CAMELOT FANTASIES

I agree about Andy, but Djokovic doesn't belong in that same sentence. His graciousness ends the moment the moment he shakes hands with his opponent. I have been watching Nole since he came on tour as well, and this is not the same champion that I've witnessed in the past. Ripping your shirt and bellowing like a lion does not come under class champion. Which is probably what I find most irksome about him as a whole. Who is he? One never knows from one minute to the next. What I can say about all of the other players is that this is how we came to know them. Rafa didn't start kicking and jumping up in celebration after he won a good number of slams. It's how we came to know him, so at that point I was able to make a decision. With Nole, I have no idea who he is from one tournament to the next. I guess he has too many personalities for me.

And, before he started winning majors he was always proclaiming how he, Rafa, and Andy were such great friends, but the moment he started winning he went on record saying how he couldn't possibly be friends with rivals. What? I can't get with people like that, because one of those statements are true, they can't both be true because they're contradictory.

Andy berating himself? I don't understand why people even bring that up. Who cares how someone internalizes their feelings? Andy, Rafa, Federer, or Novak have nothing to do with Pete. They're all unique individuals and each are allowed their space to be themselves. That's what makes sense; not that one should parrot the other. Individuality is a great thing in my book. I expect some to be flamboyant, stoic, ecstatic, etc. Variety is the spice of life.

Anyway, Nole isn't doing it so much anymore because many people didn't find it appealing and he has toned it down considerably. Good for him. It's the Jekyll and Hyde effect that I can't get with.

I've never seen any player behave this way. Ever.

The stuff Nadal used to wear (the cocky and apparent show off of masculinity) and some of his past celebrations have always put me off but I very rarely talk about these things. In fact, Federer and Nadal's finger waving is also something I brought up last night for the first time. I also don't read top player's post match transcripts to find out all the flaws about their opponents. These are all too insignificant for me to waste my time on it. However I only mentioned it because it was relevant to what herc was originally talking about yesterday.

I, for one, see nothing wrong with Nole's statement. He's never meant it to be disrespectful to his opponents. He didn't want to hang out with the likes of Andy, Rafa etc. since it's a very competitive sports and these top guys have to deal with each other quite often in the big stage of things, so it's not an ideal scenario at all for any of them. If anything, Nole was being very honest about his feelings. Even Eugene Bouchard has recently stated that she could no longer be friends with the British player Laura Robson stating the same reason. In the past, both I and some of Murray fans have agreed that Andy should not at all hang out with Nole and Rafa. Because he is so chummy with Nadal and Nole that he is unable to his best competitive nature against them and it's costing him big time. Nole did what he had to do and it was absolutely crucial for him and it paid off.

Nole has toned it down not because 'people' don't like it anymore but because it's no longer necessary (just like Nadal didn't do it as much after a few wins). He has already established the fact that he is just as good as Federer and Nadal and is now the best player in the world. He did that initially to state that he has arrived in the big picture in his cocky way. Nadal did the same after 2008.

And please don't tell me if I am entitled to like Andy's on-court behaviour or not. His on-court behaviour bothers me because it doesn't help him at all. He had lost it temporarily during Lendl season which had done him so good but now unfortunately, it has found its way back since Lendl departure. If he can't have handle on his behaviour thefore his emotion, he won't see much success in handling his game in time of need, because the situations require it. In fact, it demands it. Nole's behaviour is a prime example for this who happens to have the same type of game as Andy and yet, so much more successful than Andy. In the final stage, due to his this behaviour therefore, lack of confidence, Andy's unable to win against the top guys.

But I know deep down inside that had Nole had similar on-court behavioiur as Andy then the same fans would have found it very difficult to like it. It all comes down to who we like or dislike essentially for the agendas that we tend to carry. I strictly remember at T4U some Nadal fans really hating on Murray after he beat Nadal at the 2008 USO and 2010 AO, but now that Nadal has beaten him quite a few times since then, it's now water under he bridge. But Andy still has his fair share of Nadal fans who truly hate Andy. I've come across them at MTF in the past. In the end, it's all about carrying personal agendas because, ultimately, it's a competitive sport and anything that is of competitive nature is bound to have its nasty sides. Very rarely anyone watches the sport for the good reason there is.

If you are a big fan of Andy, as you say, then you would have supported Nole to win Paris, because Nole winning this tournament has the least negative affect on Andy's ranking that is the most crucial aspect of Andy's career right now. But I am sure both you and herc (as he too says he's a Murray fan) would want Nole to lose the tournament and I am fairly sure it has nothing to do with Nole's celebrations. When we are faced with the real truth, we often don't like it or look past it and that's the truth.