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OT: Roger Federer - God, Man, or ???
#69038 11/22/04 10:37 PM
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Has anyone been watching tennis this past year? Did Roger Federer have to sell his soul or what?

Anyone see the US Open final? Federer #1 in the world played against Leyton Hewitt, #2 in the world. Leyton went into that final having not lost a single set in the tournament. He was playing about as well as he's ever played. (And that's damn good).


Federer tore him apart 6-0, 7-6, 6-0.

Perhaps it was a fluke? One lucky day against Leyton?

Anyone watch the Championships in Houston this week? Again, Leyton was having the tournament of his life. Secured his #2 postion, and simply embarrassed Andy Roddickk in the semi-finals. But again, put up no challenge to Roger...losing again, 6-2, 6-3. That made the 23rd top ten player in a row that he's beaten.

A quick recap of his 2004 season...

Won 3 of 4 Grand Slams...Austrailia, Wimbeldon, and the US Open.

Won 3 ATP events in Indian Wells, Hamburg (on clay) and Toronto.

Other tournament wins included....Thailand Open, Gstaad, Halle, and Dubai.

An absolutely stunning year. I've heard he's going to vacation in Australia to help him get used to the climate there in preparation to defend his Aussie title.

Do yourself a favor and catch a few of his matches on TV next year. The stuff he can do with a racquet is just not human.





Re: OT: Roger Federer - God, Man, or ???
#69039 11/22/04 11:24 PM
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The guy just moves like a ghost and has an answer for anything they throw at him. His power of concentration and efficiency of movement is scary. He will surely go down in history as one of the best to ever play the game. And a damn nice fellow to boot.


I live the life I love and I love the life I live.
Re: OT: Roger Federer - God, Man, or ???
#69040 11/22/04 11:27 PM
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Did you catch his match against Marat last week?

At one point Marat fired in a great first serve that Federer returned fairly short, Marat quickly moved up and crushed an approach shot into Federer's backhand corner and followed it to the net to put away what should have been the easy volley. It was a perfectly played point. One problem though...one the run, Federer flicked a backhand straight down the line to pass the 6'4" Marat at the net. You could have thread a needle with it.

It's just scary how good he is.



Re: OT: Roger Federer - God, Man, or ???
#69041 11/22/04 11:36 PM
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I did see that match and that particular point. It was breathtaking to watch. I would kill for his anticipation skills.

Safin wasn't playing too shabby either. Safin has gotten better about keeping his head in the match but he still has a ways to go. Did you see him break his racquet over his knee?


I live the life I love and I love the life I live.
Re: OT: Roger Federer - God, Man, or ???
#69042 11/23/04 12:38 AM
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No I missed that. I saw him want to throw his racquet a few times though. Damn...if you can break a racquet over your knee...ouch. I wouldn't want to get on his bad side. (Wouldn't mind getting on his good side though. )

One thing I've noticed about his mental game though is that he's started a routine of stopping and asking for the towel between EVERY point. It's clearly a way of keeping his mind focused, and helping to keep himself from spinning out of control after a bad shot. It seems to be helping. *fingers crossed* let's hope he can keep it up. He's a hell of a player and it'd be good to see him consistantly into the second week of the slams.

If you dig through the old posts you'll see that I picked him to make the final 4 of the Aussie last year and no one believed me.



Re: OT: Roger Federer - God, Man, or ???
#69043 11/23/04 01:56 AM
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In reply to:

(Wouldn't mind getting on his good side though. )






Yeah, if Safin ever gets his $hit together, I could see him and Federer trading off the number 1 and 2 spots for a long time. But if Roddick improves his backhand and maintains his kick ass serve, he could be the spoiler. He is already starting to serve and volley more which will add dimension to his game.


I live the life I love and I love the life I live.
Re: OT: Roger Federer - God, Man, or ???
#69044 11/23/04 02:50 AM
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Safin could be the next Agassi. Agassi didn't get it together until very late in his career as well. One early slam, and then a lot of wasted potential. Safin is still only 24 years old.

Roddick. His game bores the crap out of me. Yeah, his backhand is getting better, his serve is pretty amazing, but his forehand has only one gear - and it misfires quite often. It's good to see him approaching the net more, but that's not really what he needs. His offense is more than adequate, it's his return game that really needs the help. Look how often he's in a tie-break. The dude has no return game. It's almost like he doesn't try hard enough on the return games because he know's he's not going to get broken himself. I dunno. I just don't enjoy watching him play. Add his tantrums with the chair umpires and he's quickly becoming one of my least favorite players.

