GabeT
G.O.A.T.
Have to say that it is a bit surprising how bad Nadal’s English is given he comes from a high income family. I think it’s a Spanish thing, you don’t see that in most other European nations
Who is the most inspirational member of the Big 3 on a personal level ?
- Thread starter Razer
- Start date
Pheasant
Legend
My mom picked up English quickly. She could read English quickly. Her grammar was stellar too; especially her writing. And she could speak rapidly. However, she completely butchered a lot of words. It was surreal, when looking back. Example. Really=Weedy. That was my favorite. Now granted, growing up in Japan for the first 26 years of her life without speaking a lick of English might have had something to do with it. But as I said, her writing was flawless. Hell, she could even do complex mathematical word problems in English. And yet, her speech was hilarious.
Sentinel
Bionic Poster
The Blond Blur
G.O.A.T.
Razer
G.O.A.T.
19-15-14
Pheasant
Legend
Makes sense. A lot of the Fed fans have left TTW. But to be fair, if I didn't know any of the Big 3, I would have guessed that the guy with the most slams would win.
But with all of that being said, Safin is the GOAT in this category.
Sentinel
Bionic Poster
English is a very easy language to pick up, IMO. Although you may not get it correctly. A lot of non English speaking people in my country seem to be picking up English just by being with or working with English speaking people.
Alcawrath
Professional
Idk, I'm more of a Fed fan, but I have to admit that Rafa's approach to the game and competition has always been far more inspirational.
Razer
G.O.A.T.
That's right, maybe it is a thing in Spain. In most countries parents enroll their kids in english medium schools where apart from the local language it is mandatory to teach english from the base level. Needless to say the mother tongue a kid will pick at home. Speaking multiple languages is a must in today's world otherwise the person is sorta handicapped.
Sentinel
Bionic Poster
Sentinel
Bionic Poster
Pheasant
Legend
LOL. yeah, he did. I think that he did that more than once. It was a dream of his. And to his credit, why let a small hobby like tennis get in the way?
octobrina10
Bionic Poster
Speaking English at home has lots to do with learning the language. Speaking English doesn't mean that the person is smart, there are millions of stupid English speakers in the world.
octobrina10
Bionic Poster
I wonder what English has to do with a family's income.
Rafa's family has been doing business with people who speak Spanish.Wikipedia (excerpts): "Spanish is a global language with about 500 million native speakers, mainly in the Americas and Spain, and about 600 million when including second language speakers. Spanish is the official language of 20 countries, as well as one of the six official languages of the United Nations. Spanish is the world's second-most spoken native language after Mandarin Chinese. It is an official language of countries on four continents and is used as an official language by many international organizations, including the United Nations, European Union, Organization of American States, Union of South American Nations, Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, African Union, among others."
octobrina10
Bionic Poster
I have a feeling that TTW posters who trash talk Rafa for not speaking English perfectly are 'sorta handicapped'.
a10best
Legend
Most inspirational is Federer. He sounds American so most fans relate to him right away which is why when he speaks it's heard and repeated more.
People say his play & strokes are a gift. Roger says it's not a gift because he worked very hard to be able to play that way. That quote is inspiring you to work hard to become great.
People say his play & strokes are a gift. Roger says it's not a gift because he worked very hard to be able to play that way. That quote is inspiring you to work hard to become great.
GabeT
G.O.A.T.
I wonder what English has to do with a family's income.
Wikipedia (excerpts): "Spanish is a global language with about 500 million native speakers, mainly in the Americas and Spain, and about 600 million when including second language speakers. Spanish is the official language of 20 countries, as well as one of the six official languages of the United Nations. Spanish is the world's second-most spoken native language after Mandarin Chinese. It is an official language of countries on four continents and is used as an official language by many international organizations, including the United Nations, European Union, Organization of American States, Union of South American Nations, Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, African Union, among others."
I’m a native Spanish speaker and have lived in Spain. You don’t need to explain to me the importance of Spanish.
