Roger's Quest for #1 (and Rafa's QF exit implications)

[Busted]

You've always said that. I find it a bit unbelievable. But I'll go with what you say...you follow Roger, and I don't.

DarthFed didn't make that up. Roger said it himself in an interview after one of his early round matches. Maybe the Ferrer match. He said he did some fitness work the week before, practiced 1 or 2 days and decided he'd practiced enough already that year (because he practiced for the FO but then didn't play it) and said "let's go play some matches" instead. So he decided at the last minute to play both Montreal ahead of Cincy.

 

[Busted]

Yeah he reached the final and yet we still can count that as the worst scheduling decision of his career. He went from clear if not heavy favorite at USO to a non-factor.

LOL! You say this as if Roger planned on putting his back on in Montreal. It could have happened in Cincy if he'd skipped Montreal. It could have happened in practice or anywhere else. It just happend to be in the middle of a final. It's like tearing his meniscus running a bath for his kids. That could have happened during the Djokovic match. So it wasn't playing Montreal at the last minute with minimal practice that was the problem. He's been playing tennis for 30 years, so it wasn't like he was re-inventing the wheel with a last minute decision to play. When bad shit happens ya gotta accept it and move on.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

LOL! You say this as if Roger planned on putting his back on in Montreal. It could have happened in Cincy if he'd skipped Montreal. It could have happened in practice or anywhere else. It just happend to be in the middle of a final. It's like tearing his meniscus running a bath for his kids. That could have happened during the Djokovic match. So it wasn't playing Montreal at the last minute with minimal practice that was the problem. He's been playing tennis for 30 years, so it wasn't like he was re-inventing the wheel with a last minute decision to play. When bad shit happens ya gotta accept it and move on.

No, it is not that something suddenly happened in the final. Roger was playing crap in Montreal. Any decent player should have taken out long before the finals. He managed to reach the finals partly due to aura and partly due to weak opponents.

 

[Federberg]

LOL! You say this as if Roger planned on putting his back on in Montreal. It could have happened in Cincy if he'd skipped Montreal. It could have happened in practice or anywhere else. It just happend to be in the middle of a final. It's like tearing his meniscus running a bath for his kids. That could have happened during the Djokovic match. So it wasn't playing Montreal at the last minute with minimal practice that was the problem. He's been playing tennis for 30 years, so it wasn't like he was re-inventing the wheel with a last minute decision to play. When bad shit happens ya gotta accept it and move on.

It was a dumb move because he was always going to play one of his favourite tournaments Cincy. In light of that going to Montreal not only increased his chances of injury - he's not young anymore - but it would likely tire him out for the USO. That was my objection. I wanted him to play Cincy as a warm up event. Getting injured in Montreal wasn't expected, that wasn't why a lot of us objected to his playing there. It lessened the chances of him winning at the USO. All the nonsense about getting to no 1 was just stupid. If he'd won in New York it would have taken care of itself. I have less of a problem with him adding Rotterdam to his schedule now as he has months to put any missteps behind him in preparation for Wimbledon. But I still think it's silly

 

[Moxie]

DarthFed didn't make that up. Roger said it himself in an interview after one of his early round matches. Maybe the Ferrer match. He said he did some fitness work the week before, practiced 1 or 2 days and decided he'd practiced enough already that year (because he practiced for the FO but then didn't play it) and said "let's go play some matches" instead. So he decided at the last minute to play both Montreal ahead of Cincy.

I do believe it...just don't follow him as much to read all of the quotes.

LOL! You say this as if Roger planned on putting his back on in Montreal. It could have happened in Cincy if he'd skipped Montreal. It could have happened in practice or anywhere else. It just happend to be in the middle of a final. It's like tearing his meniscus running a bath for his kids. That could have happened during the Djokovic match. So it wasn't playing Montreal at the last minute with minimal practice that was the problem. He's been playing tennis for 30 years, so it wasn't like he was re-inventing the wheel with a last minute decision to play. When bad shit happens ya gotta accept it and move on.

I said the same after Montreal into the USO. One can't say for sure that if his back was going to go that it went specifically because he played Montreal. I know the talk about being under-prepared, but that doesn't prove that's why it went then. Also, Roger is famously light in practice, in the same way that Rafa is notoriously full-on. Roger felt he was prepared, but it seems he was wrong.

 

[Moxie]

Why on earth would Rafa play a 250 tournament in Mexico that he clearly doesn't need and just came off an injury at the AO? We know the answer to that..He doesn't want to lose the #1 ranking...I get it I'm not berating him but if Fed wants to play Rotterdam its seems a little desperate to you to get the #1ranking? We are talking about two extremely competitive champions..The #1 ranking does mean something very important to both of them. The two of them will be going at it all year but Fed wants that record...

I didn't say that the #1 ranking doesn't mean a lot to both of them, irrespective of their relationship to each other. However, you guys are so sure of the records that Roger is chasing, but turn a blind eye as if he's not also conscious of his rivalry with Rafa as an actual thing, too. This is folks having it both ways.

@Moxie, you are displaying previously unrevealed levels of Federer butthurt in this thread

Just stirring the pot, my friend.

 

[DarthFed]

Federer would have still got ass kicked by del potro even if he did not play Montreal. Also del potro saved nadal from losing a another major to Federer

lol I'm not going to touch this with a ten foot pole. The only thing I said afterwards is that any kind of good tennis from Roger beats Del Po, at least the post-injury one we've seen since 2009. Roger may have showed up and wet the bed at USO anyways. All we know is that he did get handled by DP and deservedly so.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

The draw is out. Fed plays against a qualifier in the first round. He plays against Khachanov or Kohly in the second round. His QF opponent is projected to be Stan (or Hasse). Only up to this much is needed to clinch #1.

SF opponent is projected to be Sasha or Tsonga. F opponent is projected to be Goffin or Grigor.

Also, it needs to be kept in mind this is an indoor tourney.