Federer Wins Again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yipeee !!! My boy has done it again ! All hail 'baba Fedex ' !!!

@ MC Omo,


Dont make me Jump-Slap u.
Whats the yippie about? Federer winning the US Open is becoming a habit.
I hope he breaks Pete Sampras' record to clinch like 20+ grandslamz.
He is a genius!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't know if I would call him the greatest.

I would say he has the least weaknesses in the world
game at the moment.

Certainly he has a vulnerable backhand
and in another era would not even be close
to winning Wimbledon or the US Open playing from the
baseline.

@doyin 13,

I agree with you that Agassi was the most VERSATILE player to handle the tennis racquet because he is the only person to have won the grandslam on all FOUR different surfaces.He is my man anyday.(He won the Wimbledon and the US open from the BASELINE!!) However,if records are to be considered he is no where near the greatest ever.

(In today's tennis any natural serve and volleyer will be roasted alive if he does not retreat to the base,because racquet technology has made passing shots easy.U could see how Hewitt roasted Sampras in 2001 US Open finals.Sampras had no other game to play and Hewitt passesd him repeatedly.It was a pitiable encounter.So,tennis has changed with technology.)

I beg to disagree with you that Federer has not been adequately challenged and that's why he is excelling so much.Agassi,himself who has played across two eras,after losing to Federer at the 2005 US Open,admitted that while Pete was great,Federer was simply out of this world and one had no level grounds to compete with him.Agassi is the only man qualified to make comments on the capabilities of the two great champs.Because he has played them both in their prime.

Federer has natural skills unparalled by any male tennis player in history.That is not disputable.What is left for him to prove now is that he is the GOAT.To do that,he needs to surpass Sampras' 14 grand slams and he needs to win the French.If he does that,and it is possible(He is only 26yrs),he will then be crowned the greatest.Honestly,you dont need a soothesayer to tell you he is on the verge of doing that.

In terms of records,consider the following,amongst others,set by Federer;
1. First man in history to hold the Num 1 position for 188 weeks.The highest b4 him was Jimmy Connors(I THINK ABOUT 126 WEEKS)

2. First man in Hx to win three grand slams for three years running and to reach all Four Grand slam finals in three years,back to back.

3. First man in Hx to win 12 Masters titles in one calender year.

4. First man in Hx to win over $12m prize money in one calender year.

5.First man in Hx to reach 10 grand slam finals CONSECUTIVELY,winning 8 of them!

6. First man in Hx to win 3 Masters cup in succession and in one particular year,not losing a single match to the other seven players.

, And many others.Now it is difficult,under any circumstance, to call all these mean achievements.What do you think?

I

@Octopus

I must say I am impressed with your tennis knowledge.

Well my assessment of the greatest ever I will admit is quite abritrary.

Obviously if we were to base it on achievements then Federer and Sampras before him
would be unchallenged at the top of the tree.

But arguments would be a lot less exciting if there were so methodical.

I never cared for Sampras to be honest.
He simply overpowered his opponents with his serve.
The deficiencies in his game always came to the fore at the French
where he had only one Semi final appearance to show for his
efforts.

Federer's game is better all round but I reckon his vulnerablties would
be better exposed by more savvy players especially that backhand, say by Agassi in
his prime.

IF only Marat Safin paid more attention to Tennis, I always felt he had the game to
challenge Federer, but the guy keeps goofing.

Ultimately like Sampras before him, until he wins the French, then he is more a pretentious
peacock than the GOAT.

I agree with doyin in the sense that IMO, he hasnt had stiff opposition for a long while. yesrterday's game was a good examole. I mean djoko had chances to clinch the first 2 sets but only God knows what happened-nerves or what, he lost and everything turned around. The young ones should step up their game and have it at the back of their mind that-Hey am playing another tennis player and not the world number one, then we would begin to see he is not close to being the G.O.A.T

Why not just give it to him? The guy has single-handedly forced the other players to raise the standard of their games.  He's simply amazing!!!

