Tennis is in big trouble when Federer retires

[Federer20042006]

Watching that Djokovic/Ferrer match was absolutely excruciating. Just back and forth baseline exchanges, no variation whatsoever unless Djokovic pulled out his ugly drop shot.

Then Federer/Benneteau play and it's night-and-day. Hey, guys are going for their shots and not playing the long waiting game point after point. Benneteau coming in, Federer angling his backhands and mixing in the slice, quality serving.

If Djokovic, Ferrer, or Murray play each other, it's nap time. And that seems to be the style of tennis that's going to be big for years to come. Dimitrov can be interesting to watch at times, but he's closer to the aforementioned 3 in the direction his game is heading than Federer. Tsonga and Wawrinka are enjoyable to watch when they're on, but they're not going to be around too much longer, either.

I think when Federer retires, that'll be about it for the sport as a viable business. The only one left watching will be Chico.

 

[the green god]

Agree wholeheartedly, but batten down the hatches. A ill wind awaits you

 

[mbm0912]

Ferrer makes any match excruciating..

 

[Chico]

 

[Russeljones]

Tennis will be perfectly fine.

 

[MIKEPANTELAKIS]

Tennis will be perfectly fine.

Agreed. Personally I like the LONG baseline points. I like to see the physicality. The proof that these guys are in tip top shape.

Tennis isn't just about serve and volley. Physicality is a skill too.

 

[clayqueen]

Djoko does play ping pong when he's not stretched. I actually left Djoko/Ferrer to watch the news because it was so boring. It's Ben who dictated the style.

 

[Aretium]

I love how people assume when someone wants fast courts they use the 90s serv/volley as an example of why not. When someone says they dislike long baseline points it doesn't mean we want serve volley.

Djokovic is not at fault here, Ferrer is pretty boring. However this is something the ATP need to sort out. More court conditions are needed out there. I'd say speed up wimby (or somehow preserve the grass for 2 weeks). Speed up US a little. Leave Aus and RG the same (maybe slow RG??).

At the moment aside Fed/Djok there really aren't interesting players in the top 10.

 

[newpball]

Tennis is in big trouble when Federer retires

On the contrary, Tennis will have a new renaissance when F retires.

:grin:

 

[Aretium]

Djoko does play ping pong when he's not stretched. I actually left Djoko/Ferrer to watch the news because it was so boring. It's Ben who dictated the style.

hmm Yeah sure. Says the guy who compares a tennis player to Chopin. Do you think Ben would play like that against other players? Both guys are old school and mix up their play, would like to see Rafa do that.

 

[clayqueen]

hmm Yeah sure. Says the guy who compares a tennis player to Chopin. Do you think Ben would play like that against other players? Both guys are old school and mix up their play, would like to see Rafa do that.

Let's have ONE thread that doesn't become a Nadal thread for a change.

 

[Noelan]

Only for you fanboys and gloryhunters, tennis will be fine, just as without Borg, Mac, Lendl, Sampras...
It woud be great when internet forums will be clean of your 24/7 blabbing abut him

 

[tennisaddict]

Chico is saying OP hit the nail on its head as far as the topic goes.

 

[Chico]

Only for you fanboys and gloryhunters, tennis will be fine, just as without Borg, Mac, Lendl, Sampras...
It woud be great when internet forums will be clean of your 24/7 blabbing abut him

This. Could not have said it better myself.

 

[jrs]

Well said!

Only for you fanboys and gloryhunters, tennis will be fine, just as without Borg, Mac, Lendl, Sampras...
It woud be great when internet forums will be clean of your 24/7 blabbing abut him

Was thinking the same thing!

 

[Aretium]

I have actually watched tennis from the 90s up until now, have failed to miss a grandslam final since 1997. I think tennis will definitely decline when Fed retires, in terms of spectator interest. Tennis in general is not a popular sport, but it is doing fine. If you stop watching tennis when Fed retires, then you don't love the sport. If he didn't play such entertaining tennis I would want him to retire so we can end this bs fanaticism.

