So after six years it has finally happened, someone has caught up to Roger Federer on grass. Rafael Nadal’s epic win brings to an end one of Tennis history’s great episodes – Federer’s five in a row at Wimbledon and six years without being defeated on grass.
Furthermore, it means three of the year’s four Grand Slams are down without the world number one having added to his tally of twelve. At the beginning of this year we might have expected Federer to have at least equalled Pete Sampras’ record of fourteen by now, but instead there has been no change in the status.
Not that one semi and two finals is a bad effort. It’s just a little less than we’ve come to expect.
Of course there will be the inevitable media talk now claiming Federer’s reign is over. There is some credibility in that argument and it is certainly the case that Nadal, having just won the French and Wimbledon back to back, must be considered the best in the world at the moment.
But on the other side of the coin, Federer is still only twenty six, and the law of averages says that he would eventually slip up. No number one in the men’s game has had a run like he has over the last five years. To maintain it would be super human.
So where does he go from here? Well, eating a small but well baked piece of humble pie would be a good start.
I don’t mean because of the view that a few hold that Federer is arrogant in his demeanour in interviews and the like. I think that’s rubbish. But if there has been any arrogance about Federer it is in the fact that he hasn’t felt he needs to do more in order to fend off those snapping at his heels, namely Nadal and Djokovic.
I think he needs to get a coach again, and here’s why. He is twenty six and still burns with desire. He has all the ability that is required to win more grand slams. But tactically Federer has been badly exposed this year.
He seems to have an informal relationship with Jose Higueras but that is not going to do. It is tentative and non committal, like Federer’s game is at times becoming. He needs to decide who the right coach is and then get to work.
Last night he seemed to be adopting a suck it and see approach to his game plan. He tried a bit if this and that, eventually realising that his best chance was to play from the net. Even then he too easily fell into the trap of slugging it out from the baseline with Nadal. Anyone would know that’s not a good move.
Two things surprise me. First is that the King of Grass didn’t have the confidence to back himself in attacking Nadal. Sure, Nadal’s ground strokes are awesome but it’s important that Federer doesn’t allow himself to be intimidated by them. He could have applied the slice backhand approach to better use for a start.
The second is that Federer didn’t have a well thought out gameplan that he could come out and execute from the word go. He has had twelve months to think about it. It was always going to be a likely final against Nadal and Nadal was always going to be better than last year. No one else even troubled him on the way to the final.
All the other top players, Nadal and Djokovic in particular, devote time and effort to working out how they can beat Federer specifically. He is the big target. It’s time for Federer to reciprocate. He must face the fact that they have caught him and it is not good enough to go out there and simply try to beat them on ability alone. He must target their games and discover their weaknesses.
He heads to the U.S. Open now, a hardcourt surface where Djokovic will be extremely dangerous. What is his gameplan? He will be looking for five titles in a row here and to restore his dignity. But at this stage he could desperately do with having another brain to work with. Someone with a new perspective. But who is the person who can coach the world’s number one player back to being the world’s best player?
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Fedfan
Guest
Federer's latest defeats in Toronto and Cincinnati have led to suggestions that---perhaps like Borg at a similar age (26) and after what appears to be a traumatic defeat to a rival who has had the best of him this year---he is on the way down. It would be surprising if he didn't come down from the heights he'd scaled earlier. On the other hand, there is as yet really no one other than Nadal who poses a serious threat and if he can come up with a good strategy to blunt Nadal's strengths on grass, and develop a positive strategy he might have a chance next year. I agree he needs a coach to help him get there, but he hasn't shown signs of wanting to hire one.
JMM
Guest
ANNACONE WOULD BE A GREAT FIT FOR FEDERER.
Nick Chilov
Guest
Rory has it spot on!
etl_expert
Guest
Daren Cahill will be the best candidate to be Roger's new coach
ohtani's jacket
Guest
In any case, I'd rather see Federer have to deal with something like this than win 20 career Grand Slams.
Rory
Guest
Sampras is an interesting suggestion. They do seem to have a good relationship, and it wouldn't be surprising if Sampras felt like being involved again. What a wierd irony it would be to see Sampras coach Fed to overtake his grand slam record. I don't think Fed can or will give up on Roland Garros, though, and Sampras struggled there. I just get the feeling that Federer is resistant to playing to a very defined gameplan. Maybe he thinks it's too restrictive or even demeaning, preferring to rely on his ability and weave a bit of magic on the run. Maybe he gets a lot of satisfaction out of knowing he has such an array of shots at his disposal and that he can use any one at any moment according to how he feels. I'm just surmising of course. It works for everyone but Nadal and possibly now Djokovic. No doubt within the next year another contender will rise up. Meantime Federer has probably two or three years to establish his legacy and place in history.
Fedfan
Guest
Can't think of too many great players of the past: Budge, Laver, Borg, McEnroe, who had such a lopsided losing record to a lesser ranked player. At this stage, Nadal has established a complete mastery over Federer, grass being the last barrier. So what next for Federer? His greatness will depend on whether he can pick himself up and find a way to beat Nadal, or whether he goes under. I agree he needs to think carefully about how he can play Nadal on grass and win with some margin to spare; forget clay, that is lost to him as long as Nadal remains injury-free. So, he needs plan A and plan B going in; and he needs to execute, especially on break points. Does he need a coach? Maybe, but somebody like Tony Roche who didn't have a great record in the majors but has a great tactical mind. I'm convinced Tony helped Roger break down Andy Roddick's game. The key to it was court positioning and consistent game plan. Roddick wilted before the combination. With Nadal, the opposite has happened since Roger broke with Tony. He has conceded court position to Nadal, and he seems to have no real game plan. Perhaps he needs to work with Sampras whom he respects and who respects him.
ohtani's jacket
Guest
One of the great Wimbledon Finals. I stayed up until 5 in the morning watching it. The fourth set tiebreaker was incredible. Federer fought his way out of so many holes (it would've been straight sets to Nadal if not), but he couldn't break Nadal. He was spmething like 1 for 13 on break point opportunities. Nadal is incredibly tough. Most players would've folded after that 4th set tiebreaker, but it was Federer who was clinging onto service holds in the 5th set, despite serving first. Amazing stuff. But, yeah, Federer needs a coach. His net approaches cost him early & in the long run. He clearly thought that was the way to beat Nadal, but he couldn't execute them.
rachid
Guest
touche. he certainly needs someone to sharpen his focus. the saddest thing about this rivalry with nadal is that it and more particularly his inability to establish a game plan against "it" has created a losing record, which casts serious doubts over his greatness and position atop tennis royalty. how can the greatest ever tennis player not figure out how to beat another opponent? how can he consistently lose to the same guy and seemingly do nothing about it? having seen him play on the hallowed grass at wimbledon a few years back, i cannot doubt his mastery of the individual elements that make up the game. he simply possesses an amazing arsenal of weapons and attributes and makes them all look easy. it's as if the play book was modeled on his game, but somewhere he seems to have lost the ability to put these elements together in a winning way. i never saw the old school aussies play but given the competition and level of the current game I believe he is the greatest. i hope that this seasons disappointments [which as you rightly point out are actually not so bad] are the shot in the arm he needs. i hope he finds the mentor he needs to continue his assault on the history books and as you point out again make him the best. i have no clue as to who that might be. what's interesting is that he's been helped by many respected coaches over the years who always seem to depart quite suddenly and we never hear why. perhaps he knows why and can be honest with himself long enough to realise what is becoming obvious to the rest of the sporting world he needs a coach! r