Aspects of Federer's Game Failing Him

[THE FIGHTER]

What happened to federer's forehand? It has looked unreliable and streaky from match to match. And federer's serve? he went from being 4th in the ace count in 2009 to 26th so far in 2013.

So many aspects of federer's game are failing him along with his bread and butter. it's a surprise to see he's still in the top 5. Unless he finds a way to turn back the time, hey may be in the bottom half of the top ten by years end.

Understandably this is from bleacher report, but the idea makes sense
http://m.bleacherreport.com/articles/1699005-breaking-down-whats-going-wrong-for-roger-federer-in-2013

 

[sureshs]

Everyone ages except Donald Young. Wise people accept it as part of life and realize that one day they will be gone.

 

[MichaelNadal]

It's his movement really. Getting to a ball a split second too late is killing him. He gets jerked around too much. He looks as defensive as Rafa half the time these days. Prime Federer had everyone else doing the running.

 

[Buffster]

It's his movement really. Getting to a ball a split second too late is killing him. He gets jerked around too much. He looks as defensive as Rafa half the time these days. Prime Federer had everyone else doing the running.

Totally agree with this.

 

[Homeboy Hotel]

It's just his movement as noted earlier.

IMO, Federer just before working with Annacone suffered a lot with his net game (around AO 2010) and his serving was the deciding factor whether he won or lost slams around around 2008-2010.

But by post-2010 Wimbledon, his (then) new coach Annacone worked sucessfully in revamping Federer's serve to give it much more variation in speed and placement. He was 'hitting the spots' with far more regularly in 11/12 than his 08-10 years.

From USO 2010 to the end of 2012, the things that have won him the tournaments, go deep into the SF/QF of slams and win his 7th Wimbledon was his serving.

However now, his movement is clearly declined more - he just can't get to balls to hit the offensive with consistent regularity and therefore the opponent's are less afraid.

 

[zagor]

It's his movement really. Getting to a ball a split second too late is killing him. He gets jerked around too much. He looks as defensive as Rafa half the time these days. Prime Federer had everyone else doing the running.

It's not just movement, even when he's on the ball his FH doesn't have the same pace/spin/angles, it's barely a top 10 FH these days, if that.

 

[BigServer1]

It's his movement really. Getting to a ball a split second too late is killing him. He gets jerked around too much. He looks as defensive as Rafa half the time these days. Prime Federer had everyone else doing the running.

This. Huge part of why he's struggling so hard. He's also lost a fair amount of explosion off his shots, which forces him into defending more. It's a vicious cycle.

Totally agree with your signature by the way. Damn if they can both be hard to like at times, but they're two of the best ever in their fields lol.

 

[MichaelNadal]

This. Huge part of why he's struggling so hard. He's also lost a fair amount of explosion off his shots, which forces him into defending more. It's a vicious cycle.

Totally agree with your signature by the way. Damn if they can both be hard to like at times, but they're two of the best ever in their fields lol.

Amen, Amen. The problem is they know it and don't care if you like it or not! Kanye saying he's God now, is like when Djokovic met Nadal at the FO in 2006 and lost in straights and said he had the match under control and it was up to him who won. :shock:

 

[roberttennis54]

His movement is a lot worse, which means he gets to the ball late and cannot set up as well. He has lost a bit of flexibility and much of his explosiveness. Federer's power in his forehand came from exploding into the shot with great timing. He never relied on strength as much as say Sampras. So without his explosiveness, his power in the forehand declined.

A slight decline in reflexes, a big decline in explosive speed and general lack of flexibility has severely hurt his return of big serves.

Obviously lack of speed hurts his defense.

Now he has terrible passing shots when they were once some of the best ever seen.

The serve is also weaker and less consistent.

 

[smoledman]

It's his movement really. Getting to a ball a split second too late is killing him. He gets jerked around too much. He looks as defensive as Rafa half the time these days. Prime Federer had everyone else doing the running.

It's sad to see his game totally falling apart these days. He used to be the dictator, now everyone is dictating to him. Either this changes very quickly, or he's on his way out very soon.

 

[BigServer1]

Amen, Amen. The problem is they know it and don't care if you like it or not! Kanye saying he's God now, is like when Djokovic met Nadal at the FO in 2006 and lost in straights and said he had the match under control and it was up to him who won. :shock:

It's true. I dunno about you, but I am loving his new album Yeezus. So intense and in your face...He's a cocky SOB but damn if he's not consistently groundbreaking.

