Roger Federer Announces He’ll Return For The Miami Open

Finally!. Excitement is back👍

March 17th, 2016 at 9:56 am

I am glad the Arrogant One is finally showing some respect to clay. Miami Clay Court Championships have the finest slow clay.

March 17th, 2016 at 10:26 am

Miami is one of Rog’s least successful hard courts, but still great to have him back, and hopefully he’ll be ready for some good clay tennis afterwards.

I don’t mind tennis without Rog. I want to see what Raonic, Nishikori, Zverev, Kyrgios can do. Plus, I have become a DelPo believer. Having Roger back for Miami just adds one more elite player in that mix, which makes it all the more exciting– a QF spot taken away from a Gasquet or Simon or Isner means one more ‘headline’ match at least.

March 17th, 2016 at 11:03 am

Best of luck in your return to tennis Roger,and for the CC season….

March 17th, 2016 at 12:43 pm

Roger won Miami a couple of times 05,06, then the competition arrived. Hasn’t won it in 10 years.
Rafa has never won it. It’s for the last 10 years it’s been Djokovic and Murray turf, with 2 years won by now retired Roddick and Davydenko.

March 17th, 2016 at 1:49 pm

TV – In a couple of years we should know who the 5-6 guys are that will be replacing the Big 4 as they fade out…though Djokovic may still be around as a top player in 5 years, like Federer has done…
Surely some of those you mention, great talents, just can’t win regularly and their names will join Gasquet, Gulbis, the one-year long raging fixation with Jerzy!Janowicz!, Monfils. Dimitrov. etc., as great hopes and #1 ranked soon predictions that didn’t pan out.

But on your list, I am sure you have names that will soon win big events, outside Delpo, who already has. Perhaps some future #1 players.

March 17th, 2016 at 2:35 pm

Bad decision, I am surprised. Why would he want to pound his freshly operated knee on a hard court – especially such a slow hard court where he has not done well in many many years? Why not stay on clay and compete in Monte Carlo and Rome (Rome is faster than perhaps even Miami), and get prepared better for the French? He’s not going to make the second seed, and is likely to remain top 4 till the Olympics unless he has really bad results on grass.

This is a bit like his decision to go back to clay in 2013 after Wimbledon, with an injured back – it was purely desperation – and he lost two low level matches to two low level players.

Playing in Miami does NOTHING to help him prepare for the only slam where he has a small chance – Wimbledon. Or for the Olympics, since that is so far away.

This will not end well.

March 17th, 2016 at 2:36 pm

James – I am likewise surprised he’d come back on a hard court when clay courts are just around the corner.

March 17th, 2016 at 2:45 pm

You have to understand that RF breathes, eats and drinks tennis. He will be playing at least until 38, possibly even 40 and then he will move to ATP, becoming the Michel Platini of tennis.

Rafa loves poker and fishing, Novak will, perhaps, move to politics, but RF will be with us for at least 3 more tennis decades.

March 17th, 2016 at 3:20 pm

Of course – which is why it seems risky for him to put his knee to the test on a hard court when the clay court season lies immediately ahead.

March 17th, 2016 at 3:54 pm

@James

I believe you hit the motive…it is possibly the ranking that is niggling at Federer…always a slight advantage to be either no.1 or no. 2 for the Grand Slams/Majors…he’s hoping he might do reasonably well at Miami…and Andy + Stan have slippage.

March 17th, 2016 at 3:56 pm

He has won Miami twice before (so winning it again really doesn’t matter in the long run). Even if he makes the semi, its 360 points – and semi in Miami has not been easy for him the last several years. All this for one tournament and then going back to clay – strange. Why not play a 250 clay tournament in europe (like Istanbul last year) prior to Monte Carlo – get some matches in against weaker opponents, more confidence, more practice on clay, and give it a serious run in Monte Carlo – a tournament he has never won, though has been to the finals many times before.

I think he got huge appearance money from Miami. That’s the only explanation that makes sense. Many of his sponsors are American companies, and Miami is a BIG event for sponsors.

I think he will come, play a couple of rounds, lose, then go back.

I just hope he doesn’t get injured. Regardless of his elegant style of play, his body does have a lot of miles.

On another note, Djokovic must be salivating at the thought of meeting Nadal again at Indian Wells. Now’s the time to hammer that H2H!

March 17th, 2016 at 4:00 pm

Chrisford1, Gasguet and Gulbis were never at the same level as Rog! so, when you say that anyone is the same as Roger, you don’t know what you are talking about! If you meant something else, then i stand corrected. But, to put those names along side the very best is ludicrous! Give THE MAN his due and just say farewell to a player that everyone from here on will be compared with!

March 17th, 2016 at 5:18 pm

James – the only thing I think may be questionable in your comment is the money…..seriously does Roger decide to play only for money?…at this stage it is surely all about his pride and wanting to stay relevant. ???

