Australian Open 2018

[don_budge]

Mats Wilander agrees...he says that Roger needs to make Cilic feel more and more uncomfortable. Remember the "Discomfort Zone"?

[don_budge]

Roger Federer quickly up a double break in the first set...3-0. If Marin Cilic's nerves were getting the better of him at Wimbledon we can only imagine how it is that he feels at this moment. Roger is in position to apply relentless pressure on the nervy Croatien. Personally...I hope that Roger makes him wish his mother never had him. Maintain that pressure!

He's listening...4-0.

[don_budge]

Roger Federer versus Marin Cilic...2018 Australian Men's Singles Final

The roof is closed.

[bottle]

To re-phrase: Getting laid is not the same as helping some young woman become a better tennis player.

[bottle]

Was that last thought too complicated? Let me rephrase it then. We only like men's tennis here at TennisPlayer? True or false?

Still too complicated? Let me rephrase then. To exclude or minimize women's tennis is stupid from almost any point of view you can come up with. And not manly but rather WUSS (https://www.google.com/search?q=wuss...hrome&ie=UTF-8). Congratulations, Steve. They're scared to death of you even though some of them have female students they really admire and could even mouth the word "focus" out onto the court like Darren Cahill.

I'm so glad I have mentored both men and women in eight-oared rowing. And can tell you which group is more coachable. But you would have to ask the question first.

[bottle]

Yes you can, too. It's easy to go overboard in tendentious praise of Roger Federer (https://www.google.com/search?q=tend...hrome&ie=UTF-8 although first definition here omits the almost necessary connotation of tediousness in tendentiousness). As a quarter Swiss person with a Swiss surname I am happy to assert that true love of Roger dictates imitation rather than stuffy pontification. And a total eschewing of those who say, "You can't imitate him because he's Roger Federer." Then, "Well maybe you can imitate the way he looks back to keep his head still. But that's the limit I as coach shall hold you to."

What nonsense. You can imitate the racket path in his backswing over that of Ivan Lendl if you choose. You can try to imitate Roger's footwork as well. It won't hurt you. There are a hundred other Roger things you can imitate and don't let the pompous prigs talk you out of it.

But here I change the subject since this is the Australian Open. Could it be that I am actually the first person to comment on the great match between Carolyn Wozniacki and Simona Halep? Shame shame subscribers to TennisPlayer. Have you also subscribed to the idiocy of one person in this forum, the imitation Don Budge?

You can do it if you want-- I won't stop you. But I sure will laugh at you. And add this: You can cut your insecurities in half-- there is an easy way. Just decide that women are no good. But, a warning: the insecurities that are left will become more virulent. Reader, this basic mistake of yours has earned for yourself the privilege of homework-- you can look up the word "virulent" yourself.

Was that last thought too complicated? Let me rephrase it then. We only like men's tennis here at TennisPlayer? True or false?

[bottle]

It's the Racquet Dummy...

No...you cannot say enough about this guy. Not if you have any knowledge or respect for the game.

Yes you can, too. It's easy to go overboard in tendentious praise of Roger Federer (https://www.google.com/search?q=tend...hrome&ie=UTF-8 although first definition here omits the almost necessary connotation of tediousness in tendentiousness). As a quarter Swiss person with a Swiss surname I am happy to assert that true love of Roger dictates imitation rather than stuffy pontification. And a total eschewing of those who say, "You can't imitate him because he's Roger Federer." Then, "Well maybe you can imitate the way he looks back to keep his head still. But that's the limit I as coach shall hold you to."

What nonsense. You can imitate the racket path in his backswing over that of Ivan Lendl if you choose. You can try to imitate Roger's footwork as well. It won't hurt you. There are a hundred other Roger things you can imitate and don't let the pompous prigs talk you out of it.

But here I change the subject since this is the Australian Open. Could it be that I am actually the first person to comment on the great match between Carolyn Wozniacki and Simona Halep? Shame shame subscribers to TennisPlayer. Have you also subscribed to the idiocy of one person in this forum, the imitation Don Budge?

You can do it if you want-- I won't stop you. But I sure will laugh at you. And add this: You can cut your insecurities in half-- there is an easy way. Just decide that women are no good. But, a warning: the insecurities that are left will become more virulent. Reader, this basic mistake of yours has earned for yourself the privilege of homework-- you can look up the word "virulent" yourself.

[arturohernandez]

On slice...

I really see it with the women. No one slices. Has anyone watched Steffi Graf?

How often would it help to simply change the pace and move people to parts they are not use to being in?

This was so clear for the women. I would think slice and then they would just hit another ball deep.

Or I would think come in and they would move back.

Halep was gassed but watch match point.

A good volleyer with some attacking game would have ended that point at the net.

She ran back after being in an attacking position.

Please Steffi mentor some of these younger players...

[arturohernandez]

It's the Racquet Dummy...

I have to agree that the equipment was an issue for Fed just as it was for Sampras. Fed was playing with a disadvantage. Players were bullying him. Think about the Tsonga match where he lost two sets up. Or how Berdych was just pounding him. And certainly with Nadal.

Nadal was tougher but he also had more real estate to exploit. And he found Fed's weakness a backhand with a 90 inch square frame.

Once Fed switched rackets and the others level dropped just a bit, it was game over. They cannot push him around any more.

And now we can see how truly great he is.

It's easy to be tougher when you have more real estate. I am not saying that Fed would have beaten Nadal on clay. But I think after 2008, it would have been much tougher for everyone with the new equipment.

