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Post by Teresa on Nov 14, 2004 4:19:01 GMT 3
HOUSTON, United States : World tennis number one Roger Federer sees his title defense at the ATP Masters Cup as the start of his 2005 campaign rather than the end of a season that saw him capture three Grand Slam crowns. "I've already locked up the number one ranking so that puts away a lot of pressure. I can just concentrate on winning the title," Federer said. "My goal is to stay as long as possible at number one next year. It seems like next year already. I want to keep the momentum of 2004 going into next year." "I would rather know I can beat all these guys. All the opponents know in the back of their minds they will have to do a lot to beat me," Federer said. "This year it has been everything going my way, all the big points. This year I have won many more matches where I could have lost. I've served big and gotten some aces on some big points." AND....... now..........whats really worth reading
(except for Andy of course  )Two of Federer's top rivals for ATP supremacy, American world number two Roddick and red-hot Russian Marat Safin, have seen the benefits of a strong finish to the season and hope to build momentum for 2005 here as well. "It would be great for me to do well here. It would be the perfect end to this year to build up confidence to start next year," Safin said. Safin, last year's Australian Open runner-up, won titles at Beijing in September, Madrid on October and Paris this month. "I want to finish the year really well," he said. "You have to play well all year to fight for number one. At the start of this year I was 89th and I will finish fourth. Whatever I do here I will be very happy. "Hopefully next year I will be more stable all year. That's the most important thing." "To maintain the number one ranking, you have to play well in Grand Slams," Federer said. "The most important one to me is Wimbledon. I would like to win three in a row." You can have the Wimbledon's Roger, you can have em all!! |
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Post by Magda on Nov 14, 2004 13:40:27 GMT 3
Guys, there's another pic on Getty Images, but I won't post it here coz it's Damita's job  . But I just want to say: LMAO at Andy's shoes. Great taste boy |
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Post by Magda on Nov 14, 2004 13:53:09 GMT 3
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Post by sirius on Nov 14, 2004 13:54:03 GMT 3
what? no cowboy hats? not that i like them. and yesh andy....with the millions u earn. get some decent shoes man? and the TMC website SUCKS! no pics. no nothing pfffft |
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Saskia
Full Member
A boomerang that doesn't come back is called a stick ;-)
Posts: 227
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Post by Saskia on Nov 14, 2004 15:58:42 GMT 3
I think Roddick thought it was fashoinable, but hasn't read the magazines to carefully. Cos if ya do wear sneakers under a suit: 1-don't wear white ones and 2-don't wear them with a tie.
Like Marats tie though, the colors fit him. Hmmm maybe that's a bit to much in fashion, but teh boy always looks great in a suit.
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Post by ashitha on Nov 14, 2004 16:46:03 GMT 3
doesn't roger look a lot like jimmy connors in his younger days. i prefer this look a lot. as 4 our marat he looks great as usual.  |
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Post by christina on Nov 14, 2004 19:58:50 GMT 3
mwaaahahahaha, andys shoes are awful....really, wat was he thinking ;D ;D im not liking the ties really
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Post by Damita on Nov 14, 2004 22:01:59 GMT 3
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Post by SAFINNO1 on Nov 14, 2004 22:36:05 GMT 3
do u guys think reebok may have put him up for wearing sneakers???  |
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Post by Teresa on Nov 15, 2004 1:04:03 GMT 3
mwaaahahahaha, andys shoes are awful....really, wat was he thinking ;D ;D im not liking the ties really mwaaaahaha >>>Christina I agree.......... buts its not only the shoes.........Andy just looks awful in those pics. OF COURSE our habibi looks just Marat like, the best, thats not even close to been bias cause its just soooo true ;D When you first look at the pic you eyes are immediately drawn to Marat *zoom* then you start to notice the other guys. The pic of Marat alone is soooooo gorgeous BIG THANK YOU to Magda and Damita, thank you. (BTW Damita thanks for the Bercy pics, I know you are disappointed, BUT you were there What I did notice is that he is taller than all the those other guys, and that himself and Roger are the only two in the same colour tie |
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Post by Teresa on Nov 15, 2004 1:10:04 GMT 3
do u guys think reebok may have put him up for wearing sneakers??? Nah, I just think the guy has not got a clue how to dress, or maybe he does not own a pair of shoes other than tennis, or running? Or maybe Saskia said maybe he thought it was fashionable or cool BTW Safinno1 nice to see you around, how you doing? |
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Post by Teresa on Nov 15, 2004 1:34:59 GMT 3
Yeah..........another one of those articles..........but, but
The guy does think that Marat is the HOTTEST play in the WORLD today..... YAY ;D
Henman in Texas shootout
British number one seeks to cap his best year, says Jon Henderson
Sunday November 14, 2004
The Observer
Unlike Tony Blair, who enjoyed an enthusiastic welcome from George W Bush in Washington on Thursday night, Tim Henman cannot count on a warm reception when he meets another swaggering Texan in Houston this week, particularly if for the fourth time in five meetings he defeats Andy Roddick.
