Federer: What Is His Most Underrated Attribute?

Conquistador

Conquistador

Banned
Ive heard a lot of commentators saying that federer has only a few weaknesses..Everyone has weakness yes..But some are harder to point out than others..Federer is highly skilled no question..I think where some people are quick to judge federer is his actual Strength..Ive heard a lot of commentators say that roger has to bulk up to play against modern power players..I think Federer's strength is impressive for his body frame and I dont think he gets enough credit for being a really strong guy..What do you think is Federer's most underrated attribute?
 
N

NamRanger

G.O.A.T.
Conquistador said:
Ive heard a lot of commentators saying that federer has only a few weaknesses..Everyone has weakness yes..But some are harder to point out than others..Federer is highly skilled no question..I think where some people are quick to judge federer is his actual Strength..Ive heard a lot of commentators say that roger has to bulk up to play against modern power players..I think Federer's strength is impressive for his body frame and I dont think he gets enough credit for being a really strong guy..What do you think is Federer's most underrated attribute?
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The speed of his forehand, something everyone drastically underrates on this forum. People think Federer relies purely on placement and tactics, when in all reality, if you give Federer an opening with his forehand, he'll bludgeon you to death with it.
 
bluescreen

bluescreen

Hall of Fame
his serve. one of the best on tour, especially in the last couple years. i think his serve is what got him into the finals at RG and wimby.
 
D

Deleted member 25923

Guest
The amount of threads started about him per day!
 
D

Deleted member 25923

Guest
On a serious note, definately have to give a nod to his mental toughness and his touch.


He hit a ridiculous drop shot on Murray on what looked like a backhand slice approach and he made it look routine.
 
D

David L

Hall of Fame
Conquistador said:
Ive heard a lot of commentators saying that federer has only a few weaknesses..Everyone has weakness yes..But some are harder to point out than others..Federer is highly skilled no question..I think where some people are quick to judge federer is his actual Strength..Ive heard a lot of commentators say that roger has to bulk up to play against modern power players..I think Federer's strength is impressive for his body frame and I dont think he gets enough credit for being a really strong guy..What do you think is Federer's most underrated attribute?
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On this forum, just about every aspect of his game gets underrated, especially his backhand, mental strength and physical strength.
 
B

BallzofSkill

Semi-Pro
his longevity. i've never seen an athlete make a sport look so effortless. i think he'll be able to play at a high level for a very, very long time. contrast him with guys like nadal and you see 2 completely different styles. in fact, contrast him with all guys and it looks different. it's one of those things that can't quite be explained.
 
Q

quest01

Hall of Fame
I think Federer's volleys are underrated. He rarely volleys but when he does it just seems natural to him. I could definitely see Federer transitioning to a serve and volley game if he chooses to go down that path. What comes to mind is the 2001 Wimbledon match where Federer took Sampras to the woodshed while mirroring Sampras's serve and volley style.
 
tennis-hero

tennis-hero

Banned
from 2004-2006 (especially 2005-2006)

his backhand was the second best backhand on tour (Gasguets backhand is one the best shots in tennis ive ever seen- possibly just a touch above agassis forehand which was sweet), and yeah its his weaker side..... thats how scary he was

his underrated backhand kept him in the 4th set at wimbledon

Federer is the greatest all round player to have ever picked up a raquet...

when you watch nadal play.... its like watcing a great player

when you watch fed.... and youve played yourself.... you realise... (just like playing golf and watching tiger) just how good he is
 
jackson vile

jackson vile

G.O.A.T.
Looks like the most underated part of his game is the completeness of his game.

He has one of if not the most sound game from top to bottom in the history of tennis.

Only thing I can complain about is how he looks like a stick, I would like to see what a pro trainer could do for him.
 
D

Deleted member 21996

Guest
is Sport Billy and the Magical Purse Impersonations...
 
diegaa

diegaa

Hall of Fame
his backhand was a "liability" during the firsts years of his dominance. Now i would say his serve as well.
 
M

Mikael

Professional
The fact that he hasn't gotten injured a single time in the last 5+ years. In fact I think this is both the most underrated and most crucial attribute...
 
SempreSami

SempreSami

Hall of Fame
His ultra mega loyal fans who came crawling out of the woodwork to pwn us after he won the US Open (Rogisbestever anyone?) to go on about how loyal they were to him.
 
D

Deleted member 3771

Guest
People underrate his stubbornness. Hes willing to lose in the same style to Rafa over and over.
 
