Will Roger Use New or Old Racquet when he comes back in Cincy?

[JesuslookslikeBorg]

They've been both, imho. I think the makeweights have lacked the nuts to take their chances. A great example is Tsonga in Paris, but there have been many others over the years...

you are wrong about del potro..he has come back and won some atp 250/500 tourneys..got unlucky with a knee injury when 2 sets up vs roger at 2012 rg qf..

he hasn't played well at times (this years aust open, 2012 us open, but that's not the same thing as the mental midget "spineless" efforts by Tsonga at f.o and burdych everywhere..

if you put del potro in the same "mentally weak' breadbin as tsongs n burdych then you just are not aware of whats really going on.

 

[Kieran]

I never mentioned del Potro. Only times I mention the guy is to praise him. Look it up...

 

[britbox]

Why must they be spineless? Whatever happened to "just not as good as the players above them"?

Exactly.

 

[nehmeth]

It is desperate times, he just lost to a nobody in the 2nd round of Wimbledon after making Tsonga look like a great clay courter 3 weeks before. He is going to be ranked #7 very soon and we know that people ranked around there are normally irrelevant. Making changes shows he still is committed to try and turn this around but I agree the rest is up to him.

#7 is only irrelevant because the recent occupants of that spot have been spineless and easily pleased. Roger is neither. The fact is, change for its own sake is always a bad idea. I think he's wise to look at the racket, but changing a coach? Has Annacone gone downhill so quickly? Or has Roger?

Isn't all this a little bit natural: guy wins so much, has a family, turns 31...so what happens next? He should play like he's 25? Does he commit more or less after kids arrive? Does he have the same intensity after winning so much? It seems normal to me, what's happening. Annacone would be the best guy in his corner, then.

But the racket should give him more power, so a change (or exploration in that area) is a good idea...

It is natural. Players at Roger's age aren't expected to be great. The challenge for Roger and a coach is to get Roger to be motivated like other top players who expect to compete for slams. Basically he needs to block it out of his mind that he is some old family guy who is heading to the retirement home in a couple years. That's the challenge and this year...it's all looking grim.

I don't think it's a dour as you make it out to be. Is it a bad year for him? Yes. But after last year when "over-the-hill" Fed regained number 1, you fans were absolutely gleeful. Factor in that you guys are in mourning, the guy is having trouble with his back, and doing his best to make adjustments while under your microscopes.

Haas is ancient and playing very credible tennis. Roger will right the ship as long as you guys don't sink it with all the tears.

 

[DarthFed]

It is desperate times, he just lost to a nobody in the 2nd round of Wimbledon after making Tsonga look like a great clay courter 3 weeks before. He is going to be ranked #7 very soon and we know that people ranked around there are normally irrelevant. Making changes shows he still is committed to try and turn this around but I agree the rest is up to him.

#7 is only irrelevant because the recent occupants of that spot have been spineless and easily pleased. Roger is neither. The fact is, change for its own sake is always a bad idea. I think he's wise to look at the racket, but changing a coach? Has Annacone gone downhill so quickly? Or has Roger?

Isn't all this a little bit natural: guy wins so much, has a family, turns 31...so what happens next? He should play like he's 25? Does he commit more or less after kids arrive? Does he have the same intensity after winning so much? It seems normal to me, what's happening. Annacone would be the best guy in his corner, then.

But the racket should give him more power, so a change (or exploration in that area) is a good idea...

It is natural. Players at Roger's age aren't expected to be great. The challenge for Roger and a coach is to get Roger to be motivated like other top players who expect to compete for slams. Basically he needs to block it out of his mind that he is some old family guy who is heading to the retirement home in a couple years. That's the challenge and this year...it's all looking grim.

I don't think it's a dour as you make it out to be. Is it a bad year for him? Yes. But after last year when "over-the-hill" Fed regained number 1, you fans were absolutely gleeful. Factor in that you guys are in mourning, the guy is having trouble with his back, and doing his best to make adjustments while under your microscopes.

Haas is ancient and playing very credible tennis. Roger will right the ship as long as you guys don't sink it with all the tears.

I don't think anyone's totally written him off yet. If 2014 is the same then it likely is the end IMO. The back is a big problem and so has motivation. It is no coincidence that his play immediately went down after he won Wimbledon last year. As long as his back is healthy I think he will be plenty motivated in 2014 after having such a bad 2013.

 

[tented]

I don't think anyone's totally written him off yet. If 2014 is the same then it likely is the end IMO. The back is a big problem and so has motivation. It is no coincidence that his play immediately went down after he won Wimbledon last year.

What about the Olympics? He finally got into the Gold Medal match, and was able to win Silver. His semifinal against JMDP was my favorite match of the year.

 

[DarthFed]

I don't think anyone's totally written him off yet. If 2014 is the same then it likely is the end IMO. The back is a big problem and so has motivation. It is no coincidence that his play immediately went down after he won Wimbledon last year.

