Rafa vs. Monfils

[brokenshoelace]

Monfils's game has really degenerated and deteriorated to even worse than what it was before. His playing style is now tailor-made to get dismantled by anyone who is striking the ball cleanly and looking to be somewhat offensive.

I really don't think it is possible for a French player to ever be #1, for the same reason that Paris is always rated the most romantic city. The culture is naturally feminine. Great for high fashion and delicate artistry, not good for producing masculine competitors.

...Jesus.

 

[brokenshoelace]

Watching the match right now. Nothing to be really read from it like Tennis.com attempted in the reaction piece. Rafa was steady Monfils was awful regularly hitting basic rally balls 5 feet long. Not Rafa's fault mind you, but it makes it hard to gauge his level as Gael didn't make him do anythin.

I agree re: Monfils, but there were still fairly noticeable tell-tales regarding Nadal's level. 3 (quick) sets were still enough to see how well he was striking the ball. The serve was clicking (that doesn't have much to do with Monfils), and the inside out forehand and CC backhands were penetrating nicely. With Nadal it's easy to tell how confident he is by looking at how aggressively he's hitting the backhand and most importantly, how confident he is about changing directions with the forehand. It was mixture of a poor performance by Monfils, and a really good performance by Nadal. Hence the scoreline.

 

[tented]

Monfils's game has really degenerated and deteriorated to even worse than what it was before. His playing style is now tailor-made to get dismantled by anyone who is striking the ball cleanly and looking to be somewhat offensive.

I really don't think it is possible for a French player to ever be #1, for the same reason that Paris is always rated the most romantic city. The culture is naturally feminine. Great for high fashion and delicate artistry, not good for producing masculine competitors.

Wow. You didn't just think this; you actually posted it.

 

[calitennis127]

Monfils's game has really degenerated and deteriorated to even worse than what it was before. His playing style is now tailor-made to get dismantled by anyone who is striking the ball cleanly and looking to be somewhat offensive.

I really don't think it is possible for a French player to ever be #1, for the same reason that Paris is always rated the most romantic city. The culture is naturally feminine. Great for high fashion and delicate artistry, not good for producing masculine competitors.

Wow. You didn't just think this; you actually posted it.

I'm sorry but the likes of Monfils and Gasquet all have a common problem. It may not be politically correct to point it out but it's as obvious as the fact that zebras have black and white stripes.

 

[calitennis127]

Monfils's game has really degenerated and deteriorated to even worse than what it was before. His playing style is now tailor-made to get dismantled by anyone who is striking the ball cleanly and looking to be somewhat offensive.

I really don't think it is possible for a French player to ever be #1, for the same reason that Paris is always rated the most romantic city. The culture is naturally feminine. Great for high fashion and delicate artistry, not good for producing masculine competitors.

...Jesus.

...Mohammed.

 

[calitennis127]

Monfils's game has really degenerated and deteriorated to even worse than what it was before. His playing style is now tailor-made to get dismantled by anyone who is striking the ball cleanly and looking to be somewhat offensive.

I really don't think it is possible for a French player to ever be #1, for the same reason that Paris is always rated the most romantic city. The culture is naturally feminine. Great for high fashion and delicate artistry, not good for producing masculine competitors.

What an astonishingly sexist and ignorant thing to say! To characterize a city by gender is weird enough. But it may also have escaped your noticed that not all French players are from Paris, either.

Yeah, I noticed that. But that doesn't invalidate my general point at all.

Have you ever watched Serena Williams?

 

[calitennis127]

Monfils's game has really degenerated and deteriorated to even worse than what it was before. His playing style is now tailor-made to get dismantled by anyone who is striking the ball cleanly and looking to be somewhat offensive.

I really don't think it is possible for a French player to ever be #1, for the same reason that Paris is always rated the most romantic city. The culture is naturally feminine. Great for high fashion and delicate artistry, not good for producing masculine competitors.

That's really ridiculous. Yannick Noah and Henri LeConte say hello. Zidane says hello. Rinet and Darbelet in Judo say hello. Marcel Cedan in boxing says hello.