 

[MichaelNadal]

It's true. I dunno about you, but I am loving his new album Yeezus. So intense and in your face...He's a cocky SOB but damn if he's not consistently groundbreaking.

I only heard like the first 4 songs and didn't like it at all. I plan on finishing it today though. I just listened to the new Jay-Z album (who i've never liked all that much) and it was way better than what I heard on Yeezus. I love every other Kanye album including MBDTF though.

 

[Federer20042006]

Loss of movement kills his ability to create angles.

And as silly as a lot of BeHappy's threads are, I think he may be right about Federer not being able to take the same cut on the ball because of his back problems.

 

[Incognito]

Every aspect of Fed's game has declined.

 

[ctoth666]

I only heard like the first 4 songs and didn't like it at all. I plan on finishing it today though. I just listened to the new Jay-Z album (who i've never liked all that much) and it was way better than what I heard on Yeezus. I love every other Kanye album including MBDTF though.

Screw them both. Deadmau5 all the way. And Federer is coming undone at the seams. It is sad to watch, no matter how much he has accomplished. I want to see one more slam-final run, even if he doesn't win it.

 

[Deleted member 307496]

Every aspect of Fed's game has declined.

Agreed. *10chars*

 

[smoledman]

Well TT forum has decided!

Federer is in permanent decline and he might as well retire to avoid further humiliations!

 

[Colin]

Yes, most aspects of his game have declined, but I have to remind myself... Even then, he'd still be the favorite in any match, on any surface against anyone but a handful of elite players.

He's been through slumps before -- 2008, 2010, for example -- and he managed to find some success again. I'm hoping we see that in the second half of the year. Faster courts could be what he needs. I'd love to see him play some additional indoor courts that suit him and not miss the Paris masters this year. He played superb tennis there in 2011.

Rafa managed to make a success of a similar approach this year by playing almost entirely on clay, disguising his weaknesses until Wimbledon. Fed could do something similar with indoors.

 

[tennisbuck]

Surprisingly reasonable article from bleacher report

 

[rk_sports]

Well TT forum has decided!

Federer is in permanent decline and he might as well retire to avoid further humiliations!

haha.. you nailed it

 

[Emiliano55]

Yeah, as many have said. The key factor that started to slow down in a progressive way (since 2007/2008 ) was his movement. He started to reach balls a bit later, using a large step to compensate, and thanks to his brillant wrist he was able to still compete at a really high level all of these last years. Of course, time passes by and now even his incredible wrist cannot compensate that thing on him.

I remember the Federer of 2003/2004. His defensive skills were just plain awesome, he was a passing shot machine. He wasn't as aggressive as he is now (mainly because he knows he cannot defend anymore), he liked to put the ball in place a bit more and loved to change the pace of the game at his will.
People don't quite remember old Federer, but his game changed a lot over the years.

 

[THE FIGHTER]

It's true. I dunno about you, but I am loving his new album Yeezus. So intense and in your face...He's a cocky SOB but damn if he's not consistently groundbreaking.

its so good. nothing in rap comes close. not even magna carta holy grail. djokovic is no kanye west.

 

[Nostradamus]

What happened to federer's forehand? It has looked unreliable and streaky from match to match. And federer's serve? he went from being 4th in the ace count in 2009 to 26th so far in 2013.

So many aspects of federer's game are failing him along with his bread and butter. it's a surprise to see he's still in the top 5. Unless he finds a way to turn back the time, hey may be in the bottom half of the top ten by years end.

Understandably this is from bleacher report, but the idea makes sense
http://m.bleacherreport.com/articles/1699005-breaking-down-whats-going-wrong-for-roger-federer-in-2013

Not forehand. his return of serve and backhand is MIA.

 

[THE FIGHTER]

Yes, most aspects of his game have declined, but I have to remind myself... Even then, he'd still be the favorite in any match, on any surface against anyone but a handful of elite players.

He's been through slumps before -- 2008, 2010, for example -- and he managed to find some success again. I'm hoping we see that in the second half of the year. Faster courts could be what he needs. I'd love to see him play some additional indoor courts that suit him and not miss the Paris masters this year. He played superb tennis there in 2011.

Rafa managed to make a success of a similar approach this year by playing almost entirely on clay, disguising his weaknesses until Wimbledon. Fed could do something similar with indoors.

thats definitely possible. and most tennis fans want to see that. but his scheduling doesnt point to any sort of resurgence. during his interviews lately, he's been saying how much easier of a schedule he's running now compared to before. granted he's a year older, but one doesnt see the sense of urgency in federer's schedule like the way it looked in late 2011-2012 when he was trying to break the weeks at No.1 record.

but you're right. there's still half of the year left, maybe fed has a trick up his sleeve.

