Federer's Schedule for 2017

[Shivashish Sarkar]

Okay, so it look's like Roger really needed time away from the tour to spend it with his racquet. He needed to practice playing with the racquet and get a good feel of it instead of worrying about matches. Hence, the comeback.

 

[lob]

Not sure where this belongs but since this thread started with Roger's schedule, I'm posting it here.

Guys, I need a bit of help here. I went back and saw the last set of 2014 Wimbledon final and I couldn't help feeling that that Roger 'deserved' to lose. Obviously, I was reflexively comparing him to the Roger that played the 5th set in AO17. Here is what I saw:

- not anywhere near as aggressive as he was this year. Not actively trying to finish points but waiting for an opportunity.
- overusing slice backhand. It was his go to shot on the backhand side. He had a drive BH but I didn't see the whole variety of BHs he has been routinely using this year.
- staying behind the baseline instead of hugging it like he has been doing this year.
- service return was much weaker may be because of the BH again.
- not swinging freely and not going for his shots.
- his return game was essentially at the mercy of the server. Naturally, he made more unforced errors on big points because he knew he'd get very few.

All that left me with the question. Why did he not try these changes earlier? It's like a switch turned on in his tennis brain all of a sudden this year. Hope it stays on :huh:. Also, what was the role of the new racket?

You have to remember that Roger only started playing with the 97 sq in racket full-time in Jan 2014. How many other players make racket changes and immediately make SF at AO, R16 at FO and F at W and SF at USO, win 73 matches and 5 titles? Stan made a racket change in 2011 and promptly fell from #14 to #29. It took him 2 years to get comfortable with the racket - and Norman - and get back into the Top 10. Roger said himself that he wasn't "super comfortable" with the new racket until this year. He also told Tennis Channel that he just didn't have the belief to drive the backhand more often because he used to shank so much with the smaller headed racket. The fact that he was even in 2 the Wimbledon final was testament to his talent - if not his belief in the new racket. He also said he brought in Edberg so he could start playing more aggressive tennis - and he did that in 2015 and got to the Wimbledon and US Open finals.

But - why is anyone surprised that Roger lost these matches? He's considered "past his prime," right? Older players in all sports pull their punches and over-think things that used to flow and come easily. Again, back to something Roger said about himself when asked about similarities with Kyrgios - maybe he has TOO MANY OPTIONS? Most players have A and B - sometimes C. Roger has A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H - and sometimes the whole damned alphabet.

Also, shouldn't the guy who is IN HIS PRIME and 6 years younger win these matches? Isn't it a testament to Djokovic's improved mental tenacity? And isn't he now in the exact same downward slide that happened to Roger, Sampras, McEnroe, Lendl, Agassi and every other great champion? Actually it's worse, but you get what I mean - he's not the player he was and now that he's shown vulnerabilities other players will come for him the same way Istomin did - and the same way he came for Roger.

Thanks Busted. Great post.

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[Frode789]

So his schedule looks pretty straight forward now with the clay masters finally being confirmed. He doesn't like back-to-back Masters (I doubt he is going to play Sunshine double next year, probably gonna skip Miami), so Canada is not going to happen. Then we have Shanghai, Basel and Paris. He has previously played all three, but is he going to skip Shanghai this year? Paris is great warm-up for ATP Finals, and he isn't skipping Basel. Skipping Shanghai would give him those long breaks that he does like. So that is certainly a possibility.

Also, I think he might skip Stuttgart if he goes all the way in French Open.

January:
- Australian Open. Grand Slam 2000.
February:
- Dubai. ATP 250.
March:
- Indian Wells. ATP Masters 1000.
- Miami. ATP Masters 1000.
April:
*No tennis from Federer *
May:
- French Open. Grand Slam 2000.
June:
- Stuttgart. ATP 250.
- Halle. ATP 500.
July:
- Wimbledon. Grand Slam 2000.
August:
- Cincy. ATP Masters 1000.
- US Open. Grand Slam 2000.
September:
*No tennis from Federer *
October:
- Shanghai. ATP Masters 1000.
- Basel. ATP 500.
- Paris. ATP Masters 1000.
November:
- London. ATP Finals 1500.
December:
*No tennis from Federer *

 

[mightyjeditribble]

He's previously skipped Paris, though i think that was before they inserted another week before WTF. So he could do so and play Shanghai, which he said is one of his favourites. But then Shanghai is a long way from home. So probably you are right.

There's also the Laver cup exhibition that he's committed to.

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[Shivashish Sarkar]

He's previously skipped Paris, though i think that was before they inserted another week before WTF. So he could do so and play Shanghai, which he said is one of his favourites. But then Shanghai is a long way from home. So probably you are right.

There's also the Laver cup exhibition that he's committed to.

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Laver cup is a great tournament. But, it might cause problems. We'll see.

 

[mightyjeditribble]

I posted this in the clay court thread but logically it belongs here:

Currently Fed plans to pay RG, but may decide not to. Final decision to be made on May 10.

http://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/sport/tennis...5287?track

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[Frode789]

Federer updated his Tour Tracer on his website, it now lists Roland Garros as the next event. It will be very exciting to see him play on clay for the first time after his comeback
Hopefully he feels fit and the training on clay goes well. I really don't want him suddenly pulling out of RG.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Federer updated his Tour Tracer on his website, it now lists Roland Garros as the next event. It will be very exciting to see him play on clay for the first time after his comeback
Hopefully he feels fit and the training on clay goes well. I really don't want him suddenly pulling out of RG.

1. The date on the site is wrong. This year, RG starts only on sunday, the 28th of May.
2. I liked Fed's old home page. It was so easy to check his schedule, old results and
various other useful information quickly. The new website is almost useless in finding
info about his game and results.
3. I don't think Fed will drop out of RG.

