Please everybody,forget for a moment fan rivalries and analyze what we saw. What happened?

Question

Can anybody explain what we really witnessed this afternoon? Tennis buffs pls. elucidate for us.

Insulters pls. abstain. You can do your cheering and ranting on another question.

I'm a dyed in the wool NADAL fan all the way but even I can't believe that he's THAT good. Was his game so great today?

I really think there is something wrong with Roger and that we did not see the real Federer,only a hollow shell.

I think Rafa could have beaten the real Fed too but in 4 or 5 closely fought sets or even in 3 straight sets but all closely fought.

That 6-0 left me with an awfully bad taste in the mouth.

Answer 1

Roger Federer is a great tennis player but at 26, he is old for a tennis player. He is still young enough to play for the next 4 years but you know how they say "you can't teach an old horse new tricks", he is the same, he has stop improving. However, Rafael Nadal at 22 is still improving. It is safe to say that Roger will never win the French Open just like Pete Sampras never win the French open and Bjorn Borg never win the US Open. But it doesn't matter since his greatness is already been acknowledge with 12 Grandslam titles, something Nadal and Djokovic are not going to equal.

Answer 2

most people including us were dumbfounded with what we saw...the commentator even remarked that Nadal has even more space to improve his game...and he's only 22...as for Federer, with all due respect, i would say his chances for at least tying the record 14 slams by Sampras is a bit remote and far fetched at this time...he can still try but if i were him, i'd hang up my racket and do what Justine Henin did, retire at the top of his game(?)....

Answer 3

Nadal put on an unbelievable display of clay court tennis today. Everything he did worked, and he was hitting the ball so cleanly today, very few shanked shots, which is not easy when you hit with that much topspin.  His anticipation today was even more keen than usual, like he knew where Federer was moving to and hitting the ball even before it was happening.  He was also dictating play a lot more than Federer was, which is rare.  And his defense was, as usual, unwavering.  I don't think he could have been beaten today, he was just firing on all cylinders.

Answer 4

Rafa was in the zone the last few matches. As mentally and physically sharp and harmonious as a player can be. Forehand and backhand with amazing depth, spin and accuracy. Service percentages and winning percentages out of this world. Instincts zeroing in on everything. As the Spanish would say, Rafa was experiencing Duende! As for Roger, well I don't think he played really horrible, but I feel he definitely didn't play his best, but how much of that has to do with Rafa being on the other side of the net? A lot I think. And the fact that Nadal was so zoned today didn't help. Fed's problem is he's too much of an artist and a tactician, he needs to go out there with the attitude that he's gonna fight tooth and nail with this guy until the stars fall from the sky. Nadal is a great player first and foremost because of his ATTITUDE. For Fed to match him on his favorite surface, he needs to at least try to match his attitude, it's not just all about the nuts and bolts. From an avid player and former #1 in the state.

Answer 5

I love Rafa & Roger!  It was such a disappointment today!

The red clay just about NULLIFIES power and racquet/ball speed as real effective weapons; both of which Roger has better than the rest.

Instead, a player must rely on endurance, foot speed, overal precision, and mental strategy!

However, I (& the rest of the tennis world) can't believe how Federer's game was so absent!  Even Djokovic played a more challenging match against Rafa!

I can only hope for next year!

Answer 6

Heavy top spin and high bouncing ball away to Roger's backhand is always going to give Federer problem. That's one of the reason why he has such problems with Rafa on clay. This is a very typical problem with one handed backhand players. You either have to take the ball early or sacrafice position to take it late. If he takes the ball late, he opens up the court.  Rafa served everything and almost played everything to Roger's backhand.  The only few winners Roger hit were right on the line.  I guess that's the only way to beat Rafa on clay, try to hit EVERY ball on the line for a winner lol :)

Answer 7

I actually think Roger is losing his 'will to stay No. 1'.  I noticed it in his last 4 or 5 tournaments - losing to Roddick, losing sets to marginal players, etc.  Maybe his mind is on what he wants to do after tennis.  To me, he seems to be tiring more easily.  He looks in perfect health, but I do think he's lost the hunger.

Answer 8

What we saw was a Federer who knew he had no chance of beating Nadal on clay. He tried to go for winners (not the ideal strategy on clay), and he made 35 errors out of his 92 points lost. He only won 53 points by the way.

Federer in 2003-2006 won matches by his virtuoso all round game. It's brilliant and beautiful to watch. Even Nadal fans have to admit that. But his game was never really efficient. He always needed his whole game to win a point. Sampras just needed his serve.

Now Federer has lost the will to compete. Winning is no longer a formality for him, and he just does not want to work like other players. I think he's bored and no longer motivated, and as I said elsewhere, I expect him to retire when he loses Wimbledon this year.

Notice that I've focussed solely on Federer so far. That's because it does not matter how great  Nadal was playing, that alone can't account for a 1,3,0 scoreline against arguably the greatest player of all time. You'll be hardpressed to find another tennis great who lost a match that badly. Nadal was always going to win the match, but it's Federer's doing to lose it so badly.

Mentally what do you think will happen if Federer meets Nadal again at Wimbledon. Do you really think Federer has the attitude or the belief that he can beat him? I don't.

Answer 9

Roger's main problem today was he was not mentally in the game at all, just today was bad the rest of the week he was playing fabulous.