QuentinFederer
Professional
Roger Federer’s 2017 resurgence was near perfect. 2 grand slams and 3 masters after several barren years and knee surgery. He finally managed to consistently beat Rafa. He may have skipped a huge chunk of the year, had a back issue through the US Open swing, and had a flat WTF, but his 2017 was still a brilliant season.
2018 started well enough with a record 20th grand slam, but something wasn’t quite right. His level wasn’t as high as 2017. His serve wasn’t as clinical, groundstrokes weren't as penetrating, and his return was off. No matter, his name was yet again on the trophy. Rotterdam, the same story. Hardly vintage Roger but still enough to win.
The sunshine double, two tournaments Roger won in 2017. Indian Wells was a foul tempered final from Roger, he no longer looked relaxed on court and Delpo deservedly won his first masters. Miami, poor returning and too many clumsy errors led to a surprise defeat to the Kokkinakis. Again, Roger was not looking happy on court. Clearly something is very different to the relaxed Roger from 2017. Roger wouldn’t play again for several months.
Stuttgart was a good tournament for Roger, many difficult matches against strong opposition. A hard earned title and an improvement over his 2017 loss to Tommy Haas. He was clearly rusty and dropped a few sets but that was to be expected. What wasn’t expected was that he wouldn’t be able to shake off the rust. Halle was a disappointment. Unable to cope with Coric of all people in the final. Clearly Roger’s return game on fast courts has declined with age, making his 2017 Wimbledon all the more impressive. However, this wasn’t the first time Roger had a hard time before Wimbledon. So many times before he just turns up to SW19 and waltzes through his draw.
Wimbledon started well enough for Roger, with 4 straight sets wins. He hadn’t been truly tested, but everything looked ok. Then came Anderson. Roger capitalised on a nervous start from Anderson and raced through the first set and began the 2nd in dominant fashion. Only once Anderson was a break down in the 2nd did he start to produce his best tennis. He forced the set to a tie break which Roger narrowly won. However, the momentum was now with Anderson. Uncharacteristically Roger gave in to the pressure and was broken late in the 3rd, and never looked like breaking Anderson in the 4th. The 5th set was an epic, but the fast courts on court 1 highlighted Roger’s declined return game. Anderson took the 5th 13-11 and Roger was out of Wimbledon. Clearly Roger is no longer the force on grass he once was and medium-fast hard court now favours his abilities. Cincinnati would surely be his next title.
Once again, Roger’s return game was horrible in Cincinnati. A recurring theme this year. Understandably at his age his reactions will be slower, but this has been a problem even on slower courts this year. Rain in Cincinnati forced Roger to play two matches in a day, including a late battle with Stan Wawrinka. Roger came through the tests to face his old foe, Novak Djokovic. The final was Federer’s worst match post surgery. Nerves played a huge part as Roger choked at every available moment. He was terrible at saving and at converting break points. His return numbers were quite frankly atrocious. His own serve was way below par. He was conservative when he needs to be aggressive. He couldn’t compete.
I never gave up hoping for one last slam from Roger, I always kept believing he had one more left to win. However, it’s now obvious that his game, returning in particular, is not at a high enough level. His backhand had t been as potent this year, and his slice hasn’t been as good with the 97. His serves are no longer accurate and his serve is becoming easier to read. It’s time to retire. By 2019 his return will be even worse and he will struggle even at the Australian Open which is now his best tournament. Roger should play until Basel this year and go out with a bang, winning his home tournament.
I have been a Roger fan my whole life, but I’ve seen enough now. I don’t want to see a Hewitt style decline, I want to see my hero go out while he’s still near the top.
2018 started well enough with a record 20th grand slam, but something wasn’t quite right. His level wasn’t as high as 2017. His serve wasn’t as clinical, groundstrokes weren't as penetrating, and his return was off. No matter, his name was yet again on the trophy. Rotterdam, the same story. Hardly vintage Roger but still enough to win.
The sunshine double, two tournaments Roger won in 2017. Indian Wells was a foul tempered final from Roger, he no longer looked relaxed on court and Delpo deservedly won his first masters. Miami, poor returning and too many clumsy errors led to a surprise defeat to the Kokkinakis. Again, Roger was not looking happy on court. Clearly something is very different to the relaxed Roger from 2017. Roger wouldn’t play again for several months.
Stuttgart was a good tournament for Roger, many difficult matches against strong opposition. A hard earned title and an improvement over his 2017 loss to Tommy Haas. He was clearly rusty and dropped a few sets but that was to be expected. What wasn’t expected was that he wouldn’t be able to shake off the rust. Halle was a disappointment. Unable to cope with Coric of all people in the final. Clearly Roger’s return game on fast courts has declined with age, making his 2017 Wimbledon all the more impressive. However, this wasn’t the first time Roger had a hard time before Wimbledon. So many times before he just turns up to SW19 and waltzes through his draw.
Wimbledon started well enough for Roger, with 4 straight sets wins. He hadn’t been truly tested, but everything looked ok. Then came Anderson. Roger capitalised on a nervous start from Anderson and raced through the first set and began the 2nd in dominant fashion. Only once Anderson was a break down in the 2nd did he start to produce his best tennis. He forced the set to a tie break which Roger narrowly won. However, the momentum was now with Anderson. Uncharacteristically Roger gave in to the pressure and was broken late in the 3rd, and never looked like breaking Anderson in the 4th. The 5th set was an epic, but the fast courts on court 1 highlighted Roger’s declined return game. Anderson took the 5th 13-11 and Roger was out of Wimbledon. Clearly Roger is no longer the force on grass he once was and medium-fast hard court now favours his abilities. Cincinnati would surely be his next title.
Once again, Roger’s return game was horrible in Cincinnati. A recurring theme this year. Understandably at his age his reactions will be slower, but this has been a problem even on slower courts this year. Rain in Cincinnati forced Roger to play two matches in a day, including a late battle with Stan Wawrinka. Roger came through the tests to face his old foe, Novak Djokovic. The final was Federer’s worst match post surgery. Nerves played a huge part as Roger choked at every available moment. He was terrible at saving and at converting break points. His return numbers were quite frankly atrocious. His own serve was way below par. He was conservative when he needs to be aggressive. He couldn’t compete.
I never gave up hoping for one last slam from Roger, I always kept believing he had one more left to win. However, it’s now obvious that his game, returning in particular, is not at a high enough level. His backhand had t been as potent this year, and his slice hasn’t been as good with the 97. His serves are no longer accurate and his serve is becoming easier to read. It’s time to retire. By 2019 his return will be even worse and he will struggle even at the Australian Open which is now his best tournament. Roger should play until Basel this year and go out with a bang, winning his home tournament.
I have been a Roger fan my whole life, but I’ve seen enough now. I don’t want to see a Hewitt style decline, I want to see my hero go out while he’s still near the top.
