Yay, championship weekend! Man, in a couple of days I'll finally be able to sleep again. Soooo excited about this year's Open. Like RG and Wimby, this is also filled with intrigue and history-making storylines.

Pete, your article summed up exactly how I've been seeing Rafa and Roger too. I don't feel they are playing for each other though. But they have been playing towards a destiny or fate that is only on a subconscious level for them both at the moment. It does feel like this could possibly be the last time they play in a GS final. I hope not, but time is always ticking away. And the closer we get to that final I see the more the nutjobs come out to slag either Rafa or Roger. Get over yourselves already. Enjoy these two amazing champions and stop gnashing your teeth over who's better.

As for the women, I'm equally excited and I most definitely want and expect a Caroline/Kim final. And I don't know who I want to win that because I love them both so much and feel they both deserve to win. I suppose I might be leaning a bit more towards Caro because of how she's grown in the last year, and she's worked so hard. She really deserves it.

Caroline

+ 1

That said, go Fed.

Lol, Lynne. Ditto. You're so sweet, as always. :)

Let's try to keep the TW sanity train rolling through this weekend, shall we?? :)

Good lord, to listen to the ESPN guys, already hyping this *potential* final as "The Greatest Tennis Match in History", I had to laugh when I remembered that all the hyperbole was coming during a QUARTERFINAL match.

It's no secret I prefer Djokovic to both of them, so I'll be hoping he plays the spoiler if Youzhny can't.

Agree with kbw. +1 to your post, Caroline. The internet is an interesting place sometimes. :)

Tina, it's quite something, isn't it? A lot of folks are going to look really stupid if Youz or Nole wins tomorrow.

Here a re few matchups that aren't tired and played out, matchups that have unkowns to them:

Fed vs Delpo @ USO either could win + there'll be a lot of scorching winners
Rafa vs Delpo @ FO I wanna see it go down, no injuries no nothing, just play
Rafa vs Roddick @ Wimby I wanna see it soon before Roddick expires, woulda been a better match than that Berdych one
Murray vs Rafa @ USO/AO - Rafa looked resigned to defeat a couple of times there

If we get a Nadal final let's hope Fed plays well as Nadal seldom plays badly. I'm impressed by how Nadal has improved his serve and adapted his game to non-clay. Only wish Fed would adapt a little more though he has made improvements like the drop shot (which is generally a loser against Nadal). I hope for a great match as watching Fed when he is off is painful.

well im a fed fan, but i see youzhny playing incredible yet i seen him playing this way, and if fedex reach the final youzhny could be more dangerous to handle, if nadal wins, fedex will crush him for sure one thing is the french open and another thing are the fastest courts of the us which are of the usop, so dont expect nadal to win this one its impossible given the courts and the level of play that both fed and youzhny are showing.....

tina,

I find the hype ridiculous too..I mean every Fedal match deserves to be hyped..but greatest match in tennis history is too much!

I think Djokovic might take a set...if he pushes Fed to five...i don't know if he has the fitness to be super-aggressive that long. I don't think the Fed will self-destruct, so Djokovic will have to play the match of his life.

Ofcourse, why the journos are able to even speculate is because the Muzz is out. If the Muzz was still alive, I doubt if media were writing about a Fedal final a day before the SFs were still to be played.

@ griff - I think the Nole t-shirt is hilariously kitsch. It just needs some lightning and maybe an eagle or two.

And that would be true even if Muzz would have fallen in Fed's half instead of Rafa's.

Please stop drinking Agent Spooner, it's too early in the day. All signs say Rafa FTW.

Some Rafa practice pics I took yesterday....

http://i54.tinypic.com/e7ymhf.jpg

http://i55.tinypic.com/27z92r8.jpg

http://i56.tinypic.com/2re7fxi.jpg

kombo roddick already expired and the date was first of september of 2010, and as every product when it expired it can be reused..... i would say roddick would retire next year..... after consecutive early round exits....

