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http://www.tennistalk.com/en/news/20...or_and_weapons
Federer's armor and weapons
12/10/08 4:46 AM | Jonathan Morgan
- Every tennis warrior needs his gear, and Roger Federer's company of choice has always been Wilson.
Federer used to play with Pete Sampras' old racquet, the classic ProStaff 6.0, in the 85 square inch version. Federer used to spend a large amount of time at the net in his younger days and this racquet was perfect for him.
As the Swiss matured, his game reverted more to the baseline and a racquet upgrade was necessary. In Munich 2003, he made the switch over to the Wilson nCode nSix-One Tour 90, which was for a time, the best-selling racquet in the world. This new racquet expanded his head size from 85 to 90, giving him more margin for error and thus allowing him to be more competitive from the baseline. It was at that point that Federer really began to put his game together and within a year he was #1.
In January 2007, Federer switched from the nCode to the K-factor racquet. It is Wilson's basic “sequel” racquet to the nCode. However, some insist that Federer is simply using a paint job over his nCode in order to appease Wilson sponsors. Whatever the case, something has changed.
Federer's game is based on speed, precision, and accuracy. He is all about neutralizing an opponent's big serve with a perfectly timed return. From the baseline he is one of the best ever. His forehand is lethal; one of the most varied and powerful in the history of the game. His backhand, while certainly the weaker side, is no joke. Federer has hit some absolutely gorgeous backhands at very crucial times in tight matches (Wimbledon 2008, saving match point for instance).
He is prone to coming out and playing great in the first set before experiencing a focus dip in the second set, allowing his opponents to stay close and possibly take the set. Players with great defense also cause him problems, as Federer must constantly hit lines to beat guys like Rafael Nadal, Gilles Simon, Andy Murray, or Guillermo Canas. Federer's serve is one of the best and has gotten better over time. In recent years when his baseline game has dipped, his serve has starkly improved.
Federer has hit tons and tons of simply insane shots as well; the overhead curl smash lob against Novak Djokovic at the US Open this year, the famous shot against Andy Roddick in Basel in 2002, and several others that can be easily accessed via the internet.
Federer's game is the most complete the game of tennis has possibly ever seen. His career isn't finished yet, but there is a very good possibility that he will end up being the greatest tennis player of all time. :clap: :clap:
An excellent article, IMO.
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http://www.tennistalk.com/en/news/20...al,_Second_Set
Federer vs. Nadal - 2008 Wimbledon Final, Second Set
12/10/08 4:09 AM | Ricky Dimon
- TennisTalk is recapping the epic 2008 Wimbledon final between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in a seven-part series throughout the current week. It continues with set two.
Nadal took a quick bathroom break in between sets, perhaps giving Federer just a little bit extra time to regroup and think about what could be done differently in set two.
Apparently winning the first six points of the set seemed like a good idea to Federer.
He held at love with lightning speed and promptly seized a 0-30 lead on Nadal’s serve. This time, Federer would not be denied at break point. With the Spaniard serving at 30-40, Nadal sent a lifeless approach shot to his opponent’s forehand and Federer ripped it cross-court for a winner to secure the break.
Six points later, a more emotional Federer (than what we saw in the first set) had a commanding 3-0 advantage. An extremely easy hold at love in his next service game secured a 4-1 lead.
It was lead that quickly evaporated.
Nadal held comfortably before Federer served with new balls at 4-2. Normally a new round of projectiles is advantageous to the server; not so this time around. A ridiculous on-the-run forehand pass and two wild errors off the Federer forehand gave Nadal break point at 30-40. When Nadal failed to do a lot with Federer’s second serve, the Swiss approached with a down-the-line backhand, only to see it come whizzing back in the form of a Nadal backhand heading for the ad corner on Federer’s side. The reigning champ flailed at it, but could just barely get a racket on the ball and his volley sailed out. Suddenly, Nadal was back on serve in set two with a set lead still in hand.
A long and pivotal game ensued, going to deuce for Federer earned an opportunity to break point. At ad-out, however, Nadal came up with a big first serve down the tee that Federer could not handle. Federer had another chance for a break point, but on the following deuce point he sent an easy swinging volley beyond the opposite baseline. A rare scream of rage from Federer showed the importance of that point. Nadal held with one more well-positioned first serve on the next point.
Having lost a significant amount of steam, a visibly upset Federer could not recover in time for his 4-4 service game. Two forehand errors and flurry of huge Nadal forehands gave Nadal triple-break point to go up 5-4. The challenger capitalized on his second chance at 15-40 by dictating yet another baseline rally, driving home the exclamation point with a devastating inside-out forehand.
