ATP 1000: Indian Wells

TMF wrote:Fed should roll through Nishi and Stan for the title.

Incredible - a possible crack at Sampras's 6 year ending number one's? It's the only major record he doesn't hold.

i was thinking the same thing,at this rate we could see him make a serious attempt at becoming the world no 1 again
with murray and djokovic going through some kind of slum,he actually has got a real shot

Daniel wrote:Stan to win FO at 8-1 is tempting me. But it's a bit too much of a lotto really.

That's very risky if you ask me. I actually fancy Djoko for this one.

Veejay wrote:

TMF wrote:Fed should roll through Nishi and Stan for the title.

Incredible - a possible crack at Sampras's 6 year ending number one's? It's the only major record he doesn't hold.

i was thinking the same thing,at this rate we could see him make a serious attempt at becoming the world no 1 again
with murray and djokovic going through some kind of slum,he actually has got a real shot

He can't play that much tennis, surely?

It'd need a freakish Slam haul - three perhaps - to name it happen. Beautiful thought, but come on we're getting waaaay ahead of ourselves.

bogbrush wrote:

Veejay wrote:

TMF wrote:Fed should roll through Nishi and Stan for the title.

Incredible - a possible crack at Sampras's 6 year ending number one's? It's the only major record he doesn't hold.

i was thinking the same thing,at this rate we could see him make a serious attempt at becoming the world no 1 again
with murray and djokovic going through some kind of slum,he actually has got a real shot

He can't play that much tennis, surely?

It'd need a freakish Slam haul - three perhaps - to name it happen. Beautiful thought, but come on we're getting waaaay ahead of ourselves.

my point was the current vacuum combined with the slum of his two biggest rivals doesnt just look like a window of opportunity but rather a gateway to the land opportunity!!
of course it sounds ridiculous but what if hypothetically he were to win wimbledon and a few masters 1000 events 
this title is his to loose,in his current form i could see him win madrid and cincinatti too maybe even the WTF

Didn't wanna lose his "leading h2h". Federer has played with mononucleosis and back issues in the past; a lot worse than what Nick has!

The Stocking, is kicking asss!!!!

4:1 up!!! First set.

Vee, yeah wanted Fed to dish a lesson to Korgi, and sure let Korgi enjoy a nice match with Fed, a proper player he can learn a few tricks from.

But this ain't bad either, guess Sock is next.

bogbrush wrote:

Veejay wrote:

TMF wrote:Fed should roll through Nishi and Stan for the title.

Incredible - a possible crack at Sampras's 6 year ending number one's? It's the only major record he doesn't hold.

i was thinking the same thing,at this rate we could see him make a serious attempt at becoming the world no 1 again
with murray and djokovic going through some kind of slum,he actually has got a real shot

He can't play that much tennis, surely?

It'd need a freakish Slam haul - three perhaps - to name it happen. Beautiful thought, but come on we're getting waaaay ahead of ourselves.

Nope. If Murray and Djoko are dropping form, one could be number 1 with 5 or 6k points. And when I say dropping form, I mean simply lose their consistency due to others getting better.

I did not see that one coming.

I can;t see fed lose from here.

They'd have to completely implode. It's not impossible, but I don't see Federer getting much on cay nor playing all that many events.

Anyway, Indian Wells looks good now - I don't see him losing to Sock.

bogbrush wrote:They'd have to completely implode. It's not impossible, but I don't see Federer getting much on cay nor playing all that many events.

Anyway, Indian Wells looks good now - I don't see him losing to Sock.

Frankly, they already have! They are no longer consistent...which was in effect their sole strength.

So swiss final? Bit boring, but as far as Fed wins, I'm happy.

Don't think we'll have the swiss final honestly. Even Sock/CB will play better than they have ever played or Fed/Stan make buckets of errors (more likely Stan).

I'd be  surprised to see Fed lose to Sock - simply because he's not anywhere near the threat of a kyrgios or roddick in the serve dept - and his consistency is suspect. This has Wawrinka Fed final all over it. Bet365 is just over Evens for it.

Tenez wrote:

bogbrush wrote:

Veejay wrote:

TMF wrote:Fed should roll through Nishi and Stan for the title.

Incredible - a possible crack at Sampras's 6 year ending number one's? It's the only major record he doesn't hold.

i was thinking the same thing,at this rate we could see him make a serious attempt at becoming the world no 1 again
with murray and djokovic going through some kind of slum,he actually has got a real shot

He can't play that much tennis, surely?

It'd need a freakish Slam haul - three perhaps - to name it happen. Beautiful thought, but come on we're getting waaaay ahead of ourselves.

Nope. If Murray and Djoko are dropping form, one could be number 1 with 5 or 6k points. And when I say dropping form, I mean simply lose their consistency due to others getting better.

the no1 ranking will definitely be up for grabs as murray has to defend RG final,Wimbledon title,WTF title and a few more masters 1000 series events.i would be surprised if he manages to defend 1 title 
federer on the other hand has only got the wimbledon semi final and halle points to defend

I think it is feasible that Federer could become the "locker room #1" as in the player they all recognise is the best in tour but unlikely that the rankings will confirm it. I just fear for him playing so many matches.

Tenez wrote:Fed is at 8.0 to win Wimby....very tempting!

At his age, with Fed the question is whether his body holds up without any issues between now and then.  If he can stay fine through Wimbledon, I would almost make him a favorite there - especially with Djokovic and Murray looking wobblier this year.

Fed's BH this season has been nothing short of astounding.  He has always had a beautiful backhand to watch, but his backhand was not doing enough damage.

Now that he hits it with confidence, he has so many more options.  It also allows him to return far more aggressively (it was pretty rare in the past to see him hit returns like the one on MP against Rafa - now he hits plenty of them).  One can also see how pleased he is with it - it is like aged 35 he has found a new toy and is having all the fun playing with it.

Let's see where it brings him.  It has been a while since I have been so hopeful for more slams from him.  If he remains healthy he should have a fighting chance at Wimbledon and the USO.  He is playing better now than in 2015, and he was not that far off then.

Joko to give up Miami it seems with some phantom right elbow injury.

smashing racket with ur right hand helps?

Tenez wrote:

summerblues wrote:

... wrote:I don't buy all that (basketball etc) talk.

Why not?  I would not be surprised if he is less than 100% committed to tennis.  He certainly has strange attitude, and it would fit right with that.

I agree with ... It's a way to unload the pressure. A champion mind will simply not accept defeat and will come up with excuses...until he matures.

Yes, sure, Nintendo, basketball etc are just excuses, but only a guy who is not all that serious about tennis would come with that sort of excuses.  Those who are serious use different kinds of excuses - an elbow injury maybe.

The way Fed ha been playing, all kinds of thoughts come to one's mind.  Why not #1, for example?

Yes, I agree it is a stretch, and if Djokovic or Andy get back to their best Fed will not be able to accumulate enough points week-in-week-out.  But if Djokovic and Andy continue with their slumps, then - like tenez said also - it might not take all that many points to get to #1.  If 7,000 points is enough to be #1 (not impossible), then that may well be within Fed's reach.

Sure, a lot of things would have to fall in place - he would have to stay fit all year, for one, but it is not impossible by any means.

raiders_of_the_lost_ark wrote:

bogbrush wrote:
This Federer backhand is better than Wawrinkas by some distance. It's almost as powerful but the variety and direction is vastly superior. It's also, crucially, taken far earlier than Stans.

For now I'll still pick Stan's BH. Its still more stable on DTL shots over the higher part of the net and on inside-out.

I think I am with BB here.  Fed's new BH looks better to me than Stan's (assuming he is not just going through a purple patch and his new BH is here to stay).  I agree that Stan's is still more powerful, and I also agree that it looks a bit steadier DTL.  But Fed's is hit much earlier and Fed can also hit more unpredictably.  Also, I am not 100% sure Fed's DTL BH is that much less steady - it may just be that I am still too nervous every time he hits it which makes me feel like it is less steady.

With the new racquet Federer's BH has become such a stable shot. I used to cringe expecting a shank before the racquet change, particularly in the long exchanges when almost invariably his BH would break down - not anymore.

summerblues wrote:The way Fed ha been playing, all kinds of thoughts come to one's mind.  Why not #1, for example?

Yes, I agree it is a stretch, and if Djokovic or Andy get back to their best Fed will not be able to accumulate enough points week-in-week-out.  But if Djokovic and Andy continue with their slumps, then - like tenez said also - it might not take all that many points to get to #1.  If 7,000 points is enough to be #1 (not impossible), then that may well be within Fed's reach.

Sure, a lot of things would have to fall in place - he would have to stay fit all year, for one, but it is not impossible by any means.

thats precisely my point,unlikely yes,but theoretically no where near as impossible as it may seem as he has virtually nothing to defend the whole season

murray also withdrawing from miami due to right elbow injury
hmmm this is starting to look suspicious
both djokovic and murray have the exact same injury? and both withdrawing fro  the same tournament for the exact same injury? 

Guess Korgi took the food poising first, now Djoko/Andy with elbows.

