The French Open

[Guest]

[red g]

Nah you wouldnt, you'd rather donate that to the bookies in order to see history in the making surely?

not for £500 i wouldnt

[Reece]

Get in Fed. What an amazing player.

[Harv]

Fantastic, glad i watched that. He deserved it

[Guest]

Greatest player of all time.

[Scratch]

Gotta admit, watching that slow motion reply of the tear on his cheek during the national anthem...well, i had me a lump in my throat.

Well done Roger...now on to Wimbledon and breaking Sampras' record!

[Darth Marty]

Yeah, I hope and think he will, break the grand slam record now.

[Scratch]

Now that the French is over, does anyone have any news on Nadal...i know he's missing the warm up matches, but i've also heard rumours that he won't be fit for Wimbledon as well...is it true that Fed could take over the number 1 spot again if he wins and Rafa falls early (or doesn't play) ?

[Darth Marty]

I think it depends on the longevity of his injury and whether or not he applies for protected status, you can do that with long term injuries apparently. If not then yes if fed wins and nadal doesnt play queens or wimbledon then he could lose no.1

[Scratch]

Cheers DM.

[shelly]

The way he clutched that trophy yesterday and refused to let go of it, you could see how much it meant to him. I was so worried when he was serving for the match that his emotions had surfaced way too soon... But he held on..

Well done Roger!!! French Open 2009 champion... has a fantastic ring to it, especially considering how everyone except his fans had written him off. The damn roller coaster ride was well worth it as usual!

Greatest player of all time!

Now that the French is over, does anyone have any news on Nadal...i know he's missing the warm up matches, but i've also heard rumours that he won't be fit for Wimbledon as well...is it true that Fed could take over the number 1 spot again if he wins and Rafa falls early (or doesn't play) ?

Nadal is in Barcelona undergoing tests today and tomorrow for his knee and he will decide his participation in Wimby after that. Yeah the rumours are strong but I really think he will try and defend Wimbledon unless it was physically impossible, it means a lot to him.

I think it depends on the longevity of his injury and whether or not he applies for protected status, you can do that with long term injuries apparently. If not then yes if fed wins and nadal doesnt play queens or wimbledon then he could lose no.1

His ranking can only be "protected" if the injury causes him to be out for a minimum of 6 months and that is only for entry into tournaments and NOT for seeding. There will still be a world #1.

eg. Maria Sharapova was #1 (or somewhere up there) when she went out with the shoulder injury. When she came back she was 102 so she had direct entry into the french but was unseeded.

In terms of ranking, in more detail,

The difference in ranking points between Rafa and Roger is now down to 2070 from over 4000 before the French.

By time queens is over, he will lose 205 points - He will lose his points at Queens - 250 points but he can add the 45 points he earned from Doha, as an alternative tourney that has yet to be counted as part of his best 18 tourneys. Roger also has 250 points to defend at Halle.

Wimbledon is worth 2000.. for the winner which is what Rafa is defending.
If Rafa does not play at Wimbledon or loses early, he will lose his ranking if Roger does well. It will still be close though, and Murray also has a great chance of closing the gap.

Sorry for the lengthy post but we have been playing with the different scenarios out there and trying to figure it out too!...

[Darth Marty]

Thats what I said.

[shelly]

Thats what I said.

I know. i was just backing up your post in more detail with numbers and also pointing out that if he's out for a long time even with the protected ranking, there still will be a new #1.

Just so happy roger won and watching him close back in on #1 after being close to losing #2 at the french.

[sambirken]

who would've believed it? fed is french open champion and nad wimbledon champ. crazy

[anfieldanfield]

The greatest sportsman of our generation.

With the weight of winning the French off his shoulders, it wouldn't suprise me to see him back to his imperious best at Wimbledon...