Roger Federer may sketch another scene for us to enjoy...

[dpli2010]

Now everyone sees what Roger has done this year. The performance may seem phenomenal at first sight, especially when one thinks of it accomplished at this age and being distinctive in comparison to his last year's. However, Roger had been on a "comfort zone" since last August when he slipped down to 7th, and then Nole, Murry, and Rafa were disturbed by something and kind of moved out of Roger's way back to the top. Still, Roger's ability to seize opportunities is impressive.

True that Roger lost to his old rival (again) at the AO, yet he produced an exhausted Rafa who couldn’t handle another match anymore; true that he was defeated by Gulbis at Roland Garros, but that was a close match fulfilled with the Latvian's extraordinary serves; true that he was defeated by Nole at Wimbledon, but that was an extremely close 5-set match that could’ve gone either way; true that he was then lost to Cilic at the USO in straight-set, but the guy went ahead and won the tournament…

A slamless year yes, but no shame, and quite on the contrary, Roger pushed the farthest he could, at 33 years of age and in a effortless manner, not to mention he did grab a few titles en route to his current #2 ranking. Who else can do the same in today’s competitive environment?

That being said, the question is how much further Roger would keep his form to continue his journey in the coming year? Nobody knows what is gonna happen to the other big three, although some indication shows that Rafa has reached his peak and will likely to start phasing out and that Nole may need a little while before returning to his concentrated state. Besides, who are the guys in the top 10 or 20 can forge themselves into real rivals of Roger’s in short time?

And Roger’s capability of continuously playing at this consistent level and his versatility in dealing with any young guns who attempt to challenge the top domain would definitely put himself on a promising field for the rest of 2014 and the whole year 2015…

 

[cc0509]

dpli2010;8822396]That being said, the question is how much further Roger would keep his form to continue his journey in the coming year? Nobody knows what is gonna happen to the other big three, although some indication shows that Rafa has reached his peak and will likely to start phasing out

I am a Federer fan but that is not likely to happen yet. I would not count Nadal out in 2015.

 

[Deleted member 733170]

I reckon the dynamic has changed in the men's game. From Federer's perspective I would suggest that Nadal and Djokovic together represent the same amount of threat to Federer as the rest of the field combined.

I don't think you could have said this a few years ago.

 

[torpantennis]

I am a Federer fan but that is not likely to happen yet. I would not count Nadal out in 2015.

He said Rafa has already reached his PEAK. That I can definitely agree on 100%. I'd also not count Nadal totally out just yet, BUT his game will never reach the heights it once was. And TBH, Federer's improved all-court attacking strategy means that he'll not decline that much more. Edberg's coaching could actually improve Fed even more! So actually, it is possible that Fed now has a better chance to win Rafole in slams in 2015 than in 2010-2013, when Rafole were at their PEAKS!

 

[smoledman]

I think Rafa will have a resurgent year in 2015, like 2013. He'll win 8-10 titles. RG is in the bag. He may win AO or USO again. He'll become #1 and beat Fed 4-5 times, Nole 3-4 times.

 

[Dave1982]

Wow I'm a Fed fan but that is possibly the most contrived & subjective piece of dribble I've seen on these boards & on a topic which has been done to death.

There's no doubt Federer has had a great year, although the current situation he finds himself in is more due to showing great consistency as opposed to sustained brilliance. Fed has undoubtedly been a benefactor of many of his main rivals misfortune & inconsistent results. Don't get me wrong, it's Fed's consistency which I think is one of his greatest strengths, as I heard him say once to achieve success you need to keep putting yourself in a position where success is possible.

As we've seen at The Slams this year, he's essentially been beaten by other players peaking at the right time....which in my eyes says whilst his level of play is still very high & good enough to always challenge it's becoming harder for him to really lift that level when required.

As for next year, sure he will still be there or thereabouts, hopefully he will win a slam but I think overall a season like 2014 is more likely.

 

[dpli2010]

Wow I'm a Fed fan but that is possibly the most contrived & subjective piece of dribble I've seen on these boards & on a topic which has been done to death.

There's no doubt Federer has had a great year, although the current situation he finds himself in is more due to showing great consistency as opposed to sustained brilliance. Fed has undoubtedly been a benefactor of many of his main rivals misfortune & inconsistent results. Don't get me wrong, it's Fed's consistency which I think is one of his greatest strengths, as I heard him say once to achieve success you need to keep putting yourself in a position where success is possible.

