Poll : 2014 USO quarter : Federer vs Monfils

[Moxie]

Again, I say this is unkind from both of you.

To you it unkind. Noted the first time and again this time.

He's still a clown. He's a total turd. He should be fined for not even trying.

When do you think he wasn't trying? And why would he not? A "clown" and a "turd"…and you were so admiring of how he handled the beginning 2/3 of the match.

 

[nehmeth]

I'll take you all on…I think you're being unfair. (I refer you to my above post.) You can complain about him not being able to get across the finish-line, and I'm with you. But I think calling him a clown takes it too far. In other times in his career I would agree, but I think he's really trying to be more focused. He couldn't get TMF today, but he was focused and resolute for much of the match, and gave him a right scare. That he couldn't close? Yes, a knock on him, but he's no clown.

Who gives a flying flip Moxie. Ban the word clown. Ban people from writing what they think from their couches. You're just as bad for scolding posters who frequent these boards as we are for scolding players who don't even frequent these boards.

 

[nehmeth]

Again, I say this is unkind from both of you.

To you it unkind. Noted the first time and again this time.

He's still a clown. He's a total turd. He should be fined for not even trying.

When do you think he wasn't trying? And why would he not? A "clown" and a "turd"…and you were so admiring of how he handled the beginning 2/3 of the match.

Moxie, I have called him a clown for years... I also shared for years how I pitied anyone who coached him. I wasn't admiring Monfils, I was enjoying watching Fed get pushed around.

 

[Moxie]

Not completely directed at you, because you didn't start it, but that is unkind and unfair. Monfils has been working hard at being the player that people have looked for him to be, for a lot of this year, and for 2½ sets in this match he was…against Federer. He's not going to pull it off, but he put a lot of effort into it. And focus and heart. Give the guy his props.

Moxie, he was not even trying the first two thirds of the fifth set. He should be fined. He did the same at RG against Murray. Clown is kind. Utter a-hole is more appropriate... imo.

Sorry Mox, have to agree. The guy is physically capable of incredible tennis, but only has one slam-semi appearance. Also gives away matches against top guys. Clown indeed.

I'll take you all on…I think you're being unfair. (I refer you to my above post.) You can complain about him not being able to get across the finish-line, and I'm with you. But I think calling him a clown takes it too far. In other times in his career I would agree, but I think he's really trying to be more focused. He couldn't get TMF today, but he was focused and resolute for much of the match, and gave him a right scare. That he couldn't close? Yes, a knock on him, but he's no clown.

The point you're missing here is that was no TMF out there and he clearly had a huge chance of winning but didn't do f**k all in the 5th that was one bit good.

Well, that's not exactly how it went, is it? It wasn't the 5th that killed Monfils' momentum, but the 4th. And maybe Roger wasn't "TMF" at any point in that match, but when he had his teeth in, he started to turn the tide. What edge Gael had by unsettling Roger, he was losing. Yes, he DF'd too much, but Roger was also turning the screws against him. Pressure works both ways. Gael put it on Roger early, and Monfils was feeling the effects late in the match.

 

[nehmeth]

Well, that's not exactly how it went, is it? It wasn't the 5th that killed Monfils' momentum, but the 4th. And maybe Roger wasn't "TMF" at any point in that match, but when he had his teeth in, he started to turn the tide. What edge Gael had by unsettling Roger, he was losing. Yes, he DF'd too much, but Roger was also turning the screws against him. Pressure works both ways. Gael put it on Roger early, and Monfils was feeling the effects late in the match.

It wasn't the DF's Moxie. Monfils let his foot off the gas, stopped hitting through his shots, dropping them shorter and flying them long. He opened the door for Fed and never regrouped. When he lost the fourth set, he basically gave up.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

I am just wondering whether the wind subsided gradually as the match progressed. At the
beginning, it was really quite windy; they showed the us flag fluttering heavily.

 

[tented]

I think Gilbert expressed it well, when discussing the concept of having a short memory. Gael couldn't shake losing those MPs, while Roger (and other champions like Rafa, Novak) are excellent at putting bad things behind them, and moving on. As Gilbert put it, "This is why one of these guys has 17 majors, and the other has never even made it to a final."

 

[Front242]

I was trying to find the whole match of Monfils v Murray at RG this year but that 5th set took barely 10 minutes and even Murray said himself he was shocked how easy it was in the end after Monfils fought his way back. Granted this was opposite against Federer as Monfils lead by 2 sets but the way he failed to win a single game in the 5th against Murray and only 2 against Federer today was pretty damn pathetic I'd have to agree. Blasting balls miles wide, double faults, netted every 2nd ball. It does actually almost look scripted.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Also, little homework for all of you.

Find all Male GS winners who saved at least one match point somewhere along the way, not
necessarily (but including) in the finals.

 

[nehmeth]

I am just wondering whether the wind subsided gradually as the match progressed. At the
beginning, it was really quite windy; they showed the us flag fluttering heavily.

I think it did. The one side of the court, the ball would sail if you weren't careful. They were talking about it early on, but not much later in the match.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

I think Gilbert expressed it well, when discussing the concept of having a short memory. Gael couldn't shake losing those MPs, while Roger (and other champions like Rafa, Novak) are excellent at putting bad things behind them, and moving on. As Gilbert put it, "This is why one of these guys has 17 majors, and the other has never even made it to a final."

I have short memory due to which I failed many exams. Did not help me.:lolz:

 

[tented]

Also, little homework for all of you.

Find all Male GS winners who saved at least one match point somewhere along the way, not
necessarily (but including) in the finals.

