A Stay of Execution

Well done for holding nerve at that crucial 4th set tie break, but this isn't the 2012 Wimbledon Champion.

Very sad to see him look so poor.

As all the Major winners say, You need to get through a close match usually, on your way to a Major Singles win.

Perhaps this was Federer's - I wouldn't be quite so quick to write him off just yet.

Two points from defeat in that 4th set TB, then half an hour later - the victor. It's happened in Major finals before, just the same.

He's in the draw, ready to play another match - so we'll see...

It's not the scoreline, it was the hideously low standard of play. That's about as bad as I've ever seen him play, even in losses.

It's how you get through the tough matches when you're not playing well that decides if you'll win and Fed showed he can get through it. Not everyone can, as we saw yesterday and on Monday.

Whether he wins of course is the intriguing thing. Fed's serve was back on in the third set and the remaining sets so if he can hold onto his serve convincingly like that then he can beat Djokovic and win the title because there's no doubt Djokovic will wobble on his serve, he so often does. Just that Fed can't if he wants to win.

Don't you think he was horrifically tentative? I could almost see how stiff his elbow was.

It really pains me to say this, but he really looked hs age there.

Come on Fed, have a restful weekend and refocus!!

Come on bogbrush, you wrote him off completely. You have to be happy with the grit he showed in coming back? Surely?

Federer would have been an asylum seeker if he was losing tonight.

Switzerland would disown him

Aye BB. It was a poor performance.

The good news is that the next round he has Malisse who no doubt hit himself out in that match.

Seifer Almasy wrote:Come on bogbrush, you wrote him off completely. You have to be happy with the grit he showed in coming back? Surely?

I did, it's true, and his resilience was admirable. I'm just very pessimistic with that standard in the first two sets.

The way I look at it is, any result for old man Roger is a plus. The Masters titles and so forth....

At his age I take everything I can get. You can't hope 2006 Federer returns, it is over. But I do believe he will win another slam before the end.

Fed was lucky that Bennetteau hurt himself he looked awful. If he plays that way again he will lose in the next round. That being said good fight by federer on a day where he didn't have his game. He just has a lot more of these type of days when he is spraying balls and legs don't look that fresh as time goes on.

No Fed would have won the 5th even without the Benneteau cramp, he had the momentum

Djoko must be favourite now.

Nadull fans jumping on the Novak wagon lmao.

IMBL, from your mouth to god's ears I hope so. I will say this I would have really enjoyed having the fedal duopoly lose early in wimbeldon. Would have been wonderful for Djokovic's lead a top the rankings and chances at the title. But frankly if Roger can't elevate his game two or three notches above what we saw today Novak will eat him for breakfast. Contrary to popular opinion Roger is not a great volleyer. A good volleyer but not a great one, he missed numerous easy volleys in this match. One sterling net performance against Sampras 11 years ago doesn't establish you Steffan Edberg or Mcenroe. And if he returns this way he might not even make it to Djokovic.

He'll be very happy to see Professor X waiting for him on Monday.

He'll make the semi now, Youzhny in the quarters won't worry him.

Oh dear Socal, you have forgotten that Fed is 30 again.

Seifer Almasy wrote:Oh dear Socal, you have forgotten that Fed is 30 again.

Fed is 30 again? Has he been 30 before?

31 in 6 weeks.

What has his age got to do with it he is good enough to be ranked 2 in the world credit to him. Nobody expects him Seifer to be Fed of 06.

His age is impairing his movement. As you say, he can't be Federer of 2006.

Father Time catches up with all of them...Fed is doing well, like Agassi did, to fight age but I 've always felt with Fed that when the decline truly comes it'll go quickly as his game is so finely balanced. Nadal and Federer don't have the aura of old...it happens to them all. Youhnzy will believe he has a chance after today but he's no spring chicken himself! Nonetheless the draw to semis should never have been tough for Fed.