Well as long as i've been watching tennis Federer is by far d greatest of all time.
Aside Nadal who gets the better of him every now and then the guy has definetly rasied the standard of mens tennis, as in any seed from 4th downwards don't stand a chance of beating him, he makes players like Davedenko, Blake and Hewitt look ordinary. You do however have to give kudos to Djokovic and Nadal who as teenagers have had to raise their standards to unbelievable heights to match oga Federer.

With the level of tennis today and the more advanced rackets that can hit incredible passing shots i believe Federer has overcome a lot to remain where he is, the guy keeps making and breaking records every year and only at 26, look how ordinary he makes Roddick look everytime they play, Roddick has only beaten him once in 13 meetings.

When he played an aging Sampras and beat him at the age of 19, no be person tell Sampras time don reach

In the words of the commentator "The god (Federer) does not like to be toyed with"

Federer has turned tennis to a one man game i dont watch male tennis no more.And that witch/bitch won again it just keeps getting worse

Federer will beat Sampras record thats for sure. Two more to go. I can still see him winning 3 out of 4 next year.

Folks,I forgot to mention that, not only is Federer the "first" in all those records I listed above,but he is also the "only" man to have achieved them.I can assure you that none of them will be erased in a hurry.In addition,he has the longest winning streak on any one surface(Grass),surpassing John Mcenroe's record on synthetic carpet.

@doyin 13
I should like to remind u that when Federer beat Agassi in the US OPEN 2005 finals,Agassi was playing unbelievable tennis.He was just recently the number one player in the world(which is not gotten as a one slam wonder).So you could call that his prime.His age at that time counted for him for experience.Yet he had no answer for Federer's artistry on court.Federer of today will have beaten Agassi at any time in his career.Indeed I am a strong Agassi fan,and i never believed any body bettered him until Federer came along.Once in a long while,a sport gets visited by legends like Federer.We just have to give it to him,so we can have our peace.He is not just one of those great champions.He is a legend,reminiscent of Mohhammed Ali.

Talking about Federer's backhand.I am surprised at your reference to his backhand as weak.I beg to disagree.Although Federer occasionally hits wild shots off his backhand(and sometimes,his forehand too),he still has one of the sweetest backhand shots in the ATP today.Apart from Richard Gasquet,and perhaps Djokovic,I doubt if there is any better backhand player in the circuit today.Federer's one handed backhand spreads shots across the court,either cross court or down the line with amazing ease,reminiscent of Henin's.Perhaps the only weakness I see in his game is that he lacks a forehand drop shot.I have never seen him play that shot.However,he more than makes up for it with his forehand ground strokes(arguably the best in Hx).

I agree Marat Safin ought to be better placed than where he is now,but we all know his story.Everything borders on indiscipline.As talented as he is,he still does not have the natural skills of Roger.Roger makes tennis look easy,just as Henry makes football look.He glides round the court so gracefully and yet his court coverage is superb.Compare him with players like Nadal who pound about the court and play so much power tennis.In terms of in-court energy conservation and health safety,Federer tows after Sampras.And that is why I believe that Roger will be around for long.He is not likely to burn out like Nadal is wont to do soon, and above all,he is so injury free!(thanks to his style of play)

It took Sampras over 18years of trying in the slams to collect 14 Grand slams,but in a space of 5 years,Roger has collected 12! Think about that.Sampras got his last slam at 31.Federer is only 26 years.That's frightening for the other players,because he stands a mathematical chance of hitting at least 20 Grand slams,assuming he also retires at 31.

