A Fed-less 2003-07

[aldeayeah]

From 2003 to 2007, Roger Federer famously won 12 majors. But what if he didn't?

This is a thought game. Let's imagine Federer retired with injury in his first match in each of those tournaments. Out of the guys he beat, which of them would get to lift the trophy?

Often the clear favorite will be the other finalist, other times we may want to look back to semis or even an earlier round. So for reference, these are the guys Fed beat en route to his titles:

Wimbledon 2003: Lee, Koubek, Fish, Lopez, Schalken, Roddick, Philippoussis
AO 2004: Bogomolov, Morrison, Reid, Hewitt, Nalbandian, Ferrero, Safin
Wimbledon 2004: Bogdanovic (@King No1e ), Falla, Johanson, Karlovic, Hewitt, Grosjea, Roddick
USO 2004: Costa, Baghdatis, Santoro, walkover, Agassi, Henman, Hewitt
Wimbledon 2005: Mathieu, Minar, Kiefer, Ferrero, Gonzalez, Hewitt, Roddick
USO 2005: Minar, Santoro, Rochus, Kiefer, Nalbandian, Hewitt, Agassi
AO 2006: Istomin, Mayer, Mirnyi, Haas, Davydenko, Kiefer, Baghdatis
Wimbledon 2006: Gasquet, Henman, Mahut, Berdych, Ancic, Bjorkman, Nadal
USO 2006: Wang, Henman, Spadea, Gicquel, Blake, Davydenko, Roddick
AO 2007: Phau, Bjorkman, Youzhny, Djokovic, Robredo, Roddick, Gonzalez
Wimbledon 2007: Gabashvili, Del Potro, Safin, walkover, Ferrero, Gasquet, Nadal
USO 2007: Jenkins, Capdeville, Isner, Lopez, Roddick, Davydenko, Djokovic

These would be my candidates, other than WB 2007 I'm not so sure about the rest:

WB 2003: Roddick or Scud
AO 2004: Safin, Hewitt or Nalbandian
WB 2004: Roddick or Hewitt
USO 2004: Hewitt or Agassi
WB 2005: Roddick or Hewitt
USO 2005: Agassi, Hewitt or Nalbandian
AO 2006: Baggy or Davydenko
WB 2006: Nadal or Ancic
USO 2006: Roddick or Blake
AO 2007: Gonzo, Roddick and Djokovic (who caught fire shortly after reaching IW final and winning Miami) are all strong candidates
WB 2007: Nadal
USO 2007: Djokovic or Roddick

So what do you all think? (please no big3/goat/weak era flaming )

 

[NatF]

Draws would be different but assuming at each of these individual majors Fed loses early or withdraws without messing up the draw - rather than he never existed.

WB 2003: Roddick
AO 2004: Nalbandian
WB 2004: Roddick
USO 2004: Agassi
WB 2005: Hewitt
USO 2005: Hewitt
AO 2006: Davydenko
WB 2006: Nadal
USO 2006: Roddick
AO 2007: Gonzo
WB 2007: Nadal
USO 2007: Roddick

 

[USO]

From 2003 to 2007, Roger Federer famously won 12 majors. But what if he didn't?

This is a thought game. Let's imagine Federer retired with injury in his first match in each of those tournaments. Out of the guys he beat, which of them would get to lift the trophy?

Often the clear favorite will be the other finalist, other times we may want to look back to semis or even an earlier round. So for reference, these are the guys Fed beat en route to his titles:

Wimbledon 2003: Lee, Koubek, Fish, Lopez, Schalken, Roddick, Philippoussis
AO 2004: Bogomolov, Morrison, Reid, Hewitt, Nalbandian, Ferrero, Safin
Wimbledon 2004: Bogdanovic (@King No1e ), Falla, Johanson, Karlovic, Hewitt, Grosjea, Roddick
USO 2004: Costa, Baghdatis, Santoro, walkover, Agassi, Henman, Hewitt
Wimbledon 2005: Mathieu, Minar, Kiefer, Ferrero, Gonzalez, Hewitt, Roddick
USO 2005: Minar, Santoro, Rochus, Kiefer, Nalbandian, Hewitt, Agassi
AO 2006: Istomin, Mayer, Mirnyi, Haas, Davydenko, Kiefer, Baghdatis
Wimbledon 2006: Gasquet, Henman, Mahut, Berdych, Ancic, Bjorkman, Nadal
USO 2006: Wang, Henman, Spadea, Gicquel, Blake, Davydenko, Roddick
AO 2007: Phau, Bjorkman, Youzhny, Djokovic, Robredo, Roddick, Gonzalez
Wimbledon 2007: Gabashvili, Del Potro, Safin, walkover, Ferrero, Gasquet, Nadal
USO 2007: Jenkins, Capdeville, Isner, Lopez, Roddick, Davydenko, Djokovic

