Federer's Bucket List

[GameSetAndMath]

It is now almost end of 2014. Fed is 33 years old now. Although he may prolong further,
there is a good chance that he may hang his racquet by the end of 2016. That leaves just two
years. So, it is time to think of Fed's Bucket List. What do you think are the top 10 things that
he should focus on accomplishing in the remaining two years.

Here, my criteria is that the goal should be significant enough in terms of adding to his legacy. So, I would leave aside producing another set of twins, this time a boy and girl and winning Olympic gold medal in mixed doubles, although he has good chances of doing that playing with Belinda Bencic. Also, the goal should have some chance of materializing, i.e., it should be possible even if not probable. So for example, I would leave aside eclipsing Jimmy Connor's record of total title count or total matches won.

This is my initial list. Feel free to criticize it, modify it or create your own lists. I have given them in priority order. Priority is determined by a combination (but in a subjective, non-formulaic way) of significance and chances of it materializing.

1. Win Singles Gold Medal in Olympics 2016.
2. Win RG once again so that he has double career grand slam.
3. Win Wimby once more so that he is in sole posession of the record for most Wimbleon titles.
4. Win any GS one or more times to distance him further from the chasers.
5. Finish as YE #1 one more time thus tying Pete's record of 6 (of course Rog's will be non-consecutive).
6. Win Rome ATP 1000, the last remaining unconquered mandatory Masters tourney.
7. Win Monte Carlo ATP 1000, the historic but non-mandatory Masters tourney.
8. Try to become the leader in number of Masters Tourneys won too.
9. Win WTF few more times extending his existing record.
10. Get back to #1 (even if not YE #1) again and tack on more weeks to his existing record.

 

[JesuslookslikeBorg]

Federer isn't fussed about clay anymore. "clay does not need me anymore, I got flushed out"..said at fo2014, he mentally checked out and started thinking about grass when he lost that 2nd set to gulbis at French open. Madrid clay could be winnable..the rest ?, no.

he won't retire in 2016, all the chatter is that he wants to play as long as possible..and is not bothered if his rank goes down (whenever that finally happens)..rest of the stuff is possibly doable, ye no1 rank might be out of reach though.

 

[Federberg]

I'm not sure how much of a big deal Singles Gold is for him. I think the key was getting Olympic gold.. period. Winning the singles at Wimbledon had an attraction for him because it was Wimbledon, but I'm not sure he'll die in a ditch for it. I suspect that his most wants now are more US & Wimbledon titles. The others are some way down on his list. Things like WTF titles and more masters series are nice to haves, but we saw his priority recently in terms of DC (something he hadn't won before) vs WTF title. Apart from that just racking up more titles to try and get to Lendl and Connors is something he wants badly. We as fans obviously have our own biases, but lets not try to conflate that with what he is looking for

 

[brokenshoelace]

I'm not sure how much of a big deal Singles Gold is for him.

PUH-LEASE.

 

[Murat Baslamisli]

-Triplets


As far as #8 on GSM's list is concerned...he is right up there despite the fact that there isn't any played on his favourite surface. I am sure he is OK with what he is got there.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

-Triplets


As far as #8 on GSM's list is concerned...he is right up there despite the fact that there isn't any played on his favourite surface. I am sure he is OK with what he is got there.

He has 23. RN has 27 and ND has 20 (on a side note, it is amazing that these three guys alone have amassed 70 of them). Even if Roger manages to become the leader, it will be shortlived, especially if he retires in a couple of years. This record will be held for a long time by either Rafa or Novak, after all three of them retire.

In view of this, actually I am not too happy with my #8. I am also not happy with my #9 and #10 as they are more sort of gravy than accomplishing something he has not done before. He is already the record holder on both counts. Although Novak is chasing him on #9, #10 is probably beyond the reach of both Rafa and Novak.

So, I am looking for replacements for #8 through #10 (especially #8 and #10).

 

[GameSetAndMath]

It is now almost end of 2014. Fed is 33 years old now. Although he may prolong further,
there is a good chance that he may hang his racquet by the end of 2016. That leaves just two
years. So, it is time to think of Fed's Bucket List. What do you think are the top 10 things that
he should focus on accomplishing in the remaining two years.

Here, my criteria is that the goal should be significant enough in terms of adding to his legacy. So, I would leave aside producing another set of twins, this time a boy and girl and winning Olympic gold medal in mixed doubles, although he has good chances of doing that playing with Belinda Bencic. Also, the goal should have some chance of materializing, i.e., it should be possible even if not probable. So for example, I would leave aside eclipsing Jimmy Connor's record of total title count or total matches won.

This is my initial list. Feel free to criticize it, modify it or create your own lists. I have given them in priority order. Priority is determined by a combination (but in a subjective, non-formulaic way) of significance and chances of it materializing.

