Halle QF: Federer def. Raonic 6-7 6-4 7-6

:)

amazing serverer on :D

expected, happens every time:sad:

Well, I guess we can just give Fed the trophy now, beating Milos guarentees him the title everytime

Meh, Raonic definitely should have won this one. Definitely underscores how hard is by far Raonic's best surface, though. Just couldn't muster anything even when Fed was missing first serves.

Now thatţs what you call NID.

Luckerer.

Tough loss Milos, you'll be dreaded at Wimbledon 1st week. Second week, green/brown clay, no chance.

One of these days, Raonic will beat him. :P

Milos is useless not 1 break point.All serve

Fed played a better match. Raonic was solid on first set, but overall, Fed deserved the win.
"Luck"... Yeah. Shut the fuck up.

One of the best matches Federer has played this year. Absolutely superb performance from the Swiss Maestro. :clap2:

25 aces by Raonic! What a serving effort - a whole set of aces. But Raonic couldn't muster one single break point on the Fed serve and it told in the end. Fed just had enough to get through - helped by Raonic being awful on Fed's second serves, only winning 17% compared to Fed winning 47% on Raonic second serves. But when Raonic got a first serve in, most weren't coming back.

Fed has Berdych left to deal with at Halle, but hopefully he can see him off.

Raonic looks like he could be a very dangerous draw at Wimbledon in the first week and a half if he keeps serving like that. He definitely has at least one big upset in him.

Didn't see the match. But Raonic is going to be a force to be reckoned with in the coming 10 years I have a feeling.

Anyone still expecting Tomic to have an overall better career?

Raonic is impressive. Roger does not get aced that much often. He is one of those guys that needs to meet Rafa in Round 1

Everyone will be praying to dodge Raonic at Wimbledon (presuming it's not playing like mud). Whoever gets him in their draw is going to be very nervous.

Raonic is so overrated. Wins the first set against Federer everytime and still can't win.

Expected as hell :)

Bye serve bot.

Raonic is impressive. Roger does not get aced that much often. He is one of those guys that needs to meet Rafa in Round 1

considering he can't face Rafa until round 4 I don't like the chances of him drawing Rafa in round 1:wavey:

haha what a mug this raonic, losing in 3 to olderer again. not even with 26 aces could he win :rolleyes:

How was Roger 'lucky' to win this as some posters are claiming? :rolleyes:

Murray is so overrated. Reaches the SF of the slams everytime and still can't win.

...

...

Would you not agree that Raonic really should have won atleast one of these matches against Federer?

Would you not agree that Raonic really should have won atleast one of these matches against Federer?

I don't think he is good enough to defeat Federer honestly (In Madrid he had his best chance). He holds serve easily but if Roger breaks him you know the set is over (like the second one today) and it's not easy to win two tie-breaks against Federer although he is not at his best.

How was Roger 'lucky' to win this as some posters are claiming? :rolleyes:

When Roger wins, its because he was lucky. And when Rafa or Nole wins, its because they played great.
Just amazing! :worship:

takes the hard route again but Milos is a great player too .He will go far

Federer won 83% of points in his second serve, that's all you need to know.

Milos needs to work on his return and ground game, serve isn't enough to be a top player. He's not Karlovic, but his ground game and return aren't at the required level for a top player yet.

Great win for Fed, losing a set in a breaker is irrelevent in my opinion given that he never faced a break point and made only 12 unforced errors.

Raonic is a dangerous player on grass in a best out of 3 set match with his serve alone. He almost won today without having a break point against Federer. He is one of the few players that has the ability to win a match without breaking his opponent.

Still, when he doesn't get the first serve in, he is vulnerable on normal faster lower bouncing grass like Halle. The lower and sometimes inconsistent bounces are difficult for him to handle. Can he improve? Probably a bit, but I think his size just works against him. Though he is mobile enough to reach a lot of balls side to side, he has difficulty changing direction, and his footwork when the ball is hit at him is a bit slow. He should do better on faster hard courts.

I think he could do ok at Wimbledon if it plays the way the grass has played recently (higher bouncing), but best of 5 sets still works against him. His service has to be on for 3 sets. Usually the top players can eventually get a good read after a set, and his ground game just isn't good enough yet against top competition. Let's see how he progresses in the next 3 years. He is certainly one of the top youngsters at the moment. I also like what I saw of David Goffin in Paris. He looks like he has a game that will translate well to grass or hard courts.

Respectfully,
masterclass

Federer won 83% of points in his second serve, that's all you need to know.

Milos needs to work on his return and ground game, serve isn't enough to be a top player. He's not Karlovic, but his ground game and return aren't at the required level for a top player yet.