 

[THE FIGHTER]

It's his movement really. Getting to a ball a split second too late is killing him. He gets jerked around too much. He looks as defensive as Rafa half the time these days. Prime Federer had everyone else doing the running.

Totally agree with this.

It's just his movement as noted earlier.

IMO, Federer just before working with Annacone suffered a lot with his net game (around AO 2010) and his serving was the deciding factor whether he won or lost slams around around 2008-2010.

But by post-2010 Wimbledon, his (then) new coach Annacone worked sucessfully in revamping Federer's serve to give it much more variation in speed and placement. He was 'hitting the spots' with far more regularly in 11/12 than his 08-10 years.

From USO 2010 to the end of 2012, the things that have won him the tournaments, go deep into the SF/QF of slams and win his 7th Wimbledon was his serving.

However now, his movement is clearly declined more - he just can't get to balls to hit the offensive with consistent regularity and therefore the opponent's are less afraid.

His movement is a lot worse, which means he gets to the ball late and cannot set up as well. He has lost a bit of flexibility and much of his explosiveness. Federer's power in his forehand came from exploding into the shot with great timing. He never relied on strength as much as say Sampras. So without his explosiveness, his power in the forehand declined.

A slight decline in reflexes, a big decline in explosive speed and general lack of flexibility has severely hurt his return of big serves.

Obviously lack of speed hurts his defense.

Now he has terrible passing shots when they were once some of the best ever seen.

The serve is also weaker and less consistent.

Federer's movement has been in decline for quite some time now. not only his ability to scramble but his ability to set up quickly. The other parts of his game kept him afloat in around the time when murray-djokovic-nadal could out grind him and guys like berdych and tsonga could blow him off the court.

i think anacone did a good job of alleviating federer's declining movement when he took over. he made federer play quicker, more aggressive points. fed was serving even better, attacking the net, choosing approaches, hitting hard forehands, taking risks on 2nd serve returns. all that went away in the past year.

 

[wy2sl0]

All of the above, but you know what the worst is? The slice return.

This is not 3.5 tennis where low balls with no pace come back the same. He starts every return game on defense, and then because he lacks the same movement he had in his prime, has almost no chance of turning the point around. Watch the matches against the big servers and see how he breaks them. Not by slice returns.

 

[spinovic]

Good point on the returns. I think he needs to work on being more aggressive in that area of his game.

That strategy was great in his prime when his movement was as good as anyone to ever play - if he could get the return back in the court, he had a reasonable chance to win it. Now, as noted, the movement has declined to the point where he cannot afford to start so many points on the defensive. Take a rip at the ball and try to get on the offensive...or lose the point quickly. No need to bleed yourself with 1000 papercuts.

Still, I think people are writing him off at their own risk. The guy has made a SF and QF of two slams and was playing well on grass (won Halle) prior to the upset at Wimbledon. I think he is in the process of making some changes to his game and transitioning - he has already, IMO, started to play more aggressively on his own serve. I think a more aggressive approach on the return side is around the corner.

Certainly it is a more boom/bust approach, which hasn't been his style. However, I think it is the one that gives him his best chance to take down another slam title - and at this point in his career, slams are all that matters. It wouldn't matter if he lost every match he played for the rest of 2013 if he won the USO. His year would be a success.

 

[THE FIGHTER]

Good point on the returns. I think he needs to work on being more aggressive in that area of his game.

That strategy was great in his prime when his movement was as good as anyone to ever play - if he could get the return back in the court, he had a reasonable chance to win it. Now, as noted, the movement has declined to the point where he cannot afford to start so many points on the defensive. Take a rip at the ball and try to get on the offensive...or lose the point quickly. No need to bleed yourself with 1000 papercuts.

Still, I think people are writing him off at their own risk. The guy has made a SF and QF of two slams and was playing well on grass (won Halle) prior to the upset at Wimbledon. I think he is in the process of making some changes to his game and transitioning - he has already, IMO, started to play more aggressively on his own serve. I think a more aggressive approach on the return side is around the corner.

Certainly it is a more boom/bust approach, which hasn't been his style. However, I think it is the one that gives him his best chance to take down another slam title - and at this point in his career, slams are all that matters. It wouldn't matter if he lost every match he played for the rest of 2013 if he won the USO. His year would be a success.

agreed. and lets hope he is indeed in the process

 

[BigServer1]

I only heard like the first 4 songs and didn't like it at all. I plan on finishing it today though. I just listened to the new Jay-Z album (who i've never liked all that much) and it was way better than what I heard on Yeezus. I love every other Kanye album including MBDTF though.

You need to give Yeezus at least two full listens all the way through. I heard it once and didn't know what I thought. After my second time I liked it and bought it, now I can't stop listening. New Slaves, blood on the leaves and bound 2 are worth it alone, but the rest of the album is great too. Very different. I loved MBDTF (just incredible top to bottom) and 808s, I liked College Dropout.

I've been disappointed with MCHG. I need to listen to it again but as a Jay-Z fan it's not what I'm looking for. For me, The Blueprint is jay's best work. One of my favorite rap albums of the last 15 years.

Anyway, none of that was tennis related, so to get back on track, hopefully Fed can win some matches this summer and fall.

 

[mightyrick]

His return game is mediocre (as others have pointed out) and his serve (especially the second) is even more mediocre.

Federer's problem is that whether he's serving or receiving... he always starts out having to play defense because his first shot is mediocre.

It definitely didn't used to be that way.

The thing is, if Federer would stop being so stubborn and commit himself to some serious strength and fitness training... he could get it back. Just like Agassi did. Just like Serena did.

 

[NEW_BORN]

Federer's slice return is killing him no doubt, but somehow he almost always manages to create more break point opportunities than his opponents it seems.

 

[Netspirit]

hopefully Fed can win some matches this summer and fall

Hopefully he does not injure himself by falling.

 

[BigServer1]

Hopefully he does not injure himself by falling.

At his age, hopefully he has life alert.

 

[llodra_fan]

One of the very important aspect of Federer's game is taking the ball early, especially for the winners. His mind and wrist is set to take the winning shots early. Since he's lost a step, that fraction of a second delay is causing more errors. Plus his backhand return has declined too as others said.

 

[MichaelNadal]

its so good. nothing in rap comes close. not even magna carta holy grail. djokovic is no kanye west.

I completely disagree. Gave Yeezus another listen today and I literally had to take ibuprofen. And i'm a huge Kanye fan.

 

[THE FIGHTER]

I completely disagree. Gave Yeezus another listen today and I literally had to take ibuprofen. And i'm a huge Kanye fan.

then it isnt for you. it's a polarizing album.

 

[zagor]

Well TT forum has decided!

Federer is in permanent decline and he might as well retire to avoid further humiliations!

Eh? Nobody said anything about retiring, his game is in shambles right now but you never know, he might have another great run or two left in him (even disaster #18 isn't completely out of the realm of possibility, a much as it seems like it is right now).

Besides, he's still entertaining to watch, for his touch if nothing else so if the guy enjoys it still let him be around for as much as he wants.

P.S. It could be worse, he could be in permanent subpeak, flat, uninspired decline since the age of 24.

 

[Bobby Jr]

Federer's problem is that whether he's serving or receiving... he always starts out having to play defense because his first shot is mediocre.

You don't watch much tennis do you? Do you even play? Even now in his later years saying he starts of playing defence even when he's serving is some major ignorance, lack of tennis watching ability or insane partisanship. Even this year with his poor results he's 3rd on tour - ahead of everyone in the top 20 except Djokovic. On 1st serve points won he's ahead of everyone except Almagro, Raonic and Isner.

You almost couldn't be more completely wrong on that point.

The thing is, if Federer would stop being so stubborn and commit himself to some serious strength and fitness training... he could get it back. Just like Agassi did. Just like Serena did.

Dream on. Seriously... fitness training? Have you seen him lose in the past 18 months because he wasn't as fit as the other player? Any more than in the past? As for strength training - not sure how it would help him, speed is what he needs most, and injury prevention.

Regarding Agassi and his strength training. He started with Gil Reyes in 1989 when he was about 20. Reyes was with him most of his career - not a last ditch boost at the end of his career. Big, big difference.

 

[BigServer1]

I completely disagree. Gave Yeezus another listen today and I literally had to take ibuprofen. And i'm a huge Kanye fan.

Fascinating. It's definitely intense but I am loving it. Mixed reviews from fans and listeners, even though it's getting serious critical acclaim. To each their own though, it's not for everyone

I'd implore you to listen to just tracks 4-5 and 7-10. See how those are for you without the intensity of the others. I personally feel like Blood on the Leaves is one of his greatest songs ever. It's so, so good.

 

[xan]

edit: I'm an idiot.

 

[zagor]

Yeah, as many have said. The key factor that started to slow down in a progressive way (since 2007/2008 ) was his movement. He started to reach balls a bit later, using a large step to compensate, and thanks to his brillant wrist he was able to still compete at a really high level all of these last years. Of course, time passes by and now even his incredible wrist cannot compensate that thing on him.

I remember the Federer of 2003/2004. His defensive skills were just plain awesome, he was a passing shot machine. He wasn't as aggressive as he is now (mainly because he knows he cannot defend anymore), he liked to put the ball in place a bit more and loved to change the pace of the game at his will.
People don't quite remember old Federer, but his game changed a lot over the years.

No, he actually used to be much more aggressive from the baseline than he is now, especially off the FH side, these days most of his FH winners are set up by his serve, no longer will he come up with a ridiculous FH winner out of nowhere during a neutral rally or pummel any semi attackable ball with anywhere the same authority he used to.

If anything since say 2010 he started to rely a lot on more on point construction than pure shotmaking/talent.

 

[mightyrick]

You don't watch much tennis do you? Do you even play? Even now in his later years saying he starts of playing defence even when he's serving is some major ignorance, lack of tennis watching ability or insane partisanship. Even this year with his poor results he's 3rd on tour - ahead of everyone in the top 20 except Djokovic. On 1st serve points won he's ahead of everyone except Almagro, Raonic and Isner.

First, calm down. Second, I watch a lot of tennis. I also play -- a lot. Third, 1st serve percentage or points won means nothing if you aren't getting results. That is an extremely misleading statistic... not unlike break points saved.

His first serve is absolutely nowhere near where it used to be. In my opinion, the two shots that have declined (which is what this thread is about) is his serve and his return game. IMHO, the serve and return have declined because of his aching back.

You almost couldn't be more completely wrong on that point.

You comparing Federer to Isner/Raonic/Isner says everything that needs to be said.

Dream on. Seriously... fitness training? Have you seen him lose in the past 18 months because he wasn't as fit as the other player? Any more than in the past? As for strength training - not sure how it would help him, speed is what he needs most, and injury prevention.

You obviously have no clue about strength training as a primary tool for injury prevention. If you remotely understood my post you would infer that I think he should have strength and fitness training to offset his obvious back issues.

Regarding Agassi and his strength training. He started with Gil Reyes in 1989 when he was about 20. Reyes was with him most of his career - not a last ditch boost at the end of his career. Big, big difference.

Go read "Open". Agassi always had Reyes, but he personally attributed his comeback to his recommitment to strength and fitness training at a level he never achieved before. He did this in his book.

I'm not making things up. Stop with your haughty, huffy-puffy browbeating, and go do some research.

 

[ultradr]

So many aspects of federer's game are failing him along with his bread and butter.

It goes without saying that Federer must have declined with aging. No one
can avoid it.

However, the post 2000's power baseline game has also evolved a bit:

Federer-Nadal brands of tennis plays pretty conservative returning game.
Despite Federer being more aggressive, both players strategy is to play
aggressive serving game and conservative returning game.

The new breed, Djokovic-Murray brand of tennis plays much more aggressive
returning game and their major asset is the serve return.

 

[Bobby Jr]

First, calm down. Second, I watch a lot of tennis. I also play -- a lot. Third, 1st serve percentage or points won means nothing if you aren't getting results. That is an extremely misleading statistic... not unlike break points saved.

You said "Federer's problem is that whether he's serving or receiving... he always starts out having to play defense because his first shot is mediocre." I replied because it is patently wrong and anyone who knows anything about tennis would laugh at reading such muppetry. He may not be as good as he used to be but he's certainly not "always starting out playing defence" by any stretch of the imagination.

His first serve is absolutely nowhere near where it used to be. In my opinion, the two shots that have declined (which is what this thread is about) is his serve and his return game. IMHO, the serve and return have declined because of his aching back.

The is true but makes no difference to your absurd comment about him "always starting our having to play defence." Sure he's nowhere near the force he once way - but that is not what was wrong with your claim.

You comparing Federer to Isner/Raonic/Isner says everything that needs to be said.

Yep, it says that moreso than practically every player on tour other than a few exceptions he IS NOT "always starting out having to play defence."

You obviously have no clue about strength training as a primary tool for injury prevention.

I do.

If you remotely understood my post...

I did.

you would infer that I think he should have strength and fitness training to offset his obvious back issues.

His back issues may be for congenital or other reasons which no amount or type of strength training could have any positive effect on. Or do you know exactly what his issue is?