They are routinely amongst the best countries in the world in girly sports like Judo, K1, Rugby, soccor the xgames and so forth.

If millions of people play a sport in a given country, there will inevitably be a couple who are good. You can go to Iran and find 4 basketball players who are okay. So does that mean it doesn't make sense to say there are general conclusions it is to safe to draw about Iranian basketball players?

Second, I'm sorry but rugby is one of the dumbest activities I have ever seen groups of human beings participate in. It is a bunch of white dorks hilariously pretending to act tough.

 

[britbox]

Monfils's game has really degenerated and deteriorated to even worse than what it was before. His playing style is now tailor-made to get dismantled by anyone who is striking the ball cleanly and looking to be somewhat offensive.

I really don't think it is possible for a French player to ever be #1, for the same reason that Paris is always rated the most romantic city. The culture is naturally feminine. Great for high fashion and delicate artistry, not good for producing masculine competitors.

That's really ridiculous. Yannick Noah and Henri LeConte say hello. Zidane says hello. Rinet and Darbelet in Judo say hello. Marcel Cedan in boxing says hello.

They are routinely amongst the best countries in the world in girly sports like Judo, K1, Rugby, soccor the xgames and so forth.

If millions of people play a sport in a given country, there will inevitably be a couple who are good. You can go to Iran and find 4 basketball players who are okay. So does that mean it doesn't make sense to say there are general conclusions it is to safe to draw about Iranian basketball players?

Second, I'm sorry but rugby is one of the dumbest activities I have ever seen groups of human beings participate in. It is a bunch of white dorks hilariously pretending to act tough.

Laughing at the last sentence... You have evidently never played rugby... or seen "white dorks" like Serge Blanco or Brian Habana play.

Your labelling of the french is ridiculous... and most french people don't even come from Paris.

 

[Riotbeard]

Watching the match right now. Nothing to be really read from it like Tennis.com attempted in the reaction piece. Rafa was steady Monfils was awful regularly hitting basic rally balls 5 feet long. Not Rafa's fault mind you, but it makes it hard to gauge his level as Gael didn't make him do anythin.

I agree re: Monfils, but there were still fairly noticeable tell-tales regarding Nadal's level. 3 (quick) sets were still enough to see how well he was striking the ball. The serve was clicking (that doesn't have much to do with Monfils), and the inside out forehand and CC backhands were penetrating nicely. With Nadal it's easy to tell how confident he is by looking at how aggressively he's hitting the backhand and most importantly, how confident he is about changing directions with the forehand. It was mixture of a poor performance by Monfils, and a really good performance by Nadal. Hence the scoreline.

Yes his backhand looked particularly good, but it will be easier to gauge, when he is playing somebody who can put pressure on his shots, as opposed to monfils' rally shots that either just sit up or are clear winners. I am not trying to anything away from rafa. I feel similar about what I have seen from Novak. In general, his level has been good, but nobody has made it difficult for him to play at a high level.

 

[calitennis127]

Monfils's game has really degenerated and deteriorated to even worse than what it was before. His playing style is now tailor-made to get dismantled by anyone who is striking the ball cleanly and looking to be somewhat offensive.

I really don't think it is possible for a French player to ever be #1, for the same reason that Paris is always rated the most romantic city. The culture is naturally feminine. Great for high fashion and delicate artistry, not good for producing masculine competitors.

That's really ridiculous. Yannick Noah and Henri LeConte say hello. Zidane says hello. Rinet and Darbelet in Judo say hello. Marcel Cedan in boxing says hello.

They are routinely amongst the best countries in the world in girly sports like Judo, K1, Rugby, soccor the xgames and so forth.

If millions of people play a sport in a given country, there will inevitably be a couple who are good. You can go to Iran and find 4 basketball players who are okay. So does that mean it doesn't make sense to say there are general conclusions it is to safe to draw about Iranian basketball players?

