Federer keeps surprising

Firstservingman said:
I'm curious to see how he does on clay.
I'm not expecting much but I certainly wasn't expecting him to get 1600 points from the sunshine double either
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He could do well at Madrid. I still see him getting exposed if playing against Thiem, Zverev, Nadal, Djokovic or even Stan. Let's not forget that Thiem dominated the baseline exchanges at Indian Wells. He will not be able to serve his way out of trouble on clay and would need to rely on his baseline game. His ground game doesn't get tested much on hard courts because of how fast he plays and his amazing net skills.
 
Backspin1183 said:
He is astonishingly good. You don't have to be a diehard fan of his to appreciate and admire this once in a generation talent. Nadal and Djokovic may or may not be winning titles at 38. Federer has done it before our very eyes. Not a small title, mind you. A freaking Masters 1000!
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Thanks for this, Backspin. Yeah, Fed's base level of play is so consistent even now, it's pretty unreal. Average performances by top 10 players still don't beat the guy consistently. It's quite amazing.
 
Backspin1183 said:
He could do well at Madrid. I still see him getting exposed if playing against Thiem, Zverev, Nadal, Djokovic or even Stan. Let's not forget that Thiem dominated the baseline exchanges at Indian Wells. He will not be able to serve his way out of trouble on clay and would need to rely on his baseline game. His ground game doesn't get tested much on hard courts because of how fast he plays and his amazing net skills.
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Yeah it's going to be a different ballgame for sure
 
It was some honestly unexpected great play by the GOAT. What was particularly surprising was how well he returned against players with strong first serves and hold games after a terrible return performance vs. Albot. @Gary Duane mentioned his return points won took a big jump and he seemingly was in every other return game.

43.4% Return points won vs. Isner
44.8% Return points win vs. Shapo
52%! Return points won vs. KAndy
39.2%Return points won vs Medvedev
43.2% Return points won vs. Kraijinovic
36.6% Return points won vs. Albot

5 out of his top 9 return performances were in Miami this year (vs. Borna, Gojo, Edmund, and Kohli the others), basically all Miami matches other than the Albot one. Only 13th time in KAndy’s career he didn’t win 60%+ points on his first serve and only 8th time in Isner’s career that he didn’t.

As @Gary Duane mentioned, his return game at the AO was pretty bad as he won only 34% of return points. Miami is going to be around 42-43%, Djokovic and Nadal Return points type numbers.
 
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Hitman said:
Lets face it, if he is still winning titles like Miami, he isn't going anywhere, anytime soon.
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That's the main reason I desperately wanted him to win either IW or Miami (or both).

If he keeps getting these periodic confidence boosts, it'll only stretch out his career longer. If he went 2 straight seasons without a Masters title, doubt might start creeping in.
 
MeatTornado said:
That's the main reason I desperately wanted him to win either IW or Miami (or both).

If he keeps getting these periodic confidence boosts, it'll only stretch out his career longer. If he went 2 straight seasons without a Masters title, doubt might start creeping in.
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Well, we know he is playing at least until the end of 2020, but I think he wants to play into his 40s, which means he will likely play the 2021 season also.
 
Hitman said:
Well, we know he is playing at least until the end of 2020, but I think he wants to play into his 40s, which means he will likely play the 2021 season also.
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I could see him getting to 40, but I'd be really shocked if he played into his 40s.

End of 2020 still seems like a realistic retirement date, despite this recent uptick in form that has everyone going nuts.
 
If you'd asked me what Fed would win over the last three seasons I would have never said Miami. Wasn't 2006 the last time he won that before 2017? And it was on a different surface then too

Now he's won it twice in three years.
 
MeatTornado said:
I could see him getting to 40, but I'd be really shocked if he played into his 40s.

End of 2020 still seems like a realistic retirement date, despite this recent uptick in form that has everyone going nuts.
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Agree, but I'm kind of past being really shocked when Fed does something though haha
 
Why would Fed retire? He loves it, his wife loves it, and he's still winning large full-field tournaments that aren't even his best ones. He's literally got the most points of anyone this season on tour.
 
