Roger Federer addressed the so-called “bulletin board material” that he offered up to Andy Murray before the Australian Open final. Here’s his quote from Swiss paper Tages Anzeiger, taken the day after he won the trophy (my Google-assisted translation):
“It was not my intention to influence Andy before the match. It would be a pity if the British press would drive a wedge between him and me. I could already feel this danger at Wimbledon, when they said: Look what Federer wears. Or in Dubai (2008), when I said Murray could play more offensively, that he just played by waiting (for his opponent’s mistakes). This was criticism at the highest level, almost a compliment. But they used it differently. But I understand that the 25 journalists who have come from England to Australia need to write something. And then the whole world gets it. If something’s in Switzerland, it’s not necessarily taken up by the New York Times. It’s the extremes of the British press.”
Thanks to GTT reader JFK for passing this along.
To review. . .
Roger Federer’s remarks after beating Tsonga in the semis and setting up the final vs. Andy Murray:
Q. Normally the guy who plays you has nothing to lose at all. Andy is in a slightly different predicament. Do you think that will affect his game at all?
ROGER FEDERER: Uhm, don’t know. I mean, look, he’s in his second Grand Slam final now. I think the first one’s always a bit tougher than the second one. But now that he didn’t win the first one, I think doesn’t help, you know, for the second one around.
Plus he’s playing, you know, me, who’s won many Grand Slams prior to that, been able to win here three times so I know what it takes and how to do it, which is definitely an advantage.
I don’t feel like the pressure’s really on me having to do it again, because I did it before. I think he really needs it more than I do, you know. So I think the pressure’s big on him.
But we’ll see how he’s gonna handle it. It’s not going to be easy for him, that’s for sure.
And:
Q. You’ve won finals against Andy, but he’s got the better record. Why do you think that is?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, because, first of all, he’s a good player. I don’t think otherwise you’re just gonna start having good records against me.
But, no, without having any ‑‑ taking anything away from him, but I think a few times he played me I wasn’t at my very, very best. I think I played him on a couple of occasions. Dubai the first time we played, I just came back from resting, my mono, and everything. I know some don’t like to hear it. Some still don’t believe me for some reason.
I played him maybe at times when I wasn’t at my very, very best. We had some close matches on many occasions where I thought I was in control and I ended up giving the match away by making errors of my own. That was definitely because of his play and the way he plays.
So I think the head‑to‑head could be quite different. But that’s why I don’t really care too much about how the head‑to‑head stands. Every match is played differently. Best‑of‑five is anyway very different. He’s done well against me to win so many matches when he was able to beat me when he was supposed to.
Andy Murray’s response (via Scotsman):
“I have always been pretty respectful about his game,” Murray said. “He’s probably the greatest player that’s ever played. But if every time he loses to me he thinks it’s because he hasn’t played his best, well, every time I have lost against him I don’t think I have played my best either.
“He obviously deals with these situations his way and he’s played very well in these circumstances. But in the last few years he’s also lost a lot of close matches in five sets, including slam finals.
“That sort of gives you the belief you can win against him in these situations. If I play my best I have a chance of winning. I’ll try and do that.”
Was that trash talk? Really? Oh, please! (I liked Jon Wertheim’s quip on SI.com: “When do we get to the part where Federer was wrong?”)
Now this is trash talk: (Roddick at the 2008 US Open)
And this is a response: (Djokovic after beating Roddick at the 2008 US Open)
Andy Murray was victim to some good old fashioned “yo’ mama!” style trash talk in the past:
And it’s not just the “gentlemen” – the ladies of the WTA can dish it out!
Maria Sharapova’s classic from last year’s Tokyo tournament:
That wasn’t technically trash talk, perhaps, since it wasn’t meant to be heard by the opponent. Or was it? Take a look at the photo from the trophy ceremony:
(And yes, J.J. retired during the match.)
Here’s Serena’s infamous “Dinara deserves to be No. 1″ line from last year’s Wimbledon – wait for it at the 1:50 mark:
Thanks again to JFK for contributing this gem:
Please come back, Martina, Serena needs a real rival. . .in the press room!
Here are just a few of the many, many more examples from tennis history (found in You Can Quote Me on That by Paul Fein)
“Gilbert, you don’t deserve to be on the same court with me! You are the worst. The fucking worst!” – John McEnroe after losing to Brad Gilbert at the 1986 Madison Square Garden Masters event.
“Ten Grand Slams.” – Pete Sampras when asked what separated him from then No. 2 Pat Rafter (1997).
