Re: RF Tennis News 2017

by Márcia Thu Mar 23, 2017 7:26 pm

^^^
I used to like BB a lot, and followed as closely as I could his career and ,rivalry with Stefan. My problem with Boris is actual, the fact that he hesitates so much in being complimentary to Roger. He is not ND's coach anymore, he could say his admiration, if admiration exists. But "man of the moment"... weird. But, ok. I only said what I feel about this comment: a kind of "sitting on the fence".

As UES, I'll take the opportunity to express my condolences to the people of London and to people of everywhere in the world, where terrorism puts in action its terrible plans. They will not, never win. But they leave behind a trail of horror and despair.

by avasbar Thu Mar 23, 2017 7:43 pm

^^^ I used to like Boris calling a match too- tho only ever heard him at Wimby, and I for one wasnt referencing his tennis at all.
My antipathy is nothing to do with the fact of his being Djokers coach during Novaks winning streak and all to do with his change in behaviour from that time from generally nice - if rather silly - to antagonistic to Roger. Why? What was he concerned about? Novak was winning 80% of the time - not good enough for him? He had to make unpleasant remarks about him?
That's what I'm referring to, along with his inclination for self-promotion on the back of Novak.
And he doesnt sound genuinely complimentary of Roger's current success - he sounds mealy-mouthed about it. What IS his problem? What's Rog done to him to warrant this change in demeanor since he became Novak's coach.

And just for the record, Pablo actually joined the team some months before Boris quit. It was following his marital crisis that he came on board. Im not saying his father's health couldnt have been influence as well

by **Cromar** Thu Mar 23, 2017 9:19 pm

When you see that Roger was 71st on the list of Break points won (we used to talk about it a lot, right!) and that he is now 3rd on that list, that's a hell of a turnaround. It's a miracle, if you ask me! Shocked

Roger Federer has improved the way he strikes his backhand and is now the third best on ATP World Tour in 2017 for break points won. Getty Images

Roger's 10,000 Break Point Chances

Craig O'Shannessy

Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers
March 22, 2017

Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers explains how Federer is converting more break points.

Roger’s backhand return. It used to get picked on. It used to misfire and shank and generally underperform relative to the genius of the rest of his arsenal.

And now, all of a sudden, it’s a beast. The most under-rated part of Roger Federer’s game throughout his illustrious career is now the main attraction.

“I am just able to step into the court much easier than I ever have,” Federer said in a post-match interview at the BNP Paribas Open last week, after defeating Rafael Nadal 6-2, 6-3 in the fourth round. “I think by coming over my backhand on the return from the get-go in the point, I can then dominate points from the start.”

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of Federer’s 2017 resurgence clearly pinpoints his return game has improved, especially on break points.

Federer is ranked fifth-best in career service games won on the ATP Stats LEADERBOARDS, powered by the Infosys Information Platform, but just 41st in return games won. He drops all the way down to 71st when you look specifically at break points converted in his career, at 41.3 per cent (4321/10,462).

But not so in 2017. Not now with an iron-fist commitment to come over the backhand return.

Federer is all the way up to No. 3 on the ATP World Tour in 2017 with break points won at 50.4 per cent (59/117). This is a huge jump from his 2016 season, when he only won 39.5 per cent (92/233).

Federer won a mind-blowing 64 per cent (14/22) of his break points at the BNP Paribas Open last week. He won 54 per cent (7/13) against first serves, and an imperious 78 per cent (7/9) against second serves.

Federer may never have hit his backhand as well against Nadal as he did in their fourth-round clash last week in the desert.

Federer broke Nadal in the opening game of the match, blocking back a good backhand jam serve, and then forcing a forehand error. With Nadal serving at 1-3, 15/0, Federer raised the stakes with a cross-court backhand return winner from inside the baseline, against a first serve that was equal parts dismissive and nonchalant.

A couple of points later at break point, Federer once again moved forward inside the baseline against the Spaniard’s first serve, contacted the backhand return way out in front of his body, redirecting it straight back down the line for a return winner. Frozen rope. The shot had almost no follow through, but it did elicit seven small fist pumps as Federer walked to his court side chair enjoying a double break of serve.

On match point, with Nadal serving at 3-5, 15/40 in the second set, Federer jumped all over Nadal’s 84 m.p.h. second serve and rocketed a backhand winner straight back down the line. It was lights out for Nadal, as a glow shone brightly on Federer’s backhand return.

Federer won only 24 per cent of his return games in 2016. That’s already up to 29 per cent this year, and climbing.

