Fed/ Novak/ Rafa. Asking the Wrong Questions

[Federev]

After today’s match I think too many are missing the forest for the trees on Fedalovik.

(Especially the Fed-haters, some of whom are quite salty this afternoon.)

Roger Federer is 5-6 years older than his only two real rivals in the ATP.

He’s been on tour for over TWENTY years.

He’s 37 freaking years old.

This guy should have no business being in a M1000 semi, much less having been #1 in the world for more time than Novak will have been this year.

There should be absolutely no contest w Fed for Djokdal - and there shouldn’t have been for the last several years.

With this age difference - if he really was their lesser - or even their equal - they should be cleaning his clock easily everywhere all the time.

The real questions that should be asked are:

Why in the world was this match today so close?

Why has his H2H with Novak been so close for so long after his prime?

Why did Fed rock Rafa across the globe all last year?

Why did he have the run he had from Jan ‘17 through Rott hitting 3 out of 5 slams while Novak wilted?

How in the world did he manage 2 months as world #1 this year?

(Why has he been #1 or 2 for a part of every year since 2003?)

Why is he looking like he’s actually REGAINING form yet again?

...But this is how a GOAT gets older.

The fact that so many people are spending so much time TODAY -after his TWENTY years on the tour - on his play - as a 37 year old!!!! - against the new world #1 - speaks volumes to the implicit recognition around here that he’s still the standard bearer.

FEDR.

 

[tennisaddict]

I think so many threads flaming Fed are just because of all the above

 

[Rosstour]

Yeah it's pretty wild. I said in another thread that he's literally been the second-best player of the last ten years.

He ceded his throne to Nadal in 2008, had his last (and most significant) stretch of true greatness from USO2008-AO2010, then watched Nadal and Djokovic take turns dominating (Ned 09/10+13, Djok 2011, 14-16, 18+) and through it all was able to make many Slam finals, return to #1 twice, and win 4 more Slams. It's pretty ridiculous.

 

[Federev]

Yeah it's pretty wild. I said in another thread that he's literally been the second-best player of the last ten years.

He ceded his throne to Nadal in 2008, had his last (and most significant) stretch of true greatness from USO2008-AO2010, then watched Nadal and Djokovic take turns dominating (Ned 09/10+13, Djok 2011, 14-16, 18+) and through it all was able to make many Slam finals, return to #1 twice, and win 3 more Slams. It's pretty ridiculous.

Actually 4 slams. Wimby ‘12

 

[vex]

After today’s match I think too many are missing the forest for the trees on Fedalovik.

(Especially the Fed-haters, some of whom are quite salty this afternoon.)

Roger Federer is 5-6 years older than his only two real rivals in the ATP.

He’s been on tour for over TWENTY years.

He’s 37 freaking years old.

This guy should have no business being in a M1000 semi, much less having been #1 in the world for more time than Novak will have been this year.

There should be absolutely no contest w Fed for Djokdal - and there shouldn’t have been for the last several years.

With this age difference - if he really was their lesser - or even their equal - they should be cleaning his clock easily everywhere all the time.

The real questions that should be asked are:

Why in the world was this match today so close?

Why has his H2H with Novak been so close for so long after his prime?

Why did Fed rock Rafa across the globe all last year?

Why did he have he run he had from Jan ‘17 through Rott hitting 3 out of 5 slams while Novak wilted?

How in the world did he manage 2 months as world #1 this year?

Why has he been #1 or 2 for a part of every year since 2003?

...But this is how a GOAT gets older.

The fact that so many people are spending so much time TODAY -after his TWENTY years on the tour - on his play - as a 37 year old!!!! - against the new world #1 - speaks volumes to the implicit recognition around here that he’s still the standard bearer.

FEDR.

This is ridiculous. Fed's game is based on first strikes, full aggression and serving. His game ages way better than pretty much everyone else in the world. Thats why he's still good at 37. And when his shotmaking is on he's absolutely in every match. When he's not in control of the point THAT is when his age shows. But as long as he serves well and/or hits aggressive returns he can stay in control and not have to run.

Also, NONE of Fedalovac are at peak physical form. Those days are long gone for all of them.

 

[oldmanfan]

After today’s match I think too many are missing the forest for the trees on Fedalovik.

(Especially the Fed-haters, some of whom are quite salty this afternoon.)

Roger Federer is 5-6 years older than his only two real rivals in the ATP.

He’s been on tour for over TWENTY years.

He’s 37 freaking years old.

This guy should have no business being in a M1000 semi, much less having been #1 in the world for more time than Novak will have been this year.

There should be absolutely no contest w Fed for Djokdal - and there shouldn’t have been for the last several years.

With this age difference - if he really was their lesser - or even their equal - they should be cleaning his clock easily everywhere all the time.

The real questions that should be asked are:

Why in the world was this match today so close?

