Djokovic - Federer, racket dispute

daddy · Jan 18, 2009

Its not your common dispute. Excuse me if I am doing something someone already wrote, but please if so, mods delete my thread.

We read in local papers that Fed was amased at the decision of Novak to switch racket while he was doing a pretty good job with the old one - Last Masters and Aussie and a couple of Masters title incl one on clay in 2008, he was radualy going up from 05 - 08 in his game and the racket seemed to be apropriate.

Who is with Fed on this one ( disregard the money, we all know its the isse behind the racket change ) - does the allmighty have a point ? I kind of thik he does and I knid of think that if Djoker did not have extencive preparations with his new racket during the last season, the adjustment perod can be very costly for him ... On the other hand Head rackets are good and we al know it, what are the pros and cons of those rackets compared to Djokos Wilson 98 he used before ?

saram · Jan 18, 2009

daddy said:
Its not your common dispute. Excuse me if I am doing something someone already wrote, but please if so, mods delete my thread.

We read in local papers that Fed was amased at the decision of Novak to switch racket while he was doing a pretty good job with the old one - Last Masters and Aussie and a couple of Masters title incl one on clay in 2008, he was radualy going up from 05 - 08 in his game and the racket seemed to be apropriate.

Who is with Fed on this one ( disregard the money, we all know its the isse behind the racket change ) - does the allmighty have a point ? I kind of thik he does and I knid of think that if Djoker did not have extencive preparations with his new racket during the last season, the adjustment perod can be very costly for him ... On the other hand Head rackets are good and we al know it, what are the pros and cons of those rackets compared to Djokos Wilson 98 he used before ?

Only time can hold the verdict here. Considering that none of us have ever had the opportunity to spend time hitting with this stick--no one can really have an opinion.

For all we know, Nole is about to take the court holding the 'holy grail'.

Tiger Woods made serious changes in his game and clubs and everyone questioned that--then he used those new strokes and clubs to win with a stress-fracture.

For me--the verdict is still out. But Novak is about to take the court now--so we'll just have to wait and see.

RCizzle65 · Jan 18, 2009

So did he really switch rackets? Why didn't he just put a painjob on the one he was using before, I mean it was already a Head racket so why switch?

daddy · Jan 18, 2009

saram said:
Only time can hold the verdict here. Considering that none of us have ever had the opportunity to spend time hitting with this stick--no one can really have an opinion.

For all we know, Nole is about to take the court holding the 'holy grail'.

Tiger Woods made serious changes in his game and clubs and everyone questioned that--then he used those new strokes and clubs to win with a stress-fracture.

For me--the verdict is still out. But Novak is about to take the court now--so we'll just have to wait and see.

Yes but mybe some help in general like Head vs Wilson and Djokovic's game suited to which one better ? Maybe some predictions, after all we're here to talk tennis so why not ?

Btw Id like to add that I firmly belive that all those racket companies can make whatever you ask them for so in my mind if he wanted- he could have gotten the same racket he was using with wilson. But there is a psychological question to all of this.

Feel free to contribute, I think its a healthy subject.

Thanks.

daddy · Jan 18, 2009

RCizzle65 said:
So did he really switch rackets? Why didn't he just put a painjob on the one he was using before, I mean it was already a Head racket so why switch?

?? Did not understand ? It was not a head racket it was wilson. He switched for 4.5million euros.

He switched form Wilson he was using for his whole pro career to Head. Head is what he started with when he was a 7 year old kid but .. you know, he really switched them.

Deleted member 25923 · Jan 18, 2009

daddy said:
Its not your common dispute. Excuse me if I am doing something someone already wrote, but please if so, mods delete my thread.

We read in local papers that Fed was amased at the decision of Novak to switch racket while he was doing a pretty good job with the old one - Last Masters and Aussie and a couple of Masters title incl one on clay in 2008, he was radualy going up from 05 - 08 in his game and the racket seemed to be apropriate.

Who is with Fed on this one ( disregard the money, we all know its the isse behind the racket change ) - does the allmighty have a point ? I kind of thik he does and I knid of think that if Djoker did not have extencive preparations with his new racket during the last season, the adjustment perod can be very costly for him ... On the other hand Head rackets are good and we al know it, what are the pros and cons of those rackets compared to Djokos Wilson 98 he used before ?

This coming from Federer is a very interesting statement. Where did you hear it? Could you post a link?