English is the world’s lingua franca today. Wealthy (and not so wealthy) people everywhere seek to teach that to their children. A common indicator of elite schools in non English speaking countries is the fact that they are fully bilingual.
In Nadal’s case it’s a bit strange (and not just due to the family’s wealth but also because he chose a very international career at a yong age) but if you’ve been to Spain you may know that it’s more common than in many other European nations. There are historical reasons for this.
Razer
G.O.A.T.
We have higher IQ levels than Rafa. If we were genetically gifted like him to win 22 slams then we would have carried ourselves much better than he ever could. Stop defending Rafa everywhere, accept the fact that Federer's communication skills are also a part of his charming personality.
TennisXpert@2023
Semi-Pro
Yes, Federer speaks English very well, but he definitely doesn’t sound American, he sounds definitely European.
ChaelAZ
G.O.A.T.
You just repeated exactly what I said, that millions and millions of people speak English, so having his mother speak it at home is not what separates him from the crowd. Just like there are literally 100's of thousands of tennis players, who learned tennis from their mothers, who played tennis their whole lives too. Doesn't make them better than average, or good at all.
Roger excelled at tennis because he is a unique and less-common talent. Same with English, which DOES separate him. So not sure why you are stuck on the fact Federer carries himself well, speaks more fluently than most, is a reflective and thoughtful person, and that adds to him being an inspiration to others.
Razer
G.O.A.T.
Added
Razer
G.O.A.T.
I wonder what English has to do with a family's income.
Wikipedia (excerpts): "Spanish is a global language with about 500 million native speakers, mainly in the Americas and Spain, and about 600 million when including second language speakers. Spanish is the official language of 20 countries, as well as one of the six official languages of the United Nations. Spanish is the world's second-most spoken native language after Mandarin Chinese. It is an official language of countries on four continents and is used as an official language by many international organizations, including the United Nations, European Union, Organization of American States, Union of South American Nations, Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, African Union, among others."
Spanish is 4th on the list of most spoken Languages in the world if you count the number of people who have that as the first+second language, english is the most spoken language in the world. It is the lingua franca as @GabeT mentioned above. Just counting the number of native speakers is not enough, you need to see the number of people who speak it as 1st and 2nd languages, so that is around 1.5 Billion.
List of languages by total number of speakers - Wikipedia
Most spoken languages, Ethnologue, 2023[4]
| Language | Family | Branch | First-language (L1) speakers | Second-language (L2) speakers | Total speakers (L1+L2) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English (excl. creole languages) | Indo-European | Germanic | 380 million | 1.077 billion[5] | 1.456 billion |
| Mandarin Chinese (incl. Standard Chinese, but excl. other varieties) | Sino-Tibetan | Sinitic | 939 million | 199 million[6] | 1.138 billion |
| Hindi (excl. Urdu) | Indo-European | Indo-Aryan | 345 million | 266 million[7] | 610 million |
| Spanish (excl. creole languages) | Indo-European | Romance | 485 million | 74 million[8] | 559 million |
| French (excl. creole languages) | Indo-European | Romance | 81 million | 229 million[9] | 310 million |
| Modern Standard Arabic (excl. dialects) | Afro-Asiatic | Semitic | —[a] | 274 million[11] | 274 million |
| Bengali | Indo-European | Indo-Aryan | 234 million | 39 million[12] | 273 million |
| Portuguese (excl. creole languages) | Indo-European | Romance | 236 million | 27 million [13] | 264 million |
| Russian | Indo-European | Balto-Slavic | 147 million | 108 million[14] | 255 million |
| Urdu (excl. Hindi) | Indo-European | Indo-Aryan | 71 million | 161 million[15] | 232 million |
octobrina10
Bionic Poster
It's weird that after living in Spain you don't know that it's possible to do business in Spanish.
You can find bilingual schools (the country's official language & English or German or French or ...) in non-English speaking European countries, but they are rare. Children learn English in regular schools.
Speaking of playing pro tennis, a pro tennis player has to let his racket do the talking, not his mouth.
