Roger Done?

[El Dude]

OK, I'm writing this right after he lost to Delbonis in the SF at Hamburg. But let's be honest here - this isn't even the diminished Roger of 2010-11, certainly not the resurgent Roger of 2012. His last two losses have been to players outside of the top 50 - actually, both were ranked outside of the top 100 before the tournament began.

Things aren't looking good. He can't return even a halfway decent serve. His overall arsenal seems there at times but he's just too inconsistent.

If this continues through the North American tour I wouldn't be surprised to see him hang up the racquet.

What do you think?

 

[Sundaymorningguy]

He isn't going to hang up his racquet. I think if his results continue on a decline over the next year/year and a half he might consider it, but not right now.

 

[Murat Baslamisli]

Done like a Hamburger?
Nah, not done yet...couple more wins in him . The thing is, if he was not motivated anymore, why the racket change? That gives me some hope.

 

[britbox]

I don't see it. He was Number 1 again 12 months ago. Clearly going through a bad patch though in his trajectory of decline...

Bear in mind also, the new racquet... it's going to take a little time for him to bed in.

I don't hold particularly high expectations for the remainder of the year, although Cincinatti might be an oasis in the desert. I think he will return reinvigorated in 2014, but i'm guessing that will be the last trip to the well.

 

[tented]

He isn't going to hang up his racquet. I think if his results continue on a decline over the next year/year and a half he might consider it, but not right now.

I agree. Not yet. If he were to lose early at the USO -- which might even endanger his getting into the final 8 for London -- then perhaps he'll give retirement some serious thought.

 

[britbox]

I think he's too stubborn to give retirement a thought right now. I'm not holding out for much more than a QF at the US Open. I think Fed will re-assess at the end of the year and come back next year re-invigorated to a degree. Surely we're nearing the end of a great career though.

 

[Front242]

I think he's too stubborn to give retirement a thought right now. I'm not holding out for much more than a QF at the US Open. I think Fed will re-assess at the end of the year and come back next year re-invigorated to a degree. Surely we're nearing the end of a great career though.

Sadly likewise. I'm also not expecting anything better than a quarter final appearance. It'd just really make my day (not) to see him draw Berdych again and look like a total junkfest out there :nono

 

[Asmodeus]

I think the only thing that is done is this thread. Come on! He lost two tie breakers. It's not like he ate two breadsticks out there.

Hopefully, the new rackets will do him well for the future. But it's probably going to be a rough patch for a bit as he works through this.

Him wanting to change rackets in the middle of a season is signal enough that he is not planning on going anywhere. And while his presence might be muted a bit, especially for the rest of the year, if he works at it and masters his new racket, he'll dish out some pain for his opponents in the future. I can easily see him being the guy, regardless if he wins another major, who ruins a higher ranked player's run in a slam. I think he would like it very much; stopping Nadal, the Joke, or Murray from adding a slam to their total.

 

[DarthFed]

No way he's retiring at the end of this year. If the rest of 2013 goes bad and he doesn't do any better in 2014 then he might start thinking about it.

The only hope Im holding onto is that summer hard courts and indoors is his best time of the year. But at this point I still don't see him making much noise the rest of the year

 

[tented]

No way he's retiring at the end of this year. If the rest of 2013 goes bad and he doesn't do any better in 2014 then he might start thinking about it.

The only hope Im holding onto is that summer hard courts and indoors is his best time of the year. But at this point I still don't see him making much noise the rest of the year

Good point about the hard courts, especially indoors. Do you know if he ever resolved whether or not he's going to Basel?

 

[Front242]

No way he's retiring at the end of this year. If the rest of 2013 goes bad and he doesn't do any better in 2014 then he might start thinking about it.

The only hope Im holding onto is that summer hard courts and indoors is his best time of the year. But at this point I still don't see him making much noise the rest of the year

Good point about the hard courts, especially indoors. Do you know if he ever resolved whether or not he's going to Basel?

