Roger Federer Faces Alexander Zverev For Spot In Halle Final; Dominic Thiem Gets Day Off

Feds 2nd serve has become so weak. reached murrays level of the last years

June 18th, 2016 at 6:44 am

1st set zverev

June 18th, 2016 at 6:53 am

Zeverev hitting is insane. Only fed’s serve is getting him out of trouble so far. This is very crucial game for him.

June 18th, 2016 at 7:20 am

He saved 2 break points with 2 aces. 4-4
Things are not looking good though

June 18th, 2016 at 7:25 am

Jatin hi, i cant judge personally, as i can only see live scores, instead we have ladies Aegon Keys and CSN which is a good contest, id rather watch the mens though ….

Nice to see you here BTW ;-)) ….

June 18th, 2016 at 7:26 am

Fed broke in a crucial moment. He was a bit lucky at 4-5 (the first return was on the line), but he played well.

Zverev needs more experience. The way he played at 5-5 was atrocious, especially the double fault. He went for a big serve at 15-30.

We can see that the pause had a big impact of Roger’s return.

June 18th, 2016 at 7:41 am

Thanks willow.
It seems like my memory is failing me :(
I haven’t seen you much in these forums. Or maybe i have, but fails to recognize you. How’s you ?

Even in India, they are broadcasting the Aegon championship. I am watching the match through live streaming.

There is some change of tactics by fed. He is standing some steps backward from baseline and it is paying off. He had 2 break points the previous game and break this time around. And while i am typing this, he has already won the set 7-5 :)
Hope he finds a way through in the decider.

June 18th, 2016 at 7:43 am

Nobody speaks of Tomic, who beat Anderson, Verdasco and Muller to make it to the semi. He’s a good grass player, and he could pose some problems to Raonic.

June 18th, 2016 at 7:44 am

But it’s true — he doesn’t belong to the “next generation” of ATP stars.

June 18th, 2016 at 7:45 am

Hey mat4, don’t you think zverev is such an amazing shot maker. He reminds me off cilic( when he won the USO) with the way he hitting that forehand today.

June 18th, 2016 at 7:45 am

He will certainly be a good player. His game will probably evolve, but overall, he’s pretty good now. My guess is that the will be “resident” top ten, although I don’t see him doing more than that: he’s too tall.

We’ll know for sure how he develops in the next year or two. It’s a bit early now.

June 18th, 2016 at 7:59 am

2 breaks in 2 games already wasted by fed. One bad service game could cost him this match
Zverev lead 2-1

June 18th, 2016 at 7:59 am

Cilic played great at the end of 2009, although he didn’t serve that well. But it went unnoticed then.

June 18th, 2016 at 8:00 am

@jatin:

Willow is an old friend of ours. She was a hippy in the time.

June 18th, 2016 at 8:01 am

Thanks for your opinion mat4. I do agree with you.
Ah well, i was expecting that.

Hey willow, didn’t expected to see you in this avatar. :)
How’s you ?
Glad to see you here still.

June 18th, 2016 at 8:06 am

Meanwhile, two break points for zverev…. :(

June 18th, 2016 at 8:08 am

I was expecting that. 4-2

Comon fed

June 18th, 2016 at 8:09 am

Zverev is one game away now

June 18th, 2016 at 8:13 am

Those 2 shots from fed… wow .. just wow

June 18th, 2016 at 8:17 am

fed is so done and dusted.

congrats zverev. now beat also murray and novak. why give 500 % against nadal and fed and then bend over vs novak.

June 18th, 2016 at 8:20 am

So zverev did it. What a win for him.
Not too sad about fed losing to these young generation guys though. He has already shown tons of improvements from stuggurt to halle.
Won 5 matches in progress, lost 2. Not too bad.

The thing now is to take some rest and practice hard for Wimbledon. Hopes are not that high, but you have to be optimist.

Zverev, what a fine hitter he is. Hoping for theim vs zverev final

June 18th, 2016 at 8:23 am

Great match.

I enjoyed it. New Generation is here.

June 18th, 2016 at 8:29 am

Mat4 lol yeah been a Hippy, a Gypsy, and even a HJF only on a couple of occasions, but im a Willow now after Brit Ekland for the time being ….