Regardless, the thing that interests me is that we hear commentators and advertising reps saying that Djokovic has a new racquet. Nothing new here. But when another player, such as Federer, mentions it, it seems to hold much more water. Players have nothing to really gain from mentioning that another player has switched racquets. Same goes for commentators, but it's not as convincing.

That said, it's very surprising that Djoker really would change his racquet. Does anyone know if Ljubicic really switched frames, not just paint jobs? I was under the impression that he [Djoker] switched paintjobs, but now it seems that he actually switched frames.

So, if he really switched frames, he needs to either pick the game up and prove that it's not the racquet, or it will show that he tinkered with a winning formula. As of now, it seems to have been a bad move.

Ronaldo · Jan 18, 2009

Did not Safin switch from Head to Dunlop with similar results? A parking lot full of broken frames?

saram · Jan 18, 2009

daddy said:
Yes but mybe some help in general like Head vs Wilson and Djokovic's game suited to which one better ? Maybe some predictions, after all we're here to talk tennis so why not ?

Btw Id like to add that I firmly belive that all those racket companies can make whatever you ask them for so in my mind if he wanted- he could have gotten the same racket he was using with wilson. But there is a psychological question to all of this.

Feel free to contribute, I think its a healthy subject.

Thanks.

I agree that it is a healthy subject/topic.

Whatever 'version' of the KBlade that Nole was using was sure working for him. Personally, I would not have changed as I am sure Wilson was funding him quite heavily.

But you know, only Nole and Wilson know their relationship and how Wilson was treating him. He may not have felt that they were going to be a good working partnership in the distant future.

I am watching Nole and Stoppini now--and in the fourth game of the first set--it sure looked like Nole was getting into a groove with the new stick off both wings and serves...

This should be interesting to watch...and discuss.

Deleted member 25923 · Jan 18, 2009

Ronaldo said:
Did not Safin switch from Head to Dunlop with similar results? A parking lot full of broken frames?

And now he's back with Head. Maybe Djoker will do the same.

KRFLegal · Jan 18, 2009

I haven't been following tennis news for a while, so I just heard about this now on TV (Aussie Open - ESPN).

Since manufacturers will make any racquet to spec for top players, do we know if anything other than the manufacturer (Head now instead of Wilson) actually changed about the racquet ?

Is there a different weight, head size, string pattern, etc. ??? That's what we would be comparing I suppose.

Change is often beneficial psychologically; getting rid of the old and in with the new to launch a new year. Having another quality that is different than Federer

Probably nothing negative unless the racquet is really different and requires getting used to it.

Ronaldo · Jan 18, 2009

KRFLegal said:
I haven't been following tennis news for a while, so I just heard about this now on TV (Aussie Open - ESPN).

Since manufacturers will make any racquet to spec for top players, do we know if anything other than the manufacturer (Head now instead of Wilson) actually changed about the racquet ?

Is there a different weight, head size, string pattern, etc. ??? That's what we would be comparing I suppose.

Change is often beneficial psychologically; getting rid of the old and in with the new to launch a new year. Having another quality that is different than Federer

Probably nothing negative unless the racquet is really different and requires getting used to it.

93 to 98 inches, get used to it?

David L · Jan 18, 2009

daddy said:
Its not your common dispute. Excuse me if I am doing something someone already wrote, but please if so, mods delete my thread.

We read in local papers that Fed was amased at the decision of Novak to switch racket while he was doing a pretty good job with the old one - Last Masters and Aussie and a couple of Masters title incl one on clay in 2008, he was radualy going up from 05 - 08 in his game and the racket seemed to be apropriate.

Who is with Fed on this one ( disregard the money, we all know its the isse behind the racket change ) - does the allmighty have a point ? I kind of thik he does and I knid of think that if Djoker did not have extencive preparations with his new racket during the last season, the adjustment perod can be very costly for him ... On the other hand Head rackets are good and we al know it, what are the pros and cons of those rackets compared to Djokos Wilson 98 he used before ?

Firstly, there was no dispute. Federer was simply asked in a press conference about Novak's racket complaints and responded. This is all he had to say on the issue. The media are just spinning it as a dispute.

AAMI CLASSIC

Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club

Thursday, 15 January 2009

ROGER FEDERER

Q. Roger, Novak has put together a couple of good results now

in Sydney but he says he's still struggling with his

racquet as he goes in as defending champion. How much

harder is it to defend a major title?

