Hewitt was right

[Defcon]

Before Wimbledon, he'd ruffled a few feathers by saying that the 'title was between him and Federer'. Well he was absolutely right.

The way Roddick has been playing, he stands no chance against Federer. The only weapon he has is his serve and Fed (along with Hewitt, Henman etc) never had trouble with it. It seems this year other players have been reading his serve too, no surprise since he lacks placement and disguise and just hits it as hard as he can. Once the serve comes back, Roddick is clueless.

In the last 5 slams, Hewitt has lost to the eventual winner. There is no reason to expect anything different this time.

I also question the seeding. There's lot of talk about how Wimbledon seedings take into account the players results over the last 2 years, and how Roddick made the sf and finals and won Queen's 3 times. Nonsense I say !!

Queens is a warmup tournament which the top players use to tune thier game for grass. Sampras never won Queens and we all know how he did.

And Roddick didn't face a single top-20 player last year till the finals. The reason Hewitt wasn't there - he lost to Fed! So that has to be taken into account. Next year, Hewitt will again be penalized for not making the finals. I don't buy that Roddick is the 2nd best grass court player - if he and Hewitt were on the same side of the draw, no way does Roddick get past him. He's having a hard time as it is.

 

[TwistServe]

Ya I agree.

 

[federerhoogenbandfan]

I agree too. If Roddick were to somehow win the final, regardless how Federer played, atleast he would justify being seeded over Hewitt, if he is ranked lower somehow. I highly doubt that happening based on anything I have seen so far though, and you are right, it will probably be held against Hewitt that he wasnt in the final once again, even if they lose to the same player.

 

[krnboijunsung]

Either way it's still gonna be a boring final match. Pretend as if the match between Federer and Hewitt was the Finals, would that have been fun? Federer kicked his tail.

And I don't see what the big deal is with Roddick. After clay court season, with Roddick's fast defeat, I looked forward to seeing if he got better since he'd be playing on grass. He's played two five setters (one I can understand because Grosjean's an okay grass player), and he hasn't really dominated any of the players.

Even today, against Johansson, he wasn't playing well. If he can't break Johansson, how does he expect to break Federer. They say he starts games well, but that doesn't seem like the case right now.

So either way, the Wimbledon Finals will probably be very unexciting.

 

[federerhoogenbandfan]

Yeah, I think Roger wont lose his serve even once in the finals, and he will have no problem breaking either Andy or Thomas 1 or 2 times every set atleast.

 

[JRW]

"Sampras never won Queens and we all know how he did."

Sampras won the Queens title in both '95 and '99.

 

[Fedubai]

Come on, guys. Lets accord Roddick and TJ some respect. This final will not be easy for Federer. The outcome is not assured.

 

[Fedubai]

Nobody can say that this final is won, or lost.

 

[federerhoogenbandfan]

If he has serious trouble with either of these players, watching Andy play at Wimbledon this year, and well Thomas being realistic, it would only further emphasize my earlier observations of how much his game has slipped this year.

 

[dennis1188]

Final score-Hewitt 4, Federer 1. Hewitt wins if only 'come-on' scoring.
Federer, spanks Hewitt into 'quiet' submission again.

 

[Fedubai]

Then all the other players might as well just throw in the white towel and call it the Association of Federer's Puppets, according to some people these days.

Look, Federer's good. Very good. But I think it's rediculous and incredibly short-sighted to think that this is going to be some sort of a Gilbert-style beat down.

I think, if Roddick wins against TJ, it will be interesting to see what game plans the two will have against each other on Sunday. I think it has incredible potential to be an awesome final. And as I said, this is not some sort of foregone conclusion.

I think that that would be dangerous thinking for Federer. I don't think he's going to approach this final as a few of you guys have. He at least shows respect to his opponents and starts at zero for every match.

 

[federerhoogenbandfan]

Oh please, Andy's play at Wimbledon has been mediocre at best, he has had to go 5 sets twice, once against a qualifier, and once against a former top tenner on the way down this year. If he didnt have a farce of a draw he probably would have been out by the quarters. So yes if Roger is playing close to as well as last year, he should cruise in straights. Andy pretty much is out of it once Roger gets the serve back in court.

 

[federerhoogenbandfan]

So saying Roger clearly should manage to win his first slam out of 3 played on the tour this year, against a clearly inferior all around player who has been shaky and wobbly at this event so far, and relies almost entirely on a serve and an overrated forehand, is like saying the tour is the assocation of Roger puppets. ROTFL! That is so funny I wont even comment further.

 

[pound cat]

Johannson should give Federer a better match on Sunday. From what I saw of Roddick to-day, (to 5-5) he'll be extremely lucky to be in London on Sunday.

 

[Fedubai]

Come on. You think Roddick has sat around all year and done nothing about how to play Federer? I don't think so.

I seriously doubt, provided Roddick gets into the final, that he's going to come out and try nothing different. Roddick isn't as good an all-courter as Federer, it's true. But his serve and forehand can win a lot of cheap points. Yep, Federer can return the Roddick serve but Roddick used to freeze. Don't you think he'll be expecting his serves to come back?

Like I said, I don't think that this match is a foregone conclusion. Roddick will probably be better prepared than last year for a lot of balls to come back. I'm guessing he did a lot of thinking about that match.