 

[tennisaddict]

Only for you fanboys and gloryhunters, tennis will be fine, just as without Borg, Mac, Lendl, Sampras...
It woud be great when internet forums will be clean of your 24/7 blabbing abut him

The game needs stars.

It is already on the decline in USA.

If players don't play fast, attacking tennis, it will lose all the good work done by Federer in no time.

 

[magnut]

its boring now even with federer. I dont see what everyone finds so interesting.

I want another rafter or rios player on the tour. something different tactically from what we have now. The last 10 years or so have been a snooze fest to me outside the occasional good baseliner vs baseliner match up. the problem is that its all their is anymore. Now we have no tactics, no touch/feel, no movement forward, no s&v (even rios did this) etc etc.

they might as well just start televising junior tournaments.

 

[forthegame]

OP, don't agree with you, Tennis will move on when he retires.

I know that Fed-Djokovic will be an entertaining match (much more than most) but the Ferrer-Djokovic match had lots of good tennis before The Chimney fizzled out.

I'm a Fed fan but tennis will do very well when he exits stage left.

 

[coloskier]

Agreed. Personally I like the LONG baseline points. I like to see the physicality. The proof that these guys are in tip top shape.

Tennis isn't just about serve and volley. Physicality is a skill too.

Physicality has nothing to do with skill set, Skill is what you do with your racket. Physicality is what you do with your legs. I much prefer skill over athleticism.

 

[onehandbh]

Regardless of whether one likes Federer, his game or not, it can't be denied that he is incredibly popular as a tennis player. There is a reason why he has the most of endorsements of any male tennis player.

I've been watching the Shanghai tournament on TV, and Federer's matches have the most fans in the seats by far.

I am hoping that a new star emerges with the broad appeal that Federer has been able to achieve.

I also hope that the popularity of tennis can return/ increase in the U.S.
Most kids don't give a rats behind about tennis. A lot of non-tennis players I know lump watching tennis on TV into the same category as watching golf -- incredibly boring. They'd rather watch animal planet on TV.

 

[sureshs]

Federer is not even the best among his contemporaries (Djokovic and Nadal are both better than him). Why would tennis be in big trouble if he retires? Most Federer fans are older people. Younger junior and college players have 2 handed backhands and play like Nadal and Djokovic, not Federer or Sampras. As they grow older, they will replace the current Federer fans who are from the Sampras-fans era.

 

[tennisaddict]

it is no joke that FED , being no 3 seed has played the prime time matches , while NOVAK and RAFA played at less important times ?

That has also come to bite Fed this whole year. At Toronto,Cincinnati and NEW YORK , Fed played all night matches and had to play the day match at the business end.

Sometimes you wish he is not that famous and loved.

Today's twitter contest was to come up with the best 'i love Fed more than...'.

 

[TheMusicLover]

Federer is not even the best among his contemporaries (Djokovic and Nadal are both better than him). Why would tennis be in big trouble if he retires? Most Federer fans are older people. Younger junior and college players have 2 handed backhands and play like Nadal and Djokovic, not Federer or Sampras. As they grow older, they will replace the current Federer fans who are from the Sampras-fans era.

Troll troll trollolloll...

Seriously: no player is ever bigger than the sport itself.
New stars will arise, as it has always been.

 

[veroniquem]

Federer is boring as hell. One has to believe that the secret to popularity is being as nondescript as possible as this is the only way the masses won't find anything to object to. Strong personalities polarize, absence of personality unites I guess.
But at least he can play tennis, good tennis, rather consistently. The problem with the younger generation is that it seems like almost none of them can...

 

[TMF]

Federer leaving tennis is what Jordan left the NBA. It's huge loss and TV rating across the globe will drop.

 

[Djokodal Fan]

Only for Fed Fan boys.

If there was a Federer Vs. Ferrer, it would have best match of the decade for viewing according to Fed Fans.

Again .... only for Fed fans. Period

 

[cc0509]

veroniquem;8788470Federer is boring as hell

.

To you maybe.

