Federer News

[fedfan08]

Any word on how much money was raised? ESPN cut away before the event was over.

EDIT: According to this article it was $3.5 million.

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[Hitman]

Fedal, record breakers.

MatchInAfrica: 51,954 attendees, beating Fedr/Z by almost 10,000...

wow, that is going to be seriously hard to beat.

 

[oldmanfan]

Any word on how much money was raised? ESPN cut away before the event was over.

EDIT: According to this article it was $3.5 million.

The news hub

As a leading global news agency, AFP offers quality multimedia content in video, text, photo and graphics in six languages.

www.afp.com

Yup. It was announced live that MatchInAfrica raised $3.5 million.

 

[Third Serve]

Yup. It was announced live that MatchInAfrica raised $3.5 million.

Nice

 

[oldmanfan]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1225812350067851264

 

[BeatlesFan]

The two greatest ever during MP--- such class between them.

 

[BeatlesFan]

Great photo of them both with a bonus pic of Robbie taking a photo of his son with Rafa.

 

[BeatlesFan]

Some other random photos of Roger and Rafa these past 2 days.

With Lynette:

 

[Third Serve]

Epic!

 

[oldmanfan]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1225913898622124032

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1225904628736364544

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1225888122329878528

 

[Enceladus]

All those on social media saying Millman was the better player....did they say the same thing about Federer after last years Wimbledon final? In that match Federer won every single stat. Honestly Djokovic had no business winning that match.

Djoker won 2019 Wimbledon final, because was mentally stronger than Roger.

The bad news for Fed and his fans is that Ultron has made of Wimbledon his another Grand Slam' domain. Roger certainly has a chance to win Wimbledon, but he needs the help of anyone who knocks out Novak.

 

[Otacon]

Did you know that Roger holds a South African passport ?

 

[Breakpointerer]

Did you know that Roger holds a South African passport ?

Yep

 

[oldmanfan]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1226017595171725312

 

[fedfan08]

I thought it was a little odd that some seats closest to the court were empty. On the organizers Twitter account they said it was because they wanted people to have the best viewing experience. But on TV those were the seats you saw and they were empty. Even ones that didn’t look like they were being obstructed by anything.

 

[oldmanfan]

I thought it was a little odd that some seats closest to the court were empty. On the organizers Twitter account they said it was because they wanted people to have the best viewing experience. But on TV those were the seats you saw and they were empty. Even ones that didn’t look like they were being obstructed by anything.

I see what you're saying. I took a more careful look, and it seems that what they did was essentially 'moved' those rows to be much closer to the court (premium prices I'm sure). See pic below. As you can see, they installed 5 rows of seat right next to the courts. If they used the 'empty' few rows in the main seating areas on top of that, then those seats' views would be somewhat blocked by the 5 rows near the court. They lost some seats overall, but those that sit court side have a much better viewing experience. I supposed they could cover the empty seats with tarps for a better 'TV' look. Overall, it's a good decision.

 

[BeatlesFan]

I thought it was a little odd that some seats closest to the court were empty.

Robbie Koenig was saying those were corporate boxes sold to the super wealthy. Few are tennis fans, so they paid for their seats but didn't attend. You see a lot of that in Dubai as well. At least the money went for Roger's foundation, I guess these people have bigger fish to fry than watch a Roger-Rafa match, even if was only an exo.

 

[oldmanfan]

I thought it was a little odd that some seats closest to the court were empty.

Robbie Koenig was saying those were corporate boxes sold to the super wealthy. Few are tennis fans, so they paid for their seats but didn't attend. You see a lot of that in Dubai as well. At least the money went for Roger's foundation, I guess these people have bigger fish to fry than watch a Roger-Rafa match, even if was only an exo.

That may be true in some cases, but in this match, the full ring of the first few rows were ALL empty around the stadium. So a different reason is more likely. See my thoughts below. And I was on the mark after I saw some ESPN highlights. See the pics at the bottom of this post.

I see what you're saying. I took a more careful look, and it seems that what they did was essentially 'moved' those rows to be much closer to the court (premium prices I'm sure). See pic below. As you can see, they installed 5 rows of seat right next to the courts. If they used the 'empty' few rows in the main seating areas on top of that, then those seats' views would be somewhat blocked by the 5 rows near the court. They lost some seats overall, but those that sit court side have a much better viewing experience. I supposed they could cover the empty seats with tarps for a better 'TV' look. Overall, it's a good decision.

