Federer Lost, But Let's Put This in Perspective

InvisibleSoul

Hall of Fame
Yes, it's true, not only does Federer lose his first non-clay Grand Slam since 3 years ago, he didn't even make the final.

But, come on... this isn't the end of the world for Federer. The kind of run that he has put together these last four years is unprecedented and it is actually quite unfair to expect him to continue it.

With Djokovic and other up-and-comers making their mark, I think Federer's absolute dominance is definitely diminishing, but in no way does that mean Federer's done and will never win another grand slam. He might not accumulate them as fast as before, but there's no reason to believe he won't win another few in the next few years to overtake Sampras.

Let's just put things in perspective a bit.

At least he didn't lose his #1 ranking!
 
D

Deleted member 13755

Guest
That's what I'm hoping for...

Substituting the AO for the FO lawl!
 

fps

Legend
Wouldn't you laugh if he won the French lol

hehe. i think he'd swap the other 3 this year for the french.

Disclaimer: Federer in no way tanked this match because he has made a pact whereby he gives up the other titles to win the French Open
(these forums are so twitchy about stuff like this)
 

Alafter

Hall of Fame
I dont see Federer being that dominant anymore. But then again, that's one tournament. We'll have to see a few more tournies. We should be able to tell where he's headed in half year's time.
 
Bad news for USO. Federer has to win the FO in order to break Sampras GS record at the USO (assuming he wins Wim., his favorite surface and tournament).
 

jaggy

Talk Tennis Guru
hehe. i think he'd swap the other 3 this year for the french.

Disclaimer: Federer in no way tanked this match because he has made a pact whereby he gives up the other titles to win the French Open
(these forums are so twitchy about stuff like this)

Too late for the disclaimer man, you obviously have evidence that fed made a pact with satan :evil:



:wink:
 
Yes, it's true, not only does Federer lose his first non-clay Grand Slam since 3 years ago, he didn't even make the final.

But, come on... this isn't the end of the world for Federer. The kind of run that he has put together these last four years is unprecedented and it is actually quite unfair to expect him to continue it.

With Djokovic and other up-and-comers making their mark, I think Federer's absolute dominance is definitely diminishing, but in no way does that mean Federer's done and will never win another grand slam. He might not accumulate them as fast as before, but there's no reason to believe he won't win another few in the next few years to overtake Sampras.

Let's just put things in perspective a bit.

At least he didn't lose his #1 ranking!

Agree! Federer's dominance is definitely diminishing. Like Sampras, AO is not his favorite slam or surface. Besides, in almost his peak (2005) Fed lost to Safin in the AO semis. So, no need to worry. Will see how Fed performs in Wim.
 
D

Deleted member 13755

Guest
I'm a diehard Federer fan, but even honestly I think his time is soon over.

He had a great 5 years in tennis... But this is just disappointing.


He's 27... About time.
 

MasturB

Legend
Federer lost to Safin in the semifinal in 2005 but still came back strong as the year went on.

His groundstrokes were amazing that year, and his footwork was awesome.

His groundstrokes have been letting him down the last 12 months (yeah yeah despite the 3 slams), and his serve has really been the only consistency. His footwork has really declined(either he's lazy or just lost a step).
 

InvisibleSoul

Hall of Fame
I'm a diehard Federer fan, but even honestly I think his time is soon over.

He had a great 5 years in tennis... But this is just disappointing.


He's 27... About time.
Well, what exactly do you mean by "his time"?

I think his time of absolute dominance, where he is heavily expected to win every match and anything less is a massive upset is coming to an end.

However, I have no reason to believe he won't continue to be #1 for awhile yet, and continue to win more Grand Slams, although perhaps not on the same torrid pace as in the last few years.
 

Sarzy

Hall of Fame
I'm a diehard Federer fan, but even honestly I think his time is soon over.

He had a great 5 years in tennis... But this is just disappointing.


He's 27... About time.

I know. It sucks. I don't want his time to end as I just love to see him playing brilliantly. Everything comes to an end, but it still sucks that one day it'll be over.
 

BreakPoint

Bionic Poster
What special significance is there to him beating Sampras Grand Slam record at the USO?
Sampras promised to show up in NYC to congratulate Roger personally if Federer broke his record at the '08 US Open. Sort of like what Borg did at Wimbledon last year when Roger equaled his 5-straight Wimbys record there.
 
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ninman

Hall of Fame
In a way it's good that he lost because now he doesn't have to worry about that streak of 10 straight GS finals. It also means that there's less pressure on him at the FO this year because he won't be playing it to hold all 4 slams at the same time.

So in a sense it's relieved his burden of carrying these winning streaks. I think he'll get the French this year just because they'll be so much less pressure on him to win it.
 

gj011

Banned
As a Djokovic fan, I don't think Federed is done. Not by a long shot. He will still win 2-3 Wimbledons and couple more hardcourt GSs in the next 3-4 years. After that he will be done.
 