Federer concedes he is having a lot fun on the court in 2017, exceeding expectations, and overflowing with confidence. Federer leads the Emirates ATP Race To London with 3,045 points - the same amount of points as No. 2 Nadal (1,635) and No. 3 Stan Wawrinka (1,410) combined.

Federer’s backhand return has caught fire, and now he is playing an intriguing global game of “catch me if you can” for the honour of year-end No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, which will culminate at the ATP Finals in November.

by MaxUS Thu Mar 23, 2017 10:27 pm

Cromar wrote:When you see that Roger was 71st on the list of Break points won (we used to talk about it a lot, right!) and that he is now 3rd on that list, that's a hell of a turnaround. It's a miracle, if you ask me!

There was an article posted either upthread or, possibly, the "Discussing Roger's Game" thread that exposed the fact that when Roger was able to connect consistently with the backhand, it generally resulted in a winning match over Nadal (the ATP Finals rout, comes to mind as being on the list). In retrospect playing the woulda, shoulda, coulda game with regards to switching rackets to match/compete with the larger heads that the next generation were using when they were developing their games, is moot. In hindsight, 2009 would not have been a good time to make such a drastic change; moreover, who knows if (the still most Magical Slam title for me) 2012 Wimbledon could have been in jeopardy were still adjusting to a new frame at that time.

I believe that the break points won conversation is linked to the equally controversial "Nadal is in Roger's head" discussion. As it's turned out, it seems that it wasn't a case of Nadal being in Roger's head so much as it was that his backhand shanks using the smaller racket were affecting his confidence on his backhand return.

I'm ecstatic that Roger is converting break points more consistently this year, but I've always considered this particular stat to be meaningless and misleading. Creating breakpoint opportunities is infinitely more desirable in my eyes than converting them. Creating break points puts a huge amount of pressure on the server and has a cumulative effect throughout the match. Of course, the flip side is that saving so many break points could also give an opponent cumulative confidence in his service games, as well. The difference, however, is that if a player is holding his own service games consistently, he really only needs to break once per set in order to win a match, whereas the server consistently facing break points has no room for error.

As far as I know, they don't record tournament leaders for return games where the most break chances are created (i.e., if the returner wins the game from 0-40, three break opportunities are counted as 1 break point). I'm pretty confident that Roger's return game would be ranked much higher than 71 (pfft!) in that regard. I put this stat in the same rubbish bin that Roger has a poor record when it comes to using the Challenge system. For me, the only thing in Tennis that Roger hasn't mastered is the ability to draw a cupcake to the finals of most tournaments! Nevertheless, considering his last two tournament wins vs the relative cupcake draw in Dubai, I'm starting to think that this apparent deficiency is not a deficiency at all, regardless of the effect it has on my poor weak heart.

by **Cromar** Thu Mar 23, 2017 10:50 pm

Great comments, MaxUS! Your last paragraph made me laugh! Very Happy

by wcr Fri Mar 24, 2017 12:41 am

MaxUS wrote:I'm ecstatic that Roger is converting break points more consistently this year, but I've always considered this particular stat to be meaningless and misleading. Creating breakpoint opportunities is infinitely more desirable in my eyes than converting them. Creating break points puts a huge amount of pressure on the server and has a cumulative effect throughout the match. Of course, the flip side is that saving so many break points could also give an opponent cumulative confidence in his service games, as well. The difference, however, is that if a player is holding his own service games consistently, he really only needs to break once per set in order to win a match, whereas the server consistently facing break points has no room for error.

Always look for who is making inroads on an opponent's serve ... at least in the ATP matches ... for exactly the reasons you set forth above. Doesn't work quite as well when it comes to the WTA where it seems most players view their serve as a way to start a rally.

by Federite Fri Mar 24, 2017 1:53 am

wcr wrote:
MaxUS wrote:I'm ecstatic that Roger is converting break points more consistently this year, but I've always considered this particular stat to be meaningless and misleading. Creating breakpoint opportunities is infinitely more desirable in my eyes than converting them. Creating break points puts a huge amount of pressure on the server and has a cumulative effect throughout the match. Of course, the flip side is that saving so many break points could also give an opponent cumulative confidence in his service games, as well. The difference, however, is that if a player is holding his own service games consistently, he really only needs to break once per set in order to win a match, whereas the server consistently facing break points has no room for error.

Always look for who is making inroads on an opponent's serve ... at least in the ATP matches ... for exactly the reasons you set forth above. Doesn't work quite as well when it comes to the WTA where it seems most players view their serve as a way to start a rally.