Notice that the first row of the seats behind the first 5-rows of courtside seats can finally see the court. The few rows in from of that row can't even see the court. Selling tickets for those rows that have no line-of-sight of the court would result in a huge storm of bad PR.

 

[oldmanfan]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1225901802522017797

 

[James P]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1225901802522017797

And just like that, Fed and Rafa caught the coronavirus.

 

[terribleIVAN]

edit

 

[Third Serve]

All nice, smiling and fun.

Until Roggie starts losing, and then it's a whole new different face he shows.

I might remind you of the rules for this thread:

ITT: Federer-related news.

Same rules as Nadalovic News, no trolling thanks.
Worship responsibly.​

 

[oldmanfan]

 

[Third Serve]

Who else is pumped up for the next Slam, Dubai?!

 

[oldmanfan]

Who else is pumped up for the next Slam, Dubai?!

Me!

 

[Third Serve]

Me!

It’s the last real Slam until Halle so we better make it the best we can.

 

[Breakpointerer]

Who else is pumped up for the next Slam, Dubai?!

The field is PACKED. Should be an entertaining tourney.

 

[Hitman]

So Federer is skipping the whole clay season with the exception of RG? I guess he has Olympics on his mind.

 

[BeatlesFan]

I didn't see that anyone else posting the party pic of Roger and Rafa after the match? They partied with their families till 2:00 am.

"The fun continued after the ‘Match In Africa 6’ exhibition as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal decided to celebrate the end of the Cape Town trip with a party that lasted until the first hours of the morning. Federer and Nadal were joined by their families and close friends during the festive event. Former world number 4 Thomas Berdych participated as well. The atmosphere was maintained by Watershed, a South-African Pop-Rock band founded in Johannesburg. “Insane! What a night! We were asked to perform an exclusive after match show for sporting giants Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal and their close friends and family. "A night we will never forget!” Watershed wrote on Instagram. “Just played a little acoustic set to Roger Federer and fami;y at 2am in the morning!!”

"The night spent together cemented again the special friendship between Roger and Rafael, who proved that they can be fierce rivals on the court, but close buddies outside of it. “Super happy to be in Cape Town sharing this unique event with my friend Roger Federer”.

"Rafael Nadal said after spending the South African experience alongside Roger. “I can’t ever thank you enough for your support of the Roger Federer Foundation” Federer responded to Nadal. The exhibition had a record-breaking attendance of 51,954 fans and has raised over 3.5 million dollars — through the Roger Federer Foundation — for the disadvantaged African children."

 

[BeatlesFan]

So Federer is skipping the whole clay season with the exception of RG? I guess he has Olympics on his mind.

I bet he plays at least one tune up. He has said in 2017, 2019 and again last year he would not play the FO unless he had "at least one tune up beforehand." But at age 38, maybe it's the wise move.

 

[Hitman]

I bet he plays at least one tune up. He has said in 2017, 2019 and again last year he would not play the FO unless he had "at least one tune up beforehand." But at age 38, maybe it's the wise move.

I guess the only difference between those years and this year is the Olympics and his absolute final crack at winning singles gold, whereas the boat has already sailed on more glory at RG. I would use RG to get ready for W and the Olympics personally, but he knows better so maybe he will add another event.

 

[oldmanfan]

So Federer is skipping the whole clay season with the exception of RG? I guess he has Olympics on his mind.

I was a bit surprised by that too. I thought he would play 1 of Madrid/Rome. I think he's just giving his schedule a bit of flexibility. If he feels he's not praticing well, or needs a bit of match-play, he'll play 1 of Madrid/Rome (he's entered by default, so the choice is always there).

 

[Third Serve]

He should use his original schedule for the 2019 clay season. That is, play Madrid and then RG.

 

[BeatlesFan]

Roger's going to take a hit on his points unless he pulls off a true miracle and wins RG. He's defending a total of 1440 clay points. A top 4 seeding at Wimbledon is almost a must at this point and Thiem is coming up fast on his heels.

 

[Breakpointerer]

Roger's going to take a hit on his points unless he pulls off a true miracle and wins RG. He's defending a total of 1440 clay points. A top 4 seeding at Wimbledon is almost a must at this point and Thiem is coming up fast on his heels.

Needs to play a clay warmup.
Thankfully he didn't lose points at the AO- he was awfully close to doing it.

 

[gn]

He may add a tourney or two on Clay if he does not do well at IW/Miami.

 

[oldmanfan]

Roger's going to take a hit on his points unless he pulls off a true miracle and wins RG. He's defending a total of 1440 clay points. A top 4 seeding at Wimbledon is almost a must at this point and Thiem is coming up fast on his heels.