As we've seen at The Slams this year, he's essentially been beaten by other players peaking at the right time....which in my eyes says whilst his level of play is still very high & good enough to always challenge it's becoming harder for him to really lift that level when required.

As for next year, sure he will still be there or thereabouts, hopefully he will win a slam but I think overall a season like 2014 is more likely.

"Subjective"? Of course it is; "contrived", that's just too much...

 

[TennisCJC]

Disclosure: I am a big Federer fan and happy to see him playing well.

But, Federer is long past his peak while Rafa is just starting his decline.

Federer has an outside chance a 1 more slam. I think Rafa has a slightly better shot at another slam at this point. But, I have thought for years when Rafa really does go into decline that he will drop faster than Federer. Rafa cannot depend as much on his serve and Rafa is not a naturally attacking player. Clay court grinders tend to fade fast when they begin to fade.

 

[tennisaddict]

Other than Wimbledon, Fed's chances are slim at other majors.

He still can reach the semis or the finals, but it is too much for him to win 7 BO 5 matches.

 

[timnz]

And yet...

Other than Wimbledon, Fed's chances are slim at other majors.

He still can reach the semis or the finals, but it is too much for him to win 7 BO 5 matches.

And yet he was so close to doing just that in July. Djokovic only won by the skin of his teeth after some amazing play.

 

[cc0509]

He said Rafa has already reached his PEAK. That I can definitely agree on 100%. I'd also not count Nadal totally out just yet, BUT his game will never reach the heights it once was. And TBH, Federer's improved all-court attacking strategy means that he'll not decline that much more. Edberg's coaching could actually improve Fed even more! So actually, it is possible that Fed now has a better chance to win Rafole in slams in 2015 than in 2010-2013, when Rafole were at their PEAKS!

Let's not get ahead of ourselves!

 

[torpantennis]

Let's not get ahead of ourselves!

Everything is possible. It's all between the ears. Our guy is confident right now!

 

[Deleted member 688153]

Wow I'm a Fed fan but that is possibly the most contrived & subjective piece of dribble I've seen on these boards & on a topic which has been done to death.

There's no doubt Federer has had a great year, although the current situation he finds himself in is more due to showing great consistency as opposed to sustained brilliance. Fed has undoubtedly been a benefactor of many of his main rivals misfortune & inconsistent results. Don't get me wrong, it's Fed's consistency which I think is one of his greatest strengths, as I heard him say once to achieve success you need to keep putting yourself in a position where success is possible.

As we've seen at The Slams this year, he's essentially been beaten by other players peaking at the right time....which in my eyes says whilst his level of play is still very high & good enough to always challenge it's becoming harder for him to really lift that level when required.

As for next year, sure he will still be there or thereabouts, hopefully he will win a slam but I think overall a season like 2014 is more likely.

Rest of post is good, but why so caustic?
You did this to me the other day too, innocent though my thread was.
Just saying.

 

[sbengte]

Other than Wimbledon, Fed's chances are slim at other majors.

He still can reach the semis or the finals, but it is too much for him to win 7 BO 5 matches.

I don't get why people believe Wimbledon is his only chance. It depends on his form and injury status plus the draw.
Think of the recent USO. If it weren't for the on-fire Cilic (an aberration), he would be at 18 slams now. He got the cushiest draw at the USO, which is a very very rare occurence and of course it is all a matter of chance whether he gets such a draw ever again in his career (unlike Nadal, who somehow seems to get these cake draws on a regular basis .

Bottomline, his chances are more dependent on his luck and health/form than the surface.

 

[Sentinel]

well said, sbengte.

 

[Candide]

Wow I'm a Fed fan but that is possibly the most contrived & subjective piece of dribble I've seen on these boards & on a topic which has been done to death.

There's no doubt Federer has had a great year, although the current situation he finds himself in is more due to showing great consistency as opposed to sustained brilliance. Fed has undoubtedly been a benefactor of many of his main rivals misfortune & inconsistent results. Don't get me wrong, it's Fed's consistency which I think is one of his greatest strengths, as I heard him say once to achieve success you need to keep putting yourself in a position where success is possible.