This made me Laughing

perhaps more than it should. In fact, I'm almost certain the deciding set between Kuzy & Vesnina is still being played. Shocked

by Steerpike60 Fri Mar 24, 2017 5:57 pm

MaxUS wrote:I'm ecstatic that Roger is converting break points more consistently this year, but I've always considered this particular stat to be meaningless and misleading. Creating breakpoint opportunities is infinitely more desirable in my eyes than converting them. Creating break points puts a huge amount of pressure on the server and has a cumulative effect throughout the match. Of course, the flip side is that saving so many break points could also give an opponent cumulative confidence in his service games, as well. The difference, however, is that if a player is holding his own service games consistently, he really only needs to break once per set in order to win a match, whereas the server consistently facing break points has no room for error.

I agree. Plus the fact that many times a BP is SAVED rather than the returner blowing the BP chance. If you have 0-40 and the server hits rally winners or especially aces, it's hardly a knock on the returner for not breaking. I mean, the server is supposed to hold serve, right? I wish the stat would differentiate between BPs saved by the server and BP chances missed by the returner. Also, I don't really care if someone had 10 BP chances in one game if they eventually broke in that game. Going 1-10 on BPs sounds way worse than 1-1 but the end result is the same.

But as you say, a server saving BPs is very much a confidence booster just like missing so many BP chances can frustrate the returner. How many times have we seen a player have multiple chances, fail to break, and then get broken himself? All the time.

by avasbar Fri Mar 24, 2017 6:49 pm

Slightly OT; but talking of BPs saved, Diego Schwartzmann saved plenty in his 3rd set vs Kachanov who is a whole 12 in taller than him. So it wasnt like Diego could blow him off the court with aces; he had to work to hold serve and multiple times, so yeah, absolutely its a confidence booster and he won the match with the TB, where you could see Karens failure to break this little guy undermined his own confidence.

by Aprilp20n Fri Mar 24, 2017 8:55 pm

Really enjoyed your discussions around the bp conversion or saved stats. As a layperson very much interested in the technical shade of the game, I had the same questions reading the original article- not exactly a deficiency in Roger's game when he's able to create so many bp opportunities to start with! Nevertheless not that he's found the answer to his bh, particularly on the return, he's become far more dangerous than ever! Cheering

by avasbar Sat Mar 25, 2017 8:13 am

I guess this is the thread to talk about Roger's game; cant find another so could someone please explain the term 'going over his bh'.
I would have thought that meant putting a lot of topspin on it, if the racquet is over it, but it seems to mean simply not slicing it. But often times, he hits it with a straight racquet (by which I mean 90 degrees to the ball) which I understand is what is meant by hitting it flat? ie no spin - which was what they were all talking and raving about in Aussie. So I'm confused by the term 'hitting over it ' and what is different about that then, to talking about hitting through the ball. #Allofamuddle Very Happy

by **Cromar** Sat Mar 25, 2017 10:29 am

avasbar wrote:I guess this is the thread to talk about Roger's game; cant find another so could someone please explain the term 'going over his bh'.
...

This discussion is taking place here as it was prompted by a preceding news article, but if you are looking for a dedicated thread on the subject, you could use the topic 'Analysis of Roger's Game' , opened by Rufus1, under 'Awards, Records, Analysis and Stats' (or ultimately open a new one yourself). Although the term 'Analysis' was already included in the description of that thread, I added it to the title to make it clearer.

by avasbar Sat Mar 25, 2017 12:03 pm

Aha! Oh dear, I do keep missing your descriptions Cromar!! My apologies- I'm going to blame my eyesight again Embarassed

I shall copy it over there, and hope someone will see it and explain it to me.

by avasbar Tue Mar 28, 2017 10:57 am

Roger Federer cruises past Juan Martin del Potro to reach Miami Open fourth round

Roger Federer celebrates his win Credit: Getty Images

Simon Briggs, Tennis Correspondent , Miami (report)
telegraph.co.uk

27 March 2017 • 9:45pm

From the Miami Open’s perspective, the only disappointing thing about Roger Federer’s victory over Juan Martin del Potro on Monday was that it came so early in the week. The atmosphere on a full-to-overflowing Stadium Court resembled the nearby Ultra dance-music festival, complete with football-style chants, flags and banners. In excitement level, if not necessarily quality of tennis, this would have made a worthy final.

Instead, it turned into a third-round stroll for Federer, who was as swift and clinical as we have seen him all season as he dispatched del Potro by a 6-3, 6-4 scoreline. The job was done in 82 minutes, and the player of the season to date will now face Roberto Bautista Agut in the last 16.

If Federer’s status as the world’s favourite sportsman has only been reinforced by his late-career blossoming, then del Potro is an even bigger name here, at what has been described as the South American slam. His Davis Cup captain, Daniel Orsanic, was at courtside on Monday to support the man who spearheaded Argentina’s run to the Davis Cup title last year.

