How would you assess Feds first match

[toby55555]

Just a bit out of condition, commentator stated that Fed has spent most of the time off just hitting backhand drives as that was the area he wanted to improve and he was unable to do any conditioning.

 

[fedtennisphan]

The US Open is an outdoor tournament, if the weather is ok, the roof will be opened, even if the players asked for it to be closed.

Demand. Federer is not a diva like that. All the players know that US Open is an outdoor event and the roof is only closed because of weather. The players don't need to start acting uppity and making demands.

 

[fedtennisphan]

i think krygios will retire in round 4 and give him more time to rest

He's going to get food poisoning again.

 

[natalia]

Btw, full credit where it's due: Fo played really well, executing some great shots (especially when Fed served for the match) and showed why he's going to be a top player in the near future.

He, Big Z, and Shappy are going to be bright stars contending for slams before too long.

Ahm... no. He is just some weird mixture of Nishikori and Monfils, plus the awful low ball tossing à la Dolgopolov.
Really whatEverish.

 

[Dilexson]

this is R1 and he played well today.
Anybody remember R1 vs Melzer at the AO 2017?
He'll probably straight set the opponent in R2, lol

 

[Poisoned Slice]

He's going to get food poisoning again.

Extra security for every Nick Kyrgios meal this time.

 

[Dilexson]

as far as the health goes Fed said he is 'feeling extremely well' (physically) so yeah.
great start i'd say.

 

[fedtennisphan]

Ahm... no. He is just some weird mixture of Nishikori and Monfils, plus the awful low ball tossing à la Dolgopolov.
Really whatEverish.

If he wasn't playing someone who liked him, he probably would have been straight-setted.

 

[Boom-Boom]

I couldn't watch the full match, but the highlights showed some amazing tennis fast hardcourt tennis. Some of those trading ground strokes were absolutely amazing. Was I being deceived by a well cut youtube?

BTY, I am sure this has been discussed to death, but is this year USO court speed a lot faster? The Fed vs Tiafoe match was supa fast.

consensus was it is the opposite, slower than usual

but indoor night session with mild temperature and rain outside probably made the Ashe a different animal yesterday...

can't remember from previous years but if we get to a Fedal SF, this will likely be a night session right guys?

 

[True Fanerer]

Combination of factors here. I saw this being a tough match

https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?posts/11539771/

 

[Le Master]

How many times has Fed been breadsticked in a major?

 

[tennis_crazy]

Watched the whole match & it was a 50/50 match. Few positives giving us hope & few negatives to bother us.

First set was very average where he struggled to get his serve going. There were no under a minute quick holdsholds that we are so used to in the initial rounds (when he is well oiled). It improved gradually. The speed was close to his usual. His serve motion was normal with a nice arch & knee bend. Though he started of moving gingerly in the beginning (could've been due to Tiafoe' s power & Fed's inability to read his shot ) which started to improve after the first set.
He was able to hang in with Tiafoe on some longer rallies. I liked the way he was able to defend on his BH side (stretching to slice back those powerful inside out FH). He didn't stretch all that much on his FH side to drive but there were few instances where he went for the squash shots to stay in the rally. His net play was below average which was worrisome.

The issue was after getting into a nice rhythm he got that lapse in 4th set from nowhere. (Could've been the commentator's curse as just around that time JMac was all raving about how Fed found his service rhythm etc..& in no time got broken not once but twice. The other issue was not finishing up while serving for the match 5-3.

Overall it was a good match for him to have. I think not only the draw is similar Miami but we should be ready to see Fed scrape around few victories until he meets Nadal. The rest will be history. At least I can hope..

 

[TheAverageFedererFan]

Tiafoe is a difficult player. Remember Federer was rusty against Melzer and Rubin in the Aussie. I still think he should be able to beat anyone he faces.

 

[Fed881981]

Play quality: 6/10. Good at times. At times bad.

Quality of opponent: 9/10. Couldn't have drawn a stronger R1 opponent. (Maybe Shapo) Despite some lags in Tiafoe's performance, at many times, he was firing on all cylinders. Even delivered a breadstick after taking one from Fed.

Serve: 9/10. Really carried him through this match. There were times that Tiafoe was on it, but then Federer gets to serve and shuts him down. 12/13 service points won in set 5 in 3 consecutive service games.

Return: 6/10. Didn't seem bad. Gave him a few nice points, but Tiafoe held to love more times than he should have if his return game was en pointe.

Net game: 7/10. Played mostly from the baseline, but took some opportunities at the net and mostly paid off.

Rallying: 7/10. Plenty of times Fed was just giving the ball back to Tiafoe letting him make the mistakes. Kept the rallies simple, but sometimes it worked against him instead of for him.