Sherlock: I know! Much as I'd love Rafa to win this tournament, I'd be chuckling my head off if it turned out to be a Youzhny-Djokovic final. Honestly, when I see how nasty some of these Fedal wars get, I wonder what the die-hard fans of other players must be thinking. Imagine being a Kool Aid-Drinking fan of Roddick or Nalbandian or Davydenko or Berdych and then coming here and seeing two groups of people battling over Federer (16 Slams, one of the all-time greats) and Nadal (8 Slams, already one of the ten most successful players of the Open Era)!

It's mind-boggling really. I have a friend who was a die-hard Richard Gasquet fan for years, going back to 2003 or something - he was convinced that Gasquet was just about to break through and then collect a heap of Slams. I haven't been able to even talk tennis with him for the last two years, that's how badly he feels about the sport now.

Yeah, Murray really laid an egg this USO, no disrespect to Youzhny, but Murray > Youzhny

Kombo,

I think Muzz would also have been a greater threat to Fed (in SFs as opposed to finals) intead of Djokovic.

So, Muzz is sort of responsible for this hype no matter where he would fallen in the draw.

geezz why people understimates players because they arent nadal or federer look what happened to fed in wimbledon and to nadal in 2009 french open..... dont understimate players which are outside of the top 10

Is it another windy day in NYC, anybody know?

I wonder what Nole thinks of his parents' shirts. If he objected would they ditch them? Can you imagine Fed's or Rafa's parents in something like that?

Jai, totally agree. Mind-boggling, indeed. It's such a double-edged sword. Rivalries are generally great for sports, and for the fans of either one, Fedal has been quite an amazing ride. But for FOOPs, it must be awful.

kombo@9:46 -- agree with your match-ups, and given Rafa's only twenty-four I bet we'll see the Muzz and DelPo ones the coming years. Roddick v. Rafa, especially at Wimby, is something I've been clamoring for the last few years. Unfortunately, Roddick almost always falls in Fed's half except at the FO, where he's no threat to Rafa. And as you rightly point out, who knows how much longer Roddick will be relevant given his age. He's almost as old as Federer. ;)

ladyjulia@9:51 -- good point. I also think the premature stuff is highly dismissive of Nole. (It's highly dismissive of Youzhny too, but given his lack of Slam/top-five pedigree it's more understandable.) Thing about Nole is that he's been the second best player at the USO over the stretch of the last few years. Makes me wonder if the media would be so quick to declare a Fedal final if Djoker was in Rafa's half. Just a thought.

"But for FOOPs, it must be awful."

Nobody knows what it's like to feel these feelings ...

" I think the Nole t-shirt is hilariously kitsch. It just needs some lightning and maybe an eagle or two."

Lol. Brilliant. I really hope this happens. :)

I shudder to think what Mama and Papa D will do if Nole pulls off the upset tomorrow. :)

Sanjay, please, elaborate which "hypothetical" arguments did I use.
Also I would like to hear more about my "tiny little world".

Too young. Mono. Back pain. Knees. Too old.

14-7 5-4 6-2 2-0

Hehe...I dunno why every1 is so sure that Federer will lose. He actually looks pretty good to me.

AF,

As far as I recall, Nole and Rafa haven't played at HC slams, right? Neither do I remember them playing in the pre-USO season recently. Nole almost falls in Fed half with clockwork regularity..yeah, a Nole-Rafa SF matchup would also be interesting.

Its good they didn't ask Nole the "bad guy" question like they did to Youz...I think Nole would have got genuinely offended.

I mean I love Fedal...but the exaggeration is over the top...when its not even 100% guaranteed to happen.

Lol, G. :)

Daltrey and Townshend had all the answers. Well, except for the question of Keith Moon.

Kombo,If it had lightning and eagles i'd be first to buy it.

"Everything is nothing. Nothing is everything" - Pete Townshend

(Fedal wars don't really happen. We just think they do.)

TennisWorld readers young and old, new and not-so-new:

THE MEN'S FINAL MATCHUP HAS NOT YET BEEN DETERMINED!