E

edwinjn

New User
I'd say his feet, and how strong he is for his weight (keeps him fast).

Something that people don't tend to notice is how calmly he plays. If you're playing against someone, and after a brutally long rally you're absolutely wiped and feeling like your lungs are on fire, he's just standing there, cool as a cucumber. It's ridiculous, how can you accept that, as an opponent? It's hard to beat someone with that kind of presence.
 
NADALwonTHEmostSLAMS

NADALwonTHEmostSLAMS

Banned
It's not about positive or negative, its about reality. I've never seen anyone more outwardly self-confident in tennis than Federer. It shows in the interviews too, how eager he is to discuss himself, while other players might focus on their opponents.
 
H

helloworld

Hall of Fame
P_Agony said:
His serve. I still don't see why it's not better than Sampras. Great 1st and 2nd serve.
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It's not better than Sampras, but it's still a very good serve. His second serve is still not that powerful though. He needs to work more on second serve. The first serve is pretty good, but still nowhere close to Karlovic, Goran, or Sampras.
 
C

catspaw

Rookie
helloworld said:
It's not better than Sampras, but it's still a very good serve. His second serve is still not that powerful though. He needs to work more on second serve. The first serve is pretty good, but still nowhere close to Karlovic, Goran, or Sampras.
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But his second serve - and his first for that matter - isn't all about power. It's about placement, variety, angle, spin, kick, disguise. He hits a ridiculous number of second serve aces, and that rarely has anything to do with raw power/speed. Isn't it widely thought to be one of the best second serves on the tour???
 
H

helloworld

Hall of Fame
catspaw said:
But his second serve - and his first for that matter - isn't all about power. It's about placement, variety, angle, spin, kick, disguise. He hits a ridiculous number of second serve aces, and that rarely has anything to do with raw power/speed. Isn't it widely thought to be one of the best second serves on the tour???
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You must have mistaken it with Sampras's second serve. Sampras practically hits two first serve in some matches, thus giving him tons of second serve aces. Federer on the other hand, goes for conservative kick second serve. He usually have trouble against Nadal when he has to hit the second serve as Nadal just keeps pounding his second serve every time they play, even on grass. Fed would not have lost to Nadal on grass if he had a more powerful second serve.
 
D

Deleted member 21996

Guest
catspaw said:
But his second serve - and his first for that matter - isn't all about power. It's about placement, variety, angle, spin, kick, disguise. He hits a ridiculous number of second serve aces, and that rarely has anything to do with raw power/speed. Isn't it widely thought to be one of the best second serves on the tour???
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the thing is that sampras didnt have a second serve. he had 2 first serves. just see the rafter sampras final at wimby and listen to commentators.
 
C

catspaw

Rookie
Gorecki said:
the thing is that sampras didnt have a second serve. he had 2 first serves. just see the rafter sampras final at wimby and listen to commentators.
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Oh, I agree with that - I witnessed it often enough. I was purely pointing out that Federer's 2nd serve not being particularly powerful doesn't make it weak, because he relies on stuff other than power for its effectiveness, and it IS pretty effective. He only occasionally unleashes one that compares with his first serve, whereas Sampras did that virtually all the time.
 
D

dh003i

Legend
Mikael said:
The fact that he hasn't gotten injured a single time in the last 5+ years. In fact I think this is both the most underrated and most crucial attribute...
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He had an ankle injury coming into the 2005 Shanghai Cup against Nalbandian, I think. He was on crutches 3 weeks before the match, and down 2-0 sets to Nalbandian, almost came back to win it in 5: 6-7 (7-4), 6-7 (13-11), 6-2, 6-1, 7-6 (7-3)

Arguably one of his most impressive feats, and against no slouch either. Nalbandian won it in the end and deserved it, but for Fed to even be in it while like that was amazing.

However, I see your point. Fed has very few injuries, and none that have really prevented him from doing well at the biggest tournaments.
 
Cup8489

Cup8489

G.O.A.T.
his ability to save championship and matchpoints.

just about everyone needs a couple of matchpoints to put federer to rest, and in the 05 semi at australia, federer saves 6(!) on his serve. he mightve saved the last one, if he hadnt been caught offguard by safin's backhand and took a tumble

he is extremely good at getting out of trouble. he serve takes on a new dimension, and he literally threads the needle if necessary (matchpoint #2, wimbly 2008 anyone?)

i also agree about his ability to play the game and be relaxed, especially about the grueling rally and him being fine. i think the only time i can recall seeing him actually tired (other than earlier this year)

was i think that gigantic rally he and hewitt had in 2004, and he just looked a little out of breath, while hewitt collapsed to the ground after winning the point.
 