Point construction: 3/10. Severely lacking. Plenty of UE from Tiafoe kept him in the rallies. Plenty of times Tiafoe constructed a point and took it from Federer. Federer was, at times, just returning the ball.

Movement: 6/10. Not his best, but good enough for now.

Consistency: 2/10. Not consistent. Fed must fix before he loses. Plenty of UE.

I agree with most of the post, but the serve was not that good. Probably 7/10. He struggled a lot on serve at times and served light out at others. In my view, if his serve was 9/10, then the match would've ended in 4 sets (assuming he loses the first any way with his very rusty start).

 

[Boom-Boom]

I agree with most of the post, but the serve was not that good. Probably 7/10. He struggled a lot on serve at times and served light out at others. In my view, if his serve was 9/10, then the match would've ended in 4 sets (assuming he loses the first any way with his very rusty start).

Agreed a 9/10 serve equals one break max

 

[BeatlesFan]

I'm thinking federer is more rusty than injured

Then you obviously didn't watch the match. You obviously missed the fact that Fed's movement was about 40% of what it usually is when healthy. You must also have missed that his service motion was almost completely driven by his arm, with hardly any leg lift. Or maybe this was your first-ever occasion watching Roger Federer play, so you have no basis of comparison.

 

[Gazelle]

Not sure where all the positivism comes from. I think Fed might very well be out before the quarters.

 

[icedevil0289]

i suppose those, fed fans at that, who were there live and said his movement for the most part was fine, save for the 1st set, are unreliable.

 

[BeatlesFan]

The guy got BREAKSTICKED by a qualifier. How can one find any positives in this match?

I know, this positive talk is amazing. Nobody noticed Fed's gait between points? His mannerisms and sauntering about court looked different than anything I've seen in years. His service motion was NOT what it always is. His BH was AWOL except in the third set. His average serve speed was 113, which is off by 7 MPH. But most worrying was his complete inability to cover the FH side, being slow generally. He was also sweating and openly breathing through his mouth. When was the last time you saw that?

Now, is it possible his back can suddenly get better? Yes, that has happened before, but when he was years younger than he is now. Had 2015 Djoker played this version of Federer, it would have been 1, 1, and 1.

 

[Hitman's Gurl]

I don't think you need to be worried, he looked fine.

Easy for you to say!

 

[Hitman's Gurl]

I know, this positive talk is amazing. Nobody noticed Fed's gait between points? His mannerisms and sauntering about court looked different than anything I've seen in years. His service motion was NOT what it always is. His BH was AWOL except in the third set. His average serve speed was 113, which is off by 7 MPH. But most worrying was his complete inability to cover the FH side, being slow generally. He was also sweating and openly breathing through his mouth. When was the last time you saw that?

Now, is it possible his back can suddenly get better? Yes, that has happened before, but when he was years younger than he is now. Had 2015 Djoker played this version of Federer, it would have been 1, 1, and 1.

This concerns me.

 

[BeatlesFan]

can't remember from previous years but if we get to a Fedal SF, this will likely be a night session right guys?

Not necessarily, it would depend on how long the first semi goes. The USO schedules the first semi at 12:00 and then that is followed by the second men's semi. So an imaginary Fed-Rafa semi would definitely start in the daytime, in the late afternoon.

 

[icedevil0289]

This concerns me.

that person exaggerates quite a bit . i understand being weary of the situation and fed is certainly not in top form, but i'm hoping it gets better as he goes through the draw. combination of factors that lead the the 5 sets, but at the end of the day he won. he didn't come into the USO in the best shape, but i have to believe fed wouldn't play if he felt his back was only going to get worse. he took 6 months off b/c he wanted to prolong his career, he's smart enough to know when he is pushing his body beyond limits.

i've seen a few people (actually there) say that fed seemed more tentative about the back than anything else and you should take comfort in the fact that his back held up for 5 sets. Also iirc he was serving like 115-120 which i think is on par.

 

[BeatlesFan]

This concerns me.

I really want to believe in Hitman's analysis, which is that Roger will play himself into form and he will begin to trust his back. I really, really want to believe this will happen.

 

[BeatlesFan]

that person exaggerates quite a bit

Please elaborate on what I "exaggerated." His average serve speed was what I said it was. His serving percentages were 12% off his usual. His movement to his FH was indeed dismal. His topspin BH except for set three was similarly AWOL. Those are not opinions, they are all demonstrable facts.

 

[The Green Mile]

I know, this positive talk is amazing. Nobody noticed Fed's gait between points? His mannerisms and sauntering about court looked different than anything I've seen in years. His service motion was NOT what it always is. His BH was AWOL except in the third set. His average serve speed was 113, which is off by 7 MPH. But most worrying was his complete inability to cover the FH side, being slow generally. He was also sweating and openly breathing through his mouth. When was the last time you saw that?

