A page and forum to discuss all things Roger Federer.
72 Comments on Roger Federer
I just checked Serbian N1 news and they reported Fed, according to Swiss news, has decided not to play. They also added Fed is currently in Paris testing the strenght of his back and is going to officially announce his decision! So Montenegrin news says it’s official, Serbian that it’s to be announced.
I checked Fed’s fb page and there is nothing in there yet…we should wait for the official confirmation then..hope MNE news did not just announce it as official without confirming it???..that would be highly unprofessional thing to do…they showed Fed’s picture and reported his decision to skip RG due to back injury…
This whole thing is a mess! I will be utterly dissapponted if this turns out to be false info published on the National TV!!! I will post a compliant on ther web page!
There are rumours that the French President had a recorded video message asking him to come to RG. No clue how far it’s true but Roger might just oblige by showing up till the draw/his first match.
According to Basler Zeitung, Roger Federer has not recovered from his back issues and his condition has worsened and thus will not play be playing the French Open. Federer however is yet to confirm whether he will be playing at Roland Garros or not.
So basically you have a self-serving interest in this. No it’s definitely not unsporting then. I hope Roger does what is best for him and not for Nadal because his fans will throw a fit or because poor Rafi needs another RG. Just the way Nadal usually does what’s best for him.
Yep. As it stands I do think he will withdraw before the draw if he has to. His priority is Wimbledon and I doubt he’s the type who loses sleep over who wins a major. It’d be smart to make the transition to grass as quickly as possible.
that’s exactly my thinking. It would be unfair and unsportsmanlike to the tournament, to spectators/fans and to other players…it’s not only about Rafa…the issue is far more complex than that…
Nadal knew he was ‘injured’ during the French itself. He made a huge song and dance about it, and his parents’ divirce affecting him and could’ve easily withdrawn before. Nice try though. But ignorant as usual.
BS. Didn’t he claim he could barely run in that match? Pretty sure he did. Impossible to forget what with Toni throwing a pity party within a week of the loss. It’s fun to watch you put your foot in the mouth. Especially so when the BS you just pulled over Fed’s hypothetical withdrawal is in perfect sync with Nadal’s tragic hero story of 2009.
You call my statement BS and then defend it. Just wow.
How did I defend it? Either Nadal was severely injured against Soderling or he was not. If he wasn’t and needed to wait until Wimbledon, then Fed won that FO fair and square, and Sod the match and there are not injury excuses to be lined up.
And also, in your seemingly endless newly discovered spare time, please refrain from making up statements supposedly by Nadal.
But perhaps, as the 2009 AO Trophy MoC said to crying Roger, perhaps we should just give you a chance to settle down.
Yep. As usual. Non-sequitors and strawmen. The Dull fan classic.
Whaa??? Who said Fed never won FO fair and square LOL????
Okay, so he didn’t win it because Nadal got injured then. Good. You have it on record then. Let’s hope we don’t hear you running your mouth ofd the other end now. And Nadal wasn’t injured at the French so as to affect his result. Works with me. I’ve maintained that for ages given how Nadal’s injury only surfaces post major losses.
No, you said he was “severely” injured and now you say he wasn’t injured.
Talk about speaking out of both sides of your mouth.
I’d look in the mirror there first sadfan.
Pot and kettle. Nothing new.
fedfans are so obsessed with Rafa what with the dismal head-to-head.
Poor sadfan.
Nope. I said his “injury” which changes timelines all the time, did not affect him at the French. So for all intents and purposes, the better player on the day won and the injury had nothing to do with the loss. If it did, Nadal should have withdrawn before the draw unless you’re trying to tell me he suddenly dropped on his knees the day the draw came out. Usual inanity from a Dull fan.
First you imply I said Rafa was “extremely” injured and then you imply I said Rafa wasn’t injured at all, and then you say Rafa said “he could hardly run”.
