Federer fan thoughts before the final

[timnz]

There aren't many bigger Federer fans than me. I just love his playing style. But realisically I would put his chances of winning the 2017 AO final at 10%.

Reasons :

1/ Federer is 35 , recovery isn't what it was even at 30

2/ Rafa is only 11 months older than the top 2 players in the world. With a couple days rest he will be fine for the final

3/ Rafa has already had the perfect preparation for playing Federer in his match with dimitrov

4/ the match up remains bad for Federer

5/ the quickness of the court has been exaggerated- it is merely faster but not fast

I really hope he does win...but these are my honest thoughts

 

[r2473]

I say Federer wins in straight sets.

Dimitrov is basically a poor man's Federer that doesn't move forward or volley. Playing Dimitrov shows to me that Nadal isn't at his best.

Also, courts are fast. Federer has a great history against Nadal on faster courts.

 

[Terry Tibbs]

I say Federer wins in straight sets.

Dimitrov is basically a poor man's Federer that doesn't move forward or volley. Playing Dimitrov shows to me that Nadal isn't at his best.

Also, courts are fast. Federer has a great history against Nadal on faster courts.

I agree about Dimitrov. His style is the same as Fed's but Fed does everything better and given that Dimitrov was so close to beating Nadal, perhaps this bodes well for Fed. It's just a shame Dimitrov couldn't get the job done as I don't think he would have been a threat at all to Fed whereas Nadal clearly is

 

[WhiskeyEE]

I put his chances at 25%. Keys to victory:

1) Nadal plays below par - 50% chance
2) Federer plays above par - 50% chance

 

[WhiskeyEE]

I agree about Dimitrov. His style is the same as Fed's but Fed does everything better and given that Dimitrov was so close to beating Nadal, perhaps this bodes well for Fed. It's just a shame Dimitrov couldn't get the job done as I don't think he would have been a threat at all to Fed whereas Nadal clearly is

Dimitrov hits his backhand consistently deeper than Federer and goes down the line easier. It's a big difference in the matchup.

 

[Rosstour]

I say Federer wins in straight sets.

Dimitrov is basically a poor man's Federer that doesn't move forward or volley. Playing Dimitrov shows to me that Nadal isn't at his best.

Also, courts are fast. Federer has a great history against Nadal on faster courts.

Dimitrov moves a lot better than Fed at this point, especially laterally.

I'm feeling a lot of despair. Was nice to think about #18, instead I'm just going to hear Nadal's "blyehhhh" over and over and watch Fed's head keep dropping as he dumps backhand after backhand into the net.

 

[Rosstour]

I say Federer wins in straight sets.

Dimitrov is basically a poor man's Federer that doesn't move forward or volley. Playing Dimitrov shows to me that Nadal isn't at his best.

Also, courts are fast. Federer has a great history against Nadal on faster courts.

Dimitrov moves a lot better than Fed at this point, especially laterally.

I'm feeling a lot of despair. Was nice to think about #18, instead I'm just going to hear Nadal's "blyehhhh" over and over and watch Fed's head keep dropping as he dumps backhand after backhand into the net.

 

[r2473]

Dimitrov hits his backhand consistently deeper than Federer and goes down the line easier. It's a big difference in the matchup.

Fed is hitting his backhand well this tournament. I think it's because of the courts. Watching Rafa matches, I'm not seeing the court taking his spin as well as slower courts, so I don't think he'll have as much trouble with the backhand tonight.

Fed will also be able to attack effectively and shorten the points.

I also believe Nadal will be a bit off after the 5 setter with Dimitrov.

 

[tennisaddict]

Fed in 4. He has nothing to lose as GOAT status still intact 17>15

 

[WhiskeyEE]

Fed is hitting his backhand well this tournament. I think it's because of the courts. Watching Rafa matches, I'm not seeing the court taking his spin as well as slower courts, so I don't think he'll have as much trouble with the backhand tonight.

I'm still unsure about the court bounce. Some say it's a bit lower than normal and some say it's a legitimate fast court. It's hard to tell from my couch.

We'll know soon enough because Fed handles Nadal's topspin rather easily on indoor courts.

 

[Dope Reign]

Anything is possible, of course. Hell it could be a 3 set beatdown inflicted by Fed, unlikely sure, but it's not like Fed doesn't have the tools.

I've been pretty much wrong this entire tournament, so I should get out of the predicting business. Given that wrongness, it's probably not just worthless but counter productive that I've got this odd feeling that Fed will win.

But there it is.