As for using English in European countries, I have heard that the French people have tended to ignore English speakers ...
octobrina10
Bionic Poster
I repeat: speaking English does't make a person smart.
octobrina10
Bionic Poster
I don't care about Fed, no matter how much you demand that I have to worship him.
octobrina10
Bionic Poster
Your table confirms that there are a lot of Spanish speakers in the world.Spanish is 4th on the list of most spoken Languages in the world if you count the number of people who have that as the first+second language, english is the most spoken language in the world. It is the lingua franca as @GabeT mentioned above. Just counting the number of native speakers is not enough, you need to see the number of people who speak it as 1st and 2nd languages, so that is around 1.5 Billion.
List of languages by total number of speakers - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
Most spoken languages, Ethnologue, 2023[4]
Language Family Branch First-language
(L1) speakersSecond-language
(L2) speakersTotal speakers
(L1+L2)English
(excl. creole languages)Indo-European Germanic 380 million 1.077 billion[5] 1.456 billion Mandarin Chinese
(incl. Standard Chinese, but excl. other varieties)Sino-Tibetan Sinitic 939 million 199 million[6] 1.138 billion Hindi
(excl. Urdu)Indo-European Indo-Aryan 345 million 266 million[7] 610 million Spanish
(excl. creole languages)Indo-European Romance 485 million 74 million[8] 559 million French
(excl. creole languages)Indo-European Romance 81 million 229 million[9] 310 million Modern Standard Arabic
(excl. dialects)Afro-Asiatic Semitic —[a] 274 million[11] 274 million Bengali Indo-European Indo-Aryan 234 million 39 million[12] 273 million Portuguese
(excl. creole languages)Indo-European Romance 236 million 27 million [13] 264 million Russian Indo-European Balto-Slavic 147 million 108 million[14] 255 million Urdu
(excl. Hindi)Indo-European Indo-Aryan 71 million 161 million[15] 232 million
GabeT
G.O.A.T.
yes, more and more countries in Europe (and the world) seek to have their students know English. Another reason why Nadal´s lack of proficiency is strange.
Pro players travel across the world and no language is better than English for an international travelers.
That´s false. Been to France many times and always had a great time there.
a10best
Legend
okay, I meant his mannerisms and quirky joking attitude during interviews are American. Actually, his accent is far less than a UK person, Aussie, or South African and he doesn't sound like an eastern European like Doncic, Jokic, or Djokovic.
Brits and Americans love Fed more than their own star players because he's kind of a suave James Bond of tennis and says the right things plus he'll shed some tears quite easy. Bring a tissue box with you if you interview the guy. I heard a few minutes of his "last 12 days" documentary and he sounded like he was smoking or had no sleep. Maybe that's the Euro sounding part you mentioned.
Rosstour
Talk Tennis Guru
If you know many Spaniards and understand their culture, it makes sense. They are a proud people and having to speak their colonial/maritime rival's language is a bitter pill to swallow
Additionally Rafa is a very "homebody" type guy. He wants to chill with his homies and the men in his family. He's never been totally comfortable being an international celebrity.
Rosstour
Talk Tennis Guru
Yeah he sounds almost American at times. Very neutral. Until you hear him say "I get along wis him"
GabeT
G.O.A.T.
yeah, there may be some of that. I think it’s also a historical artifact, since Spain was isolated from the rest of the world under Franco. it’s always striking that in what may be the world‘s greatest tourist destination you don’t find more people fluent in English. But you can already see the differences in younger generations
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TennisXpert@2023
Semi-Pro
What? Nah, Federer sounds European because he is European.
TennisXpert@2023
Semi-Pro
No, American sound, but European sound.
big ted
Legend
true but djokovic has no business being in a poll of this sort. what does he inspire people to do? yell at ballkids, cheat on his wife, & invade countries that have vax laws?
Rosstour
Talk Tennis Guru
He inspires the same people that Trump inspires. Big overlap between the two fanbases
Razer
G.O.A.T.