What about the Olympics? He finally got into the Gold Medal match, and was able to win Silver. His semifinal against JMDP was my favorite match of the year.

My opinion might not be shared by many but I thought he stunk the last 2 matches of the Olympics. The serve was great vs. DP but DP's return was poor enough that it made up for the fact that DP dominated the baseline from start to finish. Roger's groundstrokes the last 2 matches there were awful. The main difference between the semi and final was Murray's return. Fed played very well at Cincy last year and that's been about it.

 

[JesuslookslikeBorg]

I never mentioned del Potro. Only times I mention the guy is to praise him. Look it up...

in poast 53..you said "recent occupiers of the no7 spot have been spineless and easily pleased.."

del potro had before and I think now IS no7 rank he has been floating around 7 and 8 in recent months.

so where is is that you are not going on about del potro ??, and don't come out with some lame smart arsed guff about not actually naming him in name...*DEL POTRO*.

 

[Kieran]

I never mentioned del Potro. Only times I mention the guy is to praise him. Look it up...

in poast 53..you said "recent occupiers of the no7 spot have been spineless and easily pleased.."

del potro had before and I think now IS no7 rank he has been floating around 7 and 8 in recent months.

so where is is that you are not going on about del potro ??, and don't come out with some lame smart arsed guff about not actually naming him in name...*DEL POTRO*.

Okay, don't be a pedant, I wasn't thinking bureacratically. If you find a post where I've named del Potro and dissed, be sure to frame it...

 

[shawnbm]

I never mentioned del Potro. Only times I mention the guy is to praise him. Look it up...

in poast 53..you said "recent occupiers of the no7 spot have been spineless and easily pleased.."

del potro had before and I think now IS no7 rank he has been floating around 7 and 8 in recent months.

so where is is that you are not going on about del potro ??, and don't come out with some lame smart arsed guff about not actually naming him in name...*DEL POTRO*.

Okay, don't be a pedant, I wasn't thinking bureacratically. If you find a post where I've named del Potro and dissed, be sure to frame it...

A word we don't see enough of over here in the States--PEDANT! Well done, Brother Kieran.

 

[Kieran]

A word we don't see enough of over here in the States--PEDANT! Well done, Brother Kieran.

I try my best, my friend! I hope it doesn't get me barred!

 

[tented]

I don't think anyone's totally written him off yet. If 2014 is the same then it likely is the end IMO. The back is a big problem and so has motivation. It is no coincidence that his play immediately went down after he won Wimbledon last year.

What about the Olympics? He finally got into the Gold Medal match, and was able to win Silver. His semifinal against JMDP was my favorite match of the year.

My opinion might not be shared by many but I thought he stunk the last 2 matches of the Olympics. The serve was great vs. DP but DP's return was poor enough that it made up for the fact that DP dominated the baseline from start to finish. Roger's groundstrokes the last 2 matches there were awful. The main difference between the semi and final was Murray's return. Fed played very well at Cincy last year and that's been about it.

I'll have to watch some of it again with this in mind, because I respect your opinion. I mainly remember thinking Murray was able to win the final so easily because Roger was wiped out after that 4+ hour semi.

 

[DarthFed]

I don't think anyone's totally written him off yet. If 2014 is the same then it likely is the end IMO. The back is a big problem and so has motivation. It is no coincidence that his play immediately went down after he won Wimbledon last year.

What about the Olympics? He finally got into the Gold Medal match, and was able to win Silver. His semifinal against JMDP was my favorite match of the year.

My opinion might not be shared by many but I thought he stunk the last 2 matches of the Olympics. The serve was great vs. DP but DP's return was poor enough that it made up for the fact that DP dominated the baseline from start to finish. Roger's groundstrokes the last 2 matches there were awful. The main difference between the semi and final was Murray's return. Fed played very well at Cincy last year and that's been about it.

I'll have to watch some of it again with this in mind, because I respect your opinion. I mainly remember thinking Murray was able to win the final so easily because Roger was wiped out after that 4+ hour semi.

Federer served pretty well vs. Murray but they were coming back and he was toast as soon as there was a rally. Del Po returned poorly but otherwise badly outplayed Roger. Shows how important the serve and return is

 

[JesuslookslikeBorg]

I never mentioned del Potro. Only times I mention the guy is to praise him. Look it up...

in poast 53..you said "recent occupiers of the no7 spot have been spineless and easily pleased.."

del potro had before and I think now IS no7 rank he has been floating around 7 and 8 in recent months.

so where is is that you are not going on about del potro ??, and don't come out with some lame smart arsed guff about not actually naming him in name...*DEL POTRO*.

Okay, don't be a pedant, I wasn't thinking bureacratically. If you find a post where I've named del Potro and dissed, be sure to frame it...

its not pedantry to say its wrong for you to deny you called "the recent occupiers of the top 7 spineless"...that means del potro, and he is not..:nono

and. this is me putting this line of debate into the sea off fukushama, where it will dissolve in the lovely radioactive waves in no time at all. lot

so mote it be.