2018 Indian Wells F: [1] Roger Federer vs. [6] Juan Martin Del Potro

Who wins the title?


  • Total voters
    98
  • Poll closed .

TheGhostOfAgassi

Talk Tennis Guru
It's amazing to see how Delpo fanbase grew up in a short span of a few days.

He definitely seems to be on the rise, this is his best form in years. Would be fun to see him face off against Nadal this year to see how they match-up on HC when they're both fresh, I hope it happens.
I have the impression that Delpo has a lot of fans, many like him. Its just that he has been so much injured we hold back a bit ;)
 
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Deleted member 77403

Guest
Except to Nadal who bageled him in the USO SF last year after Delpo had beaten Fed in the QF.

Didn't Del Potro smoke Nadal on his way to a USO title also? Losing like 6 games?

And if you are going to say that Nadal was injured, I will say that Del Potro was ill, he was visibly ill during the Thiem match and went five sets, then Federer...who did Nadal beat in the quarters? Some guy with no collar bone.
 

Poisoned Slice

Bionic Poster
tumblr_p5tbwhZ8ab1vkdibwo5_540.png
 

clayqueen

Talk Tennis Guru
Didn't Del Potro smoke Nadal on his way to a USO title also? Losing like 6 games?

And if you are going to say that Nadal was injured, I will say that Del Potro was ill, he was visibly ill during the Thiem match and went five sets, then Federer...who did Nadal beat in the quarters? Some guy with no collar bone.
Injured Nadal
 

Sartorius

Hall of Fame
Don't agree. Federer WANTED to win why else was he getting irate about little things, picking an argument with the umpire. Even Mirka was looking really desperate every time Fed dropped his serve. I would hate to think it's for the money; I think it's all to do with his legacy. He is lagging behind Nadal and Djokovic in M1000 titles and he must have been dreaming of winning the Sunshine Double 2 years in a row.

Well obviously Federer WANTS to win, otherwise what is he doing out there? That's not what the post you replied to suggests at all too. And obviously everything he does adds to his legacy and Fed has to be aware of this, you don't have to be a mind-reader to figure that much.

But to suggest Federer today seriously cares about catching Nadal and Djokovic in M1000 titles is, for the lack of a better word, cute. And I think this is you being adept at finding a a way to cope with disappointment. ;)

This is Federer's interview after the Coric match, the last bit is especially relevant if one presumes to know what goes in Fed's head (hint: he doesn't necessarily expect to win it all):

 
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Deleted member 77403

Guest
What's that got to do with Rafa's injury which made him unable to stretch or serve?

Simple. You think Del Potro is not a threat to Nadal and I simply pointed out he was ill, and not in good shape.

Why don't you and I and everyone wait to see what will happen when they both fully fit and healthy.

Here is what we know. Del Potro can beat injured Nadal. Nadal can beat unfit Del Potro. Lets see what happens when both are fully 100 percent. Agree?
 
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Deleted member 77403

Guest
What does that say about Fed losing to an ill Delpo?

What did you say?

Del Potro is not a threat to Nadal, Nadal bagelled him.

My response is, lets wait and see what happens both are healthy, then we know who is a threat. Do you feel that is a fair assessment?

Neither beat the other at 100 percent, so to say Del Potro is not a threat is only proven to be correct if Nadal meets an ill Del Potro...what would happen when the big man is fully ready, you don't know yet.
 

Sudacafan

Bionic Poster
Roger doesn't know what the hell happened ???????????????? Old Age happened ......that is what. Roger played a very tough match in the Semis and got hit hard today with 105 MPH forehands and Roger couldn't handle it cause his timing was off. His body just couldn't recover.
Brain farts happen at any age.
Roger had several of these when younger. Remember 2006 Rome final? .. Look at the quantity of losses after match points wasted statistics in another thread.
Coria was 22 years old in RG 2004 final if you remember.
And so on.
The important thing is to overcome these mishaps. Roger is perfectly capable of that, not the same as other players (Coria case, for instance).
 

rh310

Hall of Fame
Coric was a better player than Fed in the SF he just chocked.

