Federer's Schedule 2018

[Moxie]

From your options,3rd is the best
Regarding Clay-

Most likely he will skip it all but just for speculation purpose,
In my opinion,he should play-
1.Monte Carlo-most top guys except Nadal skip it as its the only non-mandatory masters event (last years field was very easy)and if he wants to go for points he should try it here since even if he doesn't feel physically well on the surface there's plenty of time to recover for grass season and you never know he might get lucky and Nadal falters he gets a missing masters title

2.Madrid-If he's really targeting a clay title,this should be the one.

3.Rome-Since Madrid and Rome switched spots and due to its close proximity to French Open many top clay guys might not give their all here.And again an opportunity to add a missing masters title if stars align

4.French- Test out the clay game in a clay masters and Play only if he feels physically fine on the surface.

If Roger plays clay, I agree that he should skip MC. Too early on, and if Rafa is fit, he'll win it. Madrid: Maybe he should play there and skip Rome. It plays better to his strengths. Rome: I completely disagree with your notion that players won't give their all there. The main reason it was switched with Madrid is that it plays much closer to RG, and so is a better testing ground for Paris. I think Rome is the bragging rights before RG. IF Roger plays on clay this year, he will pick Madrid or Rome as one warm-up, and decide if he's up for Paris. There's a solid argument for Madrid, plus he gets longer rest before RG.

 

[Moxie]

The Dude is being diplomatic in regards to the YEC rotating. There is no reason for it, moving it to clay would render the indoor season meaningless and you'd have a tournament of the 8 best players having to adjust their games to a completely different surface. It makes zero sense and there's a reason it's only Nadal and his fans pushing for it. "Please let me win, I suck when ball doesn't bounce high, no?

You've completely ignored all of my reasoned arguments. Not about moving it to clay, but making it a revolving tournament. It does come down to whether you think indoor HCs is a separate thing, though. My argument is that over half the calendar is played on HCs, and they are over-represented at the Big tournaments. If you really think that indoor hards is a completely different thing to hard courts, than I get the argument. I just don't see that.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

@Moxie, I don't have any problem with the WTF rotating. But let's be honest: Rafa and some of his fans want it to rotate (or on clay) so he has a better chance of winning it.

If I were to make adjustments to the schedule, I'd rotate the WTF between hard, grass, and clay, and get rid of one of the hard Masters and replace it with Halle as a Masters.

NO! WTF is the culmination of the indoor HC season part and so it must be on indoor HC.

I am fine with rotating between different cities though.

 

[Moxie]

NO! WTF is the culmination of the indoor HC season part and so it must be on indoor HC.

I am fine with rotating between different cities though.

But why? The WTF is after the calendar year finishes. It really could be anything. If you're willing to rotate it between cities, than why not rotate it between surfaces? And hemispheres? It really is a stand-alone tournament in many ways, based on format. There is no reason to proscribe it as anything.

 

[Moxie]

Also, if the WTF is the culmination of the indoor season, then why isn't it a MS1000? It's not a Major and it's not a MS1000. It's its own creature. Therefore, I think it can be remade every year.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

But why? The WTF is after the calendar year finishes. It really could be anything. If you're willing to rotate it between cities, than why not rotate it between surfaces? And hemispheres? It really is a stand-alone tournament in many ways, based on format. There is no reason to proscribe it as anything.

It is unreasonable to expect players to play in an important tournament on a different surface without warm up tourneys being played on the same type of surface. We have an indoor 250 (three of them in the same week) , indoor 500 (Basel/Vienna) and indoor 1000 (Bercy) that lead up to indoor WTF. If you want to change WTF to clay (or for that matter grass), then the surfaces of the three lead up tourneys also need to be changed. Hopefully, you will realize that this is a logistical nightmare.

 

[Moxie]

It is unreasonable to expect players to play in an important tournament on a different surface without warm up tourneys being played on the same type of surface. We have an indoor 250 (three of them in the same week) , indoor 500 (Basel/Vienna) and indoor 1000 (Bercy) that lead up to indoor WTF. If you want to change WTF to clay (or for that matter grass), then the surfaces of the three lead up tourneys also need to be changed. Hopefully, you will realize that this is a logistical nightmare.

But Davis Cup also expects them to change surfaces and sometimes hemispheres. The AO comes up fast on the early year calendar and some choose not to play tune-ups. Djokovic has been notable on this and on grass, when he's still won at Wimbledon and the AO with no tune-ups. In general, the tennis calendar requires them to change surfaces and move across continents on a regular basis. I don't see why this would be an especial hardship. As opposed to the notion that the YEC should be a culmination of the year, not just another MS1000 on (indoor) HC. I'll ask you again: if the YEC is the culmination of the indoor season, then why is it more than a MS1000 and less than a Major? If it's its own thing, which it really is, then it should be maleable, year-to-year.

 

[DarthFed]

You've completely ignored all of my reasoned arguments. Not about moving it to clay, but making it a revolving tournament. It does come down to whether you think indoor HCs is a separate thing, though. My argument is that over half the calendar is played on HCs, and they are over-represented at the Big tournaments. If you really think that indoor hards is a completely different thing to hard courts, than I get the argument. I just don't see that.