How can we be talking as though "the great matchup" is finally here when it is in fact NOT YET HERE?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Denise, you can say that Roger was much better, but a 7-5 set necessarily comes down to a few select points. A 7-5 set was tied at 5-all and moves to 6-5 one way or the other. That's not a portrait of decisiveness, to be sure. The larger point is that Djokovic should never be written off, and yet a lot of overeager people - including those in the press (but not Mr. Bodo) - are already thinking about Sunday.

Let's deal with Saturday and give Mr. Djokovic the respect he does in fact deserve as the No. 3 player on the planet and a far more consistent Grand Slam player than a certain fourth-ranked Scotsman. Djokovic is in his fourth straight U.S. Open semifinal. He's not a bad player, from what I've been able to divine.

DJOKOVIC.

DJOKOVIC.

DJOKOVIC.

SEMIS.

SEMIS.

SEMIS.

TUNNEL VISION GOGGLES.

TUNNEL VISION GOGGLES.

ONE.

SHOT.

AT.

A.

TIME.

FOCUS.

AND.

FINISH.

Anyone who tries to justify the logic that if Nadal beats Federer at the USO, he is clearly competing against lesser Federer(not in his prime).

I guess lets just put an asterisk next to Federer Win over Sampras, because as we all know, Sampras was clearly not in his prime then.

Nadal will be the GOAT, Federer is great, and I respect him for that, but he is not the "greatest of all time", no sir.

On a separate note, this came down on Twitter a few hours ago:

@jon_wertheim why we love @petebodo http://bit.ly/9mpvjP

Nice article, Pete.

Sherlock, Rafa currently has a head-to-head over Delpo over 4-3. You could line those two up on ANY court right now and Rafa is the favorite. Remember all those people who thought he would never beat Tsonga again after AO 08? Guess what, Rafa has never lost to him in all their matches since.

I'm going to repeat Matt Z's point from back in the wee hours.... We are not there yet, people. And please, please, Just Say No To Fedal Wars!!! (I believe that was somebody's moniker?) They are both awesome and a credit to humanity -- I watched the QFs with my jaw on the floor.... They both just look better than AO '09, which was a real toss-up until Fed lost the plot in the 5th.

Personally, I'm starting to find ESPN so annoying that they deserve a Youzh -Djoker final....

Speaking of Djoker -- I have serious fears....

"Fedal wars don't really happen. We just think they do"

I'm going to keep repeating this to myself this weekend. :)

JJB, grass and clay, sure. Hard courts, hmmm. Recent evidence, as in the 2, 2, and 2 kind, isn't exactly in Rafa's favor. Yes, I know Rafa had the ab thing, etc. But that was a beatdown. And you're right, Rafa has been great at figuring out the Tsonga's and Berdych's of the world, but Delpo's a different animal. Tsongs and Berdy never beat Fed in a US Open final.

Anyway, it was just kind of an example to throw out. Even if it's not Juan Martin, there will be somebody who kicks Rafa's butt on a regular basis as Rafa grows older and loses a step.

Thank you, Matt Z!!!!! -- I swear, you helped me maintain my sanity during the second week of RG '09 and for that I am eternally grateful.

Weather -- it's suddenly Fall. Cool, but lovely. And it is breezy, but not like the last few days. Should warm up into the 70s. Tomorrow is going to be spectacular -- sunny and 80. Sunday is not looking great....

What should the commentators talk about then? Of course they are going to speculate about the dream final if all goes the way it should, and when it does happen, it is going to be AWESOME....CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

JJB - Thank you for that post because if I hear Delpo will destroy Nadal One more time,I'm going to seriously lose my mind. The man is recovering from a very serious wrist injury and who knows if he'll even be the same player when he returns? There will be no asterisks because Delpo isn't there so give that a rest. And I'm a Delpo fan.:)

Vamos Rafa!

It's not everybody's bloody dream final.

