AO2009 QF - Federer vs Del Potro

[IvanAndreevich]

hmm, i'm not sure. federer's 5 set match record is not very good (13-11 i think, especially for one of all time greats).

i'd say 5 set is only way to beat federer at slams (except on clay or when federer is subpar)

Do you have the complete list of those matches? I'd like to have a look. I can probably remember half of those (vs Nalbandian @ TMC 2005, vs Nadal Rome 2006, vs Nadal Wimbledon 2007 & 2008, vs Nadal Miami 2005, vs Tipsy AO 2008, vs Andreev USO 2008) if I try, but not all.

 

[IvanAndreevich]

i'm honestly trying to learn something here, so please bear with me:

"defense is not amazing" ... i should know but i dont. which part of the game is considered defense? when the other player has the serve? because if that's what it is, delpo's first 3 matches haven't gone to 5, whereas fed's today did.

"physical conditioning" ... i also am not sure about this. he has a slender body type and of course fed is 7 years older. despite that, he took out the man who went to 15? 16? games in his 5th set (muller v. lopez), indicating excellent conditioning. by that i mean muller is in excellent condition yet delpo still took him out.

Your guesses are completely wrong. You should learn about the game so that you can get so much more out of it. Being informed about what's going on court really unlocks the beauty of tennis. Some commentators are good, for example John McEnroe or some of the British ones available in online streams. Occasionally they explain stuff.

Defense = when Federer is controlling the rally and Del Potro is scrambling to get to the ball and keep it in play, while not giving too easy of a ball which Federer can put away. Footwork and endurance is key. Delpo moves well for a tall guy, but not Murray or Simon well. Far from it. For endurance see below.

Delpo is young, skinny, and tall. He is not strong physically yet from what I've seen. Federer, on the other hand, has played some 5 hour matches and looked good doing it. His match against Berdych didn't really have many difficult rallies, and he moved like a feather in the 5th set. If the match becomes a grindfest, I'd give Roger the upper hand.

 

[tacou]

Delp has a big enough game to trouble Fed. but he doesn't have any brains.

Tomas executed some brilliant strategy for awhile against Roger, that's the only reason he won two sets.

Fed in 3.

 

[IvanAndreevich]

Delp has a big enough game to trouble Fed. but he doesn't have any brains.

Tomas executed some brilliant strategy for awhile against Roger, that's the only reason he won two sets.

Fed in 3.

Strategy is hitting the lines shot after shot? :lol: When he can't, he loses because he doesn't have a strategy that works against Federer.

 

[joeri888]

Fed was just completely NOT THERE in that match against Berdych, and I think that his victory was much due to the fact that Berdych decided to find the 'way out' as well after he lost the 3rd set. Absolutely ****-poor performance from both.

If anything, I hope Fed has now concluded that IF he wants to take GS #14 (a really BIG 'if'), he'll have to stay awake most of all. If he does, in three. If not... congrats DelPo.

HAHA, their winner-UE ratio's were far better than in the Djokovic-Baghdatis 'epic'. Berdych-Federer was a great match for sure

 

[_maxi]

I don't see Del Potro playing his best tennis. The heat is affecting his game. So I have to say, Fed in three.

 

[IvanAndreevich]

I don't see Del Potro playing his best tennis. The heat is affecting his game. So I have to say, Fed in three.

I'd have to say that heat seemed to be affecting Roger's game as well somewhat.

 

[bolo]

Delpo is an interesting proposition. Not the type of player that gives fed. trouble, but he is obviously executing his preferred game style at a high level. He's the best ball basher we have seen in a while imo, probably the best since berdych.

I say fed. in 5.

 

[TheMusicLover]

HAHA, their winner-UE ratio's were far better than in the Djokovic-Baghdatis 'epic'. Berdych-Federer was a great match for sure

Those 'official' stats very often don't tell the true story. That there were plenty of winners is no surprise, it comes with both players' styles. But there were an awful lot of missed chances, shanks, brainfarts, etc. as well. I can't see how anyone could call this 'a great match'. Entertaining, sure. But 'great'? No.

 

[All-rounder]

if fed lets del potro take the first set then its over as if you have noticed del potro has lost the first set on almost all of his matches
but i say fed in 4 sets now that he knows that playtime is over and has to step it up a gear

 

[TheMusicLover]

if fed lets del potro take the first set then its over as if you have noticed del potro has lost the first set on almost all of his matches

Haha, yes.

but i say fed in 4 sets now that he knows that playtime is over and has to step it up a gear

I hope the match against Berdych gave Fed a timely wake-up call, if anything. I'm pretty sure Del Potro has been watching yesterday, and those first two sets were a pure 'how to beat Fed'-guide.