In fact, the 100 square inch racket may be the saving grace of the one handed backhand.

[stroke]

It has been quite the feat, turning around that match up. And it firmly entrenched his place in history as the best ever. Even before this feat, he was probably there, but this turnaround feat definitely took the edge off his only blip, the Nadal head to head record. Still think it is his backhand(standing up to the Nadal barrage), not his cojones, that has sparked his reversal of fortunes vs Nadal. His backhand now to me looks like the best one hander out there. Until last year, I would have thought the best one hander on tour was Gasquet and Stan.

[don_budge]

It's the Racquet Dummy...

One cannot underestimate the larger equipment. All of this "change" began and ended with this decision to switch. Bigger cajones? Yep...the racquet even gave the man bigger equipment in that department. The change in the mental attitude and the ability to dare is another huge change in the Federer psyche. How long did overstay his devotion to the old equipment? Five years? Ten years?

He owns Nadal now. All of the others are nursing injuries somewhere in the unknown. Wilander said that it wasn't only his technique that is keeping Roger injury free...it is his tactics. It's true. He ends things without messing around. Nadal has only himself to blame. As do all of the rest. They chose the style of game that they would play. All of this scurrying around is taking it's toll. The modern paradigm...two handed backhand, strong gripped forehand, boom boom serve then back up behind the baseline. It isn't that hard to figure out. It has been the theme of my 5,000 posts.

Everyone marvels at the "new" drive backhand of Federer's. The bread and butter is still the slice. Yesterday he threw a liberal amount of slice at the Korean wonderkid. He lofted it...he drove it...he cut it...short or deep. He varied it every single stroke. The kid never saw the same ball two times in a row. He was confused and he looked it. It wasn't so much the blister as he was embarrassed. The same thing happened to Cilic last year at Wimbledon. They came all that way only to find that they were only playing Tennis 101 and they were up against a PhD...Dr. Federer. Slicing and dicing. Surgically taking the other player out of their comfort zone directly into the discomfort zone.

It was the racquet. Every facet of the Federer game is better by at least a degree of 10% and that adds up pretty quickly in the hands of a Maestro. At 37 years old he stands head and shoulders over the rest of the field. One-handed backhand. All court tennis. Intelligent serving tactics with a perfect service motion. You know the paradigm...it's don_budge. The book is William Tilden. The model is Richard Gonzalez with the Don Budge backhand. The coach is Harry Hopman. The Living Proof? Read it and weep.

No...you cannot say enough about this guy. Not if you have any knowledge or respect for the game. This is the way it was meant to be played. It's God's gift to mankind...or rather it was. Before mankind started to tinker with it...just like he is in society. It's broken...can't fix it now. It is only just to watch and admire. Perhaps wonder...where did it all go wrong?

I can answer that too. I was there.

[gzhpcu]

This article says he is better now than 5-6 years ago...

[stotty]

Wilander has too much to say. A couple of years ago, he was saying that Fed's record vs Nadal was poor basically because he did not have the necessary cojones.

Actually, at the time Matts said it, he was right. I have been watching tennis for many years and I have never seen a player so psychologically defeated and broken than when Roger faced off against Nadal from almost day one of their rivalry to 2015. Even the odd match Roger won, had a story behind it. I watched them all.

Not only was the match up not good for Roger, Nadal was also tougher on big points...tougher physically...just tougher all round. It was a palpable when you watched their matches and undeniable. Even the staunchest Federer fans would have to concede their man was broken.

What then happened in the Nadal/Federer rivalry is perhaps the most important lesson any player can learn. Nothing is forever and dynamics can be changed. Roger was always tough but had to became tougher. Tennis is a game, not life and death. You can change a perspective if you really want. You just have to go away, be honest with yourself, see what has to be done, change your attitude, then go back and do it.

I think that big gap they had before they played each other again helped in many ways. And now the boot is firmly on the other foot. Nadal is not the match player he was. He loses his nerve at crucial times when in the past he would never, never have. The advice he is getting from his coaching entourage is questionable also...diabolical actually. His match against Muller at Wimbledon was tactical suicide and should never have happened.

Nadal has improved his game, but it only really shows when he is being aggressive. If he can be convinced to be more aggressive all the time and not revert to type it would help him in so many ways.

I have become almost sick and tired of lauding Federer. He is quite magnificent and we all know it. But turning around his match-up with Nadal is probably his greatest feat.

[arturohernandez]

Cilic has firepower and mobility. But Fed looked sharp against Chung at the beginning before the Fußblase took over. Foot-bubbles, classic German. In any case, I don't see Marin being able to hang with Federer for five sets and win three. He could get on a huge roll. But Federer these days knows all the ups and downs of a match.

If his serve is on point and comes storming out of the gates it could be over more quickly than we think.

To me Fed has played extremely well.

But I have yet to see him have an unreal day where everything is clicking like it did at Indian Wells last year.

Fed loves the big stage and Sunday is the biggest of all, a chance at number 20.

I have a feeling that Fed may give us a sublime performance which leaves us with our jaws dropping.

Or me might give us a gritty win.

Either way it will be fun to watch...

[klacr]

Hoping for a competitive final with Federer vs. Cilic. If the match is anything like Wimbledon last year, it means that Tomas Berdych will have given Fed his toughest match in the last 2 of 3 grand slams. Something to be said for that.

For Federer, #20 is within reach.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton