What now for Roger?

[Federberg]

Roger had two set points against Nole in the first set--he played himself into those and was winning the set for all intents and purposes. He did what he had to do, but Novak hit two unreturnable serves like Fed has done to many over the years. He then played better in the tiebreak. Roger guts out the second set saving something like 6 set points (admittedly, Novak got tight and erred on two or three of them), and then had a chance for an early break in the third set and Nole pulled it out again with a great service. he then breaks Roger after he was up 40-15 on his service. Roger was there, but Novak was better in the end.

I don't have problems with the two set points that Fed could not convert in 1st set. But, are you forgetting that he was up a break in the first set (which was a love break preceded by a love hold). However, I think he should have been extremely careful and protected his services games after breaking Novak. He was up 4-2 after the break. All that he needed to do was to hold for two more games. It is the first set and you cannot lose mental focus.

Although Fed managed to win the second set (especially impressed with the two set points that he saved off Novak's serve), if he had to struggle that hard just to stay in the match, almost all of us expected that there will be a let down and he will lose the 3rd set. Once he loses the third set, we know he will lose the match, as the only way to win the match would be in 5 sets.

Even though I think Nole's the man, I'm so glad he's not my fave! He's either the unluckiest guy out there where an opponent gets all the breaks and doesn't miss on a "big point," or he has these "walkabouts" losing a set when ahead and multiple chances to close it out! I know no one's going to believe I make predictions close to the end of a match! At the '11 USO and '12 AO I thought Nole would get a break in the 3rd and 4th sets respectively and have a chance to serve it out! We all know what happened both times; lost his serve, then the TB and had to close it out in the next set! At AO he was lucky enough to come back from a break down in the 5th; Nadal's luck finally running out! This happens to Nole too much for me to have him as a fave; I'd "lose it" when he drops a set when "WAY AHEAD" again and again! Roger should have been toast in straight sets but for Nole's meltdown and "walkabout" with 6 set points in the 2nd! :cover :nono :angel: :dodgy:

:eyepop
Ok.. And I know I'm not the only one thinking this. Fiero please clarify. Who is your favourite player? I used to think it was Roger, but during RG you said it was Novak. And now this! I'm really confused uzzled

 

[Fiero425]

^I wouldn't criticise Roger too much for that return of the break. Here's a stat I would love to see collated... how often does a player break back after getting broken. I guarantee you Novak is at the top of that list in the entire Open era. He is absolutely phenomenal at doing that. I've seen it time and time again

I guess you're right! It's just so bizarre to see happen so often with all the "props" Nole's gotten on improving his serve! There are these strange happenings with 30 and 40 love points; a miss of some sort, then the next thing a player's fighting for his life to hold! It happened with Nole at 30-love; missed a volley Roger hit "right at him" and it took 10 min. to wrap up that hold! lol! STUPID! :cover :nono :angel:

 

[DarthFed]

^I wouldn't criticise Roger too much for that return of the break. Here's a stat I would love to see collated... how often does a player break back after getting broken. I guarantee you Novak is at the top of that list in the entire Open era. He is absolutely phenomenal at doing that. I've seen it time and time again

Roger more or less broke himself that game, that's the problem. The match ended up being pretty ugly but it may have been a way different story if he runs out that first set 6-3. I sense when he looked extra disappointed, or even angry, at the end of the match he may have been thinking about that.

 

[shawnbm]

The thing is that Roger may feel he could have and should have closed at that first set and he was close, but Novak is the man who breaks through all of that now. He served well when he needed to and he fought from the backcourt to get back the break. He was better on the day, but the call of the OP is Roger and what is to be expected from him now. I think we can expect more quality tennis and more finals, frankly. He certainly is able to return to semis and finals and proved it again here. He has more upside, not as much as Nole, but he still has some.

 

[herios]

Roger is in a finer form than last year, defying himself the odds, as over 32y players are supposedly decline faster.
It is just not good enough to beat Novak just rarely.
The rule what statistics demonstrate over 30 very few will win slams remains true.

 

[JesuslookslikeBorg]

I really looking forward to his tennis goings-on for the rest of the year. expect a bonanza of attacking play. world no2 at 34yrs old (on aug 8th/9th)..excellent or what.

