i'm guilty of that ''disparaging" -- in the sense of my own biases
I try not to do that because all of these players work hard all of their lives to get to this point, but it’s hard not to do it when there are so many trolls around who insist on disparaging other players in favor of their personal preferences.
but for me what is not nice among players is when THEY disparage each other (i mean it is one thing to use critical faculties - as opposed to just putdowns because of some kind of jealousy or refusal to acknowledge your own ''rival" in accomplishments)
Same here. I do not respect players who talk other players down.
...and there HAVE been times when a few players were like this towards the ''upstart" Nole -- one of them was, imo, Roger himself, along with Ljubicic and any that seemed to be so friendly towards roger, they behaved almost like ''protectors" of his legacy than as rivals.
I agree completely, Roger was terrible in this regard. He was five to six years older than these guys who were new to the tour and he dogged them out consistently, Rafa, Novak, and Andy. That used to bug me so much because it was like a senior belittling incoming freshmen and getting others to do the same. I lost all respect for Roger at that point, because I can’t imagine why anyone would do something that heinous. Look at it now with Rafa, Novak and Andy being on the tour with upstarts like Thiem, Zverev, Kyrgios, etc. They have not spoken one cruel word about those guys. It just shows you the difference in class.
..and nole had to bear that kind of atmosphere from what i observed over the early years. and that's partly what i mean by how well Nole carried himself.
This is true. No argument from me. Rafa and Andy had to as well.
as he has proven himself in ways that VINDICATED his EARLY statements that triggered those disparaging or dismissive remarks about his ''ambition" .
Exactly. He had a right to say those things; others have said worse. But Toni Nadal said from the beginning that they were more concerned with Novak’s game years ago, and so was I.
if people recall -- when the FEDERER/NADAL rivalry was at its ''hottest" and no one seemed to be on the horizon to 'break the duopoly" (just like no one thought anyone COULD challenge roger in HIS early dominance ) - and nole came along but far below them in rank -- he made statements such as "I think there is room up there among them...". "i also want to be number one someday - and i want to show i also have some quality". the atmosphere - particularly in commentary and media, seemed to be ''how dare ANYONE NOMINATE himself? while roger is still at his peak? while there is the amazing rivalry of roger and rafa?" since it was ''norm" -- even among the OTHER players that whatever roger did was just ''without peer"
Spot on!
-- one of them - being ljubicic (who himself was dismissive of NADAL'S wins over roger as 'because he's a leftie" -- as if nadal had NO real talent that was responsible for his wins - just that he's a leftie like it was some kind of unfair advantage) ...and THEN nole comes along and DARES to say HE too believes he could challenge THEM?
So true, that’s when they came up with that BS Nadal’s game was “too physical†as opposed to Federer’s “free flowing†game. Anything to disparage the other guys. Novak was delicate and couldn't finish a match. And Andy whined too much, but not a peep about Federer constantly belittling the threats to his "supremacy." News flash, the game is PHYSICAL and everyone who plays is physical as evidenced by the injuries on the tour. It looks like Nole was right, so eat that, huh?
who was this nobody from ''some eastern slavic country that nobody knows where it is on the map?" i really didn't like that - and i quarreled with plenty in some websites and got banned for it, LOL! but again -- just look at him. not JUST one of the greatest -- but ALSO , as a sports figure -- an extraordinarily ARTICULATE person in MANY areas of life , cultured and without airs, really. proud but without that over-indulgence about his historic achievements. so -- how can one not admire that?
I quarreled with them too on Talk Tennis regarding Novak. Even though Rafa's my favorite, let’s not lie on Novak or anyone else. Novak has always been a great player, that’s indisputable, it just took him some time to get it together. No one was defending Novak at the time, but now he has many “fans†once he started winning. I do think the commentators were premature in crowning him and the only knock that I have against Novak is that he was always this talented and should’ve been in the mix with Rafa and Roger a long time ago. For me it's not the same since Rafa and Roger battled it out for over a decade while the rest just cruised on the tour. IMO, this is the only knock on Novak is that he had the talent all along and wasn’t challenging the duopoly.
Anyway, I loved your post and am so glad to see that someone else felt the same way about how Roger treated those guys. It was despicable.
THANKS much for your confirming what i recall from especially the earlier years of the 2000's ..although we all can see a lot also has changed, including the attitudes of players or how they adjust to the developments or their own careers and of those around them. and we have to incloude also Roger in his own gradual way of being much more gracious in his own losses to the best of his rivals -- such as of course, Nadal, first of all and BEFORE anyone else...and then nole and andy..and then others still.
my main focus of course - in giving these recollections is to show how well NOLE has withstood or grown into all these challenges to ''become his own" ''nole era" - just like NADAL and ROGER had their times of practically unrivaled supremacy ...and including during their battles with their best rivals -- again the very same ''BIG FOUR" we are talking about.
Nadal -- i INSTANTLY also picked as one of my ALL-time FAVS - just like Nole is now also added -- (and none of this should take away from ROGER'S greatness no matter what *I* ''prefer" -- and roger deserves the success he has had because he also worked just as hard as anyone and in a very professional, very dedicated way to become his own best and be universally admired) -
and - just like Nole -- we all are very familiar with NADAL being almost TO A FAULT -- so humble about both his victories AND his losses. people sometimes would make an issue about his saying ""i try to improve" or say that ''my forehand wasn't good enough -- my concentration wasn't good enough" during losses..BUT that IS true -- in the same way that nole or roger or andy would lose because one or other aspect of their game was not up to par...so -- they lose.
because they've each proven that at their very , very best -- it was going to ALWAYS be very , very difficult to take them down -- even against each other -- and usually
like in the days of sampras, agassi, borg, mcenroe, etc...
it's a question of very, very , very little difference, sometimes even just uncanny timing or luck or whatever it is in LIFE that we all can say is ''unfair" to us!! lol. but tha'ts how things go...u know?
but as FAR AS holding himself up against what would be discouraging , relatively LACKING embrace as a LEGITIMATE RIVAL even to nadal or roger...
i just found it amazing that NOLE managed to just PLUG RIGHT AHEAD -- keep his head down and just keep searching - practicing, getting the right teacher for this and that addition to his game -- step by step by step...
i just thought:
"wow -- the young guy has been punished by commentators, or to read or hear that he is not THAT much of a STAR as the other two -- but there he goes -- - whoever he BEATS or challenges in FO , for example, FO crowd almost pointedly shows HIM he is NOT AS welcome as the others..."
if that was anyone else -- to experience that kind of ''coldness" more or less -- so that HIS ''team" or ''crowd" is often screaming louder JUST to be heard against the FAR, bigger crowd for someone else - like roger or nadal or anyone ELSE BUT nole...until they acknowledge that he won ...but not really WHILE he was TRYING to win ...
that someone would already have made many tantrums...
remember how his LOSS last year at the FO? because the FO crowd KNEW that nole had shown his presence for years as a legitimate future champ - but just couldn't QUITE break the nadal, roger ''finals" duo -- or if he arrived at finals just couldn't get it still last year --
what did we see ? that after HE was given 'Some love" --which he richly deserved even as a losing finalist to the GREAT ONE RAFA..(WHO has been so amazing despite what we clearly could sense his body showing the wear and tear already) -
NOLE gave the crowd BACK EVEN greater love...
he didn't behave in his great Career slam victory as if "i deserve this love" -- but instead he showed GRATITUDE to the FO crowd that HAD denied him that love for so long. ..when they finally helped ''carry" him to his final and then in his victory.
that -- TO ME -- spoke much of what a dignified person this Nole really is.
