Federer: "I still lost that Wimbledon '08 F because of the RG beatdown he gave me"
“I just think I'm not so scarred like maybe I have been in the past, not that I was horribly scarred in any way, but I did lose against him sometimes, a lot of the times especially on the clay courts. I do believe I still lost that Wimbledon final in '08 because of the French Open beatdown he gave me. It just affected my first two sets when I played him at Wimbledon.
Maybe that's the trick to keep winning slams. Avoid potentially scarring defeats to RAFA at RG by avoiding the clay season altogether. The peak at the grass/HC slams.
Re: Federer: "I still lost that Wimbledon '08 F because of the RG beatdown he gave me
As a Federer fan, I'm just thankful that he didn't lose that final in straights despite being on the brink. Needless to say, 2008 was a difficult year for him after his long period of dominance, and the FO defeat really was a beatdown, so it was bound to leave a mark.
Re: Federer: "I still lost that Wimbledon '08 F because of the RG beatdown he gave me
Yes, it is tough. Just as Nadal can gain confidence from victory at RG, other players can have their confidence shattered when they get destroyed there. Federer stepped up to face Nadal and got destroyed many times. He still ruled the rest of the tour but could not touch Nadal at RG. Eventually this can get to even a legend, as Federer says here - after receiving this merciless beatdown at RG its harder to find the confidence against Nadal even at Wimbledon.
Re: Federer: "I still lost that Wimbledon '08 F because of the RG beatdown he gave me
And to think some Fed fanboys were arguing with me when i said Fed was scared of facing Rafa on clay and catching some big L's that would translate into him taking big L's from other non clay tournaments aswell therefore resulting him losing his h2h momentum this year.
They thought i was making up the quote of Federer saying the reason of his 4-0 h2h was because he didn't had any clay loses that would've fucked up his mentality again when playing Nadal on other surfaces :lol: Now it is clear on what made him skip RG But i guess, smart move for him
And to think some Fed fanboys were arguing with me when i said Fed was scared of facing Rafa on clay and catching some big L's that would translate into him taking big L's from other non clay tournaments aswell therefore resulting him losing his h2h momentum this year.
They thought i was making up the quote of Federer saying the reason of his 4-0 h2h was because he didn't had any clay loses that would've fucked up his mentality again when playing Nadal on other surfaces :lol: Now it is clear on what made him skip RG But i guess, smart move for him
I think you're confusing this comment about back in the day with the current times. He's refering to the mental block Rafa's huge wins on clay had on him in the past. But this year he skipped the clay season mainly to take care of his body. He said RG wasn't worth playing without warmup and that would've meant at least one tournament on clay, obviously taking its toll before Wimbledon, which was his biggest goal for this year.
Re: Federer: "I still lost that Wimbledon '08 F because of the RG beatdown he gave me
he shouldnt have lost that final at all
worst match of his career, that clay match shouldnt have affected him that way... anyway, even the GOAT can have his mental issues, but that was a good explanation for that horrible loss
Re: Federer: "I still lost that Wimbledon '08 F because of the RG beatdown he gave me
It always gonna be Nadal upsetting Federer's throne.
5 yrs younger and abusing physical game knowing cant do better tennis wise. Wimb and RG 08 day will come anyway. Djokovic and Murray followed that physical footstep.
Now everyone is in 30s Federer will beat everyone easier..
Re: Federer: "I still lost that Wimbledon '08 F because of the RG beatdown he gave me
I just checked my youtube video, of all 16 grand slam match points for Rafa, the only 2 he didn't fall to the ground when he won, 2008 FO and 2017 USO just last month!
I just checked my youtube video, of all 16 grand slam match points for Rafa, the only 2 he didn't fall to the ground when he won, 2008 FO and 2017 USO just last month!
Re: Federer: "I still lost that Wimbledon '08 F because of the RG beatdown he gave me
Even without that beatdown, Federer would have struggled against Nadal in 2008 Wimbledon. Just a year ago, Federer had to battle for 5 sets to win the 2007 Wimbledon final. With that win, he matched Borg's fabled feat of 5 consecutive titles at Wimbledon. The amount of pressure he was under to match Borg's achievement and to ward off the ever increasing challenge from Nadal must have been too much even for someone like Federer. In 2008, he was running on empty and was in no shape to keep his dominant run going.
“I just think I'm not so scarred like maybe I have been in the past, not that I was horribly scarred in any way, but I did lose against him sometimes, a lot of the times especially on the clay courts. I do believe I still lost that Wimbledon final in '08 because of the French Open beatdown he gave me. It just affected my first two sets when I played him at Wimbledon.
Maybe that's the trick to keep winning slams. Avoid potentially scarring defeats to RAFA at RG by avoiding the clay season altogether. The peak at the grass/HC slams.
Federer was scared at 2009ao, 2012ao, and 2014ao.
Its a wonder he kept coming to Australia....
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