure that you control them all in the same way.

 

[mandy01]

Because his issue was not with the time-out itself but with the time keeping of the time-out vs the time-keeping of his time taken between points, meaning --> not bothering to take time for one occassion and giving a warning after 5 seconds in the second occassion.

I understood that bit.But maybe Nadal didn't go over time on just one occasion.Maybe he was doing it more often in that match.And maybe the Umpire decided to be a little lenient with Novak given that his problem was a bit unusual and because he took both an MTO and a bathroom break(I think)-that together takes time.

 

[Rataplan]

What bothers me is that he seems to believe it's ok for both of them to waste time because it's a tacit rule between them. The fact that Murray isn't complaining either doesn't help. Hence, when he plays against an opponent who is actually bothered, he adjusts is timing just a little bit to avoid a penalty point. He never was forced to cut the habit and to rethink his attitude towards that subject.

I agree with this.

That reminds me of what my tv commentator said before the USO final this year between the two players: he asked the umpire to respect the natural flow between Novak and Rafa because neither of them are quick players between points and both are fine with it. If the umpire is a tight arse with the time rules and starts giving out warnings, he risks breaking the natural flow of the match. Afterwards, he applauded the umpire for "feeling" the match. That's following the same principle you described but if you follow the rules to the letter, it's not 100% correct.

 

[meg0529]

I understood that bit.But maybe Nadal didn't go over time on just one occasion.Maybe he was doing it more often in that match.And maybe the Umpire decided to be a little lenient with Novak given that his problem was a bit unusual and because he took both an MTO and a bathroom break(I think)-that together takes time.

All maybes we can't assume anything. I mean if he was doing it from the beginning then tell him from the beginning. Otherwise it's not fair.

 

[borg number one]

Popular? Popularity in Tennis tends to closely track results. If Nadal keeps winning majors, he'll be the most popular and famous player on the planet. The thing about Nadal though, in my opinion, is that being popular is not his focus at all. The guy is a "gamer" and he loves to be out there playing great tennis and competing. That's what gets him up every morning and that is his main focus. Everything else is sort of "window dressing" for him, meaning all the perks, fame, and the money, endorsements, etc. He wants to keep winning titles and majors. I don't think he cares one bit if he's considered less popular than Federer globally. He wants to be respected more than being liked by millions of fans who may or may not know much about Tennis at all. He caters more to die-hard watchers in my opinion. He is most focused on winning matches, knowing that everything else tends to fall into place if he produces the results.

 

[mandy01]

All maybes we can't assume anything. I mean if he was doing it from the beginning then tell him from the beginning. Otherwise it's not fair.

uuhhhh? ..How often do umpires tell such things before the match itself? I can't believe the umpire would call out Nadal just because he took extra time for ONE point or game.He must've been doing it often which is why he got called out.

 

[meg0529]

uuhhhh? ..How often do umpires tell such things before the match itself? I can't believe the umpire would call out Nadal just because he took extra time for ONE point or game.He must've been doing it often which is why he got called out.

I don't mean before the match lol. obviously. The assumption is that he was doing it consistently even b4 Novak took his time out. If you haven't warned him by 4-4, and then Novak takes a bathroom break and then another break between sets, and then u tell nadal to hurry up? It's silly. I don't think there was anything wrong in giving Novak the extra time, he needed it.

 

[mandy01]

I don't mean before the match lol. obviously. The assumption is that he was doing it consistently even b4 Novak took his time out. If you haven't warned him by 4-4, and then Novak takes a bathroom break and then another break between sets, and then u tell nadal to hurry up? It's silly. I don't think there was anything wrong in giving Novak the extra time, he needed it.

well I don't think it was silly at all.Assuming that Novak had a serious problem his taking extra time was justified..Nadal's isn't.Period.
And again I have a hard time believing that the umpire would go after Nadal for just one point or one game.

 

[kamakaze]

I don't mean before the match lol. obviously. The assumption is that he was doing it consistently even b4 Novak took his time out. If you haven't warned him by 4-4, and then Novak takes a bathroom break and then another break between sets, and then u tell nadal to hurry up? It's silly. I don't think there was anything wrong in giving Novak the extra time, he needed it.

This is the difference between people who rule the world, and those who don't.

 

[Rataplan]

I understood that bit.But maybe Nadal didn't go over time on just one occasion.Maybe he was doing it more often in that match.And maybe the Umpire decided to be a little lenient with Novak given that his problem was a bit unusual and because he took both an MTO and a bathroom break(I think)-that together takes time.

That's a lot of maybes.

So, despite the strict rules, you think it's up to the umpire to decide when he follows the rules to the letter and when he's supposed to be lenient?

 

[meg0529]

Popular? Popularity in Tennis tends to closely track results. If Nadal keeps winning majors, he'll be the most popular and famous player on the planet. The thing about Nadal though, in my opinion, is that being popular is not his focus at all. The guy is a "gamer" and he loves to be out there playing great tennis and competing. That's what gets him up every morning and that is his main focus. Everything else is sort of "window dressing" for him, meaning all the perks, fame, and the money, endorsements, etc. He wants to keep winning titles and majors. I don't think he cares one bit if he's considered less popular than Federer globally. He wants to be respected more than being liked by millions of fans who may or may not know much about Tennis at all. He caters more to die-hard watchers in my opinion. He is most focused on winning matches, knowing that everything else tends to fall into place if he produces the results.