Federer finalising his schedule for rest of season within a week or so (so I read somewhere on the information superhighway), since the spring his schedule has had nothing after Wimbledon apart from hometown tourney basle in oct/nov.

 

[herios]

I really looking forward to his tennis goings-on for the rest of the year. expect a bonanza of attacking play. world no2 at 34yrs old (on aug 8th/9th)..excellent or what.

Federer finalising his schedule for rest of season within a week or so (so I read somewhere on the information superhighway), since the spring his schedule has had nothing after Wimbledon apart from hometown tourney basle in oct/nov.

I agree, he still trails Murray in the YTD ranking and to preserve his #2 overall, Roger will need to outperform Andy during the rest of the season.
It will be interesting this race for #2 overall.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

I really looking forward to his tennis goings-on for the rest of the year. expect a bonanza of attacking play. world no2 at 34yrs old (on aug 8th/9th)..excellent or what.

Federer finalising his schedule for rest of season within a week or so (so I read somewhere on the information superhighway), since the spring his schedule has had nothing after Wimbledon apart from hometown tourney basle in oct/nov.

There are no more surprises left in Fed's schedule. I expect him to play Canada, Cincy, USO, Davis cup rescue operation, Shanghai, Basel, Bercy and WTF. Note that all are mandatory except for Basel, which is his hometown tourney. Also, Roger needs to play one DC tie before Olympics to become officially eligible. He can do it in the play offs which are scheduled for the week after USO or else he can do it at the beginning of next year in the week before IW. I think he will decide which one based on who is the opponent, where is the location and what is the surface. These are unknown at this time.

 

[ftan]

Knew it. This is why I didn't even watch the match. Throw him under a bus? No, of course not, he is punished enough by this alone. Thanks, Fed, now go stick that Wilson wand up your ass.

Posts like this make me wish for a dislike button

 

[Fiero425]

Knew it. This is why I didn't even watch the match. Throw him under a bus? No, of course not, he is punished enough by this alone. Thanks, Fed, now go stick that Wilson wand up your ass.

Posts like this make me wish for a dislike button

That's what I love about SportsHoopla.com; have all the emotions/emoticons including rating a post as BS! :snicker

 

[DarthFed]

I really looking forward to his tennis goings-on for the rest of the year. expect a bonanza of attacking play. world no2 at 34yrs old (on aug 8th/9th)..excellent or what.

Federer finalising his schedule for rest of season within a week or so (so I read somewhere on the information superhighway), since the spring his schedule has had nothing after Wimbledon apart from hometown tourney basle in oct/nov.

There are no more surprises left in Fed's schedule. I expect him to play Canada, Cincy, USO, Davis cup rescue operation, Shanghai, Basel, Bercy and WTF. Note that all are mandatory except for Basel, which is his hometown tourney. Also, Roger needs to play one DC tie before Olympics to become officially eligible. He can do it in the play offs which are scheduled for the week after USO or else he can do it at the beginning of next year in the week before IW. I think he will decide which one based on who is the opponent, where is the location and what is the surface. These are unknown at this time.

Nothing is mandatory for Roger at his age. I wouldn't be surprised to see him skip Paris this year depending on the ranking situation.

 

[Fiero425]

I really looking forward to his tennis goings-on for the rest of the year. expect a bonanza of attacking play. world no2 at 34yrs old (on aug 8th/9th)..excellent or what.

Federer finalising his schedule for rest of season within a week or so (so I read somewhere on the information superhighway), since the spring his schedule has had nothing after Wimbledon apart from hometown tourney basle in oct/nov.

There are no more surprises left in Fed's schedule. I expect him to play Canada, Cincy, USO, Davis cup rescue operation, Shanghai, Basel, Bercy and WTF. Note that all are mandatory except for Basel, which is his hometown tourney. Also, Roger needs to play one DC tie before Olympics to become officially eligible. He can do it in the play offs which are scheduled for the week after USO or else he can do it at the beginning of next year in the week before IW. I think he will decide which one based on who is the opponent, where is the location and what is the surface. These are unknown at this time.