One has to believe that the secret to popularity is being as nondescript as possible as this is the only way the masses won't find anything to object to. Strong personalities polarize, absence of personality unites I guess.

But that is not true. Agassi was one of the most popular players of all time and he was far from nondescript. He had a strong personality and was outlandish in many ways.

But at least he can play tennis, good tennis, rather consistently.

The problem with the younger generation is that it seems like almost none of them can

...

Not well enough at least to take the place of players like Federer, Nadal and Djokovic.

 

[veroniquem]

.

To you maybe.






But that is not true. Agassi was one of the most popular players of all time and he was far from nondescript. He had a strong personality and was outlandish in many ways.



.

In the States, Agassi was very controversial. A lot of people hated him. Whereas there seems to be a lenifying consensus about Fed.

 

[THESEXPISTOL]

Personally I like the LONG baseline points. I like to see the physicality. The proof that these guys are in tip top shape.

You should be watching Track & Field then...

 

[Steve0904]

I don't see why the OP cares anyway. All he does is go around talking about how useless Federer is today to anybody that will listen. And if the OP sees this, please, kindly don't respond. I haven't paid attention to you since you were in the green stage of your time here.

 

[Praetorian]

Tennis will go on. It will be boring, and one-dimensional, but that's what the sport has evolved into. I personally have watched less, and less tennis over the years because of this, but I also grew up old school, and fully appreciate the various styles of the past. Mr. Federer is last of a dying breed, and will be missed when he decides to retire.

 

[Steve0904]

In the States, Agassi was very controversial. A lot of people hated him. Whereas there seems to be a lenifying consensus about Fed.

But a lot of people liked/loved Agassi too. Just like Nadal has a lot of "haters" and a lot of fans. And the same for Federer in many ways. That is how fandom has always worked and it will continue to be so.

 

[clayqueen]

Regardless of whether one likes Federer, his game or not, it can't be denied that he is incredibly popular as a tennis player. There is a reason why he has the most of endorsements of any male tennis player.

I've been watching the Shanghai tournament on TV, and Federer's matches have the most fans in the seats by far.

I am hoping that a new star emerges with the broad appeal that Federer has been able to achieve.

I also hope that the popularity of tennis can return/ increase in the U.S.
Most kids don't give a rats behind about tennis. A lot of non-tennis players I know lump watching tennis on TV into the same category as watching golf -- incredibly boring. They'd rather watch animal planet on TV.

This is a figment of your imagination.

 

[Federer20042006]

There is no way anybody is going to pay money to watch a match with the patterns of Djokovic vs. Ferrer. The ATP will go bankrupt after Federer retires if this is where tennis is heading.

 

[cc0509]

In the States, Agassi was very controversial. A lot of people hated him. Whereas there seems to be a lenifying consensus about Fed.

He was still hugely popular, one of the most popular players of all time and a lot more popular in the US than that boring drip Sampras. :twisted: Based on your theory Sampras should have been hugely popular but he wasn't.

 

[cc0509]

There is no way anybody is going to pay money to watch a match with the patterns of Djokovic vs. Ferrer. The ATP will go bankrupt after Federer retires if this is where tennis is heading.

Well, hopefully they will start to speed up the courts a little bit again. That should help somewhat. But I agree, Djokovic vs Ferrer is a marquee killer. Thankfully, they are not the only match-up in tennis.

 

[clayqueen]

I switched off tennis in the TMF days because it was sooooooooo boring watching Fed being handed matches on a plate by everyone. Most of the time I couldn't be bothered to watch the tournaments because I knew who the winner would be and he didn't even have to contest the matches.

One day I stumbled on a young player who blew me away with his scintillating style and since that day in 2005 I have been glued to tennis.

Rafa saved tennis from the snooze fest of the TMF days.

 

[cc0509]

I switched off tennis in the TMF days because it was sooooooooo boring watching Fed being handed matches on a plate by everyone. Most of the time I couldn't be bothered to watch the tournaments because I knew who the winner would be and he didn't even have to contest the matches.

