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Nadal foils Federer's Hamburg title bid
edition.cnn.com — Rafael Nadal beat defending champion Roger Federer 7-5 6-7 (3-7) 6-3 on Sunday to win the Hamburg Masters and add the only major clay-court title still missing from his impressive collection.
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- HafizD, on 05/19/2008, -7/+6Noooooooooo Federer. My fav player!
Whatever, we all know that Nadal is better on clay.- anaesthetica, on 05/19/2008, -2/+5I just love that someone as utterly perfect as Federer has this one weak spot -- clay -- that he just cannot win on while Nadal is around. Nadal should go down in tennis history not just as a great player in his own right, but possibly the best spoiler in the history of tennis.
And i don't just say that because my favorite surface is clay too...- bizarrorollins, on 05/19/2008, -0/+10The only problem is that Federer is not weak on clay. He is losing to Nadal in the finals afterall-- meaning he's better than the rest of the competition. Nadal's defensive play and quickness is what helps him so much when it comes to clay.
- novenator, on 05/19/2008, -0/+2unfortunately, his extremely physical style of play will also make his career a short one. I am just trying to enjoy what he does until then.
- bizarrorollins, on 05/19/2008, -0/+10The only problem is that Federer is not weak on clay. He is losing to Nadal in the finals afterall-- meaning he's better than the rest of the competition. Nadal's defensive play and quickness is what helps him so much when it comes to clay.
- bigbadgoat, on 05/19/2008, -0/+7It's not that he's weak on clay, it's just that Nadal is better.
Rememeber, Nadal beats him in the finals, which means Federer has to mow down the rest of the field to get there the same as Nadal does.
- anaesthetica, on 05/19/2008, -2/+5I just love that someone as utterly perfect as Federer has this one weak spot -- clay -- that he just cannot win on while Nadal is around. Nadal should go down in tennis history not just as a great player in his own right, but possibly the best spoiler in the history of tennis.
- p014k, on 05/19/2008, -9/+30Federer is still betterer.
- TimeLincoln, on 05/19/2008, -3/+4Nah, he is in decline, that black french guy and jokovic are rising.
- masscrazy, on 05/19/2008, -3/+4
Just wait till Wimbledon!
Whats up with his left arm?- RobertGoulet, on 05/19/2008, -0/+2lefty syndrome. he's jacked.
- compulsive1, on 05/19/2008, -0/+3No guarantees for Roger at Wimbledon anymore. Even though Federer won the last 4, it was Nadal who made the finals last two years and came very close to winning last year. It took Roger 5 sets and Nadal's minor injury in the late part of the match to win his last Wimbledon. And on top of it, if Nadal doesn't make it to the finals, someone like Djokovic will, posing yet another serious threat to Roger's domination.
I would be happy if Federer won Roland Garros this year and went down as the greatest tennis player of all time- having completed the career slam. Then Nadal can get his Wimby title officially entering the ranks of all time great players.
- CryTekEmployee, on 05/19/2008, -38/+3I'd rather play strip poker with the voice actors of Naruto.
Seriously, who watches a gay sport like Tennis? People who drive minivans, people who drive automatic transmission, and women. And women don't watch sports. It's like tap dancing, except with a high divorce rate.- xmizzbojanglesx, on 05/19/2008, -1/+11What the ***** are you talking about?
- CryTekEmployee, on 05/19/2008, -15/+0To be honest, I didn't read the article. But I can tell you from my inside sources that it had nothing to do with steroids. Tennis isn't a very physically demanding activity, therefore not a sport. Look at the guy in the picture. He obviously cares more about showing off his Nike sponsored logo than keeping in shape.
- Warrior212, on 05/19/2008, -1/+4Nadal is one of the most physically fit athletes I've ever seen.
- uziko, on 05/19/2008, -0/+4what?! are you ***** for real?!
you wouldn't be able to last 5 minutes with these guys without being out of breath
the most strenuous activity you've done is rubbing your dick with your hand- sixsidepentagon, on 05/19/2008, -1/+1Seriously? ESPN did a scientific study, and tennis was like in the top ten of most difficult sports. I mean, boxing and american football were clearly higher because of the impact aspects, but seriously, do you need to wear a helmet indoors or something?
