But in all seriousness, Federer's draw isn't as awful as some make it out. If he's playing well enough to win a slam, he'll win whether he faces Davydenko in the second round or not. If he's playing well enough to beat Murray and Djokovic back-to-back, it doesn't matter who he faces beforehand.
Plus, there's a very large possibility that the draw doesn't pan out the way it looks like it will on paper.
For some reason, I get the feeling that this tournament might have a few more suprprises than the recent men's GSs. Not saying a usual suspect won't eventually win it. But I will predict that only one of the top 3 seeds makes it to the semis.
That would be refreshing! Personally, I'd love to see a Del Potro-Tsonga semifinal. They're my two favorite players after Federer, but he's won plenty of stuff anyway.
I agree, he's still very likely to make the SF. The only question mark is how quickly his playing level will be up to par, given he hasn't played any warmup tournaments.
By the way, does anyone know why Nalbandian isn't playing?
I see the Fedards are crying as usual when it comes to the draws.
D'you even know what a draw means? A draw is NOT, I repeat, NOT who you face in the finals but who you're slated to face before then. Facing a certain player in FINALS is all about how the other half plays out ( and btw, many of those so-called non-top 4 guys [ since when did THAT become a standard?] beat the top 4 guys, including your favourite to reach those finals]. It has NOTHING to do with the draw per se.And they have no business whining about draws either. Look at those stats:
Fed: # of finals without having to play a top 4: 57
- not playing a top 30: 5
- a top 20: 8
- a top 10: 11
- a top 8: 6
- a top 5: 20 (lol)
- a top 4: 7
Djoko: # of finals without having to play a top 4: 19
- a top 30: 5
- a top 20: 3
- a top 10: 4
- a top 8: 2
- a top 5: 4
- a top 4: 1
# of slam finals without having to play a top 4:
Fed: 7
Djoko: 0
# of master finals without having to play a top 4:
Fed: 13
Djoko: 3
# of finals without playing a top 4 per year:
Fed: 2000: 2 out of 2
2001: 3 out of 3
2002: 4 out of 5
2003: 7 out of 9
2004: 5 out of 11
2005: 9 out of 12
2006: 8 out of 16
2007: 5 out of 12
2008: 2 out of 8
2009: 2 out of 7
2010: 3 out of 9
2011: 3 out of 6
2012: 4 out of 10
Djoko:
2006: 3 out of 3
2007: 3 out of 7
2008: 3 out of 7
2009: 4 out of 10
2010: 2 out of 4
2011: 2 out of 11
2012: 2 out of 11
How can they complain about draws after reading those stats
Look how much tougher the competition was in 2011/2012 compared to Fed's prime years (until 2006) when he reached the majority of his finals without having to play a top 4 or a top 5 along the way (opponent in final included).
I like Murray's draw, the harder the better for him. He thrives on that. He has Federer's number now so I don't see that a problem if he faces Federer in the semis. Del Potro may be his biggest challenge. Hasse may also test him if he starts sluggishly, which he can do. Alternativey, he could come out on fire and lose only a handful of games in the first few rounds.
Federer's draw is the most difficult and I can easily see him falling before the semis. Tomic or Raonic may beat him. I can even see Tsonga getting the better of him.
Djokovic's draw seems to be the easiest. Ferrer will scurry around as usual but be beaten comprehensively. The problem for Djokovic is that he won't be thoroughly tested by the final, which may make the difference between him winning and losing this.
Would Murray get the N. 1 ranking if he was to win the AO?
Would Murray get the N. 1 ranking if he was to win the AO?
D'you even know what a draw means? A draw is NOT, I repeat, NOT who you face in the finals but who you're slated to face before then. Facing a certain player in FINALS is all about how the other half plays out ( and btw, many of those so-called non-top 4 guys [ since when did THAT become a standard?] beat the top 4 guys, including your favourite to reach those finals]. It has NOTHING to do with the draw per se.
# of master finals without having to play a top 4:
Fed: 13
Djoko: 3
tipsarevic-hewitt monday night down under...very interesting, the way hewitt's playing and talking...massive pressure on tipsy here
tipsarevic-hewitt monday night down under...very interesting, the way hewitt's playing and talking...massive pressure on tipsy here
I am on east coast usa usa usa time so this can be a tough tourney to watch but Tsongar Llodra matchup intrigues me.
I see your point but to me the top 4 or 5 players are the hardest to beat, so a player definitely gets a break when he has none of them to overcome for a win (that's why some players win 250 events but cannot win a slam or a master, they just can't bring the goods vs the top guys. )
Last year Tomic was actually quoted as having Fed as his idol. I'm sure he greatly respects Roger.Tomic, on his potential meeting with Federer in the third round, started thusly: "If he gets that far..."
"I had goosebumps after. I feel like I'm unstoppable right now."
"When you know that no one can beat you, not even the No. 1, you got a good feeling."
Federer on Tomic (earlier today): "He will be making a mistake about thinking about me in the third round because he also has to get there."
Taken from Twitter. Oooh...
Last year Tomic was actually quoted as having Fed as his idol. I'm sure he greatly respects Roger.
Hey guys this is me from 2050, I just got a time machine and wanted to spoil the results for tmr.
Sharapova wins 6-2 6-0
Mathieu def. Djokovic 6-3 6-4 5-7 1-6 9-7
8)
Tomic, on his potential meeting with Federer in the third round, started thusly: "If he gets that far..."
"I had goosebumps after. I feel like I'm unstoppable right now."
"When you know that no one can beat you, not even the No. 1, you got a good feeling."
Federer on Tomic (earlier today): "He will be making a mistake about thinking about me in the third round because he also has to get there."
Taken from Twitter. Oooh...
BOLD prediction here: Federer will lose in the 2nd round to Davydenko, thus marking the first time since the 2004 French Open that he has not advanced to the quarterfinals at a Slam.
Not a chance. Davy has a couple courts he loves, but just because he won Doha does not make him close to beating Federer.