According to his website he's playing Basel alright. Could be a tough one with Del Potro looking to defend. Nadal will be there too but Del Potro is the much deadlier opponent on indoor hardcourts. Good prep for the WTF for them all though being the most similar surface.

http://www.rogerfederer.com/en/tennis/schedule.html

 

[lacatch]

I admire Roger for taking the initiative with a new stick. But having watched much of the match, I think only part of his performance can be chalked up to that. He played as he has for much of the year--which is more to do about slowing down just enough to affect his timing, as well as confidence. I'm a big Roger fan, but the guy does have an ego and a temper, and if things don't turn around, I don't think he'll stick around. No matter what he says about playing Rio 2016.

 

[El Dude]

I think the best we can hope for is the narrative that says he comes back re-invigorated in 2014 and has one last strong run in him.

That said, if you compare this year to last--or any other year going back 10+ years--we see a very different story. This is well beyond "bad patch." Compare 2012 and 2013 (not including Davis Cup):

Overall:
2012: 71-12 (86%)
2013: 30-9 (77%)

Its worth pointing out that at this point last year he had played 17 more matches, although that includes the Olympics.

Now compare his record against top 10 opponents:

Top 10:
2012: 15-10 (not including walkover lost to Tsonga)
2013: 1-5

Another huge difference is that Federer has lost two matches against opponents outside of the top 100 (Stakhovsky and Delbonis) this year, and four outside the top 10, whereas last year he only lost two matches outside of the top 10 - and that was a surging Tommy Haas and Andy Roddick. So compare this:

Top 20:
2012: 23-10
2013: 6-6

Ranked 21+:
2012: 48-2
2013: 24-3

 

[Kieran]

I don't understand this, trying to draw conclusions from a single tournament. I recall that after Rafa's FIRST tournament back, we had people saying his movement was off, he looks this and that, being generally ridiculous in their efforts to judge how he was doing.

Roger is trying out a new racket. And he lost a match using it. Let's keep it brief. He's not done and you write him off at your peril...

 

[Front242]

I actually hope the media really go to town on him as maybe that's what he needs right now. Shutting up clowns like Navratilova (liked her as a player but she's got a big and often clueless mouth) who dissed his chances at winning another slam and reclaiming number 1. He needs them to really annoy him so much that he feels the need to prove a point, which he did in style for much of the first half of last year.

 

[Kieran]

Shutting up clowns like Navratilova (liked her as a player but she's got a big and often clueless mouth) who dissed his chances at winning another slam and reclaiming number 1.

You think she's wrong? I mean, he may get another slam, but things would seriously have to fall his way again, but #1? That's hardly likely...

 

[britbox]

Shutting up clowns like Navratilova (liked her as a player but she's got a big and often clueless mouth) who dissed his chances at winning another slam and reclaiming number 1.

You think she's wrong? I mean, he may get another slam, but things would seriously have to fall his way again, but #1? That's hardly likely...

She made her comments before he won Wimbledon and reclaimed the World #1 last year. He already answered that bell.

 

[Kieran]

She made her comments before he won Wimbledon and reclaimed the World #1 last year. He already answered that bell.

So why is Front bringing it up now? What's it got to do with how he's playing at the moment?

 

[kskate2]

Not yet.

 

[Front242]

Shutting up clowns like Navratilova (liked her as a player but she's got a big and often clueless mouth) who dissed his chances at winning another slam and reclaiming number 1.

You think she's wrong? I mean, he may get another slam, but things would seriously have to fall his way again, but #1? That's hardly likely...

I think she's a clueless clown when she says things like Roger never has any trouble with guys like Gilles Simon..

Obviously I don't see him getting to number one now but I did when she wrote him off in the past. He's a whole lot worse now than he was when she made those remarks. Things like the Simon comment though show her complete lack of tennis cred. Does she even watch the matches?

---

She made her comments before he won Wimbledon and reclaimed the World #1 last year. He already answered that bell.

So why is Front bringing it up now? What's it got to do with how he's playing at the moment?

Because I said he needs the media to completely write him off to fire him up. He needs a target to shoot for.