Nadal had to deal with several distractions while serving out the set. At 30-30, chair umpire Pascal Maria hit Nadal with his first time violation. How did Nadal respond? With a slice backhand stab off a perfect Federer approach shot, sent back for a stunning cross-court winner. After missing a set point, a brutal wind gust during the deuce point contributed to Nadal missing a forehand. Federer had a break point and seemed to have the break in hand when he fired a huge cross-court forehand approach shot. In response to a shot that would have been an outright winner against many players, Nadal returned a backhand pass down the line. Federer managed to get a lunging volley back in play, but Nadal was now in control and he went on to win the point.
Two Federer errors later, the set was over. Nadal 2, Federer 0.
Although Nadal needed just one more set, questions remained as to whether or not the weather would allow the action to be completed on this super Sunday. The winds were howling. The skies were dark.
Federer’s chances to break the record of five straight Wimbledon titles (shared with Bjorn Borg) were even darker.
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Federer vs. Nadal - 2008 Wimbledon Final, Third Set
12/11/08 12:06 AM | Ricky Dimon
- TennisTalk is recapping the epic 2008 Wimbledon final between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in a seven-part series throughout the current week. It continues with set three.
The first two games of the third set seemed to be the calm in between storms. In terms of the actual weather, however, it was the calm before the storm.
Federer and Nadal both took care of their opening service games easily, with little drama and few captivating points. The first potentially crucial moment in set three took place with Federer serving at 1-1, 15-0. Nadal thought Federer was going cross-court with an inside-out forehand approach shot so he moved to his left. The Swiss, however, sent it up the line and Nadal crumbled amidst a buckling knee as he tried to change direction. He stayed down for a few seconds then limped to the sideline before asking the chair umpire to call for the trainer at the upcoming changeover.
The Spaniard got a little bit of work done on his right knee during the change of ends, but it did not require more than the normal allotted time so an officially injury timeout was not called.
Nadal somewhat put an end to everyone’s worst fears by holding serve in the next game. The hold, however, came not without a struggle. Federer earned two break points at 15-40 despite losing the first point of the game when he failed to challenge an out call at the opposite baseline that shot-spot showed was on the line. Nadal, on the other hand, used the challenge system to his advantage when he stopped play during the 30-40 point. In and Federer would have the break. Out and it would be deuce. Federer’s shot ended up being out by no more than one or two centimeters beyond the baseline. Two points later, Nadal had evened the set at 2-2.
A total of seven break points were squandered as the set progressed to a 4-3 Federer advantage. Nadal saved four break points at 2-3, making Federer a dismal one for 12 on break opportunities. At 3-3, Federer went down 0-40 to escalating murmurs of the crowd. A break would have left Nadal two games from the Wimbledon championship, but Federer won the next five points in a row.
The skies that had been teasing the players, linespersons, tournament officials, commentators, fans, and TV viewers finally opened up during a changeover with Federer leading 5-4. As the umpire’s chair was wheeled away and the tarp was pulled over the court, Federer and Nadal retreated back to the locker room.
After one hour and 21 minutes, play resumed.
Have spectators ever been more ecstatic to see two competitors walk onto a tennis court? If so, I’d like to know when that was.
With a two-set lead, Nadal obviously emerged from the locker room in a far more favorable position than Federer. Nadal, at the same time, faced the unenviable task of having to serve to stay in the set following a significant break.
Federer took him two deuces in the first game back, but Nadal managed to hold. Two routine holds later, it was a 6-6 and a tiebreaker had to settle the third.
The No. 1 seed opened the ‘breaker with an ace and he never looked back. Federer secured a mini-break at 3-2 with a punishing forehand return that sent the crowd—by Wimbledon standards—into a frenzy. One more wicked forehand winner gave Federer a 5-2 advantage and two serves. Nadal got one of the mini-breaks back for 5-3, but Federer closed out the set with his third ace of the tiebreaker.
Bedlam engulfed the All-England Club as the ball whizzed past Nadal. The fans had what they wanted: more tennis.
Little did they know just how much more.
http://www.tennistalk.com/en/news/20...nal,_Third_Set
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Roger Federer Magic -- Court Geometry 101- Sampras/Roger Wimbledon Epic
:notworthy:
Video Description : A basic course on court geometry.
Course offered by professors TMF and Sampras, Summer Session 2001.
:lol:
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How do you take two all-time greats and make them look a little like weekend hackers? You make them play tennis in a wind tunnel.
That's precisely what happened in this match between Roger Federer and Andre Agassi: their match was suspended from the previous night due to heavy rainfall in the New York area. The next morning, they resumed their quarterfinal in winds that at times exceeded 50 mph (80 kph).