@tng
It's not difficult to see why the other players are so psychologically defeated when they are playing Federer.Its so easy to be intimidated when playing against a player with his pedigree.Think about it.Yes, Djokovic had his chances in the first two sets at the US OPEN,but he couldnt convert! That's what makes the difference between excellent players and champions.Many atimes,Federer(and indeed most other past champions)has found himself in such positions and he converted.Take for eg the finals at this year's Wimbledon against Nadal,when he was down 15-40 on his serve in the 5th set.He pulled out incredible serves to hold.That's what matters.Being able to turn around your situation when the chips are down.He did that again,against Davydenko and Djokovic in the US OPEN 2007.That's the mark of a great champion.Michael Jordan was always brought in to salvage the CHICAGO BULLS when they are down and almost out in tough encounters.And he always delivered! That's why he stood out.Being able to convert when it matters most.

Yes,Federer makes great players,Grand slam title holder and former world number ones like Roddick and Hewitt, look ordinary.His head to head records against them is embarrassing.He takes sets off them at love at Grand slam finals!.And yet,these are great players by any standards.When Roddick lost to Federer recently at the US OPEN 2007 SF,he had no regrets because he could not pick holes in his(Roddick's) game.He felt he did everything he was supposed to do RIGHT, and yet he had no answer for the Swiss Maestro.And so Roddick refused to hang his head in shame.He was satisfied with his performance.

Folks,I will summarize by saying CONGRATULATIONS Roger.You are simply the best.Pete can enjoy his record while it lasts cos sooner rather than later,it will be no more.

I agree intoto with Octupus.I believe she must be a tennis player and an ardent follower of the game.

@Octopus

Hmm I must express admiration for your tennis knowledge again.

About Federer's backhand, I think people exaggerate the effectiveness of a one handed backhand
becos if timed sweetly it is one of the most beautiful shots in tennis, hence the notion that Henin's backhand
is the most beautiful shot in tennis.

But the shot is vulnerable when the ball comes up high and this I believe is responsible for many of the wild shots
on the backhand. And against Nadal who puts heavy spin on the ball and on the clay surface with a high bounce, he is
without one of his potent weapons.

I dont know if you will agree with me, but two handed backhanders with their short backswings can take balls earlier, the master of which was
Agassi

And I dont care what anyone says, there is no reason to my mind how Federer could win five straight wimbledon titles
playing from the baseline. The volleying skills of todays players are shoddy at best. I cant understand why Roddick will serve in
the 130's and elect to stay on the baseline, on a surface where the ball stays low and skids off. Henman had exquisite touch at the net
but he jus didn't have the overwhelming serve or power to go with it. If Edberg played today I would stake my bet on him rather than
Federer chasing a Wimbledon record number of wins

@octopus,

Octupus:

I agree with you that Agassi was the most VERSATILE player to handle the tennis racquet because he is the only person to have won the grandslam on all FOUR different surfaces.

I guess you meant all THREE different surfaces. He is not the only one to have won all FOUR grandslam tournaments though, FOUR other people had done that before him, but it was on grass and clay (no hard courts) then.
Hopefully, FedEx will soon become the first man to win all four in a calender year; that's if The Rafa allows him

@ricadelide
Yes,all different 4 surfaces.USA Open(Hard),French(Clay),Wimbledon(Grass) and Australian Open(Special Synthetic,they have changed to hard courts now)

@doyin 13
Sampras,A master volleyer,could not overwhelm Federer in their only meeting.And mind you,Federer was no where near his current form then.You will agree with me that Roddick's volleying skills have improved a lot under Connors,yet he is passed repeatedly by Federer and of course,Nadal.If you remember Roddick's lamentations after he lost to Federer in the US Open 2006,he said,and I quote:"If I come to the net,he passes me,if I stay at the baseline,he passes me.I just feel like giving him a punch"That tells you the level of frustration,even for a player of Roddick's status.Stefan Edberg,I agree with you is arguably the best volleyer in open era tennis,but as I said earlier,racquet tecnology has changed things a lot.Receivers can attack any serve now with pin point accurate returns behind the on rushing server.That's the changing face of the game.And dont forget also that the courts are also being gradually changed to slower courts.I was at the Wimbledon(live) this year and the grass courts,are actually a bit slower now than previously.I think it has something to do with the specie of grass they are using now.So all these make baseline play attractive for players.Net play comes in handy only when you have your opponent pinned.

