I Think Roger Tweaked His Back

[Cindysphinx]

I have a theory about why Roger played so poorly after getting off to a great start: I think he hurt his back.

My evidence?

Remember when he talked to his camp? Very unusual for Fed. Makes me think something was seriously wrong.

Remember how he played so poorly after the fireworks break? Anyone who has had back trouble knows that taking an extended break can cause your back to stiffen up. I think the break caused him to get stiff, but he didn't want to call the trainer and give Nadal hope at that point.

Remember how poorly Fed served at times (especially right after the break)? No matter how badly everything else is going, Fed's serve usually holds up until the bitter end. The serve is the first thing to go when your back is bothering you.

I was watching the replays closely, and it seemed like there were a lot of times Fed didn't get down as he normally would, didn't uncoil as he normally would, had awful footwork. A bad back will do that to you.

I think Fed is too proud and classy to ever admit to an injury as cause for a loss. I think he tweaked his back, but he will take that little piece of information to his grave.

Cindy -- who was pulling for Nadal and so isn't making excuses for Fed, if that matters

 

[jackson vile]

Reality is that we know Federer does have back problems as much as Nadal has knee problems. It may be a chronic problem where it flares up.

Where I think you will have the most evidence is where his first serve percentage dropped way down.

I honestly thought Federer was going to win this after the first set. I was thinking that Nadal just does not have it and Federer finally figured it out.

 

[Smasher08]

Interesting theory. Perhaps one day a few years from now when Fed's retired and publishes his memoirs we'll find out.

 

[aprilfool]

Reality is that we know Federer does have back problems as much as Nadal has knee problems. It may be a chronic problem where it flares up.

Where I think you will have the most evidence is where his first serve percentage dropped way down.

I honestly thought Federer was going to win this after the first set. I was thinking that Nadal just does not have it and Federer finally figured it out.

Who is "we"? He was clearly seen massaging his shoulder area on at least two occasions and the commentators said NOTHING.

When NAdal starts losing in a match the camera crews begin zooming in on his knees or foot amidst the gaga Nadal nuts in the booth talking about his poor little warrior toes and woes.

 

[Seany]

It's not an excuse for losing, but Fed wan't moving like Fed can, in my opinion.

 

[dcdoorknob]

I do agree that Roger would be likely to keep something like that to himself, should it happen.

The rest is obviously just speculation.

 

[Towser83]

please don't be like those crazy nadal fans and blame injury. He lost again to Nadal. He always does and at this point in his career, nadal probably has the biggest advantage he's ever had over Federer.

I don't care about tweaked backs or whatever, he blew what chances he had and Nadal did not. I didn't expect him to win anyway, but the way he lost is the same old story and nothing to do with injury. Just accept it and don't embarrass yourself, and other Federer fans. Sorry to sound harsh.

 

[Moose Malloy]

I think Fed is too proud and classy to ever admit to an injury as cause for a loss.

he had no problem doing so after he lost to Berdych at '10 Wimbledon.

Where I think you will have the most evidence is where his first serve percentage dropped way down

Fed's serve % in this match was the highest its been all tournament - 64%

taking away the 2nd set, it was actually a pretty high % by his standards.
by set: 71, 50, 61, 67

his career % is 62.

Nadal was at 77% yesterday, pretty high by even his standards. Its a shame that ATP(or any outlet) doesn't track how often players make 1st serves when down break point, its pretty hard to fault a player for not breaking more if his opponent makes 1st serves on virtually all of the break points. We all know how high pro players 'first serve pts won %' generally is.

 

[veroniquem]

Fed needs excuses to lose to Rafa in slams now? With a 2-8 record, I don't think excuses can fly.

 

[Towser83]

Reality is that we know Federer does have back problems as much as Nadal has knee problems. It may be a chronic problem where it flares up.

Where I think you will have the most evidence is where his first serve percentage dropped way down.

I honestly thought Federer was going to win this after the first set. I was thinking that Nadal just does not have it and Federer finally figured it out.

so you think he might have had problems? I thought you would have been saying "pathetic excuse making!" etc.

He might have had problems but i saw nothing to really spark debate over it. You're right about his serve, but at the end of the day he lost. I can't even be bothered analysing his physical condition and possible injuries.