You know there are Djokovic and Youzhny fans in the world too, right? Christ on a bike.

big nole fan here. prediction: rafa over roger in the final. for nole to beat roger, roger will simply have to have some sort of a meltdown, like last year in miami when he smashed his racket. i don't see it here and now. everyone is talking about nole being back in 2007/2008 form, but i just don't see that either. it's rafa that's in that form right now. you don't even need to look at their game, you can see it in their eyes. rafa is hungry, he plays hungry, as far as he is concerned the guy on the other side just needs to get out of the way so he doesn't get killed by the ball. as far as nole is concerned, "roger and rafa are the best players of our time", which is not how the guy who is about to bring the game to beat either one of them talks. nole will be excited just to be the victim of a few more circus shots by roger. i guess i will just have to wait until he grows out of this "just happy to be here" so he can summon up the hunger necessary to win another damn slam, since unlike roddick, he actually has the game for it.

The other thing about Novak is that he clearly still has something to prove - to journos and fans - even if he has been one of the top guys in Flushing for a few years.

Looking back at the pre-tournament hype, Murray was a bigger part of the conversation. In fact, I don't even recall Djokovic being mentioned.

Djoker (who I like alot) and Youzhny - same buzz as a Fedal final? I don't think so...let's be real here

Gauloises:

I would be happy if Djokovic actually got a little respect now and then. He has coped quite well with all the health issues and the disappointing quarterfinal showings in Melbourne and Paris. For a player whose game looked very shaky throughout the first half of 2010, he's hung in there quite well. Not too shabby for the most overlooked No. 3 men's player in quite some time.

Christ on a bike and Christ on a cracker! Love them both! (Praise Jesus! ;-)

My favourite post so far here: Lost in the midst of the chest-thumping, my-guy-is-better-than-yours posts and endless (pointless?) debate on H2H, GOATs and surfaces, this from a poster an hour or two back:

"Too verbose, Pete. Say it in fewer words." - Don't agree, but truly a breath of fresh air for the sheer "say what?" quotient of the post. Thanks Ram! :)

Tina, I agree, Murray was probably the biggest disappointment here....wonder how far this is going to set him back.

geez the Rafa kids know how to stir up a fuss, dont they? wish they could just CHILL out and enjoy the proceedings :)

and I think we should ban any posts that are in all caps, I'm just saying ...

*in search of Starbucks*

"Just Say No To Fedal Wars!!! (I believe that was somebody's moniker?)"

I think it might've been one of mine for a bit, Cherry.

"The Fedal War Did Not Take Place"

Seriously, a Fedal final could so easily not happen! I suppose, media-buzz-wise, it's likely to be the final that most appeals to most casual fans, hence all the hyping.

Tina:

Absolutely true. It was considered a benefit to Federer that he got Djokovic and not Murray in his half of the draw. We'll see how much that matters tomorrow.

At any rate, I expect 4 tough sets. Giving the edge to Fed, but it's hardly a slam-dunk. Always a contentious match when these guys throw down. The utter dismissiveness being shown toward Djokovic by the press is disgraceful.

Posted by BrooklynNY 09/10/2010 at 10:30 AM
Anyone who tries to justify the logic that if Nadal beats Federer at the USO, he is clearly competing against lesser Federer(not in his prime).
I guess lets just put an asterisk next to Federer Win over Sampras, because as we all know, Sampras was clearly not in his prime then.
Nadal will be the GOAT, Federer is great, and I respect him for that, but he is not the "greatest of all time", no sir.
=================

There is a trick in the discussion, where you take the statement of your opponent and twist it a little – in a way that it looks very similar to original one, but has a different essence – and therefore you can find a flaw in the “twisted statement”, which was not on the original statement. Then you pound on this flaw and it looks like you are winning the argument. But all it is just a cheap trick.

Now back to the matter in hand: “putting asterisk” in my vocabulary means that we qualify the event as a fluke occurrence, which cannot be taken at a face value in ANY context, because of some additional circumstances beyond the control of participants.

Can we “put an asterisk” next to Federer-Sampras 2001 or “Federer-Nadal 2010 (if this will materialize)? In my opinion – not.

But I was talking about using the event in a certain context – specifically in a context that it determines the respective place in the G.O.A.T. hierarchy. And my opinion on both counts (for Federer-Sampras 2001 and for Nadal-Federer 2010) – it can’t be used.

