Praying to the tennis gods for a Fed victory too! Go Fed!!
Yes, go Fed. I don’t know why I can’t get behind Djokovic. He seems like a nice guy in interviews. I just don’t like that chest beating and shirt ripping. It shows a certain arrogance and lack of class.
I like both Federer and Djokovic. I don’t know much about Federer’s background but I do know that Djokovic grew in a war zone. I give him points for grit and resilience for enduring that.
Ugh.
The tennis gods must have gotten bored waiting out the rain delay.
Maybe the tennis gods feel that 17 majors and 302 weeks at #1 is more than enough for any mere mortal! 
Disappointed 
Super disappointed!!
Why is everyone so disappointed with Novak’s win? I am asking seriously and not trying to start an argument 
I do think Roger is probably the best player to play the game. He gave a good match yesterday. But I like Novak’s style too - he is not as elegant as Roger, he is more scrappy and aggressive. And he played with the crowd obviously against him and after sustaining some scrapes in that fall.
I also think sometimes Roger sounds a little full of himself in interviews after matches. I like Novak’s sense of humor.
Okay- blast away!
Roger’s tennis up to the final had been so beautiful, IMO. His points were well constructed, relatively short, and he was in charge of the match. Whether it was Novak, the rain delay, or some other factor, I just didn’t feel like he played at the level he had been showing except in a few small spurts. He didn’t capitalize when opportunities presented. I wasn’t always a huge Fed fan as I didn’t want to see anyone bypass Pete Sampras. I don’t think Roger is too full of himself. I thought he had some sweet interviews with ESPN during the Open. Loved the one where he talked about taking his wife and girls to see Neverland and admitted to crying like a baby. He has confidence, but gives his opponent credit which contrasts with a female player who has through the years never wanted to acknowledge the abilities of her opponents (although I have to confess I turn her off when she comes on, so she may be improving with respect to that personality trait).
Novak does have a good sense of humor, but I just can’t warm to him.
Haven’t liked him since he first came on tour. Dodgy MTO aplenty. Plus, his parents and rest of his camp turned me off. Also, he’s a pusher and I don’t like pushers.
I wanted Roger to win because I think he is a classy guy and at 34, although he is playing incredible, I don’t think he will have too many more chances at another major. I don’t mind Novak, but for whatever reason I haven’t ever warmed to him either. I think Roger’s dad is the cutest thing ever and I love his coach Stefan Edberg (did you see the tear in his eye when Roger won the set?). Novak’s camp kind of has a harsh look to them, especially Boris Becker.
emily, I will not debate the particulars of your accusations. Character is always open for debate, and this does not apply only to Djokovic, but to all of us, including Federer. No player’s character (or that of his entourage) is completely sheltered from controversy. For this reason, I would rather not discuss character, or lack of it.
That being said, I take exception to your claim that Djokovic is a “pusher”. One does not win 10 majors, 24 masters and 4 ATP Tour Year End Championships by being a “pusher”. One does not dominate top 10 players like Djokovic has over the last decade, or maintain a 50% winning percentage against Federer and Nadal, in spite of their having overwhelming crowd support), by being a pusher.
Djokovic has one of the most aggressive styles I have ever seen, and I have been watching tennis since Borg ruled the tennis landscape. Djokovic hits his very hard (second only to Nadal), nail-bitingly deep and at angles that should be forbidden by the rule books. Just because he is not a serve and volleyer does not mean he is a pusher.
Of course pushers win majors and masters and are #1 in the world. Rafa is a pusher.
Rafa is not a pusher. A pusher’s entire strategy is to return the ball and wait for the other player to make an unforced error. Pushers do not hit many winners and they do not dictate the tempo of the game. Guys like Federer, Nadal and Djokovic hit to win. Federer likes to keep his points short by going to the net, whereas Nadal and Djokovic tend to pound the other player into submission and dictate the tempo of the game completely. None of those players can accurately be labeled pushers. Pushers to not hit 30, 40, 50 winners in a match
Fans didn’t care for Novak’s on-court bravado earlier in his career. I saw it more as a product of his overcoming the odds as a youth, emerging from a war zone with an enormous talent. He also seemed to rub fans the wrong way with his (and his supporters’) Serbian nationalism, but again, you have to understand where he came from and the amount of pride and love he has for his country. By comparison, where did Roger come from? I’m not suggesting that it’s easy for anyone anywhere to become a top player, but it’s safe to say that Djoker had worse odds than Fed for becoming #1. Hence the bravado. Novak has toned it down in recent years, though, and has become a good ambassador for the sport and respectful of his place alongside other greats.
Then you have to factor in the love affair that many fans have with Fed, idolizing him and seeing him as the pinnacle of what a tennis champion should be, on and off the court. That’s fair. I personally don’t see him as the GOAT – I don’t think it’s even possible to confirm a GOAT – and like @surfcity, I can detect a bit of arrogance in his interviews, but it’s hard to beat his combination of ability and class over the years. So that adulation for Fed certainly diminishes the spotlight on Novak, although it seems with each Slam that more people are starting to respect Djokovic’s brilliance.
There is some undefinable quality that people see in Federer that they do not see in Djokovich. Advertisers see it too. Novak doesn’t do commercials for Mercedes and Rolex. It’s not even that Novak is the spoiler. when the rivalry was Rafa versus Roger, people did not cheer Rafas double faults as they did Novaks last night.
A bit of arrogance?
“This is probably my most dominant grand slam victory and it’s already my 10th in such a short period of time. I amazed myself.”
– Roger Federer on his Australian Open win.
“No, I’m not (disappointed). There’s no reason to be because I’m on an incredible run. You always expect a loss once in a while. So when it happens, why be disappointed if I win over 90% of my matches.”
– Roger Federer after tanking against Andy Murray at Cincinnati.
On a different topic: when is Nike going to get a clue and cut Serena’s skirts a bit longer in the back?
Roger Federer’s strokes are textbook. They are beautiful. His strokes are the way strokes are drawn up.
He was wearing #15 on his shoes before he broke the grand slam record.
These guys are so competitive. You have to be to reach the top.
I have no idea who is the GOAT. Whoever is doing the best in recent history is the GOAT.
Justine Henin had beautiful strokes too.
Rafa is the biggest pusher of them all and it’s the fact that now he can’t hit the ball deep enough and instead leaves it hanging in mid-court why he isnt winning anymore. But both Rafa and Nole are pushers. They are just a lot better than most other pushers. It’s okay for one to be a fan of a pusher. I’m just not.