A. Yes. I mean it's tough because there's always a factor

with the weather, how do you play, day form, you know,

other contenders, the pressure, now a new racquet. I'm

quite surprised he made a switch like this in the best

phase of his career, you know. He can for sure play good

tennis, but I think when it comes down to the crunch you

just have that bit of a doubt maybe, you know, because you

are not quite that comfortable with that racquet. But

we'll see what happens. It's going to be a big test for

him.

http://www.aamiclassic.com.au/Media

Secondly, Djokovic has said the racket is practically the same as the Wilson he was using before, so it's not as if the racket plays differently. It's more of a mental issue.

MEDIBANK INTERNATIONAL

January 14, 2009

Q. How long were you able to practice with it before?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Couple weeks. Not really much. I been -- it's a hard, very hard thing to do. Probably the most difficult decision in tennis, switching the racquet when things are going good and with the way I finished the season.
Then I decided even before that to change the racquet, so I was testing for a couple months here and there. But Head and Wilson are the two biggest companies in the sport, and they have some differences. They try to make the racquet as best as possible, you know, to my wishes.
They did a good job. They're really trying. So even though the racquet is the same practically, it takes time mentally to be able to get used to something new.

http://www.asapsports.com/show_interview.php?id=53761

Feña14 · Jan 18, 2009

I like Djokovic but you have to question why he did it. He had a great 2008, winning his first major along the way. The racket is like an extension of their arm, would you really want to be messing around with it when you're at the top of the game?

I can't imagine you'd see Murray, Federer or Nadal entertaining the thought of switching.

daddy · Jan 18, 2009

Mansewerz said:
This coming from Federer is a very interesting statement. Where did you hear it? Could you post a link?

Regardless, the thing that interests me is that we hear commentators and advertising reps saying that Djokovic has a new racquet. Nothing new here. But when another player, such as Federer, mentions it, it seems to hold much more water. Players have nothing to really gain from mentioning that another player has switched racquets. Same goes for commentators, but it's not as convincing.

That said, it's very surprising that Djoker really would change his racquet. Does anyone know if Ljubicic really switched frames, not just paint jobs? I was under the impression that he [Djoker] switched paintjobs, but now it seems that he actually switched frames.

So, if he really switched frames, he needs to either pick the game up and prove that it's not the racquet, or it will show that he tinkered with a winning formula. As of now, it seems to have been a bad move.

Ljubicic being a friend of Djokovic influenced the racket change much. He was a key factor in that decision Novak made, thats for one. As for two, he really got a new racket, new frame, not a new PJ.

And exactly,when Fed says something about something, his knowledge comes in, it holds much more water for me if he says it that if some newspaper guy writes somewhere. Link is available but its in serbian,more or less everything spoken at that conference about the racket change was what I wrote here so nothing much to add ..

Deleted member 25923 · Jan 18, 2009

daddy said:
Ljubicic being a friend of Djokovic influenced the racket change much. He was a key factor in that decision Novak made, thats for one. As for two, he really got a new racket, new frame, not a new PJ.

And exactly,when Fed says something about something, his knowledge comes in, it holds much more water for me if he says it that if some newspaper guy writes somewhere. Link is available but its in serbian,more or less everything spoken at that conference about the racket change was what I wrote here so nothing much to add ..

That's understandable. And when you say "he", you meant Ljubicic really got a new frame, right?

daddy · Jan 18, 2009

David L said:
Firstly, there was no dispute. Federer was simply asked in a press conference about Novak's racket complaints and responded. This is all he had to say on the issue. The media are just spinning it as a dispute.

Secondly, Djokovic has said the racket is practically the same as the Wilson he was using before, so it's not as if the racket plays differently. It's more of a mental issue.

David, you know Im not an English speaker, naturaly I may have used a wrong term to say what I wanted to emphesize but you got the point so do not pick on the details. I am not criticizing Fed for saying that,I was even happy he said that, shows that he is still much in the game and following what his main competitors are doing with their tennis.
So change the dispute word into comment when asked about and we solved that one.

As for the Head being as simmilar to his previous Wilson, I said it somewhere up there, I am sure that all the racket manufacturers can make whatever you ask them to, but if Fed says it was a wrong time in his career,maybe there is something about that which is correct.

Time will give the answer to this of course, but we are allowed to chat and express our feelings and opinions about this regardless of the timing. I know it is still early for any evaluation, but its never early for some predictions ...

daddy · Jan 18, 2009

Mansewerz said:
That's understandable. And when you say "he", you meant Ljubicic really got a new frame, right?

