Losing faith in Federer

[TheMusicLover]

If one had predicted six months ago that he'd start off 2014 the way he did, I would have called that person nuts.

In other words: Federer is doing fantastic for a guy his age and with his mileage. Sigh, what do certain fans expect? That he'd have Eternal (tennis) Life?

 

[underground]

Time is need to build up the confidence. Last year Fed didn't even have such confidence to reach the QF of a tournament!

Now that he knows he can reach deep into a tournament (only lost before the SF once since Basel, which is Miami), he can focus on converting these wins into a title. Federer did say that winning a title in Dubai was earlier than he expected and he thinks he'll peak by the summer, plus he just mentioned he's focusing on trying to win his 2nd tournament now.

 

[mental midget]

i'd like to see him use his next training block to just hit balls as hard as humanly possible for a few weeks, lift some weights, whatever. and if it backfires, he's still roger federer, no harm done.

 

[LanceStern]

i'd like to see him use his next training block to just hit balls as hard as humanly possible for a few weeks, lift some weights, whatever. and if it backfires, he's still roger federer, no harm done.

I'm not sure that would be good for his game.

Here's a thought: his game is good enough to beat the everyone on tour except #1 (Nadal). Why adjust?

Djokovic has struggled to beat Federer this year.
Tsonga - no
Berdych - no (but always a threat)
Murray - no (but always a threat)
Ferrer - haven't met (I'd assume it'd be a tough fight if Ferrer runs him ragged)
Del Potro - tough fight but Fed beat him last year while regaining his form
Raonic - Could be a tough fight, if you lose focus you'll be aced off the court!

And again Federer is cranking forehands. They aren't as fast as 2004-2009 but that's okay. They are pretty penetrating, very accurate and from the looks of the top 10, still very hard to handle

 

[mental midget]

I'm not sure that would be good for his game.

Here's a thought: his game is good enough to beat the everyone on tour except #1 (Nadal). Why adjust?

Djokovic has struggled to beat Federer this year.
Tsonga - no
Berdych - no (but always a threat)
Murray - no (but always a threat)
Ferrer - haven't met (I'd assume it'd be a tough fight if Ferrer runs him ragged)
Del Potro - tough fight but Fed beat him last year while regaining his form
Raonic - Could be a tough fight, if you lose focus you'll be aced off the court!

i don't disagree. i just want to see him rip some crazy winners from weird places, for old times' sake.

 

[rodrigo_palacio88]

it`s a combination of many thigs like all says.

an maybe ansiety in finals too , maybe after a very bad year he wants win titles and he is with many ansiety in the finals

 

[Roddick85]

I don't see why anyone would lose faith in Federer, especially this year. If we'd still be in 2013, I could see why, but with his current results, he gives himself a chance to win pretty much all the tournaments he enters. It's obvious that Federer is past is peak, he's lost a bit of power on his strokes and a bit slower on his feet, but that is still good enough to be in the top 5 and to go deep into tournaments. Some might say all he's won this year is a small 500, but he did so beating Djokovic/Berdych and also coming from a set down which is impressive. His performance at the AO was great, just like in IW and MC. Like Nadal said earlier this week, you can't expect himself and even Federer to win every tournament they enter, like everyone else, these guys are human.

2014 could be a great year for Roger. The top guys have never been more beatable this year then they have been in the last 4-5. Federer is now back inside the top 5 which will give him a more favorable draw which adds to his chance at winning a 1000 or a slam.

 

[Roddick85]

i'd like to see him use his next training block to just hit balls as hard as humanly possible for a few weeks, lift some weights, whatever. and if it backfires, he's still roger federer, no harm done.

Yeah I'd like that idea, it could help him a little bit. But then again, even in his prime, Federer has never been known for his massive power, he's always been a finesse/crazy angle guy with decent pace. I just don't see Federer trying to get in a slugging battle with Tsonga/Berdych from the back of the court.

If I was his coach, in his next training block, I would focus on the serve which is the determining factor in his matches. I feel his 1st serve is sometimes weak, allowing his opponent to return it deep, which neutralizes his main weapon (forehand). If he could keep his 1st serve pct higher with maybe a bit more MPH (around 120 like before), that would help him when grass starts.