Jim McIngvale, who made a fortune out of furniture and is known to Americans as Mattress Mac, poured £25million into staging the 2003 and 2004 versions of the Masters Cup at Westside Tennis Club, which he owns. No shrinking yellow rose he, and he has taken his investment in the event to give him cheerleading rights to the American contingent in the eight-man field. Sadly for Jingoistic Jim, Roddick is the sole member of that contingent this year and McIngvale won't like it one bit if the Limey gives him a beating on Tuesday night.
Hand it to him, though - McIngvale did manage an apology of sorts in 2003 after David Nalbandian of Argentina complained about his partisan behaviour during matches played by Roddick and Andre Agassi. 'I guess I'm going to sit there and gag myself,' McIngvale said. 'I'm sorry I'm emotional. If I wasn't so emotional I wouldn't put so much damn money in the game.'
In fact, McIngvale is not totally unsympathetic to things British. He is so infatuated with Wimbledon that he has named one of his more successful racehorses after the championships. It's just that he is a patriot - and a businessman. 'Do you know how much publicity the tournament is going to get the next two days because Andre [Agassi] made the semi-finals?' McIngvale asked last year. 'Try a million dollars.' One can only guess how McIngvale reacted when he heard that Agassi had passed up the chance to overtake Henman for the final place in Houston this year by withdrawing from the Paris indoor tournament earlier this month.
bettingchoice.co.uk
The Masters Cup is for the eight most successful players during the year, although the Argentine Gaston Gaudio qualified by finishing tenth because a grand-slam winner - and Gaudio won the French Open - is guaranteed a place if he ends up outside the top eight but inside the top 20.
Henman is the only one of the eight who arrives as the champion of nothing, having failed to win a title in 2004 (Federer won 10). There has been criticism from some quarters about this, but Henman's feat of reaching the semi-finals of two grand slams (the French and US Opens) and the quarter-finals of another (Wimbledon) surely deserves the reward of a place in the $4.45million tournament. To perform so well on three different surfaces - clay, hard and grass - demonstrated just what a good player he remains.
The problem Henman now faces as he looks ahead to 2005 is that he will be under enormous pressure at least to emulate what he achieved this year, otherwise his world ranking - based on performances during the preceding 12 months - will start to slip. This can have a terribly demoralising effect on a player, particularly one who is into his thirties and knows that younger rivals will eagerly exploit any weaknesses that start to appear in his game.
More immediately, Henman has to win some tough matches at the start of this week if he is going to get to the business end of the Masters Cup at the weekend and make himself a tidy sum. In theory at least, Henman can trouser £850,000 by winning his group matches and going on to take the title.
To secure a place in the semi-finals on Saturday, he must look to beat two of his three group opponents: Roddick, Russia's Marat Safin and Guillermo Coria of Argentina. His best chances are probably against Coria and Roddick, although his recent patchy form will make it difficult for him to suppress the ebullient American.
Coria, recently returned from injury, is not the force on a hard court that he is on clay, the surface on which he rallied from a set and 4-2 down to beat Henman in the semi-finals of the French Open on 4 June; Roddick, the world number two, has shown himself to be vulnerable against Henman when the British number one mixes up his game between controlled baseline play and surges to the net.
