40-15 still haunts me
Banned
To everyone trolling or genuinely being disgusted by Federer not going through with his fourth round match, Fed isn’t stupid as much as his detractors would like to say he is. Koepfer should have won the match and the fact Fed won him says more about Roger than anything else. Koepfer isn’t missing out on an opportunity to play Berrettini just because Roger has withdrawn,its nonsense. Just like the Wawrinka WTF semi final match where everyone claimed Wawrinka should have the right to play Djokovic in the final just because Roger pulled out. It doesn’t work that way.
Federer knows he wasn’t going to win Berrettini, and even if he did, he said before the start of the tournament that he had no chance of beating Djokovic let alone Nadal. This is all about match practice and has nothing to do with fitness issues or injuries. He’s pulled out as a preemptive to protect himself from injuries. Fed is still one of the fittest guys on the tour but after surgeries and long play the body just doesn’t heal like when you are 20 years old, so one long match could be considered a game over for any chance of him winning a tournament let alone a slam.
I do think however if you replicate this situation on grass, Federer plays round 4. Why would you push your body to its absolute limits on a surface where he knows he will be routined when he can push himself on a surface that he’s a compete expert on and that even at 40% he’s better than 99.9% of players out there and only Djokovic can really stop him. Federer also thrives on consistency, going into Halle with a loss is just not what he needs, whereas now he can go into Halle on his terms knowing he hasn’t lost a match yet and has faced a very tough opponent in Koepfer and still managed to compete and win.
With grass being a naturally faster surface, I can see Fed winning matches easier and progressing more rapidly, plus there won’t be conditions there that can slow his game down. Do I think he will win Wimbledon? my head says no ....do I think he’s going to go absolutely all out for one last shot at is potentially his final year and that he has a chance to win it ......my heart says no question
Federer knows he wasn’t going to win Berrettini, and even if he did, he said before the start of the tournament that he had no chance of beating Djokovic let alone Nadal. This is all about match practice and has nothing to do with fitness issues or injuries. He’s pulled out as a preemptive to protect himself from injuries. Fed is still one of the fittest guys on the tour but after surgeries and long play the body just doesn’t heal like when you are 20 years old, so one long match could be considered a game over for any chance of him winning a tournament let alone a slam.
I do think however if you replicate this situation on grass, Federer plays round 4. Why would you push your body to its absolute limits on a surface where he knows he will be routined when he can push himself on a surface that he’s a compete expert on and that even at 40% he’s better than 99.9% of players out there and only Djokovic can really stop him. Federer also thrives on consistency, going into Halle with a loss is just not what he needs, whereas now he can go into Halle on his terms knowing he hasn’t lost a match yet and has faced a very tough opponent in Koepfer and still managed to compete and win.
With grass being a naturally faster surface, I can see Fed winning matches easier and progressing more rapidly, plus there won’t be conditions there that can slow his game down. Do I think he will win Wimbledon? my head says no ....do I think he’s going to go absolutely all out for one last shot at is potentially his final year and that he has a chance to win it ......my heart says no question
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