Youzhny I think actually can threaten fed on his particular surface. He is as good mover at his age. Has a better backhand than Fed and hits a very flat and low ball that moves through this court. People are underestimating him but amazingly this is the 7th time he has reached the 4th round of wimbeldon and weirdly he has lost pretty much every time. But this year it has opened up for him a bit.

Thing is that Fed owns the Colonel and they both know it. Benneteau had already beaten Fed.

Not ruling him out but I take Fed now to go to the semis easily.

IF someone takes Djokovic out he would be the favourite. No need to write him off. I tuned in for the 5th set and he looked like it was hitting it fine.

Colonel win unlikely but he's a mercurial player. The problem is he goes mental walkabout at least once per set as he starts to philosophise everything...Youhnzy is a very bright cookie if you read his background. If Fed plays like today then anything is possible...

I think Roger will have a bounce back and should make it to the semi don't get me wrong. But I would be a bit concerned with the Youz. Lydian his mental anguish and antics are part of the reason I love the Youz so much. Top 5 guys on tour to watch and i don't throw that out lightly.

I think we all know that Federers chances of another Grand Slam tournament are diminishing as he ages.

What I found of concern was that for the first two sets Benneteau was playing the more exciting / inventive tennis - Federer looked like a defensive baseliner, with a weak backhand and a little slow in movement. This has been a gradual thing over the years but it is getting worse.

The Nadal v Rosol match was different - Nadal looked as good as he generally tends to look - except that Rosol was playing a lights out hard and fast game ... and just kept going - a freak of a performance considering his past record.

I think the aura of the top three players is diminishing and I see a future with more Grand Slam upsets and uncertainty. Hopefully Murray can capitalise on it.

For those that keep "wishing" Federer to win in the hope of seeing one last magical moment of tennis history are probably now living in dreamland. Federer has lost the magic - if he does win another Grand Slam it is unlikely to be the performamce of the Federer of yesteryear.

bogbrush wrote:Thing is that Fed owns the Colonel and they both know it. Benneteau had already beaten Fed.

Not ruling him out but I take Fed now to go to the semis easily.

When the draw came out it looked a certainty that Federer would make the semi-final, with only Isner (never gone beyond the second round) and Tipsarevic (never gone beyond the fourth round) looking like a possible threat - and both these seeds have now been knocked out.

I tend to agree Norestaat, Fed in some respects really relied on his movement a great deal to establish his dominance. He is still very quick and fit but doesn't have that extra gear or that explosiveness anymore that his younger rivals do at the top. Where as when Pete got old he always had that punchers chance of raw power and precision on the first serve. Roger is a great server but I don't know if he has the kind of serve that he can ride out for seven 5 set matches in a row.

Even Agassi was just the best guy from the back of the court in terms of ball striking when he was dominating in his 30s. I don't know if Fed is better off the baseline when compared to Nadal and Djoko, in fact it is pretty obvious that he isn't.

I think he could get another slam, he is still in this one and could win it as well. But he is going to need something like what has happened this week with either Nadal or Djoko going out early and he basically needs a lucky draw to open up for him.

The draw is already good for Fed besides SF...it wouldn't normally be so easy on paper to the semis and may not be again for him...he needs to make th mot of it this event because the hourglass and is also dripping through and I agree he doesn't have that lethal weapon Sampras had. But who knows...today might be his 1 bad day and a wake up call. Just shows the strength in the men's game though when if you slip up at all the players are there to capitalise.

socal1976 wrote:...I think he could get another slam, he is still in this one and could win it as well. But he is going to need something like what has happened this week with either Nadal or Djoko going out early and he basically needs a lucky draw to open up for him.

I do too but one would have to say it is more unlikely than likely. If he does win another slam, it won't be the Federer of yesteryear - it will be the "grinder" with the fragile backhand of today. The aura of Federer is gone, more and more players are beginning to believe the aging maestro can be beaten.

lydian wrote:The draw is already good for Fed besides SF...it wouldn't normally be so easy on paper to the semis and may not be again for him...he needs to make th mot of it this event because the hourglass and is also dripping through and I agree he doesn't have that lethal weapon Sampras had. But who knows...today might be his 1 bad day and a wake up call. Just shows the strength in the men's game though when if you slip up at all the players are there to capitalise.