This match was a benchmark in TMF's career, as he defeated Agassi on Agassi's home turf under conditions favorable to Agassi, in a tense five-setter, en route to TMF's first of five consecutive US titles.
Roger Federer Magic -- Hurricane Tennis
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AF :notworthy: great links :2thumbsup:
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Roger Federer Magic -- American Hardcourt Classic 09/08/2006
2006 United States Open Quarterfinals
(1)Roger Federer (SUI) def. (5)James Blake (USA)
7-6(7), 6-0, 6-7(9), 6-4
Omega, Thanks :).
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Roger federer vs Tommy Haas Halle 2005 SF
Roger federer vs Tommy Haas Halle 2005 SF... roger won 6/4,7/6
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federer: anticipation and control
Federer and Hewitt, IV round Australian Open 2004, a wanderfull match, rich of unforgettable shots..... watch it in high quality.
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Roger Federer Fundamentals: Attack the Forehand
One little tactical trick Roger Federer uses to great effect is to attack the forehand of his opponent.
Tennis strategic dogma dictates that a player will primarily attack an opponent's backhand, and many players stubbornly try to attack strictly to the backhand side.
If you wish to improve your attacking game, observe Roger Federer and how he chooses to attack an opponent's forehand instead.
Federer chooses often to attack an opponent's forehand for several reasons:
1. Most players will typically "camp" slightly to the ad court and are therefore vulnerable to having their time taken away to the forehand side.
2. The forehand cross-court can have side-spin imparted more easily than an inside-out forehand; a well-timed cross-court forehand can pull an opponent far off the court to the deuce court side.
3. An opponent stretched into the forehand corner typically has fewer options, as most forehands are hit topspin or, in a defensive position, without spin.
4. An opponent stretched to the forehand side must then be faced with the follow-up shot--a backhand passing shot on the dead run against a net-closing aggressor.
Federer's insight is this: he knows that players are conditioned to defend their backhands, and they are also inclined to attack with their forehands, even from disadvantageous positions on the court. The rationale then becomes to be able to hit a shot into the forehand corner so that the player attempts an offensive-minded shot from a compromised position, but cannot have enough weight of shot to truly hurt the attacker. From there, it is just a matter of cutting off the proper angle, taking the ball on the rise, and moving into the court, thereby exploiting the opponent's poor position and blowing open the point.
Observe the following video and note that while Federer will APPROACH to either wing, the shot that often precedes the approach is a Federer cross-court forehand INTO the opponent's forehand corner.
Roger Federer Fundamentals Lesson #2: selectively choose to attack the opponent's forehand.
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Roger Federer Fundamentals -- Attack the Forehand
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Roger Federer Vs Pete Sampras Highlights
Seoul, Macau and Kuala Lumpur Highlights.
November 2007.
Federer 2-1 Sampras.
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Roger Federer v David Nalbandian Basel 26th Oct 2008
First games in the final at Basel Switzerland, Federer's home town. Having met 18 times before, with second seed Nalbandian winning the last two meetings, Federer battles to gain vital winning points to help towards him reclaiming his number one ranking.
Federer is not at his best, many unforced errors, he is not playing for entertainment value which is a shame.
Prefer the full background noise, here they have dumbed it down which makes the experience less enjoyable. The commentary needs to blend in with the match not overpower it.
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Advanced Court Geometry
Summer Session II, June 2001
Professors Roger Federer, Pete Sampras
Basic skills of serve, serve-and-volley, drop shot, and transition covered and expanded; topics of short angles, backhand overheads, reflex and stop volleys, flick backhands, and advanced passing shots for both forehand and backhand introduced. Mobility, dexterity, and creativity required. Prerequisites: Court Geometry 101
Prof. R. Federer: 5-time Wimbledon Champion (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007)
Prof. Emeritus P. Sampras: 7-time Wimbledon Champion (1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000)
Roger Federer Magic -- Advanced Court Geometry
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Showdown of Champions Macao : Roger Federer vs James Blake (HL Pt1)
Showdown of Champions Macao : Roger Federer vs James Blake (HL Pt2)
Highlights of the exhibition match between Roger Federer and James Blake in Macao .Rog won 6:4,6:4.
Very entertaining stuff,enjoy it ;)
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Laureus Sports Awards Roger Federer & Rafael Nadal
Coverage from the prestigious 2006 Laureus Sports Awards show. Roger Federer won his second consecutive Sportsman of the Year Award and Rafael Nadal won Best Newcomer of the Year.