- shawn1122, on 05/19/2008, -0/+1You've got to be ***** kidding me. Get on the court with someone who can actually hit the ball and get back to us. The only ways tennis can not be physically demanding are a) You are playing with people who can't keep the ball in the court or b) You are too ***** lazy to chase any balls down and hence are losing all the points. So please, get on the court with someone that can hit and try your hardest to get to every ball and get back to us. That is, if you manage not to collapse from fatigue first. A sport doesn't have to involve physical contact in order to be physically demanding.
- mijelh, on 05/19/2008, -2/+6Your comment shows two things:
First and most obvious: You are a Troll
Second: You have never in your life played tennis, and most likely didn't even watched a match. - novenator, on 05/19/2008, -1/+3dont feed the trolls
- uziko, on 05/19/2008, -2/+1ignore the fags above who have intellects of 2 year olds and use childish name calling because they don't agree with you
ahem, you are a fag, you are in the closet, and you put on an overly manly front on by only driving stick shift cars, and only watching sports like football and baseball
tennis is a slightly less manly sport than football, however when you start watching figure skating that's when you really have to worry
- Condemned, on 05/19/2008, -24/+2Who cares?
- mijelh, on 05/19/2008, -3/+5You cared enough to write a comment, Mr Troll
- HotDogBun, on 05/19/2008, -0/+4Europeans
- MagMan68Classic, on 05/19/2008, -2/+3and a couple Americans
- HotDogBun, on 05/19/2008, -2/+1They aren't real Americans
- mizike, on 05/19/2008, -2/+9Wow, so I guess Federer actually isn't an unstoppable swiss cyborg....who knew?
- sarchosis, on 05/19/2008, -4/+9It is a little weird to see Tennis news on Digg but. . . wow, some people are serious dicks.
- john2kx, on 05/19/2008, -1/+2Hey, the internet is serious business. Never forget that.
- paranoiabacon, on 05/19/2008, -3/+5am i the only one who saw "Nader Foils ..... bid" at first?
- JointheArmy, on 05/19/2008, -0/+1Ralph Nader is Rafael Nadal when he's not running for president.
- moshinator, on 05/19/2008, -4/+1How the hell did Federer lose to Safin?
- novenator, on 05/19/2008, -0/+1safin is the classic hot or cold player. he can beat anyone if his focus is there, but unfortunately, he is usually more interested in the lifestyle being a rich tennis player affords
- azneggrollz, on 05/19/2008, -0/+0That would have been the case in ~2000. I'm not going to make excuses, but after all the injuries Marat has been through, it's easy to see how his ranking is so low. He's 6'6" and his movement was once one of his biggest assets--after the knee surgery, it's obvious that it's gone down the drain. In the past few years, Marat has been all about tennis, admitting it himself. He's got the money, now he plays because he likes to play (though it might not seem like it).
- novenator, on 05/19/2008, -0/+1safin is the classic hot or cold player. he can beat anyone if his focus is there, but unfortunately, he is usually more interested in the lifestyle being a rich tennis player affords
- thelif, on 05/19/2008, -4/+2I thought it was some sort of hamburger eating contest, color me ignorant.
- RobertGoulet, on 05/19/2008, -2/+5Nadal is such a badass. Federer is losing his touch...
- borninda818, on 05/19/2008, -1/+4I never liked Nadal much. Always found him a little rough around the edges. Federer is probably the most well balanced and deserving player ever to have lived, and this is coming from a huge Agassi fan. But I must agree, his greatness is slowly declining.
- novenator, on 05/19/2008, -0/+1Federer is just going through a rough patch in his career. He is still the world #1, and will likely win 2/4 big titles this year, tying the record. Plus, he is only 26, so has at least 4 strong years to go.
- azneggrollz, on 05/19/2008, -0/+1Roger is still #2 on clay. A couple loose points here and there in this match netted him the loss.
