s&s Moats, Has Federer Lost it? Roger Federer By Josh Martin, Sports Editor verseas, on the other side of the world, tennis star Andy Murray defeated Roger Federer to take home the Shanghai Masters Title last week. The Scotsman, who is ranked 4" overall in the world, took the match in an impressive sweep of 85 minutes, with the scores of 6-3 and 6-2 for his second title of 2010 and now he holds an overall record of 8-5 against Federer. With that loss, Federer was denied his 18" Masters Crown which would have tied him up with the number one ranked Rafael Nadal. Heading into the final game, Federer hadn’t even dropped a single set in any prior matches but when he faced Murray, a whopping 30 unforced errors were committed which ultimately led to his defeat. However on the plus side, beating Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals and advancing to the final round moved him from the third slot to the second position, sitting right behind rival Nadal; the man who stole his spotlight. When you look at Federer, you can’t help but compare him to how he used to play in his past years when he was ranked number one on the planet. He was a young buck, winning games left and right, a force to be reckoned with and being the strongest player to beat, until...Nadal came into play and took his throne away from him. Now being in the shadow of the Spaniard 20 and of his own memories of the past, Federer wants to regain number one more than ever. The only question is whether or not he can pull out the magic that he once had before. “It’s not that important to be two, three or four,” Federer said. “For me it’s either No. 1 in the world or everything else. After being No. 1 for so long and having been there it’s obviously the best feeling to be there. When you’re not ranked No. 1 in the world you obviously try to get back there.” Perhaps Federer is adopting the inspirational quote that is said again and again in the movie Talladega Nights with Will Ferrell, “If you ain’t first your last!” It may be a phrase that the Swiss-man is used to saying and will perhaps use for motivation, having held the number one position for a record of 237 consecutive weeks and a grand total of 285. Two of the other three players who make up the top four rankings have the edge over Federer. Nadal has won 14 of their 23 matches, and Murray has defeated him in eight of 13 matches, while Federer holds the bragging rights over Djokovic with 11-6 in matches. The 29 year-old’s glory days may be behind him for the time being, but he still has some vital years left in the tank. Look at Andre Agassi, he retired when he was 36 and played some of his better tennis in his later years. It is a definite possibility that shouldn’t be overlooked for Roger to regain the throne, especially if he can avoid his famous injuries. Rypien is still a player of value By Garth McLennan here’s no question that Rick ik screwed up. After all, attempting to launch himself at a heckling Minnesota Wild fan at the Excel Energy Center in Minneapolis on October 19 wasn’t the brightest decision Rypien could have made, especially considering replays of the incident made it painfully clear that the fan in question, James Engquist, never made any physically aggressive motions towards the Canucks forward at all. Not good. There’s also no question that by the time Rypien attacked Engquist, he’d lost it. Rypien had sucker- punched an opposing Wild player while being restrained by a linesman and then proceeded to shove Vancouver captain Henrik Sedin on his way to the tunnel before meeting Engquist. All in all, it wasn’t a banner night for Rypien, who was suspended indefinitely the following day by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. The next day in Vancouver, the city’s radio shows and newspapers weren’t exactly protective or defensive of the Canucks’ scrapper. After all, it was crystal clear that Rypien was one hundred percent in the wrong, and that he embarrassed not only himself but the team as a whole. The episode has the potential to be Rypien’s undoing in Vancouver, and if that does indeed come to pass, it would be a shame for a player who has been given every opportunity to make things work here. For years now, the Canucks and their various management teams have invested a lot into Rypien. The versatile center/winger, who has never backed down from any opponent during his five seasons within the Canucks organization, has always shown remarkable toughness that doesn’t seem to mesh with his generously listed 5°10 frame, and he’s displayed an uncanny knack for winning just about every tilt he steps into while at the same time being a dependable player with the ability to chip in offensively when needed. Basically, when he’s at his best, Rypien has shown himself to be a prototypical fourth line grinder. However, when he’s not at his best, that’s another story. Rypien’s lengthy injury history has been well- documented, and despite missing well over a season’s worth of games to injury and a personal leave that caused him to miss 70 games a few years back, the Canucks have always given him his spot and kept working with him. Whereas other teams would have long since parted ways with an undrafted player who can best be described as high- maintenance, Vancouver has, time and time again, returned to Rypien with several new one-way contracts and a guaranteed spot on the roster, over and over again. Hopefully, this won’t spell the end of Rypien’s tenure here. After all, he’s become a fixture in the community and his teammates have only spoken well of him over the years. There’s a lot to like about Rypien, which is why the Canucks haven’t given up on him, but if he’s to remain with this team for seasons to come, incident’s like last Tuesday’s can’t be repeated. 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