i have no doubt that Federer's back hurt during Wimbledon, but he's not been playing well for quite a while now. It can't have all been injury.

The problem is, if you have physical problems and you win and don't say anything (like maybe it was the case when he was at the verge of losing against Falla) then when you lose and say it, then people don't believe you. Especially if your favourite player is someone else.
He must have had some problems because he really played a very poor Wimbledon for his standards.

Players age, footspped reduces, and the overall standard of play drops. No shame in that. Roger has to accept and find ways to win instead of saying, "If I'm 100%, I can handle those guys". There's a good chance he won't be "100%" again; he's only getting older. But there is no doubt he's good enough to win a few more - he will have to rely on others not being at their best though.

Tennis is probably the most demanding sport in the world. To beat the top guys you need to be strong, fast, flexible, sharp, mentally tough and pain free. Roger has maintained that level for an insane stretch of time. It only makes sense that as he gets older it only takes a small dip in performance and that amazing consistency is going to turn into more ups and downs. Wins will happen less often, but they will happen.

Bolletieri also said :-

However, Federer remains Bollettieri's definition of a perfect player. "Nobody is perfect but he's damn close to being perfect. You have the Samprases and Lavers but Federer is the perfect player or very close.

A perfect player would be one who has total confidence in himself, plays the game like a true sportsman, respects the sport and its competitors, lives the life as a role model for youngsters and a player who can do little bit of everything and have one or two weapons, play defence and offense, serve and volley and attack and a player that is really physically and mentally unbelievable. Federer embodies all of that."


Many folks here might be have some concerns over this conclusion.

I may not be a fan of RF (I'm not gonna agree with the fact that he is the perfect sportsman) but technically, yes, he's as close as it gets to perfect/complete.

And I will venture to say technically perfect/complete in tennis doesn't necessarily mean greatest. But for now, the GOAT title arguably is Federer's.

samprallica: I don't believe that there's anyone who's perfect, be it a tennis player, another sports athlete, or any other human being. We're all imperfect in some way.

Shireling,

The problem is when you give a hint of injury when you are in the tournament , it gives your oponent mental edge..
Maybe thats the reason why he didnt tell about the injury after his first round victory.

Even I belive Fed is close to perfect(Nobody can be perfect).
Fed is a fighter and wish him some luck he needs to fight back to his A game(If not the best).

YES.......Roger IS as close to peRFect as you can get!!!!
There can be NO DOUBT that there WILL BE more slam wins for Roger!!!!
As long as he's healthy.....he's got the game and desire to win!!!!

I believed Bolletieri until he said that Federer never makes excuses, pull the other one.

Three cheers to Rafa for owning the 'perfect' player. Does that make Rafa super-perfect?

Nadline,

Rafa is superbly, sumptiously, and sublimely perfect!

If one were going to build a tennis player, Federer would surely be it. I won't call him perfect -- hard to do that when he is owned by a player of his own generation, but I *will* call him the quintessential tennis player.

you know,federer would probably be the most complete,versatile player I have ever seen. And I agree with Bolletieri's comments.

Well I think technically Fed is close to perfect. However, tactically I take Rafa any day. While Rafa may not be technically perfect or close to it yet, he is still improving and who knows how good Rafa can get technically some day in the future. A perfect or near perfect player has to encompass almost every aspect of the game, right now Fed is there but I'm not going to count Rafa out as he will be there one day, if he keeps himself motivated and continues to improve. After all, Rafa is just reaching his peak and I believe he has two to three years up there barring injury, and he is still improving every aspect of his game!

I think both age and back pain is catching up with Fed now. I think his back pain won't go away, its a matter of how he manages it, just like Rafa managing his knees and other players with their respective problems.

Right now, Fed is having trouble with not only Rafa, but those big hitting players, whom he used to own in the past. He gets hit off the court by Delpo at USO, Sod at RG and now Berdych at Wimbledon. I think one of these big hitters will blow him off the court at AO too if he still couldn't get his game/health/fitness back on track by then. I think this year's USO will be tough for anyone to win, with the big hitters now very well into form - they will not only give the top four players problems but they will end up 'killing' each other too!

samprallica, 7/14/10 5:38 PM,

Right now the GOAT title is nobody's! There is no such thing as a GOAT, period! This absurd argument has been promulgated by Fed and his fans forever and it's a fundamentally flawed premise. The very idea that only one player can stand head and shoulders above the other greats who played the game, is false on its face. Saying that one is the GOAT demeans and diminishes the considerable achievements of those who came before, like Laver, Emerson, Borg, Agassi and Sampras.