Why has his H2H with Novak been so close for so long after his prime?

Why did Fed rock Rafa across the globe all last year?

Why did he have he run he had from Jan ‘17 through Rott hitting 3 out of 5 slams while Novak wilted?

How in the world did he manage 2 months as world #1 this year?

Why has he been #1 or 2 for a part of every year since 2003?

...But this is how a GOAT gets older.

The fact that so many people are spending so much time TODAY -after his TWENTY years on the tour - on his play - as a 37 year old!!!! - against the new world #1 - speaks volumes to the implicit recognition around here that he’s still the standard bearer.

FEDR.

Agreed.

What's funny is that 'some' NoleFans don't recognize Fed's greatness (or refuse to) but Nole himself does. Look at Nole's 'borderline' obnoxious celebration after the handshake. If Nole don't think Fed is a beast, would he care so much after beating such an old dude? Still, over-celebration from Nole bc I think had Fed won, Fed would have a huge grin after the handshake, but nothing crazy.

I'm warming up to Nole since LC18, but he's not making it easy. Celebrating like that after a hard fought battle 'in front' of your opponent must be grating as hell.

 

[KINGROGER]

Agreed.

What's funny is that 'some' NoleFans don't recognize Fed's greatness (or refuse to) but Nole himself does. Look at Nole's 'borderline' obnoxious celebration after the handshake. If Nole don't think Fed is a beast, would he care so much after beating such an old dude? Still, over-celebration from Nole bc I think had Fed won, Fed would have a huge grin after the handshake, but nothing crazy.

I'm warming up to Nole since LC18, but he's not making it easy. Celebrating like that after a hard fought battle 'in front' of your opponent must be grating as hell.

I know the crowd were against him, but he literally scraped the win vs the old man so I thought he would’ve been more reserved. Maybe he should bring Pepe back?

 

[oldmanfan]

I know the crowd were against him, but he literally scraped the win vs the old man so I thought he would’ve been more reserved. Maybe he should bring Pepe back?

I can understand there are reasons to justify over-celebrations or in-the-moment celebrations, but it's not my cup of tea. For me, it goes back to Fed once saying he doesn't climb to the stands after slam wins bc he thinks it disrespects his opponents and makes him feel even worse than he already does from losing. I suppose either can be argued, but I like the classy way exhibited by Fed more. It wasn't a one man show. You already won, why rub it in? Wait until you're in a private space to go nuts. It won't be too late then.

 

[ADuck]

I know the crowd were against him, but he literally scraped the win vs the old man so I thought he would’ve been more reserved. Maybe he should bring Pepe back?

Maybe that's why he hired Pepe in the first place? To work on this

 

[ADuck]

I can understand there are reasons to justify over-celebrations or in-the-moment celebrations, but it's not my cup of tea. For me, it goes back to Fed once saying he doesn't climb to the stands after slam wins bc he thinks it disrespects his opponents and makes him feel even worse than he already does from losing. I suppose either can be argued, but I like the classy way exhibited by Fed more. It wasn't a one man show. You already won, why rub it in? Wait until you're in a private space to go nuts. It won't be too late then.

Definitely understand where you're coming from, coming from someone on the recieving end of AO 2012, I think it gets to the point where it's just OTT and you're rubbing your victory into the opponents face. It's classier for sure to not show much, however the raw emotion Federer let out after FO11 was great imo. So I probably draw the line somewhere between Nadal and Djokovic.

 

[CYGS]

After today’s match I think too many are missing the forest for the trees on Fedalovik.

(Especially the Fed-haters, some of whom are quite salty this afternoon.)

Roger Federer is 5-6 years older than his only two real rivals in the ATP.

He’s been on tour for over TWENTY years.

He’s 37 freaking years old.

This guy should have no business being in a M1000 semi, much less having been #1 in the world for more time than Novak will have been this year.

There should be absolutely no contest w Fed for Djokdal - and there shouldn’t have been for the last several years.

With this age difference - if he really was their lesser - or even their equal - they should be cleaning his clock easily everywhere all the time.

The real questions that should be asked are:

Why in the world was this match today so close?

Why has his H2H with Novak been so close for so long after his prime?

Why did Fed rock Rafa across the globe all last year?

Why did he have the run he had from Jan ‘17 through Rott hitting 3 out of 5 slams while Novak wilted?

How in the world did he manage 2 months as world #1 this year?

(Why has he been #1 or 2 for a part of every year since 2003?)

Why is he looking like he’s actually REGAINING form yet again?

...But this is how a GOAT gets older.

The fact that so many people are spending so much time TODAY -after his TWENTY years on the tour - on his play - as a 37 year old!!!! - against the new world #1 - speaks volumes to the implicit recognition around here that he’s still the standard bearer.

FEDR.

This wall of text screams insecurity and nothing else.

