[Clay Death]

go fed. show them that you can play until 40 and still manage to be in the top 15.

[buzz]

Originally Posted by Clay Death

that pride will have to give in to reality on the ground in about 2 years.

its either win small stuff or win nothing at all and be ranked outside top 40.

You think Federer could win 100tiltes but when he keeps playing mainly masterseries and slams he will drop out of the top 40 in two years

[sexybeast]

Originally Posted by Sophocles

I can certainly see the sense in skipping Indian Wells & Miami. He hasn't seemed to enjoy them in recent years, can't beat Nadal or Djoker there, & basically has very little chance of getting beyond the semis. On the other hand he does normally make the semis & if he's doing that in both, that's not a negligible number of points, so if he's serious about making one last push for the No. 1 ranking....

Federer would obviously need to put at rest his nr1 ranking ambitions (if it happens it happens), last year however he neglected the asian tour where he's got a much better chanse to win titles and played the boring slow hardcourt american spring, Federer could get 1500 points playing Shanghai+Tokyo and it doesnt take the same toil on the body as Indian Wells and Miami.

Psychological effect of winning titles (even 250 titles) instead of losing SFs against Djokovic and Nadal should not be neglected aswell.

[Clay Death]

nature will take its true course sexybeast. not being able to win masters and slams down the road while wanting to keep the ranking high and somewhat significant, he will have to try to do well in lesser events.

ultimately he does want to win titles. you take what you can if you want to stay in the game.

[masterclass]

Originally Posted by sexybeast

Federer would obviously need to put at rest his nr1 ranking ambitions (if it happens it happens), last year however he neglected the asian tour where he's got a much better chanse to win titles and played the boring slow hardcourt american spring, Federer could get 1500 points playing Shanghai+Tokyo and it doesnt take the same toil on the body as Indian Wells and Miami.

Psychological effect of winning titles (even 250 titles) instead of losing SFs against Djokovic and Nadal should not be neglected aswell.

Unfortunately for Mr. Federer those slow American hard courts in IW and Miami have been mandatory. Also unfortunate for him, is that the outdoor hard court in Shanghai has also gotten much slower. Federer said at the bottom of this article, "Shanghai was brutally slow, Toronto was very slow and Miami and Indian Wells have been slowed drastically," says Federer. "Paris was fast. But that's okay. Otherwise, things can get boring." Bangkok indoor hard (250) might be a good option.

Respectfully,
masterclass

[Clay Death]

so how the hell did he win the french open if he is crying about hard courts being slower. he has also made around 4 french open finals. i am not buying what he is selling.

he can still win. he had that u.s. open semi won and he gave it away.

[masterclass]

Originally Posted by Clay Death

so how the hell did he win the french open if he is crying about hard courts being slower. he has also made around 4 french open finals. i am not buying what he is selling.

he can still win. he had that u.s. open semi won and he gave it away.

1. He won the French Open because he didn't have to face the Clay King of the 2000's and 2010-11 - Rafael Nadal. Soderling did him a favor.
2. He's the 2nd best player at Roland Garros in the current generation of players. The conditions are good for him, except for the super high bouncing topspin that only Nadal can generate, especially to the Federer backhand.
3. He can still win at Roland Garros if something unusual were to happen to the Clay King (let's hope not).
4. He beat the 2011 King Djokovic in his best year, ended his big winning streak, and kept him from making his first RG final.
5. Of course he can win at the US Open. The 2011 US Open semi vs. Djokovic should never have gone to 5 sets. But even there Djokovic had luck. 2011 was the slowest playing Open in years. They had resurfaced the court and also the rains from the hurricane came and drowned the courts. Remember Roddick watching the rainwater come up from court during a match and giving the tour Referee an earful? But even with all that, Federer managed to get to 2 match points but a not so brilliant serve along with some fortunate hitting from Djokovic managed to lose it for Federer. The problem with the wide serve is that if one doesn't get it wide enough, a player like Djokovic can track it and smack it and that's just what he did. I'm sure Federer would have liked to have that serve back.

But it's true that the hard courts of IW and Miami play slower and high bouncing, and don't favor him as much as the US summer courts of Cinci and the US Open. It's not that he can't do ok on those slower courts, it's all relative to whom he is playing. Those courts give enough edge to players that can run like Mr. Nadal and Mr. Djokovic, where it becomes too difficult for Federer to produce more winners than unforced errors. He would have to serve incredibly well and return like the devil to have a good chance of beating them.

Respectfully,
masterclass

[tripwires]

Originally Posted by Clay Death

so how the hell did he win the french open if he is crying about hard courts being slower. he has also made around 4 french open finals. i am not buying what he is selling.

he can still win. he had that u.s. open semi won and he gave it away.

He can play on slow surfaces too. He just prefers, and does better on, faster ones.

[Clay Death]

Originally Posted by masterclass

1. He won the French Open because he didn't have to face the Clay King of the 2000's and 2010-11 - Rafael Nadal. Soderling did him a favor.
2. He's the 2nd best player at Roland Garros in the current generation of players. The conditions are good for him, except for the super high bouncing topspin that only Nadal can generate, especially to the Federer backhand.
3. He can still win at Roland Garros if something unusual were to happen to the Clay King (let's hope not).
4. He beat the 2011 King Djokovic in his best year, ended his big winning streak, and kept him from making his first RG final.
5. Of course he can win at the US Open. The 2011 US Open semi vs. Djokovic should never have gone to 5 sets. But even there Djokovic had luck. 2011 was the slowest playing Open in years. They had resurfaced the court and also the rains from the hurricane came and drowned the courts. Remember Roddick watching the rainwater come up from court during a match and giving the tour Referee an earful? But even with all that, Federer managed to get to 2 match points but a not so brilliant serve along with some fortunate hitting from Djokovic managed to lose it for Federer. The problem with the wide serve is that if one doesn't get it wide enough, a player like Djokovic can track it and smack it and that's just what he did. I'm sure Federer would have liked to have that serve back.

But it's true that the hard courts of IW and Miami play slower and high bouncing, and don't favor him as much as the US summer courts of Cinci and the US Open. It's not that he can't do ok on those slower courts, it's all relative to whom he is playing. Those courts give enough edge to players that can run like Mr. Nadal and Mr. Djokovic, where it becomes too difficult for Federer to produce more winners than unforced errors. He would have to serve incredibly well and return like the devil to have a good chance of beating them.

Respectfully,
masterclass

excellent post. so he is limited in some ways. who isnt? nobody can be totally dominant on all surfaces. the game is too demanding now.

fed, nole, and nadal came close but each have had some flaws. we are about to find out if nole is going to be a factor on clay. i still maintain that his game is ideally suited for hard courts.

[Mr. Oracle]

Originally Posted by rubbERR

Only if they put all tournaments indoors.

.....and at the end of the year.

[tripwires]

Wasn't Rotterdam just last week?

[masterclass]

Originally Posted by tripwires

Wasn't Rotterdam just last week?

Touché.

Respectfully,
masterclass

[manadrainer]

100 titles seems too much for me CD, especially since it's true he has stated he wants to play for more years, but I don't think he'd like to travel without his family... and when the twins reach school age, I think he will retire.

Sure he still has the fire burning inside him, so he'll try to stay around as long as he can and try to win big titles. The only one he needs to avoid is Rafa, against Djoker I like his chances at Slams: last year it was 2-1 Djoker, but we all know how that Us open semifinal went...

[Clay Death]

nobody really knows how it will play out. it is really all about Fed and his drive and his health down the road.

this was just an idea worth exploring. smaller events are certainly there to be had.

[Clay Death]

i am ready to add the dubai title to his total count already. i think it could happen.