Is Federer even part of the equation anymore?

[Lsmkenpo]

The funny thing is with Djokovic's new physical prowess, it will take a player
who can end points quickly with offense, has good court craft and limits the rhythm of rallies. That means 2 players Federer and Murray. Federer has more offense than Murray so if anyone is going to do it, I think he has the best chance to end Djoker's streak. He just has to go into the match with the right game plan.

[rommil]

Originally Posted by jackson vile

So what you are saying is that the "new" Novak may actually be a great opportunity for Federer? I have to agree with the Nadal aspect, however can Federer beat this Novak?

A one handed backhand moonball with a 90 square inch racket maybe is Novaks kryptonite.

On clay he is irrelevant and will be until retirement. Anyone who thinks he will ever win another French at this point is on crack. On grass, we will see how he performs this year, if it is anything like last year for a second straight year he is also irrelevant there now. On hard courts he is still a contender though, just not the favorite anymore. I could see him winning another hard court slam or two before retirement, or he might well win none. Maybe another Wimbledon at some point depending if he shows his grass court performance last year to be an aberration.

[DRII]

Originally Posted by Fate Archer

That's a very interesting question, I think Federer could actually be one of the most benefitted from Nadal's loss of confidence, aside from Djokovic who's causing all this damage to Nadal.

If he can take advantage of Nadal's phase right now and show that even his old and dominated rivals can beat him in the big stages and on his favorite surfaces (came reasonably close in Madrid), that could make him even more relevant, and would cause even more unprecedent trouble to Nadal's head. Plus, Fed's own confidence would surely gain a boost with a couple wins over this Nadal.

But knowing Fed, I bet he won't take advantage of the current scheme of things, or won't have the nerves to execute well on his matches to profit enough of the situation. The guy at this point doesn't have the head to play two good high quality sets back to back. Well, anyway, hope I'm wrong, and here's hope that he becomes relevant again this season.

Really, Why???

The 'this Nadal' should be quite vulnerable to more players besides Nole! There are some major flaws in his game right now, and yet Nole is the only one taking full advantage, and deservedly so!

Federer shouldn't expect any confidence boosts beating Nadal in his current form, except maybe at the French Open.

Given his age and stage in life; I don't think Federer expects to dominate week in and week out anymore. But, he should expect to be able to win major events on the faster surfaces. The main player he should want to beat to really prove anything is Nole!

[Lsmkenpo]

Once grass and true HC season starts I think we will see more of Annacone's influence on his game. I don't think he has been able to use much all court play because of the surface speeds and high bounce which makes it much easier to hit passes.

[stringertom]

Of course Fed is part of the equation. His losses this year, with the exception of KB and MC, were "winnable". He has had leads in sets that would have closed matches or made the scoreboard even. He simply isn't The Closer anymore and that's fixable. Anybody out there, even in other sports, with that experience could rub off on him if he seeks their help. I nominate Jack Nicklaus or Mariano Rivera. Both have failed on the biggest stages yet came back to dominate another day.

It's all about that very narrow court champions play on...the distance between one's ears!

[kishnabe]

Originally Posted by Rhino

Of course he's not. Nobody outside the world's top 2 have ever won a slam before.

Djokovic 2008 Australian In case you weren't sarcastic!

[tenis1]

Of course not.
Fed had a great career, it is not over yet, but his time on the top is gone.

[BreakPoint]

You mean like Sampras wasn't part of the equation in 2002?

[Fate Archer]

Originally Posted by jackson vile

So what you are saying is that the "new" Novak may actually be a great opportunity for Federer? I have to agree with the Nadal aspect, however can Federer beat this Novak?

It will be very difficult for anyone to beat the current Novak, but Fed still has a chance, however small it is. Fed brings variety and a certain unpredictability to the matchup, it is certainly a different matchup against him. What Novak has on his favor is that even if Fed brings some of his best, Novak can stay on the match and eventually outlast Fed, like he did on their USO 2010 match. Fed nowdays seems to not be able to play at a high level for much time, whereas Novak seemingly can maintain his level for however time he wants. That's what is making Novak play another sport at the moment, IMO.

But it's important to note that the last player to beat Novak was Federer at the WTF. He did it a few months ago when he played spectacular tennis, so we can't rule out that he could surprise us and do it again.

Originally Posted by DRII

Really, Why???

The 'this Nadal' should be quite vulnerable to more players besides Nole! There are some major flaws in his game right now, and yet Nole is the only one taking full advantage, and deservedly so!