Djokovic is more inspirational than Federer or Nadal because of the way he tackled adversity with a smile as @SonnyT put it, when Federer was on MP at US open 2011 then Djokovic was smiling with aggression in his eyes and the swagger of Clint Eastwood ready to take out his gun and shoot first without blinking .... on the other hand Federer the pu$$y that he was had fear in his eyes and was looking nervous. You decide what is inspirational. @Rosstour, you might find Novak's ways similar to Trump's or Putin's or any invader's as you might wanna draw parallels with but lets face it, Novak technically invaded the empire of Roger Federer and brought it down
...yes it is Nadal who first brought down Fed but Novak then took them both on.... .he put a Stop to Nadal's 2010 year momentum as people thought now Rafa is gonna ascend Fed's throne and voila, there is a new guy beating them both.... It is inspirational in ways that even as a Fed-fan I could not hate Djokovic in 2011 for Fed's chokes. Tough people have to be respected. Djokovic has earned everything he got, he brought down the emperor and also defeated the emperor's so called successor anointed in 2000s, and he chased their slam totals with 15 and 8 deficit and today he sits ahead of them..... Now that is something which can be awe inspiring.... remove your glass of bias and look at Djokovic neutrally, you will forget about his ballkids yelling/whatever that you mentioned above.
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Rosstour
Talk Tennis Guru
Novak technically invaded the empire of Roger Federer and brought it down
If anyone "invaded Federer's kingdom" it was Nadal, he beat 26yo Fed at w2008 after two years of falling short in the Final
Federer beat Djoko at almost 31yo on his way to the title in 2012 no?
All those Wimbledon heartbreaks to Djoko were when Fed was a month from his 33, 34, 38th birthdays, and Djoko was 27, 28, and 32...remember even the God of Wimbledon stopped after 31
The USO matches hurt, yes, but Fed was the only reason Djoko did not win a CYGS in 2011 and defeated him more times even in 2015 than the rest of the field combined IIRC
As to his behavior, we've talked about this with Zverev and we're not going to agree. You don't value character and the effort to be humble bc you see that as weak.
octobrina10
Bionic Poster
Wrong. Foreign languages have always been taught at European regular schools.
A person doesn't have to perfectly speak foreign languages to travel.
Razer
G.O.A.T.
Djokovic had the balls to tell Federer in 2007 that he will bring him down and this did not go well with the maestro who had a massive ego at that time. Of course it is Nadal who beat Fed first and dethroned him but Fed's records were all wiped out by Djokovic himself. So the Kingdom was properly invaded, raided and taken control by Djokovic himself, not Nadal. The year 2011 was a gamechanger for everyone, a new guy arrived to actually slow down Nadal.... Novak was the punisher sent to take control of Tennis and today I have no regrets that he holds the record, you too shouldn't. Fed choked and threw his chances, thats it, so no need to sob for him. Nobody asked him be so weak.
Ehh speaking of humble, Federer was never humble in 2000s. He had a kingly ego back then, he learned humility in 2010s. I do value character and I dont think the Big 3 lack in that, nobody can win 20+ slams by not having character, plus who are we to judge off court stuffs like that? We dont even know Zverev in person, how can we judge what he does in the bedroom/in his house? There is a court to decide that, thats why I said judging zverev is not and should not be our cup of tea.
GabeT
G.O.A.T.
lol, you really are tiring!
Gary Duane
Talk Tennis Guru
I don't understand how ordinary people get inspired by people who achieve everything in sports, who eventually have a ton of money because everything falls into place for them.
Rosstour
Talk Tennis Guru
Djoko has set most of the major new records since Fed retired. And he really did not start beating him h2h until Fed was 30+
Beating Fed at the peak of his dominance is a lot more impressive than waiting until he's 30+ and then breaking all his records once he's retired
Novak deserves full credit for dethroning Nadal, though. He looked like he was going to completely own the tour and Djoko solved his patterns. But Djoko was still vulnerable to Fed and even to Murray. He was not the clear cut best of the B3 until 2014/15
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