Yeah I agree,double fisted backhand,taking the ball early is a clear advantage but it also has its limitations,regarding reach.Agassi was really great,no doubts and I admire him a lot.As for Federer and Nadal's high bouncing spins,I will comment on that later as I have to go now.

Please ignore the name LORAIN above.It belongs to my friend and I mistakenly posted from her window.The comments above were made by me, OCTUPUS.

I have to agree with Doyin, there are a lot of shady net players, definetly not up to the standards of past years.
Federer does play some wicked pasing shots, whether a class net player would trouble his game would be very difficult to say, i also agree that Henman was probably the best net player in the past few years, the power in his game has constantly let him down.

Personally i believe a CLASS net player would pose a lot of problems for Federer eg Borg. Players today are scared of coming to the net, teh thing with coming to the net is taking a gamble, ur never certain u'll get the ball or not but a CLASS net player would hit a winner 8 times outta 10.

No doubt Federer is by far a legend but todays players need to start looking for new tactics to beat him cos the power game (Roddick n Nadal) don't seem to be fazing him, maybe its time for them to come to the net and take things into their own hands

Octupus, Doyin, Chuckdee. . . . y'all have spoken well!

but i still suscribe to the skool of thot that in another generation, with a different set of players; Fedex might not be this dominant. . . . like already noted, he's not the best player all-round player on the tour at the moment and its just a psychological thing; the sooner the other players realise this the better for 'em all. . . . the man is BEATABLE on any surface, right now only Nadal is seeing it that way and that's why he's been no. 2 for so long!

I'm not really happy about Federer winning the US Open. . . . but what i'm really happy about is that someone's finally teaching the Williams' some tennis lessons.

its not all about brute force girls. . . . use your head!

RuuDie:

but what i'm really happy about is that someone's finally teaching the Williams' some tennis lessons.

its not all about brute force girls. . . . use your head!

I solidly agree with u on that Ruddie, i used to be a Venus n Serena fan but after this US Open they've been hopelessly exposed. I watch Venus v Henin and she had no skill but to bash th ball back at u, even when Henin came to the net, she couldn't even play a decent lob to save her life, when the Williams come across someone who can match them shot for shot they have no plan B, nice spot Ruddie, i was really disgusted wtaching the both of them.

William Sister Game plan
a. Bash the ball as hard as u can while returning
b. Bash it evern harder
c.

I am still their fan o! Serena is carrying my second baby but for real those guys need to work on technique i cant stand the way that witch(Henin) keeps beating them up

Federer would break Sampras record unless he dies in a plane crash or walks into a landmine there is no stopping that dude

RuuDie:

. . . . but what i'm really happy about is that someone's finally teaching the Williams' some tennis lessons.

its not all about brute force girls. . . . use your head!

@Ruudie

I wouldn't necessarily chastise the Williams sisters for maximising their
advantage in the power stakes over other players. But its the luck of the
draw that other players simply ain't as athletic as they are.

While we all appreciate the exquisite in tennis, seeing Venus stretch every
sinew to get the seeming unreturnable shot or overwhelming power of
Serena is quite a feast for the eyes.

I reckon its just been Justine's year over the Williams.

Their power will tell I predict in future meetings.

And I will be sure to enjoy it.

Well,no matter what is said in favour of serve and volley/net game,that kind of play will remain in the cooler for now,because of the reasons I have already adduced above.Henman,who has cut thru two generations looks pitiable when he plays any top ten player in the circuit.He is simply unable to retreat to the baseline and rally,so its always his funeral.

There are coaches today who themselves were great serve and volley players in their days,but they are reluctant to advise their wards to adopt that in modern day tennis.So its pretty obvious there are deterrents to predominant net play at the moment.