Djokovic got a new frame, that's what I am sure about, we have a discussion at his club where some people closely related to him confirmed it is a new frame. As for ljubo, nearing the end of his career, I am not really sure if he also got a brand new frame or just change the PJ.

Deleted member 25923 · Jan 18, 2009

daddy said:
Djokovic got a new frame, that's what I am sure about, we have a discussion at his club where some people closely related to him confirmed it is a new frame. As for ljubo, nearing the end of his career, I am not really sure if he also got a brand new frame or just change the PJ.

Oh I see. Either way, I have to agree with this you that the change was very strange. We'll have to see how 2009 goes.

daddy · Jan 18, 2009

Feña14 said:
I like Djokovic but you have to question why he did it. He had a great 2008, winning his first major along the way. The racket is like an extension of their arm, would you really want to be messing around with it when you're at the top of the game?

I can't imagine you'd see Murray, Federer or Nadal entertaining the thought of switching.

Federer has been pressed by the fans and media, but who knows better than him correct ? Murray, no surely, he will stick with what brought him up to the top. Rafas racket which I played with i specialy designed for cutting air and those insane slices, so yes, I do not believe he is eaither going to change anytime soon nles babolat invents something out of this world.

But for Djokovic,I was surprised myself, given that he had two good seasons. But if the Head is a copycat of his previous one he is eligable to switch for a bit of cash. But different racket is different racket, thats why Fed mentioned it at all, and as I said I think he may have a valid point.

Btw Djokovic walked the first set, but is beggining to lose grip on the match now. I am sure he'll come back as its 200+ player he is playing against, but what wil happen when he faces Roddick, Muray or Rafa ? Or Roger ?

KRFLegal · Jan 18, 2009

Ronaldo said:
93 to 98 inches, get used to it?

That seems like a big difference that would play differently and take time to get used to, especially at the high levels these guys play at. But someone has just posted Novak saying it is practically the same, so maybe not!

Anyway, I think going to the bigger racquet is to lessen the probability of a mis-hit when trying to put huge spin on the ball while swinging insanely fast. (Tennis.com had an article last year about why Federer should move up in size to reduce his errors.)

If he changed the specs then he had to have some reasoning related to his game.

David L · Jan 18, 2009

daddy said:
David, you know Im not an English speaker, naturaly I may have used a wrong term to say what I wanted to emphesize but you got the point so do not pick on the details. I am not criticizing Fed for saying that,I was even happy he said that, shows that he is still much in the game and following what his main competitors are doing with their tennis.
So change the dispute word into comment when asked about and we solved that one.

As for the Head being as simmilar to his previous Wilson, I said it somewhere up there, I am sure that all the racket manufacturers can make whatever you ask them to, but if Fed says it was a wrong time in his career,maybe there is something about that which is correct.

Time will give the answer to this of course, but we are allowed to chat and express our feelings and opinions about this regardless of the timing. I know it is still early for any evaluation, but its never early for some predictions ...

I don't want to nit-pick, but I think it's good to be accurate.

On this note, Federer was informed of the change, he was not following what Djokovic was doing. When told and asked to respond to Djokovic's change, he did not say it was the wrong thing to do or the wrong time. He said he was surprised that Djokovic or any player would make a change when their career was going so well. Federer himself changed his racket in 2002 from an 85 head to a 90 and players like Davydenko change their racket every week, so I don't think it is a huge issue if you have a stick that more or less plays the same way. If Djokovic was using a completely different set-up, then yes, it might be an issue, but that's not the case here.

saram · Jan 18, 2009

This brings to mind why we are not questioning the switch by Monfils. Novak says his stick plays about the same.

Monfils went from a 93" Prestige to a Prince with ports...that is a HUGE change, I'm sure.

Ronaldo · Jan 18, 2009

KRFLegal said:
That seems like a big difference that would play differently and take time to get used to, especially at the high levels these guys play at. But someone has just posted Novak saying it is practically the same, so maybe not!

Anyway, I think going to the bigger racquet is to lessen the probability of a mis-hit when trying to put huge spin on the ball while swinging insanely fast. (Tennis.com had an article last year about why Federer should move up in size to reduce his errors.)

If he changed the specs then he had to have some reasoning related to his game.

