Eurosport - Mon, 06 Jul 10:34:00 2009
The best quotes from around the courts on the second and final week of the Wimbledon Championships.
"It's not really one of those goals you set as a little boy but, man, it's been quite a career." - Record 15-time grand slam winner Roger Federer.
"Sorry Pete, I tried to hold him off." - Losing finalist Andy Roddick (pictured) apologises to compatriot Pete Sampras after failing to prevent Federer breaking his grand slams record.
"I'd rather definitely be number two and hold three grand slams in the past year than be number one and not have any. I don't know what to do to be number one. I don't even care anymore." - Wimbledon champion Serena Williams sits on the fence over the rankings issue.
"Do I feel invincible? I'd like to say yes, but I really do work at it." - A modest Venus Williams who ended up losing to sister Serena in the singles final.
"I think I will beat him in a marathon easy." - Sweden's Robin Soderling looks for other avenues to beat Federer after losing to him for the 11th time without reply.
"I'm just gonna pretend when they say, 'C'mon, Andy', that they mean me." - Andy Roddick whose semi-final performance against Briton Andy Murray certainly won a few friends.
"That's a pathetic attitude to have, if you lose one match and you go away and let it ruin your year." - Murray on his semi-final exit to Roddick.
"She's really artsy and into smart things like learning languages and getting degrees. I'm into Twitter, so... we're quite different." - Serena sums up the differences between her and sister Venus.
"Oh, it is only because he is better than everybody else. That's it." - Big-serving Ivo Karlovic on Federer's secret for success.
"I use some of my trophies for makeup brushes, so, maybe I'll just take a step back and be like, Hmm. Take all the makeup brushes out and really appreciate every title and every trophy." - Serena looks to reflect on her achievements.
"It was really nice atmosphere to play under the roof; because somehow you feel the crowd a little bit more... it was an unbelievable atmosphere." - Top seed Dinara Safina who, along with opponent Amelie Mauresmo, became the first to play under the new roof at the Championships.
"Mirka's dream was always that our child can see me play as well, so there you go. I have to play a few more years just because of Mirka." - Bad news for grand slam hopefuls as Federer reveals orders to stick around.
Comment 15 - 34 of 34
FYI manos#25, for 2009 serena has played more tournaments than dinara, now that should shock you if you have any iota of decency!
With the new system in place for January 2009, dinara will NOT be no. 1 come the end of the year unless she manages to win the US Open and the end of season Tour championship. Serena will of course lose points if she does not retain her US open title but she only needs to win one or two of the '1000' mandatory premier 2 plus one or two of the '800' premier 5 titles to regain the no. 1 status, injury permitting. Everyone else is just too far behind to catch those two. All the players know this position, can the rest of you go and watch blood sports somewhere else please..
aaa #21 correction, it is idiots like you and mischievous journalists who have carried on the no. 1 debate. if you bother to look at what they put in quotes or listen to serena's interviews, you will have to be completely close-minded not to understand that it is not serena going on about it. FFS there is a ranking system which all the players play under and, by that system, dinara is unquestionably no.1 and everybody else is wherever they are according to the ranking position they have earned. Why do mischief makers like you just can't leave it at that? Of course you can't, as your real reason is just to come and knock a decent professional tennis player who has done you or anyone no harm whatsoever and, as if the insults you chuck at her is not enough. Do you guys have any pretensions to be decent people?
manos #25 this place is not a village classroom, you can't just throw fantasy figures out there with no pretentions whatsoever that you had got your figures from somewhere. As stupid as those figures look, what is even more frightening was that four fellow idiots thumbed you up...........help!! try looking up the figures yourself and you would hide away in shame. Do you even know anything about the WTA tour schedule and ranking system???
GO now u r writing rubbish and i dont exactly know what u r refferring to when u say i do, fed entered the stage when there were dangerous players around, i suppose u mean at the end of sampras' career, all the rest were still around when nadal came along, and nadal only had the goat to deal with oh yes that was definitely the easier path or what? the rest of your post i agree with and now its time to move on. see ya
Some silly people think that the success of Federer is based on the sickness of Nadal. There is no logic here. If they really believe it, so they should be dancing around their bed room for Nadal being #1 last year largely as a result of a seriously illed Federer.
