RF Tennis News 2017
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Re: RF Tennis News 2017
Anyway, it will be interesting to see how fast Djoker, Murray, Stan, Kei, etc. jump back up the rankings.
Steerpike60- Posts : 2993
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Re: RF Tennis News 2017
Steerpike60 wrote:^^^ So will Rafa.
Anyway, it will be interesting to see how fast Djoker, Murray, Stan, Kei, etc. jump back up the rankings.
I don't see Murray and Stan being a factor next year (Kei was never a factor to begin with).
Djoker is a question mark. I don't think he will be a factor either in the first half of the season. So bottom line, Nadal is guaranteed all his clay titles and outside of clay, it all depends on Roger's health.
forummember- Posts : 280
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Re: RF Tennis News 2017
Roger's form for next season remains a question, he wasn't as sharp after Wimbledon as he was through Miami, where even exhausted he managed to pull off the Sunshine Double. He'll likely do better in Dubai so he could pick up some points there if he manages to stay ahead of Nada at the AO, which is the absolute minimum he needs to do until the clay season where he could realistically have 4000 pts up for grabs. Since he's outright said that back-to-back weeks are a strain for him, it's possible that he could skip Miami to get early preparation for RG.forummember wrote:I don't see Murray and Stan being a factor next year (Kei was never a factor to begin with).
Djoker is a question mark. I don't think he will be a factor either in the first half of the season. So bottom line, Nadal is guaranteed all his clay titles and outside of clay, it all depends on Roger's health.
Ideally for my wishes to see him win MS1000 tournaments he hasn't won before (because, apparently, winning them all is a thing now), I'd like to see him have a go at Monte Carlo and Rome, because they're spaced well enough apart that he can get adequate preparation between the two and Rome has the added benefit of facing Nada on clay after he's spent a great deal of energy trying to defend his clay titles. Having lost there this year, Nada could even possibly bleat about his knees and skip Rome all together. Unfortunately, Roger likes the conditions in Madrid which means that Rome, sadly, is likely not an option.
I agree that Stan (minus Norman) and Murray (hip still a question mark) are less likely to have an impact on the early season, and Djoke is a wildcard. ND has done well in the past playing with something to prove but since there's little doubt that he benefited from Roger/Nada's struggles in the seasons prior to 2017, it may come down to a question of how well the top two are playing next year.
Another thing that's also a question about Nada is that he's only ever manage to defend a title on clay (maybe he has in the more recent years but I wasn't paying attention). Historically, he's tended to have "on" seasons and "off" seasons on any surface other than clay. Whether or not he makes it as deep into the non-clay tournaments may really come down to his draws. He got the better of delPo at the US Open, but on hard courts in an "off" season, he may have more trouble than he did in NY2017. I think that if he stays healthy, delPo will be the one to watch-out for early next the season. If Roger is healthy, he shouldn't have any trouble with delPo on the slower hard courts. As much as I'd like to see Roger continue to gain on the H2H against Nada, I wouldn't mind it if delPo is drawn to meet Nada as early and often as possible so that Roger has to play only one of the two.
It's nice to read that Roger said, "It should not be assumed I'm not interested in the No. 1 ranking anymore." Given that Roger has solid end-of-season points going into 2018 (is it weird that in my head Roger has already rolled through all his matches and won the title in London?), then points at 2 Masters and RG in the clay season shouldn't be hard to come by provided he's fit. If he's struggling physically, then there's no point in going for #1, but he can take as long as he needs/wants to prepare to win the tournaments most important to him; so, really, it's all good and definitely a season to look forward to watching unfold.
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Re: RF Tennis News 2017
Steerpike60- Posts : 2993
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Re: RF Tennis News 2017
Steerpike60 wrote:^^^ I think Roger was very interested in the #1 ranking after Wimbledon. I think he truly believed he could take it during the Summer hardcourt swing. But once his back acted up, it was lost and no longer a big priority for him. If Roger is in a position to go for it again in 2018, he'll care and be interested. But if not, he'll focus on achievable goals.
I think we can all agree that one misstep (playing Montreal) changed everything.
We can argue that the injury could have happened anywhere but I doubt it. He was under prepared perhaps, conditions weren't ideal for him and he said as much, he also took it too easy maybe with shortcuts on fitness (Coldplay concerts, late nights) and yeah, darned luck was never on his side.
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Re: RF Tennis News 2017
forummember wrote:
I think we can all agree that one misstep (playing Montreal) changed everything.
We can argue that the injury could have happened anywhere but I doubt it. He was under prepared perhaps, conditions weren't ideal for him and he said as much, he also took it too easy maybe with shortcuts on fitness (Coldplay concerts, late nights) and yeah, darned luck was never on his side.
