Federer's worst start to a year since 2008

3 tournaments, no finals.

Old fart

JuliusHMarx wrote:3 tournaments, no finals.

Old fart

and Im not even a Federer fan !!!!!!

Federer-hatahs

He's still favourite for FO and Wimby for me.

It Must Be Love wrote:He's still favourite for FO and Wimby for me.

Only 'cos we're in a weak era.

JuliusHMarx wrote:

It Must Be Love wrote:He's still favourite for FO and Wimby for me.

Only 'cos we're in a weak era.

Time for me to find a pit.

Thanks Roger! I would have been very tempted to watch the Dubai final if you'd won... but now I'm free to do much more important/constructive things.

Chydremion wrote:Time for me to find a pit.

Please do not do that. Berdych played very well, to hold Federer back and Federer blew his chances.

hawkeye wrote:Thanks Roger! I would have been very tempted to watch the Dubai final if you'd won... but now I'm free to do much more important/constructive things.

I am looking forward to Djokovic comfortably winning.

He does look poor that is for sure. Berdych did play very well and you can tell that now he believes he should beat federer. That doesn't help him in the final where most likely Djokovic will shisk kabob him.

I'm not so sure socal. 1-12 H2H to Djokovic says Novak should roll Tomas over again but I have a sneaky feeling that Berdy will be a different beast having saved 3MPs vs. Federer. Berdych is probably the most dangerous player on tour (biggest FH IMO) as when he's on song on fast surfaces he's almost unplayable. A lot always hinges on how well he's serving. He's got nothing to lose in the final so will not be as nervy as usual. I'm going Berdy in 3 sets.

1-13 coming up Lydian. Today I was very impressed again with novak and when he plays berdych because of Novak smooth change of direction he makes tomas scramble and rarely does he let tomas just stand in the center of the court and blast shots. Plus Novak can just return Tomas better than Federer does. I see Berdych becoming a straight sets victim here, the 18th in a row dating back to last year. Novak in good form gives berdych little or no breathing room. Just a very bad match up for tomas fast surface or otherwise.

@Lydian... Djokovic showed cojones of steel today, aided a bit by DelPo's errors.

@Socal... First Agut, now DelPo. Why is Djokovic having such a hard time closing matches. I can understand Federer missing MPs, but Djokovic being nervous is very strange. What do you think?

Yes, it has been a horrid start for Federer. We are comparing it though to last year where he won 3 tournaments in a row. I doubt he will win half the titles he did in 2012. I think he is struggling with his back and he has not been the same player he was since the US Open. It seemed to go downhill from around that time.

laverfan wrote:@Lydian... Djokovic showed cojones of steel today, aided a bit by DelPo's errors.

@Socal... First Agut, now DelPo. Why is Djokovic having such a hard time closing matches. I can understand Federer missing MPs, but Djokovic being nervous is very strange. What do you think?

Novak for some reason loses focuses in some service games with the first forehand that he hits. I know I always have to focus on being ready after I hit a serve and anticipating the location and depth of the return. He at times has a quick succession of missed forehands behind that serve from a dominant position in the point. That was a big problem last year, and for some reason it comes in streaks, it doesn't happen that often lately but it was happening quite frequently in the middle of last year. Fortunately, he hasn't done it much recently and the rest of his play has been so strong that it hasn't been exposed. I think he will make the adjustment and iron it out because other than that the rest of the time people are having a very tough time living with him from the baseline or the service line. His serve in general looks very strong to start out the year.

Djokovic does show cojones, no doubt, when it gets tight. Berdy is just the type of player who can roll through an opponent on a fast surface. It's unlikely I grant but you never know and they haven't played on fast surfaces much...just Cincy in 2011 and that was 7-5 first then Berdy had to retire, and Berdy is a better player now. I just think this wont be a walk in the park for Djokovic on this surface.

If Delpo had played a controlled TB, it would have been a different match. The Time violation did not help, but I hope he has learned his lesson now.

Ah lydian everyone seems to underestimate Djokovic on a quicker court he has won this tournament 3 times. I think his comfort level with surface and conditions will make him a strong favorite. I give berdych only about a 30 percent chance of even winning a set. Roger doesn't return berdy as well as Novak does, it is almost the same thing federer had over Roddick. Where I think Novak has a great read on where Tomas is going to hit it on that serve. Also Berdych's hard flat shots mainly going cross court almost seem to groove Novak and give him the pace he likes to work with. I feel like he stuggles more with guys that change up spins and slices and move into the net at times.

Djokovic will criuse, I'm telling you Lydian.
Berdych-Djokovic matches are really really really predictable.
Bit like Almugro-Ferret matches. You know what's gonna happen.