The only reasonable way to deal with this is to decide who is the GOAT in their time period. This way we can recognize all the players who have contributed so much to the sport of tennis.

i think the reason federer is losing more often is because he has become a tad slower due to old age. So much of the old Fed's game was based on the "dancer like" foot work, quick reflexes, footspeed. When the speed goes, his game was going to drop considerably. For example, when Pete Sampras lost a step at about age 29, guys like Lleyton Hewitt (who the old Sampras would have eaten for lunch) started to take advantage. He was forced to start hitting volleys at the service line, he couldn't close off the net as quickly and create pressure. He's ranking and game dropped. So because he is not as fast, I think Fed is working on shortening the points by going ballistic winners early on in the point. Therefore he is taking more risks,and hence he is more inconsistent these days. IF he gets hot in the NA swing,I wouldnt be surprised if he wins the USO.

The second reason why Federers not as consistent is because he is mentally weary. The old federer used to be the best in the world as probing oppents. Federer has one the highest tennis IQ of anyone who ever played. Federer could probe a player and dissect him the way Mats Wilander could at the height of his powers. But there is a big disadvantage by doing this consistently. Having to think through every single point the way he was can burn a player out. Wilander talked about this. How he had to think through every point and he just burned out after 1988. This is probably the reason why federer has so many mental lapses these days. Dont get me wrong though,I still think he has 2-3 majors left in him.

NNY: Have you read Clayking's Blog on the subject? I recommend it!

http://stat-attack.blogspot.com/2010/07/if-not-goat-how-about-g oads_06.html

@ed
speaking of which,where is clayking?

So tj, will Rafa and Murray suffer from mental burnouts too in future as they are the two best thinkers out there?

To me Fed is successful because he is the best ball striker out there and he plays first strike tennis. He attacks from the first point and leaves his opponents scrambling all over the place to retrieve the ball as Fed is so quick with his footwork too. He takes very little time between points to serve too, leaving his opponents no time to think and no time to catch their breath! However once someone who is quick enough to get to every ball that Fed strikes, and returns with interest, Fed will soon find himself in trouble. We see Rafa, Murray and Simon, who are all so quick to get and return almost every ball from Fed, beating Fed and having a positive H2H against Fed. With age catching up on Fed now, he is a bit slower than before and we see more and more younger players beating him. Even Davy started to beat him now too!

Murray is a counter puncher and he uses more tactics than anything else in his game, even though he is really a good ball striker too, having almost all the shots in his book. He plays like a spider, spinning his web all over the court and trapping his opponents until they have no where to move. It takes a bigger spider to 'eat' this smaller spider and Rafa happens to be a bigger spider. In my opinion, the differences between Murray and Rafa being that Rafa has more power in his game, esp with his forehand, and Rafa has the killer instinct in him and will not hesitate to go in for the kill if the time is right. We see from the Wimbledon SF that Rafa is really gutsy and he plays all the important points so well. Murray on the other hand, couldn't get his first serve right when he is having set point in that tie break.

Both Fed and Rafa are right up there for a reason; they are big match players and both know when to go for the kill and when to stay back. They are able to do that consistently and that's why they are leading the field for so long.

I think that players are now doing what Rafa did when he came on the scene, he refused to be in awe of Federer's record, and took him on. Federer's aura won him a lot of matches, and because the other players didn't play to win, he didn't have to do that much. Now he is having to learn to compete to win, rather than just go through the motions.

Rafa was never in awe of anyone. As a little boy, Carlos Moya who had been §1 asked Rafa whether he would like to be like him as a tennis player, Rafa's reply was No, I want to be better than you.

It is true that player dont fear him anymore and he has to win the matches, but still he has the experience to take on the good players.He simply need to be healthy and play with good tactics.

He can win close matches and even lose some that all depend on how he take it..