No, the better player won. That's axiomatic to tennis.

What Coric did was take a page from the Nadal and Djokovic playbook: 65-70% to the backhand, as hard as you can hit them, and after several of those try to surprise him with a DTL to his forehand.

But nobody can look like the better player when they spend two hours pinned down on their BH and then scrambling to hit a running FH.
 

eliars

Hall of Fame
Fed hasn't added to CC competition since 2011. I rather doubt he's gonna play it again unti his farewell tour so Nadal fans' fantasy of seeing a 36 year old Fed grind it out on clay is likely gonna remain unfulfilled.

Heck, it's quite possible Delpo's gonna skip it as well. It will be a Nadal show again with an occasional guest appereance by Thiem the tactician extraordinaire.

Fed did win Madrid 2012, remember? And he made the RG semis that year too.
In 2015 Fed made the final of Rome and was only stopped by a godlike playing Wawrinka in the RG quarters.

With the field being even weaker compared to those years, yeah I'd think he'd add to the competition. Granted, we have yet to see how this version of Federer does on clay, but while a lot may be busy highlighting how this version of Federer won't do well on clay, I'm a bit more wary proclaiming the same. While he relies a lot on his serve, one-two shot combinations and taking the ball early, he's become a lot more consistent from the baseline and defends exceptionally well still and I don't see him getting tired out there. His fitness levels are extraordinary.

I think Fed should play 1 clay M1000 and FO. It would really add to the clay season as a whole; let's see what he decides.
 

mike danny

Bionic Poster
It's amazing to see how Delpo fanbase grew up in a short span of a few days.

He definitely seems to be on the rise, this is his best form in years. Would be fun to see him face off against Nadal this year to see how they match-up on HC when they're both fresh, I hope it happens.
In before clayqueen shows up and claims their USO match last year was proof of Rafa's superiority on HC when both are fresh :rolleyes:
 

Mike Sams

G.O.A.T.
that is so NOT TRUE. Federer is greedy as greedy a man can be. He wants it all. Why would he play if not to win? For money? I think he has enough bucks.
Everybody wants it all. Everyone wants more money including the super rich. Even Jeff Bezos wants more and he's worth $130 billion.
 

Mike Sams

G.O.A.T.
Yes! Tennis worth watching again!

Finally, someone was able to stop the weak-era-old-grandpa juggernaut.


GO DELPO!! MAKING TENNIS INTERESTING AGAIN!

Only problem is that Del Po only stopped it for 1 match and he had to save MPs to do it. He's going to have to fight for everything consistently and he's never proven that he can. He's a hot streak. No real consistency.
 

Hitman's Gurl

Professional
I am sad Roger lost. :( Juan-Martin is always dangerous. I cannot watch their matches.

I heard Juan-Martin dedicated this match to his dog. That is so sweet! :oops::oops::oops:

Roger please be happy and try again in Miami. Tennis needs you so much! We are not ready to lose you. :oops::oops::oops:
 

Hitman's Gurl

Professional
You made the right choice, this was a tough one! Missed opportunities and glimmers of hope until the very end. Well minus the tie break, that was hopeless. :D

Juan Martin is so strong. It always is a struggle. Having Roger play at 36 is a blessing. I will stay away from the highlights though! :oops::oops::oops:
 

YellowFedBetter

Hall of Fame
Just wanted to clarify a few things here from early in the thread:

I probably shouldn’t have mentioned the chat on here but the petty part of me wanted everyone on here to know that I’ve been doing just fine and Fed doesn’t affect me as profoundly as you guys think (I’ve made 2,500 or so posts in two years there are some that have 10,000 in that plus obsessing over Fed on here positivly) .