But fitness issues continue to rob del Potro of his best chances against the very elite. Early in the second set, he called the trainer on to apply tape to both his wrists – the suspect joints that have required four operations between them - although he later explained that this was "because I was sweating too much: it’s nothing to worry about”.

“Just shortly before I walked out to the court, you could sense the atmosphere,” said Federer afterwards. “That's when I told myself, just be prepared for something different. And it was different. I think if the match had gone three sets or to tiebreaks or something even closer, it would have been really epic. It was just really a nice atmosphere, nice weather, great opponent, great crowd, what else do you need? Just another good press conference with you guys and it's perfect.”

Federer got past Juan Martin del Potro on Monday Credit: AP

The good news for Federer is that he has yet to drop a set against Bautista Agut, the 14th seed, in five previous meetings. But there may be a physical challenge here, he acknowledged on Monday, in playing matches on successive days – something he has hardly had to do since his return from a six-month lay-off at the start of the season.

“I respect Bautista Agut a lot,” said Federer. “I was watching his match against [Sam] Querrey a lot today, and he competes so well, plays a ton of tournaments and he’s really just match-tough.

“He might be hurt, he was taping his feet, I don’t know what he was doing but I’m sure he was in pain. But he found a way to get it done in the end. I have a really good record against Roberto, and I hope I can use my variation to make him feel uncomfortable.

“I look forward to backing up tomorrow now. It’s not something I am used to, actually playing back to back days, so I hope my body’s going to be fine tomorrow. But that’s why it was key also today not to waste energy.”

9:41 pm
Federer too good
Del Potro didn't do a huge amount wrong there, but his backhand is still nowhere near what it once was, and sadly it probably never will be.

When DP unleashed on the forehand side, Federer was able to soak up the power and often get on the front foot himself.

The Swiss looks such a cut above from the rest of the tour at the moment, and his projected route to the semi-final is Bautista Agut and then Berdych, so it would be a major surprise if he was not facing countryman Stan Wawrinka in the semi-final.

And while Wawrinka may be the No 1 seed at this tournament, Federer would be the red-hot favourite for that match.

by **Cromar** Wed Mar 29, 2017 8:20 pm

Could next month (April 10) Match for Africa 3 be in jeopardy?

Despite having withdrawn from Miami and the upcoming Davis Cup QF due to an elbow injury, "IBTimes UK understands Murray remains keen on facing Federer in The Match for Africa 3" .

Murray and Federer are set to meet in two charity matches this year. Reuters

Andy Murray eyeing Roger Federer charity exhibition match despite elbow injury

World number one forced out of Davis Cup tie against France but could play Match for Africa 24 hours later.

By Nick Howson
International Business Times UK

Andy Murray's absence from Great Britain's Davis Cup quarter-final against France due to injury will not prevent him playing in an exhibition charity match against Roger Federer in Zurich 24 hours after the tie. The 29-year-old is nursing an elbow problem which forces him out of the last eight clash in Rouen on 7-9 April and may not see him compete competitively again until the Madrid Masters in May.

However, IBTimes UK understands Murray remains keen on facing Federer in The Match for Africa 3 – an event for the 18-time grand slam champion's foundation which has been moved from November to 10 April. Organisers claim all proceeds will go to the charity, which supports 275,000 children across seven countries in southern Africa and also Federer's native Switzerland, but have not confirmed whether either player will demand a fee for their appearance.

The Daily Mail understands Murray is keen to fulfil the match having secured Federer as his opponent in a charity match for Unicef, for whom he is an ambassador, in Glasgow in November. The Scot is yet to break his silence over his current elbow setback after having not played a singles match since losing to Vasek Pospisil in the Indian Wells second round, due to his withdrawal from the Miami Masters.

For the third time in the last four ties Murray was omitted from the GB Davis Cup team which will face France next week. Though the extent of his injury has yet to be revealed, brother Jamie Murray says the Wimbledon champion has been unable to practise serving due to the issue.

Though Murray will be fulfilling a charity obligation in the Swiss capital, he could provoke criticism for his decision to play the match the following day after Britain play for a place in the Davis Cup semi-finals. Captain Leon Smith has speculated that Murray could indeed return for the Monte Carlo Masters which starts the same week as the match against Federer – a full month ahead of schedule. "It would be too quick to come back, that's the reality of it," his former coach said. "Hopefully he can be back for Monte Carlo."

by avasbar Wed Mar 29, 2017 9:31 pm

Its a Charity match. Why is this Howson person insinuating that if Andy plays this match he is fit to play for Britain vs France in best of 5 Davis Cup tie.

For heaven's sakes. Major eye roll.

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