Interesting point.

I was curious, so I looked a bit into it. Here are WB20 top5-seeding-race points so far (which includes WB19):

1) Djokr: 10585
2) Nadl: 6350
3) Medv: 5110
4) Fedr: 5025
5) Thiem: 3893

In order for Fedr to NOT be seeded top4 at WB20, BOTH Medv & Thiem would have to outperform Fedr going into WB20.
Possible, but no likely.

edit: btw, current year's pre-WB20 grass tournies (Stuttgart20, Halle20, Eastbourne20) would be counted 2x (it has been this way).

 

[Dekalog12]

Roger's going to take a hit on his points unless he pulls off a true miracle and wins RG. He's defending a total of 1440 clay points. A top 4 seeding at Wimbledon is almost a must at this point and Thiem is coming up fast on his heels.

1080 points (180+180+720)

 

[BeatlesFan]

1080 points (180+180+720)

Thanks for the correction. For some reason I was thinking Roger made the semis of Madrid/Rome instead of the QF's.

 

[MeatTornado]

As always, his season isn't set in stone right now. He leaves it open to adjustment for a reason.

It's more likely to change due to form, health or fatigue than ranking points.

 

[Pheasant]

At this stage of his career, I would be happy to see Fed get one more slam Semi this year, 2 small titles(500 points each), and a semi at the WTF. That would likely land him in the top 5 at the end of the year when he’s 39.

 

[oldmanfan]

At this stage of his career, I would be happy to see Fed get one more slam Semi this year, 2 small titles(500 points each), and a semi at the WTF. That would likely land him in the top 5 at the end of the year when he’s 39.

Then I think you'll leave 2020 a happy Fedrfan.

 

[Old Gregg]

Is fed playing Dubai?

 

[Breakpointerer]

Is fed playing Dubai?

Yeah

 

[oldmanfan]

Is fed playing Dubai?

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1227248910961434625

 

[ForehandRF]

Federer should play only Rome before RG and that's it.Even if he doesn't get deep at Foro Italico, it would be a great warmup for the French, being closer in the calendar than the other 2 masters.More than that, it's the most prestigious masters event on clay, a tournament that Fed has yet to win and top players should be tired after grinding in Monte Carlo and Madrid.

 

[Third Serve]

Federer should play only Rome before RG and that's it.Even if he doesn't get deep at Foro Italico, it would be a great warmup for the French, being closer in the calendar than the other 2 masters.More than that, it's the most prestigious masters event on clay, a tournament that Fed has yet to win and top players should be tired after grinding in Monte Carlo and Madrid.

The Madrid surface suits him better, though. He has greater potential to rack up points there.

 

[BeatlesFan]

The Madrid surface suits him better, though. He has greater potential to rack up points there.

And more importantly, the Madrid surface doesn't suit either Nadal or Djokovic (or many other players). Those two are great enough to win the event anyway, but both have complained for years about the clay and conditions there. Roger has multiple chances to win Rome, that ship has sailed for him. I agree that points should be the priority. If he loses early in Madrid, he could still play Rome, as he decided to do last year.

Edit: See below, apparently he's not going to play either Madrid/Rome.

 

[BeatlesFan]

Tony Godsick has now confirmed Fed isn't planning on playing any clay tune ups:

Roger Federer to take seven-week break from tennis as agent Tony Godsick dispels rumours

Roger Federer will have a seven-week break from tennis

Federer’s schedule will see him take a seven-week break from tennis following the conclusion of the Miami Open on April 5. The Swiss star will not return to action until May 24 when the French Open gets underway. Federer had skipped the clay season for three years in a row until 2019 so a big gap during April and May is not usual for the 38-year-old. However, there were suggestions the 20-time Grand Slam winner was contemplating adding some clay-court events to his calendar.

Swiss journalist Rene Stauffer claims to have spoken to Federer’s agent Tony Godsick, who in turn dispelled rumours the world No 3 could compete at the Rome or Madrid Masters events.

“Just got the confirmation from Tony Godsick that rumours are not true that Federer will play Masters-Tournaments in Rome and Madrid 2020,” Stauffer tweeted.

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/tennis/1241881/Roger-Federer-schedule-Tony-Godsick-French-Open

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1227947365790822402

 

[Arvind Sridhar]

We will get an official confirmation after Miami just like in 2017 and 2018. Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if Federer doesn't take the dirt at all if he reproduces last year's results from Dubai-Sunshine double...As to whether it will affect his chances of a top 4 seeding in SW19, only time will tell....