AO’20 QF Men’s Singles: (3) R Federer (SUI) vs Tennys Sandgren

[Federer and Del Potro]

The funny thing about Fed's loss in Wimbly '19 @Federer and Del Potro

If Fed had converted those CP's , then it would have been a lot of hurt for Djoker fans , being up 4-2 on serve. Federer's first 5 or so service games he was brutalized by Djoker & yet only succumbed to the 1 break.

It really annoys me that all of Fed's hard work just gets washed away because he couldn't finish it. He really should have lost that set earlier than he did.

The guy's mental toughness is insane. Losing Championship Points will make anyone look like a choker , but Fed was far from it in that final.

Let's not forget that Fed almost broke @ 11-11.

The Tie-Breaker was a monstrosity however & i think Fed was cooked by that point , & to be fair Fed overstayed his welcome in that fifth set. Djoker should've finished him off earlier during those opening 8 or so games to start the 5th.

I felt the same way about 2014 Wimbledon final as well.

 

[BeatlesFan]

After the SF.

Fed does have an extra half a day of rest though, given he played this match during the day.

He gets two days of rest now. His semi will be played Th night.

 

[Mike Sams]

Congrats to Federer but his last wins were just opponents choking mostly

You've never played a sport.

 

[Mike Sams]

He's making a point, because whenever Nadal is injured it is nearly universally dismissed by Federer fans. And he's right of course, the double standard is a complete joke, but then so are most entitled Federer fans.

Nah, it's because all Nadal fans claim Nadal is injured in every single match that he loses.
Heck, the Nadal fans have excuses for all his 29 losses to Djokovic

 

[zagor]

You've never played a sport.

He's right though, Fed has no business being in GS semis in the shape he's in.

He's one of the greatest champions of the sport obviously but his scalp was there for the taking this AO. Don't think I've ever seen him play worse and still go deep in a tourney.

 

[weakera]

Nah, it's because all Nadal fans claim Nadal is injured in every single match that he loses.
Heck, the Nadal fans have excuses for all his 29 losses to Djokovic

Incorrect.

 

[zagor]

Nah, it's because all Nadal fans claim Nadal is injured in every single match that he loses.
Heck, the Nadal fans have excuses for all his 29 losses to Djokovic

Pretty much, the Nadal was apparently injured even last AO when he absolutely slaughtered the field on his way to the finals.

The guy has cried wolf so many times that it's ridiculous to ask everyone to take him at face value.

 

[Mike Sams]

Admittedly I thought Roger was clearly tanking, but later could see he was clearly injured. That semi final is going to be gruesome, likely one of the most brutal beatdowns in history. Should Fed svae grace and give a walkover for Novak?

He should pull a Rafa from Paris Masters 2019 and claim a stomach injury.

 

[mike danny]

Anyways @mike danny no hard feelings. Hope you didn't take anything I said too poorly. Through text, it's hard to interpret. My tone was concerned, not agitated. Federer is not going to be playing much longer. Yes he tortures all of us sometimes, especially on break points. He loses matches he should win. Big ones.

I apologize if anything was taken the wrong way or came out too harsh. I understand we are all fans of Fed at the end of the day and we react to matches and results differently. I'd just say try to enjoy the ride while it lasts. It really is almost over. And in 10 years or whatever looking back on it, losing that 2019 Wimbledon match wont feel anywhere near as bad . Just look at 2008 Wimbledon as a good example of that.

When it's all over, the numbers won't matter anymore. All that will be left are the memories. And nobody, and I mean nobody, can deny that Roger Federer hasn't given all of us thousands upon thousands of them.

Never interpreted your words in a negative way. You're a cool guy on this forum and I'm certain off it as well

You're right about Fed. Agree entirely.

 

[Federer and Del Potro]

Pretty much, the Nadal was apparently injured even last AO when he absolutely slaughtered the field on his way to the finals.

The guy has cried wolf so many times that it's ridiculous to ask everyone to take him at face value.

Let me play devils advocate here though - to kind of see where @weakera is coming from and what he is trying to say. Because I personally do.

I don't doubt the Federer fanbase when they say he's injured during a match, especially if there's tidbits coming through from people there firsthand confirming something is wrong.

But I do think it's become a bit of a defense mechanism on TTW to immediately wonder on basically ALL posts/match threads if Fed is physically hampered in some way. At this rate it's almost a cried wolf scenario for every fanbase.

People just don't want to admit sometimes their guy was just straight up beaten or getting beaten. I saw injury posts in the Millman match thread too. It's hard to think of a single match thread of Fed's where someone didn't ask if he was injured.

We are all so caught up in this stupid slam race bs that the mental gymnastics are going at 1000 miles per minute. The excuses are long and plenty.

 

[trenzterra]

He's right though, Fed has no business being in GS semis in the shape he's in.

He's one of the greatest champions of the sport obviously but his scalp was there for the taking this AO. Don't think I've ever seen him play worse and still go deep in a tourney.

He was pretty bad at FO 2009 if I remember... Came back from two sets and almost a break down against Haas and five sets against jmdp in the semis

 

[I Am Finnish]

This tournament is missing a 4th presence who should be right there with the big 3. I'm talking Andy Murray from 2010-2016 when he was continuously making the SF in Melbourne. It should be Nadal/Murray in the other SF. Sucks that the young gen still aren't delivering. Medvedev and Tsitsipas especially were disappointing. Although Thiem and Zverev are still both in the tournament which is a positive. Zverev seems to be completely under the radar right now despite having reached the QF without dropping a set.

TTW does not care about peakrev

 

[Federer and Del Potro]

Never interpreted your words in a negative way. You're a cool guy on this forum and I'm certain off it as well

You're right about Fed. Agree entirely.

Appreciate that brother, it's just I had never remembered you so rampantly pessimistic toward Federer in the past. And was kind of wondering why. And hey, at least Fed did beat Djokovic at WTF. It was a small consolation to be sure, but to beat him again after so long, I think it'd be wrong to not enjoy that. Wimbledon 2019 freaking blew, no argument here. One of the hardest hitting Fed losses ever. Don't let it ruin Federer for you though. He's not done yet. And yeah he may be passed, and that sucks, especially for diehards like us. But at least he's going down with a fight at almost 40. That's pretty awesome.

 

[Nostradamus]

so is roger all ready and warmed up for novak ? will novak get crushed by roger in next round ? roger look scary good

 

[I Am Finnish]

Makes me sick

Kyrgios is that you?

 

[I Am Finnish]

Tomic never would have lost with 7 match points

Tomic would had routined zombierer

 

[BGod]

The funny thing about Fed's loss in Wimbly '19 @Federer and Del Potro

If Fed had converted those CP's , then it would have been a lot of hurt for Djoker fans , being up 4-2 on serve. Federer's first 5 or so service games he was brutalized by Djoker & yet only succumbed to the 1 break.

It really annoys me that all of Fed's hard work just gets washed away because he couldn't finish it. He really should have lost that set earlier than he did.

The guy's mental toughness is insane. Losing Championship Points will make anyone look like a choker , but Fed was far from it in that final.

Let's not forget that Fed almost broke @ 11-11.

The Tie-Breaker was a monstrosity however & i think Fed was cooked by that point , & to be fair Fed overstayed his welcome in that fifth set. Djoker should've finished him off earlier during those opening 8 or so games to start the 5th.

Fact is the highest level 5 set matches he's lost the majority.

Ken Rosewall's 1974 Wimbledon Final was pretty epic to get there but he got demolished so few remember or know he did amazing to get there.

After Roger likely gets demolished by Roger in SF how many will remember Sandren in 2040?

But maybe Roger wins it all.

 

[I Am Finnish]

He knows he's gonna get steamrolled in 5 sets by Novak.

In 5 ?

 

[Federer and Del Potro]

Fact is the highest level 5 set matches he's lost the majority.

Ken Rosewall's 1974 Wimbledon Final was pretty epic to get there but he got demolished so few remember or know he did amazing to get there.

After Roger likely gets demolished by Roger in SF how many will remember Sandren in 2040?

But maybe Roger wins it all.

Idk I feel like I'll personally remember this match for a long time. 7 match points aside, there were probably about 100+ points played where it felt like the entire time Federer was DEAD to rights.

Then you add in the 7 MPS, and no matter who your opponent is, that is memorable.

Besides, even if Fed does the unthinkable and dethrones Novak here, he has to win AGAIN. And given his age, form, and day to day fluctuations, no final opponent would be easy.

A normal win against Sandgren would have quickly been forgotten. But this match was way too bizarre to ever forget.

 

[I Am Finnish]

I will root for Djokovic if this match happens.

