This is a very good step that Fed has taken.All of Fed Fans wanted him to have a coach (full time).

I think Annacone's current assignment(at Britain's LTA) is not that Successful.

We will have to wait and see how it works.

A coach would do Federer alot of gone. Right, anyone interested in a cure for sleep apnea? Lol :-D

Typo. A load of good*

good that Fed has opted for some experienced head .. he needs someone experienced to drill new tactics into his head .. hopefully the partnership will work out well ..
Luthi is good, but not a full time pro coach .. PA brings in vast experience ..
Go Roger Go ..

I don't know if anyone remembers Annacone's role in Pete's last years on the tour. He was more of a pyschololgist and a sounding board for Pete than anything else. Annacone tried to help Pete out the doldrums and get the cob-webs out of his head, as Pete was very low on confidence and self-esteem coming back from being off the tour for two years with a back injury. It wasn't about strategy, but just about getting Pete's mind/head in the right place. How Annacone will help Federer strategically, is a mystery to me. However, only time will tell .....

When Annacone started working with Sampras he did tell him to come to net more. I don't think he worked on his volleying technique so much as convinced him that he should come to net more frequently. Annacone at one point said that because Sampras was No. 1 at the time, his coming to net would be more intimidating. Maybe that was fortuitous, because by the end of his career his timing had deserted him, making his groundstrokes highly erratic and he was coming to net behind both serves.

Federer isn't likely to adopt the pure serve and volley approach for a variety of reasons, but I wouldn't be surprised if he is coming to net more, especially on critical points. That's especially the case with the fastest major coming up.

But more than that, Annacone can probably understand what goes through a champion's head at this phase in his career. Sampras actually split with Annacone to work with a clay-court specialist in a vain hope of winning the French. When that didn't happen, and he lost early at the 2002 Wimbledon, Sampras got back together with Annacone. A little more than a month later Sampras had won the US Open, the last event he ever played.We may never know how much Annacone had to do with that, but I'm sure he has insights.

Right tj,

Fed can play serve and volley but he dont play it too often..and we know Fed usually comes close to the net even at big points.So we will have to wait and see how this works for Fed..

For Federer's sake, I hope that Annacone doesn't do or him what he's done for the LTA.......sweet nothing.

this is good news. many of my friends think that this is a way forward. No one knows what will happen, but at the very least, it shows that federer is prepared to listen to someone else (even if for a short while), to another person who can bring a fresh pair of eyes to his team. I thought it was interesting what federer said last year about working with a coach:

In 2009 he did an interview with l?equipe and his thoughts on coaching. Here is a brief translation (with no doubt, the loss of a word or two) (already translated by a reporter):

?-

Q: How does it feel to go so long without a coach?

RF: People think I?m coach less because I have a certain philosophy or think that only I can coach myself, but for me it has been about the relationship, I don?t think you should get a second opinion because people tell you to; you should do it only when you truly think that the time is right, because if you do it for any other reason than their input will be wasted

Q: Is their a particular coach you are waiting for?

RF: There are 2 or 3 coaches who can help; but I don?t want to discuss them as potential coaches because they still under contracts, I could hire a long-term coach while I wait for them to become free but I think that would do more harm than good.

Q: How?

RF: well there are high profile cases of coaches taking certain players backwards;

Q: Do you think its more difficult to coach someone who has won majors than a player who hasn?t?

RF: I don?t know because I can not see it from the eyes of the coach, you should ask a coach that?but when it comes to taking instructions I like to be told exactly why I should do things, I don?t believe in blind faith

Q: But are you less open to the idea working long-term with a coach?

RF: I don?t have a sentimental attachment to people when its down to work I think if I?m not developing or adding something new from the relationship than I have to break from them. That is the case with most players on the tour slam less or not.

Looking at Annacone's background and temperament, it seems that this could be a good match with fed.

the big problem now for federer is motivation....i dont think this coach or any other coach can handle it

he had to work with Toni its better for hom

I thought that Federer's lack of form was due to his back and leg injuries, and all he had to do was recover from those and he would be back to normal. What he needs is a doctor, not another coach.

They say the first step is admitting that you have a problem. Fed's been in denial since IW so this is a postive move, I guess. As Fed says, the wrong coach could do more harm than good.

I think this could be good for Roger, actually. He's needed a fresh set of eyes for a while now.

Federer says his lack of form is not due to anything other than his injuries to his back and leg, that's why I think he doesn't need a new coach, he needs a doctor. Against Berdy at Wimbledon he said because of his back and leg he couldn't play the way he wanted to play, so as far as he is concerned, it was only because of his injuries that he lost.

Rafa knows when to seek medical attention, and he does.

yawn

Yea Roger!!! Good Luck!! We miss you!! Hope you have a nutritionist on your team Federer!!

good for roger, will make watching him play a little or a lot more interesting...the potential for some great (new) moves and greater confidence is definitely present here/and there/and everywhere in roger... Roger is charging ahead (intelligently) as one would expect a GREAT champion to do. A MASTER is allowing another MASTER (in coaching abilities) to come together, and blend powerfully. Two heads are ultimately better than one in these instances. I am very happy. Roger is doing what is best for tennis, and his tennis. He is giving/opening himself up to his ultimate potential now, and for these ultimate plays, when he needs them the most. He is proving here (in my opinion) that he wants these ultimate plays more than ever. It is time for Roger Federer to LIGHT up AGAIN. C'MON! :)

It's Federer's birthday today. I wish him a happy birthday (albeit I am a fan of his main rival) !

Happy Birthday to Roger Federer!!

The poll results just made me LOL! ... almost 50% are SOLID Fed fans (for obvious reasons),,, 47% are HOPEFUL Fed fans,,, and the remaining are Fed-ups!... Cheers!

........ or put it this way, 50% are non-Rafa fans,,, 47% are STILL non-Rafa fans and the rest are hoping for Del Potro to come back!

I love the poll... amazing result, the result always incorrect.... predicted Rafa never won Madrid, FO, Wimbledon.... see the result.... VAMOS!!

It should be called Suicide Poll :-]]

Annacone was good for Pete until racquet and string technology changed dramatically - net-rushing was a good tactic previously but became less effective as Pete's career drew to a close. I agree with tj600 about Pete's groundstrokes - they were great until he decided he would s and v on both serves; I will never understand why he did that, because on most days in his prime, he could own the best baseliners from the back of the court.

Annacone was great for Pete's longevity in terms of psychological state though; he might be able to give Federer a few ideas here and there. But Federer's real problem is his age - no shame about that. He's still good enough to win a slam with some luck.

Why Mark Rosset is not coming into federer's mind as a coach? His compatriots will be coaching him favourably.

Luck ????????

He can win few slams without any favourable draw??

If he plays well in next two masters , then we will see how he comes up in USO.

i think that coming 1 month will be bery fateful for the roger afterwards career !!

This US open series could give him the confidence that he is lacking if he ables to pull it off as a winner ...but otherwise also very much possible.

mani,

dont you think , this is a great draw for fed to silent his critics(If he wins)...I belive he can still win (If not semis or final is also possible)..But win would be great...