D

Deleted member 21996

Guest
catspaw said:
Oh, I agree with that - I witnessed it often enough. I was purely pointing out that Federer's 2nd serve not being particularly powerful doesn't make it weak, because he relies on stuff other than power for its effectiveness, and it IS pretty effective. He only occasionally unleashes one that compares with his first serve, whereas Sampras did that virtually all the time.
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misunderstood your point. you are correct to... thumb up!
 
Sir Andrew of Roddick

Sir Andrew of Roddick

Rookie
BallzofSkill said:
his longevity. i've never seen an athlete make a sport look so effortless. i think he'll be able to play at a high level for a very, very long time. contrast him with guys like nadal and you see 2 completely different styles. in fact, contrast him with all guys and it looks different. it's one of those things that can't quite be explained.
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I agree, just look at the Rome final '06. Five hours long and Federer was playing like he always does right up until the end, the only reason he lost was because of pressure from Nadal, not from fatigue

Wimbledon last year and this year are two other examples as well.

His serve is also not spoken about enough, he normally has more aces than the big servers when he plays against them, especially Roddick.
 
gj011

gj011

Banned
Another ******* galore thread. Conquistador's threads are so pathetic that they are making me really sick.

Notihg about Federer is underrated, while there are many thing that are overrated. At least on this board.
 
D

dh003i

Legend
gj011 said:
Another ******* galore thread. Conquistador's threads are so pathetic that they are making me really sick.

Notihg about Federer is underrated, while there are many thing that are overrated. At least on this board.
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Typical biased post from one of the biggest anti-Fed haters around. There are certainly aspects of his game that are extremely under-rated, #1 being his mental game, imo, where he is strongest in the world, as far as I'm concerned.

There are other areas that are over-rated, such as someone claiming his second serve was better than Sampras' 2nd serve (lol), although that was an isolated case and may have been a joke.
 
veritech

veritech

Hall of Fame
gj011 said:
Another ******* galore thread. Conquistador's threads are so pathetic that they are making me really sick.

Notihg about Federer is underrated, while there are many thing that are overrated. At least on this board.
Click to expand...

if you don't like the thread, why are you looking into it and posting in it? just ignore it.
 
zagor

zagor

Bionic Poster
gj011 said:
Another ******* galore thread. Conquistador's threads are so pathetic that they are making me really sick.
Click to expand...

If they make you sick then why post in them? Anyhow I agree that most of Conquistador's threads are way over the top but this is one is okay IMO.

Zaragoza said:
I don´t think he has one underrated attribute.
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Sure he does,his mental strength and BH being prime examples,his athleticism and first serve to some degree as well(especially his athleticism).Atleast on an internet forum like this,I personally don't think that tennis experts,former greats,current players etc. think that Fed should switch to a two-hander or a larger frame because according to wise posters here,his BH sucks.
 
SempreSami

SempreSami

Hall of Fame
dh003i said:
Typical biased post from one of the biggest anti-Fed haters around. There are certainly aspects of his game that are extremely under-rated, #1 being his mental game, imo, where he is strongest in the world, as far as I'm concerned.

There are other areas that are over-rated, such as someone claiming his second serve was better than Sampras' 2nd serve (lol), although that was an isolated case and may have been a joke.
Click to expand...

DOUBLE NEGATIVE ALERT :roll:
 
Z

Zaragoza

Banned
zagor said:
Sure he does,his mental strength and BH being prime examples,his athleticism and first serve to some degree as well(especially his athleticism).Atleast on an internet forum like this,I personally don't think that tennis experts,former greats,current players etc. think that Fed should switch to a two-hander or a larger frame because according to wise posters here,his BH sucks.
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Are you sure those things are underrated? I am not talking about a few kids on this forum (we all know how many stupid things are written here everyday) but what players, commentators, tennis journalists...say.
Everything I heard about Federer´s game is praise. That´s why I said that there is not one underrated thing in his game. It´s not that he doesn´t deserve the praise, especially in the 2004-2006 period, but I feel he has been worshipped too much like if tennis was all about him.
I think it´s other players that have been way underrated because they play in the Federer era and you know who I am referring to :)
 
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