I agree with pretty much everything but the bolded part. He takes a LOT of time out signing autographs for fans, even when he's at home, his fans are always around him, and he's very nice to them. He loves playing tennis yes, but both him and Fed and other players as well, really enjoy the crowd rooting for them, when you are having a **** day, that kinda stuff really keeps you going. He updates his facebook often, obviously "hardcore tennis fans" are not sitting around waiting for him to update his fb and then comment. He's making an effort to reach out. He is bothered by his English, so he is working to improve it. He has stated that as well. In Spain he lets the local media into his practice session all the time. He makes an effort to reach out to his fans.

 

[meg0529]

well I don't think it was silly at all.Assuming that Novak had a serious problem his taking extra time was justified..Nadal's isn't.Period.
And again I have a hard time believing that the umpire would go after Nadal for just one point or one game.

Sure.


vamos.

 

[mandy01]

That's a lot of maybes.

So, despite the strict rules, you think it's up to the umpire to decide when he follows the rules to the letter and when he's supposed to be lenient?

Ideally the rules must be applied the same to everyone obviously.But this was an unusual problem.And assuming Djokovic wasn't abusing the time-out,it was a genuine problem .So I feel that the umpire giving Novak some more time sort out his problem was fine.

 

[borg number one]

^^Very true meg0529. I agree with all of that. He's gotten a lot better in terms of being personable/approachable. That's an important aspect of being the #1 player in the world. Yet, note that I said "He wants to be respected more than being liked by millions of fans who may or may not know much about Tennis at all. He caters more to die-hard watchers in my opinion." Being nice to his fans is VERY important to him, but he's also extremely driven to play his best tennis constantly. So, while he's doing all of the PR stuff, the wheels are likely turning, as he thinks about his next practice session, next match, next tourney, how to constantly improve. He's really quite remarkable in that respect. Perhaps me saying that being popular is not important to him AT ALL is overstating things. It's still important, but he strikes me as a guy who would be winning majors even if he wasn't winning any popularity contests. He wants to do whatever is necessary to win majors, and if many resent him at the same time, well so be it.

 

[meg0529]

^^Very true meg0529. I agree with all of that. He's gotten a lot better in terms of being personable/approachable. That's an important aspect of being the #1 player in the world. Yet, note that I said "He wants to be respected more than being liked by millions of fans who may or may not know much about Tennis at all. He caters more to die-hard watchers in my opinion." Being nice to his fans is VERY important to him, but he's also extremely driven to play his best tennis constantly. So, while he's doing all of the PR stuff, the wheels are likely turning, as he thinks about his next practice session, next match, next tourney, how to constantly improve. He's really quite remarkable in that respect. Perhaps me saying that being popular is not important to him AT ALL is overstating things. It's still important, but he strikes me as a guy who would be winning majors even if he wasn't winning any popularity contests. He wants to do whatever is necessary to win majors, and if many resent him at the same time, well so be it.

That much is true, this man plays to win. It's why I am a fan. His intensity is infectious. I've rarely seen rafa come on court looking all "blah". Well only time will tell I guess.

 

[meg0529]

It might also be nice if Rafa makes a little bit for TV the was Roger does. I have memorized all the words to Roger's commercial with his trip to Ethiopia. During Wimbly it's his Rolex commercial. Rafa never has stuff like that.

 

[FlamEnemY]

I mean seriously is that possible for Rafael to overcome Roger even in this department? He's already beat Fed everywhere, and is well-recognized GOAT, but how come he's not yet most popural tennis player in the world? Where are the reasons hiding? And what does Rafa have to do to fix this little confusion?

First he needs to cheat on his girlfriend with several top models. And a prostitute, along with a bar waitress.

THEN he needs to acknowledge this in public and break up with his gf.

 

[niff]

It might also be nice if Rafa makes a little bit for TV the was Roger does. I have memorized all the words to Roger's commercial with his trip to Ethiopia. During Wimbly it's his Rolex commercial. Rafa never has stuff like that.

Lolz those rolex commercials do get around, every tournament seems to be sponsored by them.

 

[ashitaka2010]

I agree with this.

That reminds me of what my tv commentator said before the USO final this year between the two players: he asked the umpire to respect the natural flow between Novak and Rafa because neither of them are quick players between points and both are fine with it. If the umpire is a tight arse with the time rules and starts giving out warnings, he risks breaking the natural flow of the match. Afterwards, he applauded the umpire for "feeling" the match. That's following the same principle you described but if you follow the rules to the letter, it's not 100% correct.

The 'natural flow' would have been different with a couple of penalty points, few years ago, at 0/30 (in a grand slam final). And Mourier, Ramos and Maria wouldn't be personae non gratae in the 'Saint Rafa' world.
EDIT: and M. Ulrich, of course

 

[meg0529]

Lolz those rolex commercials do get around, every tournament seems to be sponsored by them.

