Gulbis wins against Federer!

[Puttu puttuu]

i actually hugged Gulbis at the French open after his win over Henman !!!

[brgerflipr]

I keep reading articles all over the internet and it is so funny how all the authors are trying to pity, or wake up, justify, feel angry with Fed, running possible "why?" scenarios; to somehow, in some way make sense of Federer's loses this year. Like there are no other players exist, no one is involved in these matches, he is playing against and with himself. No credit to others whatsoever, its not like they trying to win or even compete, its not like they can pull of shots to actually bother the great Fed, not like they can come up with a strategy to put his greatness out of the comfort zone, NO!....these don't exist, obviously.

It's all bout Fed - he is Tennis, he is ATP, he is God. This is really sickening. So many people are blinded by his greatness, that they completely neglect all other players that are on court with him, completely disregard their involvement in the match....."he loses to guys like this" is the favorite statement it seems. This is so wrong on so many levels. This makes tennis one-dimensional and once Fed crashes out of the tournament, it makes the tournament seem so dull all of the sudden.

I have been a fan (and still is) of Federer's game since day one, since he cried after each loss (he still does, only in Grand Slams), since he was breaking rackets and being all nervous, since he was choking (oh, wait, I can't say that...its impossible!!). A lot of his early game I see now in Gulbis and a few other players that I favor - an all out risk game, bold shot making and decisions, sheer power and raw talent.

No doubt Federer is a GOAT (at the moment) but he is no God. Nadal proved it to us a few years ago. Tennis is all about match-ups, and some are tougher for Roger then others. I believe he found another Kryptonite in Gulbis. I believe he will struggle with him for a few years until he gets a bit older and completely loses control. Granted, Federer has a superior tennis head on his shoulders, but he got his head in the right place at age of 22-23. Gulbis is 2 years away. Now, I am not saying Gulbis is the new Federer, I am saying that he could be. Like a lot of players "could have been".

6 match points? Please. At 21 playing THE FED who wouldn't have choked? ....and, he didn't choke.....he pulled thru....Fed choked. So it is not fair assessment. A choke is only a choke if there is a loss attached to it (or a retirement if Djokovic is involved).

Gulbis has a lot of talent to work with. He is 21 years young. He is making an effort to win matches and it works. With all due respect to Gummy, I believe he will be eventually replaced. He has done well to get his game on track....but there are better coaches out there and in time Gulbis will realize that. Look for a new coach sometime next year.

So lets stop worshiping Federer for a second and look at our future stars. Give them a proper exposure and a proper support when they get a big win. I have yet to read a single positive article about Gulbis's big score. So here, I am making my own.

So, here is a big F*** you Federer worshipers! (that is including myself)

A - freakin - MEN!!!!!!!!!

Respect Rog, respect his game. But let's not get ahead of ourselves, he doesn't walk on water. Hell, how is he the GOAT if he isn't even the best of his generation? Until he can solve the Nadal equation, let's stop polishing his crown and kneeling down before him.

[coke4]

1 loss and your talking about him being his kryptonite?
Cmon looks like someone is a bit too obsessed with Gulbis.

[djarvik]

1 loss and your talking about him being his kryptonite?
Cmon looks like someone is a bit too obsessed with Gulbis.

It's not only 1 loss. Its 2 matches going the distance with one loss. Its the match-up.

Coke, I look at tennis beyond the "on paper" crap. I try and break it down in my head.

As I see it, saw it, Fed has a big problem with the way Gulbis returns and serves. Then if he does start a rally....he does have an advantage....but not an overwhelming advantage....simply because Gulbis, like Fed, is a risk taker and will more often then not go for his shots....sometimes before Fed does.

Thant puts a lot of pressure on Fed to serve GOOD first serves and take the first punch. He barely did it 2 month ago. He failed to do it 1 day ago.

....and he failed miserably, as his biggest strength, the strength that makes him so tough in Grand Slams, his mental ability to stay in match and come back was shattered.

