Will 2012 See Roger Federer Become The Renaissance Man?

The is a real buzz in the air right now. In the world of tennis. I mean it. A buzz. Like a massive landslide following the one and only Roger Federer. It has been seen in other sports. Jack Nicklaus when he won the 1986 Masters against all odds. Steve Redgrave winning his last Gold Medal in Sydney in 2000. These sporting accomplishments I have seen and at the time witnessed what was said about those performances at the time. The closest thing I have seen to something on those lines is Pete Sampras's US Open success in 2002.

Now, this year has no doubt belonged to Novak Djokovic. No question about it. Nadal has had his worst year for a long time. Murray it is the same old so near yet so far in the Slams. Federer however has been some what showing signs that maybe, just maybe his career is about to gain so much needed second wind. I think if tennis fans were asked what the best matches of 2011 were, I am sure in top 3 would feature Federer and the masterclass from Tuesday night. In fact I could put 4 of Federer's matches in my top 5 and I am the most bias Murray fan there is! You cannot ignore what has actually been a top year for Federer. It may not have resulted in titles, but it is the performances. The BH is now holding up again and not breaking so easily. Better control over the FH. The BH slice has been a revelation for him. The serve is much consistent now. Success in Basel and Paris and possibly London look to be the launchpad for a full on assault on the top 2 next season.

I now look to 2012 and I am excited. I am excited because I think Roger can win a Slam, or more. I know when he said after the US Open he wanted to be number 1 again and even I thought it was a tad bit over-ambitious. Look at how 2011 is ending. All the momentum is with him and what I am enjoying seeing is the 'dominant' body language. I think in the latter half of 2010 and after this year's US Open I felt he looked flat like the level that Djokovic was playing at was just that too high for him to reach, said that it is now looking more difficult for Djokovic to maintain it. Nadal will tell you the same thing after 2010. Federer looks certain to win his 6th WTF and end the year ranked 3 in the world.

I am privileged to have witnessed Federer winning 16 Slams. Seeing him win 5 Wimbledons and 5 US Opens consecutively. All I can say to the new generation of tennis fans who may be new to the sport or even those who are just starting to watch, please watch 2012 because I think we are on the cusp of something magical.

I don't expect any renaissance from Federer, just the continuation of the existing trend of trying to stay in top 4 (not that hard) and working out how to get past the SF stages of slams, with the occasional surge of form which if timed correctly may win him a tournament or two.
Also, I think "renaissance" is not the appropriate word for Federer as he really has always been on the tour with his full presence, it's the competition that has been changing and with it the levels of Federer's achievements and his game evolution.

Great post legend - I am a cautiously optimistic Fed fan right now having watched the highlights of the other night. If he can manage his body, I do begin to hope we may see one (or two) great last moments from him because his desire and love for the sport seem undiminished. Indeed, he seems far fresher at the moment and eager to go than the other guys in the top four - however confidence in all of them is a finally tuned thing and one match can change everything.

I do hope we see one last great triumph because when he finally hangs up his raquet, I do wonder if we will see someone playing his brand of tennis again at the top of the game. The still photographs of the other night show Fed at his best in zen like mode - the supreme athlete in flight - mind and body in harmony, effortless execution not looking as Rafa does almost at war with his body and the effort to reach the shot and make it.

noleisthebest wrote:I don't expect any renaissance from Federer, just the continuation of the existing trend of trying to stay in top 4 (not that hard) and working out how to get past the SF stages of slams, with the occasional surge of form which if timed correctly may win him a tournament or two.
Also, I think "renaissance" is not the appropriate word for Federer as he really has always been on the tour with his full presence, it's the competition that has been changing and with it the levels of Federer's achievements and his game evolution.

I think by Roger's standards and I use that term, it would be a renaissance because nearly 2 years without a Slam is 2 too many for him and for his fans too.

time please wrote:Great post legend - I am a cautiously optimistic Fed fan right now having watched the highlights of the other night. If he can manage his body, I do begin to hope we may see one (or two) great last moments from him because his desire and love for the sport seem undiminished. Indeed, he seems far fresher at the moment and eager to go than the other guys in the top four - however confidence in all of them is a finally tuned thing and one match can change everything.

I do hope we see one last great triumph because when he finally hangs up his raquet, I do wonder if we will see someone playing his brand of tennis again at the top of the game. The still photographs of the other night show Fed at his best in zen like mode - the supreme athlete in flight - mind and body in harmony, effortless execution not looking as Rafa does almost at war with his body and the effort to reach the shot and make it.

I agree TP. I think he does look fresher and he more than looks after himself off the court too with his family commitments.

I think we may see Federer grab another Slam next year and possibly that all elusive Gold Medal he wants so much.

I would love to see that - not least for the way he has played the game, aside from the aesthetics which are obviously great.

