tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5904694061420690612.post2998652022478563490..comments2023-04-27T09:00:17.467-04:00Comments on forehandshanker: Newsreel: Fed "Disses" Claycourters, Kniesl is Backforehandshankerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12390409123257942620noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5904694061420690612.post-54518498219169549982010-05-15T17:00:20.631-04:002010-05-15T17:00:20.631-04:00Hang out with philosophers or computer programmers...Hang out with philosophers or computer programmers (who tend to be blunt like children) for awhile, and you'll develop a thicker skin. :Dforehandshankerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12390409123257942620noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5904694061420690612.post-48725246197753535042010-05-14T19:17:38.146-04:002010-05-14T19:17:38.146-04:00*Not sure where the "I don't mean to be r...*Not sure where the "I don't mean to be rude" comment comes from,*<br /><br />LOL it comes from my annoyance at sentences starting with "I don't mean to-" or "I'm not trying to-" and variations. Most popular being "I don't mean to be rude, but-". These are usually code for "I'm going to say something somewhat offensive and/or dick-ish, and I need a get out of jail free card, so I'll precede it by saying I don't MEAN any offense, no sir. THAT SHOULD DO THE TRICK!'<br /><br />Fail-y behavior. :/<br /><br />But this is a gigantic digression. Point is, I still think that whole part of the interview reads (blatantly, even) like "It's not me, I'm perfect, it's the surface that sucks by favoring lesser players". It's clear he knows that *that* is what he's implying when he follows it with the "not trying to take anything from".<br /><br />But that's enough of taking a Roger interview seriously for me. I prefer not to do that. I'm happier that way. :DAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5904694061420690612.post-47941772025037977342010-05-13T11:24:49.526-04:002010-05-13T11:24:49.526-04:00Then fairly soon after this, Fed pays pretty high ...Then fairly soon after this, Fed pays pretty high tribute to Rafa.<br /><br />"Look, no matter what people say, I never thought my problem was clay. My problem was Rafa. The guy is unbelievable. There are some people who don’t want to believe it, but that’s the truth, unfortunately for a whole great generation of clay courters. So for me, it was as if fate was calling me. Being able to handle the pressure, being able to believe I could win each year, even though Rafa would then come and crush my dreams, was the key, my greatest strength."<br /><br />Rafa is simply that good. To beat him, Rog knew he had to prepare to play the way he didn't want to play.<br /><br />Not sure where the "I don't mean to be rude" comment comes from, but the intent of this post is to get folks to stop being such emotional dogmatists about their preferred player. Rog & Rafa know what it takes to win at a top level. They're more mellow about their rivalry than their own fanboys/fangirls for a good reason: they have to take a more 'disinterested' look at what it takes to win.<br /><br />BTW, Uncle Toni & Rafa have always looked up to Rog's all court game (see Wertheim's Strokes of Genius). They've certainly borrowed things from Rog's bag of tricks over the years (e.g. the slice BH, a flatter FH, a better transition game, etc.). I've also seen Fed has taken things from Rafa's bag of tricks (the reverse FH to a BH, more drop shots, etc.).forehandshankerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12390409123257942620noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5904694061420690612.post-73469036775483891722010-05-11T21:57:48.711-04:002010-05-11T21:57:48.711-04:00*But reading the complete sentence, he's not s...*But reading the complete sentence, he's not saying that. He's saying that you don't need to be top-notch in all the strokes to be competitive on clay.*<br /><br />If he didn't mean it as a dig, all he had to do was leave out "I'm not trying to take anything from Rafa". The "it's too easy" is worth some reconsideration as well.<br /><br />"I don't mean to be rude-" then don't be.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com