As we've seen at The Slams this year, he's essentially been beaten by other players peaking at the right time....which in my eyes says whilst his level of play is still very high & good enough to always challenge it's becoming harder for him to really lift that level when required.

As for next year, sure he will still be there or thereabouts, hopefully he will win a slam but I think overall a season like 2014 is more likely.

Have to agree with another comment. You begin with a pretty acidic attack on the "piece of dribble" and then go on to seemingly agree with the spirit of the OP. Have you really been reading the material on this board? By the average standard this is Man Booker Prize winning material. Hats off I say.

 

[Deleted member 688153]

Roger will continue to sketch for us like the artist he is, until the day he hangs up his racquet.

I pray for a solid 2014-15 season from the #BeastOfBasel.

 

[dpli2010]

I think Rafa will have a resurgent year in 2015, like 2013. He'll win 8-10 titles. RG is in the bag. He may win AO or USO again. He'll become #1 and beat Fed 4-5 times, Nole 3-4 times.

I have a feeling that Rafa is preparing for that, but not sure if he can make it...

 

[moonballs]

If wimbledon were the first slam in 2015 Fed would be the favorite to win it. Unfortunately there are too much competition on the slow hardcourt of the AO.

 

[Dave1982]

Rest of post is good, but why so caustic?
You did this to me the other day too, innocent though my thread was.
Just saying.

Innocent it might be but to be honest I'm growing tired of reading similar rubbish day after day. I'm all for being a "fan boy" but it shouldn't prevent you from being objective when necessary. Don't get me wrong I love Fed & have for many years but people making such ludicrous prophecies just starts to reflect poorly on this whole forum.

Sadly 95a% of threads on this board are now about "Fed will definitely do this" "Why Fed/Nadal is the GOAT" "Fed dominated a weak era" "h2h"...same stuff just rehashed!

 

[Chanwan]

I don't get why people believe Wimbledon is his only chance. It depends on his form and injury status plus the draw.
Think of the recent USO. If it weren't for the on-fire Cilic (an aberration), he would be at 18 slams now. He got the cushiest draw at the USO, which is a very very rare occurence and of course it is all a matter of chance whether he gets such a draw ever again in his career (unlike Nadal, who somehow seems to get these cake draws on a regular basis .

Bottomline, his chances are more dependent on his luck and health/form than the surface.

Not only Wimbledon imo. In all likelihood, he'll be seeded 1-2 for the first 3 slams. With a bit of luck, Novak beats Rafa in a loooooooong semi either at the AO or at the FO. Who's to say Fed can't beat Nole then - even if the semi isn't superlong? Especially at the FO, you could see Nole being nervous after having beaten Rafa and then he's still to beat Fed. Fed would of course still need to find his way to the final.
Tbs, I'm not saying the above is likely to happen, but it very well could happen.

 

[Roddick85]

If wimbledon were the first slam in 2015 Fed would be the favorite to win it. Unfortunately there are too much competition on the slow hardcourt of the AO.

Yet the AO has been his most consistent slam for the last decade....

Unless he's injured, you can't really write him off at any slam. He'll always be a threat on grass, can't argue with his resume on that surface. He usually does well at the AO, I could see him lift the trophy, with his YE ranking, he's guaranteed a good draw. RG? Yeah OK, I'd put that last in his chance of getting another slam. Not a total write off, but it's his worst surface. USO is a big coin toss, I think he dislikes the weather there. In last couple of years, it's windy and sometimes humid and he seems to have a harder time dealing with this.

 

[dpli2010]

If wimbledon were the first slam in 2015 Fed would be the favorite to win it. Unfortunately there are too much competition on the slow hardcourt of the AO.

Yet the AO has been his most consistent slam for the last decade....

Unless he's injured, you can't really write him off at any slam. He'll always be a threat on grass, can't argue with his resume on that surface. He usually does well at the AO, I could see him lift the trophy, with his YE ranking, he's guaranteed a good draw. RG? Yeah OK, I'd put that last in his chance of getting another slam. Not a total write off, but it's his worst surface. USO is a big coin toss, I think he dislikes the weather there. In last couple of years, it's windy and sometimes humid and he seems to have a harder time dealing with this.

Speaking of AO, one dares not to deny the potential excitement of the 2015 in particular - Rafa has set his eyes on it for long, while Roger with his current momentum...