Deon Sanders said:
That is the least surprising part of the whole thing

A strong list of mugs
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Let's be honest though, aside from Djokovic and maybe still Nadal, they're some of the best guys the Tour can throw at Fed. Can't knock that
 
Deon Sanders said:
Well that about sums up how depressing the tour is
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Yeah it's not brilliant. Fed also made them look bad though. I mean they can and have beaten Djokovic etc. on their day. They're just inconsistent and crap themselves on the biggest stages
 
Backspin1183 said:
He is astonishingly good. You don't have to be a diehard fan of his to appreciate and admire this once in a generation talent. Nadal and Djokovic may or may not be winning titles at 38. Federer has done it before our very eyes. Not a small title, mind you. A freaking Masters 1000!
Click to expand...
Yeah it’s unreal really that he can mow down top upstart players with ease at his age.
 
Firstservingman said:
Yeah it's not brilliant. Fed also made them look bad though. I mean they can and have beaten Djokovic etc. on their day. They're just inconsistent and crap themselves on the biggest stages
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Fed deserves the credit. Bashing the supposed weak field is a BS argument. Same argument was used against Nole in 2015.

The level of tennis at the top of the tour is mind-boggling. Fans at home on TV can never appreciate it until they watch live matches.
 
Steve0904 said:
Thanks for this, Backspin. Yeah, Fed's base level of play is so consistent even now, it's pretty unreal. Average performances by top 10 players still don't beat the guy consistently. It's quite amazing.
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Yes quite amazing! Fed’s not one of the players who’s all taped up or limping around on court.
 
Backspin1183 said:
He could do well at Madrid. I still see him getting exposed if playing against Thiem, Zverev, Nadal, Djokovic or even Stan. Let's not forget that Thiem dominated the baseline exchanges at Indian Wells. He will not be able to serve his way out of trouble on clay and would need to rely on his baseline game. His ground game doesn't get tested much on hard courts because of how fast he plays and his amazing net skills.
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Nadal would be normal, but still he has to show if the advantage on clay is still there after the general matchup advantage is over. Thiem was great in Indian Wells and is even better on clay, but still I think next time it’s Federer’s turn again. Djokovic of course is capable of anything. Stan’s best days should be over, although I like him and hope I’m wrong.

But Zverev? No way in hell he is "exposing" Federer in any way. At the WTF it was one of the worst version of Federer since his comeback in 2017.

You are right though, the clay season will be very interesting.
 
Madrid's a virtual lock now. Fed will take the FO too, just because
he can. Nole's all messed up again. His internal existential torment
faded for awhile but that stuff always comes back. His latest
Sunshine Debacle indicates a man forever waiting for a bus that
saw him a block away and made an unscheduled turn.
 
Hard to believe how well is is playing at this age.

He's had to continually change his game as well...as the courts have been slowed down, he has been forced to stand well inside the baseline and take balls early to neutralise slower courts. It's incredibly hard to do.

Not to mention that his 2 greatest rivals, who are themselves among the best of all time, benefit greatly from slower balls and surfaces.

God only knows how many more Slams he may have added to his tally.
Truely amazing.
 
Hitman said:
He would torn him apart also with the mood Fed's been in.
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Serious comment for today: At the highest level the winners are only 100% healthy after breaks, when all wear and tear on the body stops. After that there are magic moments when everything feels well, when everything is natural and easy. It's not like that most of the time, for any of them, not even for the young guys. Shapo ended up with two knees taped. The Sunshine double is grueling, and perhaps most for the guys who make it through to both finals.

But this year - for reasons that are nothing more than chance - Fed is feeling healthier and therefore more complete as a player than he has been at some periods in his best years. That's why he is temporarily returning like he is 24 again. It won't last. It never does. It just disappears faster as they age. We are seeing the same thing with Rafa and Novak. BUT:

When these three are healthy, when they are "feeling it", they're just better than everyone else and will be until they retire. This is not a new thing. Just read about aging Pancho Gonzalez, or Rosewall, or Laver. In their 30s and even getting close to 40 they could still destroy the best players on the planet, for two sets, on a good day. At that age they have an extra decade of experience, and experience is the most important thing. When they can move well, when they are not in pain, or feeling tight, or not able to get their wind back, they're going to find a way to win.

I'm one of the few here who think that the Big Three, right now, on the rare days they are at their best, have what it takes to go up against younger versions of themselves and win. I think they are all better players, but they just can't "bring it" with the same regularity because age makes the body unstable.
 
Gary Duane said:
Serious comment for today: At the highest level the winners are only 100% healthy after breaks, when all wear and tear on the body stops. After that there are magic moments when everything feels well, when everything is natural and easy. It's not like that most of the time, for any of them, not even for the young guys. Shapo ended up with two knees taped. The Sunshine double is grueling, and perhaps most for the guys who make it through to both finals.