Jatin anyway, as sad as it now, although Fedal are still capable of playing amazing tennis, and could probably eek out something big (time will tell though i suppose ?), i believe its time to let go of them, and move on to the next generation of younglings, although im not quite ready to give up on Rafa, i think Thiem is going to be one of my new, if not THEE new favorite of mine, how about you ? ….

June 18th, 2016 at 8:33 am

Zverev and Thiem could be the next big rivalry of the future, looking into my crystal ball, i can see us all on tennis-x old and grey in 2026 arguing about which one of those is the new GOAT ;-)) ….

June 18th, 2016 at 8:35 am

Yes, it seems that this year is the year when young players make it to the top; at the Race,

4. Thiem,
5. Nishikori,
6. Raonic,
8. Goffin,
13. Kyrgios,
18. Zverev,
20. Tomic,
21. Pouille,
34. Sock,
38. Coric,
44. Edmund,
48. Fritz.

There will definitely be new faced already this year, and especially next year in the top ten, perhaps at the very top.

June 18th, 2016 at 8:36 am

Willow

Are you back? If you are who I think you might be re. the hints above…I’ve been missing you. If not, Hi, nice to meet you.

June 18th, 2016 at 8:49 am

Hi J-Kath yeah im back with a new monikor, previous ones stated in the above post to Mat4 and Jatin, how ya doing anyway ?, nice to see you again ;-)) ….

June 18th, 2016 at 8:59 am

^ Thanks and I missed you too J-Kath^ ….

June 18th, 2016 at 9:03 am

@Willow:

I doubt it. It doesn’t happen every year. We were very lucky to witness the era of three players that are contenders to the title, but before them, only Borg and Laver had a legitimate shot at the title in the Open Era.

Among the young guns, Thiem is a potential no 1, but he’s already very late, and, compared to Nadal, Federer and Djokovic, he is a very late bloomer. He hasn’t won a MS1000 yet, while at his age, all three of them had slam wins.

Coric is a new Ferrer. Zverev won’t be better than Berdych. Goffin, Nishikori… we have already seen what is their maximum. Kokinakkis — injuries at 18… Kyrgios, potential no 1, but nowhere near the old guard.

Compare him with Djokovic. At his age, Djoko couldn’t win a slam, but he already made semis of slams regularly.

In 2026, we will still be arguing who is to GOAT: Fed, Nole or Rafa.

June 18th, 2016 at 9:10 am

Willow, I know where you are coming from and i appreciate your honesty.
But for me, its almost impossible to bring in the same amount of emotions for any other player. The amount of joy and excitement I get when i watch Fed play is unmatched. I don’t even expect him to win anything now. When i got to see him play he already had 13 slams, so i haven’t’ seen him won that much (especially in slam department as my other fellow fed fans have), I just loved to see him play and still do. That’s it.

Cricket is the biggest thing in my country (more like a religion) and people don’t even care much about other sports but most of them have heard about Fed and Rafa here. Many of them including my friends and family members often ask me ,what’s in fed you love so much to even leave the match of Team India against Pakistan (the most intense rivalry in Cricket) to watch his match. I just reply, i don’t know ( I can’t explain it). Its just his on court persona, his game, his attitude. He had unleashed the extreme fan inside me which I never thought existed.

I watch every match of his no matter what. Wake up at late night to watch him.

He is my biggest inspiration and a role model and i look up at him as an encouragement to work as hard as possible in my college years (I am quite young). He has inspired me to never give up in any situation.

Before being his fan, i had seen some tennis and i didn’t liked it at all to watch. He brought me to this game which i absolutely love now.

I don’t think, I would watch that much tennis (especially the masters and some other stuff) after he is gone. Sure i will follow the Grand Slams just like I did the french open where the GREAT Novak completed his unbelievable 4 slams in a row.

I actually supported Theim this French Open and was cheering hard for him against Novak but Novak is Novak. You just can’t win against him these days. His level is insane. He is truly a LEGEND of this sport

Sorry for the long answer, I know you are such a lovely Rafa fan and I do think he could win something big again. Just don’t let go off your guy just yet. He is a fighter like no other.

June 18th, 2016 at 9:14 am

2036 Then, my god ill be 68 lol, talk about wishing your life away, wonder if tennis-x will still be here in 10 /20 years from now ? ….