If it wasn't separate then why does Rafa suck indoors yet does well outdoors on hard courts? It's definitely different and with a few weeks of warm-ups and the YEC it definitely stands on its own.

 

[Andy22]

You can't reason with Nadal fans on this. The fact of the matter is - Nadal can play on clay courts from Feb to August if he so chooses. Sure, a lot of the events are 250 events, but that's beside the point. He's made a fortune winning the same 5 tournaments - Monte Carlo, Madrid, Rome, Roland Garros, Barcelona). They account for 42 of his 53 clay titles and 22 of his 30 Masters titles. If Roger spent as much time bitching about the lack of grass court Masters events as Nadal spends whining about the tour finals not being on clay, then his fans would be all over Roger and calling him a spoiled diva....which is what I'm calling Nadal for always whining about the tour finals...

Roger federer is the diva, always whining to get night matches, centre court, name should be change to Princess Federer.

 

[Andy22]

Sometimes I goad you just to see what silly thing you'll say next. As Roger has said - there's an entire clay court season (that stretches from Feb to early August!). Grass court season is only 5 weeks. The tour finals is during WINTER when it's indoor season so why should it be played on clay when half of the season is already played on clay? Too bad, so sad for Nadal. Doesn't really speak well of his fans' faith in him when they think the only way he can win the tour finals is to move it to clay. Actually...we know Nadal thinks that as well since he keeps complaining that it's nto fair that it's always played on indoor hard courts. Boo hoo hoo.

Well you say that clay half the but it only has 3 masters events, to 6 on hard courts.

 

[Moxie]

If it wasn't separate then why does Rafa suck indoors yet does well outdoors on hard courts? It's definitely different and with a few weeks of warm-ups and the YEC it definitely stands on its own.

Is it important that it be separate? Also, is it important that the YEC be in London every year? It's far less traditional than the Majors. And the format is unique. Surely, it could rotate. To some extent. It's the one place that you could add a seriously important event in So. America or Asia, etc. Even if you're committed to it being indoor HC, it seems wrong that it stays in London.

 

[Andy22]

Wtf Should rotate between Spain and London clay in Spain, hard in London. Wimbledon should rotate surfaces, clay, grass.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Is it important that it be separate? Also, is it important that the YEC be in London every year? It's far less traditional than the Majors. And the format is unique. Surely, it could rotate. To some extent. It's the one place that you could add a seriously important event in So. America or Asia, etc. Even if you're committed to it being indoor HC, it seems wrong that it stays in London.

I agree that it could rotate as far as city is concerned. However, money drives everything. With London folks both bringing the money and having the tradition, it is hard to move it outside until their money dries up.

 

[Moxie]

About the money now? Well, that's a shift in conversation. Not without merit, but goes from the theoretical to crass commercialism. You laying your opinion on that?

 

[Moxie]

Wtf Should rotate between Spain and London clay in Spain, hard in London. Wimbledon should rotate surfaces, clay, grass.

This is so far from what I would recommend. (Never minding the completely ridiculous notion that Wimbledon would be on anything but grass.)

You`ve completely missed the point of mixing up the YEC. One, the idea of not playing it always in Europe or GBR or the US. My vision, if I may be so bold, would be a grass YEC in Oz or NZ, (I don't know what the other options are in So. Hemisphere summer a Clay one in South America; and an Indoor HC one, but not always at the O2. And maybe the HC one could be occasionally outdoors in a more temperate climate, again pulling it out of Europe/US. To me, it's about making it more universal, spreading the wealth and making the YEC about proving chops across surfaces, not just being the end of the indoor HC season.

 

[Andy22]

Well yes having wtf in Asia would be awesome, needs to be more events outside of Europe.

 

[Moxie]

Well yes having wtf in Asia would be awesome, needs to be more events outside of Europe.

I think I said Australia, NZ and So. America, but Asia was also implied, yes. So you're OK with not bouncing it between Spain and London, then?

 

[I.Haychew]

Also, if the WTF is the culmination of the indoor season, then why isn't it a MS1000? It's not a Major and it's not a MS1000. It's its own creature. Therefore, I think it can be remade every year.

Because it's a 1500...a "tweener". I get both sides of the argument: Keep it consistent with the calendar (indoor hards) or rotate the surfaces because it's a tournament based on results on all surfaces throughout the year. Tough call. When do you rotate the surfaces? Who decides? When clay? When "slow" hards? When grass? When "fast" hards? When something else?...The possibilities are mind-boggling.

 

[DarthFed]

Roger federer is the diva, always whining to get night matches, centre court, name should be change to Princess Federer.

Haha you don't understand much of anything too well. The tournaments will always put him on the top court and usually at night because he is by FAR the biggest draw in tennis.

 

[DarthFed]

Is it important that it be separate? Also, is it important that the YEC be in London every year? It's far less traditional than the Majors. And the format is unique. Surely, it could rotate. To some extent. It's the one place that you could add a seriously important event in So. America or Asia, etc. Even if you're committed to it being indoor HC, it seems wrong that it stays in London.

I'd say it's nice that it is separate. There is already a lack of surface variety on the tour. Obviously you don't like indoor HC and you aren't even going to try to hide it.

Rotating cities for YEC would be fine but keep the same surface and for the most part you would want it to play somewhat similar to Paris Masters.