A page and forum to discuss all things Roger Federer.
61 Comments on Roger Federer
You can always tell when there is no tennis to watch or matches to discuss – the debates get longer and longer and go round and round in ever decreasing circles ? a bit like the tigers in Little Black Sambo who chased each other around the tree till they melted into a pool of butter.
Would really like to put a query here something that has really irked me for a long time:
Why Nole doesn’t get credit for his marathon AO title run of 2012 the way Rafa does for his 2009 AO run.
I mean, by all means Nole had to endure through a bigger marathon effort than Rafa faced.
Finals 2
Rafael Nadal
W 57 64 62 675 75
Semi-Finals 4
Andy Murray
W 63 36 674 61 75
Quarter-Finals 5
David Ferrer
W 64 764 61
Round of 16 181
Lleyton Hewitt
W 61 63 46 63
Round of 32 81
Nicolas Mahut
W 60 61 61
Round of 64 56
Santiago Giraldo
W 63 62 61
Round of 128 109
Paolo Lorenzi
W 62 60 60
Abhirf, that was a mindblowing performance of course by djoko considering djoko played murray on friday and rafa on thursday but i see the following reasons for it being more celebrated
1. Rafa had himself toughed out a win against fed on thursday. Though it was four sets, it had been a hard fought one. On the other hand i do not even recall who fed faced in the 2009 semi
2. Djoko won on a surface which was his preferred surface against a person who is not particulary fond of hard courts while rafa had to face roger who was a hard court king.
3. Djoko had already won titles on hc by that time. He had defeated rafa on hard courts before while rafa had never beaten roger on a hard court. Heck it was his first gs hc final
4. The match in 2012 was incredibly close and can be called a tie just like the 2013 french semi. Fed disapperared in the fifth set in 2009 while if anything rafa should have.
That said djoko deserves all accolades considering he beat one of thecfiercest competitors
Ha, Abhirf, I think Novak’s fans have/had to be thankful that no doping accusations were hurled at Novak for his 2012 AO performance. Rafa wasn’t so fortunate as after his AO2009 feat, he was being accused of doping as some people couldnt believe what he had done was possible.
Im glad Novak had done a similar feat in 2012 and so now those Rafa detractors had nothing to say unless they want to accuse Novak of doping too!
In fact Fed back in 2006 had done something similar at Rome, playing three long matches from QF to Final with no one day rest in between the matches. He had to spend 5+hours in the final vs Rafa. At that time, nobody doubt Fed’s fitness or said anything about that being impossible.
Fed was 24 then, Rafa was 22 at AO2009 and Novak 24 at AO2012, they were at their respective peak esp physically and they being exceptional athletes so I doubt any foul play was involved.
Is doping speculation open to discussion here? The topic has some long-ranging questions. But have not see a tennis blog, except THASP, that allows open discussion.
hawkeye has a messed up timeline which makes his narrative nothing more than just that – cool story, bro. Don’t even know where to start with this one – denial is a mighty strong force. Otherwise, interesting blog!
Agree with vamosrafa. And if Luckystar can’t get through to hawkeye with reasoning, I won’t bother. Plus that, this has been a worn out topic now for months on end: Federer better now than in his prime. right.
The debate is summed up by Ricky way, way up-thread here:
“he was so much better then. Fed in his prime would beat anyone, and certainly would destroy this current Fed.” Ricky Dimon, Nov. 11, 11:17 am
hawkeye reasoning:
We have to accept what a guy says about himself even if actual performance/ our observation tells us otherwise. So if say a former Miss Universe is now 80 and she claims she is physically more beautiful now than when she was 21 ( and won the title) everyone must accept that she has become more beautiful physically because she knows herself best even though she is old and wrinkled.
@Mary, yes, really. Suddenly we’re supposed to believe what Fed says about himself in a pre USO presser? Perish the thought – others have a different opinion and call it what it is . Hawkeye’s committed to his opinion on the subject. It fits his version of tennis history – better now than ever – avert any hints of weak era in 2015. Let’s debate again in 2016. I think it”s going to be difficult for Fed to hang on to top ten at age 35.