June 18th, 2016 at 9:15 am

Willow – He’s going for everything at the Olympics…mixed doubles, men’s doubles and singles. I think he loves his country and people that he was desolate at the thought he might not be able to be the Spanish flag carrier. Hope he keeps well.

June 18th, 2016 at 9:26 am

Jatin thanks for the feedback lovely post, birthdays make me sad when it comes to sport, as its another reminder of getting older /slower, and knowing your best days are getting less and less, i watched David Beckham doing a set of charity matches before Christmas, one match on 7 different continents, and the last one at Old Trafford, he said “i still love the buzz of playing, but im now 40 years old, and its too tiring now ! ….

June 18th, 2016 at 9:26 am

Thanks J-Kath, i have no expectations of what he wins, or where he wins anymore, i just enjoy and want to carry on watching him ….

June 18th, 2016 at 9:28 am

another heartbreaking loss. zverev deserved it though.

fed is not good anough to play the big points.

2 BP chances at the start of the 3rd and cant take them.similar to his match vs thiem last week.

i will be happy if fed reaches the 2nd week at wimbledon but cant see it.

sad

June 18th, 2016 at 10:09 am

No way Federer even makes it to the quarters at Wimbledon if he keeps playing like this…

June 18th, 2016 at 10:12 am

Murray and Djokovic are able to expose Zverev’s movement better than Federer. That’s why they don’t struggle with Zverev. That’s the difference.

June 18th, 2016 at 10:15 am

A specific Big 3 Open era record is in jeopardy, unless Roger makes a deep run at Wimbledon. Notice Andy is #4.

“Each has the highest win percentage on clay (Nadal), grass (Federer) and hard (Djokovic) courts in the Open Era.”

Grass * % W–L
1. Switzerland Roger Federer 86.98 147–22
2. Sweden Björn Borg 86.96 60–9
3. United States John McEnroe 85.6 119–20
4. United Kingdom Andy Murray 84.5 93–17
5. United States Pete Sampras 83.5 101–20

June 18th, 2016 at 10:24 am

Jun,

Unless Fed wins Wimbledon that stat will gonna fall. Any other way he will have less than Borg, But Borg had less than 100 matches and retired at the top and at young age. His records are not”representative”

With tis two losses I can’t see Fed as one of the favorites after Djoko and Murray. At this point if he reaches semis to lose to one of them will already be a great result.

Thiem also out, not the final I wanted at all. Them will move to #3 at the ATP race this year with his Halle 180 pts semis, juts 10 pts ahead of Nadal. Federer will move one position to #12. A decent run for Fed in Wimbledon, QF or better and he should be back to top 10 for the year, if reaching semis back to top 8.

June 18th, 2016 at 10:53 am

Willow
I know where you are coming from. We know these greats can’t go on forever. Who knows maybe after 5-10 years (if we are still here ) we would be cheering for thiem together :)

Fed express
You are one the great fed fan here. Don’t be disheartened.

Just look at these recent quotes from fed

“I need the fire, the excitement, the whole rollercoaster!”

“What’s wrong with you people? Playing tennis is great fun!”

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/jun/18/roger-federer-interview-tennis-wimbledon-simon-hattenstone?

June 18th, 2016 at 11:21 am

@mat4 by 2026 perhaps we will not have to communicate via the clumsy intermediary of words on a screen. We will have chips implanted in our heads so that direct mind to mind communication will be possible. Ah imagine man’s exalted technological future! we will be having heated arguments and flinging petty insults about who was the goat right in each other’s heads. What a future we can look forward to! That is if we are not thrown back to the 7th century by the hordes of Mohammedans so beloved by Western politicians.

June 18th, 2016 at 11:28 am

FedExpress Says:
another heartbreaking loss. zverev deserved it though.

fed is not good anough to play the big points.

2 BP chances at the start of the 3rd and cant take them.similar to his match vs thiem last week.

i will be happy if fed reaches the 2nd week at wimbledon but cant see it.

sad

June 18th, 2016 at 10:09 am

FedExpress, ever negative.

What is the ooint in being negative.

Don’t worry. If this makes you feel better. Federer will get to the second week, Federer will win Wimbledon.

I am just so pleased, so proud that he is not ‘crashing’ out as some journalists are reporting. He is still playing at a high quality. Worry when he is losing with no match play, no fight to show.