Second, I'm sorry but rugby is one of the dumbest activities I have ever seen groups of human beings participate in. It is a bunch of white dorks hilariously pretending to act tough.

Laughing at the last sentence... You have evidently never played rugby... or seen "white dorks" like Serge Blanco or Brian Habana play.

Your labelling of the french is ridiculous... and most french people don't even come from Paris.

Lol....no kidding that most French people don't come from Paris. Really?

My point was never strictly about Parisians. I only used Paris as a notable example of French culture. And I didn't intend my remarks as demeaning per se. There are two sides to most things, there are costs and benefits, there are pros and cons. The French love of style and refinement is, generally speaking, much more of a feminine quality. This is why many people go to Paris for their honeymoons. It is that sort of place. And no, not all of France is that way, but the French language itself has a natural delicacy and subtlety and charm and frivolity to it that breeds that quality. No need to be dishonest about it.

When it comes to sports and producing really tough-minded competitors, France is not as good a breeding ground as other countries. This is obvious. Show me a French player who has ever had Roddick's muscleheaded serving mentality, Fernando Gonzalez's temper, Tommy Haas's bitterness, or Mikhail Youzhny's "I'm going to crush this forehand, comrade" mentality. Ever seen a French player in a fit of rage hit himself in the head with a racket and make himself bleed?

Didn't think so.

What are the current and recent French players known for?

Gasquet - beautiful one-handed backhand, great technique all-around, but someone without the fortitude and resolve of the truly elite

Monfils - crowd-pleaser but kind of flaky and awkward

Tsonga - the jolly green giant who can hit massive shots but is ultimately one to be remembered more for his celebration dance and diving for volleys at Wimbledon

Santoro - the magician

Llodra - the artistic volleyer

Simon - the diminutive little counter-puncher who is quick and clever, but also kind of weak and easy to overwhelm


Contrast these players' mentality with Federer snapping at an umpire, or slamming his racket in Rome or Miami. Contrast this with Djokovic's emotional outbursts on court. Contrast this with Murray screaming at himself and his coach. Contrast this with Nadal's intensity and ball-bashing in many big moments.

It's not that the French are completely soft. It's that they just aren't as tough.

 

[britbox]

You're comparing players from one nation to a collective group of nations around the world. Also, ask I.Haychew what a charming man Llodra is and ask yourself how a lot of the players you mentioned where junior #1s.

You think screaming at yourself makes you tough? Please.....

...and then you criticise the french for playing rugby, a far tougher and more physical game than tennis, basketball or any sport you ever mention.

Paris is labelled as a romantic city because of it's composition ( much like Venice)... not because of it's inhabitants.

 

[brokenshoelace]

Second, I'm sorry but rugby is one of the dumbest activities I have ever seen groups of human beings participate in. It is a bunch of white dorks hilariously pretending to act tough.

Easily the most ignorant comment you've ever said, and given your initial post in this thread, that's quite a statement!

 

[brokenshoelace]

Monfils's game has really degenerated and deteriorated to even worse than what it was before. His playing style is now tailor-made to get dismantled by anyone who is striking the ball cleanly and looking to be somewhat offensive.

I really don't think it is possible for a French player to ever be #1, for the same reason that Paris is always rated the most romantic city. The culture is naturally feminine. Great for high fashion and delicate artistry, not good for producing masculine competitors.

That's really ridiculous. Yannick Noah and Henri LeConte say hello. Zidane says hello. Rinet and Darbelet in Judo say hello. Marcel Cedan in boxing says hello.

They are routinely amongst the best countries in the world in girly sports like Judo, K1, Rugby, soccor the xgames and so forth.

If millions of people play a sport in a given country, there will inevitably be a couple who are good. You can go to Iran and find 4 basketball players who are okay. So does that mean it doesn't make sense to say there are general conclusions it is to safe to draw about Iranian basketball players?

Second, I'm sorry but rugby is one of the dumbest activities I have ever seen groups of human beings participate in. It is a bunch of white dorks hilariously pretending to act tough.

Laughing at the last sentence... You have evidently never played rugby... or seen "white dorks" like Serge Blanco or Brian Habana play.