God Safin is a hotty.



Re: OT: Roger Federer - God, Man, or ???
#69045 11/23/04 05:19 AM
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If Agassi was in his full game that night I thought he had a chance. He was one the few that made Roger break a little sweat in the US Open

Re: OT: Roger Federer - God, Man, or ???
#69046 11/23/04 06:05 PM
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I played doubles last night against Curtis again. Man that was fun! Curtis has one hell of a serve!

Thanks for joining us again!



Re: OT: Roger Federer - God, Man, or ???
#69047 11/23/04 06:32 PM
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Thanks spiff! I really appreciate the chance to play.

The rust is coming off...and fortunately or unfortunately, the places where the rust is not coming off is really showing. Not sure how much I will be able to improve by just playing once every two weeks though.

I was actually not very happy with my service games that much. To the deuce court....where you were....my only complaint was my first serve..I did not feel that comfortable, luckily, my second serve felt great. To the ad court....I just felt totally out of whack.

Good thing we didn't play for my MX-500 remote. You guys played well, held your errors down, and made some great shots.

It is always more fun when you win.

Re: OT: Roger Federer - God, Man, or ???
#69048 11/23/04 06:51 PM
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hey Craig,
honestly if you're knees are bugging you, you should probably visit a physiotherapist or sports medicine (therapist) clinic. When I was younger (wisecracks welcome after this comment) my knees used to bother me some fierce - to the point where after playing a game of hockey, I was unable to stand up without "pulling" myself up. Turns out the cartilage was unusually rough and was causing pain through the normal range of motion. They provided me with about 10 stretches and a half-dozen strength exercises. Within a few months it was remarkably better. It was well worth the time/effort, especially in the long run.


"Chickens don't clap."
Re: OT: Roger Federer - God, Man, or ???
#69049 11/23/04 07:23 PM
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My knees are fine. It's my feet that hurt in the morning. Once I get up and loosen up, they're ok, but first thing in the morning...youchy.



Re: OT: Roger Federer - God, Man, or ???
#69050 11/23/04 07:26 PM
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Ever try soaking them in ice water for about 20 minutes after you play?

Re: OT: Roger Federer - God, Man, or ???
#69051 11/23/04 07:35 PM
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Nope...but that sounds like the exact opposite of what I need. They hurt because they're tight in the morning. Wouldn't the ice water just tighten them quicker?



Re: OT: Roger Federer - God, Man, or ???
#69052 11/23/04 08:13 PM
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Inflammation is one of the causes of muscle soreness. Cold therapy reduces the inflammation.

There are a lot of articles on the net about the treatment of muscle soreness. I know with me and my knee....in college, I iced before and after practices/matches....and it made a difference.

http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~iishp/Cooley.html

Re: OT: Roger Federer - God, Man, or ???
#69053 11/23/04 09:15 PM
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This sounds more like my problem...

Plantar fasciitis. Stress on the bottom of the foot sometimes causes arch pain. The plantar fascia, a supportive, fibrous band of tissue running the length of the foot, becomes inflamed and painful. If arch pain persists, consider investing in better shoes, an over-the-counter support, or see a doctor of podiatric medicine for a custom-made orthotic device to insert into the shoe.

Although the worst pain is generally at the back of my heel, rather than my arch. Hmmm...still googling.



Re: OT: Roger Federer - God, Man, or ???
#69054 11/23/04 09:22 PM
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Yep...that's what it is.

Plantar fasciitis



Re: OT: Roger Federer - God, Man, or ???
#69055 11/23/04 10:32 PM
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hehehe....and icing is also mention to help ease discomfort.

My Father had this problem too. He started using a heal pad/cup in his shoe, that seemed to help a lot.

Re: OT: Roger Federer - God, Man, or ???
#69056 11/23/04 11:15 PM
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I'll be looking into some of those. It's not too bad right now, but at it's worst I have to hold on to the walls to walk first thing in the morning. I've even slid down the stairs once on my butt... Thank goodness it doesn't hurt like that anymore!


Re: OT: Roger Federer - God, Man, or ???
#69057 11/23/04 11:51 PM
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Mine is in constant pain. At times I walk like an old man. Thats what I have. Only lately has it been alleviated by buying Nike instead of Merril Hiking Shoes.



Those Shox stuff really works for me.


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