Yes, everybody is entitled to their opinion but if they hold opinions like the sun rises in the west then their contribution to the sum of human wisdom must be recognized by having their reasoning process named after them!
Yes, we really need the draw already so that these discussions can cease. It’s just going around in circles and no one is going to change anyone else’s mind. At least once the draw comes out, we will have something to talk about! 🙂
Roger Federer believes tennis players should undergo more anti-doping tests to ensure the sport does not suffer the problems that have plunged athletics into crisis.
The Swiss 17-times grand slam champion said he was still surprised when he walks off court and is not routinely asked to provide a doping sample. He has also called for more out-of-competition tests.
OK. Roger was asked a direct question and as usual is only to happy to give his opinion, in this instance based on his own experience which doesn’t necessarily tally with that of other high profile players.
Ask Rafa. Ask Murray.
Conclusion: Some players are targetted more than others.
That’s exactly what I thought. I’m sure his contemporaries would be miffed to know that he doesn’t get tested to the same extent as they are, They do it to others even when their matches finish in the early hours of the morning.
“Players need to be sure and confident with people who run the sport to be 100 percent clean in the right way.” Looks like Rafa suspects the officials of not being clean.
“Will be great if one day the anti-doping that we do is 100 percent public?”
Not clear what he means. Is he referring to the process or to results of tests?
There is no point in calling for the number and frequency of tests to be increased unless at the same time the ATP, ITF etc. are prepared to act upon the evidence, when they have it, that somebody has taken illiegal substances. The longer they are prepared to accept the gobbledegook excuses given during the appeal process the longer it will take to convince people they are serious about trying to make tennis 100% clean.
In cutting short Troicki’s suspension by accepting his gobbledegook excuses, the ITF has definitely invited suspicion that it is not clean. Troicki was a pro for 7 years and the rules were pretty clear that refusing to test is the same as failing a test. If the punishment for refusing the test were less stringent, doping players would simply refuse to take the test.
Does anyone seriously expect us to believe the story that a pro and his team were not aware of this basic rule? The ATP tour manager even explained the consequences but Troicki was adamant . His coach was also present. One can only conclude Troicki and his coach knew he would test positive so Troicki decided to take a chance with ITF and its gullibility or corruptibility.
“Perhaps the attention paid by the media to the 17-time grand slam winner’s facial hair is only natural, given Federer was a former ambassador for men’s shaving brand Gillette.”
Is it possible to get a “dumb or not – doping speculations only thread?” That’s been a dream of mine for a long time on a tennis blog. Yeah, probably not a good idea. It’s controversial and not good for tennis, maybe. I want what’s good for tennis.
Haha. weak era/goat = more pains to moderate. Maybe Ricky would nominate you for the job? 😉
Doping speculation is all we got; since nobody who is anybody in a high place will ever test positive. And not saying that to be mean to tennis – it’s just the way it is in all kinds of sports. Golf, I think, even.
“The tennis tournaments at the 2016 Summer Olympics will be staged at the Olympic Tennis Center, from 6 to 14 August. The competition will be played on a fast hardcourt surface used in numerous North American tournaments that aims to minimize disruption for players.”
Minimize disruption for Roger more like it.
Do they even have any hard courts in Brazil until now?
It’s just eight months away and Roger won the fastest Master’s HC event in Cincy dismissing Novak in straights (where Novak has never won).
If he can beat Nole in two sets four times on hard courts recently, no reason he can’t win a third set in a BO5 final scenario should it play out.
Anyone that thinks it is not a main priority for him are deluding themselves.
He will be a pronounced second favourite to win Gold.
But Olympics is no longer a priority for Roger. So too late. Tailor-made? Well, something has to right? We can’t have clay-like slowness ALL. THE. TIME.
I love how invested Edberg has been with Roger. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him emote as much on court as he does during Roger’s matches. So blessed as a fan to see them both share this moment in one frame.
That’s right. Fed would have wanted to be #2 going into the AO, so he wouldn’t face Novak until the final. It’s possible that Fed and Murray will go back and forth with the #2 ranking for a while.
“Novak has erased all his weaknesses,” Federer said, reports Gulf News. “While he does everything to keep his position, the others too will be preparing to find ways on how to bring him down.”
