RF Tennis News 2018

Why Roger Federer is just like pop icon Michael Jackson, according to Andre Agassi


Alan Dawson | Business Insider, Australia
Jul 26, 2018

• Roger Federer is the Michael Jackson of tennis.
  
• Former world number one men’s player Andre Agassi made the comparison to Business Insider at a Lavazza event during the 2018 Wimbledon Championships in London.
  
• Agassi told us that Federer “changed the game” just like the “King of Pop” changed music forever.
  
• Tennis fans who have yet to see Federer perform live will be hoping he doesn’t stop till he gets enough.
  

Roger Federer is the Michael Jackson of men’s tennis, according to former world number one Andre Agassi.

Federer is widely regarded as the “GOAT” (greatest of all time) in tennis. He has won more men’s Grand Slam singles titles than any other Open Era athlete (20), he has the highest hard court match-winning percentage (currently 87.56%), and has spent the most weeks ranked as the world’s number one men’s player (310).

Jackson, meanwhile, was famously known as the “King of Pop” as he is the only artist to have an album sell over 100 million copies worldwide (“Thriller,” 1982), he created some of the most recognisable pop anthems of all time like “Billie Jean” and “Beat It,” and continues to influence record-breaking musicians like Beyoncé and Justin Timberlake.

For Agassi, Federer is to tennis what Michael Jackson was to pop, because sports fans will always regret not seeing Federer perform live once he decides to retire forever.

“It’s going to be like the person that says ‘I never saw Michael Jackson perform,'” Agassi told Business Insider at a Lavazza event as part of the 2018 Wimbledon Championships.

“I can imagine a lot of people saying, ‘I can’t believe I never saw him play.’ He’s left that kind of mark on the game. He’s changed it.

“It will be a sad day,” he went on, speaking on the day Federer retires. “But it will also be a glorious one because I know what he deserves now for the rest of his life, he deserves to feel something he’s never felt before and I know life will offer [that to] him.”


Federer was knocked out of the Wimbledon quarterfinals by South African athlete Kevin Anderson and recently confirmed he would not compete in next month’s Roger Cup as he looks to preserve his career as long as possible by optimising rest and recovery.

Though Federer was unsuccessful in his bid for a ninth Wimbledon crown, he may well continue to be known as the king of tennis as he chases more major titles. Earlier this year, the 36-year-old won the 2018 Australian Open, and it is likely he will have one eye on the upcoming US Open in August and September.

“Roger is still setting a level that is still pretty remarkable,” Agassi told Business Insider.

Tennis fans who have yet to see Federer live will be hoping he doesn’t stop till he gets enough.

Federer needs joy and freshness

The eight-time champion has failed in Wimbledon, because the routine that crept in hurt his game.




Federer did not manage to flip the switch in the game against Kevin Anderson.
Image: Ben Curtis / Keystone


Simon Graf, Sport Editor - Tages-Anzeiger  
12 Jul. 2018


As hope for a Wimbledon rematch between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal slowly took shape, ten years after their historical classic, it was suddenly destroyed. And for once Federer was the culprit. In the All England Club on Wednesday evening, the bewilderment over his exit, mixed with the admiration for Nadal who had heroically fought back against Juan Martin Del Potro after 1: 2 sets and in 4:48 hours, had set in.

The look of the two rivals could hardly have been different, not only in terms of their game. Nadal took the fight, thriving - he was playing to win. Federer looked perplexed and passive as Kevin Anderson managed to press him. It did not feel like he had fun on the court - he played to not lose. But Anderson did not return that favor.
Federer didn't manage to flip the switch after being hardly tested in his first four matches. When he was challenged, he tensed. Instead of using his superior game options to maneuver his opponent out of his comfort zone with net attacks, drop shots, cross-court backhands, and different speed, he let himself in on a contest of who could hit the ball harder. And logically the 2.03-meter giant had the advantage. Federer was like a artist that was painting a colorful landscape, using only two or three colors of his wide palette.
Perhaps he was inhibited by the pressure of expectation that had been heightened by his renunciation of the clay season. In 2017, Federer was, despite his fantastic achievements in the first half of the season, still the man returning from a long break - even in Wimbledon. This time, he arrived as defending champion, and after Nadal had done his job in Paris, everyone expected him to win in his kingdom. He had more to lose than to win, and the longer he played against Anderson the more noticeable it became.