Yes. Good post LK.

Though I believe Federer is playing at least as well as in his hey days, I do not expect him to stay slam fit for much longer. I think 31/32..maybe a last chance in 33 but seriously doubt so.

If we look at 2011, his season was not bad at all. He hadvery close defeats in all slams and it's easy to overlook that by saying he won nothing. Yet he was once again very close to have just another great year.

His more agressive tennis of today may give him more success. I certainly hope so.

legendkillar wrote:

noleisthebest wrote:I don't expect any renaissance from Federer, just the continuation of the existing trend of trying to stay in top 4 (not that hard) and working out how to get past the SF stages of slams, with the occasional surge of form which if timed correctly may win him a tournament or two.
Also, I think "renaissance" is not the appropriate word for Federer as he really has always been on the tour with his full presence, it's the competition that has been changing and with it the levels of Federer's achievements and his game evolution.

I think by Roger's standards and I use that term, it would be a renaissance because nearly 2 years without a Slam is 2 too many for him and for his fans too.

I think if you asked Rodger he'd probably be very happy with his last two years. That finger after the SF RG match sums it all up for me.
I expect all top players to be fit and hungry next year, each has plenty to bring to the table, Federer's pressure free as he's got nothing got prove to the world except to his high self-imposed standards, which can be both a good and a bad thing.

Hmm three set tournaments are much different to five setters as Andy Murray can testify. Come the Australian Open it will have been two years since Fed won a slam and recently innthe Mecca of tennis tournaments - the slams he has come up short against players he used to devour for breakfast. I am not ruling out a slam win for him but he'll need a few things to go his way - much like appears to be happening at the WTF this week.

Few would be more pleased than me, but let's not get ahead of ourselves because Fed's performance at the 2010 WTF would have justified a similar post, and whilst he's had a good 2011, it's not the sort of year this thread is anticipating in 2012.

The likely pattern of his two main rivals is to make sure they are at their best for the slams and be less concerned with the end of the year - Nadal's preference for hitting top form during a 6 month period from April to October is well established - I don't see him repeating 2010 and the other year he hit top form outside that period was a disappointment for him (2009), Djokovic's year in 2011 suggests that he'll aim for a January to September peak.

I don't want to belittle Fed's performance - he's fantastic - but with Djoko and Nadal about a great performance at the WTF does not necessarily foretell slams. AO 2012 may be Fed's best chance.

I think 2012 coudl be a good year cause Djoko and Nadal might not have it as easy as in teh past if some players come back (Delpo, Murray) or simply if new ones arrive.

Nothing is secured on the tour. Federer, Nadal know that....and soon DJoko will learn too.

What we have seen this end of season, regardless the form of Nadal and Djoko is that at times, Fed can still produce the best tennis out there. It;s as simple as that. And with Federer regaining the number 2 spot (or Murray overtaking Nadal) it coudl put Nadal Djoko on the same draw which would considerably increase Fed's chance for more slams.

Tenez wrote:... Federer regaining the number 2 spot (or Murray overtaking Nadal) it coudl put Nadal Djoko on the same draw which would considerably increase Fed's chance for more slams.

A few Nadal vs. Djoko SF's would stymie them both, that's for sure, but your premise assumes Fed gets to No. 2 (a long way away) and that the draws would not fall as they frequently seemed (and still seem) to, namely Murray vs. Nadal, Djoko vs. Fed

I think with 2010 barry, many thought there was no end to what Nadal could win past 2011 and look how it has fanned out. I think even though Federer won last years WTF, it was seen more of a token victory, whereas now it is seen in a much different context to what it could mean apart from another record.

Tenez on another post asked if Federer learnt from Djokovic, but I think the bigger question is can Djokovic learn from Nadal?

If Federer can end the year 17 matches unbeaten and with 3 titles, I think that is much better going into a new season then say on the back of a Davis Cup success for Nadal who hasn't won a title since May. Djokovic will no doubt need to find the confidence and more importantly 'freshness' for 2012 because it will start off as a sprint for him given the points he has to defend.

I also mention teh possibility of Murray overtaking Nadal as another possibilty to draw Nadal/Djoko semi. I can see both happening. After all Federer is now leading again the point race starting end of USO 11...and points can swing swiftly.

I think in 2011 Federer was one point away from winning the FO. That SP wasted could hav kept Nadal nervous in set 2 which he only won through a TB.

And was one point away from reaching the USO final.

Not to be sniffed at.

Very true Tenez. The difference of moments much than margins. I keep thinking what if Murray hadn't blown that FH at Wimbledon!

I'm not sure just what we can realistically expect to see by way of "Renaissance"

My own view is that in the twilight of his career Federer will have one more year - maybe two ...? - where he achieves a similar level of success to 2011. And he will then choose ..... to spend more time with the family.... Deservedly so.

