Federer News

[oldmanfan]

As I said in the post you quoted, he might not be a consistent, but his best level is there, maybe even more so than in 2016, and since the discussion was about whose level was where, I figured it is about when the players can bring it when it matters most. It is a hard choice to pick one of the years over the other as it is consistency vs peak form which is to say that it is not so cut and dry as one might think. I agree that luck is part of the sport, but let's not chalk it up predominantly on luck. Djokovic WAS clutch when it mattered most, luck or no luck.

I agree that Paris and WTF will be most interesting. It is interesting how often the interests of the big 3 cross without being the same: Federer might be thinking about keeping the other two at striking distance to overcome for the #1, if the chance presents itself, but, on the other hand, if he is successful he might just stop Nadal from being #1 for the year, and that might play against him. He also has a hard decision to make as far as his participation in Paris is concerned, as he cannot possibly know whether he won't do something to his health that he will later regret. This WTF is a chance to play for the win again, so he will want to go there as fresh as possible and obviously without any health issues.

I'm a bit torn if Fedr should play Bercy or not. I'll just trust in Fedr and his team. Agreed that WTF is definitely the priority bc at this very moment, he has a really good chance to win it.

 

[brian anderson]

Fed triple bagels paper-champ Djokovic, obviously /s.

He hasn't beaten him in 4 years, 7 years in slams and couldn't get it done this year against a weaker version of Novak at Wimbledon. But obviously this hypothetical final would've been the one time he'd actually get it done, on Novak's best court and while in his best form in years.

trolling fed threads instead of sticking to his own neighborhood.

 

[oldmanfan]

Considering his remarks about last year's WTF maybe he should skip it, so as to not jeopardise his health, but the difficulty here is that there is no guarantee that he will be in optimal form throughout the WTF if he does that. That is why it is a hard decision to make: should he leave a lot on the table for uncertain gains or go for it full steam. Before hearing the remarks about his back last year I was of the opinion that he should play Paris. Now I think that it is too risky.

Agreed that nothing is close to a guarantee at WTF, especially this year's WTF where I think everyone has a chance to beat the others (even Tsitsi over Medv). I even think Berrettini might win a match or 2. That was why I was slightly leaning to Fedr playing Bercy, especially after his light week at Basel19, winning the title after spending only 4h26m on court. A week between Bercy and WTF helps a lot. We'll have to wait for tomorrow.

 

[Deleted member 763691]

One thing is for sure, Federer will be playing extremely physical points at London, given the mammoth depth of talent in this year's field.
If Federer loses Paris fairly early, he'll have plenty in the tank for London
But actually trying to win Paris? Probably a bad idea.

 

[Fedforever]

Paris/Basel debate: Are we missing the mental side? At the moment he must be buzzing, not just from winning Basel but playing so well. Missing Paris could deflate that. Don't forget he can also see the draw at Paris. Is it easier to win there than in London?

This is such a close call that we can all be easy either way, really. There's no glaringly obvious right answer.

 

[Tennis_Hands]

..

 

[Otacon]

Fed wants to win the ATP Finals.

 

[Tennis_Hands]

..

 

[Mike Lambresi]

He will be skipping Paris.

"I am extremely disappointed to have to withdraw from the Rolex Paris Masters.
I have to spare myself because I want to play as long as possible on the ATP tour.
I am sorry for my French fans that I will see next year at Roland Garros."

 

[oldmanfan]

Leaves Nadal to gain enough advantage over Djokovic if he can, thus protecting his YE#1 standing, instead of battling it out for Djokovic, and at the same time protecting his health for the WTF.

4d chess from Fedr .

Not to sound the alarm, but a poster on MTF mentioned that Fedr had his back taped in the matches against Tsitsi and Demon. Hope it's nothing serious (and it likely explains his Bercy w/d as precaution/insurance), but if Fedr can play like that with a taped back against Tsitsi/Demon, he'll decimate at WTF .

 

[TearTheRoofOff]

4d chess from Fedr .

Not to sound the alarm, but a poster on MTF mentioned that Fedr had his back taped in the matches against Tsitsi and Demon. Hope it's nothing serious (and it likely explains his Bercy w/d as precaution/insurance), but if Fedr can play like that with a taped back against Tsitsi/Demon, he'll decimate at WTF .