Lets see what other limbs will be in play next week 

Jahu wrote:Guess Korgi took the food poising first, now Djoko/Andy with elbows.

Lets see what other limbs will be in play next week 

murray says the focus now is on getting ready for the clay season..
i thought the focus would be on rehabilitating your right elbow injury   
oh well i hope that roger goes to miami...

Fed will go I guess, who will be there, Nadal and Stan?

Federer is playing this like he has something he has to get back to quickly.

The Sock is getting stuffed nicely.

God mode engaged.

Just started watching in the 2nd set.

Looks very hot out there.

I can't believe I'm saying it, but Fed's FH is catching up with his BH.
He is flattening it more and more.

As if he is still experimenting with the "new" racquet, venturing further and further.

When he hit two great bullet flat FHs in a row and won the point he looked at his racquet as if to ask it: did I really just do it?

Veejay wrote:murray also withdrawing from miami due to right elbow injury
hmmm this is starting to look suspicious
both djokovic and murray have the exact same injury? and both withdrawing fro  the same tournament for the exact same injury? 

I am not complaining!

But, yes, quite strange.

Or maybe not.

TMF wrote:With the new racquet Federer's BH has become such a stable shot. I used to cringe expecting a shank before the racquet change, particularly in the long exchanges when almost invariably his BH would break down - not anymore.

So you are becoming a convert to Neo-backhand then?

summerblues wrote:Fed's BH this season has been nothing short of astounding.  He has always had a beautiful backhand to watch, but his backhand was not doing enough damage.

Now that he hits it with confidence, he has so many more options.  It also allows him to return far more aggressively (it was pretty rare in the past to see him hit returns like the one on MP against Rafa - now he hits plenty of them).  One can also see how pleased he is with it - it is like aged 35 he has found a new toy and is having all the fun playing with it.

Let's see where it brings him.  It has been a while since I have been so hopeful for more slams from him.  If he remains healthy he should have a fighting chance at Wimbledon and the USO.  He is playing better now than in 2015, and he was not that far off then.

Yes, that's what it looks like.

Also, the best thing is he won AO and now has no pressure at all. And that is priceless. New racquet he is 100% comfortable with, free mind.

He is more dangerous than ever now.

So long as gives himself plenty of rest.

i gotta say,what federer is doing for his age is remarkable 
should be a classic final against stan

With Andy/Joker off the picture, Fed just getting more motivated.

summerblues wrote:

Tenez wrote:Fed is at 8.0 to win Wimby....very tempting!

At his age, with Fed the question is whether his body holds up without any issues between now and then.  If he can stay fine through Wimbledon, I would almost make him a favorite there - especially with Djokovic and Murray looking wobblier this year.

Yes he can't play at the same rate as the others. I did not see today;s match but the 7/6 v Sock is suspect to me. let's see how he does tomorrow. If he wins then he has a good chance to accumulate enough points to have a go at #1...if he loses I think that will be down to his fitness and in particular his ability (or lack of rather)  to string matches together.

summerblues wrote:Fed's BH this season has been nothing short of astounding.  He has always had a beautiful backhand to watch, but his backhand was not doing enough damage.

Now that he hits it with confidence, he has so many more options.  It also allows him to return far more aggressively (it was pretty rare in the past to see him hit returns like the one on MP against Rafa - now he hits plenty of them).  One can also see how pleased he is with it - it is like aged 35 he has found a new toy and is having all the fun playing with it.

Let's see where it brings him.  It has been a while since I have been so hopeful for more slams from him.  If he remains healthy he should have a fighting chance at Wimbledon and the USO.  He is playing better now than in 2015, and he was not that far off then.

It's not so much the options it gives him than the fact his opponents have to occupy the court differently because of the pace of his BH, in particular Nadal. Before Nadal could simply camp on his BH side knowing Fed's BH could never hurt him with a CC BH. Now Nadal has to stand in the middle of the baseline opening up attacks on Nadal's BH.

It's the pace of Fed's BH which makes all the difference.

summerblues wrote:

Tenez wrote:

summerblues wrote:

... wrote:I don't buy all that (basketball etc) talk.

Why not?  I would not be surprised if he is less than 100% committed to tennis.  He certainly has strange attitude, and it would fit right with that.

I agree with ... It's a way to unload the pressure. A champion mind will simply not accept defeat and will come up with excuses...until he matures.

Yes, sure, Nintendo, basketball etc are just excuses, but only a guy who is not all that serious about tennis would come with that sort of excuses.  Those who are serious use different kinds of excuses - an elbow injury maybe.