Think it’s just the Open Era brats? Here’s Suzanne Lenglen in 1926, upon hearing that American up-and-comer Helen Wills Moody was hoping for a showdown on the European Riviera circuit:
“This girl must be mad. Does she think she can come and beat me on my home courts?” - Lenglen hadn’t lost a match in seven years and didn’t lose to Moody when they met for the first and last time that year in Cannes. She won the match 6-3, 8-6 in front of a packed house.
How’s this for some inter-sport trash talk?:
“It’s all the time, ‘Tiger Woods, Tiger Woods.’ I am better than he is. I’ve been on top longer and I am younger. I’m just better.” – Martina Hingis, 1997
Speaking of other sports, the Roger Federer of basketball says: “No matter what trash you talk, we’re going to talk the most trash, and we’re going to back it up!”
This piece would be incomplete without something from the original and the best, often imitated, never duplicated, undisputed master of sporting trash talk, Muhammad Ali:
And even though he really looks nothing like Ali, I’ll end with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, whose sweet smile and soft voice couldn’t temper what has to be the Top Zinger from this year’s Australian Open:
Q. Novak (Djokovic) talked about his problems (after losing to Tsonga in the semis). He had some problems during the match. When did you first notice that he was having problems?
JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Five years ago. (Smiling.)
Ouch, that hurts so good! Keep the smack talk coming, guys (and gals)!
Tags: ATP, Australian Open, Djokovic, Federer, Murray, Roddick, Serena, Sharapova, tennis, WTA
Print
| 
Email
|
|
Share
Loading ...
Maybe Roger didn’t do it in purpose, but, because the press blew it out of proportion, it worked…
I don’t think Roger had any bad intentions. he spoke the truth IMO.yes Andy needed the title more and there was so much pressure on him.maybe Roger was being really candid and could have said less but it’s quite irritating that no one qoutes the rest of his presser. how about qouting the parts where he said Andy is an “excellent” player,or said that Andy was not at his best when he lost to Roger in London? or about the fact that now Andy has much more experience about the situation than he did in USO 08?
and to top it all,how about applauding Murray’s passing shot in the 1st set,after seeing that I couldn’t understand how anyone could think Roger meant to “intimidate” Andy!
I agree Roger didn’t so any trash talking, it’s his usual “honest approach”. I value that. As for the rodent Roddick, don’t even remind me of the whole Djokovic incident! I hate him just for that, poor Nole… I can’t even watch the on court interview with him when he gets booed by the shameful NY crowd. It makes me cringe, poor kid. And it has been a handycap for him in many ways over the last year…
well maybe Nole should stop complainig about dozens of injuries and quitting all the time
What a superfun collection of clips. Now I’m all ready to email like a butterfly, code like a bee. Thanks!
The British press is awfully touchy. Murray has done his share of “trash” talking before matches, so I don’t see what the big deal is. Last year, before he played Roger in Cincinnati, he claimed that even if he lost to him there, it wouldn’t change his mindset and that he could “easily” beat him in the US Open a couple of weeks later. At least Roger can back up his words. The British press has excelled at turning sour grapes into whine. Perhaps they’d like some cheese to go with it.
‘i’m so mean i make medicine sick.’ ali, hilarious. mj was the best at the physical and mental game. before pete and rog came along, my husband absolutely admired and looked up to jordan. husband was a great bball player too. probably why he has pretty good tennis footwork
the mcenroe quote is mean and bratty and rude and i love it.
ff, i love how you love the trash talk. i think the main thing about rog is that he’s honest, proud (as he should be), but honest and understands the ins and outs of the game, the players involved and of course his own game, better than anyone else. he also has the stats and experience to back up what he says. he may do lots of pressers, but ultimately his racquet does the most talking!
fed has won the fan favorite and edberg sportsmanship award (voted on by the players), for like 5 years or so now. he must be doing something right.
i love the murray v del po tension… two of my fav commentators- jason g and robbie k. love how jason says, ‘this match is heating up nicely.’ they basically want andy and jm to throw down. priceless.
roddick’s nole presser was hilarious. it’s no secret that novak has retired or taken medical time outs on numerous occasions, while andy rarely does. novak retired in the AO last year or year before. for someone in the top 5 in the world, that’s just not good, it’s a GS. of course if you can’t go on, you can’t and the heat was ridiculous. however, look at the AO when andy played with pain in his shoulder, i believe even numbness in his arm and fingers. the guy is super tough and the game nowadays is so physical. i admire andy for that.
I like that bby faced del Po! Shows he has a little inner fire, as well. Hope we see more of it in the future – though he should keep his “mama” jokes to himself.
My favorite part of the vid is how nervous Fergus Murphy is – he spends all his time chastising Murray and then at the end says something like “be nice Juan Martin!” Obviously the most rattled guy on the court.