#ABF (Anyone But Federer )

 

[zagor]

Let me play devils advocate here though - to kind of see where @weakera is coming from and what he is trying to say. Because I personally do.

I don't doubt the Federer fanbase when they say he's injured during a match, especially if there's tidbits coming through from people there firsthand confirming something is wrong.

But I do think it's become a bit of a defense mechanism on TTW to immediately wonder on basically ALL posts/match threads if Fed is physically hampered in some way. At this rate it's almost a cried wolf scenario for every fanbase.

People just don't want to admit sometimes their guy was just straight up beaten or getting beaten. I saw injury posts in the Millman match thread too. It's hard to think of a single match thread of Fed's where someone didn't ask if he was injured.

We are all so caught up in this stupid slam race bs that the mental gymnastics are going at 1000 miles per minute. The excuses are long and plenty.

That's because at this point any injury could mean a quick end for Fed which we all know is right around corner anyway. Yeah, Fed fans are too panicky but it's somewhat understandable.

In my mind, that's not comparable to basically every major Nadal loss to his rivals for the last decade being down to one injury or another. Now, you're free to choose to believe every single one of them but don't expect everyone to follow suit.

Also bears mentioning that there's a clear difference between being injured and being physically hampered in one way or another. The vast majority of pros on tour constantly play through some degree of pain, it's inevitable/comes with the territory.

 

[I Am Finnish]

Well done Roger! I didn't want Nole to win jn straight sets against some journeyman in the semi.

Raonic or Djokovic might beat Federer in straights

 

[I Am Finnish]

Politics aside, Feds broken back as per TTW doctors aside, give Sandgren credit. Not much he did wrong tonight at all. Served well, went 3 hours without being broken. Fed will get rolled by Djokovic playing like this but that doesn’t mean Sandgrens run here wasn’t very good

 

[Federer and Del Potro]

That's because at this point any injury could mean a quick end for Fed which we all know is right around corner anyway. Yeah, Fed fans are too panicky but it's somewhat understandable.

In my mind, that's not comparable to basically every major Nadal loss to his rivals for the last decade being down to one injury or another. Now, you're free to choose to believe every single one of them but don't expect everyone to follow suit.

Also bears mentioning that there's a clear difference between being injured and being physically hampered in one way or another. The vast majority of pros on tour constantly play through some degree of pain, it's inevitable/comes with the territory.

Nadal can have a hard time dealing with losses, and might not be as impaired as he claims to be sometimes. But I also think Federer has shown to deal with losses quite bitterly as well. All that really tells me is they're human just like the rest of us. I find it to be paradoxical because people are so quick to go after these athletes perceived excuses when they themselves usually also have a litany of excuses when their guy loses.

Nadal's violent style is plenty conducive to injuries, but only he knows whats real and whats not. All we can do is speculate, and with speculation comes ignorance.

As for the panicky stuff, I'll never really understand that side of things, but that's just me. I feel like Federer's resurgence in 2017 created this negative environment where suddenly Federer was not allowed to lose anymore despite not winning any slam for a good 4-5 years or whatever it was.

 

[I Am Finnish]

So he's gonna lose to Novak again. Big whoop. I have made peace with the idea that Fed will never figure out Djoker before he retires. His GOAThood is pretty much sinked, so what's there to lose?

Life goes on.

Mindgames

 

[I Am Finnish]

@Federer and Del Potro stop being funny lol

 

[zagor]

He was pretty bad at FO 2009 if I remember... Came back from two sets and almost a break down against Haas and five sets against jmdp in the semis

Haas match was a nervy affair from Fed since Nadal just got bounced by Soderling but his game was still in very good shape in that match (he was barely losing points on serve), he just didn't execute well in the big moments for the first two sets.

Couldn't disagree more about the Delpo match, I remember how well he played that tourney. No version of Fed was gonna get past JMDP in that form easily, it was a high quality match through and through. A far, far cry from Millman and Sandgren mugfests this tourney.

 

[icedevil0289]

Haas match was a nervy affair from Fed since Nadal just got bounced by Soderling but his game was still in very good shape in that match (he was barely losing points on serve), he just didn't execute well in the big moments for the first two sets.

Couldn't disagree more about the Delpo match, I remember how well he played that tourney. No version of Fed was gonna get past JMDP in that form easily, it was a high quality match through and through. A far, far cry from Millman and Sandgren mugfests this tourney.