 

[NoleFam]

Definitely understand where you're coming from, coming from someone on the recieving end of AO 2012, I think it gets to the point where it's just OTT and you're rubbing your victory into the opponents face. It's classier for sure to not show much, however the raw emotion Federer let out after FO11 was great imo. So I probably draw the line somewhere between Nadal and Djokovic.

No disrespect intended but you are a Rafa fan correct? After his epic celebrations over the years you find Novak's celebrations over the top? I'm just curious because I see nothing wrong with Djokovic's celebration today. He was pumped after an epic battle and these champs know what it means to win matches like this. I would be annoyed if someone did an epic celebration on a 6-2 6-3 in but not 7-6 on the 3rd.

 

[strongwilled]

The answer to all those questions is, "because age doesn't mean what it used to in tennis."

You could also ask why Djokovic was able to dominate the 2nd half of the season at age 31, and why Nadal was able to win his 11th French Open at age 32, dropping only one set.

Pete Sampras retired at 31, Edberg at 30, etc.

But now, 6 of the top 8 are 30+, and by the end of this year, 8 of the top 10 will be 29+ (Nishikori being the 29 year old while the other 7 are 30+).

 

[CYGS]

The answer to all those questions is, "because age doesn't mean what it used to in tennis."

You could also ask why Djokovic was able to dominate the 2nd half of the season at age 31, and why Nadal was able to win his 11th French Open at age 32, dropping only one set.

Pete Sampras retired at 31, Edberg at 30, etc.

But now, 6 of the top 8 are 30+, and by the end of this year, 8 of the top 10 will be 29+ (Nishikori being the 29 year old while the other 7 are 30+).

The thing is Fed fans had started using age excuse since 2008 when he was 27. Djokodal are in their early 30s now and we have never used age as an excuse.
That's just an easy way out for them.

 

[upchuck]

The thing is Fed fans had started using age excuse since 2008 when he was 27. Djokodal are in their early 30s now and we have never used age as an excuse.
That's just an easy way out for them.

This is the thing that stands out to me. Fed fans have been using age as an excuse before he even turned 30. They'll tell you that a 28-year-old Federer was past his prime.

After today’s match I think too many are missing the forest for the trees on Fedalovik.

Why in the world was this match today so close?

Because both players played well and Djokovic failed to capitalise on 12 break point opportunities.

Why has his H2H with Novak been so close for so long after his prime?

Being outside his prime means he isn't consistently great match to match as he was during his prime, but it doesn't mean he is incapable of playing vintage tennis. He has played numerous great matches against Djokovic over the years. Plus, the match-up favours him in my opinion.

Why did Fed rock Rafa across the globe all last year?

Better backhand than usual.

Why did he have the run he had from Jan ‘17 through Rott hitting 3 out of 5 slams while Novak wilted?

Maintaining excellence forever is hard. All the big three guys have had career slumps. None won a major at the age of 30, for instance.

How in the world did he manage 2 months as world #1 this year?

When you're one of the greatest of all time you can do that, especially when the top player of the decade is slumping.

 

[ADuck]

No disrespect intended but you are a Rafa fan correct? After his epic celebrations over the years you find Novak's celebrations over the top? I'm just curious because I see nothing wrong with Djokovic's celebration today. He was pumped after an epic battle and these champs know what it means to win matches like this. I would be annoyed if someone did an epic celebration on a 6-2 6-3 in but not 7-6 on the 3rd.

If we are talking specifically about post-match celebrations then I would say that yes sometimes I personally find that Djokovic's celebrations are over the top. Specifically the prolonged yelling and ripping shirt off stuff I find obnoxious (not hating, we got different taste dude). I actually fell asleep at 3-3 in the third so I watched the rest in highlights and saw the celebration before the handshake which was fine IMO.

 

[Poisoned Slice]

 

[maratha_warrior]

Agreed.

What's funny is that 'some' NoleFans don't recognize Fed's greatness (or refuse to) but Nole himself does. Look at Nole's 'borderline' obnoxious celebration after the handshake. If Nole don't think Fed is a beast, would he care so much after beating such an old dude? Still, over-celebration from Nole bc I think had Fed won, Fed would have a huge grin after the handshake, but nothing crazy.

I'm warming up to Nole since LC18, but he's not making it easy. Celebrating like that after a hard fought battle 'in front' of your opponent must be grating as hell.

As a Nole fan, I oso didn't like his celebration..
But each person is different and their way of celebration at certain situitions is different..
I expected Novak to go all crazy at wins over Nadal at Wimbledon and Delpo as USO, but he had very modest reaction then..
Now he has this warrior like celebration after a semi final win lol....

I don't mind as long as it fires him up for the fight and bring more titles ...