@luckystar
yes.thats precisely what I mean. And no,nadal and murray arent the "two best thinkers out there" Federer in his prime was right up there as well. Thinking through every point over a long period of time does burn you out mentally.(just ask wilander) You need to realise that tennis is a mentally demanding sport. Guys like Sampras and Becker had it a bit easier mentally due to the fact that they could just bang down an ace when they were in trouble.

As for Murray,Simon and Nadal owning fed,well thats true. But nadal beats him due to the fact that his topspin is tough for federer to handle on any surface.(his defence is the other factor.) As far as Murray and Simon is concerned,I always feel that the match is off Federers racquet. When Federer is not at his best,murray and simon are cagey enough to take advantage. But when Federer is at his best,he beats both men easily. Period. (see the AO final)

btw,the reason why Federer's game used to rely on tactics,is because he probes an opponent. he would use his sliced backhand(which is the best in the game) to move opponents into akward positions,and see how good their movement was. The slice would force the big hitters to come to the net on Federers terms,where fed would drill winners past them. It would force counterpunchers like hewitt to generate their own pace. He would also use his forehand to open up angles. He would hit 6-7 good shots,to open up the court,and then hit the winner. His game wasnt based on flat out overpowering opponents,it was based on moving opponents off the court and into inconvenient positions,and then drilling winners past him. Thats strategic,and requires a lot of thinking. Thats how federer won the bulk of his majors. His tennis IQ is definitely one of the highest ever. But towards the ending of 08,Federer changed his gamestyle a bit. He added 5-10mph on his forehand,and started going for winners earlier in the point. This was bcoz his old style required a lot of running and focus that is too tough to maintain for ever,but the new style was riskier which is why he is more inconsistent these days. So the federer of old used to think his way through opponents,the federer today tries to hit his way through opponents.

Actually tj, what I'm saying is not Fed overpowering his opponents like delpo does, but rather because of his speed and ball striking/shot making ability, he is able to hit the ball to places out of reach by most of his opponents. Hence we see Fed hitting more winners rather than his opponents making more errors. I do agree that if Fed is at top form, he'll beat both Murray and Simon most of the time as he is simply a better player than both of them. However players like both Murray and Simon are there to capitalize on Fed's errors more so than other types of players, as they could frustrate Fed and rushing him into errors. If Fed is patient and plays his defence and offence well, he'll beat Murray like he did at the AO this year.

Actually both Fed and Rafa can beat Murray most of the time if they play a right balance of defence and offence. I still think Fed relies more of his shot making than his tactics on court, as most of the time that is enough to see him through. Of course top players like Fed and Rafa also rely on their excellent footwork and any slowing down may lead to a decline in their game. It's up to them how they reinvent themselves; we see Rafa doing that after his injuries; can Fed do that too? We shall see.

To be fair, tj, both Fed and Rafa are good at ball striking, tactics, shot selection, court positioning and even over powering most their opponents. I think Fed concentrate on building up his shot making first during his earlier days whilst Rafa more on tactical play. We see Rafa started early in the tours and he had limited shot selection then. Now we see a Rafa with an improved array of shots and he is still improving. It will be interesting to see when these two retire, how they would end up. It's still early days now though.

I'm not a Federer fan. When I say Fed is ARGUABLY the GOAT, it means I don't really believe it - but you can't beat most statistics.

As for perfection; no one is - Federer is as close as it gets because of the mechanics. Everything is in place and there is no risk of injury. But again, technically perfect doesn't mean the best. Rafa has proved that by beating Federer time and again.

For me - Rafa has been the better player than Federer over their meetings, but it has come at the cost of injury. His knee injuries are due to flawed technique. His phenomenal physical strength will help him pull through though.

We haven't seen all of Rafa yet and I think we have seen the best of Federer. How complete Rafa will get is still out in the open.

Roger is the GOAT - whether you want to say it or believe it or not. I can't wait to see how the young guns handle the mental pressure of winning or not winning slams in the next 2-3 years, not to mention the tremendous strain these guys put on their bodies with today's game. Delpo? Wrist surgery after winning USO. Muzza - can't seem to handle the huge moments. Rafa? Playing great, but will the knees hold up (and how DOES he heal those knees so quickly?). AndyR - he's of the same generation of Roger (I consider Rafa, Delpo, Muzza and the Joker of another generation since they are abt 5 years younger). Hmmm??

