So Much for Roger's "Comeback"

[El Dude]

Not looking good for Roger's future. He just got beaten in straight sets at one of his best tournaments by a similarly-aged player who has never beaten him.

Am I now allowed to suggest that he's winding down for earnest? What a bummer - talk about a quick fall. I'd be really surprised at this point if he makes good on his promise to play "a few more years."

 

[honey1269]

it will be a good laugh if nadal (BP) goes out to the german this round
i would laugh a lot

 

[Tennis Miller]

Not looking good for Roger's future. He just got beaten in straight sets at one of his best tournaments by a similarly-aged player who has never beaten him.

Am I now allowed to suggest that he's winding down for earnest? What a bummer - talk about a quick fall. I'd be really surprised at this point if he makes good on his promise to play "a few more years."

Roger has no future in tennis at the top. He's plummeting, and there's no path back to the mountaintop for him. His tennis obituary has been written prematurely for several years, but he was the one who put the nail in the coffin tonight all by himself. The fire is clearly gone and the body is breaking down.

He was once a beast. Now the best he can hope for is to be a tough out...if he even keeps playing much longer after this.

 

[DarthFed]

Remember what I said after the Nadal match about how he still doesn't have "it" and would not be a threat at the USO? Well as of now he doesn't have the belief or the fire and the weaknesses in his game are growing.

I really think the right thing is to take the rest of the year off. There are so many examples of players coming back rejuvenated after time off and that's what he needs. He still has enough game to win big titles if be gets some breaks and he can and should still be #4 in the world.

 

[Riotbeard]

I still believe he has a few more years relevance.

 

[DarthFed]

I still believe he has a few more years relevance.

If you consider a year like this as relevance then maybe. If 2014 keeps going in a bad direction I hope he calls it quits. I don't want to see him become a Lleyton Hewitt.

 

[the AntiPusher]

I still believe he has a few more years relevance.

If you consider a year like this as relevance then maybe. If 2014 keeps going in a bad direction I hope he calls it quits. I don't want to see him become a Lleyton Hewitt.

agreed.. Do you think that if he leaves, his status as the GOAT remains unquestioned but if he stays the chances of his current GOAT status begins to diminished (this might make a good topic for a thread)

 

[GameSetAndMath]

I still believe he has a few more years relevance.

If you consider a year like this as relevance then maybe. If 2014 keeps going in a bad direction I hope he calls it quits. I don't want to see him become a Lleyton Hewitt.

In one of the interviews after his Hamburg/Gastaad loss Fed actually cited Lleyton
Hewitt by name and said he (Fed) would be playing in the tour even if his rankings
plummet, just like Hewitt.

However, while it is easy to say, I don't think Roger can do that. If he does not
come back in 2014, I think he has too much pride to hang on in the trenches.

 

[DarthFed]

I still believe he has a few more years relevance.

If you consider a year like this as relevance then maybe. If 2014 keeps going in a bad direction I hope he calls it quits. I don't want to see him become a Lleyton Hewitt.

agreed.. Do you think that if he leaves, his status as the GOAT remains unquestioned but if he stays the chances of his current GOAT status begins to diminished (this might make a good topic for a thread)

No, I don't look at it like that. I just think there is a time to leave before it gets too embarrassing. MJ at 40 years old was probably still a top 20-30 player in the NBA but it was definitely time to go. It was weird seeing him get locked down and be generally unrecognizable. Roger at #15-20 would still be a well above average player but one who is going to lose early and not be a threat at slams. IMO it'd be time to go.

Anyways, let's see what he will do in 2014, the man has come back and surprised before so I wouldn't write him off yet. Unfortunately he seems content to play out this year but no good is coming of that...

 

[Didi]

I never was a fan of the person Roger Federer, though I admire him as a player. But today I have to say it was sad, just sad to see him leave the court in such a broken way. It was actually tough not to feel for him. For the first time ever I almost shed a tear for the guy. He might have all the records in the world, a legacy for the ages and a wonderful family but you could see how much it hurts him that he simply cannot go on to do what he loves and used to do so well. Father time can be brutal.

Way back when I noticed that after three surgeries I simply didn't have the legs anymore to play tennis in my tennis club and had to retire from the sport I loved so much, I was heartbroken. Now imagine how it must have felt for the greatest player to ever play this game leaving Armstrong today in such a broken way. I don't know what it is. You simply don't drop from being the clear #1 in the summer of 2012 to barely being top 20 material within just 12 months. That never happened in the Open Era.

Maybe his back bothers him to such a strong extent but he refuses to make it publicly. Just losing motivation and desire cannot result to such a brutal decline. No way. Whatever it is, I genuinely hope he works on it and comes back 2014 healthy and hungry for one last ride. Going to work now, I'm prepared for death and hell as the mood of my boss often depends on Fed's results...gulp

 

[DarthFed]

No need to feel sorry for him. He has dished out a lot more pain than he has received. Using disasters like this could eventually be the motivation to prove he can still play decent tennis. I was hoping that moment would come after the Wimbledon loss but it didn't happen and I don't think Roger will be doing jack the rest of the year except possibly make a bad situation worse.