I think it’s rich though that people on here are saying I should “fight all the battles in the open” (looking at you @Krish872007). First off it’s easy to say that when you like Fed and have the whole place backing you up, and second I USED to come on here and “battle”. But I got sick of having stuff taken down and getting reported over nothing and it’s not worth getting banned over. @BeatlesFan

And as for me hating the coverage Fed and other players get but me talking about him a lot anyways: Well some on here have said it’s pointless to talk about anything else so what choices I have? I can make a thread about Tiafoe and get like 5 responses. No one else here seems to care about anything like that so if I want to talk tennis (literally the title of the site here) what else am I to do?

I watched more tennis yesterday than I have in the whole last two months combined. I’m happy Delpo finally got a MS title and I’m not gonna let anything dampen that. But I wanted to make it clear here the situation for those not well informed.

@Federer and Del Potro
 

time_fly

Hall of Fame
I just caught a replay last night. It was a fun match to watch. Delpo played great, and it was a rare poor showing for Fed. He was making technical and tactical mistakes and losing his temper, very unlike him. I'm sure he will bounce back strong. I think Delpo will also continue to do better now that he can drive a backhand instead of just chipping or running around every one.
 

MugOpponent

Hall of Fame
How about Wimbledon grass and a zoning Nick? Fast points, power, huge serves... Del Po really exposed Fed's age today, which is an inescapable fact. At Fed's age he literally declines by the month, and come Wimbledon, he will be that much slower, less anticipation and less depth on his groundstokes. It happens to them all. His strength is his consistency, unlike Del Po who is a streak player and can quite easily wash out in Miami's second round.

I think you can see the age starting to show with Federer. He really was fortunate to get by Coric to be honest. Obviously he's still going to win his share against this field but it will be very interesting to watch how he fares in Miami. It will seem hyperbolic because after all he's had a great start to the year, but I think there is some vulnerability. I'm no longer convinced he'll just have to show up to win Wimbledon.
 

Krish872007

Talk Tennis Guru
Just wanted to clarify a few things here from early in the thread:

I probably shouldn’t have mentioned the chat on here but the petty part of me wanted everyone on here to know that I’ve been doing just fine and Fed doesn’t affect me as profoundly as you guys think (I’ve made 2,500 or so posts in two years there are some that have 10,000 in that plus obsessing over Fed on here positivly) .

I think it’s rich though that people on here are saying I should “fight all the battles in the open” (looking at you @Krish872007). First off it’s easy to say that when you like Fed and have the whole place backing you up, and second I USED to come on here and “battle”. But I got sick of having stuff taken down and getting reported over nothing and it’s not worth getting banned over. @BeatlesFan

And as for me hating the coverage Fed and other players get but me talking about him a lot anyways: Well some on here have said it’s pointless to talk about anything else so what choices I have? I can make a thread about Tiafoe and get like 5 responses. No one else here seems to care about anything like that so if I want to talk tennis (literally the title of the site here) what else am I to do?

I watched more tennis yesterday than I have in the whole last two months combined. I’m happy Delpo finally got a MS title and I’m not gonna let anything dampen that. But I wanted to make it clear here the situation for those not well informed.

@Federer and Del Potro

Good for you and thanks for clarifying - and I genuinely mean that. It's worth noting, however, that the forum has gone through a lot of changes over the years - being a "fan" of a certain player now may seem easy, but a few years back it was far from that. Just the nature of boards. Many of us have engaged in long discussions and skirmishes with all sorts here, more than you might think. Much better than other forms of social media, where people know close to nothing about the sport of tennis at any rate. If you'd really like to talk tennis without the added drama that comes into it, there are some great reads in Former Player Talk, College, Sports Apparel and the like.
As for me personally - don't really care, my absolute favourites aren't even playing right now. Just happy to engage with others and discuss tennis. And there's a lot to learn from many people, even those one might dismiss as "biased".
No one is questioning you per se, if that means anything. What people did react to was the timing and tone of your original message, along with the fact that you felt the need to advertise your activities in such a manner. Treat this as a learning experience and enjoy yourself.
 