But this year - for reasons that are nothing more than chance - Fed is feeling healthier and therefore more complete as a player than he has been at some periods in his best years. That's why he is temporarily returning like he is 24 again. It won't last. It never does. It just disappears faster as they age. We are seeing the same thing with Rafa and Novak. BUT:

When these three are healthy, when they are "feeling it", they're just better than everyone else and will be until they retire. This is not a new thing. Just read about aging Pancho Gonzalez, or Rosewall, or Laver. In their 30s and even getting close to 40 they could still destroy the best players on the planet, for two sets, on a good day. At that age they have an extra decade of experience, and experience is the most important thing. When they can move well, when they are not in pain, or feeling tight, or not able to get their wind back, they're going to find a way to win.

I'm one of the few here who think that the Big Three, right now, on the rare days they are at their best, have what it takes to go up against younger versions of themselves and win. I think they are all better players, but they just can't "bring it" with the same regularity because age makes the body unstable.
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I understand your view point very well.
 
This is further proof that he will hold aloft the winners trophy at RG 2019 with Nadal in the background loosely holding the runners up tray.

Surely Nadal must be quaking in his boat as I type. His fishing rod is probably floating in the sea.
 
Purplemonster said:
This is further proof that he will hold aloft the winners trophy at RG 2019 with Nadal in the background loosely holding the runners up tray.

Surely Nadal must be quaking in his boat as I type. His fishing rod is probably floating in the sea.
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I hope you're right but I think it's highly unlikely.

It's the slowest surface, is better suited to Nadal's heavy topspin game and Djokovic's exceptional defensive game, not to mention plenty of the younger generation such as Thiem.

Wimbledon's his best chance.
 
gazz1 said:
I hope you're right but I think it's highly unlikely.

It's the slowest surface, is better suited to Nadal's heavy topspin game and Djokovic's exceptional defensive game, not to mention plenty of the younger generation such as Thiem.

Wimbledon's his best chance.
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Look up sarcasm in the dictionary.
 
Backspin1183 said:
He could do well at Madrid. I still see him getting exposed if playing against Thiem, Zverev, Nadal, Djokovic or even Stan. Let's not forget that Thiem dominated the baseline exchanges at Indian Wells. He will not be able to serve his way out of trouble on clay and would need to rely on his baseline game. His ground game doesn't get tested much on hard courts because of how fast he plays and his amazing net skills.
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I don't think Roger Federer will do well in clay. But still I want to see him play. I felt , I know it's subjective, that Roger's artistry was best expressed on grass, followed by clay and the least on hard court. Of course clay is his least fsuccessful surface, there is no doubt about it. Natural surfaces tend to bring the artistic skills of Roger more, or so I feel. That way, it was disappointing for me to see him skip clay.

Even if it's Madrid, I feel he will be in trouble with most of the players in the top twenty. Anyway we will see
 
Feather said:
I don't think Roger Federer will do well in clay. But still I want to see him play. I felt , I know it's subjective, that Roger's artistry was best expressed on grass, followed by clay and the least on hard court. Of course clay is his least fsuccessful surface, there is no doubt about it. Natural surfaces tend to bring the artistic skills of Roger more, or so I feel. That way, it was disappointing for me to see him skip clay.

Even if it's Madrid, I feel he will be in trouble with most of the players in the top twenty. Anyway we will see
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I will say that Federer will do well on clay and will only change it if proven wrong. I never lose faith.
 
ghostofMecir said:
It was some honestly unexpected great play by the GOAT. What was particularly surprising was how well he returned against players with strong first serves and hold games after a terrible return performance vs. Albot. @Gary Duane mentioned his return points won took a big jump and he seemingly was in every other return game.

43.4% Return points won vs. Isner
44.8% Return points win vs. Shapo
52%! Return points won vs. KAndy
39.2%Return points won vs Medvedev
43.2% Return points won vs. Kraijinovic
36.6% Return points won vs. Albot

5 out of his top 9 return performances were in Miami this year (vs. Borna, Gojo, Edmund, and Kohli the others), basically all Miami matches other than the Albot one.

As @Gary Duane mentioned, his return gsme at the AO was pretty bad as he won only 34% of return points. Miami is going to be around 42-43%, Djokovic and Nadal Return points type numbers.
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Federer was INSANE on winning return points in Miami. Truly peak performance.
 
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