March 17th, 2016 at 5:31 pm

Tazman, reading comprehension can be your friend! At that point by knowing what the person you read is talking about, you can communicate knowing what you are talking about!I didn’t say, same as Roger. Just that at one point many people touted certain “young guns” as headed for the top, soon would get some big wins , then surpass the Big 4 when the present stars began the downwards slide as they aged.
And just like in the past, no “young gun” fan is saying they are better than Djokovic is now, even Federer. They got a long way to go. But it is inevitable. If you look at Fed at 18 and Novak at 18, I venture they were not as good as Zverev at 18, certainly Rafa.
It’s all predictions. Stuff changes, so take it easy about it!
BTW – New players will be looking to more than Roger, as a role model. Some want to have what Borg had, inc the girls. Others see Pete Sampras as their man though they developed different styles when they found they were good, but not going to mske it in the Sampras mold. Some will want to be like Djokovic or Gaels MOnfils or McEnroe instead of Roger. A lot will want to be like Rafa.

March 17th, 2016 at 6:42 pm

Chrisford1,

Good points. Incorporating Federer’s style doesn’t always workout, just ask Dimitrov. The one handed backhand isn’t going to be a big thing going forward either. Thiem said he started out with a two handed backhand, but he never felt comfortable hitting it that way, so he switched to a 1 handed backhand. This won’t happen often. It’s still far to early to tell how these young guns are going to turn out. Zverev has always had the talent, but even before he choked on match point yesterday and completely crumbled mentally, I had noticed that he had a bit of a tendency to get a bit emotional at times. He will need to stay calmer in the future and get over that stuff quicker. If he doesn’t,he will end up like Andy Murray and only have a few slams by the time he hits 29. Those types of things need to be addressed, or they will get worse over time. The young guys that seem to have the calm demeaner are Thiem, Fritz and Coric. I’m not saying they are as talented as Kyrgios or Zverev, but they all stronger mentally in my opinion and it’s something that comes more naturally for those 3. All this will play a factor going forward. Talent never wins out over mental strength and staying calm and bouncing back after a mistake. Never in the long run. It’s good for a major hear and there.

March 17th, 2016 at 6:55 pm

“Talent never wins out over mental strength.”…Dave

I like that and it is probably true. Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Murray, they all have the talent and Murray may even be the one with the most natural talent of those 4. But he has been left in the dust by the first three in terms of slams and other victories. Yes, I agree with Dave that talent never wins out over mental strength.

March 17th, 2016 at 7:06 pm

Surprise indeed. Always great to have Fed in a tourney – but also concerned it is too soon and question the surface choice for his return to tour.

Hope it all works out well and Mr Swiss stays healthy and injury free.

March 17th, 2016 at 8:11 pm

Markus,

We have all seen it to often. Monfils has maybe the most physical gifts and talent ever and he has never won a major or a masters 1000 event. It just doesn’t always translate into success. I firmly believe if Lendl would have stayed with Murray, that Nole may have lost a few of the majors off of his total to Andy. Andy has an insane amount of talent. Nole was never looked at as the most talented player, not even close. I would say Federer and Nadal have more raw talent than Nole has ever had. But Nole is so strong mentally and keeps finding ways to get stronger. I love seeing that from players.

March 17th, 2016 at 8:49 pm

Djokovic kept evolving, his FH nowadays is one of top 3-5 in the world. He has power to go with the heavy hitter of the game and his movement is the best there is now.

There is no holes anymore in his game and the matches only gets close when he is not on his best days with a few more errors.

Federer will return to Miami just to test himself. With a 96 players draw and bye, he can have 2 easy matches in R2 and R3. maybe if his draw open up like what happen in IW, who would have though Goffin making semis, maybe Monfils and the other side still Open) although can’t see Tsonga beating Djoko at all.

He will use it as a fancy practice and getting competitive matches again, toot get too rusty.

Also, Nadal will be down to 5 and he has a big chance of landing in Djoko or Murray’s quarter. If he lands on Fed or Wawa will be an advantage as Wawa is too inconsistent and Fed may not get that deep.

March 17th, 2016 at 9:54 pm

Nadal won’t win Miami

March 18th, 2016 at 2:25 am

My bold prediction Djokovic will win French open

March 18th, 2016 at 2:27 am

Dave,

I would not compare Kyrgios with Zverev. Zverev is stronger mentally. His father is his coach, I have watched him. His father behaves like Lendl.

March 18th, 2016 at 2:32 am

Awesome! I guess if he’s medically cleared to return then it makes sense to get back into the tour and play competitive matches as early as possible.