Use both the RDX 500 mid(90") and Midplus(98") and the firmness difference is noticeable to a turnip. So much more power with the larger head.

Ronaldo · Jan 18, 2009

saram said:
This brings to mind why we are not questioning the switch by Monfils. Novak says his stick plays about the same.

Monfils went from a 93" Prestige to a Prince with ports...that is a HUGE change, I'm sure.

Which Prince?

daddy · Jan 18, 2009

Ronaldo said:
93 to 98 inches, get used to it?

I think Novak uses 98 still ? I mean I know but where did you get the info,no one is always correct,Imay have made a mistake ?

tnx

daddy · Jan 18, 2009

David L said:
I don't want to nit-pick, but I think it's good to be accurate.

On this note, Federer was informed of the change, he was not following what Djokovic was doing. When told and asked to respond to Djokovic's change, he did not say it was the wrong thing to do or the wrong time. He said he was surprised that Djokovic or any player would make a change when their career was going so well. Federer himself changed his racket in 2002 from an 85 head to a 90 and players like Davydenko change their racket every week, so I don't think it is a huge issue if you have a stick that more or less plays the same way. If Djokovic was using a completely different set-up, then yes, it might be an issue, but that's not the case here.

First bold refers to the wrong time. He did not use those exact words but you can draw a conclusion, I know your inteligence is more than enough to know that he was implying that it was the wrong time.

The other bold part refers to the set up. If its the same set up, why would Federer comment on it at all. He would have just said - he is using the same racket just from a different manufacturers and with all the technology these days, it may as well be treated as the same racket with a different name, no ?

saram · Jan 18, 2009

Ronaldo said:
Which Prince?

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/descpageRCPRINCE-PXOR.html

Benefactor · Jan 18, 2009

saram said:
Only time can hold the verdict here. Considering that none of us have ever had the opportunity to spend time hitting with this stick--no one can really have an opinion.

For all we know, Nole is about to take the court holding the 'holy grail'.

Tiger Woods made serious changes in his game and clubs and everyone questioned that--then he used those new strokes and clubs to win with a stress-fracture.

For me--the verdict is still out. But Novak is about to take the court now--so we'll just have to wait and see.

Tiger didn't switch either his swing or his clubs any time soon prior to the US Open last year. And for what it's worth, every time he switched his swing, he had setbacks for a while afterward while he finally got it under control. In any case, his swing is what caused the stress fracture and knee problems. He swings too damn hard.

Benefactor · Jan 18, 2009

Also, wasn't Djokovic's Wilson racquet just a knock off of what he had used with Head before? So basically he's just going back to the original manufacturer of what he used in 2008. Doesn't seem like a big change to me.

tennis_hand · Jan 18, 2009

monfiles used the new racket to beat Nadal.

Djokovic switched from 93 to 98? was it really 93 he used?

David L · Jan 18, 2009

daddy said:
First bold refers to the wrong time. He did not use those exact words but you can draw a conclusion, I know your inteligence is more than enough to know that he was implying that it was the wrong time.

The other bold part refers to the set up. If its the same set up, why would Federer comment on it at all. He would have just said - he is using the same racket just from a different manufacturers and with all the technology these days, it may as well be treated as the same racket with a different name, no ?

If Federer is in a press conference and he is asked about Djokovic's racket, he is going to say something relevant to the question. If they had asked him about Djokovic's preferred brand of hair gel, you would have got a comment about Djokovic's hair gel. He didn't call the press conference himself and announce he wanted to discuss Djokovic's racket, he just gave a general type of answer off the top of his head to a specific question. It took all of 5 seconds and did not exhibit or require great insight on his part. Anyone else could have given the same response. Although he probably heard from Wilson Djokovic was going to Head, I'm sure he doesn't even know whether the new racket is a paint job, the same mould, a new mould, "practically the same", as Djokovic says, or something else. He was just told Djokovic was complaining about his change of racket and asked whether he felt it would affect Djokovic's ability to defend the Australian Open. Maybe he took the question to mean it was a completely different racket and that's why he said he was surprised. Ultimately, he said let's wait and see, nothing about it being a bad decision. How could he possibly know before we have seen the results? If Djokovic went on to win the Grand Slam this year, then Federer would say it was a great decision. I wouldn't read too much into his comments. I know he's Federer and everyone hangs on his every word, but not everything that comes out of his mouth is going to have major value or significance. He's just a normal human being with basic common sense, who can speculate like the rest of us.

