Roger Federer: Last Year Wimbledon Was A Major Disappointment, Now I’m Happy To Back In SFs

There are some big motivations here. Think he’d like to win this thing and share it with his daughters on center court. I don’t think his kids will have the chance to see many more opportunities for their dad to pick up the big trophies.

July 2nd, 2014 at 7:59 pm

Up here in Canada, the sports telecaster,TSN, cut off two Federer matches, vs Giraldo and Robredo to show their chosen idol, Raonic.
Every point, no commercials.
As a kind of ‘visual revenge’ I’d like to see Federer take him to tennis school on grass and brush him aside to get to, I expect, a Dimitrov final.

July 2nd, 2014 at 10:19 pm

Not many comments in here these days.

Perhaps all the Murray and Rafa defenders are still wound licking.

As are all those who yesterday predicted Raonic – who at one point won 34 consecutive points on his serve today – was going to be out in 3 sets to the Australian kid.

I am Canadian and I am now convinced that Milos will win at least one grand slam. His work ethic and discipline have been superb.

But Friday I will still be rooting for Federer to get that 18th slam and the 8th Wimbledon.

If he is going to lose to anyone though, I would rather it be Raonic, who if he knocks off Federer will have an excellent chance at his first title on Sunday.

July 2nd, 2014 at 10:53 pm

@Gordon,
Same here, but not Canadian. Milis and Fed rocks!

July 2nd, 2014 at 11:14 pm

Roger was lucky to scrap through the match. Stan came firing all cylinders, just like he did against Rafa in AO. But ultimately fatigue caught up to him, after playing 3 consecutive matches. The matched looked to be on Stan’s racquet and when he started faltering, that’s when Roger could take his chances. Even then, most of the BP conversion came from UE of Stan’s racquet. Maybe Roger too felt the effects of two consecutive match.

July 3rd, 2014 at 12:35 am

Pleasantly surprised to see Raonic’s game come of age. Not followed him so closely this year, but seeing his match in Quarters, looks like the guy has improved immensely on the ground game. He looks very fluid on both sides, and has a fantastic serve.

Still he cannot move forward, which would be a liability against guys like Novak and Rafa who have superior game, and you need variety to make it close with them.

Still I believe the semis would be on Roger’s racquet. I hope we Roger turns back the clock and get us back to the days, when he turns into a different animal once he reaches the semis of a slam. He did that in Wimby 2012. Just hoping for one more inspired tennis from the great champion.

July 3rd, 2014 at 12:40 am

Another master class performance from the Swiss Supremo, who is nearing 33 and into his unprecedented 9th Wimbledon Semi final. In dictionary perhaps you can interpret the meaning of Consistency to Roger who has become the code word for it over the years. He now has a real shot at his 8th title, a feat which has not been done before. Whenever Roger steps into the court and performs, records follow him inevitably. Perhaps with insurmountable hard work,determination, motivation and with great difficulty, you can win even a major. But the real test lies in how you follow up your victory ? Ask a great player like Andy and he will tell you how tough it is to defend a title. There lies in the greatness of players like Roger, Rafa and Novak who have set benchmarks difficult to bridge by the next generation.

July 3rd, 2014 at 12:41 am

Nirmal,

No excuses please. Stan lost the match fair and square. If he is fatigued then it is his problem. You are be expected to be fully fit for the match. If you are not fit, you can well withdraw and give a walk over rather than inventing excuses for the defeat after the match. This applies to all players across the board including Roger.

July 3rd, 2014 at 12:43 am

Another master class performance from the Swiss Supremo

Michael, I’m not sure if we watched the same match. I thought it was a pretty average match from roger and mostly could get through because of Stan’s fatigue and a possible illness. Maybe I need to re-watch the match again.

July 3rd, 2014 at 12:44 am

Nirmal Kumar,
Go and watch again the match please. Roger won it with no asterisk as simple as that. Come on Roger!!! And if this is gonna be EIGHT, I will never ever called Sean the jinx-er but Sean the Genius. I promise you Sean.😄😃

July 3rd, 2014 at 12:53 am

Nirmal,

I did watch that match with some interruptions when I had to tune into the Novak Vs Cilic match which was happening simulataneously. Roger did play sublime Tennis in the 2nd,3rd and 4th Sets. Ofcourse, Wawarinka had some stomach problems and looked a bit fatigued. But, you cannot just belittle the victory of Roger and attribute it to Stan’s illness. That is just not fair. I have applied this yardstick uniformly and has not made exceptions for Roger.