Rafterfan, haven't you heard of plasma (platelets) replacement therapy? Well Rafa is undergoing that treatment and it is one approved by the ATP, so no questions needed there. Whether that treatment is effective or not we have to see how Rafa's knees turn out after that. Rafa has tendinitis on his knees which would flare up now and then, and it is not possible to know when it will flare up, hence we see him sometimes doing OK with his knees and sometimes having problems. I think we should give him the benefit of doubt instead of questioning him about his knees.

Its a myth that Roger never get injured. Well now he has proven that he has his fair share of injuries too, ie the back pain that he had and he mentioned that he had it for a few years already. Maybe that explains why Fed cuts down on his schedule and he did pull out from tournaments that he had entered. Its just that he never liked talking about injuries that had misled people into thinking that he had no injuries at all. In fact starting from 2005, he had reduced the number of tournaments played - in 2005 he played 15; 2006-17; 2007-16; 2008-18; 2009-15. Rafa on the other hand, had played almost all required tournaments all these years - in 2005 he played 21 tournaments! 2006-16 (due to his injury end of 2005, he had missed the AO of 2006); 2007-19; 2008-19 and 2009-17 (and plus DC matches too!)

In conclusion, I think all players have their fair share of injuries, no one can escape from that, its a matter of how one manages them. If it is not the knees, it is the wrist, if not then may be the back, the shoulder, the feet, the ankle or whatever. So Fed having back pain, is it due to his technique having problem?

Talking about techniques, as discussed in some of the above posts, when Rafa started out early in his teens, he had limited shot selection and he basically had to do lots of running to retrieve balls. Given his muscular physique, I think that had contributed towards his knee issues. I see that other than his knees, he rarely has any other issues - not with his wrist, his elbow, his shoulders etc. I remember only one more issue, that foot injury during end of 2005, which was serious enough that caused a scare about it threatening to end his tennis career. Its a miracle that Rafa with his whiplash forehand and hitting so hard, didn't end up having some shoulder issues. I guess whatever style a player adopts, it depends on the player himself. Maybe Rafa is physically strong enough to play the style that he does, whilst others trying to copy his style may end up injuring themselves doing that.

We see knee tendinitis is common among players, especially those who need to run a lot, basically those counter punching style players, players like Ferrer, Simon and Monfils. Other older players having knee tendinitis problems: Gonzo, Roddick. We have to wait and see how Rafa ends up in future - maybe he is truly unique in that he can play his style, cutting down on his running after his knees are given a second lease of live, and still survive without any major injuries?

@tj600 , 7/15/10 8:38 AM
"Having to think through every single point the way he was can burn a player out."

Actually, Federer has said that he can play without thinking (except on clay).
"The reason why clay has not been so easy for me is that on the other surfaces I can play my game WITHOUT thinking," Federer said. "Everything happens naturally. I can turn defence to offence when I want to and how I want to. When I play well I know I can dominate players."
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/federer-on-clay-you-dont-n eed-a-volley-or-a-serve-its-too-easy-1979825.html

When Federer is not at his best,murray and simon are cagey enough to take advantage. But when Federer is at his best,he beats both men easily. Period. (see the AO final)As for Murray,Simon and Nadal owning fed,well thats true. But nadal beats him due to the fact that his topspin is tough for federer to handle on any surface.(his defence is the other factor.

tj600 , 7/15/10 12:42 PM


tj, Federer has never beaten Simon. Also, you are admitting that Nadal is too much for Federer to handle, so Nadal owns Federer, no ifs, no buts.

@Augustina08 , 7/15/10 4:36 PM

It's evident that Federer plays on instincts, that's why he is in decline because he can't improve on his instincts. It served him well for ever, but not anymore. I have never been able to put my finger on why Federer has done so well, because his game doesn't seem that special to me.

nadline,

Though Simon has defeated Fed twice but it was not in straight sets and everyone knows that Fed was not at his best in 2008.

So please exclude Simon from the list of players who can beat or give it a very tough fight to Fed..

From where the hell *simon* comes into picture just based on 2 matches some are saying that he owns Roger ..huh!!