InvisibleSoul

Hall of Fame
It's nice to know there are logical, level-minded people here, Federer fan or not.

I'm a huge Federer fan, but given the circumstances leading up to this match and the history between him and Djokovic, I felt there was a definite possibility that Federer could lose this match. In a way, this was why I went out of my way and made sure I watched this match tonight. If it was a guarantee that Federer would win, I would have skipped this match and just watched the final on the weekend... but if Federer lost, which he did, I would want to know exactly how it happened... and now I do.
 
M

Morrissey

Guest
It's not the end of the world. But with his game slowly declining his best chances to win the French have passed him by.
 

KeithL

Rookie
I think Fed will bounce back but I am not sure if it will be RG. More likely at Wimby as he now has two more challengers in Djokovic and Tsonga other than Nadal.
 

caulcano

Hall of Fame
Sampras promised to show up in NYC to congratulate Roger personally if Federer broke his record at the '08 US Open. Sort of like what Borg did at Wimbledon last year when Roger broke his 5-straight Wimbys record there.

Actually, Federer only matched Borg's record of 5 consecutive Wimbledon titles.

So looks like Sampras will have to wait awhile longer...
 

InvisibleSoul

Hall of Fame
It's not the end of the world. But with his game slowly declining his best chances to win the French have passed him by.
I think I would agree that it won't be any easier for him to win the FO, but I think there's still a chance he could do it. However, I think it's highly unlikely he'll be able to get the calendar Grand Slam anymore.
 

cueboyzn

Professional
I think I would agree that it won't be any easier for him to win the FO, but I think there's still a chance he could do it. However, I think it's highly unlikely he'll be able to get the calendar Grand Slam anymore.

He can still get the CAREER Grand Slam. And the CAREER GOLDEN Slam. As long as he passes Sampras, either of these achievements would make him the all-time Great.
 

Sliceboy2

Rookie
I dont see Federer being that dominant anymore. But then again, that's one tournament. We'll have to see a few more tournies. We should be able to tell where he's headed in half year's time.

Thats right. . . Rogers not dominating the game anymore. He lost in straight sets. Djokos service was excellent. Well, I guess its healthy for the tennis fans.
 

vsdtrek

Semi-Pro
Yes, it's true, not only does Federer lose his first non-clay Grand Slam since 3 years ago, he didn't even make the final.

But, come on... this isn't the end of the world for Federer. The kind of run that he has put together these last four years is unprecedented and it is actually quite unfair to expect him to continue it.

With Djokovic and other up-and-comers making their mark, I think Federer's absolute dominance is definitely diminishing, but in no way does that mean Federer's done and will never win another grand slam. He might not accumulate them as fast as before, but there's no reason to believe he won't win another few in the next few years to overtake Sampras.

Let's just put things in perspective a bit.

At least he didn't lose his #1 ranking!

Well said.

This is only one tournament. Granted he has had a couple of tournaments towards the end of 2007 where he was beat but all great champions have had some potholes on the way. Sometimes a wake-up call likes this gives a player an indication of what needs to be worked on and the player comes back stronger. Fed is too smart and too skilled to still not be the one all other players have to beat if they want to win.

While I still love watching Fed the most, I really think this will be good for the game. It would be nice to watch a tournament where there are several guys who have a legit chance at winning it and actually believe they can do it. As an aside, it's too bad golf isn't like this.
 

Sentinel

Bionic Poster
Very true, OP. Considering the ups and downs other players have, like Djoko, Gonzo et al, one loss can't rule Federer out.

He's been more consistent than all the others.

I think he'll come back stronger.
 

stadiumking

New User
It's hard for one not to feel sorry for Federer in some ways.

He admitted at his press conference that he feels like he's created a monster.
And I think that is very true. As he said, the minute he loses a set or a match, people say that he's a spent force.
 

Gemini

Hall of Fame
Ok..I'm not a Pete Sampras fan but he managed to win major titles as the ages of 27, 28, 29 and 31. If Federer is at least as great as Sampras, he's still got a number of chances to put a lock on history.

There's still 3 more majors this year with Wimbledon being Fed's crown jewel and the U.S. Open being a close second. I think the loss will act as an inspiration for Federer not a deterrent. He's lost to Djokovic before and knows what he's capable of. I think he'll (Federer) will rise to challenge and claim at least one major this year.
 

skip1969

G.O.A.T.
it wasn't the end of the world when nadal lost his semi. the same is true for fed.

i don't mind that neither of them are in the final. i think the fans at the other slams might be disappointed. but the aussies find a way to get up for any match.

fed has been pushed the last couple of years, but he's still won practically everything (that matters). his only kryptonite has been roland garros. today, he lost the chance to cram another slam trophy onto his shelf. so i guess you could say he has a REAL motivation to kick it into another gear for the rest of 2008.
 