 

[Ballinbob]

I'm going to be a bit biased b/c Delpo is my favorite player...

Anyway, I think delpo has a good chance against Roger. I was not impressed at all with his match against Berdych. That was just a horrible performance on Roger's part. My man delpotro is no choker, and he won't let Fed get away with those forehand errors.

May I also remind you that Delpo has been serving out of his mind this whole tournament. He's been consistently hitting 205kph on first serves... Furthermore, he's alot more consistent at the baseline than Berdych.

All in all I think delpo's serve+solid ground game will be too much for Fed. Fed isnt at his best right now, and Delpo will take advantage of that

Mark my words on this one...

 

[msc886]

Federer likes the sort of game JMDP plays so this is a bad match up for JMDP. Federer in 4.

 

[All-rounder]

Haha, yes.



I hope the match against Berdych gave Fed a timely wake-up call, if anything. I'm pretty sure Del Potro has been watching yesterday, and those first two sets were a pure 'how to beat Fed'-guide.

true and that's a thing players need to start doing is analysing opponents game instead of being surprised on the day you play them

 

[TheMusicLover]

true and that's a thing players need to start doing is analysing opponents game instead of being surprised on the day you play them

Absolutely! Well I guess a lot of them do - I read that Fed always does so, except when he's forced to play a complete unknown, for the simple reason that he has never had an opportunity to see that fellow play. That's also why he quite often experiences difficulties when playing those guys.

 

[All-rounder]

Absolutely! Well I guess a lot of them do - I read that Fed always does so, except when he's forced to play a complete unknown, for the simple reason that he has never had an opportunity to see that fellow play. That's also why he quite often experiences difficulties when playing those guys.

i think that doing this would be great against nadal because there has to be at least two handfuls of players that have the potential of beating nadal on clay but don't have the right strategy if they just review some tapes they could get a general idea

 

[bolo]

Absolutely! Well I guess a lot of them do - I read that Fed always does so, except when he's forced to play a complete unknown, for the simple reason that he has never had an opportunity to see that fellow play. That's also why he quite often experiences difficulties when playing those guys.

Fed starts scouting these guys when they are in the juniors.

 

[TheMusicLover]

i think that doing this would be great against nadal because there has to be at least two handfuls of players that have the potential of beating nadal on clay but don't have the right strategy if they just review some tapes they could get a general idea

Well, that's at least ONE puzzle that Fed himself has never managed to solve . Of course, it's not just a matter of finding the right tactic, but one must also have the tools to carry out the job. As Fed is still the world's second best clay court-player, I don't see how any other players would indeed possess these tools if he doesnt.

 

[All-rounder]

Well, that's at least ONE puzzle that Fed himself has never managed to solve . Of course, it's not just a matter of finding the right tactic, but one must also have the tools to carry out the job. As Fed is still the world's second best clay court-player, I don't see how any other players would indeed possess these tools if he doesnt.

true but age is his disadvantage Fed would love it if he could go back in time and play french open again he would know what to that time around

 

[dh003i]

true but age is his disadvantage Fed would love it if he could go back in time and play french open again he would know what to that time around

His best performance against Nadal at the FO was in 2007, where he had all of those break-points in the first set (was it 17?), but failed to convert. It was just a matter of him not excuting + Nadal playing the BP's very well. I think he had the right strategy, he just didn't execute.

The fact is, Federer can beat Nadal on clay, but only he plays his A-game and Nadal doesn't play his A-game.

 

[random guy]

In a normal match, Federer in three, sadly. Beating guys that play like Delpo is what has build Federer's career. But, you never know with Roger this days so I hope for my man Delpo to step up and make the win that gonna put him in a whole different level.

 

[Rickson]

Not too many believers in JMDP on this poll. Federer has this kid's number.

 

[rubberduckies]

i think that doing this would be great against nadal because there has to be at least two handfuls of players that have the potential of beating nadal on clay but don't have the right strategy if they just review some tapes they could get a general idea

To paraphrase Shaq,
Nadal's game is like the Pythagorean Theorem. Not too many people know how to solve it.

 

[Alejandro D]

Juan Martín in 4.

 

[sheq]

after ı saw the match will be played at the night seison ı became happy bacuse roger struggled with the sun yesterday..so it is in favor of roger..

 

[tennis_hand]

after a tight game with TB, Fed will get this one fast.in 3.

 

[Love Game]

night session will also help delpo.

 

[sheq]

night session will also help delpo.

for sure..however roger like playing against these tall guys like safin karlovic or del potro..

 

[oscar_2424]

after a tight game with TB, Fed will get this one fast.in 3.

he usually does that, after a bad match Fed bounces back witha clean win, hopefully Del potro can play a good match.