1. Win Singles Gold Medal in Olympics 2016.

Tented informs us that 2016 Olympics will be played on hard courts in Rio. So, the chances of Fed achieving #1 has gone up significantly.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Federer isn't fussed about clay anymore. "clay does not need me anymore, I got flushed out"..said at fo2014,

You are reading too much into that comment. Rog always says things like that after losing in RG. That is just the champion's mentality of looking ahead instead of behind.

Rafa has to lose at RG soon, as nothing goes on forever. When that happens, if not Novak,
it may be Roger lifting the trophy. Remember 2011. That was the best year for Novak. But,
who stopped him at RG; it was not Rafa.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

I have modified the list. Here is the new list.

1. Win Singles Gold Medal in Olympics 2016.
2. Win RG once again so that he has double career grand slam.
3. Win Wimby once more so that he is in sole posession of the record for most Wimbleon titles in open era.
4. Win USO once more so that he is in sole possession of the record for most USO titles in open era.
5. Win AO once more so that he is in sole possession of the record for most AO titles in open era.
6. Win any GS one or more times to distance him further from the chasers like Rafa.
7. Finish as YE #1 one more time thus tying Pete's record of 6 (of course Rog's will be non-consecutive).
8. Win Rome ATP 1000, the last remaining unconquered mandatory Masters tourney.
9. Win Monte Carlo ATP 1000, the historic but unconquered non-mandatory Masters tourney.
10. Win WTF one or more times to distance him further from the chasers like Novak.

 

[DarthFed]

I think the singles gold is the only thing of importance he doesn't currently have. Winning Monte Carlo and Rome would be nice since he hasn't won there yet but those are just MS events. It still is mostly about slams.

Any slam is huge right now as he currently is tied for the most at 3 of the 4, and winning RG would give him the double career slam. Realistically there is next to no chance at RG and a very small one at AO so it is the last 2 that he really needs to focus on. Roger's shown he can still play on grass but for whatever reason he has been awful at USO starting with the 09 USO final. His play there the last 5 years is beyond my explanation because I know he still can play great on fast hardcourts. He just isn't bringing it in the Big Apple anymore.

After that getting #1, even though it would almost certainly be brief, would be enormous. It was already huge doing it at age 31 so it would just be that much more impressive to do it again.

 

[JesuslookslikeBorg]

Federer isn't fussed about clay anymore. "clay does not need me anymore, I got flushed out"..said at fo2014,

You are reading too much into that comment. Rog always says things like that after losing in RG. That is just the champion's mentality of looking ahead instead of behind.

Rafa has to lose at RG soon, as nothing goes on forever. When that happens, if not Novak,
it may be Roger lifting the trophy. Remember 2011. That was the best year for Novak. But,
who stopped him at RG; it was not Rafa.

maybe, but that was a long time ago. did you watch the gulbis 4th rd/qf ?..after that 2nd set it was a rare time I thought Federer gave up/or not going at it 100%..i don't think he really wants to chug around on 5set clay at 32/33 when he has some lovely grasscourt tennis to look forward to. and/or a break with the extra week.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Federer isn't fussed about clay anymore. "clay does not need me anymore, I got flushed out"..said at fo2014,

You are reading too much into that comment. Rog always says things like that after losing in RG. That is just the champion's mentality of looking ahead instead of behind.

Rafa has to lose at RG soon, as nothing goes on forever. When that happens, if not Novak,
it may be Roger lifting the trophy. Remember 2011. That was the best year for Novak. But,
who stopped him at RG; it was not Rafa.

maybe, but that was a long time ago. did you watch the gulbis 4th rd/qf ?..after that 2nd set it was a rare time I thought Federer gave up/or not going at it 100%..i don't think he really wants to chug around on 5set clay at 32/33 when he has some lovely grasscourt tennis to look forward to. and/or a break with the extra week.

No, I did not watch that live as I was sitting on a plane. But, I think it went to 5 sets. So, can't say Roger gave it up completely

 

[El Dude]

I wonder how much Roger cares about the tally of his stats, certainly probably less than fans of the game do. I mean, I would change the list and say:

1. Play for as long and as well as possible, hopefully staying in the elite of the game for some years yet.

Everything else is gravy. This is not to say that Roger doesn't desperately want #18 (probably the first on the list, even more so than Olympic Gold, imo), but that the main thing is to stay healthy and play the game he loves as well as he can for as long as he can.

I also agree with Jesus that unless he tanks, he won't retire in 2016. I don't know if he'll make it to 40, but I could definitely see late 30s. So maybe another year or three in the top 5, then a year or two in the top 10 and then, when he slips out of the top 10--maybe in 2019 or 2020--he'll call it a career.

On the other hand, I could see a scenario where he doesn't win a Slam in 2015 and then gives it one more shot in 2016, wins Olympic Gold AND Wimbledon and then announces a surprise retirement in Basel for after the World Tour Finals, then wins the WTF and finishes the year #1, being the first and only player to ever retire at #1, and at 35 no less.

I know, it won't happen - but wouldn't that be a great story?