July 3rd, 2014 at 12:53 am

@Gordon,
I am a Rafa fan. And there’s no wound , he just lost the match coz Nick was playing fantastic, may be a little bit disappointed that’s it. Still have time and chance to do better next year.

July 3rd, 2014 at 1:12 am

“Maybe I need to re-watch the match again.”
Uh, yeah you do.
In a tennis match there is a thing called “navigation”. Fed played it superbly. He admitted in his interview that Stan was outhitting him early, and it showed. His tactic was to just hold serve the best he could, and weather the strorm of Stan’s tremendous back court play ( Stans BH was sublime ). Fed had few opportunities, but capitalized when he could from then on.
My take is if Stan was feeling better, it would have maybe been a different match, but Stan showed no illness nor weariness those first 2 sets imo.

July 3rd, 2014 at 1:17 am

@metan
Great and fair post. You called it right. Good luck to your fav on the HC season.

July 3rd, 2014 at 1:19 am

I agree with Nirmal. Fed was fine. Nothing special. He won, which was nice, and pleasantly surprising after losing the first set and missing several BPs early in the second. I hardly think it means we can pencil him in for the trophy.

July 3rd, 2014 at 1:31 am

My take is if Stan was feeling better, it would have maybe been a different match, but Stan showed no illness nor weariness those first 2 sets imo.

That’s exactly my take too. Stan’s serve speed dropped after 2nd set and his movement was compromised.

July 3rd, 2014 at 1:52 am

But, you cannot just belittle the victory of Roger and attribute it to Stan’s illness.

Michael, I’m not putting down Roger’s victory. But for me it was not a sublime Roger, but just the guy who could get the work on that day, with little help from his opponent. Roger was not in a blazing form to put down Stan.

The fatigue of Stan could not be attributed to general fitness issue of a player, but it’s more to do with the scheduling effect of wimbledon. It does play a part when you had to play 3 consecutive matches in a GS.

Roger won it with no asterisk as simple as that

Metan..absolutely. I did not put any asterick to Roger’s victory. It was a fair and square win. no doubt.

July 3rd, 2014 at 1:59 am

Nirmal,

Thanks for the clarification.

Well you are entitled to your opinion that Roger did not execute his best. You obviously expect from him more. No harm in it. Over the years, Roger has scaled expectations much higher with his exquisite Tennis. But, he is post his prime, and I am more realistic. I appreciate what Roger is doing at his age taking on the young guns.

July 3rd, 2014 at 2:19 am

I was shocked Stan even

took a set because of the scheduling…..He looked a little bit tired but not enough to make that much difference in the outcome. Roger looked sharp but he did struggle closing it out. Stan hung in there, but to no avail. This has been an interesting Wimby to say the least. This is the time for the young guns to do their “thang”…..but will they be able to?? I have my doubts…..but this is what everyone has been wanting…..a new champion!! Maybe 2014 will be the year!

Good luck to all!

Oh yeah, so sorry for all Andy fans. I was cheering for him but wasnt his day. Andy is his own worst enemy, imo. He just didn’t get it done. Grigor was sharp, however. A bad day at the office for my two favs. On to hard courts!!

July 3rd, 2014 at 2:39 am

Okiegal,

What was despairing and disappointing was that Andy looked totally listless and lost in the match. He was giving an impression that he was not trying and ofcourse as is his usual trait was verbally abusing himself as well as his Team and fiancee. We need to suspect if there was any familial issues not allowing him to concentrate on his game. But as a Champion and a thorough professional, Andy must rise above all these personal issues and not bring them to court. The crowd that turned up to cheer him were pretty disappointed and mightily displeased with his performance which just didn’t measure expectations. It is one thing to lose. Even Rafa lost to Kriygos. But you cannot accuse him of not doing his best. However, in the case of Andy, as you rightly said, he is his own worst enemy.