daddy · Jan 18, 2009

David L said:
If Federer is in a press conference and he is asked about Djokovic's racket, he is going to say something relevant to the question. If they had asked him about Djokovic's preferred brand of hair gel, you would have got a comment about Djokovic's hair gel. He didn't call the press conference himself and announce he wanted to discuss Djokovic's racket, he just gave a general type of answer off the top of his head to a specific question. It took all of 5 seconds and did not exhibit or require great insight on his part. Anyone else could have given the same response. Although he probably heard from Wilson Djokovic was going to Head, I'm sure he doesn't even know whether the new racket is a paint job, the same mould, a new mould, "practically the same", as Djokovic says, or something else. He was just told Djokovic was complaining about his change of racket and asked whether he felt it would affect Djokovic's ability to defend the Australian Open. Maybe he took the question to mean it was a completely different racket and that's why he said he was surprised. Ultimately, he said let's wait and see, nothing about it being a bad decision. How could he possibly know before we have seen the results? If Djokovic went on to win the Grand Slam this year, then Federer would say it was a great decision. I wouldn't read too much into his comments. I know he's Federer and everyone hangs on his every word, but not everything that comes out of his mouth is going to have major value or significance. He's just a normal human being with basic common sense, who can speculate like the rest of us.

I agree with most part of this except that if you are Federer and ask something about other players ( top 3 player ) equipment, your reply will be serious and your word have merit as you're already one of the legends of the sport at 27. You seem to diminish what Federer said like that was a reply which was forced upon him, but knowing Federer he would usually say, Iam not that particulary interested in other people's equipment.

This time though he gave a precise answer to what he was asked about and gave the reasons to back up his opinion. So why deminish his words now when for most of the times his words are like unwitten laws in the game of tennis.

I do not think it was a kind of a 'lets say something to this rrelevant question' reply to what he was asked for, he simply presented his point of view. But you being such a hard guy to persuade in anything not coming out of your mouth,Il just stop here and go with you, yes Fed is not interesting in anything else in tennis other than himself, his training and his equipment ( which is a logical conclusion based on what you wrote ).

Nevemind, think what you want, he gave a legit reply and I think he has a point here, or at least to some extent. And I doubt he is so not interested in other players and whatever it is they are doing, as if that was the case he would have never reached the heights he did.

I suggest we stop here as we disagree and this could go on and on without any of us changing out initial opinions.

Kay ?

saram · Jan 18, 2009

Benefactor said:
Tiger didn't switch either his swing or his clubs any time soon prior to the US Open last year. And for what it's worth, every time he switched his swing, he had setbacks for a while afterward while he finally got it under control. In any case, his swing is what caused the stress fracture and knee problems. He swings too damn hard.

My point in the whole thing was that Tiger switched both (at different times) when his successes were totally insane and dominant. That is the point I was making.

bolo · Jan 18, 2009

daddy said:
I agree with most part of this except that if you are Federer and ask something about other players ( top 3 player ) equipment, your reply will be serious and your word have merit as you're already one of the legends of the sport at 27. You seem to diminish what Federer said like that was a reply which was forced upon him, but knowing Federer he would usually say, Iam not that particulary interested in other people's equipment.

This time though he gave a precise answer to what he was asked about and gave the reasons to back up his opinion. So why deminish his words now when for most of the times his words are like unwitten laws in the game of tennis.

I do not think it was a kind of a 'lets say something to this rrelevant question' reply to what he was asked for, he simply presented his point of view. But you being such a hard guy to persuade in anything not coming out of your mouth,Il just stop here and go with you, yes Fed is not interesting in anything else in tennis other than himself, his training and his equipment ( which is a logical conclusion based on what you wrote ).

Nevemind, think what you want, he gave a legit reply and I think he has a point here, or at least to some extent. And I doubt he is so not interested in other players and whatever it is they are doing, as if that was the case he would have never reached the heights he did.

I suggest we stop here as we disagree and this could go on and on without any of us changing out initial opinions. Kay ?

Knowing federer, federer will try and answer every single question that is asked by the press.

David L · Jan 18, 2009

daddy said:
I agree with most part of this except that if you are Federer and ask something about other players ( top 3 player ) equipment, your reply will be serious and your word have merit as you're already one of the legends of the sport at 27. You seem to diminish what Federer said like that was a reply which was forced upon him, but knowing Federer he would usually say, Iam not that particulary interested in other people's equipment.

This time though he gave a precise answer to what he was asked about and gave the reasons to back up his opinion. So why deminish his words now when for most of the times his words are like unwitten laws in the game of tennis.

I do not think it was a kind of a 'lets say something to this rrelevant question' reply to what he was asked for, he simply presented his point of view. But you being such a hard guy to persuade in anything not coming out of your mouth,Il just stop here and go with you, yes Fed is not interesting in anything else in tennis other than himself, his training and his equipment ( which is a logical conclusion based on what you wrote ).

Nevemind, think what you want, he gave a legit reply and I think he has a point here, or at least to some extent. And I doubt he is so not interested in other players and whatever it is they are doing, as if that was the case he would have never reached the heights he did.

I suggest we stop here as we disagree and this could go on and on without any of us changing out initial opinions. Kay ?

Don't take offence, it just amuses me how people can invest so much in the depth of comments from prominent figures. I think what Federer said could have come out of the mouth of any other professional player. It was just a basic speculative answer saying it can be a risk to change rackets, if that is indeed what has happened, not that he would necessarily know this. Players answer 1000s of questions in press conferences over their careers and papers have to write about something. These comments from Federer are so ordinary and nondescript, I don't think they provide any great insight on the matter. Naturally, he'll try to do his best to say something that sounds half-intelligent if the question is not stupid. He's obviously not going to say he's not interested in answering the question, that's what he is there for, to answer questions, but I wouldn't read too much into things players say off the top of their heads in the spare of the moment, unless they specifically emphasize what they want to say and go into depth. This did not happen here.

daddy · Jan 18, 2009

David L said:
Don't take offence, it just amuses me how people can invest so much in the depth of comments from prominent figures. I think what Federer said could have come out of the mouth of any other professional player. It was just a basic speculative answer saying it can be a risk to change rackets, if that is indeed what has happened, not that he would necessarily know this. Players answer 1000s of questions in press conferences over their careers and papers have to write about something. These comments from Federer are so ordinary and nondescript, I don't think they provide any great insight on the matter. Naturally, he'll try to do his best to say something that sounds half-intelligent if the question is not stupid. He's obviously not going to say he's not interested in answering the question, that's what he is there for, to answer questions, but I wouldn't read too much into things players say off the top of their heads in the spare of the moment, unless they specifically emphasize what they want to say and go into depth. This did not happen here.

Non taken mate,I just said we can not resolve this as our opinions are as far for one anothr as they can be so we may as well stop waisting time and post in some other constructive topics ..

daddy · Jan 18, 2009

bolo said:
Knowing federer, federer will try and answer every single question that is asked by the press.

He had some cases where he was just so amased or stunned with the stupidity of the questions asked that he almost gave a lesson to the journalist asking the question ( like 'that is none of my business' , or how should I know that' , or I am concentrating on myself not on other peoples games and equipment etc ... ).

It would not be the first time for him to leave the press with no answer at all when he is asked about something.

David L · Jan 18, 2009

daddy said:
Non taken mate,I just said we can not resolve this as our opinions are as far for one anothr as they can be so we may as well stop waisting time and post in some other constructive topics ..

Okay, no problem.

David L · Jan 18, 2009

daddy said:
He had some cases where he was just so amased or stunned with the stupidity of the questions asked that he almost gave a lesson to the journalist asking the question ( like 'that is none of my business' , or how should I know that' , or I am concentrating on myself not on other peoples games and equipment etc ... ).

It would not be the first time for him to leave the press with no answer at all when he is asked about something.

Sorry to interrupt again, but in the press conferences I have read, Federer almost never responds like this. If the question is stupid or unpalatable in some way, then maybe he won't answer it, like when he was asked last year if it was better for him to retire like Justine Henin, but he is usually always willing to respond to any reasonable, non-stupid question. The Djokovic racket question was not unreasonable or stupid.

daddy · Jan 18, 2009

David L said:
Sorry to interrupt again, but in the press conferences I have read, Federer almost never responds like this. If the question is stupid or unpalatable in some way, then maybe he won't answer it, like when he was asked last year if it was better for him to retire like Justine Henin, but he is usually always willing to respond to any reasonable, non-stupid question. The Djokovic racket question was not unreasonable or stupid.

He had his outbursts over the years but Im not going to look for them now .. Granted mostly when questions were stupid like size of his frame or losing his rhythm or when is he going to stat losing the invincibility if he had not done it already etc. This is only lately, do not make me pull ut the thinks he did back in 00 - 04 period ..