Now,I want to comment on Nadal/Federer rivalry.It's interesting.I completely agree that Nadal's heavy topspins are a huge problem for Federer's backhand,and that's why Nadal's game plan against Roger is constant attack on his backhand until he puts him under sufficient pressure to go for a winner.So far it has worked for him.In addition,Nadal's unparralleled ability to rally incessantly,with minimal unforced errors makes him a nightmare for Roger.Clay courts are slow,Nadal is fast on his feet.This combination allows him time to slide to the ball and take a full backswing to execute his topspins.He does not have this luxury on hard and grass courts cos he is unable to slide to the ball in good time.So on these surfaces,he adopts a different strategy and that is to play at the net.Coupled with his youth and physical fitness,these strategies have worked for him against most players,including Roger Federer.I should say,in my opinion,Nadal is the most improved top ten player in the past one year.

Against Federer,although the psychological warfare is in Nadal's favour I dont think Federer is afraid of him.His win over Nadal on clay at the Hamburg Masters 2007(and even taking one set at 6-0)is a psychological booster.Federer is no fool.He knows exactly where he has to work on to overcome the Nadal challenge and I can assure u he's not sleeping on it.From the way Nadal plays-power tennis and going for all balls,he is very prone to injuries.I am not surprised he was hampered at the US OPEN.If he does not adjust his style he will burn out soon.He needs to be at 110% efficiency level to beat Federer.If he fails to do this,he may lose at next year's French,should they meet.It will be interesting to see how things unfold between these two, in the future.Nadal may never be world number 1 cos he is likely to burn out b4 Federer is done.I should also add here that Novak Djokovic has the potential to spoil the party between these two at the top.Watch out.Dont be surprised if Djoko becomes word number one b4 Rafael Nadal.

Regarding the William sisters,I think it will be unfair to say they are not skillful,if their intimidating feats in tennis are to be considered.These are girls who do not take tennis full time at the moment and yet they come into the slams and "steal" the trophies from very regular players!! They are not getting younger and so injuries are taking tolls on them.So,with all these factors they will naturally be slowed down.To get to the RO16 and SF in the US Open is a great achievement for them,considering their shortcomings.This is not to take away anything from Justine,who to my mind,is easily the most talented player in the WTA currently.I believe the William sisters are not done yet.They still have the capabilities to win one or two slams each b4 they retire.

On a lighter note,I think Serena is pregnant.Watch her match against Henin again and u will understand why I said so.Time will tell if I am right or wrong.

@Octopus

Hmmm,

Well the Hamburg win was good
but I stand to be corrected when I
say that it is a bit faster than the usual
so Federer has more of a chance at the
tournament

I am no good at athlete physiology
but considering Nadal's age I would bet
he still has more juice to punish himself
for at least a conservative 3 years.

And besides that a great component of
Federer's game is also his quickness and athleticism, and it
hasn't hurt him over the years

I don't want you to get the idea that I feel
Federer is not a great player. He clearly is.
But I see too many errant and aimless shots
as well as consistent vulnerabilities to rank him as the greatest.

Also on a lighter note
I suspect you are professionally involved in tennis
a fact that your friend gave away.

its been a pleasure bantering

@doyin 13

Thanks for your input.

Actually I am not professionally involved in tennis but i am a club player.Been playing actively for 17years.However i follow tennis closely cos I love the game.

I agree Federer makes too many errant shots but he more than makes up for it by stepping up WHEN IT COUNTS MOST.

As for Nadal's staying ability.Only time will tell.

Its been fun bantering too.

Watch out for new threads from me on tennis.

viee:

no vex oh  but na true sha your gals gats step up!