 

[NoleFam]

If we are talking specifically about post-match celebrations then I would say that yes sometimes I personally find that Djokovic's celebrations are over the top. Specifically the prolonged yelling and ripping shirt off stuff I find obnoxious (not hating, we got different taste dude). I actually fell asleep at 3-3 in the third so I watched the rest in highlights and saw the celebration before the handshake which was fine IMO.

Well to each their own but I love his celebrations, shirt ripping and all which he hasn't done in almost 7 years. Just after Nadal's celebrations it's weird hearing one of his fans find another player's celebrations over the top.

 

[ADuck]

Well to each their own but I love his celebrations, shirt ripping and all which he hasn't done in almost 7 years. Just after Nadal's celebrations it's weird hearing one of his fans find another player's celebrations over the top.

I see. Perhaps OTT is the wrong way of describing it then, they both can be pretty intense but I still find that they typically celebrate in pretty different ways. Djokovic typically likes to do his primal roars, sticking his chest out, and look at his box dead in the eyes like he's a warrior who just slayed a dragon. Rafa has his own repertoire of fist pumps, jumps, knee kicks etc. They're just different. Rafa feels more introverted in a sense.

 

[MichaelNadal]

This wall of text screams insecurity and nothing else.

How long have I been talking about how insecure Maestronians are?

 

[Deleted member 688153]

Honestly it's pro sports. He's going to get a lot of hate. He gets vastly more adoration and support though, and both are a direct result of his success and position in the game's history.

 

[Boom-Boom]

After today’s match I think too many are missing the forest for the trees on Fedalovik.

(Especially the Fed-haters, some of whom are quite salty this afternoon.)

Roger Federer is 5-6 years older than his only two real rivals in the ATP.

He’s been on tour for over TWENTY years.

He’s 37 freaking years old.

This guy should have no business being in a M1000 semi, much less having been #1 in the world for more time than Novak will have been this year.

There should be absolutely no contest w Fed for Djokdal - and there shouldn’t have been for the last several years.

With this age difference - if he really was their lesser - or even their equal - they should be cleaning his clock easily everywhere all the time.

The real questions that should be asked are:

Why in the world was this match today so close?

Why has his H2H with Novak been so close for so long after his prime?

Why did Fed rock Rafa across the globe all last year?

Why did he have the run he had from Jan ‘17 through Rott hitting 3 out of 5 slams while Novak wilted?

How in the world did he manage 2 months as world #1 this year?

(Why has he been #1 or 2 for a part of every year since 2003?)

Why is he looking like he’s actually REGAINING form yet again?

...But this is how a GOAT gets older.

The fact that so many people are spending so much time TODAY -after his TWENTY years on the tour - on his play - as a 37 year old!!!! - against the new world #1 - speaks volumes to the implicit recognition around here that he’s still the standard bearer.

FEDR.

Amen.

Fedr.

 

[Nadal_Django]

After today’s match I think too many are missing the forest for the trees on Fedalovik.

(Especially the Fed-haters, some of whom are quite salty this afternoon.)

Roger Federer is 5-6 years older than his only two real rivals in the ATP.

He’s been on tour for over TWENTY years.

He’s 37 freaking years old.

This guy should have no business being in a M1000 semi, much less having been #1 in the world for more time than Novak will have been this year.

There should be absolutely no contest w Fed for Djokdal - and there shouldn’t have been for the last several years.

With this age difference - if he really was their lesser - or even their equal - they should be cleaning his clock easily everywhere all the time.

The real questions that should be asked are:

Why in the world was this match today so close?

Why has his H2H with Novak been so close for so long after his prime?

Why did Fed rock Rafa across the globe all last year?

Why did he have the run he had from Jan ‘17 through Rott hitting 3 out of 5 slams while Novak wilted?

How in the world did he manage 2 months as world #1 this year?

(Why has he been #1 or 2 for a part of every year since 2003?)

Why is he looking like he’s actually REGAINING form yet again?

...But this is how a GOAT gets older.

The fact that so many people are spending so much time TODAY -after his TWENTY years on the tour - on his play - as a 37 year old!!!! - against the new world #1 - speaks volumes to the implicit recognition around here that he’s still the standard bearer.

FEDR.

Stay strong.....


















...25-22

 

[vex]

Agreed.

What's funny is that 'some' NoleFans don't recognize Fed's greatness (or refuse to) but Nole himself does. Look at Nole's 'borderline' obnoxious celebration after the handshake. If Nole don't think Fed is a beast, would he care so much after beating such an old dude? Still, over-celebration from Nole bc I think had Fed won, Fed would have a huge grin after the handshake, but nothing crazy.

I'm warming up to Nole since LC18, but he's not making it easy. Celebrating like that after a hard fought battle 'in front' of your opponent must be grating as hell.

Thats just how he celebrates big wins man. Every time. Against Fed/Rafa/Andy. When a match is tight, goes to a deciding set, Djkr is a man of intense emotions and he lets em out. Just is what it is.