posted Mar 24, 2008

Even though Fed just lost, he has still extended his lead at number 1 in the world because he had no points to defend from last year as he lost 1st round... and he will most likely do the same in Miami because he didnt go deep in there last year either. So please don't comment on him going through a bad patch because the guy just did better than a year ago, and I didn't see people going mental about him then!

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Like you, I am a big Federer fan. I like the way he plays coupled with the way he conducts himself of the court. A true champion. I bet a few weeks ago, you ( like me) was saying that Federer was going to win all 4 Grand Slam titles this year. He was going to blow everybody away.
This is the reason that many are commenting on his bad patch. He has gone from world beater to absolute rubbish judging on that performance against Fish. He was blown away and his attitude suggests that something is seriously wrong. I wont write him off though.

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posted Mar 24, 2008

the problem with federer is his tactics which are getting very predictable and repetitive, especially with the backend, he regularly returns serve with a soft wooly backend hoping to provoke a fault but he more often than not ends up facing a blistering shot which immediately gets him in trouble, besides he seems to have ruled out the net altogether.

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posted Mar 24, 2008

I have said it for some time that djokovic is the real deal, perhaps this will once again silence his critics who say he is not such a great player. He is consistently winning and beating the top players in the big matches, destroying nadal in the semis here too.

also respect that this guy is good on every surface unlike the one dimensional players such as roddick. I think djoko has a great chance at wimbledon and US open.

fair play djoko and keep it up!

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posted Mar 24, 2008

Just like all other Federer fans, I am concerned about his form too. but this defeat to Fish is astonoshing for more than one reasons.

Fish is 98 in the world (he must have improved on his ranking) and someone against whom Federer had always controlled the match. So losing to him came as a bit of shock.

Whats more astounding is the time and especially the manner of the defeat.

Time because you expect Federer to fall, if at all, only after putting up a fight once he has passed the fourth round but he went down without the fight. Had it been early in the tournament, such scoreline might just have been acceptable.

The manner of the defeat makes it all the more shocking. A straight set defeat going down down 6-3, 6-2; Being broken 3 times (or perhaps four) times; Serving at only 50% for the first serve; Serving 1 ace for the entire match; Failing to break Fish even once and just getting one opportunity to break especially when he got only 30+ % first serves in and finally losing in just over an hour. Thats very unlike Federer.

Something is seriously wrong with him. Illness? Short of Match Practice? Lack of Motivation? Lack of confidence? Pressure as he is nearing a record and many younsters (even oldies) are confident against him? Whatever the reasons, signs are worrying.

He needs to up his game. How? I dont know but he has to. May be get some coach and Miami is a must win for him.

As regards to Djoko overtaking Federer, of course its possible if both the players continue to play the way they are but its still early days. Clay court season is very import besides grandslams. This year will tell how good a player djokovic is on clay. I hope and expect Federer to bounce back. The sooner the better.

May be these defeats motivate him enough to win his first French Open. Who knows?

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posted Mar 24, 2008

---Asked if the 20-year-old Djokovic has the potential to move to the top spot, Fish replied, “Absolutely. he’s got all the weapons. He doesn’t have any weaknesses. He wants to win badly, and he’s got game, for sure.” So who’s the best men’s player in the world right now?
“It’s Roger Federer, hands down..He’s got a few results these past few weeks that are uncharacteristic..I think he’s going to continue to be No 1 for a long time.”---------


as much as i'm not a fed fan, i have to agree with MOST of what Fish said: i do, however, feel that he will lose the #1 spot, but ONLY temporarily..having watched him play the last few tournaments i must admit that there's certainly a marked diff between the way he's playing now and the way he's played in the past. Whatever the cause, i sincerely hope he mends it asap as it is a joy to watch him play when he's at his best...

in his current form, he'd be threatened on the hard courts, not only by djoko, but by rafa whose hard court tennis is improving, as he's figuring out how to beat the more aggressive flat hitters like blake. fish excepted, i was most impressed by nadal's playing this tournament (no disrespect to djoko whom i concede to be the better of the two on hard courts)

your thoughts...

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posted Mar 24, 2008

hmmm...how good does tony roche look now??

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posted Mar 24, 2008

I think Djoko put in a solid performance the whole week; He looked a little inconsistent at times during the final but managed to get through which is the most important part.

Fish played remarkably well the whole week and thoroughly deserved to win the tournament. Had he have taken one of those break points against Djoko's serve at the start of the third set, I think there may very well have been a different Pacific Life Open champion this year.

Regardless, there seems to be a lot of speculation surrounding the form of Federer. Being a Federer fan, I myself also find it difficult to fathom his recent compilation of bad form (coupled with his illness of course)- however, at this point in time, I have chosen not to hit the panic button!

I believe it's a combination of a number of things - recovering from the illness, being a little rusty, lack of confidence from recent losses and, credit where credit is due, the recent surge of Djoko, Tsonga, Roddick and a few others. Whatever the reason, I feel that Federer will regain his composure and come back with an innovative new plan. It could be my imagination, but Fed appears as though he's shed a few pounds as well, and he also seems to have lost that attacking instinct - the all-out offensiveness that we are so often used to seeing from him. It seemed like he was pushing and mothering some of his shots against Fish, as opposed to really hitting through the ball and that really seemed to have cost him.

Personally, I'd like to see Fed get a bit more heat back into his serve and subsequently use that momentum to serve-and-volley more often. There are hundreds of ferocious, robotic base-liners on the tour who'll seriously expose Fed's current lack of aggression and base-line consistency if Fed doesn't get it together soon - hence, a bit more pop on the serve and an attacking serve-volley game may just be the antidote he's looking for.

Aside from the fact that it'll be very refreshing to watch - I am sure that some fresh persective, providing it's positive, is unlikely to harm his game at all. I also think that he can afford to beef-up a little, get some weight back into his shots and look a little more imposing. A shorter, meaner and more streamlined hair-cut may also contribute to a new, more aggressive image and subsequent line of play!

In any event, I hope that he is able to rectify whatever dilemma he may have and show us some of the tennis that we are used to seeing from him.

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posted Mar 24, 2008

Just saw the draw for Miami. Looks good for Murray. Possible semi final against Federer.

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posted Mar 24, 2008

A semi-final against Federer or, as it's known these days, a win.

Sorry, Roger!

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posted Apr 13, 2008

Great match, Mardy!

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