Brad Gilbert : Federer's reached his highest level in 2017
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PeoplesChamp
Legend
Shut up Bradley.
Actually he said RF 2.0...
Actually he said RF 2.0...
Third Serve
Talk Tennis Guru
What's with the "RF 2.0"?
Backspin1183
Talk Tennis Guru
RF with the new racquet.
Third Serve
Talk Tennis Guru
If that's the case, then we can be friends with Gilbert again.
AO to IW 2017 and the grass season of 2017 were definitely some of Fed's best performances since the racket switch, with IW standing out as possibly the best (along with other great contenders like Cincy 2015 and Shanghai 2014 if we're talking just the Djokovic match).
D
Deleted member 771911
Guest
Oh please not this again.
Beat Berdych who he could own on most days.
Beat coming back Nishikori in five.
Beat someone I can't remember in QF (Mischa Z?)
Beat Stan in five who he has a mental hold over
Beat Rafa at Rafa's worth slam.
It was a spectacularly entertaining and brilliant run, my favorite in fact, but he was not better than he was in his slam runs 2003-2008. Not even close.
Beat Berdych who he could own on most days.
Beat coming back Nishikori in five.
Beat someone I can't remember in QF (Mischa Z?)
Beat Stan in five who he has a mental hold over
Beat Rafa at Rafa's worth slam.
It was a spectacularly entertaining and brilliant run, my favorite in fact, but he was not better than he was in his slam runs 2003-2008. Not even close.
Beckerserve
Legend
Federer 2004. That was vintage Federer.
BeatlesFan
Bionic Poster
ForehandCross
G.O.A.T.
Err correct me if I'm wrong he is saying the highest level of Federer with new racquet came in 2017 not as a whole.
At least that's what I thought
At least that's what I thought
he never mentions a racquet.
ForehandCross
G.O.A.T.
RF 2.0 is the generally accepted term for Federer with new racquet.
The way I am reading his tweets, BG mistook the guy's tweet to mean best post prime performance, since I have always heard him say Novak early 2016 was Novak's highest level, quite recently during the US .
Nadalgaenger
G.O.A.T.
The FED capable of consistently beating Nadal?
No, he means his highest level ever...and he's right
Third Serve
Talk Tennis Guru
Good bait
ForehandCross
G.O.A.T.
I don't know he can have his opinion.
But I distinctly remember a discussion kind of thing at USO on YouTube Where Brad specifically said 2016 was Novak's best.
Nadalgaenger
G.O.A.T.
I was at the 2017 IW beat down of Nadal. Fed was in full flight!
Breakpointerer
Legend
He was even better at AO20
Peak mental toughness vs titans Millman and Sandgren
maybe, but now thinks AO19 surpassed that level
His highest level ever came against Djoker though. He nearly took a set off him at the Australian. That shows he was definitely at his peak.
flanker2000fr
Hall of Fame
Fed fan here, but Djokovic's level at AO 2019 and his destruction of a very good Nadal in the final is possibly the highest level I've seen anyone play in 40+ years of watching tennis. So I agree with BG on that.
Fed's level in the 1st 3 months of 2017 was extremely high, with a more attacking mindset and improved backhand. A renaissance, of sorts. But for me, what he was doing at Wimbledon between 2003 and 2007 was just magical, especially on the forehand side.
Fed's level in the 1st 3 months of 2017 was extremely high, with a more attacking mindset and improved backhand. A renaissance, of sorts. But for me, what he was doing at Wimbledon between 2003 and 2007 was just magical, especially on the forehand side.
Nadalgaenger
G.O.A.T.
Hasn’t Fed himself suggested this?
It’s definitely not a crazy idea, just a controversial one. Fed was very dominant first half of 2017. So lucky I got to see it in person at IW that year.
It’s definitely not a crazy idea, just a controversial one. Fed was very dominant first half of 2017. So lucky I got to see it in person at IW that year.
Tennis_Hands
Banned
It is a reference to his new stick and what Federer achieved with it.
ForehandCross
G.O.A.T.
I might agree for AO 2016 SF first two sets and Doha 2016 F.
2019 was more about Nadal imploding. Djokovic was awesome but not Force ful like 2016.
2016 was effective and Brutal.
Start da Game
Hall of Fame
2017 aus open fraud was a cunning and timely result of the following things,
bigger frame
settled baseline grind with lesser shanks
well rested and well prepared
striking at the right time when rafa is not fully operational into the season
but i still won't agree that it was his best........his best was clearly 2006 - 2011 to whoever followed tennis during that times........
bigger frame
settled baseline grind with lesser shanks
well rested and well prepared
striking at the right time when rafa is not fully operational into the season
but i still won't agree that it was his best........his best was clearly 2006 - 2011 to whoever followed tennis during that times........
mike danny
Bionic Poster
Bolded: no.
Red Rick
Bionic Poster
2.0 being? Since racket change? When was that again?
Red Rick
Bionic Poster
It's like saying Djoko played well in the RG final honestly. Both got bamboozled.
mike danny
Bionic Poster
Honestly, these whole highest level statements are getting out of hand anyway mostly because of recency bias.
Red Rick
Bionic Poster
When Fed says he was playing his best in 2017 I realised he hated 2004 Fed more than I did. The man needs help.
Tennis_Hands
Banned
Tried it out for a couple of matches of 2013, but due to his ongoing problems with his back decided to postpone it. Started playing with it at the beginning of 2014.
mike danny
Bionic Poster
He probably realized he ruined Roddick and wanted to erase 2004 from his memory.
Just by level of PLAY it could very well be the case. And there are too many things we don’t know. For example he deliberately missed out on the clay season (which I will NEVER understand) and he was injured at the US Open. Nobody knows how this would have gone otherwise. I wouldn’t be surprised if otherwise he wins the US Open and only loses to Nadal on clay. He indeed had his phases in 2017 where he looked just as unbeatable as let’s say in 2006.
Red Rick
Bionic Poster
He saw Roddick with mustache on tennis channel and finally realised the gravity of his sins.
Im(moral) Winner
G.O.A.T.
Gilbert might have started using the RF2.0 nickname when Fed reached 20 slams
Subway Tennis
Legend
Just to make things clear, BGTENNISNATION is not saying Fed of 2017 is better or was playing at a higher level than he was in late 2004 or 2006
RS
Bionic Poster
You must have hated 2005 Fed or 2009 Fed even more.
aldeayeah
G.O.A.T.
I prefer to call him "oversized Fed", or for short, "overfed"
ForehandCross
G.O.A.T.
or for short, "overfed"
Lol.
Breakpointerer
Legend
If he means "with the new racquet" then yeah. Otherwise no.
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O
Oceans
Guest
IMO,
Djokovic's absolute peak: W18 - AO19 (more after USO18, potentially yet to reach his absolute peak)
Federer's absolute peak: W15 - AO16 (more before and including WTF15, 17 special as well but had lesser competition)
Djokovic's absolute peak: W18 - AO19 (more after USO18, potentially yet to reach his absolute peak)
Federer's absolute peak: W15 - AO16 (more before and including WTF15, 17 special as well but had lesser competition)
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RF 2.0 is his nickname for Fed. If I am not mistaken he came up with that nickname in 2017 when Fed started employing the neo BH more .
He is referring to their whole career and not just since the racket switch
RaulRamirez
Legend
Just at face value, Fed's determination to win AO 17 - and then doubling and tripling down to sweep the Sunshine Double - was a remarkable run. Period. Perhaps, his level at AO 17 wasn't great the whole way through, but from 1-3 down in the 5th in the final - through the final in Miami - his play was sensational.