Well, to keep yourself being fit is a very basic requirement for any kind of sport and career. Firstly, it is only Nadal himself to be blamed for his injury that prevent him from the participation in Wimbledon. Secondly, one just can't simply ASSUME that Nadal can through to the final not mentioning beating Federer.
federer is right in what he says. you can't win 15 majors and at the end of it all say, "well, you know, this isn't a big deal. anybody can do it". it's an insult to all the players on the tour, who bust their heads off week after week to even get within a chance of winning a tournament. of course federer has to say, "i reached a career high" and show off his titles. otherwise, if winning 15 is nothing and it doesn't make you the greatest, winning 0 you might as well give up, shoot yourself in the foot, collect a dissability pension from visa and pick up bird watching.
@27- I accept different opinions, it is Ok to have a lot of them here. I will stay with mine, simply because I do not like rude people, I prefer "traditional" sophisticated crowed like at W., cheers
Siskra, I'm of the opposite opinion. I think French tennis fans have better taste as when Federer shows his best tennis he is really the most artistic, elegant and gracious player of both males' and females' tours. As to Roodick I think he played maybe the best tennis of his life but he lost just mentally. He fought but he lacked belief in his victory (just remember 2nd set tiebreak). If it were final Murray-Federer I would back Murray. But when Federer plays against anyone except Murray and Djokovic I always back him.
the ranking system is rubbish roddick should be higher than no 6 after that
aaa is right the williams sisters play only 6-7 tournm per year but safina played more than 20...she has the no1 for sure
Ralph, its clear you dont like fed, but thats okay, there are alot of others that dont either. But I think it a little harsh that you critisize the guy for having a few tears after losing to what experts have said was the best tennis game of all time, against Nadal.
I do take my hat off to Roddick, although defeated, he acted like a real champion, and deserves a GS title, and after listening to him talk, sincerely hope he achieves it.
ralph, for someone who loves tennis you surely write some rubbish. Federer and Nadal are both great players, but while Nadal has a potential to be like or better than Federer, Federer has the standard. Nadal's game has speed, power, and pace to it and that is what makes him dangerous, but Federer has finesse, spin, and width that noone else can combine as well as he does. Besides, Federer started playing when there were still some great players around, while Nadal has only Federer to look up to. Last year Federer was not in shape and Nadal won, this year the other way around. They are both great players however, but with no injuries Nadal has the potential to challenge Federer's records in the long run. It really is a matter of preference who you like. they don't play the same style of tennis and to the legends of the game, Federer is the one who plays the better.
i don't know how roddick didn't cry.if he was federer,i know he'd have rained down tears!all the best roddick.
'I don't know what to do to be number one.' Serena Williams
Answer: Play and win more games, not just GS and selected tournaments
It is somehow ridiculous for these press people and so-called tennis experts, to continue debating and commenting that Dinara does not merit to be #1 because she has not won GS. I taught these experts know the rules and are they proposing that the rule should be changed for one player? It is even shameful for the press to ask such question.
il i why do u compare apples to oranges, u think football and tennis are the same, well i love tennis and have never cared for football so for me they are different, do u get my point. i am not pounding on fed i am just making my observations, and regarding me wanting nadal in feds shoes er no i dont think the size fits really, nadal already has feds shoes where as feds still has to get nadals size so lets hope he comes back fit and we can see if fed then manages it. dont take it so personally il i.
ralph, #8, you really wanted nadal to be in federer's shoes didn't you? too bad he's not good enough yet. or fit enough. but this is no excuse to keep pounding federer with silly remarks just because you are not his fan. all the manchester united players cried when they lost to barcelona in the final this year, even though they have won it in very lucky circumstances last year, but you choose not to see them crying, do you? if federer does it's a BIG issue... but i am glad we have a real man among us in you, who goes through life with a heart of stone, you're a real inspiration and model to all humanity!
many nice and sing le gir ls have a account on __C lassymingle C om___. so dont miss them. dont miss your cla ssy lov er!!
Congratulations ROGER , I am extremly happy for u ,and as i commented u before u are the best and u don't need figures to be no ONE coz ur no ONE ,and hard luck ANDY ur really a great player, U played fantastic and I wish u can capture a title , coz u really deserve one.
The match was fantastic, I was pulling for Federer just because he's such a great player and I wanted to see him get the record, but you gotta feel for Roddick. He's gone a little overboard with the jackets and the golden racket bag and all that stuff, makes him come off as a snob.
Is it me or did it seem like Roddick wasn't being funny when he said back to Federer that he'd already won five when he lost last year. He seemed annoyed at Federer's comment.
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