Nope. I just gave you two scenarios. Either Nadal was injured enough to lose against Sod, in which case, given he had no problems winning again in 2012 when he was also supposedly injured, leads to a logical inference that it was serious, which means he should have withdrawn early on. Or that the injury wasn’t serious enough to manifest in an R4 loss and Sod won fair and square. But you seem to be unable to make a choice because you want to conveniently bash a hypothetical Fed withdrawal but cannot come to terms with Nadal’s withdrawal which, BTW, actually happened.
It’s the rules that need changing. If anyone withdraws after the draw is done but before the tournament starts then the next seed down should replace him not a lucky loser. That’s a farce.
I think Roger feels that he and Rafa are the true greats of this generation so he’ll probably prefer to lessen the chances of Nole or Mooray to win RG and add to their credentials than make it harder for Rafa to win it for the 10th time. It’s a hard call for him. He would also want to prevent Nole from having a calendar slam.
big dilemma that is…however, leaving all this aside I think it is pretty stupid for Roger (even if he is feeling ok now) to even play on clay being so physically demanding and probably problematic for his fragile back when Wimby is just around the corner…and then the Olympics…I am sure in both Fed’s ultimate goal is to win it…
Did he not recently say he loves Rafa and is his big fan 🙂
Also even if Rafa notches 10 at RG and No 15..what is the probability of him reaching 17..its not high..2 more slams for Rafa given his ups and downs past 2 years is not easy.
The RG website, May 18, 2016:
(Google translation from Fench)
¤¤ Roger Federer was tested at Roland Garros!
…On Wednesday afternoon, the Maestro trained for nearly 20 minutes on court No. 1 under the watchful eye of all his staff.
The purpose of this training was …to seriously test his back. …
Not sure whether this training was sufficient to get all the answers because it was interrupted by the rain…¤¤
It’s really appalling to see so many people calling out Roger for his participation in Roland Garros.
I mean, seriously. Just because him withdrawing would benefit some guy, he should pull out from the event else it would be considered an unsportsmanlike conduct. It has gotta be a joke, right.
I really wonder if so many people would have been concerned if Roger’s ranking would have been lower than No.4 or if Rafa’s rank would have been lower than No.5!
As far I am concerned, yes, I am HOPING federer withdraws but I don’t think he is engaging any sort of unsportsmanlike conduct. Out of the question that is.
Yeah I have to agree here. I don’t know if you guys wouldn’t be saying this if it was Rafa putting Roger in a situation like this. I hope Roger plays in RG and is healthy when the tourney starts. I still want Rafa to get a good draw too though and it would be unfortunate if Roger withdrew after draw and Rafa was five seed and got like Nole in QF but I don’t think fed will withdraw anyways. And if he did after draw came out its because it’s tough decision to make he had to wait on making.
If Roger withdraws after the draw which is approx. 10.am UK time Friday, he should be removed from all Sportsmen’s awards with immediate effect. He’s already done it this season, once is more than enuf. He was also an early exit in the last Masters due to what he says is a back injury (or whatever).. He has to truly believe he is competitive. Otherwise he is trying to play God, by totally screwing the draws. C’mon, let’s be real.
We’re talking about a guy who’s shown dedication and loyalty for the game very few players ever have! He has every right to test his fitness and let’s leave it on Roger and his team to decide what’s best for him or what’s stupid! He is a pretty smart guy and generally makes wise, well thought out decisions.
haha…yeah he has plenty of time to test so may be he should take the decision before the draw. I hope he does.
The decision is not likely to be easy for him though. For someone who’s never missed a slam in ages, it must be in his DNA to just play a slam no matter what and and he must be used to it. Easy to have conflicting viewpoints in your own mind but we know his priorities and he’s sensible enough to do everything around them.
I am in complete agreement with you! If course rafa fans want him to make the decision before the draw. But Fed has shown loyalty to the sport and should have the right to test out his back and see if he can play.
I do think that his record of slam appearances will weigh on his mind. It’s part of his legacy and we know how important that is to him. I think it would be very difficult for him to pull out.
As I said previously, we have no control over what happens. Rafa fans would want any chance for him to get the #4 ranking. We are only human!
I do not think Fed is guilty of poor sportsmanship if he does not pull out before the draw. He has a right to make what he feels is the best decision for him.