It has been a strange Wimbledon so let's not read too much into this match, just like some are in danger of doing over yesterday's match.

I personally think that Fed's best chance of winning Wimbledon is here and now, can he keep soldiering on if he loses this one? Maybe he might at the USO, outside chance of the Aussie Open, but it won't be Wimbledon again unless he can grind out victory with his golden opportunity now.

Djoko is the danger for Fed.....if he can handle him or he goes out before the semis then he certainly is favourite. Dangers lie ahead for Fed, but there's only really one I see and that's Djoko and Fed can manage it, the strategy has to be to make sure he can get at least a couple of the sets in such a match to tie breakers and win them.

Nore Staat wrote:

socal1976 wrote:...I think he could get another slam, he is still in this one and could win it as well. But he is going to need something like what has happened this week with either Nadal or Djoko going out early and he basically needs a lucky draw to open up for him.

I do too but one would have to say it is more unlikely than likely. If he does win another slam, it won't be the Federer of yesteryear - it will be the "grinder" with the fragile backhand of today. The aura of Federer is gone, more and more players are beginning to believe the aging maestro can be beaten.

True Nore, I was struck by how many points fed played defense on and relied on his slice backhand to neutralize the pace Benny was generating. I don't think he can win a slam as a grinder. I think he needs to win it as an out and out attacker who gets an open draw and executes his serve really well for a fortnight. If has to win it as a grinder he will lose every time because as you say his backhand at the highest levels against the best guys is not good enough consistently enough.

Lucius, I don't think novak is going to let Fed take wimby and the number 1 from him. Now you claim Fed is a great grass court player but even you have stated that Roger is better on hardcourt nowadays. One thing that always gave Roger the edge on grass was his movement where he had an edge. The low bounces and quick points on grass really expose any chinks in your movement and favors the player with the quicker and more precise footwork. In the matchup with Novak I think Novak will find Roger's backhand enough and eventually get at his serve, and he will use his superior movement as an edge just like how Roger used it in the past on this surface.

It seems to me that Federer puts himself at a disadvantage at times by "speeding" between points - it seems to be locked into the rhythm of his play. For example I feel he rushed into the second set tie-breaker without really giving himself time to compose himself while all the momentum was with Benneteau after holding onto his serve (a game that lasted about 12 minutes).

I think it really makes a difference this time between points issue - but I suspect for Federer he is locked into the rhythm of the normal within rule time limits - whereas most of the rest of the players nowadays take their time when "needed".

J Mc was very critical of Federer missing volleys during net play.

The age factor needs to be considered for Benneteau as well. Same age as Federer (4 months younger actually). He played the first two sets really well, as well as the fourth.

It will only get tougher. . Rosol would have done the same to Federer, that he did to Nadal.

laverfan wrote:
It will only get tougher. . Rosol would have done the same to Federer, that he did to Nadal.

I agree.

The Aging of Greatness is making my eyes water. I wonder how many more iterations I can take. I have seen it from Laver to now. Followed my own advice and shut the 'idiot' box down for a bit.

We always have memories and the reruns... Age gets to everyone sadly... it is unfair that even the greatest of us die, but life sucks.

I don't agree that rosol would have won. Federer is a totally different match up, and in any case, Nadal is out and Fed ain't.

socal1976 wrote:Lucius, I don't think novak is going to let Fed take wimby and the number 1 from him. Now you claim Fed is a great grass court player but even you have stated that Roger is better on hardcourt nowadays. One thing that always gave Roger the edge on grass was his movement where he had an edge. The low bounces and quick points on grass really expose any chinks in your movement and favors the player with the quicker and more precise footwork. In the matchup with Novak I think Novak will find Roger's backhand enough and eventually get at his serve, and he will use his superior movement as an edge just like how Roger used it in the past on this surface.