In the latest issue of the French Tennis Magazine there is an interview with Roger done during Laver Cup. They ask him about Montreal and whether with hindsight he thinks it was a mistake to play there. Here is his answer:
"I don't wish I hadn't played Montreal, I think I was really unlucky because in the semi and in the final I was feeling really well physically. I was sticking to my warm-up routine, my body was perfectly prepared. And all of a sudden, after about 35 mn, my back got stiff. And honestly I can't explain why. It ruined all my preparation, and after that I was just happy I was able to play the USO."
cornnn92- Posts : 349
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Re: RF Tennis News 2017
It's such a scary thing - his back. It can act up anywhere. Doesn't seem to matter what he does to prevent it. If it happens, it happens. I guess we're lucky it didn't happen other times this year. But I imagine, at his age, it could happen more often?
Steerpike60- Posts : 2993
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Re: RF Tennis News 2017
Steerpike60 wrote:^^^ Well, there you go.
It's such a scary thing - his back. It can act up anywhere. Doesn't seem to matter what he does to prevent it. If it happens, it happens. I guess we're lucky it didn't happen other times this year. But I imagine, at his age, it could happen more often?
Yup - and take longer to heal...
He goes on to say that he did better at the USO than he thought he would so he wasn't that disappointed, and furthermore he really needed a break to recover. He concludes by saying that there are still ups and downs but his back is gradually getting better, which means that six weeks after the initial injury it wasn't completely healed yet....
cornnn92- Posts : 349
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Re: RF Tennis News 2017
cornnn92 wrote:forummember wrote:
"I don't wish I hadn't played Montreal, I think I was really unlucky because in the semi and in the final I was feeling really well physically. I was sticking to my warm-up routine, my body was perfectly prepared. And all of a sudden, after about 35 mn, my back got stiff. And honestly I can't explain why. It ruined all my preparation, and after that I was just happy I was able to play the USO."
Mmm - but he looked out-of-sorts in most of the Montreal matches - I just felt his body language wasn't right and that he'd gone there slightly unprepared. Another week, just gradually working on his fitness, in Cinci instead of in Montreal and I believe Roger wouldn't have suffered the back injury and he'd have won the USO.
It's all ifs and buts and it still feels greedy to have wanted more from this incredible season - after all, Roger's back could've gone in the semifinal at W, for instance! I'm just grateful he's played such scintillating tennis and I'm hoping his back is 100% during the WTFs.
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Re: RF Tennis News 2017
forummember wrote:I don't see Murray and Stan being a factor next year (Kei was never a factor to begin with).
MaxUS wrote:
Ideally for my wishes to see him win MS1000 tournaments he hasn't won before (because, apparently, winning them all is a thing now), I'd like to see him have a go at Monte Carlo and Rome, because they're spaced well enough apart that he can get adequate preparation between the two and Rome has the added benefit of facing Nada on clay after he's spent a great deal of energy trying to defend his clay titles.
I'll be pleasantly surprised if Roger plays on clay again - to do so will risk his fitness for Wimbledon where, fitness permitting, he will still have a realistic opportunity to win number 9. If he runs into Nadal on clay, he's likely to hand back the psychological edge, too!
Next year, Roger is surely likely to play a similar number of events to this year (but with Cinci instead of Canada!) and I can't see him risking a chance of winning another major (or 2) in an attempt to finish as year-end number 1. If he gets the number 1 ranking back, it's likely to be after Dubai but keeping it to the end of the year would be an incredible achievement.
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Re: RF Tennis News 2017
Fixed the quote tags a bit.
Responding mostly to fix the tags, but I agree that the clay season is a big a wildcard next year, still I think that Miami is an even bigger wildcard because he was clearly struggling (I think, due to the scheduling) although he did end up winning the tournament. We won't know more until he announces his intentions, but I think that it'll be an either or situation playing Miami and doing anything on clay.
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ATP Awards: Vote for Roger!
Have you voted for Roger yet?... Only two days left!
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Re: RF Tennis News 2017
See ANDY MURRAY LIVE thread for details and links.
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Paul Annacone's insight about Roger
Paul Annacone enjoys the level of tennis that his former pupil, Roger Federer, is currently playing.
Annacone: Federer Raises The Bar On All Levels
Paul Annacone
Nov. 8 2017
Roger Federer’s former coach Paul Annacone gives an insight into the mentality and emotional make-up of the Swiss, who has qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals for an unprecedented 15th time for a singles player. Federer is seeking a seventh title at the season finale, which would extend his own record.
Legends can be defined by combining a couple of metrics – the level of their play, and how long they sustain that for. Roger has raised the bar for both: he has played at a higher level than anyone else, and he has kept it up for longer.