Man, his play against Tsits was DAMN good. Tsits did a very nice job keeping it 4 and 4 tbh.

 

[Robert Baratheon]

4d chess from Fedr .

Not to sound the alarm, but a poster on MTF mentioned that Fedr had his back taped in the matches against Tsitsi and Demon. Hope it's nothing serious (and it likely explains his Bercy w/d as precaution/insurance), but if Fedr can play like that with a taped back against Tsitsi/Demon, he'll decimate at WTF .

If Fed comes out playing like that at WTF I think only three players can pose a problem for him.
Djoker, Medvedev and Thiem.

I include Thiem in there coz he can ballbash for the entirety of matches and could pose Roger some problems on the fast courts coz his defence is obviously not as good as it used to be.
But still I would expect him to beat Thiem.
And if Thiem comes out playing mediocre it's obviously a beatdown.

Madlad is a great matchup for Roger. Fraud can keep exploiting Lads return position all day long. The only problem seems to be this new Lad about whom I don't know how he will fit with Roger. So that's another uncertainty.

Tsitsipas, Zverev, Berrittini and Rafa aren't beating Roger indoors if he plays like this.
Hope to see another Fedovic final. It's been long. I blame Zverev for it.

 

[oldmanfan]

Man, his play against Tsits was DAMN good. Tsits did a very nice job keeping it 4 and 4 tbh.

mhm.

Against Tsitsi, 17yrs younger, Fedr was +17 W/UE.
Against Demon, 18yrs younger, Fedr was +12 W/UE.

Clocking 4h26m, Fedr was super clean for #10 in his most dominant Basel title run, dropping no sets, only 18 games, and only 1 break.
He's only 38 yrs young .

 

[TearTheRoofOff]

mhm.

Against Tsitsi, 17yrs younger, Fedr was +17 W/UE.
Against Demon, 18yrs younger, Fedr was +12 W/UE.

Clocking 4h26m, Fedr was super clean for #10 in his most dominant Basel title run, dropping no sets, only 18 games, and only 1 break.
He's only 38 yrs young .

Whilst it is not surprising that a player of Fed's GOATness can be competitive when pushing 40 due to his surplus of resources, nous and ball-striking skills, it is still quite the pleasant eye-opener to see him NUKE the cream of the upcoming crop in this manner. Especially considering the obvious drop off in confidence following losses that could not have been more unforgiving in their rewards for his efforts.

 

[NBP]

Let me get this straight. After a gruelling Madrid, a tournament on clay, Fed decides to go to Rome, two weeks before a Grand Slam. After possibly the most gruelling 3 set tournament in his entire career in Basel last year, and after reaching the SF a couple of weeks before in Shanghai (again, a tough event with multiple 3-setters), he still goes to play Paris.

This year, he has his easiest Basel ever, plays 4 matches, isn’t even taken to a tiebreak all week but doesn’t play Paris? And then talks about health, but will play every exho under the sun after London and then the ATP Cup... a mistake he made in 2014 which really cost him in Australia the following year.

Of course he knows his body, but his best play in the past 5 years come when he plays continuously. I don’t buy the rest theory- look at his peak forms since 2014 and you’ll see they all came with match play.

Anyway, I’ll be shocked if he wins London because his top-10 record has been so bad in the past 20 months, but we’ll see.

 

[Mike Lambresi]

Let me get this straight. After a gruelling Madrid, a tournament on clay, Fed decides to go to Rome, two weeks before a Grand Slam. After possibly the most gruelling 3 set tournament in his entire career in Basel last year, and after reaching the SF a couple of weeks before in Shanghai (again, a tough event with multiple 3-setters), he still goes to play Paris.

This year, he has his easiest Basel ever, plays 4 matches, isn’t even taken to a tiebreak all week but doesn’t play Paris? And then talks about health, but will play every exho under the sun after London and then the ATP Cup... a mistake he made in 2014 which really cost him in Australia the following year.