 

[Mike Sams]

Saw Federer squatting down, what looked like him trying to stretch out his back after the fireworks, right before play resumed. Looked over to a friend whom I was watching the match with asking "Isn't that what he does when he's got back pain?"
No idea.:neutral:

 

[aprilfool]

Fed needs excuses to lose to Rafa in slams now? With a 2-8 record, I don't think excuses can fly.

Your warrior is a {ussy.

 

[AM95]

Reality is that we know Federer does have back problems as much as Nadal has knee problems. It may be a chronic problem where it flares up.

Where I think you will have the most evidence is where his first serve percentage dropped way down.

I honestly thought Federer was going to win this after the first set. I was thinking that Nadal just does not have it and Federer finally figured it out.

when did he talk to his camp.

 

[ThoughtCrime]

No, just stop please. Federer loosing to Nadal is quite common and blaming the loss on an injury is stupid. Federer pissed away chances and Nadal played better overall, nothing else to it.

 

[Nostradamus]

Roger doesn't make excuses. but the spanish man on the other hand. Anyway, when you reach 30, your body starts to break down and that might do roger in.

 

[FlashFlare11]

Reality is that we know Federer does have back problems as much as Nadal has knee problems. It may be a chronic problem where it flares up.

Where I think you will have the most evidence is where his first serve percentage dropped way down.

I honestly thought Federer was going to win this after the first set. I was thinking that Nadal just does not have it and Federer finally figured it out.

You bring up.a good point about him talking to his box. I've never seen him do that before, so I was scared something was seriously wrong.

But I somewhat disagree with your points about the serve. I know the serve is the first shot to go with back problems, but it's not like Federer isn't prone to serving lulls. He can go through periods (sometimes for an entire match) where he just doesn't serve well.

 

[devila]

injury is named Inability to Respect Better Players.

 

[devila]

Roger doesn't make excuses. but the spanish man on the other hand. Anyway, when you reach 30, your body starts to break down and that might do roger in.

where did the "davis cup ties are bad for federer career" excuse go?

 

[Cindysphinx]

Come on. This isn't about making excuses.

This is about rank speculation, which is way more fun!

Now, how about some facts?

Fed's serve % in this match was the highest its been all tournament - 64%

taking away the 2nd set, it was actually a pretty high % by his standards.
by set: 71, 50, 61, 67

That's a nice start, thank you MooseMalloy!

What I want to know is when the fireworks were, when Fed talked to his box, and how many DFs he had before and after. I'd also like to know what his serve speeds were before and after the fireworks.

It's not so much that he was missing. It's that his serves weren't as good when they went in.

I also thought he was trying pretty darn hard to shorten the points. Recall that he went to the drop shot early a few times and missed them.

He also missed some trademark Fed shots that he often tries. One of them was the weird time he ran back and hit that quasi-overhead that went way wide. The commentators criticized him for trying that and not re-starting the point, but it looked like he just couldn't twist the way he wanted.

I gotta get my hands on some more match stats . . . .

 

[nikdom]

This is pure speculation by OP. Even more ridiculous is the Fed bashing based on a TW poster's speculation. Roger never mentioned anything nor has there been any talk of a physical problem in the media.

 

[wimble10]

that's why he was so pissed when the fireworks started, and he was grabbing his back all match. But really nadal is just better than him now.

 

[MarcusInKensington]

 

[SoBad]

Well Roger had a tweaked back every time he faced Nadal in a slam in the past, so there was no reason to expect anything different this time.

 

[monfed]

Well he practically forgot how to serve in the opening game of the third set. Couldn't get a first serve in for 10 consecutive points!

What really bothered me was how he got immediately broken after breaking the bull's serve. Due to this he lost whatever belief he had from winning the opening set.

 

[cc0509]

please don't be like those crazy nadal fans and blame injury. He lost again to Nadal. He always does and at this point in his career, nadal probably has the biggest advantage he's ever had over Federer.

I don't care about tweaked backs or whatever, he blew what chances he had and Nadal did not. I didn't expect him to win anyway, but the way he lost is the same old story and nothing to do with injury. Just accept it and don't embarrass yourself, and other Federer fans. Sorry to sound harsh.

+1. The back excuses are just pure stupidity. He can't beat Nadal in a slam due to match-up and more importantly self-belief issues. Fed's fans need to accept this fact.