Federer end of an era? (1 Viewer)

[UltimateSupremo]

federer is the classiest one handed backhander in the history of the game... i still think he has a few years to go and would surely surpass sampras' record of 14 grand slams

having said that, nadal has a good chance of bettering fed's achievements considering his current status (6 grand slams at 22) while fed only had 2 grand slams at 22

what frustrates me the most abt nadal is how he always seems to pick on fed's backand when serving. nadal does not seem to use this "tactic" against other players (even when he's losing ie. against verdasco)

 

[LatK7]

Also he said he plans to keep playing till 2016 Olympics lol. Considering his easy style of play, I wouldn't put it past him.

Too right.

 

[ekoolish]

Unless Nadal get's injured he won't equal Sampras' record. He has one more year of peak perfornance and then he will slowly fall out of the top 10. At 28 he isn't going to get any better....unlike Nadal.

 

[-tal-]

federer is the classiest one handed backhander in the history of the game... i still think he has a few years to go and would surely surpass sampras' record of 14 grand slams

having said that, nadal has a good chance of bettering fed's achievements considering his current status (6 grand slams at 22) while fed only had 2 grand slams at 22

what frustrates me the most abt nadal is how he always seems to pick on fed's backand when serving. nadal does not seem to use this "tactic" against other players (even when he's losing ie. against verdasco)

Ah but where would the fun be in that? Clearly Nadal's strategy.

Although I am sort of saddened to witness the "downfall" of such a prolific player in the game.

He will be lucky to win the US Open or Wimbledon this year, he has few chances left before Nadal gets even better and overtakes him.

 

[ekoolish]

Ah but where would the fun be in that? Clearly Nadal's strategy.

Although I am sort of saddened to witness the "downfall" of such a prolific player in the game.

He will be lucky to win the US Open or Wimbledon this year, he has few chances left before Nadal gets even better and overtakes him.

Nadal is already number one? Unless you mean in terms of grandslam wins?
Nadal's playing style will force him to retire much earlier then most players. Take Hewitt for example, he is only in his mid-late 20's and already has dropped out of the top 20 (out of top 100 atm but due to injury) he plays speed much like nadal. He won't get 14 grandslams under his belt by any means. Nadal will always be viewed as Federer's 'apprentice'.

 

[schtrevey]

Nadal will burn out in the next couple of years, he already plays with knee straps 24/7 now...It is proven that with his style of play he probaly won't last as long in the top 10 or even top 20 in comparison to Federer. He can't exert that much energy every match and stay at the highest level for a long period of time...Federer is like Henin on the women's side in that their style fits with the characteristic of a world class player which will last long on the tour. However I really hope Nadal proves me wrong because he's a terrific player nonetheless.

 

[electrolysis]

I doubt Federer cant win another grand slam, I reckon he probably has about 2 or 3 more grand slam wins before he's out of the picture, still I reckon he wont get back his No1 ranking, that'll be with Nadal for quite some time...

 

[superralex]

federer is the classiest one handed backhander in the history of the game... i still think he has a few years to go and would surely surpass sampras' record of 14 grand slams

having said that, nadal has a good chance of bettering fed's achievements considering his current status (6 grand slams at 22) while fed only had 2 grand slams at 22

what frustrates me the most abt nadal is how he always seems to pick on fed's backand when serving. nadal does not seem to use this "tactic" against other players (even when he's losing ie. against verdasco)

You'd be stupid not to exploit your opponent's weakness.

 

[Prashant Sallan]

I dont think Federer is finished, after watching yesterdays match- he made alot of silly mistakes
- picking wrongs shots
- MISSING TO MANY FIRST SERVES

he just needs a coach, and has to work on his stamina.. i still dont think he has achieved his peak.. but seriously he is a great player.

 

[dum_di_dum]

He won't get 14 grandslams under his belt by any means.

I would say this is not beyond him, not likely, but definitely possible. He is a lock-in for at least another, what, 4 FOs? That would already put him into double digits. Add to that another Wimbledon or two, maybe another AO, and the desire to achieve the career grand slam at the USO and...

Also there is no way in hell Nadal will be considered Federer's apprentice, lol. More like his kryptonite or his pimp.

Hewitt is not half the player or sportsman that Nadal is. Nadal has continued to improve throughout his career and disprove the disbelievers. First he's a claycourt moonballing mug, then the grass in Wimbledon turns into green clay, and now clearly he has bribed the organisers at the Oz Open as well

 

[jeff.wong]

In my opinion Federer does not lack any physical or technical component, if anything he just need that mental toughness he is lacking at the moment. That match last night... he really should have won in 3 sets but he hesitated at the crucial moments. They won around the same number of points whole match but it is the bigger points that Nadal won. I don't think it is the end yet, a few masters will be up in March hopefully he will regain some Master Series along with some confidence.

 

[Trebla]

I think Federer has reached his peak, but all that means is that he will have a tougher time than before beating top players like Murray or Nadal assuming they maintain their form. The difference is that back then he pretty much smashed most players in straight sets (not dropping a single set throughout the whole tournament), but now he usually has much longer and tougher matches. I think he will still hover around the top 10 or top 5 for quite a long time.

Nadal is a rising star at the moment who has yet to reach his peak. He is now a very different player to the one that got defeated by Hewitt in 5 sets in Aus Open 05. So keep an eye on him throughout the year...

 

[LordPc]

Actually I think the difference between now an a few years ago is just the confidence and belief in other players. A couple years ago, the presence of federer on the other side of the net was just far too overwhelming for many players. And it still is to an extent, eg Berdych in the final few games of his vs federer match.

But in the last year or so more and more people have begun to overcome Fed. So much so that now players think they have a slight chance against him, compared to 2 years ago when they thought they had already lost. So now when people play Federer, they arent as depressed, they actually believe they have a decent shot if they bring thier best game, and it is happening and people are beating him much more regularly then they were a couple of years ago.

 

[Kujah]

Not yet. I think theres still enough for him to surpass Sampras' record in the near future. He might be declining but he's still a force in the game.

 

[samwell]

Federer is still gonna be a great player. Only Nadal can overcome him more than once and more than luckily. So he is still gonna be unstoppable unless he meets rafa.

He will definetely surpass Sampras' record