I can answer that for you. No, you do not.

His issue may be helped with strength training. Regardless, you asserted "if Federer would stop being so stubborn and commit himself to some serious strength and fitness training.."

Show me one piece of evidence you have that he does not do serious strength training or is too stubborn to? (don't say he's skinny because that'd by showing muppetry of the highest order) Perhaps he does and it's not what actually he needs to improve his results.

I supposed when Lendl got near the end of his career and was having back issues what he really needed to do was more strength training? Nope.

And Nadal - should he be doing more strength work on his knees? Probably not.

Go read "Open". Agassi always had Reyes, but he personally attributed his comeback to his recommitment to strength and fitness training at a level he never achieved before. He did this in his book.

And? How can you possibly compare their situations? We know jack all about Federer's specific back issue. Maybe he has a sacralized vertibrae (commonly 5L) - a relatively common issue which more people don't realise they have because they don't put it under enough stress to aggravate it - and one which most strength training efforts make worse.

 

[World Beater]

You obviously have no clue about strength training as a primary tool for injury prevention. If you remotely understood my post you would infer that I think he should have strength and fitness training to offset his obvious back issues.



.

Just fyi....

Federer performs back exercises everyday since 2003 when he started having back issues against lopez at Wimbledon 2003.

Also, Federer is in the conversation of being perhaps the most durable player in the open era...how many slams has the guy played consecutively?

Federer is amazing even for a world-class athlete, when it comes to strength training for injury prevention.

I think Federer is doing what he can to prolong his career. But there are certain things that are out of his control.

 

[Terry Tibbs]

What happened to federer's forehand? It has looked unreliable and streaky from match to match. And federer's serve? he went from being 4th in the ace count in 2009 to 26th so far in 2013.

So many aspects of federer's game are failing him along with his bread and butter. it's a surprise to see he's still in the top 5. Unless he finds a way to turn back the time, hey may be in the bottom half of the top ten by years end.

Understandably this is from bleacher report, but the idea makes sense
http://m.bleacherreport.com/articles/1699005-breaking-down-whats-going-wrong-for-roger-federer-in-2013

He served well at Wimbo 2012. Part of the problem with him is his refusal to adopt a plan B when plan A isnt working and these days, plan A often isnt good enough. This was evident in his wimbledon loss. He was continually just blocking back the serve, even the second serve which allowed his opponent to take control of the point at the net. It wasnt working and he refused to change. He should have been pummelling those serves back at his feet. I know this is easier said than done but he wasn't even trying. He was far too content with the easier option of just blocking it back and as a result, he just never looked like breaking serve.

 

[zagor]

He served well at Wimbo 2012. Part of the problem with him is his refusal to adopt a plan B when plan A isnt working and these days, plan A often isnt good enough. This was evident in his wimbledon loss. He was continually just blocking back the serve, even the second serve which allowed his opponent to take control of the point at the net. It wasnt working and he refused to change. He should have been pummelling those serves back at his feet. I know this is easier said than done but he wasn't even trying. He was far too content with the easier option of just blocking it back and as a result, he just never looked like breaking serve.

It was an overall, flat, subpeak and uninspired performance for sure but what can you do? He's a tired old family man so it's to be expected, he's not 24-25 anymore.

 

[Warmaster]

What happened to federer's forehand? It has looked unreliable and streaky from match to match. And federer's serve? he went from being 4th in the ace count in 2009 to 26th so far in 2013.

So many aspects of federer's game are failing him along with his bread and butter. it's a surprise to see he's still in the top 5. Unless he finds a way to turn back the time, hey may be in the bottom half of the top ten by years end.

Understandably this is from bleacher report, but the idea makes sense
http://m.bleacherreport.com/articles/1699005-breaking-down-whats-going-wrong-for-roger-federer-in-2013

I noticed that too. Considering he's been around the top 10 for most aces for 10 years, that's a massive decline. Then again, losing early means playing less matches so that's part of the explanation.

 

[zagor]

I noticed that too. Considering he's been around the top 10 for most aces for 10 years, that's a massive decline. Then again, losing early means playing less matches so that's part of the explanation.

Agree, I'd prefer seeing an ace count per match comparison.

I agree with Bobby Jr. here, I think Fed's service game is still excellent and one of the best on tour, it's his performance during neutral rallies and on the return that has truly degraded.

 

[batz]

The most obvious thing to me is his movement to his forehand side - he seems half a step slower and it leads to more UE from his biggest weapon.