If his 2017 and 2018 seasons run for a long time almost in parallel, with the brilliant start in Melbourne, they are now diverging. Up to and including Wimbledon, Federer had scored 6545 points last year, now it's 3660, just over half. Where does this big difference come from? If he returned to the tour last year with renewed freshness and joy, manifesting itself in an extremely attacking style of play, so have crept in patterns again that are detrimental to his game. For example, at Wimbledon, he only played half as many serve volleys as last year - because it was not necessary for a long time.


Too much routine hurts Federer's game

Indeed, because he did not use his varied, attacking game enough, he could not bring it out when it was necessary. Federer said something interesting after the Anderson match: "I could not surprise him anymore. That was a bad feeling." Perhaps he and his coaches should once again watch his performances against Nadal in the 2017 finals in Melbourne and Miami to refocus. Too much routine hurts Federer's game, which depends so much on creativity and surprises.

The good news is: Federer has everything to soon play his best tennis again, in the hard court season in North America. It is primarily a question of approach. He must rediscover the freshness and joy of his comeback season. And he and Nadal could even bring a big rendez-vous for the tennis fans this year: the premiere of a joint US Open Finals. (Tages-Anzeiger)

 

Federer Fires In Summer Hard-Court Return

  ATP Staff - Aug 15 2018


Swiss No. 2 seed contests first match in Cincinnati since claiming the title in 2015

 
Roger Federer’s first competitive outing in the American Midwest in three years is off to a flying start with the Swiss seeing off Peter Gojowczyk in the second round of the Western & Southern Open on Tuesday. In his first ATP World Tour event since turning 37 on 8 August, the seven-time champion needed just 72 minutes to defeat the German, 6-4, 6-4.

The No. 2 seed had not played since squandering a match point in his Wimbledon quarter-final defeat to Kevin Anderson a month ago and admitted to feeling anxious about his US summer hard-court return. But despite a rusty opening service game, in which he rolled down two double faults to face a break point, the Swiss soon hit his straps.

“I felt good in that first match, to be honest, walking out, hardly any nerves,” Federer said. “I think I knew what I wanted to do, what I had to do. Game plan is very simple. It's straightforward, it's fast-court tennis.

“I'm only feeling better every day that has gone by after Wimbledon. So it's nice to have played a match so my last match is not the Anderson match, so you've kind of turned the page, I guess, in that regard. It's a good thing.”

He served out the opening set 6-4 with a sublime serve-volley reaping the backhand volley winner. When Federer broke in the opening game of the second set he looked to be cruising, with a touch-volley winner edging him to 4-2.

Saving his best point for the brink of defeat, Gojowzyck – who had defeated Joao Sousa in the first round – pulled off a smash passing shot on his way to holding for 3-4 but it would not distract Federer from the job at hand. He served it out to love to set a third-round meeting with Argentine Leonardo Mayer, an earlier 7-6(7), 6-4 winner over Andy Murray's conqueror, Lucas Pouille.

“I do believe usually it takes two or three matches to get going… like aiming for the lines, finding the rhythm on the serve, being able to serve very accurate, time and time again, getting used to the balls, how the ball flies,” Federer said. “That's why I'm always happy when I clear the first hurdle of any event, because it gives me an opportunity to actually play better the next time around.”

That’s an ominous warning for Mayer. Both prior FedEx ATP Head2Head clashes have gone Federer’s way on hard courts.