Nothing is mandatory for Roger at his age. I wouldn't be surprised to see him skip Paris this year depending on the ranking situation.

I've been saying for years that Roger needed to stop going to both Australia and Paris for the last few years! He's wasting his time, but something in him thinks he still has a chance; FAT CHANCE at either! :deadhorse He's being so thoughtful about his schedule overall, but he obviously has a blind spot against giving up his consecutive record in attending these majors; totally idiotic IMO! :cover :nono :angel: :dodgy:

 

[Front242]

There are no more surprises left in Fed's schedule. I expect him to play Canada, Cincy, USO, Davis cup rescue operation, Shanghai, Basel, Bercy and WTF. Note that all are mandatory except for Basel, which is his hometown tourney. Also, Roger needs to play one DC tie before Olympics to become officially eligible. He can do it in the play offs which are scheduled for the week after USO or else he can do it at the beginning of next year in the week before IW. I think he will decide which one based on who is the opponent, where is the location and what is the surface. These are unknown at this time.

Nothing is mandatory for Roger at his age. I wouldn't be surprised to see him skip Paris this year depending on the ranking situation.

I've been saying for years that Roger needed to stop going to both Australia and Paris for the last few years! He's wasting his time, but something in him thinks he still has a chance; FAT CHANCE at either! :deadhorse He's being so thoughtful about his schedule overall, but he obviously has a blind spot against giving up his consecutive record in attending these majors; totally idiotic IMO! :cover :nono :angel: :dodgy:

Er, so let's see. Stan beats Novak and then loses his next match and Roger wins. Yeah, bad idea for Roger to play alright. Agreed 100%

 

[Front242]

Following on from that....ever hear the Lotto message, "if you're not in, you can't win" ? Well, there you go. That's the answer to why he plays every slam. Draws open up. Top ranked guys lose too and next thing you know a 34 year old nobody (cough) wins the whole thing.

 

[Fiero425]

Nothing is mandatory for Roger at his age. I wouldn't be surprised to see him skip Paris this year depending on the ranking situation.

I've been saying for years that Roger needed to stop going to both Australia and Paris for the last few years! He's wasting his time, but something in him thinks he still has a chance; FAT CHANCE at either! :deadhorse He's being so thoughtful about his schedule overall, but he obviously has a blind spot against giving up his consecutive record in attending these majors; totally idiotic IMO! :cover :nono :angel: :dodgy:

Er, so let's see. Stan beats Novak and then loses his next match and Roger wins. Yeah, bad idea for Roger to play alright. Agreed 100%

Well genius, if adding to Roger's scorecard is all you're interested in; play every week then! :nono :cover I'm talking about him legitimately having a chance to win a major event; always a chance, but not likely at this time! I know exactly what I said so watch the syncretic attitude with me dude! :ras:

 

[jhar26]

There are no more surprises left in Fed's schedule. I expect him to play Canada, Cincy, USO, Davis cup rescue operation, Shanghai, Basel, Bercy and WTF. Note that all are mandatory except for Basel, which is his hometown tourney. Also, Roger needs to play one DC tie before Olympics to become officially eligible. He can do it in the play offs which are scheduled for the week after USO or else he can do it at the beginning of next year in the week before IW. I think he will decide which one based on who is the opponent, where is the location and what is the surface. These are unknown at this time.

Nothing is mandatory for Roger at his age. I wouldn't be surprised to see him skip Paris this year depending on the ranking situation.

I've been saying for years that Roger needed to stop going to both Australia and Paris for the last few years! He's wasting his time, but something in him thinks he still has a chance; FAT CHANCE at either! :deadhorse He's being so thoughtful about his schedule overall, but he obviously has a blind spot against giving up his consecutive record in attending these majors; totally idiotic IMO! :cover :nono :angel: :dodgy:

Why is that idiotic? Guys (and girls) play the AO and FO when they know that the'll be lucky to make it to the second round. Making the QF ain't like winning it, but many would give their right arm for getting that far (only if they are left handed of course ).

 

[Fiero425]

Nothing is mandatory for Roger at his age. I wouldn't be surprised to see him skip Paris this year depending on the ranking situation.