Just fetch some data from google(even i was not much interested)

i found player named *Dominik Hrbatý* who has h2h 3-1 in his favour means does he owns rafa ..bullshit!!

@nadline ..

Dare to except the truth ..you'll now everything about roger!!

What's the definition of 'owning'? Simon's H2H against Fed is 2-0, I don't think that constitutes 'owning'. I think tj loosely use that term during our discussion, so please don't take offence about that.

So please exclude Simon from the list of players who can beat or give it a very tough fight to Fed..

champ00289 , 7/15/10 6:02 PM


tj said:

When Federer is not at his best,murray and simon are cagey enough to take advantage. But when Federer is at his best, he beats both men easily. Period. (see the AO final)

I was responding to tj who was implying that Federer beats Simon easily when he is at his best, and I just pointed that Federer has never beaten Simon, I don't have a list of players who own Federer.

I totally agree that a 0:2 h2h is irrelevant.

Interesting thing :-

The same above mentioned player "Dominik Hrbatý" has also 2-1 h2h in his favour against roger also.

i think he is only player on planet who has positive h2h against both of them .. !


1 more option for GOAT ..haha :P

@tj600 , 7/15/10 12:42 PM

When Federer is not at his best,murray and simon are cagey enough to take advantage. But when Federer is at his best, he beats both men easily. Period. (see the AO final)
_________________

tj made a statement that is factually incorrect, that's what I was trying to point out.

ed251137, 7/15/10 8:39 AM,

Thanks so much for the link! :)

Rafterfan, 7/15/10 3:29 PM,

No one tells me what to think! Not you or anyone else! So don't go around spewing out the propaganda that Fed is the GOAT just because you say so. No one died and made you God. If you want to think that Fed is the GOAT, then that's your opinion, but it is NOT fact!

I have made my feelings plain about this whole ridiculous, nonsensical argument. I have nothing more to say, especially to someone who speaks in absolutes. I will not get into any further debates about the GOAT, because there will never be one. Period!

tj600: I am wondering the same thing. He has gone missing completely. He's not even responded to a message I left on his Blog three days ago. So unlike him.

I actually agree with Nadline that Federer seems to play instinctively instead of tactically. The thing is that in his prime his game was so good and he was so confident in it, he didn't NEED tactics. He didn't need to "think" through a match, because his game was better than his opponent's.

cherylmurray: who knows what goes on in players' heads but I always felt that about Fed too. It always puzzled me that, since he's so very talented, why doesn't he try to adapt his game against Rafa? Saw him at O2 play Delboy and try to hit through him, well your not going to beat him like that, as Davi showed. Same with Berdie, those awful returns of serve that dropped short in the middle of the court. It seemed to me he didn't try anything else. I don't think he thinks(!) just goes out plays his beautiful game and expects to win and of course in the past that's exactly what happened.

'We haven't seen all of Rafa yet and I think we have seen the best of Federer.'
samprallica, 7/15/10 2:50 PM

We can analysis technique, stroke selection, tactics et al until we are blue in the face but without 'self-belief' a player becomes helpless in the face of a fired-up opponent who has the the will and belief he can win.

Federer may, or may not, believe his injuries are responsible for the recent results: if in fact they are, then treatment and rest will correct the problem and he will prove the sceptics wrong.

But if, as seems far more likely, it is his self-belief which is injured then this is far harder to repair: in which case we probably have seen the end to his 'reign of terror' :)

Federer hasn't lost self belief, he still believes he is the greatest, it's just that his game is now being challenged by others who play tactically. Federer plays the same against everyone. Murray once said you don't have to do anything special to beat Roger.

Federer himself has been quoted as saying that he doesn't have to think on court, except on clay, and I'm sure that's only referring to one person, at that time he didn't even believe that Rafa could bet him on grass and h/c.

I beg to differ Nadline, I think there has to be a question mark in his mind now. Davydenko broke a losing streak of 12 matches at the WTF, Hewitt snapped a 15 match losing streak at Halle. And Roddick, who had only ever beaten him once in 14 encounters, came within a whisker of denying him his 6th Wimbeldon crown.

What is interesting is all three of those players were veterans in the same age bracket as Roger and who had become resigned to losing to him.