 

[Moxie]

No need to feel sorry for him. He has dished out a lot more pain than he has received. Using disasters like this could eventually be the motivation to prove he can still play decent tennis. I was hoping that moment would come after the Wimbledon loss but it didn't happen and I don't think Roger will be doing jack the rest of the year except possibly make a bad situation worse.

I agree with almost all of your post, Darth. There's certainly no reason to feel sorry for Rog and go completely tragic on the notion that it's over. He lost to a former world #5. Who had finally figured out a way to beat him...why is that different than a journeyman up-and-comer? Better, I'd say, to be beaten by a wily veteran who knows your game, having a very good day. It's a surprise, because Roger was looking vintage just a round before. But, hey, Robredo played a great match!

 

[DarthFed]

This isn't a thread to hype up Robredo. Fact of the matter is Roger should swat that fly in a 90 minute 3 set match. That he got destroyed by a pure clay courter at the USO is cause for major panic. Tommy didn't figure out a way to beat him, he played the same way as always and just kept the ball in play waiting for Fed to give it to him. Roger has been inconsistent all year, destroying guys like Mannarino and Berlocq means nothing. As soon as he faces a decent player he is likely to lose at this point.

 

[Front242]

Pathetic Roger. Thanks for ruining my week. Even got a new 55" Samsung that I was hoping to watch him v Rafa on tomorrow night had he won. Now I won't watch any more tennis probably till the final I'm so disgusted. 2014 can surely only be better than this. Like Darth I think taking the rest of the year off would be a great idea but practice like a demon with his new racquet. The WTF seems a real long shot now too.

 

[Moxie]

This isn't a thread to hype up Robredo. Fact of the matter is Roger should swat that fly in a 90 minute 3 set match. That he got destroyed by a pure clay courter at the USO is cause for major panic. Tommy didn't figure out a way to beat him, he played the same way as always and just kept the ball in play waiting for Fed to give it to him. Roger has been inconsistent all year, destroying guys like Mannarino and Berlocq means nothing. As soon as he faces a decent player he is likely to lose at this point.

I only congratulated Robredo, as would be reasonable, because he played a very good match. The fact of the matter is that Roger didn't swat that fly. Robredo isn't a pure clay courter and he's beaten Andy Murray on HCs for example. And I think you underestimate his level of play today, if you say all he did was bash it into play and wait for Roger to make an error. That's just not true. Robredo was the more aggressive, and accurate today. I'm not trying to make the whole thing about Tommy Robredo, but hey, who won the match?

 

[Nekro]

He said this was going to be a "transitional year" for him, I'm really curious about 2014, whether he will use the bigger racket as he said and other stuff...... he needs more physical training too....

 

[Moxie]

He said this was going to be a "transitional year" for him, I'm really curious about 2014, whether he will use the bigger racket as he said and other stuff...... he needs more physical training too....

Chris Evert said something interesting tonight. She said he can't just keep winning on his "talent," that he's going to have to "grind" more. And so, be more fit, as you say, Nekro. But without so much to defend, he'll also likely get the ranking back up. Into the top 4 is ideal, obviously, but beyond that, who cares, really, in terms of placement in the draws?

 

[fedfan]

Some may laugh at this and it may indeed be preposterous but give this some thought. Whether Roger would admit this or not I think he wants to be remembered as the GOAT. He realizes Nadal is a threat for that supremacy. He also knows that if it gets close like 17-15 or 16 the H2H discussion really comes into play. Nadal is playing lights out this year and he knows what would've happened if they would've met up in the qtrs.

It's already a ridiculous 10-21 and a loss Wednesday would've made it an even more embarrassing 2-9 in slams, including a loss in every slam if that would've played out.

In Roger's prime, obviously no way. But now a shell of himself and naturally fading with father time, could he be trying to protect his legacy with avoiding Rafa in a slam? I mean three sets to Robredo?!?

 

[Ilovetennis2]

No need to feel sorry for him. He has dished out a lot more pain than he has received. Using disasters like this could eventually be the motivation to prove he can still play decent tennis. I was hoping that moment would come after the Wimbledon loss but it didn't happen and I don't think Roger will be doing jack the rest of the year except possibly make a bad situation worse.

I agree with almost all of your post, Darth. There's certainly no reason to feel sorry for Rog and go completely tragic on the notion that it's over. He lost to a former world #5. Who had finally figured out a way to beat him...why is that different than a journeyman up-and-comer? Better, I'd say, to be beaten by a wily veteran who knows your game, having a very good day. It's a surprise, because Roger was looking vintage just a round before. But, hey, Robredo played a great match!

I guess the secret was to wait 11 years for the guy to finally deteriorate.

 

[EmmaMonroe]

Roger will be fine. Many people forget what he has achieved. I don't understand why people want him to retire if he personally enjoys playing. When he really retires there will be a big void.