He probably will start develop a mental thing about Gulbis any minute now. He already cited in interview how much problems he had with Gulbis first AND second serve, and how much pressure he felt on his own serve, and how much power comes from Gulbises racket.

Care to break down your thoughts Coke?

BTW - I am a bigger fan of Dudi Sela....but he ain't doing so great.

[Vieira151]

You know everything you write about Federer getting a mental block against Gulbis? That will happen. But Fed aint stupid, he will learn and probably find a way to beat him, maybe even comfortably at that Look what he's done to murray

[djarvik]

You know everything you write about Federer getting a mental block against Gulbis? That will happen. But Fed aint stupid, he will learn and probably find a way to beat him, maybe even comfortably at that Look what he's done to murray

Murray is a defensive player. Fed eats them for dinner nowadays Granted he is THE best defensive player and hence a hiccup in Feds reading his game and finding things needed to be done.

...but it is much tougher against someone who attacks first. Fed is not used to play defense, he doesn't want to play defense....and that is exactly what he needs to do against Gulbis. Make him hit himself out of the match.

Maybe Fed will figure this out......but that will require to change his game too much.

Much like for Murray to start attacking more and more.

I am not saying Gulbis will own Fed. I am saying Fed will have hard time playing him now and for some time. Then Fed gets old.

[Saarbrigga]

Hell, how is he the GOAT if he isn't even the best of his generation?

Not the best of his generation?

When Nadal won his first French in 2005, it looked like this:

Federer: 4 Grand Slam Titles
Nadal: 1 Grand Slam Title

Now:

Federer: 16
Nadal: 6

Federer won 12 more, Nadal 5 more.

It s true Federer lost important matches against Nadal, but Rafa had always the mental advantage.

1) they played 11 of 20 times on clay, 9-2 Nadal.
Looks impressive, but on hard it s 3-3, on grass 2-1 Federer. How would it looks like if they had play 9 times on any surface?

2) almost any all time great of Tennis history expected Federer to become the GOAT, they all claim he has to win the French, while Nadal was just the 2nd man to watch, the follower, the hunter, but no one expected to him to become the GOAT.

3) Like it or hate it, but the change of Wimbledon courts (since 2002) favour guys like Nadal or Hewitt.
Hewitt had NEVER won there if the speed would be same as in the 90 s, when Sampras, Edberg, Becker, Goran, Krajicek etc. played there.
Under today s conditions in Wimbledon, i guess guys like Guga Kuerten and Sergi Bruguera could done there very well, not win it like Rafa, but reach quarter and semi constantly.

So what s about the French? Take a scale from 1-5, 1 is the slowest, 5 is the fastest.
Compare the 90 s to today:

90 s:

Australien Open: 3
French Open: 1
Wimbledon: 5
US Open: 4

Today: (Federer - Nadal Head to Head)

Australien Open: 2 (1-0 Nadal)
French Open: 1-2 (4-0 Nadal)
Wimbledon: 4 (2-1 Federer)
US Open: 5 (0-0, not 1 match to this day)

And for people who believe Sampras would do it better against Nadal in 1-1:

Under todays conditions, i would put my money on Pete beating Rafa in New York, the fastest Grand Slam tournament at the moment.
The middle fast hard courts of Melbourne would take much from Pete s service, and without his service he couldn t beat Nadal there.
Today s Wimbledon (slower speed, higher bouncing balls) would also play in Nadal cards and Pete would have much trouble to beat him (like Federer has).
And in Roland Garros (or on clay overall), i don t think Pete would Rafe anywhere. If they played 12 times on clay, it would be a 12-0 for Nadal.



CONCLUSION:

Did Federer just win the French because the courts are SLIGHTLY faster as in the 90 s? I don t think so, he just lost against Nadal there.
In his days, Sampras defeated Roland Garros Champions in Roland Garros (Muster and Bruguera), but he was not close to win the tournament. He lost to many different players, from Bruguera to Andrea Gaudenzi.