It is his decision to play FedExpress and as a fan, you have to support him in that, if not. Stop watching and causing yourself immense pain.

Jatin, I read that article above. Sent it to a friend of mine who is from USA. It is a great article. Loved it.

June 18th, 2016 at 11:31 am

‘point’ !

June 18th, 2016 at 11:32 am

Hi, TF76. Glad you’re here.

June 18th, 2016 at 11:52 am

FedExpress,

This will make you feel even more depressed…but you know, there has been plenty of talk about this for 8 years now.

You can either read it, believe it, cry, laugh, or continue to watch Roger until he decides.

As Jatin said earlier, it is great to have expectations. Visual and be hopeful. Let’s take that into Wimbledon and support Federer the way he deserves!

http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/35244/is-it-time-for-roger-federer-to-retire/

On the other hand, I think it is wonderful to see these new, bright young things coming through – time moves on and if you can look at this with a smile and a heart full of positivity, you will cope with it much better! :-)

June 18th, 2016 at 11:53 am

Note Roger loses more points. He won Halle last year. And the way he is playing, even with a “Roger Special” draw – I doubt he will get close to a Wimbledon final this year. Race to London is becoming a dicier proposition.

Kudos to Andy and Raonic taking down tough grass foes. I predicted a couple of years back, as I signed on as a fan, Milos would never be the player any of the Big 4 became, but said Raonic would win Wimbledon one day. Just not this year, please! Rooting for Novak all the way in 2016. (though it wouldn’t devastate me to see Rafa finally get a YEC, though that is unlikely.)

June 18th, 2016 at 11:54 am

What I am interested in is what Ivan Ljubicic, can bring to Federer’s game for Wimbledon, so Ben or Sean, or anyone of our illustrious tennis analysts, can you give me your opinion please?

Chris, I think there are a number of contenders for Wimbledon, and you are most likely correct that Novak will be the favourite…however, I am standing by Roger.

I think he will do it. Second week, go deep and reach the final.

He will lift the trophy. Wimbledon 2016 will be his platform.

June 18th, 2016 at 12:01 pm

The Wimbledon draw will be crucial. I hope Andy doesn’t have Milos who is improving so fast, he’s scary. For starters, think he will beat Andy tomorrow at Queens. As for Roger, he’ll probably be top seed in one of the quarters. If he’s lucky he’ll miss Milos too. Don’t think Rafa is playing Wimbledon, but not sure though.

June 18th, 2016 at 12:23 pm

J-Kath, no Rafa this year.
Agree on Milos – none of the Big 4 want him in their Quarter.
Nishiori is back to off and on nagging injuries. I don’t think he will be a factor. Stan is Stan. Berdych is still a threat.
The two faves have to be Andy and Novak.

June 18th, 2016 at 12:39 pm

Chrisford1 – Roger will be fired up. He will put everything he has into Wimbledon. This is the one he wants and realistically, his only chance. That is saying some.

Ben,

What can Ivan Ljubicic bring to Fed’s game at Wimbledon? Is there anything he can do to help, because the little that I do know, I can’t see him improving Fed’s game on grass – may be he is more there for moral support?

June 18th, 2016 at 1:27 pm

@Jun, 10:24am
Where did you get those percentages from? Just a few minutes before I saw your post I was looking at the same stats at Wikipedia Open Era Records page and Borg’s win/loss percentage on grass was 86.96%, 60-9. In the next hour, Borg’s percentage “dropped” to 84.7% and 61-11 win/loss record. How’s that possible?

June 18th, 2016 at 1:31 pm

@Ivica:

Go here:

http://www.tennisabstract.com/cgi-bin/player.cgi?p=BjornBorg&f=ACareerqqB2F1

June 18th, 2016 at 1:48 pm

IMO Roger will still go deep at SW19, best of five is a different animal, he has a good record against Murray and if hes on the same side he could beat Murray and get to the final, depends who plays their best on the day, Andy is now beginging to play very well on grass too, so who knows, if Roger is on the same side as Novak or in the final against Novak its over, although i think now Roger could also lose to a number of the younger players now ….

June 18th, 2016 at 1:51 pm

I can’t see real favourites for Wimbledon. There are a lot of dangerous players, and the first rounds could be crucial.