Fed of course can do what he wants, but waiting for the draw to come out and then making decision to withdraw may affect the draw in a way that Qtr final match would be a true final! We all know Novak vs Rafa is the real deal and it will be unfortunate for the tennis fans to lose either one of them before semis.
But, nothing is given, who knows what can happen, they both might lose earlier, although i doubt it…I for one would love to see Fed playing this RG… It would be fun to watch him facing Kyrgios..,
So you wouldn’t have a problem if Fed withdrew post the draw if Nadal-Djokovic are not drawn in the same quarter. Like I said, that is entirely self-serving and Roger must do as he sees fit.
a player should either withdraw before qualifying starts (so that the next direct entrant gets in instead of a lucky loser) or wait until right before the main draw starts play. No reason for Federer to withdraw now until he knows for absolute certain that he can’t play. IE – right up to the time of his match, like in Miami.
That wasn’t a reply to you. No idea how it came there. As far as I’m concerned, Roger can withdraw anytime he likes. He’s earned it. The French would want him to play and he will try his best.
Nats: i don’t agree – Fed will not be match sharp and is definitely not 100% fit. It would be a sad sight to watch him being muscled out of RG at this stage of his career. Kyrgios is quite big=headed enough. Collecting another top scalp would make him insufferable.
Well Fed has announced that he will not play at RG.
It sounds as though he doesn’t want to risk jeopardizing Wimbledon and the rest of the year. I am sure this was hard for him, but trying to play best of five set matches with a bad back would be a recipe for disaster.
Roger Federer:
“I regret to announce that I have made the decision not to play in this year’s French Open. I have been making steady progress with my overall fitness, but I am still not 100% and feel I might be taking an unnecessary risk by playing in this event before I am really ready. This decision was not easy to make, but I took it to ensure I could play the remainder of the season and help to extend the rest of my career. I remain as motivated and excited as ever and my plan is to achieve the highest level of fitness before returning to the ATP World Tour for the upcoming grass court season. I am sorry for my fans in Paris but I very much look forward to returning to Roland Garros in 2017.” https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FFederer%2Fposts%2F10154154724144941&width=500
I just checked Serbian N1 news and they reported Fed, according to Swiss news, has decided not to play. They also added Fed is currently in Paris testing the strenght of his back and is going to officially announce his decision! So Montenegrin news says it’s official, Serbian that it’s to be announced.
I checked Fed’s fb page and there is nothing in there yet…we should wait for the official confirmation then..hope MNE news did not just announce it as official without confirming it???..that would be highly unprofessional thing to do…they showed Fed’s picture and reported his decision to skip RG due to back injury…
This whole thing is a mess! I will be utterly dissapponted if this turns out to be false info published on the National TV!!! I will post a compliant on ther web page!
It is false. Story was pulled from Tennis World, a sketchy site at best.
Not a peep on Twitter other than the odd rumour.
I have been trying to make this point. I checked VB because they have really good sources and are on top of any news.
They did post the info from tennisworld with the proviso that the site was not reliable.
Then they posted a tweet from Fed’s biographer saying that the info was wrong and should be ignored.
I just learned from a friend who is into betting, the bookmakers have removed Fed from the list of odds…
Well now…
Maybe it’s a matter of getting official confirmation.
There are rumours that the French President had a recorded video message asking him to come to RG. No clue how far it’s true but Roger might just oblige by showing up till the draw/his first match.
According to Basler Zeitung, Roger Federer has not recovered from his back issues and his condition has worsened and thus will not play be playing the French Open. Federer however is yet to confirm whether he will be playing at Roland Garros or not.
http://www.tennisworldusa.org/According-to-Swiss-Media-Roger-Federer-will-not-play-the-French-Open-articolo32857.html
I hasten to add that all this could be speculation. I’ll believe it when Roger makes the announcement himself.
That would be so unfair from the Swiss to wait for the draw to be released and then to withdraw…
Why would be ‘unfair?’ Didn’t Nadal wait for the draw before withdrawing from Wimbledon in 2009? The idea is to minimise loss of ticket sales.