Now, is it possible his back can suddenly get better? Yes, that has happened before, but when he was years younger than he is now. Had 2015 Djoker played this version of Federer, it would have been 1, 1, and 1.

I think you might be a little too generous with that average first serve speed. Fed doesn't average 120 mph that often anymore. I did think he looked stiff on serve in the first set though, and agree with the strange movement, but it seemed to get better as the match progressed.

Pretty easy 2nd round, another match to look at his form.

 

[Boom-Boom]

I really want to believe in Hitman's analysis, which is that Roger will play himself into form and he will begin to trust his back. I really, really want to believe this will happen.

Remember WTF-DC 2014...went from rusty vs Monfils into immaculate match vs Gasquet in only 3 days

 

[Hitman's Gurl]

that person exaggerates quite a bit . i understand being weary of the situation and fed is certainly not in top form, but i'm hoping it gets better as he goes through the draw. combination of factors that lead the the 5 sets, but at the end of the day he won. he didn't come into the USO in the best shape, but i have to believe fed wouldn't play if he felt his back was only going to get worse. he took 6 months off b/c he wanted to prolong his career, he's smart enough to know when he is pushing his body beyond limits.

i've seen a few people (actually there) say that fed seemed more tentative about the back than anything else and you should take comfort in the fact that his back held up for 5 sets. Also iirc he was serving like 115-120 which i think is on par.

I really hope you are right. I am worried because I did not see him play. I don't know if he is OK. I must force myself to watch his next match so I am less anxious. Who is he playing?

 

[icedevil0289]

Please elaborate on what I "exaggerated." His average serve speed was what I said it was. His serving percentages were 12% off his usual. His movement to his FH was indeed dismal. His topspin BH except for set three was similarly AWOL.

i feel like this is a pointless conversation b/c you admitted to being a neurotic fed fan and i thought i was bad. he definitely was slower, i won't deny that but imo 40% is an exaggeration. he served well through parts (ignoring that 1st set obviously) and his serve did come through at times when he needed it. granted it let him down as well, but quite a few people said (those who were there btw) that he was moving fine once he got into the groove of things. we'll see from here on out obviously, but i wouldn't exactly say your perspective (while perhaps valid) is the gospel truth

should have prefaced by saying i dont think you being an ott negative fan should invalidate what you are saying in general and i understand being weary as i am as well but the entire tone of your posts make it seem like he will fall apart any second

 

[icedevil0289]

I really hope you are right. I am worried because I did not see him play. I don't know if he is OK. I must force myself to watch his next match so I am less anxious. Who is he playing?

due to the rain, most of the matches didnt start or still need to be completed so his 2nd round opponent hasn't been decided yet. i think they are playing now, so fed will have that advantage of some extra rest in contrast to whoever his opponent will be

 

[TripleATeam]

I really hope you are right. I am worried because I did not see him play. I don't know if he is OK. I must force myself to watch his next match so I am less anxious. Who is he playing?

Kavcic or Youzhny.

 

[Hitman's Gurl]

I really want to believe in Hitman's analysis, which is that Roger will play himself into form and he will begin to trust his back. I really, really want to believe this will happen.

I hope he is OK. It would be horrible if he loses because of injury.

 

[Hitman's Gurl]

due to the rain, most of the matches didnt start or still need to be completed so his 2nd round opponent hasn't been decided yet. i think they are playing now, so fed will have that advantage of some extra rest in contrast to whoever his opponent will be

Kavcic or Youzhny.

OK. Thank you. Roger has day of rest today. I hope he watches this match.

 

[Boom-Boom]

I think you might be a little too generous with that average first serve speed. Fed doesn't average 120 mph that often anymore. I did think he looked stiff on serve in the first set though, and agree with the strange movement, but it seemed to get better as the match progressed.

Pretty easy 2nd round, another match to look at his form.

According to US Open website stats, below are the numbers for Fed and Foe. So it's 116mph first serve on average.

Funny thing is Nadal's R1 numbers were exactly the same: 116 first serve and 96 second serve...it can only get better hopefully for Roger

AVERAGE SERVE SPEED
Fedr
116mph
96mph

Tiafoe
115mph
89mph

 

[Boom-Boom]

According to US Open website stats, below are the numbers for Fed and Foe. So it's 116mph first serve on average.

Funny thing is Nadal's R1 numbers were exactly the same: 116 first serve and 96 second serve...it can only get better hopefully for Roger

AVERAGE SERVE SPEED
Fedr
116mph
96mph

Tiafoe
115mph
89mph

By way of comparison, those numbers for Fed were 113mph and 99mph during the Wimbledon 2017 Final

 

[tenisdecente]

Tiafoe is a WC and not that great player, except he doesnt give up so easily. 5 sets and a breadstick first round is worrying indeed for Fed. Took him 2 sets to adjust his BH.