Of course he knows his body, but his best play in the past 5 years come when he plays continuously. I don’t buy the rest theory- look at his peak forms since 2014 and you’ll see they all came with match play.

Anyway, I’ll be shocked if he wins London because his top-10 record has been so bad in the past 20 months, but we’ll see.

Madrid and Rome were preparation for RG since he has been skipping the clay season for 3 years.

He's probably skipping Paris due to the weight of being the end of the season and due to the fact he won't have a lot of time between tournaments.

 

[BeatlesFan]

Not to sound the alarm, but a poster on MTF mentioned that Fedr had his back taped in the matches against Tsitsi and Demon.

There’s no source anywhere for this in the legit media or even social media. MTF posters are one step above the utter dregs.

 

[AceSalvo]

Fed wants to win the ATP Finals.

yep. Fed would need every bit of the extra energy he can get to close the deal at the WTF.

 

[BeatlesFan]

And then talks about health, but will play every exho under the sun after London and then the ATP Cup... a mistake he made in 2014 which really cost him in Australia the following year.

I hear you and agree. He also flew all over the world in 2007 to play imbecilic exos with Sampras, which may have contributed to his mono in early 2008 (Agassi claims this).

The exos are just ridiculous at this stage when he’s worth half a billion. He’s flying off to South America to play more of them after the YEC. He should never prioritize his schedule around exos, especially at 38. Very baffling and disappointing as a fan.

 

[Otacon]

I hear you and agree. He also flew all over the world in 2007 to play imbecilic exos with Sampras, which may have contributed to his mono in early 2008 (Agassi claims this).

The exos are just ridiculous at this stage when he’s worth half a billion. He’s flying off to South America to play more of them after the YEC. He should never prioritize his schedule around exos, especially at 38. Very baffling and disappointing as a fan.

I bet you would welcome an exo if it was the only opportunity to watch Fed live in your region/country.

 

[BeatlesFan]

I bet you would welcome an exo if it was the only opportunity to watch Fed live in your region/country.

No I would not. I could have seen him in Seattle when he was there with Bill Gates. It's a waste of time and I see him every year at IW in legitimate tournament conditions. I wasted thousands of bucks in my life watching Lendl, Mac, Becker, Edberg exos and the quality of tennis is a joke.

In any case, that isn't addressing my point that travelling tens of thousands of miles to play meaningless exos is not something he should be doing at 38. He skips Paris to "rest," but then the day after the YEC concludes, flies 6,000 miles to South America instead of resting at home and mentally/physically preparing for the AO. Of course the rejoinders will be, "Roger knows best!" But as the kind of adroit scheduling, it's disappointing to see this sudden rash of ridiculous exos on his calendar.

 

[TearTheRoofOff]

Let me get this straight. After a gruelling Madrid, a tournament on clay, Fed decides to go to Rome, two weeks before a Grand Slam. After possibly the most gruelling 3 set tournament in his entire career in Basel last year, and after reaching the SF a couple of weeks before in Shanghai (again, a tough event with multiple 3-setters), he still goes to play Paris.

This year, he has his easiest Basel ever, plays 4 matches, isn’t even taken to a tiebreak all week but doesn’t play Paris? And then talks about health, but will play every exho under the sun after London and then the ATP Cup... a mistake he made in 2014 which really cost him in Australia the following year.

Of course he knows his body, but his best play in the past 5 years come when he plays continuously. I don’t buy the rest theory- look at his peak forms since 2014 and you’ll see they all came with match play.

Anyway, I’ll be shocked if he wins London because his top-10 record has been so bad in the past 20 months, but we’ll see.

A sample size of 1 for this correlation? There's also examples of him playing sparsely and then playing great.

Anyway, yours is certainly one perspective on his decision and stands a good chance of being affirmed. Mine is that without hindsight the wisdom of this decision is pretty much undeterminable. Every year/month/week is different, and this was Fed's decision based on the current alignment of the variables, backed by his team. We'll see what fruits it may harvest.

It's high time Fed nuked at the WTF. It's a modern day tragedy that 2011 was his last title there; it's turned into the indoor US Open for him. Injuries, poor form and falling at the final hurdle are all too familiar disasters.