Champion / Year / Tournament / Round / Opponent / Match Points Saved

Gerald Patterson / 1927 / Australia / Final / John Hawkes / 5
Dinny Pails / 1947 / Australia / Final / John Bromwich / 1
Rod Laver / 1960 / Australia / Final / Neale Fraser / 1
John Newcombe / 1975 / Australia / SF / Tony Roche / 3
Johan Kriek / 1982 / Australia / SF / Paul McNamee / 1
Stefan Edberg / 1985 / Australia / R16 / Wally Masur / 2
Marat Safin / 2005 / Australia / SF / Roger Federer / 1

Rene Lacoste / 1927 / Roland Garros / Final / Bill Tilden / 2
Gottfried von Cramm / 1934 / Roland Garros / Final / Jack Crawford / 1
Rod Laver / 1962 / Roland Garros / QF / Marty Mulligan / 1
Adriano Panatta / 1976 / Roland Garros / R128 / Pavel Hutka / 1
Gustavo Kuerten / 2001 / Roland Garros / R16 / Michael Russell / 1
Gaston Gaudio / 2004 / Roland Garros / Final / Guillermo Coria / 2

Henri Cochet / 1927 / Wimbledon / Final / Jean Borotra / 6
Bob Falkenburg / 1948 / Wimbledon / Final / John Bromwich / 3
Ted Schroeder / 1949 / Wimbledon / QF / Frank Sedgman / 2
Neale Fraser / 1960 / Wimbledon / QF / Butch Buchholz / 5

Fred Perry / 1936 / United States / Final / Don Budge / 2
Manuel Orantes / 1975 / United States / SF / Guillermo Vilas / 5
Boris Becker / 1989 / United States / R64 / Derrick Rostagno / 2
Pete Sampras / 1996 / United States / QF / Alex Corretja / 1
Andy Roddick / 2003 / United States / SF / David Nalbandian / 1
Novak Djokovic / 2011 / United States / SF / Roger Federer / 2

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Wow, that was very fast tented, I am impressed.

 

[House]

So bickering and passive aggressiveness aside.

Yay for Roger. Tough loss for the Frenchman, but he played well. Roger just asserted himself the last three sets, and even then Gael had match points.

Don't really buy into the boo-hooing from other Fed fans about the match being 5 sets. It wasn't a very taxing match, conditions weren't too rough, and despite the length it ended at a decent hour. Fed will be fine.

The alternative is he doesn't play at all. Though I guess that would then rob the ability to be pessimistic about Fed for the rest of the Open. Which would be a huge bummer, I imagine, for those who compare Roger to Brett Farve, and feel embarrassed watching him.

 

[tented]

Wow, that was very fast tented, I am impressed.

This question came up a few years ago, so I saved the info in a text file, knowing it would come up again ... and it did.

 

[tented]

So bickering and passive aggressiveness aside.

Yay for Roger. Tough loss for the Frenchman, but he played well. Roger just asserted himself the last three sets, and even then Gael had match points.

Don't really buy into the boo-hooing from other Fed fans about the match being 5 sets. It wasn't a very taxing match, conditions weren't too rough, and despite the length it ended at a decent hour. Fed will be fine.

The alternative is he doesn't play at all. Though I guess that would then rob the ability to be pessimistic about Fed for the rest of the Open. Which would be a huge bummer, I imagine, for those who compare Roger to Brett Farve, and feel embarrassed watching him.

Great post, House. It deserves more than just "liking" it.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Wow, that was very fast tented, I am impressed.

This question came up a few years ago, so I saved the info in a text file, knowing it would come up again ... and it did.

You saved a lot of time for me; i was planning to dig up on that.

Ah, and Roger has already done this before as his name appears in your list. Nothing new
to him, "been there done that" is the response for everything.

 

[Riotbeard]

Again, I say this is unkind from both of you.

To you it unkind. Noted the first time and again this time.

He's still a clown. He's a total turd. He should be fined for not even trying.

When do you think he wasn't trying? And why would he not? A "clown" and a "turd"…and you were so admiring of how he handled the beginning 2/3 of the match.

Moxie, I have called him a clown for years... I also shared for years how I pitied anyone who coached him. I wasn't admiring Monfils, I was enjoying watching Fed get pushed around.

I dont know what it means to say you've been calling him a clown for years, but if that's a source of pride to you, whatever. It does, however, imply that you are inflexible in your attitude towards him. It implies you haven't been watching some of his play this year, because Gael has been changing his attitude, playing more seriously and more focused. I think that's a change worthy of noting, and the point I'm trying to make with the "clownophiles."

But you never answered this: if it makes sense that Murray can only red-line his game so long against Novak, without it completely detracting from him, why doesn't it make sense that Monfils can only red-line his game so long against Federer, before he becomes a "clown"?

I am not convinced Monfils was red lining myself. Murray was swinging for the fences on those forehand, Monfils played solid tennis against a mediocre Fed. Very different. I also don't get why Le Monf deserves so much respect on what has hardly been even a career year. Solid year, but not his best or anything.

 

[tented]

Wow, that was very fast tented, I am impressed.

This question came up a few years ago, so I saved the info in a text file, knowing it would come up again ... and it did.

You saved a lot of time for me; i was planning to dig up on that.

Ah, and Roger has already done this before as his name appears in your list. Nothing new
to him, "been there done that" is the response for everything.

His name is on the list, but in a bad way: Safin saved a match point in the AO '05 semifinal against Roger, then won the tournament.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Wow, that was very fast tented, I am impressed.

This question came up a few years ago, so I saved the info in a text file, knowing it would come up again ... and it did.

You saved a lot of time for me; i was planning to dig up on that.

Ah, and Roger has already done this before as his name appears in your list. Nothing new
to him, "been there done that" is the response for everything.

His name is on the list, but in a bad way: Safin saved a match point in the AO '05 semifinal against Roger, then won the tournament.

oops, did not read carefully. So, #18 will be the first for him in this regard.