March 18th, 2016 at 2:40 am

Kyrgios Tomic laughing stock of Australian tennis
Funny considering one is Croatian the other Asian / Greek

Raonic will be number 1 in the world in few years

March 18th, 2016 at 2:49 am

@ Dave,

I see you try a bit to much to highlight the fact , that Sascha choked , when he had match point.
Do not forget: he beat Dodig, Dimitrov and Simon at this tournament.
As much as you try to show, that Fritz has more potential then Zverev, it is not yet very credible.

March 18th, 2016 at 2:50 am

@ Pauly,

You can also add, that Raonic is not a pure Canadian ;)

March 18th, 2016 at 3:06 am

VP

I wonder how many of us Posters are “pure” anything apart from an occasional pure pest that wanders on here occasionally….

March 18th, 2016 at 4:21 am

J-Kath,

That is a very good point indeed…and this pest seems to be contagios.
When a player is not very liked or makes mystakes, it has to be pinted out, where he comes from. It’s a must!

March 18th, 2016 at 4:32 am

VP—

Taa for the chuckle…

March 18th, 2016 at 4:48 am

Van persie

Raonic is Slavic but he’s big like Tomic or Kyrgios
He’s a very good player mentally

March 18th, 2016 at 5:31 am

Tomic & Kyrgios both sooks

March 18th, 2016 at 5:33 am

Future of tennis is gonna change in 3 years
Djokovic Nadal Federer all gone by then

My tip is Raonic first choice number 1 player after those players retire
Then Zverev ….. Plus Thiem coric ??? Not sure about them
The puppet will never be number 1 in the world
I’m not fan of him at all aka puppet @ nishikori

March 18th, 2016 at 5:38 am

J-Kath,

Our chuckle here did not help much :)
We have a very dogged poster here

March 18th, 2016 at 5:58 am

VP – we simply cannot allow free speech.
So we’ll have to have a “pure pest” scale.
e.g. “pp1”, “pp2” etc. to identify such individuals, alternatively “pd1” and so forth…

March 18th, 2016 at 6:09 am

We are all entitled to free speech around here? ,pftt are ya hell?….
All depends on who you are, and which clique you belong to? ….

March 18th, 2016 at 6:24 am

J-K,

We have to enjoy the beauty of anonymous posting :)

Pauly,

I have only one curiosity.
My English is not the best and I wanna learn something new. What is aka?

March 18th, 2016 at 6:37 am

GL – You are a member of the chosen ones.

VP: – Must we?

Bye everyone….work calls.

March 18th, 2016 at 6:40 am

I don’t think Djokovic will be gone in 3 years. He may still be dominating in at least the next couple of years and still be a factor in another couple of years after that. I am not sure about Nadal. Another bad year like last year’s may spell an early end to his career. Federer will just keep on playing until he’s 50 so he can set another record there. :-)

Van Persie, AKA is the acronym for Also Known As.

March 18th, 2016 at 6:45 am

J-K,

It is a open “forum” after all….everybody is allowed to say, what he wants. Nobody pushes or pay us to read or post here..

There is no must after all :)

March 18th, 2016 at 6:47 am

Thank you, Markus

March 18th, 2016 at 6:48 am

I would love to watch some of Djokovic’s matches when he just started playing professionally. I think he may be the most “evolved” of all the players (maybe even in the past). That’s probably the offshoot of the “mental strength over talent” thing that Dave mentioned. This mental strength enables him to hone every aspect of his game to the fullest possible.

March 18th, 2016 at 7:12 am

“Know ye not that un unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators not idolaters . . .shall inherit the kingdom of God.” I Cor. 6: 9, 10 You boys in the ATP are in trouble spiritually living in sin with these girls who travel with you. Repent to Jesus and then live for Him and you will be blessed.

March 18th, 2016 at 8:25 am

Marcus, I was a fan of Djokovic’s beginning in 2007 when he got the Miami Open win. Then Delpo by the 2009 French Open when he almost took Roger down before Roger could have his “Rafa out of the way date with destiny”.
My thought on Novak then was – Fast, a natural ball striker, great backhand, graceful…and a fairly funny, bright guy. Also a drama queen, who stunk at net and couldn’t hit an overhead. Not tough and a digger like Nadal – but he was going to make life tough for Fedal, win a lot. He did, and Roger fans in particular, ever since, have hated Djokovic for that. The 1st real toughness and mental strength display I saw in Djokovic was the 2009 Madrid semi, where he went at it with Rafa and neither guy had any quit in them and played do hard both were messed up from the clash.

I guess my own perspective is that talent is critical, but the winning edge in similarly talented players is mental. David Ferrer has displayed great mental strength, but his talent level is less than many players. He is an overachiever. One rung of talent away from winning big events. Rafa is different because he has mental toughness, but is a world class athlete that may have been a football star had he chosen that path and has shots tough to counter.

