2011 Cincinnati R2: Federer vs. Del Potro

Who prevails?

  • Federer in 2

    Votes: 11 42.3%
  • Federer in 3

    Votes: 11 42.3%
  • del Potro in 2

    Votes: 2 7.7%
  • del Potro in 3

    Votes: 2 7.7%

  • Total voters
    26
  • Poll closed .
T

TheMagicianOfPrecision

Guest
Great stuff Maestro! Looking very good going into USO
 

TTMR

Hall of Fame
I suspect "this" Fed is the only player Djoker has to worry about in the UsOpen.

If Fed can keep serving like this, with the penetration his forehand gets -- anything is possible.
Even the unthinkable..

I doubt Federer is going to make 75% of his first serves at the USO, especially in a best of five match.
 
Grrr Delpo, you've become pretty useless is all I have to say. Lol at Delpo being a big threat at USO. Maybe next year. Thank you for playing.

Nadal draws DelPo = Toughest early round match ever, most dangerous player ever, Nadal is a huge warrior and gets the toughest draws always.

Fed draws DelPo = DelPo is worthless, not a threat.
 

TennisFan3

Talk Tennis Guru
Ita about Nadal's ros. I cannot understand why he has failed to fix that problem in all these years. It truly is a huge problem for him.

Part of the reason is technical. Nadal has a HUGE grip change between his forehand and backhand, and many times he's caught hacking at the ball. Therefore cannot get a clean swing like most other players who use the backhand grip while standing to return serve but can change quickly . Plus Nadal has a big backswing and followthrough on his forehand. It's hard for him to stand in, abbreviate his swing and hit the ball on the up unlike a Fed/Djokovic/Murray.
Overall it's hard to see what Nadal can do to fix this, short of abandoning the reverse spin and hitting a flatter forehand.

That's why you'll see sooo many players winning 80%+ pts on first serve against Rafa. ( Both Murray and Fed won 90%+ in WTF 2010 for ex), and why Fed's dominated Nadal indoors. Nadal will ALWAYS be vulnerable to big servers on any faster surface or grass "more" than he should be given his ranking. If he had a world class ROS, he would have won many more slams IMO...
 
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Sartorius

Hall of Fame
Federer was serving amazingly well today, but I was more impressed with his returns; Del Potro didn't serve lights out but Federer was getting a lot of balls back. He definitely enjoys playing on this court and the way ball comes to him, he seemed well adjusted to the conditions.

Also, veroniquem seemed in pain. Hope it's just a cold.
 

veroniquem

Bionic Poster
Nadal draws DelPo = Toughest early round match ever, most dangerous player ever, Nadal is a huge warrior and gets the toughest draws always.

Fed draws DelPo = DelPo is worthless, not a threat.



Fed always has the joke draws: has-been followed by Blake the Ancient. If that is not a pathetic draw, I don't know what is.
 

veroniquem

Bionic Poster
I highly doubt this will happen.




Get back to me in a few rounds. It's clear Djoko needs a breather. It was written all over him during the Fish final. I even wondered if he would skip Cinci but apparently not. He won't go far there, mark my words.
 
Fed always has the joke draws: has-been followed by Blake the Ancient. If that is not a pathetic draw, I don't know what is.

You're missing my point. Let's try again:

Nadal draws Blake = Blake has beaten Nadal on HC before, he can trouble Rafa, Blake could get hot and give Rafa trouble, really tough early match...I'm so nervous for Rafa the mighty warrior.

Fed draws Blake = Isn't Blake retired or dead? What a joke draw.
 

Clarky21

Banned
Part of the reason is technical. Nadal has a HUGE grip change between his forehand and backhand, and many times he's caught hacking at the ball. Therefore cannot get a clean swing like most other players who use the backhand grip while standing to return serve but can change quickly .

Plus Nadal has a big backswing and followthrough on his forehand. It's hard for him to stand in, abbreviate his swing and hit the ball on the up unlike a Fed/Djokovic/Murray.
Overall it's hard to see what Nadal can do to fix this.

That's why you'll see sooo many players winning 80%+ pts on first serve against Rafa. ( Both Murray and Fed won 90%+ in WTF 2010 for ex), and why Fed's dominated Nadal indoors. Nadal will ALWAYS be vulnerable to big servers on any faster surface or grass "more" than he should be given his ranking..

The thing that is puzzling about Nadal though is that it seems when he really has to or wants to he can return with the best of them. He did it against Isner this year at RG for example. Why does he only seem to return like that sporadically?

ETA: He also did the same thing against Karlovic in IW this year at times,too.
 
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Clarky21

Banned
Get back to me in a few rounds. It's clear Djoko needs a breather. It was written all over him during the Fish final. I even wondered if he would skip Cinci but apparently not. He won't go far there, mark my words.

