Federer Should Wildcard Monte Carlo
- Thread starter Meles
- Start date
MeatTornado
Talk Tennis Guru
A missed opportunity to get steamrolled by Rafa in the final and denied the MC trophy yet again?
Oh darn...
angrybirds89
Rookie
Nadal is still in the draw though. Barrring something miracelous happening he was still never winning the title, which would be the only point of Monte Carlo for Federer.
Rosstour
Talk Tennis Guru
They definitely will.
angrybirds89
Rookie
If they do, that means that means 6 years down the road the mens game is probably continuing to churn out new generations of flops like we have seen for the last 6 years , which is a scary prospect for the mens game. Generation Suck I, Generation Suck II, Generation Suck III, Generation Suck IV, Generation Suck V.
Lleytonstation
Bionic Poster
If this is the case, than I think it would mean the big 3 are just on another planet (which they are) than other tennis players. Does not mean that the new guys suck.
angrybirds89
Rookie
The new guys do suck. And have for awhile. Nishikori, Raonic, Dmitrov, Kygrios, all clowns. I have no idea what the game would like without the Big 3. Probably Murray and Wawrinka both winning 10 slams (lol) and after they fade (now and going forward) something like the current WTA with 32 different slam winners in 10 years. Atleast the womens game finally has some rising stars, the mens game hasnt had anyone younger than 25 who advanced beyond the totally poopy category in forever.
Berdych would have probably wound up winning 3 or 4 slams in slams Wawrinka/Murray flopped without the Big 3. I guess he is better than say Hewitt, Roddick, or Safin.
duaneeo
G.O.A.T.
Don't agree with your pessimistic opinion. Federer hasn't been "steamrolled" by Rafa in a final since 2013 (his worst ever year). And, Rafa facing 13 break points (5 failures to save) against a Guido Pella says beatable to me.
Regardless, even if Roger got streamrolled, it would've earned 600 points and provided needed clay match play before Roland Garros.
Medvedev had no chance on the ultra-slow hardcourt of Miami. Fognini never played a good match against Federer. Nadal is a different thing though, as we all know. But no need to arbitrarily extend Federer’s imaginary troubles to more players.
TheIntrovert
Hall of Fame
Perhaps. But I don’t want Fed overplaying for ranking. 2017 was a prime example of this. That little greed ruined his whole American hardcourt swing
IowaGuy
Hall of Fame
You think Miami plays slower than Monte Carlo?
Look at all the breaks of serve at Monte Carlo this year.
Hardly any player seems able to hit through the Monte Carlo clay this year, I've watched several matches and most look like a grindfest to me - which isn't a style that Fed wants to get caught up playing at nearly 38...
No, nothing is slower than Monte Carlo. But I don’t think the rather little difference from Miami to clay will help Medvedev that much that he could trouble Federer. You cannot beat Federer by just bringing the ball back in play.
duaneeo
G.O.A.T.
See post #19.
TheIntrovert
Hall of Fame
Gap between Wimbledon and Rogers cup was 3 weeks. Feds coming off making it 2 back to back sunshine masters. It’s too risky, particularly on a grinding surface
IowaGuy
Hall of Fame
Let's touch base again after 2 weeks of grinding at RG to see how the 38 year old is holding up to players just getting the ball back in play
Okay, such players won’t be at the final weekend of RG. I would never consider Nadal, Djokovic or even Murray a pure grinder, pusher, retriever or whatever. But Medvedev is exactly that category.Let's touch base again after 2 weeks of grinding at RG to see how the 38 year old is holding up to players just getting the ball back in play
Poisoned Slice
Bionic Poster
Meles is always right. 
MeatTornado
Talk Tennis Guru
duaneeo
G.O.A.T.
Many surprises have happened since 2017. Who woulda thought Roger would win 3 slams including consecutive Australian Open titles, or beat Nadal at a slam, or beat Rafa 4 consecutive times, or win Miami twice (as many as a peak Federer was able to win). We've been denied any possible Federer surprises on clay because he hasn't played.
DSH
Bionic Poster
Are not you against that so old tennis players pass so easily from the young, or does not that apply to Federer?
BeatlesFan
Bionic Poster
Soul_Evisceration
Hall of Fame
If Federer would of been in the Lajovic section, it would of been ideal for him to finally bag that one.
Lleytonstation
Bionic Poster
Still don't see any reason for him taking a wildcard even after seeing results. He could have lost to Fabio or Medvedev or Lajovic just as easily if not easier then Nadal and djokovic.
duaneeo
G.O.A.T.
But you DO more fancy his chances against Fabio or Medvedev of Lajovic than against Nadal or Djokovic or Zverev, no?
helterskelter
G.O.A.T.
I suspect that he's done on clay, and I would make him outsider on it against Nadal, Djokovic, and Fognini, and possibly Zverev. Probably not against Medvedev or Lajovic, sure.
MeatTornado
Talk Tennis Guru
If Monte-Carlo was the only Masters event he was missing, I might be a little salty right now.
But it's not, and playing it was never going to be a good idea for him, so I'm still fine with how things played out.
But it's not, and playing it was never going to be a good idea for him, so I'm still fine with how things played out.
