w**a
发帖数: 3510 | 1 Very interesting to read, and my summary is at the end - if you don't have
patience to read through -:)
The Fedipal Complex
Steve TignorTuesday, August 21, 2012
Fedipal. That was the word that came to mind as I watched the highlights of
Roger Federer’s 6-0 first-set win over Novak Djokovic in Cincinnati this
past weekend. I thought I had heard it somewhere before, and a Google search
did reveal a couple of previous uses. The first, in 2009, came from TENNIS.
com’s own Hannah Wilks, and the second from a blog called Mariposaxprs
during the Australian Open this past January. Despite the three-year gap,
each referred to the same player, Juan Martin del Potro, and his mental
block against Federer.
The second mention, however, extended the concept to include pretty much the
entire men’s tour:
“Every player on the ATP has a Fedipal complex. Some lash out at him.
Others profess their admiration or go one step further, calling him the “
greatest of the history.” Even when Rafa criticizes Fed, he uses words like
‘rose’ and ‘gentleman.’ Each player has his own take/issues.”
Federer’s mastery of his own generation of players is well known, but his
relationship with the next group—Nadal, Djokovic, Andy Murray, del Potro—
is more complicated. On the one hand, they’ve had much more success against
him; on the other, none of them has vanquished the older champ for good, or
taken his place as the world’s fan favorite. Most of their matches against
him still feel like uphill battles, against both a player and the crowd
that’s passionately backing him. As Brad Gilbert noted on ESPN, even when
he was playing the U.S.‘s Mardy Fish in Cincinnati, Federer had 80 percent
of the crowd on his side.
As the above blog post notes, each player has his own issues with playing
Federer. Nadal was told very early by his uncle Toni that he would never be
the shot-maker that Federer is, so he would have to wear him down, get every
ball back, and do whatever he could to put doubt into his head. Rafa’s
Fedipal complex actually ended up working in his favor. By believing that he
wasn’t as talented, that he would never measure up to the father, Nadal
took pressure off of himself and his ego out of the equation against Federer
. He knew exactly what he had to do to beat him, but beating him didn’t
make him “better” than him. It’s no coincidence that Nadal has maintained
the same “he’s the greatest in the history” mantra when it comes to
Federer, despite his 18 wins over him. (A) Rafa still believes it, and (B)
it works. (In his book, though, Nadal does betray some bitterness toward the
Fed, claiming that he’s the one player who never has to worry about
injuries, the way mortal players do—a “rose” among thorns, you might say.)
As for Andy Murray, Federer has seen him at times as a slightly
disappointing little brother. Federer said he saw serious talent in Murray
in their first match back in Bangkok in 2005. But over the years the Maestro
scolded Muzz for not putting his gifts to better use. “He tends to wait
for the mistake of the opponent,” Federer said after losing to Murray in
Dubai in 2008. “He stands way far behind on the court and that means you
have to do a lot of running. I gave him the mistakes today, but I think
overall, you want to win a point more often than for an opponent to miss.”
“I don’t think he’s changed his game a whole lot since I played him in
the Bangkok final,” Federer continued. “I really would have thought that
he would change it in some ways.”
Murray’s Fedipal complex has waxed and waned. He has beaten him nine times,
but before the Olympics this year, Federer remained the master when it
mattered most. In their three Grand Slam finals, Murray has won one set.
After his 2010 loss to him at the Aussie Open, Murray shed a tear and told
the world, “I can cry like Roger; it’s a shame I can’t play like him.”
Did Murray’s thorough scorching of Federer in the Olympic gold medal match
relieve him of his Fedipal complex? We’ll see. This was the rare case when
Federer’s opponent didn’t also have to fight the crowd. But the older man
did look like something of a proud papa afterward, when he met Murray at the
net with a broad smile—a smile, it appeared, at long last, of approval.
If Djokovic is any guide, though, Murray may not be out of the woods yet. A
Fedipal complex is hard to shake permanently—the guy doesn’t make it easy,
anyway. Last year, Djokovic appeared to have put his in the past, and
finally passed Federer in the rankings for good. The Serb won four of their
five matches in 2011, and continued the trend with a straight-set victory in
the French Open semifinals this spring. Then came Wimbledon. Through five
rounds, Djokovic once again looked to be the player to beat. Against Federer
in the semis, though, the Centre Court roof was closed, Djokovic struggled
to find his feet on the slippery grass, and he went out in a lackluster four
sets.
It was a similar scene in Cincy. Djokovic came in having lost a total of two
sets in the last two tournaments. He had just beaten del Potro 6-3, 6-2 in
the semis. He hadn’t been broken all week. But you wouldn’t have known any
of those things after seeing him play a few games against Federer. Djokovic
was broken in his first service game—as well his next two. He pulled up on
his forehand and hit it short. He double-faulted. He sailed his backhand
wide. He hung his head and stared at the sky. It was as if the last two
weeks of vintage Djoker clinicism had never happened.
Djokovic, as he typically does against Federer, eventually rallied and lost
the second set 9-7 in a tiebreaker. But as he had when he went down two sets
at Flushing Meadows last fall, and when he dropped the first set at
Wimbledon this summer, Djokovic began this match with little confidence
against Federer. It feels, a year after Nole seemed to have pushed father
Fed one step closer to retirement, like an uphill battle again for him.
Finally, what about del Potro, the man with the original Fedipal complex?
Things haven’t changed a whole lot there either. He’s a gloomy 0-6 against
him in 2012, though he fought with plenty of heart and belief in their
Olympic semifinal before succumbing. Is there hope for del Potro? He may
have to head home to find it. According to this New York Times article from
last week, his native Argentina may have what he needs. The country
currently leads the Western world in psychiatrists.
Summary:
Federer's next generation - Nadal, Djokvic, Murray, no matter how hard they
tried, just couldn't took Federer's position in either competition or fan's
heart. They always found out when they fight against Federer, they have to
fight against incredible talents, and against passions from fans who are
backing Federer. | w*****g
发帖数: 798 | 2 But the older man did look like something of a proud papa afterward, when
he met Murray at the net with a broad smile—a smile, it appeared, at long
last, of approval. |
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