One day I stumbled on a young player who blew me away with his scintillating style and since that day in 2005 I have been glued to tennis.

Rafa saved tennis from the snooze fest of the TMF days.

What are you going to do when Nadal retires? Are there any other players you like to watch besides Nadal?

 

[ThomasGB]

As much as I don't want Federer to retire, it's innevitable, but Tennis still has great players in the form of Nole, Nadal, Murray, Kei, Dimitrov, and a lot of others which makes the game excellent.

 

[clayqueen]

What are you going to do when Nadal retires? Are there any other players you like to watch besides Nadal?

It's a question I've often asked myself. I will still watch tennis but I will definitely not lose my sleep to watch anyone.

 

[TheMusicLover]

I switched off tennis in the TMF days because it was sooooooooo boring watching Fed being handed matches on a plate by everyone. Most of the time I couldn't be bothered to watch the tournaments because I knew who the winner would be and he didn't even have to contest the matches.

One day I stumbled on a young player who blew me away with his scintillating style and since that day in 2005 I have been glued to tennis.

Rafa saved tennis from the snooze fest of the TMF days.

If said young player you discovered back in 2005 looked like, say, Stepanek, would you even have really noticed him?
I have my doubts.

 

[clayqueen]

If said player you discovered back in 2005 looked like, say, Stepanek, would you even have noticed him?

That's a very difficult question to answer.

 

[TheMusicLover]

That's a very difficult question to answer.

That's at least an answer which I can relate to.

 

[clayqueen]

I don't understand why people will accept anyone saying any other player is their favourite because they like his style but every time anyone says they like Nadal's style it's suggested that they only like him for his looks.

Can someone explain?

 

[beast of mallorca]

Only for Fed Fan boys.

If there was a Federer Vs. Ferrer, it would have best match of the decade for viewing according to Fed Fans.

Again .... only for Fed fans. Period

Couldn't agree more. .........:twisted:

 

[TheMusicLover]

I don't understand why people will accept anyone saying any other player is their favourite because they like his style but every time anyone says they like Nadal's style it's suggested that they only like him for his looks.

Can someone explain?

The VB-Cult might be able to give a clue for you, here.
90% of posters over there - and yes, I've been there - would never have even cared for Nadal - and/or even more, for the sport of tennis - if it weren't for his - admittedly - good looks.

And that's exactly what irritates a lot of true tennis fans - whether they are Djokovic fans, Fed fans, or fans of whoever a player.

Quite in accordance of fans of Bieber - nobody is a 'fan' of that guy because of his 'music' - at least I hope so?
Do I need to explain any further? I hope not.

 

[smoledman]

On the contrary, Tennis will have a new renaissance when F retires.

:grin:

Please explain your logic.

 

[smoledman]

The VB folks care more about that Nadal brought Federer down a peg than being a true fan. Not only that, they are not true fans of tennis. Watching what Edberg has brought to Fed's game is a thing of beauty.

 

[clayqueen]

The VB-Cult might be able to give a clue for you, here.
90% of posters over there - and yes, I've been there - would never have even cared for Nadal - and/or even more, for the sport of tennis - if it weren't for his - admittedly - good looks.

And that's exactly what irritates a lot of true tennis fans - whether they are Djokovic fans, Fed fans, or fans of whoever a player.

Quite in accordance of fans of Bieber - nobody is a 'fan' of that guy because of his 'music' - at least I hope so?
Do I need to explain any further? I hope not.

At last I've got to the bottom of why non Rafa fans hate him, apart from having the edge over Federer, they don't see his fans as serious tennis fans.

I think it's unfair to compare Nadal to Bieber because Nadal is at least one of the greatest tennis players ever. Some of the VB fans have been tennis fans for decades, long before Nadal was born, so it's not true to say they are not fans of tennis. If Nadal had the looks but didn't play such good tennis I don't think he'll have the same following. It's the whole package that is so irresistible.

Federer's fans are just as devoted to him but no one has ever suggested that his fans only like him for his looks. That's curious.