Hewitt does as well, but lets face it: Hewitt is limited physically, not mentally. Roddick isn't. I'm guessing that he'll come out better prepared for a plan B.

Federer can not approach this thinking it is won.

 

[federerhoogenbandfan]

You clearly overrate Roddick. Pound cat is right, Johansson probably will give Federer the better match, if you want a good match without Roger playing cr&p you should cheer for him to beat Andy. Roddick has not played that well at this tournament, much lower level than last year, and is still around due to his kind draw. Hewitt would be your other finalist if he was not put in Roger's half unfairly.

You make it sound like Roddick is sound master tactician who knows how to adjust his game to opponents, he is not, he just plays his game, that is it. There is nothing Roddick will do, if he even makes the final, that Roger has not seen before. He will be hard pressed to even come close to last years final performance where he played the match of his life yet still lost to Roger in 4. He also will have played a 5-set quarterfinal, and a match the day before the final. There is no reason Roger should let a potential final with Andy be anything more than a respectable straight set win if he truly is still even close to the player he was last year.

 

[federerhoogenbandfan]

Roddick has played Federer twice since the Wimbledon final last year, and each was more lopsided than the last. Yes, after the Wimbledon final last year, you can really tell his homework on strategy from that match worked wonders. LOL! Roddick's strategy and execution in last years final was the best he can ever do vs Federer.

 

[Aykhan Mammadov]

If to talk in the more concrete way - yes, it is evident that if Fed is 100 then Rod is 50 in tennis if not less. It is obvious for every man who understands a little tennis.

But finals are always another story. Here everybody is extremely nervous and in the highest degree just stronger side - Fed. So theoretically there could be chances that he loses 1-st set if the score is 6:6 and there is tie-break. After that he may become more nervous and things might go in the worst direction.

So finals are interesting always even if they fail to be so.

 

[Fedubai]

I'm just saying that this match has not been won. Anything can happen.

I'm hoping Fed will win though.

 

[federerhoogenbandfan]

What makes you think Roddick learnt something from that match, if he was increasingly less competitive in his next two matches, however? You think he mysteriously did not have time to analyze that match in the interim between either of his next 2 matches with him last year, and then just decided to analyze that match after last season was done? I am sorry but I just dont get what you are saying.

 

[Fedubai]

All I'm saying is that we don't know the result of this match until the last point has been played.

 

[Defcon]

What impresses me most is that Fed is unbeaten in finals. That tells me he steps up his game, plays tougher mentally, does whatever is needed to win that day. Like Sampras used to do.

Nothing is certain in tennis. But given their games, h2h records, and the fact that Fed has plans A,B,C and D while almost everyone only has A, its a fairly forgeone conclusion.

I think Roddick played the best tennis of his life in the 1st 2 sets of last year's final, and that wasn't enough. This year I don't see any significant improvements in his game, a conclusion supported by his results so far. Fed has also declined alittle bit IMO, but it still takes someone playing out of their mind to beat him, and Roddick doesn't have the talent of Safin or help from the court surface (quite the opposite in fact).

As a Fed fan, I would be happy with a drubbing. I would also be happy with a tough 4 set match assuming both play good tennis.

 

[joesixtoe]

roddick is the second best grass courter these days, so num 1 and num 2 would make a great final,, also as much as fed might know and understand roddicks serve,, its still going 130 plus,, well in the final maybe even 140 plus,,, then again roddick has toned down his serve, and has been adding more spin, plus roddick is very athletic, and hungry to play federer again,,, federer in hmmm?? 4 sets,, 7-5 6-2 6-7 6-3,, pure guess lol

 

[SonicSpeed]

Why Roddick is the better grass court player than Hewitt...

EVIDENCE:

1) Andy and Lleyton have only met once on grass..and Andy won that, in straight sets.

2) Lleyton lost to Ivo Karlovic this year at Queens in the 2nd round. Andy beat Ivo in the finals.

3) What was Lleyton's closest result against Fed on grass within the last year? A 4 setter..with Hewitt being BAGELlED in one of those sets. Andy's final with Fed last year was more competitive than that.

Why Andy can stand better chance in the final (than compared to Hewitt who got drubbed):

Andy wasn't playing that great tennis at Wimby last year (excluding the final) either. He was taken to a tiebreak or two against players like Peya...and TWO TIEBREAKS to Sjeng Schalken (who has a very weak serve). Yet we were all surprised how he came out in the final! Out of the blue Andy was able to play that well.

Just like this year, Andy hasn't shown dominant form on grass...but who knows what will happen if he reaches the final?

Andy has reached two grand slam finals in his career so far...and in both of them Andy just came out guns a-blazing. He played really well in the USO 2003 final, and 2004 Wimby final...just all of a sudden he was/is very psyched for slam finals and raises his level considerably.


Obviously Fed is quite the favorite in the final against Andy, should they meet...but I think Andy is still the 2nd best grasscourt player, ahead of Lleyton.

What I also want to know is...WHY HASN'T ANYONE COMPLAINED WHEN HEWITT WAS HELPED OUT BY THE SEEDINGS AT LAST YEAR'S WIMBY??!

At least please be consistent with your arguing against Wimbledon special seedings, lol.