Now tell me, how often did your hear Federer fans claiming that Federer is clearly better than Sampras, because he beat Pete in that 2001 Wimbledon match?

To summarize – possible win of Nadal against Federer should not be “asterisked”, i.e. it will be legitimate win and his Slam count will legitimately increase, if this win will happen. But it has very limited relevance to a judgment: who is better career-wise.

Regarding your last statement – you forgot to add “In my opinion”. Otherwise it sounds as other points of view (i.e. Federer is indeed the “greatest of all time” - cannot be considered).

relax folks. Its going to be a Youzhny-Djokovich final :)

ladyjulia: "Apparently, 14-7 does not translate to ownage. Federer will be the favorite even on clay"
Funny indeed. Is that faith or something your common sense has told you to say? Holy Cow

Is that your common sense or something your sarc(h)asm has told you to say? Holy cow

Check out this cake that came rolling by yesterday near the practice courts (don't know who it was for and it was NOT a cake done by "The Cake Boss").....pretty cool:

http://i54.tinypic.com/f0b3gn.jpg

http://i55.tinypic.com/ebdfth.jpg

TeamNadal: Wow! That cake is amazing. And "Cake Boss" rules. :-P

Also, thanks for the Rafa pics TeamNadal.

Enjoyed the article Pete.

> In many ways, a Youz-Djoko final would be hilarious for TW's sake. :)

THIS made me laugh very hard. :))))))))))

thankfully i'm not listening to the commies, so have missed all the hype. are they really billing a fedal final as the greatest match in history? good heavens. that's an awful lot of pressure to put on people, no? specially when they've each got another match to win...

Yo! Whay don´t you realize that you think that Bodo has always thought that style has an inherent bond with technique? Simplicity is not technique. Every athlete develops his own technique depending on the way they train, with who and where. Soccer styles are different in different countries such as Germany, Spain, South Am, Italy, etc. You are raised in a different manner in every place. I really cannot explain the fundations on which purists base their thoughts...
Nadal is an unbelievably technical player. I think even more technical that Federer or Nole. Human race´s richness is built on a mix, not through a refination of the race (please, translate it right).

comeon pple stop being silly and saying comments you don't rlly understand esp some rafa fans. Just becoz Fed was able to play for hours in 08 and 09 doesnt mean that he wasnt affected by mono and back injuries, as the same happened to rafa who was running all over the courts last year, so does it mean his knees were not injured?

Fed is a great player, yeah. But not for his elegance

ok folks, this is how its going to shakedown: On Saturday, both Federer and Nadal will lose their respective semi-final matches in straight sets. On Sunday, a youtube video is leaked showing Federer and Nadal conspiring to lose their matches.

Federer: So, Rafa, how ae we going to show Pete, Brad etc the middle finger for hyping our possibe final so much?

Nadal: Well, Roger, I think I will lose to Youzhny and you will lose to Novak

**Both collapse to the floor giggling uncontrollably as video fades out**

I do not see the purpose of playing the final one day after the semifinals to ensure that none of the players are rested.

It kind of invalidates the tournament.

Nice article, me too thinks that we'll get and looks forward to a Fedal!

Having said all of that I've admired the way Verdasco was hitting for a few games in the first set, then he slowed down. True, Rafa adjusted his range, yet still, I was dissapointed with Nando (another minion?)

mick1303 09/10/2010 at 02:17 AM

Roger is so great, probably the greatest ever, especially in terms of movement that 29 may not matter so much against anyone, including Rafa (who, let's not forget had his career in question for most of last year, due to his knees, so...).

Besides as you grow more experienced your technique improves etc See the addition of drop shots, the faboules serves that Roger does etc.

The concept of "Super Saturday" was valid in the 1970s.

But now it is just stupid.

All it does is ruin the finals by ensuring that the players are not rested.

In the mens finals there is usually one player who is too tired to play well.

What is the point?

"Going to be a long weekend." Andrew -lol.