D
Deleted member 688153
Guest
Eh who could have seen this coming
Fed's strategy of playing the game rather than the player continues to work well
Fed's strategy of playing the game rather than the player continues to work well
Steve0904
Talk Tennis Guru
Yeah, nothing about this bothers me in the slightest. Not only is it "only" a Masters, but it's not like he's anywhere close to a guarantee against the field outside of Nadal and Djokovic like he used to be. He could've easily injured himself from overplaying as well, after Miami, and he hasn't played on clay in 2 years and could've been rusty and lost anyway.
Fed doesn't schedule his tournaments thinking "Yeah this field is weak if Nadal AND Djokovic go out." That's fan logic. He only worries about himself and it's served him well for over 20 years. Moaning about what could've been, especially about a friggin Masters when he's won almost everything else under the sun is just pure greed.
Fed doesn't schedule his tournaments thinking "Yeah this field is weak if Nadal AND Djokovic go out." That's fan logic. He only worries about himself and it's served him well for over 20 years. Moaning about what could've been, especially about a friggin Masters when he's won almost everything else under the sun is just pure greed.
Legend of Borg
G.O.A.T.
ahh a reasonable response
Feather
Legend
Great post
MeatTornado
Talk Tennis Guru
I believed him when he said he was exhausted after Miami. MC was never in the cards.
Steve0904
Talk Tennis Guru
Yeah, people need to get over it. He was never playing MC. We're lucky enough he's playing on clay at all.
MeatTornado
Talk Tennis Guru
I don't even call it lucky. He'd skip the whole season again if it was up to me.
But I understand most people are really excited about it.
Steve0904
Talk Tennis Guru
I don't see the danger in him playing on clay this year tbh, apart from injury but that could happen anywhere. In 2017 I didn't mind because he was essentially maintaining a mental edge on Nadal by skipping clay and he was tired, and in 2018 he didn't play because it worked out so well in 2017, but I'm not too disturbed by him deciding to play this year. It's not like he's rolling over everyone like he was in 2017, and even through the start of 2018.
MeatTornado
Talk Tennis Guru
I've just started to believe again that he actually can win Wimbledon and prefer him to be as fresh as possible for a grass run, that's all.
Steve0904
Talk Tennis Guru
These things are almost impossible to predict though. Fine line between rust and rest. If he skips RG and loses at Wimbledon anyway like in 2018 then it was all for nothing. If he wins while playing RG then these 2 things aren't as connected as most of us like to think.
Hard to say either way.
MeatTornado
Talk Tennis Guru
I didn't think it was all for nothing last year, did you? I never believed for 1 second that he could actually win Roland Garros, so skipping it didn't lose out on anything.
And it's not like it caused him to be rusty, as shown by him winning Stuttgart right out of the gate.
Steve0904
Talk Tennis Guru
No, but that was because it worked in 2017. It didn't work in 2018. I really don't think a few clay matches are going to kill his chances at Wimbledon unless maybe they're all 5 setters. It's not like he's going far at RG. 3 or 4 rounds max, at which point I kind of hope he doesn't exert himself too much trying to actually win RG unless Nadal and Djokovic are gone, perhaps.
And I think that's probably the crux of Federer's decision. I don't think he believes that a handful of clay matches has much effect on him a month down the road when he's playing in a Wimbledon QF.
He skipped clay in 2017 and it worked out, but then it didn't in 2018 so now he's playing a few matches on it in 2019. I'm honestly happy he's playing because I don't know how many matches we have left.
MeatTornado
Talk Tennis Guru
I hope you're right.
Nadalgaenger
G.O.A.T.
The problem is that his 2017 level won’t hack it anymore. Game evolves. Lajovic on a new level now.
Steve0904
Talk Tennis Guru
I don't even know who's right anymore, in truth. The way we're all measuring this is that a win at Wimbledon is the only success and everything else is basically a failure. A classic case of hindsight being 20/20 no matter which way it works out.
duaneeo
G.O.A.T.
This post is rather silly. Like it or not, Federer is playing clay this season. That he hasn't played in 2 years is more reason why he should've played the first big clay tournament (when many players are likely to be rusty). If Federer had lost, no harm no foul. But if Federer had won, a first-ever Monte Carlo title, 9 different Masters tournaments won, 8 of the 9 current Masters, and 1000 points to possibly win a tied record 6 YE#1. Me wanting this is "pure greed"? That's fine with me.
Regarding possible injury, Federer is more likely to injure himself at Madrid from underplaying than he would've been at Monte Carlo from overplaying. The fact is that injury can happen anytime. Hopefully he won't injure himself, but rather it happen 4 weeks before a slam instead of 2 weeks before a slam.
Steve0904
Talk Tennis Guru
I don't think arguing with you is going to change either of our opinions because you've been saying this for 2 years since he first skipped clay, and still harped on about it after he won Wimbledon in 2017 so I don't think there's much to talk about now. You got your wish and we'll see what happens. FWIW I'm happy he's playing on clay again too. I just hope it works out.
duaneeo
G.O.A.T.
So why are you talking so much about it? You don't think arguing is going to change our opinions, but that hasn't stopped you from arguing. I plead guilty to 'harping' for 2 years about Federer's clay decisions, as you should plead guilty to 'counter-harping'.