Milos didn't have his A forehand going today which he really needs against the top players. Alot of those 2nd serves were right in Milos' wheelhouse, and he kept missing them.

Federer won 83% of points in his second serve, that's all you need to know.

Federer was lucky to have a opponent like Raonic in QF who is just a serve-bot. Raonic doesn't know how to return a serve and that's why Federer won 83% of points in his second serve.

So that's not enough for some people.

Great win for Fed, losing a set in a breaker is irrelevent in my opinion given that he never faced a break point and made only 12 unforced errors.

Most impressive stat, IMO, considering all the "Federror" comments yesterday. :)

I think they both played just fine, but Fed was just too good in few crucial moments and held high level of his serve throughout the match. Well done Rogi.

Federer won 83% of points in his second serve, that's all you need to know.

Milos needs to work on his return and ground game, serve isn't enough to be a top player. He's not Karlovic, but his ground game and return aren't at the required level for a top player yet.

Exactly. He is not even that young, should be doing better now if he is going to become a top 5 player.

Milos didn't have his A forehand going today which he really needs against the top players. Alot of those 2nd serves were right in Milos' wheelhouse, and he kept missing them.

His forehand is only accurate when he has time to prepare it imo. On such a fast surface, he's too serve dependent as he doesn't have the time to prepare his groundstrokes.

Even against Federer, winning only 17% of points on his second serve is too poor. It didn't make any difference whether Federer put the first or second serve...

I hope Milos improves his groundgame and return soon. He will definitely be beating Federer if he does; Federer can't get a read on his serve, it seems. But it's no use since Milos can't do anything on return so far.

Exactly. He is not even that young, should be doing better now if he is going to become a top 5 player.

He still has time. Players have been peaking later and later as the game becomes more physical and big servers/big hitters usually take longer to peak anyway.

That serve is a pretty solid base for Milos to build his game upon.

He still has time. Players have been peaking later and later as the game becomes more physical and big servers/big hitters usually take longer to peak anyway.

That serve is a pretty solid base for Milos to build his game upon.

He definitely still has time, I just think he is older than some make out and could be doing better.

His forehand is only accurate when he has time to prepare it imo. On such a fast surface, he's too serve dependent as he doesn't have the time to prepare his groundstrokes.

Even against Federer, winning only 17% of points on his second serve is too poor. It didn't make any difference whether Federer put the first or second serve...

I hope Milos improves his groundgame and return soon. He will definitely be beating Federer if he does; Federer can't get a read on his serve, it seems. But it's no use since Milos can't do anything on return so far.

I would argue alot of those 2nd serve return misses that Milos was set and had time, he was just missing them. But I do agree, he needs time for his groundstrokes at the moment, and he will need to improve on this. This is even more severe on his backhand. Improving this will not only improve his play in rally's, but improve his return. His groundies are also WAAAYYY better today than they were a year ago, so it is clearly an area where he is putting in alot of work. More matches against the top players will also help, as his groundies are more than good enough against weaker players.

I would argue alot of those 2nd serve return misses that Milos was set and had time, he was just missing them. But I do agree, he needs time for his groundstrokes at the moment, and he will need to improve on this. This is even more severe on his backhand. Improving this will not only improve his play in rally's, but improve his return. His groundies are also WAAAYYY better today than they were a year ago, so it is clearly an area where he is putting in alot of work. More matches against the top players will also help, as his groundies are more than good enough against weaker players.

True. His level of play is already top 10-worthy imo and his ranking should reflect that in the next 12 months max.

But he needs to keep improving his strokes and return to be a legitimate contender for big titles. A tremendous first serve isn't enough against the best players in the world, especially on slow surfaces. I believe he will get there :)

He definitely still has time, I just think he is older than some make out and could be doing better.

The hip injury last year didn't help and set him back at least 6 months.

Milos :bigwave: Just a weapon, your serve, and it wasn't useful enough :hysteric:

http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3f2mze4371r1ookw.gif

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m477j74fHl1qeu4nio1_500.jpg

the 4th fed - nad on grass will have to wait until wimby semis...

Battle of the servebots:D

Battle of the servebots:D

Federer a servebot :facepalm: The most varied player ever a servebot :facepalm:

One of the best matches Federer has played this year. Absolutely superb performance from the Swiss Maestro. :clap2:

:cuckoo:

Fed has a shot at wimby just he has to avoid big servers. His return is kindly said awful, even Roddick looks like danger for him at moment. Has better shot of beating Nole and Rafa than Berdych or Tsonga in QF.

would have been awful if roger had lost this when milos couldnt earn a break point all match

Raonic still learning.

