myservenow
Semi-Pro
I just finished reading a book which chronicles the career of Roger Federer from his youth through the juniors and ending with his 10th Grand Slam victory.
I didn't follow Federer much prior to Agassi's retirement and thought that I had a pretty good handle on what type of career Federer has had. Two things really struck me while reading the book.
First, I was under the impression that Federer had avoided injury (except minor wear and tear) throughout his career. According to the book, Fed has experienced back and feet injuries, sickness, mental blocks, periods of great self doubt, etc., throughout his playing days. The book documents past occasions in which Fed's back seized up on him while serving in a pro match (I think at Wimbledon against F. Lopez) that almost caused him to retire from the tournament in 2001. He has missed many tournaments over the years due to various injuries and ailments, worn casts, etc.
During the past few years, I've heard about how his smooth and agile playing style would keep him injury free leading to a prolonged career. Maybe that is still true, relatively speaking. However, he has suffered some pretty serious sounding injuries in the past.
Secondly, I was also under the impression that Federer has been on a roll since his pro career began. Not true. Even though he had great expectations early on, he got his butt kicked all the time by Henman, Nalbandian, Agassi, etc. He also lost to people I've never heard of -- all the time. For the longest time he was unable to get past his mental block and live up to expectations. He also struggled mightily on the U.S. hard courts and didn't believe the surface was one of his strong suits.
At a place like Cincinnati, which I assumed he always played well at, he hasn't. It has been feast or famine -- usually famine for him. He has lost his first match or two there many, many times in the past.
Bringing this to a point: I think that 2008 is not something totally new to Roger Federer's tennis career. He has suffered serious sickness and injury in the past and recovered his brilliant form. He has also struggled mightily at times to not only win tournaments, but to get past the first round or two in a tournament.
As a Fed fan, I have been worried that his bad experiences in 2008 (most recently his early exits in Canada and Cincinnati) and his sickness at the AO are things he has never had to deal with in his career. He has and, up to this point, has always risen to the challenge.
I am confident that Fed will rise from the ashes of 2008 and go on another tear through the slams before he retires.
I didn't follow Federer much prior to Agassi's retirement and thought that I had a pretty good handle on what type of career Federer has had. Two things really struck me while reading the book.
First, I was under the impression that Federer had avoided injury (except minor wear and tear) throughout his career. According to the book, Fed has experienced back and feet injuries, sickness, mental blocks, periods of great self doubt, etc., throughout his playing days. The book documents past occasions in which Fed's back seized up on him while serving in a pro match (I think at Wimbledon against F. Lopez) that almost caused him to retire from the tournament in 2001. He has missed many tournaments over the years due to various injuries and ailments, worn casts, etc.
During the past few years, I've heard about how his smooth and agile playing style would keep him injury free leading to a prolonged career. Maybe that is still true, relatively speaking. However, he has suffered some pretty serious sounding injuries in the past.
Secondly, I was also under the impression that Federer has been on a roll since his pro career began. Not true. Even though he had great expectations early on, he got his butt kicked all the time by Henman, Nalbandian, Agassi, etc. He also lost to people I've never heard of -- all the time. For the longest time he was unable to get past his mental block and live up to expectations. He also struggled mightily on the U.S. hard courts and didn't believe the surface was one of his strong suits.
At a place like Cincinnati, which I assumed he always played well at, he hasn't. It has been feast or famine -- usually famine for him. He has lost his first match or two there many, many times in the past.
Bringing this to a point: I think that 2008 is not something totally new to Roger Federer's tennis career. He has suffered serious sickness and injury in the past and recovered his brilliant form. He has also struggled mightily at times to not only win tournaments, but to get past the first round or two in a tournament.
As a Fed fan, I have been worried that his bad experiences in 2008 (most recently his early exits in Canada and Cincinnati) and his sickness at the AO are things he has never had to deal with in his career. He has and, up to this point, has always risen to the challenge.
I am confident that Fed will rise from the ashes of 2008 and go on another tear through the slams before he retires.