Your labelling of the french is ridiculous... and most french people don't even come from Paris.

Lol....no kidding that most French people don't come from Paris. Really?

My point was never strictly about Parisians. I only used Paris as a notable example of French culture. And I didn't intend my remarks as demeaning per se. There are two sides to most things, there are costs and benefits, there are pros and cons. The French love of style and refinement is, generally speaking, much more of a feminine quality. This is why many people go to Paris for their honeymoons. It is that sort of place. And no, not all of France is that way, but the French language itself has a natural delicacy and subtlety and charm and frivolity to it that breeds that quality. No need to be dishonest about it.

When it comes to sports and producing really tough-minded competitors, France is not as good a breeding ground as other countries. This is obvious. Show me a French player who has ever had Roddick's muscleheaded serving mentality, Fernando Gonzalez's temper, Tommy Haas's bitterness, or Mikhail Youzhny's "I'm going to crush this forehand, comrade" mentality. Ever seen a French player in a fit of rage hit himself in the head with a racket and make himself bleed?

Didn't think so.

What are the current and recent French players known for?

Gasquet - beautiful one-handed backhand, great technique all-around, but someone without the fortitude and resolve of the truly elite

Monfils - crowd-pleaser but kind of flaky and awkward

Tsonga - the jolly green giant who can hit massive shots but is ultimately one to be remembered more for his celebration dance and diving for volleys at Wimbledon

Santoro - the magician

Llodra - the artistic volleyer

Simon - the diminutive little counter-puncher who is quick and clever, but also kind of weak and easy to overwhelm


Contrast these players' mentality with Federer snapping at an umpire, or slamming his racket in Rome or Miami. Contrast this with Djokovic's emotional outbursts on court. Contrast this with Murray screaming at himself and his coach. Contrast this with Nadal's intensity and ball-bashing in many big moments.

It's not that the French are completely soft. It's that they just aren't as tough.

You know nothing of France, obviously. And by the way, you seem to be completely oblivious to the LARGE portion of population of Arabian and African decent, who have little to do with your silly stereotypical view of French culture. Just Google "Marseille" and see how much it fits your "wussy, feminine, romantic culture" stereotype.

Lillian Thuram. William Gallas. Claude Makelele. Patrick Vieira. Zinedine Zidane. Didier Deschamps. Laurent Blanc.

Go tell them they aren't tough. That was simply one generation of Soccer greats. I can list about two dozen others from various sports. Listen, it's obvious you're out of your element here. You know nothing of French culture other than "French people are quitters and we saved them in WW II" and you know nothing about any of the dominant sports in France (the fact that you think Rugby players "act tough" is absolutely hilarious and shows how ignorant you are about the topic). You just chose a few tennis players today and came up with some odd narrative about them being wussies, despite not knowing anything about any other French athlete in history.

Oh, by the way, I found this particularly hilarious: "Gasquet - beautiful one-handed backhand, great technique all-around, but someone without the fortitude and resolve of the truly elite."

Hmmm....does that description remind anyone of a certain player? I'll give you guys a hint, replace "one-handed" with "two-handed." Another hint, he's Cali's favorite player and rhymes with Calbandian. I guess South Americans are not wussies too. Yup, makes perfect sense.

It's embarrassing really. But it's OK, you're an American, so obviously you're historically and geographically challenged and know nothing about other cultures (see how easy it is to come up with ignorant stereotypes?).

PS: For everyone else, I wasn't serious with my last comment. I'm merely highlighting a point.

 

[calitennis127]

Second, I'm sorry but rugby is one of the dumbest activities I have ever seen groups of human beings participate in. It is a bunch of white dorks hilariously pretending to act tough.

Easily the most ignorant comment you've ever said, and given your initial post in this thread, that's quite a statement!

There was absolutely nothing "ignorant" about my initial statement. Nothing at all.

The French players on tour all have a problem with being weak-minded and soft. It is obvious. Neither you nor Britbox did a single thing to refute anything I said about them specifically.