:cuckoo:

Did you even watch the match? He was hitting GOAT winners, groundstrokes were confident, and the serve was extremely consistent throughout. Plus he was very clutch at the end. :shrug:

clinical

clinical

yep, just like the straight sets easy win for fed you predicted:rolleyes:

Disappointing from Raonic towards the end of the match. He got into a return game but found the net with a FH in a strong position and then a slice into the net to lose the game. Didn't do much better in the breaker either.

Disappointing from Raonic towards the end of the match. He got into a return game but found the net with a FH in a strong position and then a slice into the net to lose the game. Didn't do much better in the breaker either.

he could have broke to love in that game, won 2 points, and had the other 2 on his racket, and made 2 stupid errors, that pissed me off:o

Raonic's serve is certainly a huge weapon which makes him dangerous on grass but he doesn't have a lot else to back it up. Only winning 17% on 2nd serve is proof of that. Even when Fed dropped the 1st set, you never thought he was in any danger of losing the match.

I'm sure most players will want to avoid him at Wimbledon because of his serve but you also have to assume a good player who can get a read on it and expose his poor movement will be able to handle him.

As much as I want the young players to do well, it's really hard to root for Raonic. He has a horrible game and he's boring to watch.

http://i1247.photobucket.com/albums/gg633/FORZAPENNETTA/tumblr_lspto9cpN81qaqwxm-1.gif

Raonic :sobbing:

Hopefully he overcomes this Fedphobia and defeats him as he was supposed to. :o

Raonic :sobbing:

Hopefully he overcomes this Fedphobia and defeats him as he was supposed to. :o

http://i1247.photobucket.com/albums/gg633/FORZAPENNETTA/snow-white.gif

when the hell TF will work again :mad:

Game went exactly as predicted. Raonic had a monster serve and it still wasn't enough. It's enough for one set, no more. That said, his serving in the 3rd set, up to the TB was absolutely flawless, Fed could barely get a point off Raonic's serve, but you can't beat a guy like Fed with nothing but serves.

Fed breaks a 4 tie-break lost streak, which is very important before Wimbledon because tie-breaks often go by streaks and very seldom does he have such bad tie-break streaks.

His game was encouraging even though the serve was not as great as the score lets people think.
I haven't seen him play that well in Halle for several years.

Before grass season, I was less optimistic about Raonic's abilities on grass than many people : I saw today what I thought, that he's more comfortable with high balls from the baseline than with low balls.

That said his serve is impressive and in Wimbledon second week the bounce will be better for him.
Better not draw him in R16 :unsure:

His forehand is only accurate when he has time to prepare it imo. On such a fast surface, he's too serve dependent as he doesn't have the time to prepare his groundstrokes.

yes, but also he's much more comfortable with a high bounce, both on the forehand and the backhand.

yep, just like the straight sets easy win for fed you predicted:rolleyes:you think fed never had close matches against serve bots? fed clutching it out against these one dimensional clowns is exactly what i find so fascinating when watching these matches.

no idea how return of serverer made it through this one and managed to win a tie break for once

Fed breaks a 4 tie-break lost streak, which is very important before Wimbledon because tie-breaks often go by streaks and very seldom does he have such bad tie-break streaks.

Also wins his first tie-break against Raonic after 2 tie-breaks lost.

His game was encouraging even though the serve was not as great as the score lets people think.
I haven't seen him play that well in Halle for several years.

Before grass season, I was less optimistic about Raonic's abilities on grass than many people : I saw today what I thought, that he's more comfortable with high balls from the baseline than with low balls.

That said his serve is impressive and in Wimbledon second week the bounce will be better for him.
Better not draw him in R16 :unsure:

Fail!

Raonic didn't have a single break point.

Federer only had break points in one game, the one where he broke.

As close to an all-serve festival as it gets. Raonic's poor returning and ground game, even more in comparison to Federer's, made the difference. You can't beat a top player by only getting 17% of points off second serve returns, it's just not possible.

Fail!

sorry in my mind I thought he had won 7-5 the final set in Madrid :lol:

anyway I'm happy he's 2-2 in tie-breaks against Raonic, 2-0 in decisive ones :)

now Roger vs Misha :drool:

This is just amazing! The "old man" beating the monster server in (true) grass! This just shows how good Fed still is! what is the age difference??

This is just amazing! The "old man" beating the monster server in (true) grass! This just shows how good Fed still is! what is the age difference??

Fed is indeed very good. But beating a player with only one big weapon is hardly evidence of his greatness. Didn't Hewitt do the same in Australia, albeit in slower conditions?

