Tennis player Roger Federer said he has “no hard feelings” toward Rafael Nadal after he publicly criticized Federer “regarding off-court issues,” according to Caroline Cheese of the AP. Federer said “things are fine” between the two longtime rivals. But he concedes that they "disagree on a way to resolve a list of player grievances that includes the length of the season and the distribution of prize money.” Nadal today apologized “for airing his disagreement with Federer in public -- although he didn’t back down on the views he expressed” (AP, 1/15). Nadal criticized Federer Sunday “for letting other players ‘burn themselves’ by complaining about tour conditions while maintaining his good reputation by rarely making negative comments about tennis.” The two have “always been respectful rivals, but the ongoing debate about the overcrowded tennis calendar exposed an eyebrow-raising difference of opinion on the eve of the Australian Open.” Nadal said of Federer, "For him it's good to say nothing. Everything positive. 'It's all well and good for me, I look like a gentleman,' and the rest can burn themselves.” Nadal and Andy Murray are “among the players who have been outspoken in recent months on issues including an overcrowded calendar and the scheduling of Davis Cup matches.” Some players have “talked of strike action as recently as Saturday's player meeting in Melbourne; Nadal has said players may have to resort to ‘strong action’ if there isn't an ‘evolution’ in the calendar.” Nadal: "(Federer) likes the circuit. I like the circuit. It's much better than many other sports but that doesn't mean that it couldn't be better. It doesn't mean there are some things about the tour that could change. The tour is fine, but there are some things that are bad. That's all we're saying” (AP, 1/15).
WATCH YOUR MOUTH: In Melbourne, Emma Quayle reports after "suggesting at last year's US Open that players would consider striking over their jam-packed annual schedule,” Nadal “resisted buying into new speculation that more action was on the way, with players concerned about how much of each grand slam event's total takings is paid to them.” The players met Saturday night and “were addressed by new ATP chief Brad Drewett." Nadal "did not want to be the first player to speak publicly on behalf of the players but he did express some frustration with how seriously they had been taken in the past.” Nadal: ''I'm the one who in the past talk a lot about the calendar, talk a lot about the Davis Cup, talk a lot about the problem with the US Open. Now I'm not going to be the one who keeps talking about a lot of things because finally if we have the right guys there to fight for us, maybe, but today we don't have that” (THEAGE.com, 1/16). Nadal said, "I never say anything about strike. I never did" (GUARDIAN.co.uk, 1/15).
SPICE THINGS UP: ESPN.com’s Matt Wilansky writes it is “hard to say for sure whether Nadal’s admonishing of Federer was fair.” But this public grievance “is just the beginning.” But the ATP “could use a little dissent, couldn’t it?” If the schedule strife “is the lynchpin in a little bad blood, then so be it” (ESPN.com, 1/16). In London, Simon Briggs writes while Nadal “is unlikely to repeat his frustrations, he is clearly not the only one to feel that Federer is standing in the way of reform.” If Federer “continues to shrug about these issues, and to argue that there is nothing wrong with the status quo, then it is difficult to see how he can remain president of the Player Council for much longer” (London TELEGRAPH, 1/16).