Did You Know?
Roger Federer has now won his past 11 matches in Cincinnati. The last man to defeat him was Rafael Nadal in the 2013 quarter-finals.

CINCINNATI FINAL SNAPSHOT: DJOKOVIC-FEDERER

By Andrew Burton | TENNISACCENT  

August 20, 2018


Novak Djokovic came into Sunday’s final against Roger Federer hoping to make ATP history as the first man to win all nine Masters tournaments. He and his team came up with an unusual game plan – serve and volley on every point, chip and charge every return.

Just kidding. Novak came to the net once in the match (he won the point). His opponent served and volleyed several times in the match, and came to the net 24 times, winning 14 of the points, or a 58-percent conversion rate. But that wasn’t the key to this match.

Sunday was a tale of two returns, and if you see that you ought to be able to guess the outcome. Djokovic put 79 percent of Federer’s serves back into play; Federer managed to get his returns into court only 57 percent of the time. Federer went 4 of 18 on Novak’s second serve: That’s a figure that reads like one of his poorer days on break point conversions. Cincinnati is one of the faster courts, but Federer’s returns-in-play stats tell a story this week: He went 74%, 70%, 73%, then 67% against David Goffin (who was playing with a dodgy shoulder) and 57 on Sunday.

I asked Federer after the match about the returns – his a struggle, Novak’s aggressive. He told me,

“Yeah. It was definitely not my best day on the return. That’s it. It was just awful… But missing every second serve on the forehand side, I don’t know what that was about.”

Djokovic was much the more consistent player today, and Federer (perhaps understandably) didn’t want to dwell on his own play – he told the next questioner:

“[It’s] a bit frustrating, but I guess these matches just unfortunately happen sometimes. And then Novak, you know, he’s a great champion and this is what it should be about, this press conference; not about me missing second serve returns. It’s about him making history. That’s my opinion.

“We can go into whatever points you want, but I think this is what the headline should be about. This is an amazing accomplishment, and I hope he’s extremely happy about his moment.”

Djokovic at one point brought off a near carbon copy of The Shot – the 2011 cross-court forehand return that saved a match point and is one of the defining moments of his career. It was a testament to his control of this match that it seemed more like another demonstration of excellence than a bolt from the blue.

For the first time this week there were many Serbian flags in the crowd, and vociferous calls of “Nole! Nole!” rang around the stadium several times. When Federer fended off a 0-30 deficit to force Djokovic to serve out the match, the crowd’s cheers and applause seemed more sympathetic than exultant. Djokovic held serve in a composed manner, then turned to his box with his arms raised in happiness – but (to my eyes) it was also a composed emotion, not raw elation or defiance. In press after the match he told us it was his best match of the week:


Q. You felt you played your best match today?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: For sure.  Roger wasn’t obviously at his best.  He missed a lot of returns. He had also seems like a difficult time to move.  You know, he was not really playing as well as he did in previous matches this week, but at the same time, you know, I thought I was solid.  I didn’t allow him to, you know, come to the net and be aggressive too much, and I tried to kind of hold ground and protect the line.

It’s much easier said than done when you’re playing Roger, especially in these conditions where he loves playing here.  Everything happens really, really fast and there is not much time to think or to construct the points, so you really need to be alert all the time, you know, especially against him.

I’m very pleased the way I held my nerves at the end, you know.  And even when I lost the break of serve in the second set, I managed to rebreak the next game and get back on the right track.

Federer told English and Swiss press that Djokovic and Nadal, having split Canada and Cincinnati, and Roland Garros and Wimbledon before, are favorites in New York. That sounds right to me.

So here we are again – it’s 2018, and the Big 3 are in each others’ sights as we head into the last major of the year. The talk about the men’s game at the start of the week was about Tsitsipas, Shapovalov and Zverev; at the end of the week, the ATP’s old guard is still up on the podium, still making history.

Rumors of their death have been exaggerated.