Well, maybe one of the things the comms could consider talking about are the matches that we KNOW will happen; Youz/Rafa; The Djoker/Fed. Mostly due to injuries, Youz kinda fell off the radar in recent years...until he youtubed himself back on with the head bashing incident. So a nice profile about him would not go amiss with me.

And can ANYONE say WTA...hello Venus!

TMF- Funny but that would never happen! =P hehe

He he, TMF. I like it!! :)

Except you realize you're going to catch heat because Roger brought up the issue, and Rafa made the decision on how to carry it out. Some fans will want Roger deciding the whole thing, others Rafa. And some fans don't want them working together like this at all. :)

"I guess lets just put an asterisk next to Federer Win over Sampras, because as we all know, Sampras was clearly not in his prime then.'

I think most people do and it's commonly accepted.

well not sure why Fedal would be epic or cause such as fuss , Rafa is at the peak of his powers at 24, healthy again for the first time in years! he's not tired or exhausted and his abdominals arent broke and his rear admirals are bouncy and he's managed to convince everyone he's the favorite AND the underdog at the same time (truly brilliant I must admit)...

As one of my dear Feddie kids wrote last night, somehow this storyline has become truth, and no matter what Fed does, he has EVERYTHING to lose, and pretty much NOTHING to gain, and for Rafa, it's exactly the OPPOSITE! what a life!

Who DOES this guys PR??

meanwhile, grandpa Fed is on the slide, almost 30, over the hill and being beaten up by the power players and if he loses this, well, nail that coffin door shut!

not much of a contest, id say :)

try being a Fed fan under those conditions, where if you lose the world comes to an end, and if you win, everyone goes, eh, he always wins, big deal ...

JB - (why are you in upper case lately...have you gone and switched to an IPad due to cheeze doodle dust in your PC?) ***is suspicious***

Not only WILL it be the greatest, most important match of all time, but, according to Fouler & Lips Attached To Rafa's Famous Ass, Gilbert, IF Rafa wins a final, we all have to take 1 GS away from Fed. IF Nadal beats Fed to win, we have to take TWO GSs away from Fed. Really. ;-)

"his rear admirals are bouncy"

Wow,I'm not touching that and neither should you!LOL

"his rear admirals are bouncy"

Wow,I'm not touching that and neither should you!LOL

I'll apply for the job!

My goodness some people get testy at the notion of some people discussing a possible Rafa/Roger final. Come on folks, lighten up. People are allowed to speculate or fantasize about their players or their dream finals. Sure doesn't mean any disrespect to either Youzhny or Djokovic as I see lots of comments are here for them as well.

It's like the lottery. Part of the fun is the fantasy. And part of tennis is fantasizing about dream match-ups etc. Why try to poo-poo on that? It's not hurting anyone and it's a whole lot more fun than the endless Fedal wars or the GOAT talk that goes on.

I agree though that BG and some of the other ESPN people have gone waaay over the top in hyping that potential match.

And in the meantime let's enjoy four amazing semi-finals over the weekend. :)

Tim, uh, er, I think every fan of every other player would take Fed's success for their guy in a heartbeat. :)

But I'll try hard to think of why it sucks to be a Fed fan. :)

TeamNadal: 9:56 a.m.

Thanks as usual for the great pics of Rafa!

"And can ANYONE say WTA...hello Venus!"

Been saying it all morning, except my greeting is reserved for Mama Kim. But I think this was intended to be a Fedal thread -- go figure. The CC is more WTA-friendly. Heading back there myself.

@TeamNadal - I'll just sneak a feel in without even applying! ;)

Neveah, we can both feel first hand how bouncy they are and report back to Tim, since he seems to be so obsessed with Rafa :)

good luck vee!!!

Djerkovic is the embodiment of hubris.

Thought I'd just throw that out there.

Would be nice to fight about something else.

Srdjan rocks!

@pspace???

really about nole...

maybe he's just that cocky... but he's adorable...

The Joker will defeat Fed. How about it?

Pspace: Nice try. Don't know if it will work though. Props for the effort though!