If Nadal is there you don’t need anyone else to sell tickets.
That’s not true at the French. I’m sure he’s very popular though.
It would be very unsporting in view of the effect on Rafa’s seeding 🙁
So basically you have a self-serving interest in this. No it’s definitely not unsporting then. I hope Roger does what is best for him and not for Nadal because his fans will throw a fit or because poor Rafi needs another RG. Just the way Nadal usually does what’s best for him.
Point taken 🙂
I actually don’t mind who Rafa plays, it’s all in the lap of the gods. I’m sure Djokovic is not keen on playing Rafa in the QF either.
Yep. As it stands I do think he will withdraw before the draw if he has to. His priority is Wimbledon and I doubt he’s the type who loses sleep over who wins a major. It’d be smart to make the transition to grass as quickly as possible.
Would be very unsportsmanlike and disrespectful to the tournament.
You could end up having Rafa, Murray and Stan in one half and no top 5 player in noles half.
Pretty selfish of him.
@ hawks,
that’s exactly my thinking. It would be unfair and unsportsmanlike to the tournament, to spectators/fans and to other players…it’s not only about Rafa…the issue is far more complex than that…
Also tv ratings.
Fedfan doesn’t get it.
So Nadal was unsportsmanlike then. Thanks for letting us know.
fedfan doesn’t get it.
Very little time between French Open and Wimbledon for Rafa to pull out before draw.
Fed knows he’s not fit but is going to delay withdrawing to increase ticket sales according to fedfan himself.
Hardly comparable.
Good try though.
Happy St. Roger’s Day!!!
You Brits sure spend a good deal of time celebrating St. Roger’s Days.
Nadal knew he was ‘injured’ during the French itself. He made a huge song and dance about it, and his parents’ divirce affecting him and could’ve easily withdrawn before. Nice try though. But ignorant as usual.
BS. Didn’t he claim he could barely run in that match? Pretty sure he did. Impossible to forget what with Toni throwing a pity party within a week of the loss. It’s fun to watch you put your foot in the mouth. Especially so when the BS you just pulled over Fed’s hypothetical withdrawal is in perfect sync with Nadal’s tragic hero story of 2009.
You call my statement BS and then defend it. Just wow.
How did I defend it? Either Nadal was severely injured against Soderling or he was not. If he wasn’t and needed to wait until Wimbledon, then Fed won that FO fair and square, and Sod the match and there are not injury excuses to be lined up.
And also, in your seemingly endless newly discovered spare time, please refrain from making up statements supposedly by Nadal.
But perhaps, as the 2009 AO Trophy MoC said to crying Roger, perhaps we should just give you a chance to settle down.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2X6AfufPFYQ
Yep. As usual. Non-sequitors and strawmen. The Dull fan classic.
Whaa??? Who said Fed never won FO fair and square LOL????
Okay, so he didn’t win it because Nadal got injured then. Good. You have it on record then. Let’s hope we don’t hear you running your mouth ofd the other end now. And Nadal wasn’t injured at the French so as to affect his result. Works with me. I’ve maintained that for ages given how Nadal’s injury only surfaces post major losses.
No, you said he was “severely” injured and now you say he wasn’t injured.
Talk about speaking out of both sides of your mouth.
I’d look in the mirror there first sadfan.
Pot and kettle. Nothing new.
fedfans are so obsessed with Rafa what with the dismal head-to-head.
Poor sadfan.
Nope. I said his “injury” which changes timelines all the time, did not affect him at the French. So for all intents and purposes, the better player on the day won and the injury had nothing to do with the loss. If it did, Nadal should have withdrawn before the draw unless you’re trying to tell me he suddenly dropped on his knees the day the draw came out. Usual inanity from a Dull fan.
First you imply I said Rafa was “extremely” injured and then you imply I said Rafa wasn’t injured at all, and then you say Rafa said “he could hardly run”.
