Federer needs to scrap that new racket - it has helped him ZERO

Federer20042006 · Jul 6, 2014

People who think it helped parts of his game have such short memory. He was in a zone hitting his backhand in 2012 through the AO in 2013 - Darren Cahill even remarked, "I can't even remember the last time Roger's missed a backhand." That was with the OLD RACKET. Then he had back problems throughout 2013 and his entire game fell off.

Federer's serve was awesome in 2012 as well, and had been for many years. He served 50 aces on Roddick in the 09 Wimbledon final with his OLD racket.

The reason Federer has played better this year than last is he is healthy again. Period, the end.

The new racket has hurt his reemergence. He has much less power than before, and both his forehand and backhand have become true pusher shots. He has to hit all out to even make them look solid (as he did after going down a break in the 4th today).

His serve remains unaffected, and his volleys have been better, but it's not worth the sacrifice for having a bit more reach. He needs to throw this piece of crap in the trash and go back to his old standby. He's healthy now, so with some practice maybe he can get back into the groove by the time the USO arrives. He'd have an excellent chance, especially if he gets a bit of help from the draw.

But I know he won't. Once you go bigger, you never go smaller again.

MTF07 · Jul 6, 2014

I agree. His shots don't have any power anymore. It's just sad for people that remember how powerful he was.

Djokovic had way more forehand winners than Federer today. That would never happen in this prime.

reaper · Jul 6, 2014

A poor workman always blames his tools.

BirdWalkR · Jul 6, 2014

I'd agree

Fed could only rely on novaks misses and mental weakness for the most part

kalyan4fedever · Jul 6, 2014

u shud stop making threads --nadturd

happyloman · Jul 6, 2014

Didn't the new racket he used help him a lot with the service?

Federer20042006 · Jul 6, 2014

happyloman said:
Didn't the new racket he used help him a lot with the service?

Nope. People apparently forget how good and clutch Federer's serve was prior to 2013.

Tenez101 · Jul 6, 2014

It has helped his backhand but definitely detracted from his fearhand. He just needs a bit more time to get used to the new stick.

TJfederer16 · Jul 6, 2014

How can anyone create a thread like this after he played a match like that, it was an unbelievable match and both played at their very best. Look at the amount of W/UE's count. The racket has helped Roger a great deal this year, he's lasting with the likes of Novak and Murray in long rallies, i think he won the majority of rallies that went over 8 shots in that first set. It puts a lot more power on his serve and a lot less errors on the backhand side, as well as a lot better volleys, the only that isn't quite as potent is the forehand which isn't quite as accurate. But noone can complain after a match like today, hats off to both and thanks for an absolutely epic match.

rodrigo_palacio88 · Jul 6, 2014

he helped him with backhand.

but his forehand looks bad and week

Cosmic_Colin · Jul 6, 2014

I think it has helped his serve. That's enough of a reason to make the change.

WhiskeyEE · Jul 6, 2014

He is whiffing his ground strokes, but I don't know if it's the new racquet.

aldeayeah · Jul 6, 2014

Clueless thread is clueless. A few bad backhand misses today is nothing compared to the shank galore we were subjected to in 2008-2012.

BreakPoint · Jul 6, 2014

As I posted in another thread:

Here are the facts:

2012 Wimbledon: Federer w/back injury* + Tour 90 = beats healthy Djokovic

2014 Wimbledon: healthy Federer + PS RF97 = loses to Djokovic w/shoulder and ankle injuries**

(* - Federer injured his back against Malisse in the 4th round which persisted so he wore a black compression undershirt for the rest of the tournament to keep his back warm.)

(** - Djokovic fell and injured his left shoulder against Simon in the 3rd round and was still causing pain during the Tsonga 4th round match, and he hurt his ankle when he slipped and fell early in the final.)

Kerber_Lover · Jul 6, 2014

Federer needs to scrap about 7 or 8 years and go back to his prime. Nothing else is going to help him now.

BreakPoint · Jul 6, 2014

Cosmic_Colin said:
I think it has helped his serve. That's enough of a reason to make the change.

His average serve speed was faster in 2012 Wimbledon with his Tour 90 than it has been in 2014 Wimbledon with his new PS RF97.

I've already looked it up and posted it in another thread.

WhiskeyEE · Jul 6, 2014

wrong thread.

Vcore89 · Jul 6, 2014

Hopefully 18 will come in the fall season at Flushing Meadows! They can still speed it (courts) up. I'm one of those who believed he can only win tournaments (slams) with his old Tour 90 racquet; tried, tested and proven!

''Only when great athletes are in decline can we fully appreciate what they have done and continue to do.''