Berdych is going to be solid on serve all set, then suddenly out of nowhere make a few errors and gift the break. Djokovic is too strong on serve and won't lost too many breaks to Berdych.
Straight sets win written all over it.

socal1976 wrote:Ah lydian everyone seems to underestimate Djokovic on a quicker court he has won this tournament 3 times. I think his comfort level with surface and conditions will make him a strong favorite. I give berdych only about a 30 percent chance of even winning a set. Roger doesn't return berdy as well as Novak does, it is almost the same thing federer had over Roddick. Where I think Novak has a great read on where Tomas is going to hit it on that serve. Also Berdych's hard flat shots mainly going cross court almost seem to groove Novak and give him the pace he likes to work with. I feel like he stuggles more with guys that change up spins and slices and move into the net at times.

Good post Socal.
Nadal won this when it was a very fast surface, beating Federer in the final a few years ago, and Djokovic has also shown he can play very well on this fast surface. He has a good record here, which will be extended tomorrow.

I don't dispute any of that. Buts lets see, my only point is that on very fast surfaces Berdy can be trouble and I think he's the one being underestimated.

It Must Be Love wrote:Nadal won this when it was a very fast surface, beating Federer in the final a few years ago, ...

Parera = ?

lydian wrote:I don't dispute any of that. Buts lets see, my only point is that on very fast surfaces Berdy can be trouble and I think he's the one being underestimated.

Possibly, but I think Berdych's style just matches up well for Novak. Particularly his complete lack of a slice or spin in his game. And his tendency to hit the forehand cross court over and over and over again. I was impressed against Del Po how Novak's forehand more than held its own against del po in those cross court exchanges. Novak's change of direction and his ability to use short heavy spinning forheands to pull tomas wide as well neutralizes berdych's power. In these matchups in general berdy is usually scrambling around like chicken with his head cut off, he doesn't have the time typically to stand in V and just bash balls. He will pull him wide, he will go up the line on him early and often and make the big man chase, and at that point it will be all over. Berdych will have to fly home and be consoled by his drop dead gorgeous girlfriend and his millions, if I was giving odds I would make him a 8 to 1 or 9 to 1 dog in that final. Longshots do come in, but this one is a very long shot for berdych.

@IMBL, I do think both Nadal and Djokovic tend to get underestimated on a fast court. In particular Djokovic who has won basically every speedy surface tournament on tour with the exception of cincy.

Then you're all set socal, clearly it'll be a double bagel.

I agree on the girlfriend point though.

lydian wrote:Then you're all set socal, clearly it'll be a double bagel.

I agree on the girlfriend point though.

I didn't say double bagel, but most likely two close sets with Novak in control pretty much most of the time. Berdych has the hottest girl on tour man, jeez, she is like sunshine taken the form of flesh.

socal1976 wrote:

lydian wrote:Then you're all set socal, clearly it'll be a double bagel.

I agree on the girlfriend point though.

I didn't say double bagel, but most likely two close sets with Novak in control pretty much most of the time.

Spot on.
Berdych is Djokovic's pet puppy.

Yes IMBL I don't see anything out of the ordinary in this match. Berdych to me is not a frightening finals opponent as a Djoko fan in the least, almost as bad as playing Baghdadtis in a grand slam final.

socal1976 wrote:Yes IMBL I don't see anything out of the ordinary in this match. Berdych to me is not a frightening finals opponent as a Djoko fan in the least, almost as bad as playing Baghdadtis in a grand slam final.

Come now socal, there's no need to downgrade Rafa's second Wimby. He's only got two of them - can't afford to lose one to the 'weak opponent in the final' argument.
Of course, by downgrading Rafa on grass, that leads to downgrading Djoko, as his opponent in his Wimby final victory suddenly isn't as impressive.
You're undermining the whole 'golden era' with one post!

Nadal imo has had 2 easy slam finals in his career, Berdych at Wimby being one of them. The other is Puerta.

How has this thread about Federer's poor form become a Djokovic to win in Dubai thread???

FedsFan wrote:How has this thread about Federer's poor form become a Djokovic to win in Dubai thread???

It's all part of the bonhomie of the forum

This was a Federer-hating thread

Fair point fedsfan we digress to talk about the final. But I mean we have read a lot of threads about all that is wrong with federer dating back to 2008 to the present. Yes he isn't as good as he was in 2006, he still is pretty good I mean what more is there really to say on the subject. He struggles outside of the slams at times.

JuliusHMarx wrote:

It Must Be Love wrote:He's still favourite for FO and Wimby for me.

Only 'cos we're in a weak era.

Just saw the highlights. At least Berdych had a more manly celebration now. Djokovic to un-man him though this afternoon.

Chydremion wrote:Just saw the highlights. At least Berdych had a more manly celebration now. Djokovic to un-man him though this afternoon.

Much better.

Berdych unmanned himself. Two sitters at the end of each set at the worst possible time. NOt to mention double faulting on set point. He matched Djokovic in shots for much of the match and failed ingloriously in the clutch.

Federer's loss doesn't look as bad because Berdy really could have made this match very close he was hitting the ball very crisply and the surface was playing to his strengths for much of the match. But typically at the worst time he missed shots that a club player would be expected to make. Roger is more vulnerable but he still in my mind is just a few months off of his wimbeldon title and will remain a big threat at the slams. I think he is still the favorite for wimbeldon.