He may still believe (and plenty of people agree) he qualifies as the GOAT, or GOAD. And why not? The titles speak for themselves. We know he wants to break yet more records. The question now being debated is will he continue to do so?

Federer may have ongoing back problems but he has to deal with them. When Sampras played, some problem or the other cropped up at the majors but that is rarely taken into account as it shouldn't be. Besides, he hasn't dealt with surgery. The fact that Federer stays fit throughout is down to his superior technique - that can't be stressed enough.


As for self-belief, Federer bases his self-belief on the level of his game. It is natural that he can't do what he used to do before; but he could be brave and try changing things up. After all - nothng to lose. But what the heck, who are we to tell Roger Federer what to do?

ed, if Federer had lost belief in himself, he wouldn't say because he wasn't fit due to his back and leg he was unable to play the way he wanted to play. And as for changing his style, you can't teach an old dog new tricks, he was advised to serve and volley in the final of RG in 2008, with disastrous consequences, Rafa crushed him, if he had stuck to his style, Rafa would have still beaten him probably not so badly.

But ed you may have a point that it is not just belief that has broken his unbeaten record against Hewitt and the others, it may be that he is also a few steps slower due to age, but then Davy and Hewitt are of the same vintage as Federer. I think the players just believe more.

Whether Fed has good technique or not, he still suffers from back pain, so injuries are unavoidable for sportsmen.

I think Fed is a proud man who has tremendous self belief in his game, that's why all these years, he still stick to his own game despite it being ineffective against Rafa. Its only until the point when he got desperate about winning the FO that he finally did some changes in 2008, yet he failed again. To be fair, he does make some changes in the way he played, just like what tj600 has noted. Whether those changes are enough for him to deal with all the new challenges, only time will tell. Maybe his recent defeats are also partly due to his own fitness and health issues, who knows, Fed may come back strong at the USO and get his 'revenge' against the likes of Sod/Berdych.

I've re-watch the WTF match last year between Fed and Delpo and can't help but compare that with the two matches at RG and Wimbledon, against Sod and Berdych respectively. I agree with deuce and tj that Fed had tried unsuccessfully to match power with power, trying to outhit his big hitting opponents, and he was taking a lot of risks by doing so. Comparing his style of play with Rafa's, Rafa's was definitely strategically spot on. I guess that somehow confirm what some of us here mentioned, that Fed used to rely on his instinct more than tactics during his matches. However, I do noticed that Fed did study how his opponents played, esp before big matches like the FO final last year and the AO final this year. He confirmed watching recorded matches of Sod vs the other opponents at last year's FO, and mentioned that the others failed against Sod as they were standing too far behind the baseline. I guess against Murray at AO this year, he came with a proper game plan, that of a good balance between defence/offence. Going forward, I think Fed may have to rely more on strategy than instinct. Maybe he needs to take a leaf off Rafa's book and learns to reinvent himself and stays relevant. The problem is can he or will he do that?

hey clayking, where are ya mate?? hope u are okay....

vamosrafa-i sent him an email a week ago and still hasnt responded. very unlike him.

as for federer's back injury,heres what it says on wikipedia: "Like all male Swiss citizens, Federer was subject to compulsory military service in the Swiss Armed Forces. However, in 2003 he was deemed unfit due to a long-standing back problem and was subsequently not required to fulfill his obligations."

So federer's back problem was considered "long standing" in 03. Which means he has managed it for his entire career and still had great success. It was obviously going to flair up more in his later years. And federer's technique is why he has had LESS injuries in his career than others. But every sportsman has some sort of injury. And federer is going to have a few more problems than davy roddick etc. Why? Because he has played more hard court matches in his career than any of those guys,and hard courts are the most brutal on your body.

Regarding feds big hitter problem: i think he is just using the wrong tactics and trying to overpower them. its not gonna work. In his prime,fed would vary the spins,and slice,dice and pepper the big hitters. But back then,he was much faster and could play better defence,and was excellent at deflecting pace.(marat safin can personally testify to this) I think he should just vary the spins like he used to,chip and charge and s &v a bit to keep the big hitters off balance. Did anyone see the ending of the berdych match? he used the slice a lot,and it was troubling berdych. But he used the tactic too late. If federer uses the entire variety in his game,he beats the big hitters. If he tries to outhit them,he loses. Plain and simple

btw,i think the reason fed started trying to outhit opponents was bcoz of his problem with murray. Murray kept beating him at cat n mouse,so fed decided that overpowering murray was the best way to go,an it has worked.(it also works against djokovic) The problem is that it has backfired on him whenever he plays the big hitters. Hopefully he realises too. Btw,delpos win over Fed at teh USO was great,as fed was near his best. But soderling and berdych's wins were against a federer in horrible form.

Fed wasn't in horrible form during the FO. Sod outhit and over power him because the conditions favor Sod there, and Fed was having some lapses of concentration too. I agree that match against Berdych at Wimbledon is a winnable one had Fed being in better physical shape. I'm not sure Fed can still do as he did in the past when playing against the big hitters, as he seems a step or two slower. Can he still execute his chip & charge, S & V as well as before? I think he really needs to rely more on his serves, his slices and his drop volleys now.

Fed had beaten Nole and Murray at Cincy last year, and Murray at AO this year because at those times, his footwork was excellent and he was at the top of his game. However I'm doubtful that he can reproduce those performances regularly now.

as for federer's back injury,heres what it says on wikipedia: "Like all male Swiss citizens, Federer was subject to compulsory military service in the Swiss Armed Forces. However, in 2003 he was deemed unfit due to a long-standing back problem and was subsequently not required to fulfill his obligations."

luckystar , 7/16/10 5:26 PM



I don't want to be unkind, but if you believe that you'll believe anything. You seriously believe that if Federer did not have a 'back problem' he would have joined the military? I think it was a convenient excuse, and the authorities were inclined to believe it, why would they want to disrupt his career. This back problem was never brought between 2003 and 2010, don't you think that's strange? An extremely successful tennis player with back problem - hmmmmmmm!

I host Swedish students all the time, they also have to do military service, but they say they can just think of any old medical excuse to get out of it, in the past, this used to be permanently on their record to be referred to when applying for a job, but they've now scrapped that, and they get away with it.

I'm now taking cover!!!!

I seem to recall reading somewhere a long time ago that Roger was exempt from serving in the military so as not to disrupt his career. But I wouldn't be able to tell you where I read it. It was quite long ago and I can't even remember the source.

I think we can safely assume that Federer has not been struggling with a severe back injury for the past 8 years.

i disagree that Murray put a dent in Federer's game against big-hitters. For one thing, Murray's game is for all intents and purposes an original. I can't see Federer completely altering his game for one player. If he were going to do that, he would have SURELY done so against Nadal.

I think he is at risk to big hitters because he's a tad slower than he used to be. Given the fact that his game relies so heavily on timing, it isn't surprising that players that can get the ball to him faster stand a chance at beating him now-a-days.

Daily Telegraph


Federer's service on two fronts


By John Parsons
Published: 12:01AM GMT 07 Feb 2004

Roger Federer, the new world No 1, kept Switzerland level with Romania in the Davis Cup World Group in Bucharest yesterday, a few days after receiving his call-up for national service.

The Wimbledon champion, 22, arrived home from Melbourne on Tuesday after adding the Australian Open to his growing list of triumphs, to find the call-up papers.

Under a special programme devised by the Swiss government, however, Federer will not be marching on a parade ground or even wearing a military uniform. Sometime in the next three years he will undertake a five-day teacher training course and then be asked to teach for five days a year at a time of his choosing.

__________________

I just didn't buy the 'back problem.'

Given the fact that his game relies so heavily on timing, it isn't surprising that players that can get the ball to him faster stand a chance at beating him now-a-days. --cheryl

His timing is definitely off, and it's responsible for his poor foot-work, which has also become decidedly slower, as the combinmation of the two is what gave him the advantage over his opponents in the past. However, now that that lethal combination is no longer as potent as in prior years, we'll see his confidence, which used to be at a high and was responsible for the aura that he exuded, slowly begin to dwindle. As a result of these, a lot will change in the form of poor shot selection, and undecisiveness, which he will question, or is already questioning, thus producing more UEs (his UE count over the past three years has been slowly rising) = more losses. I believe he is very much aware of all of these developments happening/changing. If he hadn't come to terms with those changes prior to Wimbledon, then I'm sure that loss probably was most decidedly an eye-opening experience for him as it had to signal and reinforce in his mind, (if he was in denial), the reality that he's now more vulnerable than he's been. I'm sure that had to hurt, as the painful reality of it all, is manifesting itself. Time and tide waits for no man!