He just became a really, really good player and tough to beat. Especially in recent years, he’s taken it to another level.
“That just made it harder for me to dominate him. But still I’m winning my fair share of matches against him, and I’m really enjoying playing against Novak.”
“Totally different players, but Rafa’s been tougher for me even though I guess Novak has beaten me as many times as well,” he added.
It took plenty of time for Fed to start respecting rafa . It was 2008 onward. He is now showing massive respect for Djokovic too.
Two Top 10 stars feature in the best web searches for 2015
Roger Federer and Kei Nishikori have been named among the most-searched for people in 2015, according to research produced by TIME on search engine giant Google.
You can always tell when there is no tennis to watch or matches to discuss – the debates get longer and longer and go round and round in ever decreasing circles ? a bit like the tigers in Little Black Sambo who chased each other around the tree till they melted into a pool of butter.
Yes I meant to say the exact same thing earlier.
#IdleHands
Would really like to put a query here something that has really irked me for a long time:
Why Nole doesn’t get credit for his marathon AO title run of 2012 the way Rafa does for his 2009 AO run.
I mean, by all means Nole had to endure through a bigger marathon effort than Rafa faced.
Finals 2
Rafael Nadal
W 57 64 62 675 75
Semi-Finals 4
Andy Murray
W 63 36 674 61 75
Quarter-Finals 5
David Ferrer
W 64 764 61
Round of 16 181
Lleyton Hewitt
W 61 63 46 63
Round of 32 81
Nicolas Mahut
W 60 61 61
Round of 64 56
Santiago Giraldo
W 63 62 61
Round of 128 109
Paolo Lorenzi
W 62 60 60
did Djoker play on Thursday or Friday in the semis against Murray?
Abhirf, that was a mindblowing performance of course by djoko considering djoko played murray on friday and rafa on thursday but i see the following reasons for it being more celebrated
1. Rafa had himself toughed out a win against fed on thursday. Though it was four sets, it had been a hard fought one. On the other hand i do not even recall who fed faced in the 2009 semi
2. Djoko won on a surface which was his preferred surface against a person who is not particulary fond of hard courts while rafa had to face roger who was a hard court king.
3. Djoko had already won titles on hc by that time. He had defeated rafa on hard courts before while rafa had never beaten roger on a hard court. Heck it was his first gs hc final
4. The match in 2012 was incredibly close and can be called a tie just like the 2013 french semi. Fed disapperared in the fifth set in 2009 while if anything rafa should have.
That said djoko deserves all accolades considering he beat one of thecfiercest competitors
Ha, Abhirf, I think Novak’s fans have/had to be thankful that no doping accusations were hurled at Novak for his 2012 AO performance. Rafa wasn’t so fortunate as after his AO2009 feat, he was being accused of doping as some people couldnt believe what he had done was possible.
Im glad Novak had done a similar feat in 2012 and so now those Rafa detractors had nothing to say unless they want to accuse Novak of doping too!
In fact Fed back in 2006 had done something similar at Rome, playing three long matches from QF to Final with no one day rest in between the matches. He had to spend 5+hours in the final vs Rafa. At that time, nobody doubt Fed’s fitness or said anything about that being impossible.
Fed was 24 then, Rafa was 22 at AO2009 and Novak 24 at AO2012, they were at their respective peak esp physically and they being exceptional athletes so I doubt any foul play was involved.
Is doping speculation open to discussion here? The topic has some long-ranging questions. But have not see a tennis blog, except THASP, that allows open discussion.
you can discuss whatever you want in the comments section, as long as it’s related to tennis
hawkeye has a messed up timeline which makes his narrative nothing more than just that – cool story, bro. Don’t even know where to start with this one – denial is a mighty strong force. Otherwise, interesting blog!
Agree with vamosrafa. And if Luckystar can’t get through to hawkeye with reasoning, I won’t bother. Plus that, this has been a worn out topic now for months on end: Federer better now than in his prime. right.
The debate is summed up by Ricky way, way up-thread here:
“he was so much better then. Fed in his prime would beat anyone, and certainly would destroy this current Fed.” Ricky Dimon, Nov. 11, 11:17 am
oh…look, almost time for the draw! YAY!
if by almost you mean 4 hours, then yep!
shoot! getting ahead of myself, Ricky haha
actually its more like 2 and a half. so pretty close. this draw should have been on Monday.
