Er, the point again is I have not made wild allegations. I have simply used two different factual things: (a) Nadal's constant pleading and whining for slow courts and bashing of first strike tennis and (b) the slowing down of courts from 2008 onwards. There are plenty of quotable quotes from The Bull in that regard; if you don't believe me on that then google is your friend. I can show you videos of Fed-Roddick match in Aus Open 2007 vis a vis 2009; same players and relatively aggressive, flat hitting but the difference in pace is pretty evident. So don't tell me that is just a Fed fanboy myth, courts have very obviously and perceptibly slowed down and a few are playing a bit fast again this year.
I have also never said Rafa paid or otherwise coerced ATP to slow down the courts. I am simply referring to the fact that he and Toni publicly try to influence opinion in favour of long rallies and conditions that suit them. That I hate. It's simply none of Rafa's business what kind of tennis public should or shouldn't get to see. He's a player and he should do his job. My comment that perhaps ATP just got fed up of his whining and decided to speed up courts anyway was more sarcastic but that should have been obvious from the tone. But again, to insinuate that the only reason I or Arvind are saying Arthur Ashe is playing fast is because there is no Bull this time is rubbish. I mean, if you can't see the way the ball is simply exploding off the surface in Groth's serves to Federer (match going on as I type), then there is no point in discussing it further. This Arthur Ashe hasn't been there since 2009. Possibly they slowed it down that year in the hope of a repeat of the Fed-Rafa epic at Aus Open that year. I don't know what reasons but that they wanted to see more long rallies is evident.