- Doug Perry, Oregonian

Dear Djordje · Jul 6, 2014

His racquet is not too big. He simply needs one of dem Babalates.

BreakPoint · Jul 6, 2014

TJfederer16 said:
How can anyone create a thread like this after he played a match like that, it was an unbelievable match and both played at their very best. Look at the amount of W/UE's count. The racket has helped Roger a great deal this year, he's lasting with the likes of Novak and Murray in long rallies, i think he won the majority of rallies that went over 8 shots in that first set. It puts a lot more power on his serve and a lot less errors on the backhand side, as well as a lot better volleys, the only that isn't quite as potent is the forehand which isn't quite as accurate. But noone can complain after a match like today, hats off to both and thanks for an absolutely epic match.

Total myth. Check the actual average serve speeds.

Besides, I thought his serve, his backhand, and his volleys were ALL better with his PS 6.0 85 than with either the Tour 90 or the new PS RF97. Only his forehand was better with the Tour 90. The new PS RF97 really hasn't been better for anything.

FormerNadalFan · Jul 6, 2014

TJfederer16 said:
How can anyone create a thread like this after he played a match like that, it was an unbelievable match and both played at their very best. Look at the amount of W/UE's count. The racket has helped Roger a great deal this year, he's lasting with the likes of Novak and Murray in long rallies, i think he won the majority of rallies that went over 8 shots in that first set. It puts a lot more power on his serve and a lot less errors on the backhand side, as well as a lot better volleys, the only that isn't quite as potent is the forehand which isn't quite as accurate. But noone can complain after a match like today, hats off to both and thanks for an absolutely epic match.

Ding ding ding.... we have a winner!

sunny_cali · Jul 6, 2014

BreakPoint said:
Total myth. Check the actual average serve speeds.

Besides, I thought his serve, his backhand, and his volleys were ALL better with his PS 6.0 85 than with either the Tour 90 or the new PS RF97. Only his forehand was better with the Tour 90. The new PS RF97 really hasn't been better for anything.

I tend to agree that the new racket hasn't really given him much.

However his loss today has got nothing to do with the racket, and everything to do with his age. Were you really expecting him to win today ? If you want to blame anything you could possibly blame him for not being aggressive enough as he was in the 4th set, for the entire match.

torpantennis · Jul 6, 2014

Federer20042006 said:
People who think it helped parts of his game have such short memory. He was in a zone hitting his backhand in 2012 through the AO in 2013 - Darren Cahill even remarked, "I can't even remember the last time Roger's missed a backhand." That was with the OLD RACKET. Then he had back problems throughout 2013 and his entire game fell off.

Federer's serve was awesome in 2012 as well, and had been for many years. He served 50 aces on Roddick in the 09 Wimbledon final with his OLD racket.

The reason Federer has played better this year than last is he is healthy again. Period, the end.

The new racket has hurt his reemergence. He has much less power than before, and both his forehand and backhand have become true pusher shots. He has to hit all out to even make them look solid (as he did after going down a break in the 4th today).

His serve remains unaffected, and his volleys have been better, but it's not worth the sacrifice for having a bit more reach. He needs to throw this piece of crap in the trash and go back to his old standby. He's healthy now, so with some practice maybe he can get back into the groove by the time the USO arrives. He'd have an excellent chance, especially if he gets a bit of help from the draw.

But I know he won't. Once you go bigger, you never go smaller again.

LOL how clueless people can be. Take two 27inch racquets, with a smaller and bigger racquethead. Then somebody thinks the racquet with bigger head has more reach. Just LOL, it's actually opposite! Guess these guys who post stuff like this have no clue why! :lol:

Rozroz · Jul 6, 2014

the moment Fed started doing those buggy whips it all ended.

Vcore89 · Jul 6, 2014

Barbielats (Willies 97) aren't going to solve his slam drought.:-|

Rodge used to constantly serve 128 MPH (on average) first serves and 100 MPH (again, on average) second serves with his 90!

aldeayeah · Jul 6, 2014

Vcore89 said:
Rodge used to constantly serve 128 MPH (on average) first serves and 100 MPH (again, on average) second serves with his 90!

Ahem. Back problems.

jg153040 · Jul 6, 2014

Yeah OP, you are right. You know more about tennis than Federer and Edberg. I'm sure they should have listened to you.

What's next? You will be giving Bill Gates advice on how to get rich?

Vcore89 · Jul 6, 2014

aldeayeah said:
Ahem. Back problems.

and aging too but Barbielat-like racquets does not help alleviate aging and back problems.:-|

Federer20042006 · Jul 6, 2014

TJfederer16 said:
How can anyone create a thread like this after he played a match like that, it was an unbelievable match and both played at their very best. Look at the amount of W/UE's count. The racket has helped Roger a great deal this year, he's lasting with the likes of Novak and Murray in long rallies, i think he won the majority of rallies that went over 8 shots in that first set. It puts a lot more power on his serve and a lot less errors on the backhand side, as well as a lot better volleys, the only that isn't quite as potent is the forehand which isn't quite as accurate. But noone can complain after a match like today, hats off to both and thanks for an absolutely epic match.

