The Thrilla in Manila it weren't
In fact it was kind of wack. On the heels of Tarver’s apparent schooling by Bernard last night (I didn’t see the fight, but you go Ex – you do Philly proud), I have to say Nadal's four-set win over Federer in the French Open final today reminded me a little of Tarver/Jones I. Mostly because Federer is at that level that Roy was, where it’s literally shocking to see him out of his comfort zone, to see him at a loss on the court. And Federer’s a front-runner just like Roy was, highly unaccustomed to adversity. He does not take to getting hit very well. Meanwhile Nadal, like Tarver, is way too stubborn and taken with his own multitude of gifts to be intimidated by his larger than life opponent. Too young, too fast, and… let’s get it out in the open here... too pretty. Nadal is a brown-eyed handsome man and he be LOVIN on hisself out there.
Federer was landing some clean, heavy shots on that pretty face, though, had Nadal on the canvas a couple of times and then clinching for dear life after a first set 6-1 thrashing. Rog was jabbing, hooking, dancing, everything he’s doing working, and then, as you so often see in the ring, he got a little too confident and started to coast. At which point, Nadal, hotblooded, bullheaded, caught his breath and then caught Fed with a liver shot. Turn around and it’s a TKO in the fourth. Nadal retains the belt.
The other thing this match reminded me of was the 2001 U.S. Open final, when Hewitt frustrated Sampras into an embarrassing loss. I was at that match. You could see the same exasperation in Sampras that night as you saw in Fed today – how many motherfuckin winners do I have to hit at this son of a bitch? Next you thing you know, it’s in your head – you HAVE to paint the lines to win the point. And then you start spraying shit all over the place. I mean, that was just not Federer tennis out there today. Nadal clearly has his number.
It’s a shame it’s only on clay. Mary Carillo’s cheerleading aside, Nadal will not be winning Wimbledon anytime soon, and unless Andy Roddick’s mojo turns into a badass with a backhand instead of that pansy in the cowboy hat, ARod will not be winning the Open. Honestly I’d be surprised if Federer loses another match this year.
So, to all you men’s tennis fans out there, it was a fun season. Let's agree to meet up again next year at Roland Garros. See if Fed fares any better in Federer/Nadal II than Roy did in Jones/Tarver II. You got any excuses for us tonight, Rog?
Federer was landing some clean, heavy shots on that pretty face, though, had Nadal on the canvas a couple of times and then clinching for dear life after a first set 6-1 thrashing. Rog was jabbing, hooking, dancing, everything he’s doing working, and then, as you so often see in the ring, he got a little too confident and started to coast. At which point, Nadal, hotblooded, bullheaded, caught his breath and then caught Fed with a liver shot. Turn around and it’s a TKO in the fourth. Nadal retains the belt. The other thing this match reminded me of was the 2001 U.S. Open final, when Hewitt frustrated Sampras into an embarrassing loss. I was at that match. You could see the same exasperation in Sampras that night as you saw in Fed today – how many motherfuckin winners do I have to hit at this son of a bitch? Next you thing you know, it’s in your head – you HAVE to paint the lines to win the point. And then you start spraying shit all over the place. I mean, that was just not Federer tennis out there today. Nadal clearly has his number. It’s a shame it’s only on clay. Mary Carillo’s cheerleading aside, Nadal will not be winning Wimbledon anytime soon, and unless Andy Roddick’s mojo turns into a badass with a backhand instead of that pansy in the cowboy hat, ARod will not be winning the Open. Honestly I’d be surprised if Federer loses another match this year.
So, to all you men’s tennis fans out there, it was a fun season. Let's agree to meet up again next year at Roland Garros. See if Fed fares any better in Federer/Nadal II than Roy did in Jones/Tarver II. You got any excuses for us tonight, Rog?
1 Comments:
It seems to me that Federer is just not in good enough shape to hang with Nadal, especially on clay. Clearly, conditioning is not an issue in most of his matches where he is by far the superior player. But I remember last year at Wimbledon he seemed to have a bit of a heater sticking out above his waistband.
Also, Rog: lose that girlfriend. 10-1 says that if she went to high school in the US she wouldn't be asked to the prom. You're number one in the world, baby. Have some pride and style.
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