@doyin,

the power will tell but not against the likes of henin. . . . .  fedex ain't king of new york by sitting on the baseline and hitting balls so hard like scuds in iraq! those chics need a li'l finesse in their life. . . . whats a tennis player if u can't attack the net every now and then

@ discussion

Yes Djoko has the potentials of being no.1 b'4 Nadal; but is he prepared to step up and take the reins. . .  i think not! the young man had Fedex on the ropes at times in that US Open but he didn't even seem to notice. . . . hand Nadal some measure of advantages that Djoko held and the story might just be a whole lot different!
yeah Nadal's a power player, but i think he's beginning to learn how to balance that now as well as improving his game on different surfaces. . .  he's developing by the day and will get it right. he might not win as many GS's as champs b'4 him c'uz i sense competition's g'onna get stiffer but he's g'onna be 1 the best all-rounders in our generation!

@doyin 13
I forgot to mention that u are right that the Hamburg clay is faster than the French.This, coupled with the Nadal's fatigue,coming from two straight clay tournaments(which he won),may have helped Federer.In the same vein,one could argue that the slower Wimbledon courts allowed Rafa to threaten Roger on his favourite surface.

@RuuDie
Regarding your comments on Federer's baseline play and Novak not converting his chances against Federer,pls read my previous comments on these issues.

I agree with you that Nadal has improved a lot on other surfaces.Only time will tell how's he going to fare against the Djokovic challenge.

Octupus:

,
,
,
In terms of records,consider the following,amongst others,set by Federer;
1. First man in history to hold the Num 1 position for 188 weeks.The highest before him was Jimmy Connors(I THINK ABOUT 126 WEEKS) True Jimmy Connors held it for 160 weeks

2. [s]First man in Hx to win three grand slams for three years running and to reach all Four Grand slam finals in three years,back to back.[/s] False First man in Hx to win three grand slams 3 separate times - two in successive years ('04, '06 - '07) - and play all four grand slam finals two years in succession ('06 - '07)

3. [s]First man in Hx to win 12 Masters titles in one calender year.[/s] False First man in to win 12 titles in a year since 1995, first man to win 4 of the 9 Masters series shield in a year ('05). His nemesis Rafael Nadal also achieved this feat the same year but Federer repeated this achievement again in '06.

4. [s]First man in Hx to win over $12m prize money in one calender year.[/s] False Holds record for winning most prize money in a year - $8m plus

5.First man in Hx to reach 10 grand slam finals CONSECUTIVELY,winning 8 of them! True Also holds record most most consecutive grand slam semi-final appearance dating back to Wimbledon '04

6. [s]First man in Hx to win 3 Masters cup in succession [/s]and in one particular year,not losing a single match to the other seven players. False That record belongs to Ivan Lendl who also played a record 9 successive finals at the event ('80 - '88), triumphing 5 times ('81 - '82, '85 - '87). Federer is yet to loose a round-robin match at the event. His two losses in his 5 appearance were to Lleyton Hewitt (SF '02) and David Nalbandian (F '05)

More records held by Roger Federer

I don't mean no disrespect Miss Octupus. I just wanted challenge you to the title of "Biggest Federer Fan" on this board and I'd like to have my throne back if you may, please

@rof-imao
Thanks for the corrections of the records I posted.Actually I observed one or two of them were not quite correct after I posted them,but I didnt bother because the actuals are just as formidable as the posted.For instance Federer's loss to Marat Safin(after failing to convert a match point)in 2005 Australian finals dented the record of three Grand slam wins three consecutive years.But he was as good as that really.I have not checked out the actual highest prize money for one calender yr.But he is still the highest winner,even at $8m.

2 losses in 5 Masters cup appearance,you will agree with me,is no mean feat.And not to have lost a round robbin match in 5 appearances is simply DOMINANCE.That is a record that will take decades to erase,honest.

I have no claims to being the greatest Federer fan.My interest is him is actually temporary.I really want him to become the G.O.A.T.As soon as he achieves that feat I should switch my support to Nadal,whose game I also love pretty much.I am as aggressive,in court as Nadal and I use exactly same type of tennis gear as Nadal-such as the BABOLAT Aero tennis bag.So I am also his fan.He has so much confidence and skills that one can't help admiring him.

Anyway,we welcome u to this forum.Expect more threads from me for more discussions.