Arguable. If his elbow (or else) is not hurting then those " I don't care" results saves him from facing a loss. ....and not that surprisingly he refused to play v Fed rather than lose in front of a crowd like a professional player would have done.

summerblues wrote:

raiders_of_the_lost_ark wrote:

bogbrush wrote:
This Federer backhand is better than Wawrinkas by some distance. It's almost as powerful but the variety and direction is vastly superior. It's also, crucially, taken far earlier than Stans.

For now I'll still pick Stan's BH. Its still more stable on DTL shots over the higher part of the net and on inside-out.

I think I am with BB here.  Fed's new BH looks better to me than Stan's (assuming he is not just going through a purple patch and his new BH is here to stay).  I agree that Stan's is still more powerful, and I also agree that it looks a bit steadier DTL.  But Fed's is hit much earlier and Fed can also hit more unpredictably.  Also, I am not 100% sure Fed's DTL BH is that much less steady - it may just be that I am still too nervous every time he hits it which makes me feel like it is less steady.

Yep...and as ... (NITB) was saying Stan woudl have had no chance with a 90inch racquet. His BH woudl have been less consistent than fed with teh same racquet.

Cross-posting from 606v2:

Here is what I get as the top 10 point getters over the last 9 months (i.e., from after last year's RG through now):

1. Murray - 8800pts
2. Wawrinka - 4445 (or 4845)
3. Djokovic - 4305
4. Raonic - 3715
5. Federer - 3635 (or 4035)
6. Cilic - 3215
7. Nishikori - 2930
8. Tsonga - 2725
9. Dimitrov - 2690
10. Monfils - 2355
...
13. Nadal - 2005

Takeaways:

1. Stan collected more points than Nole.  So, unless Nole gets his act together, Stan has a realistic shot at claiming No2 from Novak by the end of Roland Garros.  That would be something - just 12 months after Novak was proclaimed a shoo-in for the No1 for the next couple of years.

2. Fed has a realistic shot to be in top 4 (or maybe even top 2 ???) before Wimbledon - quite remarkable given that he is 35 and that he did not play a single match after Wimbledon last year.

3.  Murray looks all but certain to retain No 1 through the end of RG - which is what we all knew anyway.  If he does poorly during clay court season, his No 1 spot could become precarious shortly after Wimbledon.  But he would probably have to be quite poor on clay, and there is no indication that will happen.

Tenez wrote:Yep...and as ... (NITB) was saying Stan woudl have had no chance with a 90inch racquet. His BH woudl have been less consistent than fed with teh same racquet.

Yeah sure, but to me that is neither here nor there.  I do not care what a player would or would not do with a different racquet.  The tools they choose are part of the package and Fed's BH was previously not able to deliver the goods required in current conditions.

Tenez wrote:

summerblues wrote:Fed's BH this season has been nothing short of astounding.  He has always had a beautiful backhand to watch, but his backhand was not doing enough damage.

Now that he hits it with confidence, he has so many more options.  It also allows him to return far more aggressively (it was pretty rare in the past to see him hit returns like the one on MP against Rafa - now he hits plenty of them).  One can also see how pleased he is with it - it is like aged 35 he has found a new toy and is having all the fun playing with it.

Let's see where it brings him.  It has been a while since I have been so hopeful for more slams from him.  If he remains healthy he should have a fighting chance at Wimbledon and the USO.  He is playing better now than in 2015, and he was not that far off then.

It's not so much the options it gives him than the fact his opponents have to occupy the court differently because of the pace of his BH, in particular Nadal. Before Nadal could simply camp on his BH side knowing Fed's BH could never hurt him with a CC BH. Now Nadal has to stand in the middle of the baseline opening up attacks on Nadal's BH.

It's the pace of Fed's BH which makes all the difference.

And that explains Nada's [typo but a good one!] loss to Rosol, Brown, Darcis too?  He isn't the same player, and nor is Federer.  Neither physically nor mentally nor strategically.

Federer this year is mentally stronger than he used to be against Nadal. Nadal has lost a step and so has Federer (probably more), but Nadal relies on speed so much more than Federer does to win points.  Fed's backhand this year is better than it has been the last 5.  Nadal is hitting shorter and making more mistakes.

There is not a one dimensional explanation. Federer is worse than he was in 2006 but with more experience. Nadal is worse across the board.

Tenez wrote:

summerblues wrote:

raiders_of_the_lost_ark wrote:

bogbrush wrote:
This Federer backhand is better than Wawrinkas by some distance. It's almost as powerful but the variety and direction is vastly superior. It's also, crucially, taken far earlier than Stans.