David L · Jan 18, 2009

daddy said:
He had his outbursts over the years but Im not going to look for them now .. Granted mostly when questions were stupid like size of his frame or losing his rhythm or when is he going to stat losing the invincibility if he had not done it already etc. This is only lately, do not make me pull ut the thinks he did back in 00 - 04 period ..

I'd actually be interested to see some of these comments, but I doubt the questions they are in response to would have much in common with a harmless but interesting question about defending a title with a new racket.

wangs78 · Jan 18, 2009

daddy said:
And exactly,when Fed says something about something, his knowledge comes in, it holds much more water for me if he says it that if some newspaper guy writes somewhere. Link is available but its in serbian,more or less everything spoken at that conference about the racket change was what I wrote here so nothing much to add ..

You have to realize that Roger, by making this statement, is tacitly admitting that he's been using the same racquet for the last 5 years minimum. The switch from ncode to kfactor was a piece of hogwash.

dennis10is · Jan 19, 2009

wangs78 said:
You have to realize that Roger, by making this statement, is tacitly admitting that he's been using the same racquet for the last 5 years minimum. The switch from ncode to kfactor was a piece of hogwash.

I think people know that

That's why nobody talk about him "switching" racket when he was on top.

Djokovic is actually switching racket.

Satch · Jan 19, 2009

Djokovic is very talented player he will get used to it in a couple of matches, i think that he made a good decidion...

Also Head can always make him the same racquet he used with wilson, they all produce racquets the same way now, same machines ect.

And yeah look how Andy Murray is good with head, head management did a great job by getting these two young masters of tennis to them.

SmAsH999 · Jan 19, 2009

the game makes the player...but the racket is definitely a factor.

slice bh compliment · Jan 19, 2009

Maybe I feel this beacuse my teaching pro/pro shop buds just showed me the 2009 Wilson catalog with Nole and Roger gracing the cover.....but this has got to be a blow to the Wilson ego, and Roger is just calling attention to it, being a loyal Wilson man....and speaking honestly about the racquet change at a crucial time in a guy's season (career).

I have no factual basis for this, but, I am betting HEAD is willing to pay Nole more than Wilson. Wilson's got Rog and the Williamses. That's huge, in terms of Q rating. Nole is probably HEAD's top dog, along with Murray.

Strictly opinion here, but....I've got a hunch Nole's ego played into the change...not just Euros.

On the coaching side, it is pretty silly to change frame styles/specs at this juncture, but, I bet Nole wanted to take a gamble on a more powerful stick, one that'll help him step up the power...since he plays such a straightforward kind of game.....less nuanced than that of Murray and Federer. He probably would not fall in love with something as different for him as Rafa's stick, so he's just barely inched over in that direction with this particular HEAD. I say this because it seems just a little wider beamed in the head.

All in all, I do not see this as some radical, extreme change. More in the head, really. We'll see in the long term.

For now, I'm rooting for Murray, Rafa and Roger....and someone else to come out of Nole's quarter. Maybe Roddick? Or maybe it's time for someone completely different (as is tradition at the Oz Open).

rosenstar · Jan 19, 2009

It's all about money... The frame isn't that big of a deal. As long as it's stable the players will get similar results. Onbig points, a player using a new frame may have some doubt in himself, but that's only until he adjust to the frame. IMHO the strings and grip are much more important that the frame.

As far as feds comments, thats self explanitory,he's a wilson player and is promoting the company as he is payed to do.

RCizzle65 · Jan 19, 2009

daddy said:
?? Did not understand ? It was not a head racket it was wilson. He switched for 4.5million euros.

He switched form Wilson he was using for his whole pro career to Head. Head is what he started with when he was a 7 year old kid but .. you know, he really switched them.

No, his K Blade was a paint job of a Head racket, he did not switch to a K Blade, so I am just wondering why he didn't just still use the same racket, unless it really is just a paint job and we are all blowing this out of proportion

bolo · Jan 19, 2009

It's probably just novak's way of deflecting attention from his 1st round loss.

why did you lose to gulbis novak? uh uh uh......it was racquet....yeah that's it!

CocaCola · Jan 19, 2009

He wanted other people to think that he has a racquet switch problem but he is not having it, trust me. He's gona show a fantastic form when he reach the 1/4 final at AO.

Djokovic - Federer, racket dispute

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