When I was coaching Pete Sampras, I vividly remember watching courtside when Roger defeated Pete at Wimbledon in 2001, in a fourth-round match that would be their only meeting. Something became clear to me that day; an immense talent was entering the men’s game.
And here we are 16 years later. Watching Roger in 2017, there is no longer a question about his longevity. In a remarkable year, Roger has captured a couple of Grand Slams at the Australian Open and Wimbledon – his first majors since 2012 – while he was also the champion at three ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells, Miami and Shanghai and he also won the Halle and Basel titles.
I’ve always said you question the ability of great athletes at your own peril. They are different. They are the exception, not the rule. No standard rules can be applied to Roger. He keeps breaking them, raising standards and expectations, and leaving us all wondering what more he can possibly accomplish.
At the heart of Federer’s skills is his ability to embrace and accept his environment with an indefatigable joy for tennis and also for life in general. One of the biggest challenges for any athlete is to gain and maintain a balanced perspective. This ability is a significant factor in an athlete’s quest for longevity, in his never-ending pursuit of excellence. Perspective is a key ingredient in what helps an athlete to compete day in and day out and to do it in a way where the scar tissue from losses is kept to a minimum, while wins and achievements create an endless pool of self-belief.
Roger is a master at this. He accepts the outcome of his matches and does not let his defeats have any ill effect on what may happen next. He does not allow his losses to get in his head and create doubt in his ability – as so often happens with other players. In my analysis, he has the quintessential champion’s mentality that allows for both defeat and triumph but doesn’t drain the energy, focus or desire necessary to sustain excellence.
Playing indoors here at The O2, Roger can use all his power, variety and touch without Mother Nature intruding on his game, and there is likely to be more debate this week about his level and whether he is better now than ever before. Can an athlete possibly improve in his mid 30s? Historically, tennis has not been a sport that has seen its athletes doing that. Times are changing, though, and players are taking a bit longer to hit their prime due to the physicality of the competition, while advances in sports science are also allowing them to stay at their peak for longer.
But having this much success in the year you turn 36? Really? Records are meant to be broken, environments change and legends show us one thing for sure; it is impossible to rely on an entrenched state of mind about the game.
So how has Roger accomplished so much this season? No one – probably not even Roger – is quite sure. However, when I look at the evolution of the sport, I think a seasoned champion such as Roger is forever adding to his tennis intelligence, and as that IQ gets higher it allows him to adjust his game and to win more efficiently. While mere mortals plod along, and cling to the status quo, Roger’s cumulative court experience affords him opportunities to adjust his strategy.
And, as athletes evolve, so do information, training and sports science. If we follow that logic, Roger is a better player now at 36 than he was during his most dominant period: that three-year stretch from 2004-06.
A number of ingredients go into how and if a player will reach his potential. As far as I can make out, they are:
Head – the ability to think and act through adversity.
Heart – the ability to compete unconditionally.
Talent – the physical skill and natural ability.
While a player can improve in all three of these areas, there are some physical gifts that cannot be learned (Roger did pretty well when talent was handed out). Where head and heart are concerned, however, these are traits that can grow and build through years of development. While Roger’s talent is off the charts, he has learned to manage and understand that talent and mastered how best to use it. He then used his talent with his head and heart to complete a lethal winning combination, and that has only become more effective as he has matured. His maturity and growth were influenced by a terrific upbringing from his parents, Robbie and Lynette, and a strong work ethic with countless hours of practice. Sprinkled into the mix is Roger’s natural curiosity about the game.
In my book, Coaching for Life, I write about another component of Roger’s that has been invaluable to his success and longevity – he’s a brilliant listener: “He allows himself the freedom to hear what is being said without personal judgment, without twisting it around in his mind... without getting smothered by the emotional conditions that detract from the learning process. Roger hones in on one thing – what he must do to succeed. His focus is therefore unvarying. He will not be distracted or discouraged in any way.” This ability to listen, understand, evaluate unemotionally, process and then put to use, is another ingredient that separates the very good from the legendary.
In 2017, we have had the privilege of watching two of the most accomplished male tennis players in history – Roger and Rafael Nadal – going toe-to-toe with Father Time and coming out ahead. Who could have predicted this? But I circle back to my warning that questioning great athletes is a dangerous game. All season, I’ve been watching in awe as those great champions have shown us more magic, grit and passion as they rewrite the record books. I hope you’ve been enjoying it as much as I have.
This story appears in the official 2017 Nitto ATP Finals tournament programme.
Cromar- Posts : 6560
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Re: RF Tennis News 2017
Cromar- Posts : 6560
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Re: RF Tennis News 2017
Indeed, despite the need of putting the other person's name in the same sentence as Roger's. To be fair, I understand the need, he must be impartial. But...
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