I've been saying for years that Roger needed to stop going to both Australia and Paris for the last few years! He's wasting his time, but something in him thinks he still has a chance; FAT CHANCE at either! :deadhorse He's being so thoughtful about his schedule overall, but he obviously has a blind spot against giving up his consecutive record in attending these majors; totally idiotic IMO! :cover :nono :angel: :dodgy:

Why is that idiotic? Guys (and girls) play the AO and FO when they know that they'll be lucky to make it to the 2nd round. Making the QF ain't like winning it, but many would give their right arm for getting that far (only if they are left handed of course ).

Federer and Navratilova "back in the day" aren't just some guy or girl; standards a little higher than an Isner or Stosur! :cover :nono :angel: :dodgy:

 

[Billie]

Knew it. This is why I didn't even watch the match. Throw him under a bus? No, of course not, he is punished enough by this alone. Thanks, Fed, now go stick that Wilson wand up your ass.

Posts like this make me wish for a dislike button

Yeah, a great champion who is one of the greatest in this sport and at the age of 33 gets to another Wimbledon final does not deserve this. But there are always people who think things are easy to do.:nono

 

[Billie]

I've been saying for years that Roger needed to stop going to both Australia and Paris for the last few years! He's wasting his time, but something in him thinks he still has a chance; FAT CHANCE at either! :deadhorse He's being so thoughtful about his schedule overall, but he obviously has a blind spot against giving up his consecutive record in attending these majors; totally idiotic IMO! :cover :nono :angel: :dodgy:

Er, so let's see. Stan beats Novak and then loses his next match and Roger wins. Yeah, bad idea for Roger to play alright. Agreed 100%

Well genius, if adding to Roger's scorecard is all you're interested in; play every week then! :nono :cover I'm talking about him legitimately having a chance to win a major event; always a chance, but not likely at this time! I know exactly what I said so watch the syncretic attitude with me dude! :ras:

Fiero, in terms of giving himself a legitimate chance of winning a major, I agree with you. It is so tough now physically to compete, even younger guys amongst themselves, it makes it even harder for older guys. But grass is the least punishing, especially for Federer and I think that is the reason he has done well here even now. Other surfaces are more punishing so it makes it harder for somebody who constantly goes deep in almost every tournament. I hope Nole starts to pick and chose his tournaments and makes sure that he is as fresh as possible for majors. He doesn't need so many of these Masters 1000 events anymore.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

There are no more surprises left in Fed's schedule. I expect him to play Canada, Cincy, USO, Davis cup rescue operation, Shanghai, Basel, Bercy and WTF. Note that all are mandatory except for Basel, which is his hometown tourney. Also, Roger needs to play one DC tie before Olympics to become officially eligible. He can do it in the play offs which are scheduled for the week after USO or else he can do it at the beginning of next year in the week before IW. I think he will decide which one based on who is the opponent, where is the location and what is the surface. These are unknown at this time.

Nothing is mandatory for Roger at his age. I wouldn't be surprised to see him skip Paris this year depending on the ranking situation.

I've been saying for years that Roger needed to stop going to both Australia and Paris for the last few years! He's wasting his time, but something in him thinks he still has a chance; FAT CHANCE at either! :deadhorse He's being so thoughtful about his schedule overall, but he obviously has a blind spot against giving up his consecutive record in attending these majors; totally idiotic IMO! :cover :nono :angel: :dodgy:

You keep :deadhorse. This is one of your stupid contentions. Let me give you several reasons why it is a good idea.

1. As Front already pointed out, Roger is like #3 or #4 favorite in these tourneys and the draw can open up and weird things can happened. Opportunity can present in places where you are not even looking. Just ask Bartoli. [ In the movie "Eat, Prey and Love", there is a funny dialogue between Laura and God. Laura says to God, "please make me win the lottery". God replies "Laure, please buy the lottery".]

2. If he does not play AO and the clay season and sit at home for six months, his form will become so terrible that he will lose to Brown in Wimbledon.

3. Even if Roger does not win AO or RG, he can accumulate valuable ranking points which will earn him a good seeding at Wimby and USO.

4. His AO winnings are pocket money for Myla and Charlene and RG winnings are pocket money are Leo and Lenny. Do you want to cut into their allowance?