Actually, I’m like 99% positive that delPo says “You and your manner(s)” instead of “you and your mother”. I think delPo, in response to Murray accusing him of hitting the ball towards his head, was just like oh, here he goes again, typical Murray, you know?
Although, Murray’s reaction to the whole thing is what makes this hiliarious. But I’m pretty sure delPo wasn’t engaging in any yo mama trash talking lol!
What time of day were those two playing, 7 am? No wonder they started a private conversation: no one else to talk to ….
boy oh boy…..can Muhammad Ali rhyme…..if not a boxer, he cud have made money rapping……..
Now if during the awards ceremony Roger had put on a shirt with “Federer 16, Murray 0″ written on it in big glittery letters, that would be trash-talking!
hahaha……well said…….
oh my god…that is a hilarious image.
HA! Yeah, Nike really dropped the ball on that one. (From Roger’s “15″ jacket and Serena’s “looking at my titles” tee, it appears that Nike is doing more trash talking than the players. Is that included in the contracts?)
Don’t forget this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3uY3wesJmQ
Serena takes no prisoners!
Oh, thanks JFK! You know I’m hoping for Martin to return – obviously they’ve both matured (a little bit) but wouldn’t it be fun to have a renewal of this rivalry? Serena has her hands full with the Belgians (and Azarenka) on the court – how about some competition in the press room? Maybe this is the real motivation behind the Swiss Miss’s rumored comeback.
omg, can you please do a part2 of this and post more youtube links? sooooo entertaining !!!
Part II, weekly, quarterly, whenever…
Love these off-court match-ups…
Best way to start the work day – walk into the office and announce: “I’m going to show you how great I am!”
Just awesome. Would love to hear Fed say it once, too.
That Serena line is hysterical! “I guess it’s because she never had a formal education….”
Serena is the Queen of trash talk.
When Fed made his “150,000 years” comment, he was obviously critiquing the press, not trying to put more pressure on Murray. I mean really, if the tabs are so concerned about pressure on Murray, maybe they’d stop.
The GOAT doesn’t need tricks like the one that has been mentioned to win. He just has to play at his full capacity. If that is the case he is unbeatable. Just too good for anyone, even for Nadal (except clay) and he has proven that. No one has ever beaten so emphatically other top players than Federer in Grand Slams.
I can tell ya, living in London, the British press is totally over the top, loves hyping Murray up, only to bring him down. When he wins, he’s ‘a Brit’. When he loses, he is ‘a Scot’. So there. It is really funny when you watch any BBC coverage of Murray matches, the commentators almost feel obliged they have to back Murray to win. During the AO final both Henman and Becker said something like changing of guards, Murray in 5, etc. Not to mention Simon “what a load of rubbish” Reed, who thinks Murray is the ‘real no.1′.
Great compilation! I used to love Jordan but not nearly as much as I love Federer. Serena has no shame… If you just look at how successful she’s been and if you agree that it’s comparable to Roger’s achievements, you have a totally respected player and person on one hand and a feared and loathed player and person on the other.
Though trash talking spices things up, I’d much rather have a professional to look up to rather than be influenced by someone who speaks as if they have no respect for anyone less fortunate, successful or less courteous than him or herself.
Now, Any can be compared to Serena in some respects. That video is good proof of that. It’s the “don’t mess with me” attitude. Even his response to losing to the GOAT due to not being his best is an arrogant yet (what I choose to believe is a) truthful remark.
Anyway, very enjoyable nonetheless. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. So, these indulgences are entertaining. But, I’d not watch tennis as much if the attitudes were more along Serena’s or Murray’s!!! That’s for sure
Love that for once nobody can complain that Roger is too goody-goody or boring! And not in a million years did he do that unintentionally – he is far too experienced and smart for this.
Roddick’s trash talk about Nole is very funny but Tsonga’s comment re Nole was priceless.
that was so entertaining ff. i loved mohammed ali growing up. he just really knew how to spice things up and get people smack-talkin back. he made great headlines.
as for rog, i think he’s right on. doesn’t need to prove a thing, he is hard to beat and he wasn’t 100pc.
i think trash talk is valuable, esp when u can back it up.
Trash talk is useless UNLESS you can back it up. And not only can Roger back it up but he only talks TRUE trash, as Wertheim pointed out!
I think Roger just said it as it is. I live in Britain and here the media are all over Murray and Robson wherever they appear. It goes as far that the national TV shows only their matches and ignores the rest of the tournament.
Murray did his fair share of trash talk himself all followed by the red tops. Shame I just scribble over his photo before throwing the papers away, there were some bold quotes!
Roger is one of the best trash-talkers out there. But it’s a subtle kind of thing. It doesn’t hit you until later and you are all, “Oh no he did not say what I think he said, did he??” I love him so much.