Nope. I just gave you two scenarios. Either Nadal was injured enough to lose against Sod, in which case, given he had no problems winning again in 2012 when he was also supposedly injured, leads to a logical inference that it was serious, which means he should have withdrawn early on. Or that the injury wasn’t serious enough to manifest in an R4 loss and Sod won fair and square. But you seem to be unable to make a choice because you want to conveniently bash a hypothetical Fed withdrawal but cannot come to terms with Nadal’s withdrawal which, BTW, actually happened.
It’s the rules that need changing. If anyone withdraws after the draw is done but before the tournament starts then the next seed down should replace him not a lucky loser. That’s a farce.
I think Roger feels that he and Rafa are the true greats of this generation so he’ll probably prefer to lessen the chances of Nole or Mooray to win RG and add to their credentials than make it harder for Rafa to win it for the 10th time. It’s a hard call for him. He would also want to prevent Nole from having a calendar slam.
big dilemma that is…however, leaving all this aside I think it is pretty stupid for Roger (even if he is feeling ok now) to even play on clay being so physically demanding and probably problematic for his fragile back when Wimby is just around the corner…and then the Olympics…I am sure in both Fed’s ultimate goal is to win it…
I doubt he cares either way.
fedfan can read St. Roger’s mind.
Fed is practicing at RG:
https://twitter.com/rolandgarros/status/732927341727514624
Whether fed plays or withdraws either prior to or after the draw, is out of our control.
So I am adopting a whatever will be, will be. If fed is practicing at RG, then it appears that he is trying to play.
Between choosing whether Rafa wins 10th RG or Novak wins 4 in a row..I can bet 100% that Roger will choose Rafas milestone to happen.
I honestly don’t think Fed cares about any of that. It’s not as if whatever he does one way or the other will determine the outcome.
Fed would prefer that Rafa doesn’t close the slam gap to two.
End of.
correct. Not even close.
Did he not recently say he loves Rafa and is his big fan 🙂
Also even if Rafa notches 10 at RG and No 15..what is the probability of him reaching 17..its not high..2 more slams for Rafa given his ups and downs past 2 years is not easy.
Oh Sanju, I completely forgot about that!
Nole going for the 4th in a row!
But I thing the 1st will give him more nerves than the Nole Slam!
Rafa will still have to win 2 more to catch 17 ..But Nole would have done something both Roger and Rafa could not do..win 4 in a row.
Given Rogers dislike for Novak..I am sure he would not want Novak to hold that distinction
The RG website, May 18, 2016:
(Google translation from Fench)
¤¤ Roger Federer was tested at Roland Garros!
…On Wednesday afternoon, the Maestro trained for nearly 20 minutes on court No. 1 under the watchful eye of all his staff.
The purpose of this training was …to seriously test his back. …
Not sure whether this training was sufficient to get all the answers because it was interrupted by the rain…¤¤
Read more at:
http://www.rolandgarros.com/fr_FR/news/articles/2016-05-18/roger_federer_sest_test_rolandgarros.html#qBc58EyogJ0v4jPi.99
It’s really appalling to see so many people calling out Roger for his participation in Roland Garros.
I mean, seriously. Just because him withdrawing would benefit some guy, he should pull out from the event else it would be considered an unsportsmanlike conduct. It has gotta be a joke, right.
I really wonder if so many people would have been concerned if Roger’s ranking would have been lower than No.4 or if Rafa’s rank would have been lower than No.5!
As far I am concerned, yes, I am HOPING federer withdraws but I don’t think he is engaging any sort of unsportsmanlike conduct. Out of the question that is.
(abhirf, shhh, I’m just having some fun with ol’ sadfan – I agree with VR but don’t tell ok?)
Yeah I have to agree here. I don’t know if you guys wouldn’t be saying this if it was Rafa putting Roger in a situation like this. I hope Roger plays in RG and is healthy when the tourney starts. I still want Rafa to get a good draw too though and it would be unfortunate if Roger withdrew after draw and Rafa was five seed and got like Nole in QF but I don’t think fed will withdraw anyways. And if he did after draw came out its because it’s tough decision to make he had to wait on making.
