Sampras vs Federer at age 29 and beyond

[MichaelChang]

Sampras in 2000:
Win 1 slam (wimbledon)
1 slam final (US open)
1 semi ( AO)
1st round (FO) (Interesting, Federer reached 4th round in FO 2000)

Sampras went out 2 year title-less, untile he won 2002 USO, his last title, and retired.

Federer in 2010:
Win 1 slam (AO)
1 slam Semi (USO)
2 quarter (Wimbledon, FO)

Where does Federer go from here on? I think he can win 1 ore 2 slams more. That will probably be it.

 

[fed_the_savior]

That will probably be it.

And that's not a very bad "it."

 

[jsailorca]

Look for possible drought next as well before he readjust his game accordingly and win A slam.

 

[Sarc]

One more Wimbledon is the best bet.

He should take a break during the clay court season and just get ready for the grass.

 

[Limpinhitter]

He needs to work on his net game. He still isn't comfortable there. It's the part of his game that has the greatest room for improvement.

 

[MichaelChang]

And that's not a very bad "it."

not bad at all. Thing is he have in his head that "20 is doable". Sure it is doable but it is just really really hard.

 

[powerangle]

not bad at all. Thing is he have in his head that "20 is doable". Sure it is doable but it is just really really hard.

Federer "needed" this slam for 20. It's still doable but that sight is slipping away...

 

[phoenicks]

Federer "needed" this slam for 20. It's still doable but that sight is slipping away...

not slipping away, it just falls into the domain of mission impossible. It had been confirm when Berdych slaughter him in Wimbly SF.

 

[Tennis_Monk]

Lets not forget that he still has won one slam in 2010. So every year since quite a while ago, federer won atleast 1 slam.

No reason to believe that he cant win one slam a year for next few years.

 

[MichaelChang]

Lets not forget that he still has won one slam in 2010. So every year since quite a while ago, federer won atleast 1 slam.

No reason to believe that he cant win one slam a year for next few years.

age is a big problem. You can't repeat the history you made in younger years. Look at Sampras. He is empty-handed from 2000 USO till 2002 USO. Federer may do a bit better but can't be much different.

 

[Chezbeeno]

Where does Federer go from here on? I think he can win 1 ore 2 slams more. That will probably be it.

I wasn't aware minerals have anything at all to do with the amount of Grand Slam titles Fed wins.

 

[i8myshirt]

That's a cheap shot Chezbeeno. Completely unnecessary.

I think Fed just does what he's been doing: try to keep up his ranking for the grandslams. I don't think he is going to end up developing an incredible backhand that blows away opponents or something, but he's still number 2 in the world.

 

[tennisdad65]

He needs to work on his net game. He still isn't comfortable there. It's the part of his game that has the greatest room for improvement.

His net game is OK once he gets there. Problem is he needs to be able to get there more often. That's why he got Annacone, but unfortunately I think Fed chickened out in the 5th set. I was very dissapointed in his passive play. I have never seen him this passive ever.

 

[Chopin]

Federer could easily win 3 more slams. He'll certainly get 1 more, but I think he'll get 2-3 more.

 

[Bud]

Unless Federer pulls an Agassi, gets extremely fit and more importantly re-finds the passion for tennis, he'll be lucky to win 1 more AO (2011). In current form, I can't see him defending that title.

The Federer that showed up today in sets 2 and 4 can't show up again if he wants another GS title.

 

[edmondsm]

Federer's 2010:


1 slam win
1 semi
2 quarters
1 masters

He's still right there for every major. I would be stunned if he didn't win any slams next year. He really doesn't look any worse than 2004-2005. I think his rivals are just better now.

 

[fed_the_savior]

Unless Federer pulls an Agassi, gets extremely fit and more importantly re-finds the passion for tennis, he'll be lucky to win 1 more AO (2011). In current form, I can't see him defending that title.

The Federer that showed up today in sets 2 and 4 can't show up again if he wants another GS title.

To be fair I can't even remember the last time I saw him like that. It's a big assumption to think he'll always continue to play like that.

 

[Bud]

To be fair I can't even remember the last time I saw him like that. It's a big assumption to think he'll always continue to play like that.

He's played like that in the majority of his matches post AO 2010. Davydenko was stomping him at the AO (until he mentally checked out for a couple sets). How many matches has he blown after having MP's? IIRC, He blew MP's at IW and Miami... lost to a number of lower ranked players on clay and was then beaten in Halle by Hewitt. Falla (Falla!) almost knocked him out in round 1 of Wimbledon. Federer himself admitted he was lucky to make it into round 2. He's won only two titles the entire year.

ok, if you say so

What part do you disagree with? I'm simply stating facts. If I made a mistake, please point it out.

 

[fed_the_savior]

ok, if you say so

 

[Tennis_Bum]

not bad at all. Thing is he have in his head that "20 is doable". Sure it is doable but it is just really really hard.

Yeah, really, really hard. It just gets harder and harder every year. At least he was really in it to the end, so there is some hope for him to win a few more. But if he doesn't, then so be it, at least he did put in a good show today.

 

[fed_the_savior]

Yeah, really, really hard. It just gets harder and harder every year. At least he was really in it to the end, so there is some hope for him to win a few more. But if he doesn't, then so be it, at least he did put in a good show today.