His winners were almost all service winners, and the ones that weren't were almost all set up by his serve.

His forehand was atrocious until he was down a break in the 4th.

torpantennis · Jul 6, 2014

Federer20042006 said:
What the hell are you talking about? Bigger racket head = more reach. 1 + 1 = two, idiot.

OMG, really? Is TTW really this clueless LOL. Again 27inch/90sq.in. vs. 27inch/97sq.in. And you REALLY think 97sq.in. has more reach? :lol:

Federer20042006 · Jul 6, 2014

torpantennis said:
OMG, really? Is TTW really this clueless LOL. Again 27inch/90sq.in. vs. 27inch/97sq.in. And you REALLY think 97sq.in. has more reach? :lol:

The racket head is bigger, idiot. Bigger head = more reach. You don't hit the ball with the f'n stick. How are you THIS stupid? Even one of the McEnroes mentioned that about him having a bit more reach with it. But I guess they don't understand tennis rackets. LOL...unreal.

smoledman · Jul 6, 2014

What Federer really needs is to be 25 again, that would solve all his problems.

ThomasGB · Jul 6, 2014

Even though it may make his forehand, and sometimes backhand shotsva bit weak, at least Fed has more chance of hitting shots due to the bigger headsize, and his age.

Fed's good, but against a fast mover like Nole/Rafa etc, he needs a bigger headsize to keep up with most of their shots.

torpantennis · Jul 6, 2014

Federer20042006 said:
The racket head is bigger, idiot. Bigger head = more reach. You don't hit the ball with the f'n stick. How are you THIS stupid? Even one of the McEnroes mentioned that about him having a bit more reach with it. But I guess they don't understand tennis rackets. LOL...unreal.

Anybody who says that 27in./97sq.in. has more reach than 27in./90sq.in. INDEED has NO CLUE. Bigger head gives more margin for error on timing of strokes, but the SMALLER HEAD HAS MORE REACH. Anybody who claims otherwise has NO CLUE. If McEnroe REALLY said that, then just LOL.

10isPlaya · Jul 6, 2014

torpantennis said:
Anybody who says that 27in./97sq.in. has more reach than 27in./90sq.in. INDEED has NO CLUE. Bigger head gives more margin for error on timing of strokes, but the SMALLER HEAD HAS MORE REACH. Anybody who claims otherwise has NO CLUE. If McEnroe REALLY said that, then just LOL.

Yeah I think this makes sense. Because the length will be the same, but the smaller head's sweet spot will be further towards to top, therefore smaller head should have better reach in theory.

serengetisunset · Jul 6, 2014

MTF07 said:
I agree. His shots don't have any power anymore. It's just sad for people that remember how powerful he was.

Djokovic had way more forehand winners than Federer today. That would never happen in this prime.

I felt saddened to see his weak forehand. Sheer will power can drag him across the line against lesser opponents but against the elite players it is just a losing battle.

torpantennis · Jul 6, 2014

10isPlaya said:
Yeah I think this makes sense. Because the length will be the same, but the smaller head's sweet spot will be further towards to top, therefore smaller head should have better reach in theory.

NICE! Some at TTW still have brains!

AV1 · Jul 6, 2014

torpantennis said:
Anybody who says that 27in./97sq.in. has more reach than 27in./90sq.in. INDEED has NO CLUE. Bigger head gives more margin for error on timing of strokes, but the SMALLER HEAD HAS MORE REACH. Anybody who claims otherwise has NO CLUE. If McEnroe REALLY said that, then just LOL.

Totally agree. This is assuming that all things are equal and that the sweet spot is in the center of the string bed. However, the difference between the sweet spot on a 90 sq in. head versus a 97 is probably negligible. You'd probably need a 30 sq in for one to truly notice a difference in reach...

BTW, great match played by Federer today. if he pulled off that overhead at the end things may be different. Hopefully, he'll have couple more slam finals in him.

BreakPoint · Jul 6, 2014

sunny_cali said:
I tend to agree that the new racket hasn't really given him much.

However his loss today has got nothing to do with the racket, and everything to do with his age. Were you really expecting him to win today ? If you want to blame anything you could possibly blame him for not being aggressive enough as he was in the 4th set, for the entire match.

Actually yes, because Federer has been playing better than Djokovic has during the whole tournament. Federer had been broken only once during the entire tournament coming into the final.