Yeah they do, lol. He also has this Lindt one, and one with Wilson BLX Racquets, which is funny actually.

 

[mandy01]

Lolz those rolex commercials do get around, every tournament seems to be sponsored by them.

Hehe.True. Anyway , Nadal is already very popular.Give him a few years and more and more people will take to him.

 

[babbette]

Learn English! At first it was cute but "sorry for my english" is almost kind of annoying now.It's been years now! If his English gets better he will be a bit more universal. I think they do want him in American shows like good morning, Letterman (especially since he won US open). If they had Moya there they must want him. I think he should made more of effort to speak English during Moya's retirement.

 

[Satch]

Proper Swiss-German, German, French and English...

 

[meg0529]

Learn English! At first it was cute but "sorry for my english" is almost kind of annoying now.It's been years now! If his English gets better he will be a bit more universal. I think they do want him in American shows like good morning, Letterman (especially since he won US open). If they had Moya there they must want him. I think he should made more of effort to speak English during Moya's retirement.

yupp, I agree. I mean he has plenty of time to speak his heart when they are together. I was a little annoyed too. He could have kept it short if lmemorizing too much English is hard. He has improved but not fast enough. Get a coach Rafa you have enough money to do it!! Sheesh Fed tried learning mandarin for Christs sake!

 

[babbette]

yupp, I agree. I mean he has plenty of time to speak his heart when they are together. I was a little annoyed too. He could have kept it short if lmemorizing too much English is hard. He has improved but not fast enough. Get a coach Rafa you have enough money to do it!! Sheesh Fed tried learning mandarin for Christs sake!

Exactly. It was almost rude to make that "private" speech.

I think in his heart Spain is what only matters. He knows he won't play forever so I think he really doesn't care about learning other languages. He's been asked many times in his blogs if he's got a tutor at home he replied that he prefers to golf and spend time with friends. He just doesn't care enough! A dog learns faster, no?

 

[meg0529]

Exactly.It was almost rude to make that "private" speech.

I think in his heart Spain is what only matters. He knows he won't play forever so I think he really doesn't care about learning other languages. He's been asked many times in his blogs if he's got a tutor at home he replied that he prefers to golf and spend time with friends. He just doesn't care enough! A dog learns faster, no?

I tend to agree. I dunno Spanish and I wanna see more Rafa interviews in english, so I dun have to stare at him the whole time Or wait for someone to translate. Maybe like the other poster said, he's not terribly interested in becoming crazy popular. Earlier in the year though, I remember him mentioning that he watched his interviews in English and was almost embarrassed and then he started playing that game. I guess he needs a fun way to learn English. lol.

 

[fednad]

He needs to pick more and more.
and arrange/rearrange/FurtherRearrange his water bottles

 

[mandy01]

Learn English! At first it was cute but "sorry for my english" is almost kind of annoying now.It's been years now! If his English gets better he will be a bit more universal. I think they do want him in American shows like good morning, Letterman (especially since he won US open). If they had Moya there they must want him. I think he should made more of effort to speak English during Moya's retirement.

Wha..????????
He speaks enough English to get by.Infact I like the fact that lot of countries in Europe choose to focus on their own language.That way they've ended up doing a great job of preserving their respective cultures and languages
.
Why should everyone speak English perfectly ?Infact I personally like him (although I'm certainly not a fan of his) just the way he is .
I feel his popularity has more to do with his playing style than the language he speaks.His style seems to attract extreme opinions very often.You either hate it or love it.
And if you ask me he's still fairly marketable without the English.I've spoken to his fans pretty often and his broken English for them is a part of his style and appeal .

 

[cc0509]

Popular? Popularity in Tennis tends to closely track results. If Nadal keeps winning majors, he'll be the most popular and famous player on the planet. The thing about Nadal though, in my opinion, is that being popular is not his focus at all. The guy is a "gamer" and he loves to be out there playing great tennis and competing. That's what gets him up every morning and that is his main focus. Everything else is sort of "window dressing" for him, meaning all the perks, fame, and the money, endorsements, etc. He wants to keep winning titles and majors. I don't think he cares one bit if he's considered less popular than Federer globally. He wants to be respected more than being liked by millions of fans who may or may not know much about Tennis at all. He caters more to die-hard watchers in my opinion. He is most focused on winning matches, knowing that everything else tends to fall into place if he produces the results.

I don't agree that the only thing that makes a player most popular is winning matches. Obviously that is a big part of it, but it is not all of it imo. Personality, endorsements, charity work, relating to the fans--i.e. signing autographs and spending time with the fans a little bit, etc., are all factors that also contribute to a player's popularity.

I also do not agree that Rafa does not want to also become a very popular if not the most popular player. I get the sense that he is very competitive in all areas and not just playing tennis and winning matches.

 

[woodrow1029]

This is the difference between people who rule the world, and those who don't.

By the way, there is no strict time limit on bathroom breaks. The rule is "reasonable time." So you can see it's very vague.

On medical time-outs, the only "limit" is on the actual treatment which can't exceed 3 minutes. Evaluation and diagnosis are also "reasonable time" in the rules. Total time for evaluation and treatment can't exceed 15 minutes.