July 3rd, 2014 at 2:50 am

“There was a lot on the line in this match,” said Federer afterwards. “Midway through the second set I was thinking about the fact that it was Stan I was playing – a friend and compatriot. You want to win the match but you don’t necessarily want to beat him. That’s the odd part.

He came out of the blocks unbelievably strong although I think he had physical issues at some point. I was able to take advantage of that. I was calm but nervous too that he would get back in the match.

“Now I’ve come through and I’m very happy. I can prepare well. It’s a comfortable place to be. I know there’s pressure but the confidence is there. You know there is a chance to go a step further because you trust your game. I’m really excited.”

It will be of little comfort to Wawrinka that this is still his best-ever Wimbledon in 10 visits, or that he was the first man this fortnight to relieve Federer of a set, or even that by winning a set he did more than he has in any of his previous three Slam encounters against the great man. Wawrinka had not previously lost to a top five player this year, but on the other hand he has never beaten a top five player on grass – and none of his 15 jousts against the seven-time Wimbledon champion had taken place on this surface.

Kudos to Wawrinka for being only the second Swiss man to reach the quarter-finals at all four Slams; had he won this match, he would have been again the second Swiss man to make the Wimbledon semis. Using your skill and judgement, try to work out the name of the first in both cases. Once this match started to turn against Wawrinka he seemed unable to fight back, whether sapped by sickness or the fact that rain delays meant this was his third match in as many days. Nothing very much will make Wawrinka feel better for some time.

“It was tough to play three days in a row, especially when the third match is against Roger,” he agreed. “I was not feeling great, but nothing I want or need to talk about.

It was nice to play a countryman and friend because I’m playing my best game, and we’re playing for the first time in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon. It’s special that we have known each other so many years and we are good friends. But it’s never easy to deal with that.

“I think it’s okay to lose on grass here against Roger. It’s just that after the match it’s always tough. I hope he wins it again this year. For sure he’s playing well enough. When Roger is in the semi-final of a Grand Slam, he’s ready to win it.”

July 3rd, 2014 at 4:00 am

Wawrinka played great, he was really ripping the ball from both sides. He gets crazy angles on his backhand, super explosive.

If you could beat Federer on grass just by overpowering him, he wouldn’t have seven titles. He serves well and uses it to set up S&V or one-two punches. That makes him very hard to break. From when he was broken in the first set until the final game, he allowed no break points on his serve, while he had chances to break Wawrinka’s serve in all four sets.

He uses the slice and changes the pace and spin of the balls to get control of the baseline points and keep opponents from hitting through the court. Even so, during the rallies I thought Stan had the upper hand throughout the entire match, but Federer just didn’t allow many rallies on his own serve, at least not after the first set.

Wawrinka’s level may have dropped, but part of that was Federer’s doing in making it hard for him to just wallop the ball. He also may have taken some pace off his first serve to gain consistency; he was under 40% in the first set and that percentage increased in the last three.

July 3rd, 2014 at 4:03 am

Steve O, a good analysis.

July 3rd, 2014 at 4:13 am

“this is what everyone has been wanting…..a new champion!!”

Okiegal, I’m pretty sure you were rooting for Nadal to win, so please don’t suddenly change your tune now that your fave has lost and start claiming that “everyone” has been wanting a new winner all along.

And we already had a “new champion” at AO this year, remember? The first person not named Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, or Murray to win a Grand Slam in over four years. Correct me if I’m wrong, but somehow I don’t think you were so enthusiastic about the prospect of a “new champion” then.

Many want Federer or Djokovic to win this Wimbledon. Please don’t presume that everyone must feel the way you do just because your favorite is gone.

July 3rd, 2014 at 4:18 am

A new champion would be very welcome. First things first:
1. Go Raonic
2. Go Grigor
Good luck guys – you can do it!

July 3rd, 2014 at 4:37 am

Giles
I know you don’t like Nole but Roger???

July 3rd, 2014 at 5:29 am

I must admit that I sincerely hope Raonic loses in the semis. Have nothing against him, but find his tennis real boring to watch. He is a throwback to the superservers of the nineties, who were not much fun either. If this is the future of tennis, I want no part of it.