Hopefully Raonic will be a top player one day, but that day hasn't arrived yet. His serve always makes him a threat, but you can't be one of the world's best with just that, he still needs to iron out his return and ground game.

you think fed never had close matches against serve bots? fed clutching it out against these one dimensional clowns is exactly what i find so fascinating when watching these matches.

who cares

All I know is you've repeatedly proved yourself to be a moron saying Fed will win easily every time, and saying he did win easily after the match has finished. All 3 matches have been very close

Raonic :sobbing:

Hopefully he overcomes this Fedphobia and defeats him as he was supposed to. :o

supposed to, are you kidding me? thats just a rediculous statement to make

THis is true grass.Wimbly courts are just shit.

The UK organizers are stupid,they slowed down the surface while their only player Murray struggle to winning here.

ball doesn't bounce in shit:wavey:

O8s698U1zNc

Ten years younger and can't beat the old man :rolleyes: kids these days are just pussies.

Reminds me when Roger detroned Pete at Wimbledon. Definitely Milos is the player that can take his succession.

Reminds me when Roger detroned Pete at Wimbledon. Definitely Milos is the player that can take his succession.

So you say that Raonic is to Fed what Fed was to Sampras? just no! Federer and Sampras are in the other galaxy if compared to players like Raonic. Raonic will never be in their league! just too clumsy and...well you know ;)

Great to see Olderer having these long matches right before Wimby. Hope he's nice and tired next week :yeah:

Great to see Olderer having these long matches right before Wimby. Hope he's nice and tired next week :yeah:

I hope it too! i hope they all are so very tired that we actually get some good and exciting wimbledon!

Great to see Olderer having these long matches right before Wimby. Hope he's nice and tired next week :yeah:

A real fan wants the two players giving their best.
Also, the match wasn't that long, 2 hours, and not long rallies in grass.

Come on, Doc, you can do it way better than that.

What happened? Ivanovic is in "those days" ?

A real fan wants the two players giving their best.
Also, the match wasn't that long, 2 hours, and not long rallies in grass.

Come on, Doc, you can do it way better than that.

What happened? Ivanovic is in "those days" ?

I'm just kidding :)

Olderer is probably gonna lose in QF again to someone like Berdych or Tsonga. He hasn't been a real threat at Wimby since 2009 (where he got a challenger draw).

So you say that Raonic is to Fed what Fed was to Sampras? just no! Federer and Sampras are in the other galaxy if compared to players like Raonic. Raonic will never be in their league! just too clumsy and...well you know ;)

I don't think that Raonic would even make 10% of Pete or Roger's achievement. But considering the level of the youngsters coming I see on Raonic the best player to take the throne on grass courts.

And next time ask if you have any doubt about what someone write on their posts instead of judging them ;)

Great to see Olderer having these long matches right before Wimby. Hope he's nice and tired next week :yeah:

yep, he needs to be tired next week, then he can rest up and be ready and rested for Wimbledon the week after:yeah:

always very closed to victory, but never won it :tape:

beating Federer would be too boring, he's waiting until he faces the world number 1:D

Raonic shows again that in a matchup against Roger, when the going gets tough, he succumbs to his master!

Reminds me when Roger detroned Pete at Wimbledon. Definitely Milos is the player that can take his succession.
:cuckoo:? he is good..but not THAT good

Well done Rogi. As for Milos, 1 set is not enough indeed :hug:. I hope he can take at least 3 against one of the other top 3 at SW19.

Another tough loss for Milos :(

at least milos got another game

Milos was not at his best in this matchup and certainly not to the quality that we saw when he played Federer in Madrid. He served well throughout (except for the start of the 2nd), but that was about it. It's kind of amazing that he managed to trouble Federer so much in this match (and even win a set) while struggling on return and from the baseline so much.

I have no doubt that he'll get there, but he's still learning and still has to play the big points better against the top players (well...the top players outside of that headcase Murray who he beat easily).

Raonic played God awful and still made it close.

I was surprised Federer did not slice/drop shot more on Milos, if he did this match would have been over alot quicker.

now Roger vs Misha :drool:

:yeah: one of the few players i don't mind Roger losing to tho he hasn't yet so far.... 4 single-handers in the semis, what a treat!!

What stupidity that we have to go through 4 major tournaments on clay and only have 1 on grass. :o :mad:

"Real" grass tennis is beautiful although Wimbledon is also still beautiful during the 1st week.

Does anybody know who was the girl sitting in Fed's box (on the right of the screen)?

You have got to feel for Raonic, so close yet so far. I really did think he would nab Roger here, but the experience is still too much. Good to see Fed continue to win these tight ones, keeping with the last 6-7 months :rocker2:

Now win the title please Rog, good luck :yeah:

Reminds me when Roger detroned Pete at Wimbledon. Definitely Milos is the player that can take his succession.

lol, what?

Maybe you see it but I don't, TBH.

Good battle from Milos, just saw the highlights but he seems to play Fed tough...one of these days.....:worship:

HIngisova:wavey: