I found this in ESPN

Rafael Nadal has won the French Open the past two years, and Justine Henin has locked down the women's side three of the past four. Is there hope for anyone else? Sure, because the ball can take funny bounces on the red stuff.

MEN



DESPERATELY SEEKING SLAM NO. 1: THREE ON THE EDGE

Tomas Berdych: The 21-year-old Czech won his first ATP tournament on clay in 2004 and has been flirting with the Top 10 since late 2006. Tall players often have trouble moving on clay, but the 6-foot-5-inch Berdych backs up his power with a deft touch and light feet.


Novak Djokovic: In March, this 20-year-old Serbian reached his first ATP Masters Series final in Indian Wells (losing to Nadal), then won in Miami. After winning the recent Estoril tourney on clay, Djokovic is ranked No. 5 and is primed for a run at his first Slam.


Richard Gasquet: One of these days, the underachieving French prodigy will hit Slam pay dirt. Wouldn't it be cool if it was in his backyard? The 20-year-old's best French Open finish is a third-round exit, but in 2005, he beat Roger Federer at Monte Carlo, a clay event one step below Roland Garros.


UPSET SPECIALS: A TRIO NO A-LISTER WANTS TO FACE

Nicolas Almagro: The 21-year-old Spaniard cracked the top 30 earlier this season. He's emotional and has a wicked forehand that helps him hit every ball back, and he has already won on clay this year, in Valencia.


Simone Bolelli: Tennis watchers compared his game to Federer's after the Italian ripped through the Challenger circuit last year. At 21, Bolelli is an artist who can play well on any surface, but his athleticism and ability to make the colorful shot serve him best on clay.


Evgeny Korolev: This Russian is best known as the 19-year-old cousin of Anna Kournikova, but he also has classically pretty ground strokes and a nasty backhand. His lack of obvious weaknesses leaves opponents with a lack of obvious targets.

As you can see no reference to Federer

Then when you go to comment this BS, you find this disclaimer:

"Comments that include profanity, or personal attacks, or antisocial behavior such as "spamming" or "trolling," or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site"

Now can someone tell me as can someone not call retarded to a guy who "forget's" to write about Federer ?

was not this an invitation to comments that include profanity, or personal attacks, or antisocial behavior such as "spamming" or "trolling?
What's the deal with sports writers these days?

A ) For one, the use of 'retarded' even in casual discourse, when not referring to its orthodox meaning, is pretty much unacceptable.

B ) Federer isn't mentioned because he's the exceedingly obvious elephant in the room. The writer looks beyond him for challengers to Nadal's crown. (In fact I would say at this stage he is the favourite over the Spaniard.) I think you're being more than a little defensive here in seeing a slight made against the No 1. Nobody ever forgets him, even if they may want to do so. Heh.

C ) That this writer would list Korolev and Bolelli in the same breath as (the overrated but not by much) Almagro as upset threats amuses me heartily. I like both players but I don't think they exactly inspire dread when they step onto court, even one made of clay.

I had no idea Korolev was Kournikova's cousin :o :o

Can i at least call him distracted?

No one touch my man roflmao

I don't get the point of this thread, it has no meaning ohter than to enflame peoples attitudes.

No, that was not the intention. :o

I just want to provoke a bit of reflexion about the crap that some sports writers write these days.
Maybe i just didn't have a good word selection :wacko:

If you go to the sports sites with knowledge of what they use to write you can see major contracditions and some times THEY enflame peoples attitudes.

And that was my point

But i can give you more examples.

Until now was supposed by some tennis writers that Federer just could win a match in clay to Nadal in Rome because it was the fastest surface. Now that he won on the slowest (hamburg) these same writers are saying that in RG Federer do not have many chances because there is fastest than Hamburg and that favours Nadal roflmao

But this kind of nonsenses is not just in tennis. Just see all the noise about Lebron james passing or not the ball and the inflamation that that writers brougth in a lot of basketball fans.

By Bud Collins
MSNBC contributor
Updated: 6:01 p.m. ET May 25, 2007


Bud Collins



In the book and movie, “Is Paris Burning?” the occupying Germans in World War II intend to blow up the beautiful, historic French capital.

Obviously the plot didn't work. But are there times when Roger Federer would like to torch the city's red-clay tennis battleground that is Roland Garros, where each spring, the French Open, one of the sport's four majors is contested?

Doubtful. Federer isn't the kind of guy who would seek revenge on a city that has been his Waterloo. Nevertheless, his frustration level at the French Open is as high as the Eiffel tower.

A hint from Hamburg
Federer has won nine majors. He's captured the Australian Open two of the past three years. He's won Wimbledon the last four years and the U.S. Open the last three years. But at the French Open he has zero titles in eight visits. He made the Paris final last year and the semifinals two years ago -- his best results in a major that has given the Swiss star his share of heartbreak in a magnificent pro career that began in 1998.

So you can't fault Federer if he isn't humming any of the numerous romantic tunes connected to the City of Light such as “I Love Paris” or “The Last Time I Saw Paris.” For him and his fans it's the City of Dark. A virtuoso with a racquet on other surfaces, he's never been able to celebrate his genius on the red clay of Roland Garros.

It's just me that thinks this is :bs: ?

This days the sport writers just want to make good storys and not try to be insightfull. Well we may react like :shrug: or we can be critics of this stuff. this guys earn millions for this while a lot of young people with knowledge want to have an oportunity and don't have

By Greg Garber
ESPN.com
(Archive)
Updated: May 28, 2007, 2:03 PM ET




PARIS -- The day's third band of showers descended on Court Philippe Chatrier and Roger Federer looked up at the heavens with disdain.

He is the world's No. 1-ranked player and the top seed here, but controlling the weather is one of the few things beyond his skill-set. Even though he told the chair umpire he wanted to continue, his match against American Michael Russell was called at 5:50 p.m. local time with Federer leading 6-4, 4-1.

Hoping to reach the final opposite Rafael Nadal and keep his Grand Slam hopes alive, Federer looked sharp before the court got soggy. He made a point of approaching net and knocking off -- the phrase is almost too crude for the stylish Swede -- some exquisitely angled volleys.

roflmao

He isn't i had one of those on my phone and it started from that point on=Paris has nothing to do with it, try looking at the facts.