Renaissance, if taken literally as "re-birth", would by definition imply that there has been some sort of sporting death. Yes, two Slamless years seems poor by his own unique, remarkable standards ; but not even Federer can win Slams for ever. To stay (and comfortably) within top 5 after 13 years on a tour which is becoming ever more demanding is itself evidence of just how gradual his decline has been.

Personally I'm not focussing on the possibility, remote or otherwise, of a last swansong of a Slam win but I would instead be satisfied to see a few repeats of the Federer magic which graced the 02 on Tuesday night.

When operating at its very best there is no finer sight in tennis than the Federer machine. Other players, current or future, could conceivably end their careers with a longer list of 'achievements' when the final tally is reckoned. But it's very hard to imagine that any will ever be able to say that they won with such effortless style.

This article, which appeared in the Australian press midway through the 2010 AO, sums it all up beautifully
http://www.theage.com.au/sport/tennis/despite-big-expectations-it-was-no-australians-day-20100125-mufe.html

the last few months dont mean anything much and the drubbing he gave Rafa means even lesser.

unfortunately, i think his slam quest will require a lot of luck (top 3 injured etc).


that said, if he retires without another slam, it does not diminish his achievements and genius in any way at all.

coolpixel wrote:the last few months dont mean anything much and the drubbing he gave Rafa means even lesser.

unfortunately, i think his slam quest will require a lot of luck (top 3 injured etc).


that said, if he retires without another slam, it does not diminish his achievements and genius in any way at all.

Think Novak would disagree given what the DC victory did for his confidence.

Luck? I think that is short-sighted to say the least. Cheap way of saying I don't rate his chances, but I wouldn't bet against him.

Djoko's probs at the end of the season have made 2012 look even more interesting at the top. We've seen how big leads of thousands of points have disappeared, just like that, as summer 2009 and summer 2010 (when Rafa and then Rog saw points just vanish) bears witness.
All this means, that Fed could still climb up. May be he's got a slam left in him. But the important thing is he's committed - from his schedule - to play throughout 2012 and if he performs like he did last Tuesday night there's no point in him packing it in any time soon.
Whoops. As I write, he's just lost an early break against Fish.

The fact Fed comes into this tournament after winning 2 tournaments in a row and demolishing Nadal in the most convincing way since 2007 during this tournament actually says a lot. Djokovic wasn't injured @ the French Open when he lost to Fed and he wasn't injured when he faced 2 match points either @ the USO (although he did win). Most posters have doubted Fed can win slams because of Nadal standing in the way, not because of Djokovic (or Murray). We can speculate on endless possibilities of why Nadal was so ineffective but there is no doubting this will give Fed a significant mental lift when he plays Nadal again (whenever that may be).

I know as a Fed fan myself, it's always when Fed plays Nadal that concerns me because Fed becomes edgy @ break points but in that match Fed played near all the BPs flawlessly which is very important. If you look at their most famous match, the Wimbledon final in 2008, Fed converted just 1 BP on Nadal's serve. You know how many Nadal converted? 3 extra. You also know how many break points each of them had on each other's serve? Exactly the same, 13. Fed had the same number of opportunities as Nadal, it's just he wasn't able to convert more than one. This phenomenon is mostly unique to when he plays Nadal because the following year he played Roddick and again, he only converted 1 BP but in that year, he won. I did noticed in the match vs Nadal on Tuesday, Fed was more willing to continue rallying with Nadal and that's significant, looks like Fed is adopting Djokovic's tactic, but it has worked 6 times this year for Djokovic, so why not try it?

I think one of the reasons people are wondering if Fed could have a last great triumph is looking at the condition of Novak and Rafa after a great season, but they both look done in at the respective ages of 24 and 25, and Novak's season does not equal some of Fed's best when he made all four finals of gs, won 3 and the the year end masters and still didn't look beat up.

Now I fully expect Rafa to be charging on all duracell bunny batteries next week, or even next match, but I am not sure about Novak - this for me is the acid test of him, we know his roll was a great one, but can he come back and do it all again after a couple of defeats?

The fatigue of body and mind in three of the top four would seem to lend credence to the call for a shorter season, but then you look at how the oldest and the one with the most miles on the clock is finishing the year and you wonder who is actually aging the faster first?

I agree that it will depend on Novak's and Rafa's health/form for Fed to have a chance in a GS, and Rafa especially seems to be permanently ailing - it's been what already this year - strained something at AO, hairline fracture suspected at W, sore shoulder after Shanghai etc, etc, oh yes vomitting bug this week, and none of it seems to derail him for very long at all so I suppose we shouldn't be concerned with his jaded appearance so far this week.

I guess what I am saying is that if you had to place a bet on who would remain healthy (or not make any fuss at all) through 2012 - most rational people would bet on TMF.