LAWL. A WC in top 100. Cool story, but nope. He is not Shapovalov And even assuming you are correct, any player can redline a given day. Being a top 100 in the world means the guy is good playing tennis.
There is no point denying this was a poor or subpar performance from Federer, but you have to take the context in mind, something that is already explained in plenty of posts in this thread.

Now, about his serve, 9/10? LMAO, his serve was horrendous in a lot of parts of this match. Still, averaging around 120 mph means the back is decent. In any case, Federer will only improve from now and the next 2 rounds should be perfect to continue getting in shape. Now the question is, if Kyrgios arrive at 4R, Federer will be ready? Time will tell

 

[Centre Court]

Then you obviously didn't watch the match. You obviously missed the fact that Fed's movement was about 40% of what it usually is when healthy. You must also have missed that his service motion was almost completely driven by his arm, with hardly any leg lift. Or maybe this was your first-ever occasion watching Roger Federer play, so you have no basis of comparison.

I've watched every single federer match since he first started playing, he was playing at 100% in sets 2 and 3 and was arching his back fully, don't know what match you were watching, it's rustiness, not injury

 

[NastyWinners]

Looked rusty, which is to be expected when you skip Cincy and don't practice for a week due to injury.

 

[icedevil0289]

I've watched every single federer match since he first started playing, he was playing at 100% in sets 2 and 3 and was arching his back fully, don't know what match you were watching, it's rustiness, not injury

oh god now i feel the need to worry if you are saying these things

 

[Poisoned Slice]

Good practice.

 

[Deleted member 77403]

I really hope you are right. I am worried because I did not see him play. I don't know if he is OK. I must force myself to watch his next match so I am less anxious. Who is he playing?

Are you sure you want to do that? Didn't you say that Fed always does better when you don't watch?

 

[ChaelAZ]

He won't be able to perform at that level through all matches. Back issue will play a part if he has to.

 

[cknobman]

I think hes trying to hide a stiff/sore back.

His movement sucked and he sprayed a lot of uncharacteristic errors.

Chances of Rogger winning: 0%

Personally, I think he will be out by the round of 16 at best.

 

[a10best]

Second round against Youzhny (probably) so he should have no problems getting into a rhythm.

I agree with you Magnum PI. The soldier will be saluted off the court in quick time. Fed knows Youzhny's game well.

 

[D.Nalby12]

I think Fed is making semis here at least.

 

[Feduruza]

Encouraging press conference from Fed. He seems to be feeling great physically and that's all that matters. If he makes it past Kyrgios I think it's fair to say we'll see him in the final against Z. Nadal on HC is not a factor any more.

 

[West Coast Ace]

According to US Open website stats, below are the numbers for Fed and Foe. So it's 116mph first serve on average.

Funny thing is Nadal's R1 numbers were exactly the same: 116 first serve and 96 second serve...it can only get better hopefully for Roger

AVERAGE SERVE SPEED
Fedr
116mph
96mph

Tiafoe
115mph
89mph

At one point in the 3rd Fed had hit almost all his deuce court serves wide, which probably brought his average down a little. Serve % of 54 for the whole match ain't gonna cut it.

I think he looked slow/stiff in the 1st because of how hard/deep Tiafoe was hitting his groundies. Looked fine in 2nd and 3rd (then went to bed). I'm not worrying. Definitely will have to play better to get by Kyrgios in R16 (if Nick makes it) and win it.

 

[TheGhostOfAgassi]

LAWL. A WC in top 100. Cool story, but nope. He is not Shapovalov And even assuming you are correct, any player can redline a given day. Being a top 100 in the world means the guy is good playing tennis.
There is no point denying this was a poor or subpar performance from Federer, but you have to take the context in mind, something that is already explained in plenty of posts in this thread.

Now, about his serve, 9/10? LMAO, his serve was horrendous in a lot of parts of this match. Still, averaging around 120 mph means the back is decent. In any case, Federer will only improve from now and the next 2 rounds should be perfect to continue getting in shape. Now the question is, if Kyrgios arrive at 4R, Federer will be ready? Time will tell

Ive seen Tiafoe playing better than yesterday.

 

[WhiskeyEE]

99% he will win the tournament. The only players who can THEORETICALLY challenge him are Kyrgios and Zverev. But I highly doubt any of them will even get that far.

This. Federer was rusty, but Tiafoe when he was on played better than pretty much anyone else in the draw. He would've beaten Nadal.

 

[sarmpas]

I think he said if you win a 5 setter then you're at least OK.