 

[Poisoned Slice]

Disappearing letters have been getting on my nerves for a long time. Roger Federer, well done.

 

[Arvind Sridhar]

Fun week with Federer winning Basel. Good to see him back to winning ways. A little disappointed that he's chosen to skip Bercy, but guess he knows best. Hoping he clinches his seventh WTF in two weeks time.

 

[Lleytonstation]

There’s no source anywhere for this in the legit media or even social media. MTF posters are one step above the utter dregs.

It would kind of be normal for him to have it taped. He is 38 with back problems, that will never just go away. Whether he does or not, his tone, and play says it is nothing to worry about. That being said, it does show how it could go out on him at any point. Welcome to the struggles of a 38 year old playing 20 year olds on the tour...

 

[Povl Carstensen]

the day after the YEC concludes, flies 6,000 miles to South America instead of resting at home and mentally/physically preparing for the AO.

I have not checked, but I suppose that is like 6 weeks or something before AO. Two months, rather.

 

[AceSalvo]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1188613912440332288

Switch that red to white, remove the confetti, switch black background to sky blue and make that trophy half its size. For just one more time.

 

[Lleytonstation]

Switch that red to white, remove the confetti, switch black background to sky blue and make that trophy half its size. For just one more time.

WC20. Happening.

 

[Lleytonstation]

Fed secured top 3 essentially today, unless Med dominates at WTF and Fed does poorly.

 

[oldmanfan]

Fed secured top 3 essentially today, unless Med dominates at WTF and Fed does poorly.

Age closer to 50 than 25?!?!

...still #3 .

 

[oldmanfan]

Raz's Basel19 Fedr-best-shots

 

[Lleytonstation]

Raz's Basel19 Fedr-best-shots

Watching this just reminds me how big this was for Fed. I do think he will have a great WTF based on this. Even if he does not win it, it will help his confidence going into next year that he can still do it at the highest level.

I get that its on his perfect conditions, but this was much needed.

 

[oldmanfan]

Watching this just reminds me how big this was for Fed. I do think he will have a great WTF based on this. Even if he does not win it, it will help his confidence going into next year that he can still do it at the highest level.

I get that its on his perfect conditions, but this was much needed.

I'm feeling good vibes for WTF19 too. A couple of days ago, Fedr said that after Bercy18 concluded, he had a stiff back for WTF18. He didn't explicit say it, but that likely explains his abysmal play against Nishikori in the first RR match. This time, he will be well rested, in better form, and ready to go, win or lose. Oh, and he's leading Medv by 485 pts, so like you said, YE#3 is basically secured.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1189019057426698240

 

[oldmanfan]

Interesting...

[
“It pains me to not be a part of the most exciting new event on the calendar, but this is the right thing to do if I want to continue to play for a longer period of time on the ATP Tour.
“I am sorry for any inconvenience or disappointment my withdrawal may cause for the fans, but I hope you can understand why I made it.
“For my Australian fans, I look forward to seeing you all at the Australian Open, fresh and ready to go.”
]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1189463677109489664

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1189461858542968832

 

[Sarzy]

Family reasons? I hope all is okay

 

[Otacon]

Wise decision considering his trip to SA.

 

[oldmanfan]

Family reasons? I hope all is okay

Player box at Basel19 was fine, and he was so happy throughout. I think him playing in the 3-day China Exo from December 27-29 is a good replacement for Hopman Cup, AO's prep. So ATP Cup is not needed and might exhaust him, considering how busy he'll be in November's exos. ATP Cup takes 10 days, ending on January 12, so unless Fedr plans to stay in Australia for 4 weeks, that's a lot of time in one place. From that perspective, going to the China Exo for 3 days, then go home spend 1-2 weeks with the family, then fly to AO a bit early to prepare sounds like a solid plan, no?

Spoiler: Fedr's full statement.

Roger Federer has announced that he will not play ATP Cup due to family reasons and therefore Switzerland has been withdrawn from the inaugural tournament, which will take place in Australia from 3-12 January in Perth, Brisbane and Sydney.

“It is with great regret that I am withdrawing from the inaugural ATP Cup event,” said Federer.