- bokep, on 05/19/2008, -0/+3Nadal had always been untouchable on clay... at least for the last few years.
- borninda818, on 05/19/2008, -1/+4I never liked Nadal much. Always found him a little rough around the edges. Federer is probably the most well balanced and deserving player ever to have lived, and this is coming from a huge Agassi fan. But I must agree, his greatness is slowly declining.
- krete, on 05/19/2008, -1/+5My money's on Nadal to win the French for a 4th consecutive year
- HotDogBun, on 05/19/2008, -9/+2I thought this was gonna be about ralph nadar... as irrelevant as he is, he is still more interesting than tennis.
- eminiguy, on 05/19/2008, -3/+5Everbody knows that Nadal is really good only on clay... Federer should win Wimbledon. If not, he has still not recovered from his illness that caused him to lose Australian's Open.
- azneggrollz, on 05/19/2008, -0/+2That's a common misconception. Rafa has won titles on hard (three masters series titles) and reached the Wimbledon final twice in a row now.
- jcannonb, on 05/19/2008, -1/+4You have to be high. Nadal took Federer to 5 sets last year in the final of Wimbledon, and Federer only pulled that one out barely. Nadal had 15-40 on two consecutive Federer service games in the 5th set. Federer is in a slump this season. Call it Mono, or call it lack of focus, or call it what you will, it is there. If Federer is not 100% on top of his game at Wimbledon, he will lose it to either Nadal or "Jerk"avic :)
- brainboy77, on 05/19/2008, -1/+7i love nadal, but he has to win on something other than clay.
- novenator, on 05/19/2008, -0/+2Nadal is improving much faster than anyone anticipated on non clay surfaces. Still, Federer is *the man* on hardcourts and grass, so in all the majors, thats the barrier. Big nadal fan here too, enjoy his game while you can, his style of play will make a short career when his joints wear out.
- jcannonb, on 05/19/2008, -0/+2Does anyone ever remember that Nadal is only 21 years old? Federer is 27 this year. I mean, Nadal is still really a baby and has so many years to go. That and he is working on his 4th grand slam title. He has won big tourneys incl. masters series events on Hard court, and has made the final of Wimbledon twice. Don't you remember that?
- uziko, on 05/19/2008, -4/+1uh, why does he have to win on something other than clay? i think you "have" to get out of your mothers basement and get some sexual action from something other than your hand
- shawn1122, on 05/19/2008, -4/+12For those who haven't been keeping up with tennis at all, Federer has not been himself this year, his dominance over the rest of the field is quickly disappearing. He was diagnosed with mononucleosis after losing to Djokovic in the semifinals of the Australian Open and some say that he is still experiencing the side effects of that. It takes a few months for your body to completely overcome the mononucleosis virus. Apart from that, Federer has lost to all sorts of players this year, ranging from Andy Roddick (a guy who had previously only beaten Federer once in 14 tries) to Radek Stepanek (the pimp of the ATP, he's been engaged to Martina Hingis and now to Nicole Vaidisova, a pretty hot WTA player.)
It seems like Federer's best shot to win the French Open is past him now. Its unlikely that he can overcome Nadal in this form, so this loss is not a surprise at all. Federer's mental game seems to have fallen off the map as well, he was leading 5-1 in the first set and 5-2 in the second (essentially two more games would have resulted in a straight sets victory for him.)
It seems like Federer's last hope to beat Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slams is to win Wimbledon over the next couple years. Djokovic has come out on top on hard courts, Nadal on clay, and Federer's best has always been grass. It certainly isn't impossible, he'd have to win it this year and next to tie Sampras. It's more than doable for him, but in his current form it is really hard to tell if he will. - JasonCox, on 05/19/2008, -8/+1Digg admins, did you guys update the front page algorithm along with the comments system? This is what, the umpteenth sports story this week?
- Twenty, on 05/19/2008, -0/+3Holy ***** you can filter them out.
