[tangerine_dream]

Ah, the voice of reason finally emerges and soothes us with his calming lullabys. Thanks Naldo.

[Deboogle!.]

Naldo Naldo Naldo what would we do without you

[Jennay]

Naldo!!

[andyroxmysox12191]

i'll join the hugging fest too
to nAldo!!

[star]

Originally Posted by nguyen

Doesnt that make you miss Pete?

No.

[Havok]

*hugs myself*

[Deboogle!.]

careful Naldo don't hurt yourself

[MisterQ]

Originally Posted by Naldo

*hugs myself*

the best kind of love

[Éowyn]

All i can say on this is leave brad alone! you can't keep blaming Brad, at the end of the day roger has had a storming year and NO ONE could stop him! and that is not Andy's fault and that is certainly not Brad's fault! Brad has helped Andy improve the things he needs to improve and he is still doing so and much more importantly has given Andy the support he needs personally, he's got Andy's back covered which is more than most players have, and it's what most people need especially young guys like Andy.
Brad has proven himself as a coach and as a friend and thats what he's there for, so unless you can honestly recommend someone better leave him alone. He did great things with Andre and Andy will follow stead.
Yes Andy hasn't won a slam this year but if you remember last year he said himself he was shocked he'd done it so early in his career, he didn't expect to have the year he had last year and there is no doubt this year he IS a better player than he was then. Give him a chance and lay off Brad he's not hurting you and he's not hurting Andy and Andy knows who to have around and if he trusts Brad then so should we.
And before you start with the Roger doesn't have a coach shit, also remember every person is different Roger may not want a coach but Andy does and that's his decision. I still think you will find this is a consolidation year for Andy and next year is the year you should judge on.

[Dirk]

Shell I wish more people here would not press panic here. The year is not over and 4 titles is not bad at all. There is no sure bet that Andy can win one of the 3 majors he is able to win. To say his year stank because he didn't win one of those 3 events is really unfair. Andy played very well and lost close matches. If andy was like Marat and didn't care then you have a problem but since he does care it means he won't stop competing hard. Again, the year is not over as well. I celebrate every title a player I like wins small or large.

[Deboogle!.]

whoa, simmer down now. No one is blaming Brad for anything.

that said, I don't think it's out of the realm of being worthwhile to discuss whether he and Andy have hit a wall. Are the improvements he has made with Andy really long-term and sustainable?

[Dirk]

Coaching takes time and developing your game takes time too. Andy will not play musical chairs with his coaches because every player that does (Haas, Marat, Rios) fucks up their career. Andy seems too smart for that. You can't beat yourself up over him not winning a slam like this, just not healthy. People need to stop expecting too much from their faves and just let them build their careers accordingly. I don't like the "Rogi will break Pete record" for instance and I don't want the press to mock his career if he doesn't live up to it. I also don't think its wise for the US press to start behavioring like the UK press and slam Andy for not winning a slam this year and acting like he is in a slump of some kind along with his fans. If andy ends up winning let's say 4 or 5 slams, what will you not be happy or does he have to meet your fantasy slam number in order for you to like him? If you like a player for his game and personality then it won't matter as long as they try their best and andy does do that win or lose. Only mistake he made was arguing with the umpire and taking his mind off the game but that might not have even been a factor. Just relax guys.

[Éowyn]

Originally Posted by Dirk

Shell I wish more people here would not press panic here. The year is not over and 4 titles is not bad at all. There is no sure bet that Andy can win one of the 3 majors he is able to win. To say his year stank because he didn't win one of those 3 events is really unfair. Andy played very well and lost close matches. If andy was like Marat and didn't care then you have a problem but since he does care it means he won't stop competing hard. Again, the year is not over as well. I celebrate every title a player I like wins small or large.

here here exactly, it makes me laugh that people say andy's has had a sucky year coz he won 4 titles and no slams, some people don't even win one title or ANY slams, it's like talking to a Man Utd supporter who sulks coz they finished 3rd in the league, hell if fulham finished 3rd i'd be in heaven lols.
Also 2 of Andys titles were defences, and it is always good to get back to back titles no matter where it is yes a back to back slam would be great but very few people manage it (yes i know federer did but he is one of the few).
You could also look at the people who have managed to defend queens club titles in the past the list is pretty impressive and Andy is in that list with McEnroe, Connors, Lendl, Becker etc.

[Dirk]

Here is what you Andy fans need to do about that Pim Pim match. Laugh, look at the stats and you will see that on paper andy should have won since he had about 28 more points won than Pim Pim. It was that close. When people were harping on and on about Rogi losing in Athens...I laughed after seeing the stats because for a guy to make 59 unforced errors in 3 sets including 10 double faults and only hit 19 winners and still lose 7-5 in the 3rd set after having some break points just goes to show me how bad my Rogi has to play in order to lose to somebody like that. Just try it. It might work.

[Éowyn]

i agree dirk i think he was unlucky and at the end of the day it's a game and he'll get over it and learn from it