 

[britbox]

Cali, There is quite a "not-so" subtle difference between labelling a player weak mentally and labelling them weak mentally because they are french... and your comments about rugby were plainly ignorant.

 

[brokenshoelace]

Second, I'm sorry but rugby is one of the dumbest activities I have ever seen groups of human beings participate in. It is a bunch of white dorks hilariously pretending to act tough.

Easily the most ignorant comment you've ever said, and given your initial post in this thread, that's quite a statement!

There was absolutely nothing "ignorant" about my initial statement. Nothing at all.

The French players on tour all have a problem with being weak-minded and soft. It is obvious. Neither you nor Britbox did a single thing to refute anything I said about them specifically.

Yeah, OK.

 

[calitennis127]

Second, I'm sorry but rugby is one of the dumbest activities I have ever seen groups of human beings participate in. It is a bunch of white dorks hilariously pretending to act tough.

Easily the most ignorant comment you've ever said, and given your initial post in this thread, that's quite a statement!

There was absolutely nothing "ignorant" about my initial statement. Nothing at all.

The French players on tour all have a problem with being weak-minded and soft. It is obvious. Neither you nor Britbox did a single thing to refute anything I said about them specifically.

Yeah, OK.

"Yeah OK" is right.

At the time I made that post you had not replied to my post to Britbox enumerating the French players. Be honest about that - do that at least.

Second, when it came to the specific French players I brought up, you did not refute a single thing I said about any of them specifically. Stay on topic and rationally follow the conversation. Then we can get somewhere with your pettiness.

 

[calitennis127]

Cali, There is quite a "not-so" subtle difference between labelling a player weak mentally and labelling them weak mentally because they are french... and your comments about rugby were plainly ignorant.

It's not as simple as saying "X is French, therefore X is always a certain way". As I said about the Iranian basketball players, there are always exceptions to general rules. I don't know why people like you feel so smart pointing out the 2 or 3% of exceptions and then acting like it disproves the notion of a general trend.

As for rugby - after consulting some rugby highlights, I will admit that my comments were off base in terms of global rugby. I must confess that I have never really cared about rugby, and I don't know much of the international teams. That said, my statement about rugby players does apply very much to players in the USA. So I will admit that I was partially wrong about that, but I don't back down from anything else I have said in this thread.

 

[brokenshoelace]

Second, I'm sorry but rugby is one of the dumbest activities I have ever seen groups of human beings participate in. It is a bunch of white dorks hilariously pretending to act tough.

Easily the most ignorant comment you've ever said, and given your initial post in this thread, that's quite a statement!

There was absolutely nothing "ignorant" about my initial statement. Nothing at all.

The French players on tour all have a problem with being weak-minded and soft. It is obvious. Neither you nor Britbox did a single thing to refute anything I said about them specifically.

Yeah, OK.

"Yeah OK" is right.

At the time I made that post you had not replied to my post to Britbox enumerating the French players. Be honest about that - do that at least.

Second, when it came to the specific French players I brought up, you did not refute a single thing I said about any of them specifically. Stay on topic and rationally follow the conversation. Then we can get somewhere with your pettiness.

I didn't refute it because it was secondary, after your initial post regarding French culture.

I don't think what everyone took issue with was your assessment of Monfils, Simon, Gasquet and Tsonga's games.

 

[brokenshoelace]

Second, I'm sorry but rugby is one of the dumbest activities I have ever seen groups of human beings participate in. It is a bunch of white dorks hilariously pretending to act tough.

Easily the most ignorant comment you've ever said, and given your initial post in this thread, that's quite a statement!

There was absolutely nothing "ignorant" about my initial statement. Nothing at all.

The French players on tour all have a problem with being weak-minded and soft. It is obvious. Neither you nor Britbox did a single thing to refute anything I said about them specifically.

Yeah, OK.

"Yeah OK" is right.

At the time I made that post you had not replied to my post to Britbox enumerating the French players. Be honest about that - do that at least.

Actually I had. Check which post came first.