Maybe you and she can get through to Roger then who’s said the same.
God forbid somebody has a differing opinion. Perish the thought.
What are you talking about?
What Roger said
lol
hawkeye reasoning:
We have to accept what a guy says about himself even if actual performance/ our observation tells us otherwise. So if say a former Miss Universe is now 80 and she claims she is physically more beautiful now than when she was 21 ( and won the title) everyone must accept that she has become more beautiful physically because she knows herself best even though she is old and wrinkled.
I’m entitled to my opinion.don’t worry so much about it.
And besides Rafa is the best!
@Mary, yes, really. Suddenly we’re supposed to believe what Fed says about himself in a pre USO presser? Perish the thought – others have a different opinion and call it what it is . Hawkeye’s committed to his opinion on the subject. It fits his version of tennis history – better now than ever – avert any hints of weak era in 2015. Let’s debate again in 2016. I think it”s going to be difficult for Fed to hang on to top ten at age 35.
No you’re not supposed to.
I choose to along with other information.
You need to get over my opinion lol.
I respect but don’t care about yours lol.
Wow. Bravo to the moderation here, Ricky! like
Mary gives the impression of refuting my full reasoning, while actually refuting just a small part of my reasoning.
Yes, everybody is entitled to their opinion but if they hold opinions like the sun rises in the west then their contribution to the sum of human wisdom must be recognized by having their reasoning process named after them!
I miss Rafa is the best.
Unlike federazzi, she understood the difference between fact and opinion.
Yeah, I agree. That is something she could have helped you with. Pity! Try to make do with my guidance!.
Yes, we really need the draw already so that these discussions can cease. It’s just going around in circles and no one is going to change anyone else’s mind. At least once the draw comes out, we will have something to talk about! 🙂
[polldaddy poll=9177533]
Roger Federer believes tennis players should undergo more anti-doping tests to ensure the sport does not suffer the problems that have plunged athletics into crisis.
The Swiss 17-times grand slam champion said he was still surprised when he walks off court and is not routinely asked to provide a doping sample. He has also called for more out-of-competition tests.
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/nov/13/roger-federer-calls-for-doping-tests-tennis?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=tennis
OK. Roger was asked a direct question and as usual is only to happy to give his opinion, in this instance based on his own experience which doesn’t necessarily tally with that of other high profile players.
Ask Rafa. Ask Murray.
Conclusion: Some players are targetted more than others.
That’s exactly what I thought. I’m sure his contemporaries would be miffed to know that he doesn’t get tested to the same extent as they are, They do it to others even when their matches finish in the early hours of the morning.
They did..
http://m.tennis.com/pro-game/2015/11/following-athletics-scandals-federer-murray-nadal-call-increased-anti-doping-efforts-tennis/56814/#.VkcSNvFyLCQ
“Players need to be sure and confident with people who run the sport to be 100 percent clean in the right way.” Looks like Rafa suspects the officials of not being clean.
“Will be great if one day the anti-doping that we do is 100 percent public?”
Not clear what he means. Is he referring to the process or to results of tests?
There is no point in calling for the number and frequency of tests to be increased unless at the same time the ATP, ITF etc. are prepared to act upon the evidence, when they have it, that somebody has taken illiegal substances. The longer they are prepared to accept the gobbledegook excuses given during the appeal process the longer it will take to convince people they are serious about trying to make tennis 100% clean.
In cutting short Troicki’s suspension by accepting his gobbledegook excuses, the ITF has definitely invited suspicion that it is not clean. Troicki was a pro for 7 years and the rules were pretty clear that refusing to test is the same as failing a test. If the punishment for refusing the test were less stringent, doping players would simply refuse to take the test.
Does anyone seriously expect us to believe the story that a pro and his team were not aware of this basic rule? The ATP tour manager even explained the consequences but Troicki was adamant . His coach was also present. One can only conclude Troicki and his coach knew he would test positive so Troicki decided to take a chance with ITF and its gullibility or corruptibility.