July 3rd, 2014 at 5:31 am

@metan. Both as bad as each other. Don’t like either.

July 3rd, 2014 at 5:39 am

Giles is bored Metan, that’s all. Went undercover when Rafa got knocked out, and is now back.

July 3rd, 2014 at 7:15 am

So Giles is there a reason to do with the style of tennis, of Raonic or Dimitrov and which one, if you were a betting type of person, you would prefer to win, and why?

V. interested in your psychology right now.

July 3rd, 2014 at 7:16 am

@madmax. You are right – I am bored, with Wimby that is. My man is out so have very little interest now. Just going to root for opponents of players I do not care for. In answer to your question, I prefer Grigor’s style of tennis rather than Milos. The latter relies too heavily on his serve and really does not move well IMO. Grigor on the other hand, serves well, moves well and actually constructs points. I also love his OHBH.
Let’s see what happens.

July 3rd, 2014 at 8:02 am

@madmax. I never go “undercover” as you so sarcastically put it.Rafa lost, so what did you expect me to say? The fedfans and others had a field day gloating at his loss. It’s a shame the “kid” couldn’t follow up the win which is usually the fate of all Rafa slayers. He said he had nothing left after he beat Rafa! Pffffft! Pathetic really!

July 3rd, 2014 at 8:12 am

I was dissapointed with both Rafa and Andy going out,when players are your favorites who wouldnt be,surely we are all human in that regard?thats not to say that im not still enjoying the tournament,its just when ones favorite(s) are gone your emotional investment and the edge has gone too,however i think im more a fan of tennis as a whole rather than just been merely a fan of one or two players,i dont hate Novak or Roger i like and respect both and the respective achievements but im not a fan of either,my late father used to hate tennis but loved football and said the game was more enjoyable when i can watch a match from a neutral point of view but dont care whom wins,and for what its worth it would be fantastic for any of the guys left to win it whether thats a veteran of the game or one of the new up and coming young players IMO?

July 3rd, 2014 at 9:43 am

*undercovered*
Bored? This is the best tournament ever!! These 4 guys left have injected new life, young vs old, variety vs power, and above all no waiting in between points! Will be the best semis ever.
—-
Like your not around gloating when Rafa wins and Fed and Nole lose? Pfffft! Pathetic really.

July 3rd, 2014 at 9:54 am

actually i thought nick the kid didn’t do too badly against raonic. it’s just that milos hit 39 aces. it’s kind of tough to beat that. nick got the 4th set to a tiebreak. if he’d’ve won that anything could’ve happened in a 5th. at least he didn’t just wilt. i think he’s different than rosol or darcis which were more flukey. but time will tell.

i didn’t get to see the other matches yesterday because nole and marian went so long and then i had to leave, but i watched as many highlights last night as i could. it looked like federer and stan’s match was full of great shot-making and serving. fed still moves incredibly well on grass. i think he has a great shot at winning here again.

i don’t know what was up with andy. grigor did play some nice shots, no doubt about it. however, andy was playing too reactively and leaving too many short balls in the middle of the court. he didn’t seem himself out there. it kind of reminded me of the roland garros semis, like he came out flat or didn’t want to be there or whatever. who knows. he has some time now to recoup before hard court season, so i am sure he’ll bounce back.

as for tomorrow’s semis, i am not sure what to expect from nole and grigor. they just haven’t played much. and nole hasn’t been at his best here, though he has navigated some tough opponents. grigor has some momentum coming in. hmm, not sure. and in the other one, i just can’t see raonic beating fed, unless he has another ace fest and wins in tiebreaks. fed’s handled a lot of big servers over the years so i can’t see him not finding a way through to the finals.

July 3rd, 2014 at 10:03 am

@Steve-o

Hey, hoss, don’t come down too hard on me, guess I should have said everyone but me wants a new champion……you are right, the only champion I want is Rafa just like Roger and Novak fans want their fav to be the champion. It was intended to be a snide remark……because of discussions on TX regarding the #9 title of FO…….but make no mistake about this…..Roger fans will be foaming at the mouth for Roger to win #8, and rightfully so.
BTW I am aware who won the AO and I was sick about the outcome….. Stan has not proved to me that he is the “Stanimal”……just saying. Appreciate your feedback! If the final is Fed and Novak, make no mistake about this, I will root for Roger. Who is your fav…..can’t remember??