 

[sheq]

he usually does that, after a bad match Fed bounces back witha clean win, hopefully Del potro can play a good match.

yea but ı still want him to save his clean match and top level for the final

 

[Lefty5]

in the last AO, when Fed was taken to 5 sets by Tipsy, he lost horribly in the next round, no? I like DelPo's chances.

 

[Oui c'est moi.]

in the last AO, when Fed was taken to 5 sets by Tipsy, he lost horribly in the next round, no? I like DelPo's chances.

That was in the 3rd round.
He lost to Novak in the semis.

 

[IvanAndreevich]

in the last AO, when Fed was taken to 5 sets by Tipsy, he lost horribly in the next round, no? I like DelPo's chances.

He was really physically weak at that time. I don't think this 5 setter made him tired at all. He looked great.

 

[tudwell]

Curse the Australian Open organizers for putting this match on last! Looks like I won't get much sleep tonight. Good thing I don't have class till noon.

 

[matchmaker]

If Delpo can pound deep and flat balls just like Berdych he is going to get Fed in troubles.

Everything is going to depend on Delpo's UE stats, IMO.

If he can keep it low, I see him winning, if not, it remains to be seen how Fed will show up, if he is as erratic as against Berdych, he might still have a hard time although I think he will pull through.

 

[luv2volley]

Watched Del Potro on youtube, it will be a clean sweep, Fed in 3.

 

[Rickson]

Federer's opponents keep growing every round. Safin at 6'4, Berdych at 6'5, and now Del Potro at 6'6.

 

[fastdunn]

there is no question that federer's skill level is far superior than del potro's. it's just the youthfulness threatens federer.

del potro will need 5 set to beat federer.

 

[FuriousYellow]

I like that Federer is playing the night match. I think Rod Laver arena is tricky in the mid-afternoon with those shadows cast by the open roof.

Hopefully, the ladies match won't take too long and they can get on at a decent hour.

 

[veroniquem]

It really depends which Federer shows up. If he's sharp, I don't think Del Potro has the weapons to hurt him much, if Fed is in shank-a-lot mode, then anything is possible (and Del Potro will not mentally wither away like the Bird).

 

[fastdunn]

by the way, it is very noticable from this AO, these young guys' pace of the balls they are hitting is now noticably harder than previous generations like federer, even safin etc.. amazed by the pace of balls hit by guys like del potro, tsonga, verdasco.

del potro is not as good shotmaker as federer, by far. but these young boys are crushing the balls...

i'm telling you guys like federer(27) and safin(28 ) looks pretty old at this AO.

 

[Rickson]

And these balls are flying fast off the bounce on slow hard courts. The Australian courts look a lot slower than the US Open courts.

 

[MEAC_ALLAMERICAN]

And these balls are flying fast off the bounce on slow hard courts. The Australian courts look a lot slower than the US Open courts.

The don't look a lot slower, they are much slower and for some reason Federer likes playing on slow hard courts. At the same time he needs to keep his shots low and out of the strike zone of Del Potro or he might be in a for long night.

 

[IvanAndreevich]

Delpo hits with ample spin. He won't be able to blow Fed away like Berdych was in the first 2 sets.

 

[Leublu tennis]

I watched last years Tokyo open where Berdych comfortably defeated Delpo and I watched both guys in this tournament and still think Berdych would defeat him again. I believe Roger will have an easier time defeating Delpo.

I agree. I like Del Potro but he just didn't look very steady vs Cilic. Federer in 4.

 

[danb]

Del Potro in 3. He is not a choker like Berdych.

Del Potro in 4. My 2c

 

[Tony48]

I think I'm beginning to like Del Potro's chances against Federer. I want to change my vote to Del Potro in 4.

 

[fps]

i am waking up at 4am to watch this match. it's gonna be good. it's gotta be good.

 

[Ballinbob]

can someone tell me the order of the mens matches today? Del Potro is my all time favorite player so I want to make sure I get everything done before the match.

Thanks

PS-Del Po in 4, mark my words on this one Delpo is no choker like Berdych, and he's a lot more consistent

 

[zagor]

by the way, it is very noticable from this AO, these young guys' pace of the balls they are hitting is now noticably harder than previous generations like federer, even safin etc.. amazed by the pace of balls hit by guys like del potro, tsonga, verdasco.

del potro is not as good shotmaker as federer, by far. but these young boys are crushing the balls...

i'm telling you guys like federer(27) and safin(28) looks pretty old at this AO.

Verdasco will turn 26 this year,that's hardly young in tennis anymore.Although it seems he's finally coming into his own this year,expect him to reach top 10 in 2009.