 

[Frode789]

Federer updated his Tour Tracer on his website, it now lists Roland Garros as the next event. It will be very exciting to see him play on clay for the first time after his comeback
Hopefully he feels fit and the training on clay goes well. I really don't want him suddenly pulling out of RG.

1. The date on the site is wrong. This year, RG starts only on sunday, the 28th of May.
2. I liked Fed's old home page. It was so easy to check his schedule, old results and
various other useful information quickly. The new website is almost useless in finding
info about his game and results.
3. I don't think Fed will drop out of RG.

1. Details.. :angel: But yes, it is.
2. Agreed! The new website is garbage. You'd think that with the kind of money Federer has, he would hire someone more skilled than a monkey to design and run his website.
3. I don't think he will, unless his clay training in May reveals a big problem with his knee. But I'd give it a 90% probability (FrodeProbabilityFactoryTM) that he plays.

 

[El Dude]

That's exactly it, Frode (point 3). I am sure he has every intention of playing unless practicing on clay feels funny on his knee(s). So in a sense there isn't anything to discuss, until May 10 and his announcement.

 

[mightyjeditribble]

The decision he talks about is whether to go onto the chat at all. He's training on hard courts until then. He also says he feels his aggressive hard court game can transfer to clay.

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[GameSetAndMath]

The decision he talks about is whether to go onto the chat at all. He's training on hard courts until then. He also says he feels his aggressive hard court game can transfer to clay.

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Fed has said that he will not step on clay anytime before two weeks prior to RG. Given RG starts on 28th May, it means Roger won't step on clay till 14th May. Therefore, if he is making the decision on whether to play RG on May 10th, that decision cannot be informed by how his knees feel on clay.

However, by May 10th, we will know the results of MC, Barcy and Madrid. Hence, we will have a good idea of whether the points get split between the different contenders or one man runs away with it. If it is the later case, Fed would be more in need of points won at RG (even if he knows he cannot win RG) in case he becomes a contender for YE#1 later.

p.s. Of course, even if he decides yes by 10th May, he can and always will say no if knees don't feel good while practicing. But, I think the chances of that are less.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Fed's recent interview.

[video=youtube]https://youtu.be/EzXNPORNEm4[/video]

 

[Busted]

Fed's recent interview.

[video=youtube]https://youtu.be/EzXNPORNEm4[/video]

Gonna be a whole lot of pissed off French fans if Federer doesn't play the FO again. Meanwhile the Wimbledon organizers are plotting to raise ticket prices even higher..:snicker

 

[Kieran]

I don't understand Federer taking such a long break. He's felt no fatigue at all so far this season, and it's been his busiest season in over a decade. It's almost as if he's avoiding the sport, deliberately. Why not keep his options open? There's no point in him turning up in Paris if he hasn't gotten a few sets in, in a tournament setting. He might as well skip clay and work towards Wimbledon...

 

[mrzz]

^Completely agree, even if in some matches in Miami -- even in IW -- you could see him struggling for focus. Form wise I thought he peaked at the second week in AO, played slightly worst in IW and a clear step bellow in Miami (that all, of course, on average, and is also relative. Obviously people could cite some great parts in given matches). I would guess he saw the trend.

But he could be well figuring that, if he won AO just with an EXO tourney as preparation, now that he is in a better place, he could do well in RG (say, semis) with no preparation at all. It has some cheap logic.

Anyway I still think that notwithstanding all the talk, he gets a WC in Rome (but the tussle with the tournament director did not help).

 

[GameSetAndMath]

When did Fed have tussle with TD@Rome?

p.s. I would like it he gets WC at Rome. However, I think he will neither play in Rome nor skip RG.

 

[Front242]

I don't understand Federer taking such a long break. He's felt no fatigue at all so far this season, and it's been his busiest season in over a decade. It's almost as if he's avoiding the sport, deliberately. Why not keep his options open? There's no point in him turning up in Paris if he hasn't gotten a few sets in, in a tournament setting. He might as well skip clay and work towards Wimbledon...

He'll be fine playing a few donkeys (hopefully not Donskoy / name is kinda like donkey ) in the early rounds and playing into form. Hopman Cup was his only match play prior to the AO and since he's done that now he knows what he's capable of. He'll no doubt be knocking around a few balls with Ljubicic too anyway. Pretty sure he's not taking a long break unless he feels he needs it. Winning the 3 biggest tournaments of the year is bound to mentally fatigue you and he said his body is sore which it most likely is playing that much at almost 36. It's a lot different in terms of matches played when you've won all 3 'cos you've played way more matches than someone playing the AO, Indian Wells and Miami and losing early. Bound to be some aches and pains. Raonic plays one set and he can barely walk

Btw, yet another opinion that a well rested Federer may be the favourite to win RG. This time from Brad Kallet at tennis.com.

http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2017/04/roger-federer-petra-kvitova-french-open-atp-wta-tennis/65500/

 

[El Dude]

If it was just a matter of fatigue then I think he'd play Rome. But given what he has said about the impact clay has on his knees, and that he might even skip Roland Garros, I think he's protecting his chances of winning Wimbledon and/or the US Open. His chances of winning one of them greatly increased after winning the AO, but not as much his chances of winning RG. He'll only play RG on the off chance the draw opens up for him and there are some lucky upsets, so that he gets to face someone like Nishikori in the SF and Thiem in the final.

While I personally value year-end #1 and would love to see him do it, I still maintain that his best chance of doing so is not worrying about it, and instead focus on optimizing his better tournaments: Wimbledon, US Open, WTF, and the faster Masters. If he's going to pop in at a surprise Masters, it might be Canada and not a clay one, depending upon how things went at RG and Wimby.

 

[shawnbm]

I still think he plays Paris and I think he'll go far