If Djoko wants Wimbledon and the No.1 spot he will have to fight for it. When a lot is on the line, Djokovic has drawn the short straw as happened last year in the semis @ RG. Djokovic has just as much on the line this time, not just Wimbledon but the No.1 ranking. I think that will help Fed more than you think. Fed needs a couple of things but one of them is really good serving and the other is a few tie breakers which will require a lot from Djokovic. He probably needs to win it 4 sets so Djokovic doesn't try going for broke like he did in the USO. Djokovic had nothing to lose @ the USO last year besides points yet he was at the brink and was able to pull back (easier to do when comparatively speaking, less is on the line). Djokovic has got form for fluffing things when something's on the line. Look back to earlier this month if you want further evidence....

I could be wrong but one thing I'm more sure of is that Fed won't go meekly in str8 sets to Djoko like he did @ RG earlier this month if he gets to the semis.

luciusmann wrote:I could be wrong but one thing I'm more sure of is that Fed won't go meekly in str8 sets to Djoko like he did @ RG earlier this month if he gets to the semis.

Why's that then? Has he got a time capsule that can transport him back to 2005? Was he just saving himself for Wimby. It's illogicol to think that an ageing player is going to get better than a younger player just entering their peak

During the last two years, Fed has simply put in too many weak performances against this 3 rivals. No surprise, given his age

That's not what Lucius is saying.

He is pointing out that in RG clay Djoko eased a win in 3 sets, but grass suits Fed better which means he can put up a better fight. On current form I'd predict Djoko in 4 if they meet- but things can change in a week.

It Must Be Love wrote:That's not what Lucius is saying.

He is pointing out that in RG clay Djoko eased a win in 3 sets, but grass suits Fed better which means he can put up a better fight. On current form I'd predict Djoko in 4 if they meet- but things can change in a week.

Think you misunderstood me Banbrotam. IMBL captures what I was trying to get across.

Djokovic is already at his peak, he hasn't just entered it in any case! I think few think he can possibly get better than he did last year.

I wasn't suggest Fed was 'saving' himself for Wimbledon, IMBL explains my view as to why I think Fed will run it closer. I also pointed out on here or another thread, Fed has typically won at least one match with Djokovic every year since 2006 when they first started meeting. He hasn't beaten Djokovic once this year, lost twice in fact, so a win is coming somewhere, where and when is another matter. Naturally I hope @ Wimbledon, but who knows, I'd equally be happy with it @ the USO but they haven't met yet and I don't think I'll be trying my hand at being mystic meg this year like last year! This year is far harder to predict then.

It Must Be Love wrote:That's not what Lucius is saying.

He is pointing out that in RG clay Djoko eased a win in 3 sets, but grass suits Fed better which means he can put up a better fight. On current form I'd predict Djoko in 4 if they meet- but things can change in a week.

But it's all so desperate sounding, it's becoming a little grubbby. At least BB has a bit of realism about them. If Murray can't win then I want Fed every time, not least because it then dents Noel / or Nadal's confidence. But it just ain't going to happne. Roger now hesitates a touch - fatal for such an instintive player

I honestly think that at the end of this Slam, quickly following the French - Murray / Tsonga or even Del Potro would have him

And quite right too. It's going to get very worrying if Fed can still beat anyone when he's nowhere near his peak at nearly 31

luciusmann wrote:

It Must Be Love wrote:That's not what Lucius is saying.

He is pointing out that in RG clay Djoko eased a win in 3 sets, but grass suits Fed better which means he can put up a better fight. On current form I'd predict Djoko in 4 if they meet- but things can change in a week.

Think you misunderstood me Banbrotam. IMBL captures what I was trying to get across.

Djokovic is already at his peak, he hasn't just entered it in any case! I think few think he can possibly get better than he did last year.

I wasn't suggest Fed was 'saving' himself for Wimbledon, IMBL explains my view as to why I think Fed will run it closer. I also pointed out on here or another thread, Fed has typically won at least one match with Djokovic every year since 2006 when they first started meeting. He hasn't beaten Djokovic once this year, lost twice in fact, so a win is coming somewhere, where and when is another matter. Naturally I hope @ Wimbledon, but who knows, I'd equally be happy with it @ the USO but they haven't met yet and I don't think I'll be trying my hand at being mystic meg this year like last year! This year is far harder to predict then.