Yeah idk how we are comparing 2009 to 2020. His ground game was miles different even if he was at the tail end of his prime

 

[zagor]

Yeah idk how we are comparing 2009 to 2020. His ground game was miles different even if he was at the tail end of his prime

Every single facet of his game was miles better in 2009 than now, it's not even comparable.

 

[StrongRule]

Wow, another choke against Federer. It really doesn't matter what is his form, opponents will still choke against him. This run to the semifinal is even luckier than Nadal's run to the semifinal in Paris 2009. I wonder what will happen to @Yugram if Federer wins his 21st slam after being so close to losing many times in this tournament. He really should have lost in two matches already, but it didn't happen for some reason.

 

[romeo8880]

Yeah idk how we are comparing 2009 to 2020. His ground game was miles different even if he was at the tail end of his prime

It’s been so long I think people forget how good he really was honestly

 

[mr tonyz]

Nah, it's because all Nadal fans claim Nadal is injured in every single match that he loses.
Heck, the Nadal fans have excuses for all his 29 losses to Djokovic

Last years AO final loss was due to Nadal being undercooked , not overcooked

I no play enough points no? My usual defence was not at right level no?

If Nadal was a recipe for a cake , you'd need the perfect temperature to avoid the cake turning into a foul mess , not too hot & not too cold ...

Oh the irony!

 

[zagor]

Nadal can have a hard time dealing with losses, and might not be as impaired as he claims to be sometimes. But I also think Federer has shown to deal with losses quite bitterly as well. All that really tells me is they're human just like the rest of us. I find it to be paradoxical because people are so quick to go after these athletes perceived excuses when they themselves usually also have a litany of excuses when their guy loses.

Nadal's violent style is plenty conducive to injuries, but only he knows whats real and whats not. All we can do is speculate, and with speculation comes ignorance.

As for the panicky stuff, I'll never really understand that side of things, but that's just me. I feel like Federer's resurgence in 2017 created this negative environment where suddenly Federer was not allowed to lose anymore despite not winning any slam for a good 4-5 years or whatever it was.

Yet he's one of the ATGs with the best longevity in the history of the sport and has been in amazing physical shape for the CC season (his best part of the year in which he also plays a packed schedule) for nearly every year for the last 15 years.

All the while his fans, media, tennis forums etc. talk nearly non-stop about his numerous injuries and how he's such an amazing fighter to play through them and bla bla bla. Like all guys like Delpo and Haas lacked are Nadal's grit and fighting spirit, yeah right.

I'm sure Nadal has plenty of nagging physical issues he has to navigate through daily (every pro player does) but I'm not buying all this hoopla about he's such an injury ridden player that comes through all the time because he's a real life Rocky Balboa figure. I have no problem with others fully believe that story but I personally don't.

 

[mr tonyz]

Haas match was a nervy affair from Fed since Nadal just got bounced by Soderling but his game was still in very good shape in that match (he was barely losing points on serve), he just didn't execute well in the big moments for the first two sets.

Couldn't disagree more about the Delpo match, I remember how well he played that tourney. No version of Fed was gonna get past JMDP in that form easily, it was a high quality match through and through. A far, far cry from Millman and Sandgren mugfests this tourney.

I remember that '09 Semi as being an absolute grindfest & Fed constantly chipping back Delpo's serve instead of going topspin . I remember being very frustrated with how that match went. Especially when Fed was 1-2 down in sets.

 

[icedevil0289]

Every single facet of his game was miles better in 2009 than now, it's not even comparable.

do you think his serve got better, maybe not this year or last year, but say like idk 2012 onwards when he became more serve dependent? like i think he was always a decent server.

i mean fed himsself always goes on about how his currentself could beat his 25 year old self but obviosuly he's never going to be like yeah i am a shadow of myself. i would say he's more i guess tactical as he's gotten older since i think he was a lot more instinctual back then

 

[a10best]

I missed it. can someone sum it up? 5 sets against Tennys for an ATG in Tennis. You should never joke about an opponent's name you never played before.

 

[Pheasant]

i am extremely pumped about this victory. At his age, it means a ton. Fed has been a true escape artist.

R3: down 4-8 in final set tiebreaker. This comeback was insane.

QF: staved off 7 match points in the 4th set, including triple match point at 3-6 in the tiebreaker.

This has been an impossible run for the alleged “choker”.

What a dream run. This will be memorable forever. And ironically, Federer is now the oldest slam semi finalist since Connors in 1991.

Fed was outaced 27-5, yet still won. He was missing 6 mph for his first serves on average, yet still won. His movement was clearly compromised, which robbed him of his winners, yet he still gutted out an epic win.

note; the other 38 year old in this tourney(Lopez) was blown off the court in straight set in the first round.

if I didn’t have to work in 15 minutes, I would have cracked open a beer to celebrate.

 

[weakera]

i am extremely pumped about this victory. At his age, it means a ton. Fed has been a true escape artist.

R3: down 4-8 in final set tiebreaker. This comeback was insane.

QF: staved off 7 match points in the 4th set, including triple match point at 3-6 in the tiebreaker.

This has been an impossible run for the alleged “choker”.

What a dream run. This will be memorable forever. And ironically, Federer is now the oldest slam semi finalist since Connors in 1991.

Fed was outaced 27-5, yet still won. He was missing 6 mph for his first serves on average, yet still won. His movement was clearly compromised, which robbed him of his winners, yet he still gutted out an epic win.

note; the other 38 year old in this tourney(Lopez) was blown off the court in straight set in the first round.

if I don’t have to work in 15 minutes, Inwiukd have cracked open a beer to celebrate.

An impossible run? A dream run? Against not a single top-40 opponent? LOL

 

[TennisFan3]

Great victory for Fed. True courage and spirit of a champion.

The worry is that Djoker will eat him alive in the next round. It will likely be a Nadal 2008 RG final like demolition.

Fed's old and injury ridden but he is still fighting. Too bad it's his worst nightmare in the next round. Still SF at age 38 is nothing to be scoffed at.
He just need a respectable scoreline, that should be the goal for the next round.

 

[Feather]

Great victory for Fed. True courage and spirit of a champion.

The worry is that Djoker will eat him alive in the next round. It will likely be a Nadal 2008 RG final like demolition.

Fed's old and injury ridden but he is still fighting. Too bad it's his worst nightmare in the next round. Still SF at age 38 is nothing to be scoffed at.
He just need a respectable scoreline, that should be the goal for the next round.

He will not think like how you think: play match for a respectable scoreline. He will play for a win. And I have faith in the Maestro

 

[TennisFan3]

Admittedly I thought Roger was clearly tanking, but later could see he was clearly injured. That semi final is going to be gruesome, likely one of the most brutal beatdowns in history. Should Fed svae grace and give a walkover for Novak?

It will likely be the worst loss against Novak. Almost like a RG 2008 Nadal Fed final.

But Fed won't tank. Champions don't do that. They take it square in their chest.

 

[abmk]

do you think his serve got better, maybe not this year or last year, but say like idk 2012 onwards when he became more serve dependent? like i think he was always a decent server.

i mean fed himsself always goes on about how his currentself could beat his 25 year old self but obviosuly he's never going to be like yeah i am a shadow of myself. i would say he's more i guess tactical as he's gotten older since i think he was a lot more instinctual back then

fed from 2009 madrid to 2009 USO semi had some of the best serving of his life.

 

[TennisFan3]

He will not think like how you think: play match for a respectable scoreline. He will play for a win. And I have faith in the Maestro

I agree. Fed will fight. That is what champions do.
I was just saying what the likely outcome would be. Novak is scary good.

 

[TearTheRoofOff]

An impossible run? A dream run? Against not a single top-40 opponent? LOL

Given the circumstances and form, yes.

 

[Daniel Andrade]

OMG the grandpa did it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Feather]

It will likely be the worst loss against Novak. Almost like a RG 2008 Nadal Fed final.

But Fed won't tank. Champions don't do that. They take it square in their chest.

Exactly! The problem is we think that players think like how we think. Roger/Rafa/Djokovic will not tank. They play to win.

 

[weakera]

Given the circumstances and form, yes.

LOL

 

[Fedinkum]

OMG the grandpa did it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I wish I can watch that match again not knowing the result, such a wild ride!!!

 

[bluetrain4]

I fell asleep on the couch during this and am just learning Fed won and Sandgren had seven! match points. Wow.

 

[tenisdecente]

I fell asleep after the 3-0 in the third set but was listening to the commentators. Then he came back and the miracle completed. Holy c r a p
I have zero expectations for the SF. Djokovic is playing good enough to dispatch the Maestro in straights, but honestly that does not bother me at all. I will enjoy the match no matter the outcome.
Long live to Federer. He will be deeply missed once it is all said and done