These would be my candidates, other than WB 2007 I'm not so sure about the rest:

WB 2003: Roddick or Scud
AO 2004: Safin, Hewitt or Nalbandian
WB 2004: Roddick or Hewitt
USO 2004: Hewitt or Agassi
WB 2005: Roddick or Hewitt
USO 2005: Agassi, Hewitt or Nalbandian
AO 2006: Baggy or Davydenko
WB 2006: Nadal or Ancic
USO 2006: Roddick or Blake
AO 2007: Gonzo, Roddick and Djokovic (who caught fire shortly after reaching IW final and winning Miami) are all strong candidates
WB 2007: Nadal
USO 2007: Djokovic or Roddick

So what do you all think? (please no big3/goat/weak era flaming )

The ATP tour would have gone bankrupt.

 

[MichaelNadal]

Why's everyone talking about Feds peak era lately? Lol

 

[daphne]

Why's everyone talking about Feds peak era lately? Lol

Isn't it better than talking about the same weak era?

 

[Jason Swerve]

For the purpose of this thread, are we assuming Sampras drove Fed into retirement? If Sampras is inspired again, he's winning at least 5 more titles.

 

[TheNachoMan]

Roddick wins 10+ slams and has GOAT status.

 

[Deleted member 748597]

Bogdanovic goes deep at Wimb 04.

 

[Forehanderer]

I don't know who else could have won but definitely Basilashvili beating Federer in Doha last week is revenge for Gabashvili in Wim 07

 

[ChrisRF]

For the purpose of this thread, are we assuming Sampras drove Fed into retirement? If Sampras is inspired again, he's winning at least 5 more titles.

Nah, Sampras was done, Federer or not (apart from that one last hurrah at the 2002 US Open of course). He wasn’t motivated for the whole of 2003 and retired when nobody could estimate how great Federer would become.

His Slam losses after Wimbledon 2000:
Marat Safin
Todd Martin
Galo Blanco
Roger Federer
Lleyton Hewitt
Marat Safin
Andrea Gaudenzi
George Bastl

There is no sign he would have dealt with Safin and Hewitt better after 2002 or would have stopped losing to nobodies all of a sudden. Also his favourite Serve&Volley game just became obsolete in the early 2000s.

 

[Jonesy]

Baghdatis being a slam champ would implode the universe.

 

[abmk]

WB 2003: Roddick or Scud
AO 2004: Safin, Hewitt or Nalbandian
WB 2004: Roddick or Hewitt
USO 2004: Hewitt or Agassi
WB 2005: Roddick or Hewitt
USO 2005: Agassi, Hewitt or Nalbandian
AO 2006: Baggy or Davydenko
WB 2006: Nadal or Ancic
USO 2006: Roddick or Blake
AO 2007: Gonzo, Roddick and Djokovic (who caught fire shortly after reaching IW final and winning Miami) are all strong candidates
WB 2007: Nadal
USO 2007: Djokovic or Roddick

So what do you all think? (please no big3/goat/weak era flaming )

Wim 03 : roddick with edge over Scud
AO 04: Nalby fav given Safin's draw
Wim 04: Roddick over Hewitt
USO 04: Agassi over Hewitt
Wim 05: Hewitt over Roddick
USO 05: Hewitt over Agassi
AO 06: Baggy or davy
Wim 06: Nadal or Ancic
USO 06: Roddick or Blake
AO 07: Gonzo with edge over Roddick
Wim 07: Nadal
USO 07: Djokovic or Roddick

 

[Jason Swerve]

Nah, Sampras was done, Federer or not (apart from that one last hurrah at the 2002 US Open of course). He wasn’t motivated for the whole of 2003 and retired when nobody could estimate how great Federer would become.