Have to jump on the "Fedal isn't here yet" train for sure. Matt Z's mantra works for me. Well, insert Rafa/Youz in there, of course. ;-)

You know what I'm frazzling about? I'm afraid an unexpectedly sharp Nole will beat Federer (in a giant struggle) and then Rafa will clean Nole's clock in 3 easy sets on Sunday.

Just a worry.

Nice article, Pete! I like all the naval comparisons for Fed.

Pat, I was just kidding.

There used to be a poster at TW.

Who used to post that every day.

About three times.

It was hilarious.

"Tim (Outlaw the Moonpie aka lil Tim!)"

Great one. I love you, babe

With semi-colons, Spacie! Don't forget them. :)

I remember that! lol...you are right Jewell...semi colons are missing. Fix it Pspace! Heehee

Lady julia- thanks for the links to the wsj articles about 'delay' of game on the previous thread. The only thing that surprised me was that according to them, Fed bounces the ball an average of 10 times before he serves? Seems a bit high to me...but maybe he bounces it so fast we just can't see it because he was the third fastest time between point guy out there. ;-)

Ya know all the people who were bemoaning how "awful" last night's thread was were ALSO saying it was just because of the 'two Ts'. I was on last night's thread, saying some positive things about the match, some negative things and some totally off the match things...like the dream lunch with players' parents/coaches. And there were OTHER Fed fans and FOOPS also on that thread who were staying in the mostly positive/interesting lane. It wasn't awful at all...certainly not compared to a really nasty dust-up. No Blue Helmets required. So why do some Rafa fans cede this huge amount of 'power' to 2 people they obviously dislike and disagree with? And then wind up surrendering their place at the table? I guess if you all want to move to twitter, that will be that, but 'that' would be a shame.

@pspace...

heheheh....

i think i knew it... but i wont spill it...

loved to see nole winning...

nothings wrong about change...

it's just fashion, it's the future, fed is going 28, nole is 23...

he needs a win like this to become a hall of fame material!!!

and 3 losses to the same man, same sage, same slam, is just depressing...

hopes nole sees to that...

and change that absurdity!!!

love, love, love nole!!!

ajde!!!

Pascual - entirely possible. If the Fed who played post AO thru Wimby shows up, even more possible. But if TMF or even A Fed show up, he should prevail. We gonna see, no?

@CL...

amen to that!!!

but you just keep on coming back on TW even if youre on twitter...

TW is so much different...

Youzhny is going to win! I know its impossible, but impossible is nothing.

And, every nadal fan says that federer won FO 09 because Nadal was injured, but nadal won 10 FO because federer was injured. Which top player did nadal beat to win FO 10? Robin Soderling, the tiredest man in the world after he won in five sets?

I dont know why nobody brought this up before.

Good morning All

So it has started. The usual FeDal Wars have begun. Wow. You know what, I hope they both lose in the semis. Come on Youzhny and Novak. Put an end to this nonsense.

so here is a question for the twittering classes. Can you send a 'tweet' to someone even if you haven't joined twitter?

For instance, Andrew posted his twitter address the other day and I found him on twitter right away, but could I send him a tweet w/out joining up?

(How awful/odd is is that we have willingly adopted terminology that makes us sound like total doofusses?)

I knew a rear admiral reference would get the buzz going with the rafa kids! youre such an easy crowd ...

dont worry Sherlock, in 2011, i think, you'll get a taste of this 'no win' situation, though knowing Rafa he will continue to be No. 1 with 4000 point leads and STILL be the underdog against a Spanish minion, Id love to ask Pete how that works exactly

J/Karen! The very person!!! How would you like to 'tweet' something to BG for me?

And speaking of tweets, I wonder if Tina ever got an answer from BG as to who the 'Deliverance extra' in Stan's box was?

@CL, what do you want me to say to BG? I have told him recently that fans do not wish to listen to opinions, they want analyses of the matches that they are watching. Give us the Xs and Os but with Brad he will start off doing that and then go straight into Fan boy mode. Oh well. At least he is enthusiastic :)

@CL..

no CL... you have to create your own account first....