Mary,
This is my response to your comment on Rafa’s page @3:19 pm.
Fed knows the truth:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B2Kw8QLIcAA0yfX.png:medium
“Perhaps the attention paid by the media to the 17-time grand slam winner’s facial hair is only natural, given Federer was a former ambassador for men’s shaving brand Gillette.”
Most Biased Fedfan Commentator from North America Award for the 10th straight year goes to…
https://twitter.com/PatrickMcEnroe/status/667377945514766336
Is it possible to get a “dumb or not – doping speculations only thread?” That’s been a dream of mine for a long time on a tennis blog. Yeah, probably not a good idea. It’s controversial and not good for tennis, maybe. I want what’s good for tennis.
This page would be as good as any.
Maybe a pain to moderate.
I was just joking.
You could suspect any player and really no point with nothing to be gained IMO.
I know I’d be moderated/banned whatever pretty quick. 🙂
#HowManyTimes!!!!
We could also have a page on the Weak Era debate and another for Goat debate lol.
Haha. weak era/goat = more pains to moderate. Maybe Ricky would nominate you for the job? 😉
Doping speculation is all we got; since nobody who is anybody in a high place will ever test positive. And not saying that to be mean to tennis – it’s just the way it is in all kinds of sports. Golf, I think, even.
That’s just about the last thing that Ricky would do.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CUXKlh_UwAAKQ1E.jpg
“The tennis tournaments at the 2016 Summer Olympics will be staged at the Olympic Tennis Center, from 6 to 14 August. The competition will be played on a fast hardcourt surface used in numerous North American tournaments that aims to minimize disruption for players.”
Minimize disruption for Roger more like it.
Do they even have any hard courts in Brazil until now?
It’s just eight months away and Roger won the fastest Master’s HC event in Cincy dismissing Novak in straights (where Novak has never won).
If he can beat Nole in two sets four times on hard courts recently, no reason he can’t win a third set in a BO5 final scenario should it play out.
Anyone that thinks it is not a main priority for him are deluding themselves.
He will be a pronounced second favourite to win Gold.
Tailor made by (peRFect) design.
But Olympics is no longer a priority for Roger. So too late. Tailor-made? Well, something has to right? We can’t have clay-like slowness ALL. THE. TIME.
It certainly is a major priority for him.
If ol’ Rog 2.0 wasn’t playing, Rio would be played on clay given that’s what 110% of the courts are in Brazil.
Love this.
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/610/23020058406_72bc156228_b.jpg
I love how invested Edberg has been with Roger. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him emote as much on court as he does during Roger’s matches. So blessed as a fan to see them both share this moment in one frame.
Federer page back up and running–kind of like Fed himself.
Federer will most likely regain the No. 2 ranking after AO if he defends Brisbane.
Just needs to make the semis and Murray not to be champion.
If Murray goes out before the finals, Federer will pretty much become No. 2 again regardless.
Easier said than done
Not for Federer.
and after AO doesnt matter
That’s right. Fed would have wanted to be #2 going into the AO, so he wouldn’t face Novak until the final. It’s possible that Fed and Murray will go back and forth with the #2 ranking for a while.
finally, fed is now showing respect for novak.
“Novak has erased all his weaknesses,” Federer said, reports Gulf News. “While he does everything to keep his position, the others too will be preparing to find ways on how to bring him down.”
He just became a really, really good player and tough to beat. Especially in recent years, he’s taken it to another level.
“That just made it harder for me to dominate him. But still I’m winning my fair share of matches against him, and I’m really enjoying playing against Novak.”
“Totally different players, but Rafa’s been tougher for me even though I guess Novak has beaten me as many times as well,” he added.
It took plenty of time for Fed to start respecting rafa . It was 2008 onward. He is now showing massive respect for Djokovic too.
Fed’s 2016 schedule https://twitter.com/rogerfederer/status/677541349437005824
Federer, Nishikori Among Top 2015 Google Searches
Two Top 10 stars feature in the best web searches for 2015
Roger Federer and Kei Nishikori have been named among the most-searched for people in 2015, according to research produced by TIME on search engine giant Google.
http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/federer-nishikori-among-top-2015-google-searches