SiLvErX

Rookie
As a Djokovic fan, I don't think Federed is done. Not by a long shot. He will still win 2-3 Wimbledons and couple more hardcourt GSs in the next 3-4 years. After that he will be done.

I agree with this..well not completely i also think he is not done..but i think less then 3 Wimbledon's...

and I'm Djokos fun as well

But some people here are starting to be funny.. they defend him like they are Feds mother or something..some of them even worse
 

urban

Legend
Its normal, that a player loses. Federer remains a great champion. But it seems, that Djokovic is now on par on hard courts. Federer was already lucky, to win USO, when Djoko choked on his 7 set points. One important aspect is the mental game: Djoko knows and believes now, that he can beat Federer. If other guys like Murray, Tipsarevic or Tsonga go into a match with the Nr.1, with sound self-confidence, it gets much harder for Federer.
Nevertheless, despite the helathy appaerance of Tsonga and the success of Djokovic, i see not much depth in the mens game: If you exclude the one day with some long 5 setters in the 3rd round, all the rounds offered only clear straight sets win. And if a player like Nadal, who is so vulnerable on hard courts, goes into semis with the loss of zero sets, it says something about depth or the lack of it. And Djokovic has still to lose a set. Maybe he will win the Grand Slam. Last year he would have come quite close, excluding Federer and Nadal.
 

WildVolley

Legend
Federer has been so dominant that I think some of his fans are truly in shock that he lost. I remember back in the days of McEnroe, Lendl, and even Sampras. A loss by any of those guys wasn't really that shocking. No one expected them to be the final of every slam played.

Federer has been on the greatest run in the history of modern tennis. It'll be interesting to see whether this loss will take some pressure off him, or will it really harm him because fewer of his opponents will be psyched out by him?
 

BobFL

Hall of Fame
Yes, it's true, not only does Federer lose his first non-clay Grand Slam since 3 years ago, he didn't even make the final.

But, come on... this isn't the end of the world for Federer. The kind of run that he has put together these last four years is unprecedented and it is actually quite unfair to expect him to continue it.

With Djokovic and other up-and-comers making their mark, I think Federer's absolute dominance is definitely diminishing, but in no way does that mean Federer's done and will never win another grand slam. He might not accumulate them as fast as before, but there's no reason to believe he won't win another few in the next few years to overtake Sampras.

Let's just put things in perspective a bit.

At least he didn't lose his #1 ranking!

Wow, great analysis!!

I am kidding, it is a pure crap....
 

tntmail

Rookie
The End is near

My life is over, the world is ending. I quit my job, took all my money and went partying for the last day. Trashed my racquets, ran them over, gave away my dogs, destroyed my house and then sold it. It's all over,


NOT

PS. Tsongas is the best

Pss. Not, lols
 

Eviscerator

Banned
He might not accumulate them as fast as before, but there's no reason to believe he won't win another few in the next few years to overtake Sampras.

Let's just put things in perspective a bit.

While I agree Federer is "not done", he is at a point in his career where his dominance is not assured like it use to be. For perspective, look at Sampras and how he went from being the king of the hill, to then only winning a few more Slams before retiring.
 

quest01

Hall of Fame
His groundstrokes were amazing that year, and his footwork was awesome.

His groundstrokes have been letting him down the last 12 months (yeah yeah despite the 3 slams), and his serve has really been the only consistency. His footwork has really declined(either he's lazy or just lost a step).

His groundstrokes may have been letting him down because he plays with a 90 square inch headsize. If he wants to stay at a high level or improve his game then he needs to switch to a larger headsize maybe a 95 or 100 square inch racket. I think thats one change he needs to make if he wants to remain the #1 player in the world.
 

vicnan

Professional
Imo, Federer should have lost against Tipsarevic. He was very lucky to get through that match. But it was obvious he was undercooked and would not go the distance. The media will obviously milk this for what it's worth. But what surprised me today was how well Djokovic served -- it was almost Sampras-like.
 

TennezSport

Hall of Fame
Hold on there..........

And if a player like Nadal, who is so vulnerable on hard courts, goes into semis with the loss of zero sets, it says something about depth or the lack of it. And Djokovic has still to lose a set. Maybe he will win the Grand Slam. Last year he would have come quite close, excluding Federer and Nadal.

Lets look at how Rafa got there and you will see he was never tested. He just had practice partners handed to him (no disrecpect meant for those players). Rafa faced Troicki #126, Serra #88, Simon #33, Mathieu #25 who ret., Nieminen #26 and Tsonga # 38(who played very well and smartly) BTW, these are their ATP rankings not the draw seedings.

If it had been a more balanced draw, say he had Nole's or Feds draw or faced Tsonga in the first round, it could have been a lot different. But it wasn't, so again, time will tell.

TennezSport :cool:
 
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