“When I entered the event last month, it was a really difficult decision because it meant less time at home with the family and a fully intense start to the season.

“After much discussion with both my family and my team about the year ahead, I have decided that the extra two weeks at home will be beneficial for both my family and my tennis.

“It pains me to not be a part of the most exciting new event on the calendar, but this is the right thing to do if I want to continue to play for a longer period of time on the ATP Tour.
“I am sorry for any inconvenience or disappointment my withdrawal may cause for the fans, but I hope you can understand why I made it.
“For my Australian fans, I look forward to seeing you all at the Australian Open, fresh and ready to go.”

Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley added: “Roger is indisputably a legend of our sport and we have been blessed that he has managed to stay at the top of the game for so long.

“We understand this has been a really difficult decision for him. He has always done an extraordinary job being a great dad while managing his career.

“Although we know the fans in Sydney would love to have seen him compete in the ATP Cup, we totally respect his decision and look forward to seeing him at the Australian Open.”

 

[Mike Lambresi]

"It is with great regret that I am withdrawing from the inaugural ATP Cup event.

When I entered the event last month, it was a really difficult decision because it meant less time at home with the family and a fully intense start to the season.

After much discussion with both my family and my team about the year ahead, I have decided that the extra two weeks at home will be beneficial for both my family and my tennis.

It pains me to not be a part of the most exciting new event on the calendar, but this is the right thing to do if I want to continue to play for a longer period of time on the ATP Tour.
I am sorry for any inconvenience or disappointment my withdrawal may cause for the fans, but I hope you can understand why I made it.
For my Australian fans, I look forward to seeing you all at the Australian Open, fresh and ready to go."

 

[Mike Lambresi]

Player box at Basel19 was fine, and he was so happy throughout. I think him playing in the 3-day China Exo from December 27-29 is a good replacement for Hopman Cup, AO's prep. So ATP Cup is not needed and might exhaust him, considering how busy he'll be in November's exos. ATP Cup takes 10 days, ending on January 12, so unless Fedr plans to stay in Australia for 4 weeks, that's a lot of time in one place. From that perspective, going to the China Exo for 3 days, then go home spend 1-2 weeks with the family, then fly to AO a bit early to prepare sounds like a solid plan, no?

Spoiler: Fedr's full statement.

Roger Federer has announced that he will not play ATP Cup due to family reasons and therefore Switzerland has been withdrawn from the inaugural tournament, which will take place in Australia from 3-12 January in Perth, Brisbane and Sydney.

“It is with great regret that I am withdrawing from the inaugural ATP Cup event,” said Federer.

“When I entered the event last month, it was a really difficult decision because it meant less time at home with the family and a fully intense start to the season.

“After much discussion with both my family and my team about the year ahead, I have decided that the extra two weeks at home will be beneficial for both my family and my tennis.

“It pains me to not be a part of the most exciting new event on the calendar, but this is the right thing to do if I want to continue to play for a longer period of time on the ATP Tour.
“I am sorry for any inconvenience or disappointment my withdrawal may cause for the fans, but I hope you can understand why I made it.
“For my Australian fans, I look forward to seeing you all at the Australian Open, fresh and ready to go.”

Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley added: “Roger is indisputably a legend of our sport and we have been blessed that he has managed to stay at the top of the game for so long.

“We understand this has been a really difficult decision for him. He has always done an extraordinary job being a great dad while managing his career.

“Although we know the fans in Sydney would love to have seen him compete in the ATP Cup, we totally respect his decision and look forward to seeing him at the Australian Open.”

Mirka wasn't there tho, which was odd being Basel.

 

[oldmanfan]

Mirka wasn't there tho, which was odd being Basel.

I didn't watch his Basel19 matches live, but twitter said she was there.

 

[AceSalvo]

Good on Fed with these withdrawals. Need to store that mileage for the slams. The end of year exho and then the ATP Cup is just too much effort.

 

[BeatlesFan]

I didn't watch his Basel19 matches live, but twitter said she was there.

I watched every single one of his matches in Basel and never saw her there. Sev and Paganini were in his box, then Robbie and Lynnette were in another area (the kids showed up only on Sunday). If she was there, she wasn't sitting with either camp.