I hope that Novak will play well, the way he did the previous years, and that he will have a bit of luck, with Federer, Kyrgios, Raonic, Isner, Thiem, Cilic, Wawrinka in Murray’s half. Guess it’s not too much to ask.

June 18th, 2016 at 1:54 pm

Chrisford 1

Depending on what we see at Queens tomorrow it could be 3 favourites….need to see if Andy can handle Milos…. if he can keep it close then Andy (and obviously Nole) in 5 sets could do it.

Roger is off his game at the moment, and potential 5-setters don’t favour him. As you say Rafa won’t be there. Stan can offer surprises, but not usually on grass.

The other up-and-comers? It would be unexpected if they got that far YET. (I think they are feeling the pain of too much playing and conserving their energy – burning too many candles both ends so to speak).

June 18th, 2016 at 1:54 pm

Did I forget anybody? Ah… Karlovic, Gasquet, Muller, and Stepanek, of course.

June 18th, 2016 at 1:56 pm

i dont care personally im ready for a Thiem, Zverev, Goffin to have their turn now, time for a change, change is good ….

June 18th, 2016 at 2:06 pm

madmax
Did you noticed something unusual about fed this tournament ?
He was cursing himself a lot, getting so much emotional on court. It was so unlike him.
Does it has something to do with ljubicic ?
I mean, to show some emotions in order to fire yourself up a little ?

I don’t know but it was so unlike fed. He never really show emotions most of the time.
As for Wimbledon, i think he should come forward and play serve and volley tennis as much as he could. His serve is still good as ever.
I won’t count him out, and i really hope he gets a good draw this time. Do you think he will be ranked 2nd ?
Wimbledon has their own seeding system and fed reached the final in last 2 years.

June 18th, 2016 at 2:20 pm

@Willow:

Change is good, indeed. I would like to see Novak beat Thiem or Zverev in a final. Enough matches against Rafa, Andy…

June 18th, 2016 at 2:25 pm

ha ha, mat4. indeed. ;) good win for zverev. fed’s had a look at the young guns these past 2 weeks that’s for sure. i knew they were coming this year; i told someone months ago they were.

b.t.w, for rafa fans or anyone, here’s an old “onion” piece on rafa “king of clay” from 2007! it’s very cute, all about his “world” :P

http://www.theonion.com/article/rafael-nadal-credits-french-open-success-to-living-2222

June 18th, 2016 at 2:30 pm

lvica, you can also get overall win percentage at ATP under performance zone. they have lots of good stats, either from the past 52 weeks, or “career”, which is open era.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/performance-zone/win-loss-index/career/all/all/

June 18th, 2016 at 2:36 pm

I saw Roger’s match. It was a clear example of “spiritus quidem promptus” as Roger wanted but couldn’t and he even threw away his racket in frustration, something you are not supposed to do at 35. There are some 250’s and 500’s left in his tank, but no 1000’s or Grand Slams anymore. In any case, let’s enjoy the twilight days. As for Zverev, boy, the boy needs some PR, right now he looks like the leader of villains from Karate Kid. Also, hitting the ball with all your might is very different to constructing a point, and this is what will haunt him in future losses to Thiem, who constructs much better.

June 18th, 2016 at 2:51 pm

yes for sure: thiem can construct a point, but what about schedule? he’s playing again next week!! exho, mind you, but still.

@jmeistennis
No rest for Dominic Thiem. Slated to play Toni Nadal’s grass exho Monday in Mallorca against Carlos Moya and Feliciano Lopez.

i wonder if this constant play will catch up with him. maybe not. but i assume it’s something he should and will address next season.

June 18th, 2016 at 3:16 pm

Jatin

Roger will not be no.2 at Wimbledon this year. He will have his own quarter though either in Nole’s half or Andy’s half.

June 18th, 2016 at 3:25 pm

jane

Did you manage to see any of Milos’s matches at Queens? He’s real scary. He will be a legitimate threat at Wimbledon – irrespective of whether he beats Andy tomorrow or not.

June 18th, 2016 at 3:32 pm

Thanks J kath… I appreciate it
See you guys during the draw ceremony

June 18th, 2016 at 3:37 pm

j-kath i caught some of nick-milos, and some of andy-mahut. that’s it. followed scores here and there for the rest. will try to watch the “mac vs lendl” final! :)

June 18th, 2016 at 3:50 pm

@Ivaca 1:31 pm

I took it from the same page you were looking at. Weird that the data changed within the same day (or within an hour, according to you) for a player who retired years ago. Don’t know which is correct. Sorry.