And Djokovic’s true strength is self-improvement. He never stopped cultivating his skills, boosting his mental attributes needed in competition. The sport has many stats that supposedly show greatness – but how do you capture the singular tennis history feat of the guy that was 3rd for a solid 4 years behind “the two greatest ever” then came through his development and became Nole 2.0 and beat the two co-GOATS in their prime?? And maintain that “best player” status since then despite some see-sawing at #1??? No one, not even his best fans, thought Djokovic would beat BOTH Fed and Rafa a year before in 2010. It may be looked back on as big as Laver’s Grand Slam, Borgs 5 years straight of the FO-Wimbledon double trophy haul.
2011 was experience, talent development, holistic physical development, and a new mentality all merging perfectly in one player.

March 18th, 2016 at 8:55 am

VP – I think you know it was simply part of some cheeky interchange….that said I’m beginning to change my mind on religious grounds!!!!!!

March 18th, 2016 at 9:00 am

CF1, those were my exact thoughts on Novak early days as well. However, being a Roger fan, I never hated Novak! I thought Roddick was a jerk in general, but I enjoyed his mocking, because whatever else, Roddick is a pretty funny presser guy.

I also thought, in 2009, that DelPotro was going to leapfrog Novak as the Next #1 behind Fedal. Unlike Cilic’s USO, DelPotro had a good few months as the best player in tennis. History could have been very different.

March 18th, 2016 at 9:30 am

J-K,

No worries ;)….I got you…and the religious undergrounds..well, does not work for me, it’s Friday ;)…and Black Friday only next week, so I can be nasty today :)

March 18th, 2016 at 9:40 am

Guys,

I never understood a thing…Roger is considered the GOAT, and it is well deserved as he won 17 GS.
One thing I do not understand. Why did he win his first GS, when he was almost 22 years old…Rafa and Nole won the first GS earlier.

March 18th, 2016 at 9:52 am

TV – Yep, I know that ALL Fed fans are not nasty Rafa and Djoker bashers, but the ones that are at events or in sports chat are hard to ignore. THanks for being understanding.

Felt the same way about Delpo in the same year seeing the semi vs Roger at the FO, which I didn’t tape, to my great regret. He WAS better than Nole was, I also thought in 2009, as a fan of both guys.
I like stats a bit, but never played or followed tennis for the stats. It is the mano a mano rivalries that draw me. Drew me as a former mediocre college player and tennis league nobody on a personal level. And Delpo between injuries and slow recovery, when he was at 100% – had electrifying matches with the Big 3. The Olympics matches with Fed and Nole, the 2013 Wimbledon Semi thriller between Nole and JMDP that I was in tennis heaven watching. Blowing RAFA off the courts in Shanghai.

I hope Delpo has another run at being a fearsome but nice force in the game. After the French Open, that is. Like to see him have a Masters 1000, a Slam. And if he is back somehow and in a medals match in Rio, it will be huge for Argentina. (AND Delpo)

March 18th, 2016 at 9:58 am

VP,
“Roger is considered the GOAT, and it is well deserved as he won 17 GS.”
Respect.

This article is a few years old but Fed kinda answers your question;

http://www.theroar.com.au/2012/07/13/i-never-thought-id-be-that-good-federer/

March 18th, 2016 at 10:09 am

Thanks Skeezer,

It makes sense, what he explains there.
Well, I never said, he’s not the GOAT….so Hewitt helped him a bit to become successfull ;)

March 18th, 2016 at 10:20 am

http://www.eurosport.co.uk/tennis/federer-i-knew-from-the-start-that-nadal-would-become-better-than-me_sto5323207/story.shtml
There’s honesty for you.

March 18th, 2016 at 11:49 am

I still don’t think the issue with Murray is mental when compared to the other 3 guys. I believe it’s more technical. Federer, Novak and Nadal can hit big but still play safe. For Murray to hit as big as they do, he has to flatten out his shots thereby reducing his margin for error quite a bit. It’s not an easy task to play with a reduced margin of error over 5 sets. It takes its toll mentally. Murray has a great feel for the game and moves around the court like a spooked deer. But, it’s just not enough. The differences between a player like Murray and players like Nadal are miniscule. But, over a 5 set match, those differences manifest themselves, one way or the other. Federer, Nadal (…at least the one before 2014) and Novak all have better 2nd serves too.

I don’t know if it was Bill Tilden or Don Budge but one of them basically said that it’s more important to be technically sound than mentally tough because at least to some degree, being strong technically helps you mentally. If a player has phenomenal mechanics, they will trust their shots in pressure situations.

March 18th, 2016 at 11:58 am

Giles,

Thank you for the article.
In 2013 I was sure, that Rafa would surpass Roger in GS….

March 18th, 2016 at 1:50 pm

^^^ You’re welcome. It was a pleasure posting it.

March 18th, 2016 at 2:10 pm

Nice to see skeezer happy.

March 18th, 2016 at 3:57 pm