 

[oldmanfan]

I watched every single one of his matches in Basel and never saw her there. Sev and Paganini were in his box, then Robbie and Lynnette were in another area (the kids showed up only on Sunday). If she was there, she wasn't sitting with either camp.

Ok. Thx for the update.

Either way, it's too early to jump the gun on possible marital problems. From Fedr's statement for withdraw, he seems to just want to make sure he can spend a big block of time with the faily before the season starts. Some are focusing too much on Mirka not being there bc they're used to seeing her around. But the other Big4 hardly ever have their wives/gf around. If there are problems in wonderland, we'll know soon enough. No need to speculate, and I highly doubt it since Fedr was so freakin' happy all week, especially at the trophy ceremony, to suggest otherwise.

 

[BeatlesFan]

Either way, it's too early to jump the gun on possible marital problems.

No, I'm not suggesting that at all! Never remotely suggested that, just said Mirka wasn't at his matches. She was in Basel at their house, as Swiss media reported. It's not like she's in Malta with a boy toy or something.

"But the other Big4 hardly ever have their wives/gf around." -- True. Jelena didn't show up for one single slam this year.

 

[Lleytonstation]

No, I'm not suggesting that at all! Never remotely suggested that, just said Mirka wasn't at his matches. She was in Basel at their house, as Swiss media reported. It's not like she's in Malta with a boy toy or something.

"But the other Big4 hardly ever have their wives/gf around." -- True. Jelena didn't show up for one single slam this year.

Don't have any clue why he backed out and definitely won't speculate on family, but this is extremely odd. What changed in the past few weeks?

 

[oldmanfan]

No, I'm not suggesting that at all! Never remotely suggested that, just said Mirka wasn't at his matches. She was in Basel at their house, as Swiss media reported. It's not like she's in Malta with a boy toy or something.

"But the other Big4 hardly ever have their wives/gf around." -- True. Jelena didn't show up for one single slam this year.

Oh, I didn't mean to say you. I appreciate your info re:Mirka's whereabouts during Basel19. But there have been others, like the poster I quote before you replied to me, thinking in that direction. If anything, him taking ATP Cup off is to reinforce bonding with Mirka and the kids and the rest of his family. My thinking is similar to this tweet:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1189479433314426880

 

[oldmanfan]

Don't have any clue why he backed out and definitely won't speculate on family, but this is extremely odd. What changed in the past few weeks?

See my last post above. ATP Cup would simply be too much match play before AO20 bc it lasts 10 days. The China exo already replaces AO-prep the way Hopman Cup did for Fedr for 2017-2019.

More importantly, Fedr will be so busy with exos for the rest of the year, that he'd have zero family-exclusive time. He has been managing both work and family well, and ATP Cup w/d helps it further.

 

[icedevil0289]

Ok. Thx for the update.

Either way, it's too early to jump the gun on possible marital problems. From Fedr's statement for withdraw, he seems to just want to make sure he can spend a big block of time with the faily before the season starts. Some are focusing too much on Mirka not being there bc they're used to seeing her around. But the other Big4 hardly ever have their wives/gf around. If there are problems in wonderland, we'll know soon enough. No need to speculate, and I highly doubt it since Fedr was so freakin' happy all week, especially at the trophy ceremony, to suggest otherwise.

lol it is funny tbh that just two events without mirka has everyone being like wtf. i think the problem is all teh articles site family reasons but his post explains that its for both his family and tennis .Also i assume he is not dragging his family everywhere to the exhos he is playing (maybe they will show up to one or two idk) and therefore it makes sense he would want to spend some time with his family.

tbh i think im more concerned with his AO prep

 

[Lleytonstation]

See my last post above. ATP Cup would simply be too much match play before AO20 bc it lasts 10 days. The China exo already replaces AO-prep the way Hopman Cup did for Fedr for 2017-2019.

Still odd, as the ATP cup should take precedence over exos. Fed knew what his schedule was going to be, and I assume he discussed it with Mirka.

 

[icedevil0289]

didnt realize ATP cup was that important or a thing. i know people have confusion about LC, but I am even more confused about how the qualifications work and the fact that they award points