Federer shouldn't expect any confidence boosts beating Nadal in his current form, except maybe at the French Open.

Given his age and stage in life; I don't think Federer expects to dominate week in and week out anymore. But, he should expect to be able to win major events on the faster surfaces. The main player he should want to beat to really prove anything is Nole!

It should give him confidence because he, Nadal, was/is the guy that was on his head all those years, not Djokovic. I don't see much or the same kind of hesitation when Fed plays Djokovic, even nowdays. Federer and Nadal have a history, and it's pretty clear with their rivalry who had the psychological advantage.

If he can show the world and most importantly, to himself, that he can still beat his nemesis at this current stage, it goes without saying that it would still do wonders to his confidence.
And it doesn't matter on which phase Nadal is going through. Rafael Nadal is Rafael Nadal after all. Do you honestly think Federer did care if Nadal played a long gruelling semifinal when he beat him at Hamburg 07 or Madrid 09 or even at the WTF last year? Or even better, do you think Nadal would care if Novak played his life out the day before on his semis, had Nadal beat Novak?

Once these guys step on court, all that matters is winning. A win is a win. Apologies, asterisks, or whatever excuses one can come up with are just subjects for some of the forumist losers.

[jackson vile]

Originally Posted by NadalAgassi

On clay he is irrelevant and will be until retirement. Anyone who thinks he will ever win another French at this point is on crack. On grass, we will see how he performs this year, if it is anything like last year for a second straight year he is also irrelevant there now. On hard courts he is still a contender though, just not the favorite anymore. I could see him winning another hard court slam or two before retirement, or he might well win none. Maybe another Wimbledon at some point depending if he shows his grass court performance last year to be an aberration.

I think his chances are best at USO

[stanton warrior]

Originally Posted by Objective Danny

NO!

This time next year Federer, and Mirka, will be on the beach drinking coronas with Marat Safin.

. . . his 45 minutes of fame, thanks to Nadal and the new King, has come to an end.

I never take people with a war-criminal as their avatar seriously, just saying...

[BrooklynNY]

Originally Posted by BreakPoint

You mean like Sampras wasn't part of the equation in 2002?

You know, he did have his own peers predicting he would lose in the next round after he just beat them.

Fed might be able to pull together some magic, but its unlikely.

[GasquetGOAT]

Originally Posted by sureshs

Tennis = Djokovic + Nadal - Federer

Djokovic > Tennis

[Pwned]

Originally Posted by NadalAgassi

On clay he is irrelevant and will be until retirement. Anyone who thinks he will ever win another French at this point is on crack. On grass, we will see how he performs this year, if it is anything like last year for a second straight year he is also irrelevant there now. On hard courts he is still a contender though, just not the favorite anymore. I could see him winning another hard court slam or two before retirement, or he might well win none. Maybe another Wimbledon at some point depending if he shows his grass court performance last year to be an aberration.

Must suck for Nadal to be taken to three sets in his own country by a guy who is irrelevant on the surface.

[8PAQ]

Originally Posted by Objective Danny

NO!

This time next year Federer, and Mirka, will be on the beach drinking coronas with Marat Safin.

. . . his 45 minutes of fame, thanks to Nadal and the new King, has come to an end.

[SirGounder]

It's not like Fed is still in the top 10 or anything.

[8PAQ]

Originally Posted by GasquetGOAT

Djokovic > Tennis

Right because Fed > Nadal therefore The King > Tennis according to sureshs equation.

or

Tennis = Djokovic + Nadal - Federer

Tennis = 2 + 9 - 16 = -5

and 2 > -5 or The King > Tennis

Hmmm, hey sureshs why do you think Tennis = -5?

[BrooklynNY]

Originally Posted by SirGounder

It's not like Fed is still in the top 10 or anything.

yea but we all know that its really like a top 6.. being ranked 7-10 is interchangeable with 11-20.

Ask Verdasco, Ferrer, Tsonga etc..

[All-rounder]

Honestly no he isn't anymore. I just don't believe he will have this sampras US open 2002 type tournament in the future. Like many users on here think. He has a small chance at US open that's it. He can forget about RG completely and soon Wimbledon despite that people seem to think he's somehow favourite to win . There is a very good chance a hot player like Berdych or Soderling can knock him out again and judging by how he's been playing recently I wouldn't be surprised if Federer didn't make second week in either of the slams.