CAMELOT FANTASIES

When somebody asks who do you think will win?  It makes sense to give an answer with your gut feeling, not who you might *want* to win.

In this particular case, masterclass and I got it right.  Nothing to do with being consumed with jealousy, negativity, agendas and hatred... just a simple call on who predicts who to win a match.  If Federer meets Nadal on clay this season - I'll call Nadal unless there are mitigating circumstances. But I'll always be rooting for the Swiss guy, regardless of who I think will win beforehand.

Personally I dislike "fan forums" because I find them as dull as dishwater.  Everybody rooting for the same guy.  People who might "think" their guy will lose getting branded as being somewhat unfaithful even if they are actually rooting for them...  Variety is the spice of life.

I don't know who asked you that question but I am sure it wasn't me. I wouldn't ask such a question because if it's too predictable - like the Federer/Nadal matches - then there's no point asking it. And if it's too unpredictable then I am not sure why certain posters or any poster would know the answer. I don't think I have that much faith in anyone who would know about future possibilities.

And I never said or implied you or masterclass said that because you two are consumed with jealousy, hatred, negative etc. Let's not read stuff that aren't there. I don't even see you two that way but I do sense that both of you like to gloat a bit but that's a natural Federer fan reaction. It comes with the territory after all. Not all Nadal fans are above it either for what it's worth. 

And you've successfully missed the point as well - I didn't say that you can't predict matches here on Emma's cafe. And yes, you got it right but so did rest of the world. It was no rocket science given that perspective at that time. Anyway, what I meant is that, since I don't like to know or read about the so called predictions of Andy's matches (especially the important ones), I like to avoid those threads in any forum that have the elements during Slams but since this is Emma's cafe, I actually didn't expect to read it here. This made me realize that it's perhaps best if I avoided the forum for 2/3 weeks and stay more on a Murray forum so that I can stay focused. I basically want herc to know in advance otherwise he'd expect me to be here. Anyway, I believe what I believe. And I know what I know. When it comes to tennis, no one is more important to me than Murray and I want to make sure that I do the right things and hangout with the right people around that time. Not that other people are wrong but they are not Murray fans and that makes a huge difference when it comes to important matches. I wouldn't even want to hangout with herc or TT if you know what I mean, because it would be impossible for them to root for Andy against Nadal and vice versa.

And I typically I like a general forum more but it's been really a long time I've felt that way. No general forum is free from the obnoxious Fedal fans and their constant ongoing bickering. I'd like to stay away from that negativity as long as possible and that's why it's far more refreshing for me to stay on a player related forum these days. For what it's worth, my time on Samprazfanz was spent the most precious way I spent my time on a forum. There was almost never any kind of negativity and most fans would stay on course and wishing Sampras well all the time - whether he had a chance or not was irrelevant.

I admit that I had a bit of a hard time at Murray's forum not because of Murray fans (although it gets really ugly during a match especially when Andy struggles) but mostly because, at times, I got sidetracked with discussions like religion, free will, physics, life after death etc. so it wasn't working out for me anyway (I didn't feel I belonged there as a lot of the minds felt very closed and rigid). And also, since MW is mostly about Brit fans (at least 99%), they do possess the negative side of a nation (read nationalism) and because of the England/Scotland tension, they tend to bring out the worst in each other in some cases.  Also, some are either overly positive or overly negative about Andy but that may have a lot to do with the culture as well and the way they were brought up. Sampras had mostly global fans in that forum so it had a very nice balance and provided a very nice atmosphere, but I did feel Sampras was generally loved by his US fans without any conditions, I just didn't see it in Brit fans - a lot of the English still truly hate Andy and some of the Scottish too and perhaps there's more. Or I don't know - maybe they are just negative by nature who knows.

But to each his own I am sure.