It's only so hard because of those top few players that really stepped it up, a head above the others. Ironically, I think Federer's high level of play inspired a lot of players to set higher standards than they thought they could.

What part do you disagree with? I'm simply stating facts. If I made a mistake, please point it out.

I already said what I disagree with. It's not a matter of facts, it's a matter of subjectively analyzing play. Federer was just slapping balls away and playing ridiculously awful. Even when he gets beaten, that just doesn't happen very much, so I'm feeling that your simply baiting me into bringing out Fed's worse losses as if that proves something.

 

[MichaelChang]

Unless Federer pulls an Agassi, gets extremely fit and more importantly re-finds the passion for tennis, he'll be lucky to win 1 more AO (2011). In current form, I can't see him defending that title.

The Federer that showed up today in sets 2 and 4 can't show up again if he wants another GS title.

As of now I think it is possible but not very likely, he's got some back problems, which is only gonna get worse as he ages up.

 

[Chezbeeno]

That's a cheap shot Chezbeeno. Completely unnecessary.

Sorry it's just that I find that specific spelling error particularly irksome. Besides it wasn't so much a "cheap shot" as a joking reminder that "or" and "ore" are two very different words. If it was a typo then I apologize to the OP.

 

[Winner_DownTheLine]

I'm a big Federer Fan.
I think he can win few more and make it to 20, he just needs to get his serving up to 60% or so like he did against soderling and hope one of the young guys take Nadal down in the slams.

 

[Ventolin]

This US Open was Feds first slam as a 29 year old, all the others this year he was 28.

 

[darthpwner]

This US Open was Feds first slam as a 29 year old, all the others this year he was 28.

Well technically, Pete only won one slam US open 2002 after 29 since when he won Wimbledon 2000, he was 28 and 11 months

 

[Tennis_Monk]

age is a big problem. You can't repeat the history you made in younger years. Look at Sampras. He is empty-handed from 2000 USO till 2002 USO. Federer may do a bit better but can't be much different.

Federer has a "far" better game than Sampras. Federer can play on clay as well.
federer will be different from sampras.

all said and done, he was a point away from second major final this year--not that bad.

 

[Devilito]

Federer has a "far" better game than Sampras. Federer can play on clay as well.
federer will be different from sampras.

Uhh, no. As old as Pete got he could still pull out wins against anybody with his serve, volley and aggressive style. The only way Fed wins is by grinding out baseliners. That gets real tiring the older you get, both physically and mentally. It’s a lot easier to make your way through a slam when your service games consist of “Ace, service winner, put away volley, Ace”. It’s the reason why Fed got Annacone and is trying to be more aggressive in terms of finishing off points earlier

all said and done, he was a point away from second major final this year--not that bad.

Not bad at all but lets face it. The way he was playing, even if he won, he would have been routed by Nadal in the finals.

 

[Stinkdyr]

He can win 1 or 2 more.......as long as Nada is injured during those majors.

 

[wangs78]

20 is still doable but Fed needs to take every tournament seriously and not just focus on the Slams. Winning Masters does matter. Not for the record books but for his confidence and the aura of invincibility. I think he made a mistake the last 2-3 years in not taking the Masters seriously enough. That's a kind of mistake Nadal would never make. Anyway, I think Fed physically can be in good enough shape to win a couple more Slams, but he needs to get the mental focus to do it.

 

[LeftSHBH]

"He needs to work on his net game..."
What are you smoking??? This guy has been working on his game since he picked up a racquet, do you really think he needs to "work" on something in terms of gameplay at this point? It's all mental now.
He served terribly in his last match, do you think he needs to work on his serves too???

 

[MichaelChang]

all said and done, he was a point away from second major final this year--not that bad.

You probably didn't read my opening post. Sampras made 2 finals in 2000 (win 1 lost 1). Federer made only 1 final in 2010. They both age 29.

It is not clear to me how Federer will do better than Sampras from 29 and older. Sampras has a very reliable serve, which is really important for the aging champion. Federer obvioulsy lost it in the Djoko match. I don't know what is going on with Fed but I feel bad about that. He can serve really good but when it gets deep in a slam, like in the semi in this case, he lost the serve.

 

[jrepac]

You probably didn't read my opening post. Sampras made 2 finals in 2000 (win 1 lost 1). Federer made only 1 final in 2010. They both age 29.

It is not clear to me how Federer will do better than Sampras from 29 and older. Sampras has a very reliable serve, which is really important for the aging champion. Federer obvioulsy lost it in the Djoko match. I don't know what is going on with Fed but I feel bad about that. He can serve really good but when it gets deep in a slam, like in the semi in this case, he lost the serve.

Fed may need to adjust his game moving forward, finding ways to shorten points. With the big hitters like Rafa, Delpo and Joker, he likely won't be able to consistently beat them playing from the back court. Age is catching up to him, ever so slightly (?). He's got the ability and the game to be more aggressive and not only get to net, but stomp on a few more of the returns. Which he doesn't seem to do so much of lately. I think a lot of it is in his head, frankly.

 

[RogerRacket111]

Work on a real backhand the one he has is not offensive and will just not cut it against the top two-handers....