Federer is by no means finished, far from it, but his slow decline will produce more losses to opponents he used to eat up as a light snack. However, if the cards are shuffled right, and he's given some frindly draws, I'm positive he'll win a few more grand slam titles, but they wouldn't be a sure thing as in the past.
_________
n anoter note, some people were enquiring about clayking, who previously stated he's from India. I don't know if he's from the Mumbai area, but I recently read that there was some kind of disaster in that area over the past week where several people were injured. Hopefull, he's alright and is just busy.

Federer will RISE again................. Rafa will RISE higher!
He OWNS 2003-2007, hands down .............. the Nadal ERA started 2008. We'll never know where and when the NEW "challenger" will RISE... but he's NOT quite in sight at the moment. A lot of POTENTIALS, like the Murrays ...Djokovics... Soderlings... Gulbises... Del Potros, went "pffft" so early.... they'll remain a threat, like the Roddicks, Hewitts, Safins, Davydenkos did to Roger.
At least, it's a "smooth" transition........ like a new President came when the OLD one is still ALIVE,,, and not a NEW one assumed the leadership because the former suddenly died!.......... just my opinion!

Von, Vrael, tj600, vamosrafa: If he is from Mumbai, this could be the reason:
The following article mentions a lot of people have been evacuated.

http://vodpod.com/watch/4020399-mumbai-gas-leak-disaster -in-india

clayking: I too hope u r OK and it's nothing horrid for you or your family. Hope u r on holiday and just 4got your laptop!

I wasn't aware of the disaster at Mumbai, I hope clayking and his family is fine. Hope to hear from him soon.

How about everybody posting a message at his blog site in case he doesn't check on TT

http://stat-attack.blogspot.com/2010/07/if-not-goat-how-about-go ads_06.html

clayking will be back guys....i asked him on his facebook profile...he is a bit busy these days..

@ed.....CK is from noida(near the national capital region)....he is no where near to MUMBAI.......the chlorine gas leak wont bother him..hehehe....hes fine....just is a bit busy these days...maybe because of the admissions...he is just gonna join college u know....we both are gonna start college this year actually...

HE WILL BE BACK....no worries

@vrael: what course are you doing? im in my first yr of uni.

@McQ: well said.

@tj600
mechanical engineering....will start this year

vael: thanks for putting our minds at rest. I had the impression he was never far from his computer 24/24, 7/7 so became concerned at no response from him. Good luck with your studies - less time for tennis ha, ha :)

:) no problem....thnx for ur wishes

hey good to hear that clayking is fine and just bz with some work...thnx for telling vrael

@tj and vrael..i just finished my first year of uni and enjoying holidays :D good luck for ur studies fellows :)

TY VR...:)

Federer's timing looks quite good here :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAEEJUm-u1w

ps So exciting to be just starting university (vrael, CK ... wherever you are, and VR); I too, just last year, started a new program at U. BUT I had been away for many years ... still feels the same though ... deadlines, study group dynamics, and (hopefully), satisfaction from a well-researched topic. Most important ... new friends!

Whoops ...and you too, tj. Good Luck All.

TY smr..:)

thanks a lot smr and vamosrafa:) Btw,im doing a degree ih electrical engineering.

ed: Thanks for the info on clayking. I'm happy to hear that the young fella is alive and kicking.

WOW, I feel like an old lady among all these coolege kids. Enjoy your time in college guys, it's an experience you'll never forget ad forever treasure. Goodluck to all of you!!

ricky dimon's happy bday is today...:)

thank you Von....and vrael , really?? if it is then wihs you a happy birthday ricky!!

yeah really..

So happy to know that clayking is OK. So many of you here are still in college/uni! Study well, concentrate please and don't get too distracted by tennis! Oh and happy Birthday to you Ricky!

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/422093-nick-bollettieri-unconvincin g-in-roger-federer-injury-defense

this is an interesting read , the writer supporting what i said some time bak...nothing againt fed but truth IS truth..