His Slam losses after Wimbledon 2000:
Marat Safin
Todd Martin
Galo Blanco
Roger Federer
Lleyton Hewitt
Marat Safin
Andrea Gaudenzi
George Bastl

There is no sign he would have dealt with Safin and Hewitt better after 2002 or would have stopped losing to nobodies all of a sudden. Also his favourite Serve&Volley game just became obsolete in the early 2000s.

You're more than likely right.

 

[Sport]

Nadal Wimbleodn 2006. Nadal Wimbledon 2007.

The rest is a mix between Philippoussis, Roddick, Hewitt, Agassi and Djokovic.

 

[MeatTornado]

For the purpose of this thread, are we assuming Sampras drove Fed into retirement? If Sampras is inspired again, he's winning at least 5 more titles.

Let's imagine Federer retired with injury in his first match in each of those tournaments.

 

[MeatTornado]

Roddick wins 10+ slams and has GOAT status.

Andy gets so confident from dominating hard/grass that he's able to put an end to Rafa's reign at RG as well.

 

[Druss]

Roddick would be borderline ATG.

 

[Jason Swerve]

*snip*

Stop trying so hard. I'm asking if their match led to his retirement, and I was joking at that. Despite your passive aggression, it's painfully obvious to see who your personal GOAT is.

 

[Qubax]

There's no denying Roddick would have quite a few more slams if Fed wasn't around.

He also would have been more motivated, encouraged, confident from getting multiple slams, perhaps more then 1 year end #1 too

 

[Deleted member 688153]

Stop trying so hard. I'm asking if their match led to his retirement, and I was joking at that. Despite your passive aggression, it's painfully obvious to see who your personal GOAT is.

it is ok

 

[Jason Swerve]

it is ok

It's not okay to claim Federer as a GOAT, are you serious?

 

[Deleted member 688153]

It's not okay to claim Federer as a GOAT, are you serious?

fedr

 

[RelentlessAttack]

Roddick, Nalby, Hewitt, Davydenko would have a bunch of slams and would be remembered as greats. Nadal wins 3 channel slams in a row and looks like the second coming of Borg. Safin might have 1 more (AO04) but was stopped by injuries as much as by Federer.

 

[Pheasant]

If Federer isn't around, then Gilbert likely would have remained Roddick's coach. My gut tells me that Gilbert was fired, simply because he had no answers for beating Federer.

 

[PETEhammer]

Roddick an ATG? Davydenko, Baghdatis, Blake and ANCIC slam winners? Scary stuff man. Feel like I've seen a ghost

 

[PETEhammer]

Roddick, Nalby, Hewitt, Davydenko would have a bunch of slams and would be remembered as greats. Nadal wins 3 channel slams in a row and looks like the second coming of Borg. Safin might have 1 more (AO04) but was stopped by injuries as much as by Federer.

Which tells us how sad the era was. Thankfully the Baghdatis era has passed

 

[PETEhammer]

If Federer isn't around, then Gilbert likely would have remained Roddick's coach. My gut tells me that Gilbert was fired, simply because he had no answers for beating Federer.

If Federer isn't around Roddick might be equal to Mac in the ATG ranking...let that sink in

 

[SinneGOAT]

Why's everyone talking about Feds peak era lately? Lol

As much as I’m bored of it, it’s more interesting than the next gen and the snail crawl of a tour we are having at the moment.

 

[RelentlessAttack]

Which tells us how sad the era was. Thankfully the Baghdatis era has passed

As I’ve definitively demonstrated, Baggy would have been a multi slam winner in the career inflation era

 

[junior74]

Peak Basilashvili would have won at least half of them

 

[swordtennis]

"Bags multi slam champion."

 

[mike danny]

"Bags multi slam champion."

Well, better than Anderson potentially being a multi slam winner if no Big 3

 

[PETEhammer]

Well, better than Anderson potentially being a multi slam winner if no Big 3

Anderson, the destroyer of defending champion Fedski in his own kingdom? Something Roghdatis never achieved?

Roghdatis for the win - the Federer win