BreakPoint · Jul 6, 2014

torpantennis said:
LOL how clueless people can be. Take two 27inch racquets, with a smaller and bigger racquethead. Then somebody thinks the racquet with bigger head has more reach. Just LOL, it's actually opposite! Guess these guys who post stuff like this have no clue why! :lol:

That is true. The racquet with the SMALLER head actually has more reach since the center of the stringbed is further away from your hand with a smaller racquet than with a larger racquet. That's why a lot of people serve better with smaller headed racquets, and why when I play with a PS 6.0 85 I feel like I have more reach.

BreakPoint · Jul 6, 2014

Vcore89 said:
Rodge used to constantly serve 128 MPH (on average) first serves and 100 MPH (again, on average) second serves with his 90!

Yup. With the new RF97 larger racquet, his average first serve speed is down to around 115mph. It might SEEM like he's serving harder because his new racquet makes a louder sound when he hits the ball than his old racquet did.

courtking · Jul 6, 2014

what happen to Federer forehand?? it sprayed the balls everywhere.. He lost lots of power and precision on that forehand.. I turned off the TV in 4th when Djokovic served out the match.. Went to the beach and came home few hrs later and Djokovic won Wimbledon.. Oh well, at least Federer got 2 sets..

BreakPoint · Jul 6, 2014

Federer20042006 said:
The racket head is bigger, idiot. Bigger head = more reach. You don't hit the ball with the f'n stick. How are you THIS stupid? Even one of the McEnroes mentioned that about him having a bit more reach with it. But I guess they don't understand tennis rackets. LOL...unreal.

Totally wrong. It's the opposite. You have more reach with a smaller headed racquet since the center of the stringbed is further away from your hand than with a bigger racquet, as long as they are both of the same total length. With a bigger racquet, the extra real estate is at the bottom of the hoop, not the top.

BreakPoint · Jul 6, 2014

torpantennis said:
Anybody who says that 27in./97sq.in. has more reach than 27in./90sq.in. INDEED has NO CLUE. Bigger head gives more margin for error on timing of strokes, but the SMALLER HEAD HAS MORE REACH. Anybody who claims otherwise has NO CLUE. If McEnroe REALLY said that, then just LOL.

McEnroe also doesn't know the difference between poly and synthetic gut. LOL

Power Player · Jul 6, 2014

TJfederer16 said:
How can anyone create a thread like this after he played a match like that, it was an unbelievable match and both played at their very best. Look at the amount of W/UE's count. The racket has helped Roger a great deal this year, he's lasting with the likes of Novak and Murray in long rallies, i think he won the majority of rallies that went over 8 shots in that first set. It puts a lot more power on his serve and a lot less errors on the backhand side, as well as a lot better volleys, the only that isn't quite as potent is the forehand which isn't quite as accurate. But noone can complain after a match like today, hats off to both and thanks for an absolutely epic match.

Excellent post. Fed played fantastic today with the new racquet, serving tons of aces and showcasing great hands at the net.

In the end, he lost to a guy who is younger and an athletic freak on the court. It was one of the best matches I have seen in a long time.

Dedans Penthouse · Jul 6, 2014

Estrogen Central

MTF07 said:
I agree. His shots don't have any power anymore.

It's just sad for people that remember how powerful he was.

Djokovic had way more forehand winners than Federer today. That would never happen in this prime.

"ANY power"

How'd you like that bomb Fed hit to win the 4th set?

Another.
non-playing Fanboy.

Clueless.

pjonesy · Jul 6, 2014

It was obvious to everyone that Roger could not count on his forehand, where it used to be second nature. He looked like he was measuring his shots, instead of letting his hands go. Combine that with nerves and the fact that he was playing from behind in the 4th and 5th sets, you have a recipe for disaster. An amazing comeback in the 4th set, but you can only dig yourself out so many times.

BreakPoint · Jul 6, 2014

Power Player said:
Excellent post. Fed played fantastic today with the new racquet, serving tons of aces and showcasing great hands at the net.

In the end, he lost to a guy who is younger and an athletic freak on the court. It was one of the best matches I have seen in a long time.

Federer served almost twice as many aces in the 2009 final.

Power Player · Jul 6, 2014

BreakPoint said:
Federer served almost twice as many aces in the 2009 final.

That was 5 years ago. Times have changed. Accept it.

objectivity · Jul 6, 2014

lol... for years, the complaint was Federer was using antiquated equipment vs Nadal... that Nadal had unfair advantage with poly, larger head size, yada yada. now suddenly according to these same folks, Federer was playing better with the smaller racket after all! lol.

geeze. the delusion.

Federer needs to scrap that new racket - it has helped him ZERO

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