Safin is possibly the hottest player in the world at the moment, having just won the Masters tournaments in Madrid and Paris. His weakness, as ever, is his temperament and he is already griping about having to play the Masters Cup outdoors - 'It's stupid' - after most of the players have spent the past couple of months inside in Europe.
The hottest player of the year is undoubtedly Federer. He has won all 10 finals - three of them grand slams - in which he has competed. There is a doubt about his fitness after he hurt his thigh a month ago, but if he has recovered he may well perform in a manner that even Mattress Mac will find hard not to admire.
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Post by Teresa on Nov 15, 2004 13:51:33 GMT 3
Tennis: Hewitt, Safin and Roddick work on mental game for ATP Masters Cup
HOUSTON, United States : Attitude adjustments will be crucial for Lleyton Hewitt, Marat Safin and Andy Roddick here this week at the ATP Masters Cup as they compete to become world number one Roger Federer's top challenger.
None of them can catch the Swiss triple Grand Slam champion in the year-end rankings, but all three could conclude the season second by winning the 3.7 million-dollar showdown of the year's eight top players that opens Monday.
Australia's third-ranked Hewitt plans to put his passion on display. Russia's fourth-rated Safin is working on anger management and second-ranked American Andy Roddick has adopted a relaxed attitude.
Such differing strategies could launch one of them into a starring role at January's Australian Open.
Federer defeated Safin in this year's Aussie final. Safin slumped after that but bounced back to win at Beijing in September, Madrid in October and Paris earlier this month, a recovery he credits to control of his often fiery temper.
"I'm trying to control it. That's why I'm starting to win matches, because I'm able to control it," Safin said.
Safin's anger analysis is less aboutg personal development than it is about finding a way to win.
"I'm not deep in psychology. I just like to win," Safin said. "If I have to shut up and keep quiet inside to win, that's what I'll do."
Hewitt is taking the absolute opposite approach, giving himself over to his emotions and enjoying the freedom of not having to chase for the top ranking.
"I don't have to be under the pressure to finish the year as number one. I can go out and enjoy myself," Hewitt said. "I just worry about going out there and being myself. I just get pumped up and show some enthusiasm out there."
Hewitt went 65-16 this year and won titles at Washington, Long Island, Sydney and Rotterdam. But the 23-year-old from Adelaide was ousted by the eventual champion in all four Grand Slam events.
Federer beat Hewitt in the fourth round at Australia, the Wimbledon quarter-finals and the US Open final as well as a Hamburg semi-final while Argentina's Gaston Gaudio ousted him in the French Open quarter-finals.
Hewitt, the 2001 and 2002 Masters Cup winner, was a Paris quarter-final loser to Safin. But the speedy Aussie takes some comfort from a solid effort.
"Even though I lost to Marat in the quarter-finals, it was more like a final there. Hopefully that will hold me in good stead," Hewitt said. "I've performed well in Masters Cups in the past and I look forward to a good week here."
Roddick, 2003's year-end number one, just plans to take whatever comes as he prepares for a rest. Since they are in differing groups, he might not even face Federer here.
"I'll go out and give it my best shot and maybe walk away surprising a few people," Roddick said. "I'm not worried about Roger. If I get him out there, fine, but I have Tim Henman on Tuesday and that's what I'm worried about."
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Perri
Junior Member
Posts: 76
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Post by Perri on Nov 15, 2004 14:00:22 GMT 3
"I'm not deep in psychology. I just like to win," Safin said. "If I have to shut up and keep quiet inside to win, that's what I'll do." I start to feel panic that Marat will become another Federer |
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ANNA205
Full Member
Davai_safin
Posts: 274
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Post by ANNA205 on Nov 15, 2004 18:46:19 GMT 3
wow MARAT looks so gorg.Andy and Tim do as well.Federrer looks so ugly with his new hair and Hewitt seems cant get over his luv life. just watched the replay of Paris final.its great.Stepanek played very well but he made many mistakes,unforced errors.safin played very well too.but i think hes luckier a little bit  |
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. But I just want to say: LMAO at Andy's shoes. Great taste boy 