Is Rafa a well deserved Wimbledon Champion? Yes he is!
But his win there is not as much as Manolo Santana s back in the 60 s. Why? Because Santana won there when Wimbledon was the fastest court around, the same speed that kills dozend of spaniards (Bruguera, Moya, Berasategui, Corretja, Mantilla, Sanchez and so on).


About the head to head:

Stefan Edberg vs. Thomas Muster

Overall: 10-0 Edberg

On clay: 4-0 Edberg


Is Edberg the better Tennis player? Yes because he won 3 different Grand Slam tournaments.
Is Edberg also the better claycourt player because he defeated Thomas 4 times in 4 matches? No he s not! Muster is an all time Great on clay, Edberg isn t.

Styles makes fights. And it is not important how s your h2h, Grand Slam titles counts more than anything in Tennis imo.

Other strange Head to Heads:

Sampras - Michael Stich: 4-5
Sampras - Agassi: 18-12 or something for Pete
Agassi - Stich: 6-0

Stich was able to beat Sampras 5 times in 9 matches, but he didn t won a single match against Agassi.

[djarvik]

This is a Gulbis thread!

[brgerflipr]

Niten - whoa. great argument. i respect the time and info you put forth into it. if i had to, and i mean had to, pick a GOAT. it would be roger. his numbers speak for themselves. namely, the most important one..........16.

i was simply agreeing w/ djarvik that today's modern media needs to get off his jock. the bottom line is whenever you think roger v. rafa, you think of rafa owning him. and until rog can turn the tide and beat rafa a few more times, it's hard to just annoint him GOAT w/ no questions asked.

[brgerflipr]

This is a Gulbis thread!

Gulbis sucks.

[Saarbrigga]

This is a Gulbis thread!

Gulbis did a great job by beating the (maybe) GOAT!

[djarvik]

This is a Gulbis thread!

Gulbis sucking up all the alchohol at a local bar, celebrating his win and getting ready to hit 57 UE tomorrow

[brgerflipr]

hahahahaha, nice.

[Saarbrigga]

What happens if you google for "Gulbis"?

http://www.google.de/#hl=de&source=hp&q ... 8376244153

[coke4]

1 loss and your talking about him being his kryptonite?
Cmon looks like someone is a bit too obsessed with Gulbis.

It's not only 1 loss. Its 2 matches going the distance with one loss. Its the match-up.

Coke, I look at tennis beyond the "on paper" crap. I try and break it down in my head.

As I see it, saw it, Fed has a big problem with the way Gulbis returns and serves. Then if he does start a rally....he does have an advantage....but not an overwhelming advantage....simply because Gulbis, like Fed, is a risk taker and will more often then not go for his shots....sometimes before Fed does.

Thant puts a lot of pressure on Fed to serve GOOD first serves and take the first punch. He barely did it 2 month ago. He failed to do it 1 day ago.

....and he failed miserably, as his biggest strength, the strength that makes him so tough in Grand Slams, his mental ability to stay in match and come back was shattered.

He probably will start develop a mental thing about Gulbis any minute now. He already cited in interview how much problems he had with Gulbis first AND second serve, and how much pressure he felt on his own serve, and how much power comes from Gulbises racket.

Care to break down your thoughts Coke?

BTW - I am a bigger fan of Dudi Sela....but he ain't doing so great.

Firstly im not saying Gulbis didnt do his bit, he did, he did his bit great. But to call him a potential kryptinite for Fed based on 2 matches, where IMO Fed was far from his best is rubbish. Maybe, actually definatly he will cause problems for Fed in 250's 500's and also early rounds of 1000's, but get to late stages of a 1000 or a GS and i think he will blow him away.
But you are right, Gulbis' tactics work against this Fed, but when Fed is in 'the mood' i really dont think so.

AND WTF HAS ACTUALLY HAPPENED TO DUDI???
WHYYYYYY?