- novenator, on 05/19/2008, -0/+4The reason why this match was so big is because Nadal is the singular best clay court specialist ever in the history of tennis, while Federer is probably the best player on the other surfaces in the history of tennis. Nadal shattered the record of consecutive clay court wins, but last year at hamburg, Federer ended that streak at 81 by beating Nadal 2-6, 6-2, 6-0. I am sure this match was a treat to watch.
http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/news/story ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rafael_Nadal
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Federer- ShogunWarPig, on 05/19/2008, -0/+2I don't know if I'd go that far. I only say this because tennis has changed/evolved so much that comparing the early greats to the new ones does not seem entirely fair. However, It might be fair to call Federer one of the most dominant players to play the sport.
- atechnoviking, on 05/19/2008, -1/+6Wow, Federer obviously has the ability to win these matches (leading 5-1 in the first set!). What a huge mental breakdown, which also shows how mentally tough Nadal is. He could have won this match in straight sets.
- uruururr, on 05/19/2008, -7/+17-5 6-7 (3-7) 6-3
this makes no sense.
you cant win a set 3-7, and furthermore the way it reads it is a 2 set split (someone won first and last set, other guy won sets 2 and 3)- Vikaas, on 05/19/2008, -0/+5The (3-7) is a tie-break score. Because they took the second set to 6-6, they had to play first to seven points to determine who takes the set.
- novenator, on 05/19/2008, -0/+2the number in parenthesis after a 6-7 or 7-6 set is the number of points won in the tiebreak. In this case, Federer won 7 to take the tie-break and thus the set.
- sixsidepentagon, on 05/19/2008, -1/+2Sorry to be a dick, but they updated the score system with the tiebreak stuff in like the 70's. Where have you been?
- n3tfury, on 05/19/2008, -0/+0uruururr should be murr murr murr.
- Vectorphobe, on 05/19/2008, -5/+3Rafael Nadal... Ralph Nader
- CenturionMonkey, on 05/19/2008, -1/+5I'm guessing by the end of the year Federer will be #1, Djokovic will be #2, and Nadal will be #3.
Nadal Will take the French, Federer the US and Wimbledon, and Djokovic will win a bunch of the masters tournaments.
also, to user "uruururr":
No one won a set 3-7. It went into a tiebreak after the set got to 6-6. And Federer won the tiebreak 7-3. And in masters series tournaments it's best of 3, so Nadal had to only win 2 sets, which he did. - MakiNavaja, on 05/19/2008, -1/+4Might Nadal take Wimbledon this year, too? Nadal's been getting closer to Federer on grass than Federer to Nadal on clay, if the last couple years are any indication. Djokovic is coming on strong, too. It wouldn't surprise me to see him move up to second if only because he has much fewer points to defend than Nadal this year.
- morphboy23, on 05/19/2008, -6/+1I like Nadal; from what I've seen of him on tv, he seems pretty humble. Federer always seems like a douchebag, though.
- flamesrule, on 05/19/2008, -0/+2Federer can, and should, win the French this year. What he needs is have a draw similar to Hamburg, in Paris. Let Nadal fight Djokovic, it would be a very tough battle. Federer could pick off the winner providing his serve doesn't let him down like it did today. His problem is that once he gets a lead on clay, it isn't guaranteed like it is on grass or hard courts. Nadal proved that in Monte Carlo and Hamburg, coming back from big deficits in both finals.
Federer can do it, but this is really the only major in which he needs more luck than usual. - KhanneaNL, on 05/19/2008, -0/+1His SL avatar is RafaNadal Males :)
- system5y, on 05/19/2008, -1/+2nadal is my favorite player on virtua tennis
- kgirl77, on 05/19/2008, -0/+1It was a phenomenal match, but Rafa deserved to win. I ADORE him.
- lattethunder, on 05/22/2008, -1/+1Whoa! A Spaniard won on clay? NO WAY!
Get them on any other surface, and they're garbage. And everyone can stop fretting about Roger -- remember the slump Tiger had a few years back? Exactly.- solarisom, on 06/08/2008, -0/+1Maybe Moya, but I wouldn't call Nadal garbage on other surface, especially considering he made it to the finals of Wimbledon last year.
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