July 3rd, 2014 at 10:11 am

@Michael

Andy did resort back to his old ways……which I was sad to see. He is a much better player than what he showed yesterday. I feel the calm down person is missing from his box……that being Ivan. He was super good for Andy’s between the ears problem. I was so sad he moved on. Andy is gonna have to quit all that verbal crap on the court, it brings his game way down….and that’s sad because he is such a talent…..if he could just calm down……we saw what he was capable of when Ivan was there to help him with this problem. Yeah, I was just suck that he has no chance to defend his title……if course this was after the demise of Rafa……want to make that Crystal clear!! LOL. Nice post, btw. I got berated by Steve-O, but that is well and good…..we all have our opinions.

July 3rd, 2014 at 10:26 am

“This is the best tournament ever” says some poster. Really? Just cos your fave is still hanging on?
#HeWontWinHis18th
#Guaranteed

July 3rd, 2014 at 10:37 am

It is plain that Andy went out in sympathy for Rafa! J/K
Seriously though, I was gutted for him. He is a player that can beat any and all of the top guys. He’s that good. I feel sure there was something wrong, something we will never know about.

July 3rd, 2014 at 10:42 am

skeezer. If I do gloat ( can’t remember the last time though so maybe you can show my post) it is with a certain amount of subtlety. Your gloating is “in your face” kinda. I don’t blame you, after all your comprehension skills, or should I say lack thereof, are plain for all to see. One only has to look at your nonsensical posts.
#Bandwagoner

July 3rd, 2014 at 10:50 am

@skeezer. BTW are you aware that Rafa just won his NINTH FRENCH OPEN? It truly was a glorious moment both for Rafa and his millions of fans.
Vamos Champ!

July 3rd, 2014 at 10:54 am

To some who said, i’m belittling Roger’s win yesterday citing Stan’s injury, this is what Roger had to say in his press conference..

“Once he did have a letdown physically I was able to capitalize on that, which was important today.”

July 3rd, 2014 at 1:10 pm

I am a fed fan but I don’t go around putting down other people. Which is why I find Jane’s demeanour so remarkable. Never a put down of other people’s achievements. Most of us can learn a lot from her.

Many claim to be objective but are not…they just want to put others down. When Federer won Halle, at least one Fed hater here said mockingly he can only with the “lowly” tournaments. The same person would habe gloated if Nadal had won the same tournament.

There is no pleasure putting others down when your guy did not win. Nothing against rooting against them, but don’t mock their achievements. That makes the bias petty.

July 3rd, 2014 at 1:56 pm

There was a time that admiditly as a Rafa fan i took unecassary swipes at other players especially Novak as i was bitter about those 7 defeats in 2011,however that said more about me as a fan rather than him as a player,and it doesnt do you any good and only makes you look bitter in the long run,IMO its pretty sad when you hate someone merely because they have a number on your favorite,annymosity is fine as thats part of the game,but hate and making things personal when its only a game is pretty sad really….

July 3rd, 2014 at 2:14 pm

thanks, nk. i used to be more inclined to jump in the fray and am no innocent/objective poster. definitely a nole fan first. but at some point i just decided to enjoy more you know? breaks from posting help too. and then of course, i’ve mellowed with age. like fed maybe. :)

July 3rd, 2014 at 2:17 pm

Regarding Stan and Roger…..they had played 13 times and Roger losing twice…..I don’t care what the circumstances, Roger will beat Stan time after time again……the same with Rafa and Stan 13/0 when they played AO. Stan is gonna win once in a great while because of the law of averages, but I was confident for Roger yesterday…..just an opinion of course! If the final is Novak and Roger I think it’s Novak who will hoist the trophy. I hardly ever go out on a limb choosing a winner, I hope I am wrong, because I prefer Roger over Novak…..even if he is looking at #18!! This is coming from a Rafa fan……who’d a thunk it!! Lol

July 3rd, 2014 at 2:25 pm