Fair play. I think there is a chance given that some heat is going to be retained that we could actually have Fed / Murray final

Fed has got another Slam in him, but he needs for a kind draw, like in his last 3 Slam successes. What this Wimbledon is showing so far is that sub par performances are not going to be enough. Yes Federer struggled, but so did Murray against Karlovic and Djokovic today against Stepanek.

It is unusual to see a Slam by where 4 of the top 10 seeds have gone before week 2 and that list could grow by tomorrow.

banbrotam wrote: But it's all so desperate sounding, it's becoming a little grubbby. At least BB has a bit of realism about them. If Murray can't win then I want Fed every time, not least because it then dents Noel / or Nadal's confidence. But it just ain't going to happne. Roger now hesitates a touch - fatal for such an instintive player

I honestly think that at the end of this Slam, quickly following the French - Murray / Tsonga or even Del Potro would have him

And quite right too. It's going to get very worrying if Fed can still beat anyone when he's nowhere near his peak at nearly 31

One bad match from Fed and you sound rather gloom and doom Banbrotam. It won't and isn't enough to win Wimbledon on but it wasn't the final. If Fed is playing like he did yesterday then he won't win. That's a big 'if'. Top players up there game and Fed will need to do that.

I'm perfectly realistic, but I'm not a doom monger because I put this one match in perspective and am not hyping its importance, just like I wasn't hyping Nadal's loss in his match with Rosol. If you're saying that because of yesterday's match Fed's chances are remote because he's too old, you're reading way too much into one match. You're sounding like he lost, he didn't. He did enough to win and he will soldier on, let's worry about things if he turns in another limp like performance next week. Looking for trends is more useful, one bad performance doesn't equate a trend. I've personally said I think Djokovic will win but it would be silly to discount Fed due to one bad performance (which he survived).

legendkillarV2 wrote:Fed has got another Slam in him, but he needs for a kind draw, like in his last 3 Slam successes. What this Wimbledon is showing so far is that sub par performances are not going to be enough. Yes Federer struggled, but so did Murray against Karlovic and Djokovic today against Stepanek.

It is unusual to see a Slam by where 4 of the top 10 seeds have gone before week 2 and that list could grow by tomorrow.

Agreed, a kind draw. Apart from Djokovic, the rest of the draw looks reasonably kind, hence why I agree with CC and many others, this is his best chance, at least to win at Wimbledon again (to me at least).

I believe it's 3 of the top 10 seeds out but of the total of 32 seeds, 18 are out. Just 14 left, half of them from the top 10 seeds. Remember, R3 isn't completely over yet!

I think many haven't picked up on how many of the top seeds have actually struggled. We're only into R3 and all of the top 10 have dropped at least one set apart from reliable old Ferrer and no one can think he's going to lift the trophy at the end.

Right you are. I thought Izzy was 10.

I think Federer will improve as the week goes on. Yes it was a poor performance, put he pulled the result out of the bag when it mattered

Seifer Almasy wrote:The way I look at it is, any result for old man Roger is a plus. The Masters titles and so forth....

At his age I take everything I can get. You can't hope 2006 Federer returns, it is over. But I do believe he will win another slam before the end.

Ahh, tats perfectly said, to expect Fed to win everything now is over optimism , we have to be very happy that the old man still continous and exhibits his love for the game, its very difficult even for Fed to win at the age of 31 [which he will be in less than 2 months time].

Yes his standards were so low today, he had no power in his shots, he had no fast legs, he had no skillfull shots in his armory , his serve wasn't consistent enough his returns were terribly bad, his backhand was close to shiit and his forehand never looked penetrating the entire match but the old man never gave up and decided to die another day , lets applaud his will and see how far he goes, in my view every round he goes in is a bonus .

Enjoy till the fairy tale lasts.