 

[Billie]

Roger's shown he can still play on grass but for whatever reason he has been awful at USO starting with the 09 USO final. His play there the last 5 years is beyond my explanation because I know he still can play great on fast hardcourts. He just isn't bringing it in the Big Apple anymore.

You know it amuses me that you can't figure that one out.

I have my opinion, but using your logic about Nole and USO results, I would have to say that Roger is just garbage on fast hardcourts or he forgot how to play there.:lolz:

 

[JesuslookslikeBorg]

You are reading too much into that comment. Rog always says things like that after losing in RG. That is just the champion's mentality of looking ahead instead of behind.

Rafa has to lose at RG soon, as nothing goes on forever. When that happens, if not Novak,
it may be Roger lifting the trophy. Remember 2011. That was the best year for Novak. But,
who stopped him at RG; it was not Rafa.

maybe, but that was a long time ago. did you watch the gulbis 4th rd/qf ?..after that 2nd set it was a rare time I thought Federer gave up/or not going at it 100%..i don't think he really wants to chug around on 5set clay at 32/33 when he has some lovely grasscourt tennis to look forward to. and/or a break with the extra week.

No, I did not watch that live as I was sitting on a plane. But, I think it went to 5 sets. So, can't say Roger gave it up completely

so you didn't see it. you cannot comment on something you have not seen.

 

[Federberg]

I'm not sure how much of a big deal Singles Gold is for him.

PUH-LEASE.

Seriously

I'm not saying he won't go for it, I'm talking about his hierarchy of wants. I don't think it's as high on the list as most think. My impression when I spoke to him a few years back. is it's about tradition and the love of the game. Number of titles total he wins matters far more to him. And of course more Wimbledon titles and US Opens. As for the number 1 ranking... That's really about us fans. I suspect his perspective is that if he gets it, it's a sign he's winning titles. When he mentioned Rio it was in the context of telling journos that he means to stick around. The guy loves the love he gets from fans and Mirka wants him to continue, there isn't a specific timeline to stop

 

[isabelle]

It is now almost end of 2014. Fed is 33 years old now. Although he may prolong further,
there is a good chance that he may hang his racquet by the end of 2016. That leaves just two
years. So, it is time to think of Fed's Bucket List. What do you think are the top 10 things that
he should focus on accomplishing in the remaining two years.

Here, my criteria is that the goal should be significant enough in terms of adding to his legacy. So, I would leave aside producing another set of twins, this time a boy and girl and winning Olympic gold medal in mixed doubles, although he has good chances of doing that playing with Belinda Bencic. Also, the goal should have some chance of materializing, i.e., it should be possible even if not probable. So for example, I would leave aside eclipsing Jimmy Connor's record of total title count or total matches won.

This is my initial list. Feel free to criticize it, modify it or create your own lists. I have given them in priority order. Priority is determined by a combination (but in a subjective, non-formulaic way) of significance and chances of it materializing.

1. Win Singles Gold Medal in Olympics 2016.
2. Win RG once again so that he has double career grand slam.
3. Win Wimby once more so that he is in sole posession of the record for most Wimbleon titles.
4. Win any GS one or more times to distance him further from the chasers.
5. Finish as YE #1 one more time thus tying Pete's record of 6 (of course Rog's will be non-consecutive).
6. Win Rome ATP 1000, the last remaining unconquered mandatory Masters tourney.
7. Win Monte Carlo ATP 1000, the historic but non-mandatory Masters tourney.
8. Try to become the leader in number of Masters Tourneys won too.
9. Win WTF few more times extending his existing record.
10. Get back to #1 (even if not YE #1) again and tack on more weeks to his existing record.

Why not more reachable goals ?? Winnnig Halle, Basel or I or 2 MS if lucky is more likely to happen than winning a GS or beeing N°1 again...those golden years are behind him now, you overate him one more time. I've been reading this type of "prediction" since Wimbly 2012 and nothing happened
GS, Masters, N°1 aren't for him anymore : too old , too many young and healthy opponents

 

[Front242]

^ And yet he's so old that he's currently world number 2 and was in with a shot at world number 1 not long ago at the age of 33.

 

[isabelle]

^ And yet he's so old that he's currently world number 2 and was in with a shot at world number 1 not long ago at the age of 33.

Gamesetandmatch didn't talk about a N°2 spot but about a N°1....for the moment Nole in N°1 and has about 2000pts more than N°2...I don't see him losing this spot except serious and unexpectd injury
33 is older than 27 uh ??? Let's be realist, overating a player doesn't make him play better or reach impossible dreams. Winning a 2nd DC ic envisageable for Switzerland in 2015 if both Stanimal and Backderer are in top form on the same moment, it seems a realist goal IMO

 

[Federberg]

^ And yet he's so old that he's currently world number 2 and was in with a shot at world number 1 not long ago at the age of 33.

I know right!? Within touching distance of number 1, finalist in a slam... but some folks make out like the odds of him getting either are negligible. I really struggle to understand the logic sometimes