If 61-11 is the correct as Borg’s win-loss record on grass, then Roger’s tenure at the top remains at least through this grass season, I think.

It’s a cool Big 3 record worth looking back to after all 3 have retired.

I actually have a feeling that of the Big 3, Roger will be the last to retire.

June 18th, 2016 at 3:55 pm

Mat4 very good ;-)) ….

Jane thanks for the link ;-)) ….

June 18th, 2016 at 4:19 pm

Yeah jane..thanks for the link..

June 18th, 2016 at 4:23 pm

Mat4,

I usually agree with you on most things. But I have to say that it won’t even be close when you compare Berdych’s accomplishments with Zverev’s. Zverev will be way better than Berdych in the end. He is stronger mentally. Which isn’t really hard to do. He also has a better serve already than Berdych. Berdych’s ball toss is waaaaay to high. I would even say Zverev already has a better forehand as well. He is only 19 and will do many great things in tennis in the future. I just can’t see it any other way at this point. My favorite player by far from the next generation is Thiem. I will always cheer for Thiem once Nole retires. I don’t think Raonic will pose a threat to Novak. To anyone else at Wimbledon, yes. Novak is way to far in Raonic’s head and just can’t seem to do much against him. I do see a drastic change all of a sudden happening. Maybe he could take him to 4 sets, but that’s the best I see him doing in that match up.

June 18th, 2016 at 6:08 pm

Sorry, I meant to say: I don’t see a drastic change all of a sudden happening.

June 18th, 2016 at 6:09 pm

Dave

Nole is obviously best player. But, when it comes to big servers Andy is equally good and if he can’t deal with Milos/or can’t come close, Noel is likely to be at least highly challenged. We’ll see tomorrow how close Andy can come.

June 18th, 2016 at 6:17 pm

J-Kath,

Nole has never been pushed to 5 sets by Raonic. Raonic was on his way to beating Murray had he not gotten injured in the 4th set of their match. Murray doesn’t handle Raonic as easily as Nole does. Never has. It’s more than just the return involved here. It’s everything. Raonic doubts himself more against Djokovic. Not as much against Murray.

June 18th, 2016 at 6:22 pm

Sorry. I forgot to be specific. Their match at the Australian Open. On a slower surface like Australia, there is no way Nole would have ever been down 2 sets to 1 against Raonic. So, yes Murray is great against servers like Nole. But he is not equally good against Raonic himself.

June 18th, 2016 at 6:23 pm

One of the biggest reasons why Nole can deal with Raonic easier than Murray is because Nole is consistently more accurate hitting his ground strokes into each corner of the court. He is able to expose Raonic’s lack of foot speed because of being so accurate into the corners a bit better than Murray.

June 18th, 2016 at 6:29 pm

dave: If you say so. But big servers? Not much in it.

June 18th, 2016 at 7:05 pm

Fed is OLD. it shows. nothing surprising here. Its impressive he has lasted this long. Basel 2015 would be his last tournament win (interestingly over Nadal).

June 18th, 2016 at 7:19 pm

@Dave:

Indeed, one would expect that, with his size, Berdych could serve better. But he serves well already. And his forehand is exceptional.

I watched Zverev a few times already. We will see how he develops, but there is a tendency to underestimate great players like Berdych, Ferrer, Tsonga, who were unfortunate to play against a generation with three all-time greats. Imagine Zverev losing ten times in a row to, let’s say, Kokkinakis: will he choke the 11th time?

The next generation won’t be close. Thiem has almost 23, he’s at his physical peak, and is… 7th? Without a MS1000? Zverev results are good, but there is still time to see.

And a new generation with Rafa, Fed and Nole, where a great player like Andy’s has only two slams, won’t come soon.

