We all know Federer was better than this, he set the bar so high that we expect almost too much of him. People need to start understanding that it's just because the all around crop of players has improved but because that Federer is unable to consistently use his tools like before. He use to handle pace as if it was nothing, he would take many balls on the rise. Remember how he was just returning Safins strongest shots as if they were child's play. The main reason Federer is getting beaten by others now is because he has lost that ability and he's being more passive in order to preserve his body longer. I really can't believe Federer has gotten that slow when barely a year and a half ago he was gliding at the AO 2010 and looking near invincible. He's being more passive in his play because he's trying to care of his body because he knows he is going to become more injury prone.
Did anybody see how fast he was on Monday, was this the Federer you saw in Cincy and Montreal. I think not. Yes he made a ton of errors, but he was moving really well and ripping the ball better than I expected.
I remember how people kept starting threads about how Federer has lost so much speed, and according to some he has also lost "firepower" on his shots. He has gotten a bit slower, but not that much. He still has enough firepower to give even the big hitters a lot of trouble. The problem however was that his average rally shot has become somewhat weaker. If you look back at his peak form it looked as if he was constantly ripping the ball on most of his strokes and on such a consistent basis it was scary. However since the AO 2010 all I've seen is hitting with more topspin and not flattening out the shot when he has the chance. It's only during the second half of 2010 till this beginning of 2011 that he started applying some of his old playing style.
Federer's recent failures aren't because he has stuck to his old ways, it's because he abandoned them. Good to see him return to his old ways, I believe it's the right approach.