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Deleted member 742196

Guest
But that won't stop the clueless here from posting 10 threads tomorrow, "Will Fed play MONTE CARLO!!!!?????????????????" Endless nonsense from those who never bother to actually read anything tennis-related in the world's press. He'll play FO the year he retires and probably make it to round 2 or 3, which is damn good for a 39 year old. :p

Notable Clay Threads the past month or so:
User/orientation

Here
@Otacon / unknown

Here
@Fedforever / unknown

Here
@BeatlesFan / does not want Fed on clay

Here
@smoledman / does not want Fed on clay

Here
@Hitman / unknown

Here
@BeatlesFan / does not want Fed on clay

Here
@Firstservingman / unknown

I’d be hard pressed to find a single thread exploring the matter in a positive light, and with optimism, let alone the 10’s of threads you that allude to. I should know this because I would have liked very much to engage with folk on the subject openly and with less hostility.

Perhaps you’ve created so many threads on the matter yourself it just feels this way?

@duaneeo
@kevaninho
If you guys are freely able to discuss the matter in some thread without constantly being hounded do let me know where this promised land is. Apparently I only cluelessly bump into threads started by folk that don’t want him to have anything to do with clay.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

YellowFedBetter

Hall of Fame
Good for you and thanks for clarifying - and I genuinely mean that. It's worth noting, however, that the forum has gone through a lot of changes over the years - being a "fan" of a certain player now may seem easy, but a few years back it was far from that. Just the nature of boards. Many of us have engaged in long discussions and skirmishes with all sorts here, more than you might think. Much better than other forms of social media, where people know close to nothing about the sport of tennis at any rate. If you'd really like to talk tennis without the added drama that comes into it, there are some great reads in Former Player Talk, College, Sports Apparel and the like.
As for me personally - don't really care, my absolute favourites aren't even playing right now. Just happy to engage with others and discuss tennis. And there's a lot to learn from many people, even those one might dismiss as "biased".
No one is questioning you per se, if that means anything. What people did react to was the timing and tone of your original message, along with the fact that you felt the need to advertise your activities in such a manner. Treat this as a learning experience and enjoy yourself.
Thanks, I do appreciate it.
 
D

Deleted member 756486

Guest
Notable Clay Threads the past month or so:
User/orientation

Here
@Otacon / unknown

Here
@Fedforever / unknown

Here
@BeatlesFan / does not want Fed on clay

Here
@smoledman / does not want Fed on clay

Here
@Hitman / unknown

Here
@BeatlesFan / does not want Fed on clay

Here
@Firstservingman / unknown

I’d be hard pressed to find a single thread exploring the matter in a positive light, and with optimism, let alone the 10’s of threads you that allude to. I should know this because I would have liked very much to engage with folk on the subject openly and with less hostility.

Perhaps you’ve created so many threads on the matter yourself it just feels this way?

@duaneeo
@kevaninho
If you guys are freely able to discuss the matter in some thread without constantly being hounded do let me know where this promised land is. Apparently I only cluelessly bump into threads started by folk that don’t want him to have anything to do with clay.
I created a thread with an article that argued for Fed to play on clay..
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/inde...ning-another-french-open-his-priority.611400/

It was shunned by the community and I was lashed to a cross.
 
D

Deleted member 742196

Guest
I created a thread with an article that argued for Fed to play on clay..
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/inde...ning-another-french-open-his-priority.611400/

It was shunned by the community and I was lashed to a cross.

LOL

I didn’t even get to see it on the radar. Hacked right at the knees before it even had a chance to get walking.

The nearest I’ve been able to explore the issue in relative freedom was today - in a thread that had nothing to do with clay.

I guess the larger point I was making to @BeatlesFan above wasn’t so much that there are threads one way or another, after all he/she has created a few clay threads and there’s no issue there.

The larger point is conversations can and should organically go wherever they might.

This to me is in the truest spirit of a forum.
 
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