If Roger withdraws after the draw which is approx. 10.am UK time Friday, he should be removed from all Sportsmen’s awards with immediate effect. He’s already done it this season, once is more than enuf. He was also an early exit in the last Masters due to what he says is a back injury (or whatever).. He has to truly believe he is competitive. Otherwise he is trying to play God, by totally screwing the draws. C’mon, let’s be real.
Agreed. Well said.
We’re talking about a guy who’s shown dedication and loyalty for the game very few players ever have! He has every right to test his fitness and let’s leave it on Roger and his team to decide what’s best for him or what’s stupid! He is a pretty smart guy and generally makes wise, well thought out decisions.
I agree VR, but he should do it before the draw at least given how long he’s been whining about his back and knees.
If it’s real and not some shazza-gate cover up.
haha…yeah he has plenty of time to test so may be he should take the decision before the draw. I hope he does.
The decision is not likely to be easy for him though. For someone who’s never missed a slam in ages, it must be in his DNA to just play a slam no matter what and and he must be used to it. Easy to have conflicting viewpoints in your own mind but we know his priorities and he’s sensible enough to do everything around them.
vr,
I am in complete agreement with you! If course rafa fans want him to make the decision before the draw. But Fed has shown loyalty to the sport and should have the right to test out his back and see if he can play.
I do think that his record of slam appearances will weigh on his mind. It’s part of his legacy and we know how important that is to him. I think it would be very difficult for him to pull out.
As I said previously, we have no control over what happens. Rafa fans would want any chance for him to get the #4 ranking. We are only human!
I do not think Fed is guilty of poor sportsmanship if he does not pull out before the draw. He has a right to make what he feels is the best decision for him.
Fed of course can do what he wants, but waiting for the draw to come out and then making decision to withdraw may affect the draw in a way that Qtr final match would be a true final! We all know Novak vs Rafa is the real deal and it will be unfortunate for the tennis fans to lose either one of them before semis.
But, nothing is given, who knows what can happen, they both might lose earlier, although i doubt it…I for one would love to see Fed playing this RG… It would be fun to watch him facing Kyrgios..,
what’s the latest on Mr. Federer today?
So you wouldn’t have a problem if Fed withdrew post the draw if Nadal-Djokovic are not drawn in the same quarter. Like I said, that is entirely self-serving and Roger must do as he sees fit.
a player should either withdraw before qualifying starts (so that the next direct entrant gets in instead of a lucky loser) or wait until right before the main draw starts play. No reason for Federer to withdraw now until he knows for absolute certain that he can’t play. IE – right up to the time of his match, like in Miami.
That wasn’t a reply to you. No idea how it came there. As far as I’m concerned, Roger can withdraw anytime he likes. He’s earned it. The French would want him to play and he will try his best.
Nats: i don’t agree – Fed will not be match sharp and is definitely not 100% fit. It would be a sad sight to watch him being muscled out of RG at this stage of his career. Kyrgios is quite big=headed enough. Collecting another top scalp would make him insufferable.
Roger will not withdraw from RG.
Rafa will draw Roger in qtrs. 🙂 (Ok that’s my wish)
Now you’re talking Sanju. A Fedal encounter 11 years after their first historic RG would be a nostalgic sight.
Well Fed has announced that he will not play at RG.
It sounds as though he doesn’t want to risk jeopardizing Wimbledon and the rest of the year. I am sure this was hard for him, but trying to play best of five set matches with a bad back would be a recipe for disaster.
Nick Lester (TV Commentator): “Roger Federer withdraws from Roland Garros having failed to recover in time from a back injury.”
https://twitter.com/nicklester/status/733317743005605888
Roger Federer:
“I regret to announce that I have made the decision not to play in this year’s French Open. I have been making steady progress with my overall fitness, but I am still not 100% and feel I might be taking an unnecessary risk by playing in this event before I am really ready. This decision was not easy to make, but I took it to ensure I could play the remainder of the season and help to extend the rest of my career. I remain as motivated and excited as ever and my plan is to achieve the highest level of fitness before returning to the ATP World Tour for the upcoming grass court season. I am sorry for my fans in Paris but I very much look forward to returning to Roland Garros in 2017.”
https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FFederer%2Fposts%2F10154154724144941&width=500