June 18th, 2016 at 7:40 pm

Dave – While Djokovic is 7-0 H2H with the Canadian moose, even he had a couple instances where Raonic zoned and took control of a set, a practice session in Monte Carlo.
Raonic almost took Djokovic out in Rome 2014. Won the 1st set 7-6, lost the 2nd 5-7 lost the decider 6-3. After that match Djokovic said it was the 1st time in 10 years he was playing to the best of his abilities and felt helpless for a set.

j-Kath -Andy has a decent 1st serve, but his rivals have been feasting on his pussy 2nd serve since he joined the Tour. It is because of that 2nd serve issue Andy has that Nole is considered the better server. On defense Andy has a return of serve that is a notch below Novak’s but still one of the best in the Open Era.

June 18th, 2016 at 7:44 pm

I still think Zverev will end up the better player. If I remember correctly, Zverev was leading 2 sets to 1 in the Davis cup match against Berdych earlier this year. He is already almost better than Berdych. He is going to be much better in his 20’s then he is now.

June 18th, 2016 at 7:57 pm

7 and 0 only ever losing 1 set in those matches verses 5 and 3 in Murray’s case. It’s not even close in my opinion. Looking at the recent matches for Nole against Raonic, it’s even more lopsided now a days.

June 18th, 2016 at 7:59 pm

James,

Hasn’t realized Fed is still titles this year, and he missed 2 tourneys where he was the favorite.

Next for him is Cincy and Basel. He may have a chance in the others if he keeps improving, but this Wimbledon only a miracle. Have to see his draw first, and he needs to avoid the players who can play on grass (aall mat4 already mentioned).

If he could get a R16 like Batista Agut or Ferrer and Berdych or Kei QF (neither may reach that far), suddenly he can have shot at semis. At this point, Kei is the weakest link on grass. Birch has a final, Raonic may enter Wimby with Queens title tomorrow and he won’t want Thiem also.

June 18th, 2016 at 9:08 pm

this is the longest into the season fed’s gone without a title since 2000, yet another marker of his consistency, regardless of age.

indeed, it’s arguable that this title lapse is mainly due to injury, given which has been so rare for him throughout his career. obviously he played well last season, with titles, 2 slam finals, and right to the end at the WTF. he also did well at the very beginning of this one – reaching the semis of the AO, the same stage to which he’s been getting consistently since 2010, the year of his last final there.

it’ll be interesting to see what the rest of the season holds for federer. if this will mark a real decline with these injuries serving as a catalyst, or whether he’ll be inspired again during the next half of the season, his better half for a while now – with the added incentive of olympics this time.

June 18th, 2016 at 9:44 pm

He has got to do it in 2….3 sets is just too much for him at his age…..imo….

June 18th, 2016 at 11:38 pm

mat4, jane
Thanks for the links, I occasionally check the stats on both sites but my primary source is Wikipedia page, it’s somehow easier to track all those stats on one page.

Jun,
I guess Borg’s performance stats on grass were wrong and someone corrected the mistake, it was timing that was weird. :-)

And I just wanna say that I’ve been reading this forum for quite a long time now, plenty of good insight and nice posters. I’m a huge tennis fan and Nole’s fan from the beginning. I hope l’ll have a chance to communicate more frequently in the future.

June 19th, 2016 at 11:05 am

atin Says:
madmax
Did you noticed something unusual about fed this tournament ?
He was cursing himself a lot, getting so much emotional on court. It was so unlike him.
Does it has something to do with ljubicic ?
I mean, to show some emotions in order to fire yourself up a little ?

Jatin, I would not read too much into this. I like it when Fed shows a bit more emotion, especially the
C’MON!

We see too much emotion from other players each time they play but when Roger shows some, it’s as if he isn’t allowed to.

I think that he has a lot of work to do before Wimbledon because his game is not there yet. I am 100% certain that he would benefit from a ton more practise as to me, he is a bit out of sorts, but considering what he has been through this year – his greatest threat is himself.

The positives from all of his matches so far this year since returning from Injury Jatin, is that he has had some close fought matches, he has served well, but I think he has perhaps lost a bit of his confidence.

Again, the serve and volley I think will be key; I did not see him use SABR at all during the recent matches – every now and again, I can’t see that hurting his game.

My concerns are what can Ivan bring to his game? Not a lot I feel. This is really Edberg’s territory.

I will support Roger all the way, come what may.

June 20th, 2016 at 3:59 am

@Ivica….You better get your boxing gloves on…….posters here on TX like to duke it out!!

June 20th, 2016 at 4:32 am