For now I'll still pick Stan's BH. Its still more stable on DTL shots over the higher part of the net and on inside-out.

I think I am with BB here.  Fed's new BH looks better to me than Stan's (assuming he is not just going through a purple patch and his new BH is here to stay).  I agree that Stan's is still more powerful, and I also agree that it looks a bit steadier DTL.  But Fed's is hit much earlier and Fed can also hit more unpredictably.  Also, I am not 100% sure Fed's DTL BH is that much less steady - it may just be that I am still too nervous every time he hits it which makes me feel like it is less steady.

Yep...and as ... (NITB) was saying Stan woudl have had no chance with a 90inch racquet. His BH woudl have been less consistent than fed with teh same racquet.

Fed's backhand better than Wawrinka's?  No chance.

summerblues wrote:

Tenez wrote:Yep...and as ... (NITB) was saying Stan woudl have had no chance with a 90inch racquet. His BH woudl have been less consistent than fed with teh same racquet.

Yeah sure, but to me that is neither here nor there.  I do not care what a player would or would not do with a different racquet.  The tools they choose are part of the package and Fed's BH was previously not able to deliver the goods required in current conditions.

To me it is essential as it give a better perspective when considering a shot or simply result. It;s part of this "analog" judgement. It is fact the very reason I am not surprised Fed has now a better BH than Stan now that he has adopted that bigger frame.

Daniel wrote: And that explains Nada's [typo but a good one!] loss to Rosol, Brown, Darcis too?  He isn't the same player, and nor is Federer.  Neither physically nor mentally nor strategically.

Federer this year is mentally stronger than he used to be against Nadal. Nadal has lost a step and so has Federer (probably more), but Nadal relies on speed so much more than Federer does to win points.  Fed's backhand this year is better than it has been the last 5.  Nadal is hitting shorter and making more mistakes.

There is not a one dimensional explanation. Federer is worse than he was in 2006 but with more experience. Nadal is worse across the board.

Yeah yeah....

.....This is the oldest combined final in tournament history between Federer (35y, 7m) and Wawrinka (31y, 11m). The winner will become the oldest champion in tournament history, surpassing Jimmy Connors (31y, 5m), who captured the title in 1984.

Unlike Fed's game, you commentating is not evolving! But reality always catches up.

summerblues wrote:

Tenez wrote:Yep...and as ... (NITB) was saying Stan woudl have had no chance with a 90inch racquet. His BH woudl have been less consistent than fed with teh same racquet.

Yeah sure, but to me that is neither here nor there.  I do not care what a player would or would not do with a different racquet.  The tools they choose are part of the package and Fed's BH was previously not able to deliver the goods required in current conditions.

Yes but Federer is 4 years older than Stan, and there was not a 100" around when he was starting.
It's not that easy to switch a racquet esp for such a high profile player who's had so much success and joy woth the smaller frame.

Also, where was Stan's BH all those years before he won hist first slam (at the age of 30?)

What happened to his alleged "best tennis years" of 22-28?

Not to mention the variety:slice, volleys, half-volleys.

Fed's backhand will probably go down as the best shot in tennis history.

summerblues wrote:Cross-posting from 606v2:

Here is what I get as the top 10 point getters over the last 9 months (i.e., from after last year's RG through now):

1. Murray - 8800pts
2. Wawrinka - 4445 (or 4845)
3. Djokovic - 4305
4. Raonic - 3715
5. Federer - 3635 (or 4035)
6. Cilic - 3215
7. Nishikori - 2930
8. Tsonga - 2725
9. Dimitrov - 2690
10. Monfils - 2355
...
13. Nadal - 2005

Takeaways:

1. Stan collected more points than Nole.  So, unless Nole gets his act together, Stan has a realistic shot at claiming No2 from Novak by the end of Roland Garros.  That would be something - just 12 months after Novak was proclaimed a shoo-in for the No1 for the next couple of years.

2. Fed has a realistic shot to be in top 4 (or maybe even top 2 ???) before Wimbledon - quite remarkable given that he is 35 and that he did not play a single match after Wimbledon last year.

3.  Murray looks all but certain to retain No 1 through the end of RG - which is what we all knew anyway.  If he does poorly during clay court season, his No 1 spot could become precarious shortly after Wimbledon.  But he would probably have to be quite poor on clay, and there is no indication that will happen.

To me all this looks like a great promise for the rest of the season.

I would love to see Federer and Stan as number one and number two at the end of the year as to me they are two best players on tour.

Last year was weird and negative and this one looks crazy in the best possible way and just has this vibe that anything can happen!