If he does lose early it will be a tank job. Nobody is going to beat him without a little help from Djokovic by him just half-a**ing out there.

I still think he will win this title,though. Why should he tank when he can beat everyone with his eyes closed?
 

veroniquem

Bionic Poster
You're missing my point. Let's try again:

Nadal draws Blake = Blake has beaten Nadal on HC before, he can trouble Rafa, Blake could get hot and give Rafa trouble, really tough early match...I'm so nervous for Rafa the mighty warrior.

Fed draws Blake = Isn't Blake retired or dead? What a joke draw.




Blake would not be a threat to Rafa at this point, just like Delpo. You're not plugged into current tennis apparently. Tsonga, Monfils, Fish are the guys playing well right now.
 

TennisFan3

Talk Tennis Guru
The thing that is puzzling about Nadal though is that it seems when he really has to or wants to he can return with the best of them. He did it against Isner this year at RG for example. Why does he only seem to return like that sporadically?

That's only in patches. Nadal returned good against Isner only in few games of the final set, especially where he hit those 3 return winners in one game. And that was CLAY.

Basically Nadal always struggles returning big serves on fastercourts. Look at his career stats of returning in the second half of the season. He fails to get so many first serves back in play it's strange for a top player. The fact that he still wins, and does decently ok in return game stats is a testimony to his ground game which comes into play once a neutral rally starts. Nadal's challenge is basically to get the ball back in play...
 

veroniquem

Bionic Poster
If he does lose early it will be a tank job. Nobody is going to beat him without a little help from Djokovic by him just half-a**ing out there.

I still think he will win this title,though. Why should he tank when he can beat everyone with his eyes closed?




I don't think he can. He looked way past his freshness date vs Fish. He needs to take it easy this week.
 
Blake would not be a threat to Rafa at this point, just like Delpo. You're not plugged into current tennis apparently. Tsonga, Monfils, Fish are the guys playing well right now.

LMAO, you call DelPo washed up, and I'm not plugged into current tennis.

I am joking of course about the difference between Fed and Rafa fans weighing in on draws (AKA your favorite always gets a tough draw and your less favorite gets a cakewalk).

I'm disappointed I had to spell it out for you. Perhaps you're not plugged into sarcasm.
 

Clarky21

Banned
He's not going to and I won't disappear. I'm totally devoted to tennis for the next few weeks, rain or shine :)

Well,if Nadal shows up and plays the way he did against Dodig he's toast. And since Benneteau gave Nadal a tough match here last year when Nadal was in better shape mentally and physically,I wouldn't be too confident that Nadal will make it through considering the subpar year he is having.
 

veroniquem

Bionic Poster
Keep hoping hater. Rafa is not sick anymore. Something tells me he's gonna play great tomorrow. Benneteau won't cut it.
 

Clarky21

Banned
Keep hoping hater. Rafa is not sick anymore. Something tells me he's gonna play great tomorrow. Benneteau won't cut it.

The word in bold should be outlawed,and anyone who uses it should be tarred and feathered. It has got to be one of the most overused,juvenile words to ever be uttered. Lol.
 

Towser83

G.O.A.T.
Keep hoping hater. Rafa is not sick anymore. Something tells me he's gonna play great tomorrow. Benneteau won't cut it.

I don't expect Rafa to lose but he didn't lose last week because he was sick. He lost because sometimes players lose.

Anyway if he does lose this week you'll probably say he's STILL sick.
 

ledwix

Hall of Fame
Delpo is a very tough 2nd round opponent, obviously...and Tsonga is an extremely tough 3rd round opponent. Federer has not gotten draws this summer worth being described using an adjective which includes any variation of the word "cake."
 

JumpSmash

Rookie
Exactly. He looks like he could use a second one ASAP. He's gonna leave the Fed demolition job to Rafa in this one, you'll see.

For this quote alone I would gloat so much if Rafa fails to make the final. You might have to go and hide under a rock or inside some dark cave ...
 

cc0509

Talk Tennis Guru
Wait, Rafa was sick? When? I thought he was rusty from the foot injury?

He was sick and rusty? Double whammy.

Of course he still had the "possible" foot trauma, a virus, a tooth cavity, a canker sore in his mouth, take your pick! :evil:

Wonder what it will be in Cincy. There has to be something on the table. :wink: Wait, you'll see.
 

veroniquem

Bionic Poster
Delpo is a very tough 2nd round opponent, obviously...and Tsonga is an extremely tough 3rd round opponent. Federer has not gotten draws this summer worth being described using an adjective which includes any variation of the word "cake."





After Delpo though, his draw is so incredibly soft that it's more a mousse than a cake really.
 
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