An Artist on all surfaces, Mr. Effortless - Roger Federer

[VinodKumar's]

Now it's Wilson's turn.

[ajithfederer]

[San_K]

done by Nadal fan? only Rafa in color

[tamizharasan]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1...n-pete-sampras
148034248_crop_exact
Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Roger Federer is an artist on any surface, Rafael Nadal is the master of clay and Pete Sampras was the king of Wimbledon.

This has become a tennis truism that most experts and fans often cite, and one of which I generally accept.

But it might be wrong.

Was Pete Sampras really better than Roger Federer on grass?

It’s blatant heresy to Sampras fans, like burning the original folios of William Shakespeare’s plays or igniting explosives on London Bridge.

Yes, this is SAMPRAS, the titan of grass who marched through 1990s Wimbledon like Henry V at Agincourt. He roused up victories at the cathedral of Centre Court where tennis is religion and tales are written by modern Geoffrey Chaucers.

So when I re-watched that mythical 2001 quarterfinal match between King Sampras and neophyte Federer, I didn’t expect to change my mind on anything.



Letting the Days Go By…Once in a Lifetime

Most tennis fans and certainly all Roger Federer fans are aware that in the 2001 Wimbledon quarterfinals Federer defeated Sampras 7-6, 5-7, 6-4, 6-7, 7-5 in their only career meeting.

Sampras was 29 years old, and though his footwork was slowing and nagging injuries were creeping in, he was the favorite to win a fifth straight Wimbledon title. He still wore an oversized shirt and shorts as comfortable signatures to his timeless stature.

Federer was 19 years old and already recognized as a rising star who, according to the BBC commentators of the match, “has the talent to win several Grand Slams.” He wore his short ponytail with his Nike bandana headband, every bit the swashbuckling but regal challenger.



2001: A Tennis Odyssey

It was startling to see both Sampras and Federer taking only a few seconds between serves and points. Neither player toweled off or bounced the ball 20 times. There was a flow to watching the match and no wasted dalliance. Most games lasted less than two minutes, stark contrast to today’s slow motion pace.

989578_crop_340x234 Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Sampras was the model of serving perfection. Observers can view footage from him on any year and see the exact same textbook serve: He crouches, places the ball into the throat of the racket, lifts his front foot, and tosses the ball extra high. His motion is so fluid he connects with extra whiplash, rare power and uncanny placement.

In his Federer match, he served with extra power and risk on his second serve because he struggled to volley efficiently. He would chalk up 25 aces, but nine double faults.

At age 29, he still looked the part of the greatest server in history. His aggressiveness and skill were like a master swordsman who could call up ingenious patterns of delivery to compensate for slower but smarter footwork.

Federer was a little more casual in his service delivery. His motion was still raw compared to the polished version we see a decade later, but his power and efficacy was undeniable.

Against Sampras, he looked to volley on every point. He possessed the skill and mentality to be a wonderful serve-and-volley player on Wimbledon’s fast grass. Though more unrefined than Sampras, it’s clear that he meant to play this way had conditions not changed.

At age 19, and with the added skills of an already heralded forehand and defense, Federer was on his way to developing serve and volley skills to equal Sampras’s peak. Perhaps this would have happened if the grass had not been changed.



Grass Intermission

Many people now assume that Wimbledon changed the grass to promote more baseline play, and bring more excitement to the monotony of too many aces or three stroke points. Watching '90s Wimbledon tennis was somewhat like bare-knuckle boxing over a century ago. It had all the strategy of asking two people to club each other to death with stand and survive defense.

Prior to 2001, the grass courts were often trampled by the second week. This produced more rough patches and inconsistent bounces for the players. So, Wimbledon ripped out the old grass that had been 70 percent rye and 30 percent creeping red fescue. After vigorous testing, it was replaced with 100 percent ryegrass.

989753_crop_340x234 Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

According to Eben Harrel for The Magazine World.com, the reason for the change to slower courts was to enhance the durability of the courts. It also caused the ball to bounce rather than skid.

Though Sampras and Federer were playing on the new grass, it had been a rainy and damp week, so conditions seemed the same as most years.

The rest is history. In 2002 David Nalbandian and Lleyton Hewitt did not combine for a single serve-and-volley point in their Wimbledon final.

Federer would all but abandon his growing prowess as a serve-and-volley player.



Federer 1.0

A big reason why Sampras struggled at the net in this match was Federer’s sometimes brilliant returns and passes. Federer faced a superior server in Sampras, but he also returned more effectively. He forced Sampras to go for more on his second serve.

Federer produced a few "Ya gotta see this to believe it" running backhand returns, mirroring Sampras’s acclaimed running forehand. The BBC commentators praised Federer’s backhand, which was wonderfully acclimated to pick up and return speedy, low tennis balls.

Federer and the world had no way of knowing that Nadal and court surface changes would force him to adapt his backhand from years of prior training.



Mighty Ships Passing Through the Night

Each set was a stubborn tense affair, neither combatant giving more than an occasional opening, often wiped away by serving blasts. It was an incessant pattern of serve and volley holds with rare break opportunities for Sampras. Federer had more break chances but only cashed in twice the entire match.

989650_crop_340x234 Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Sampras was cool and composed sitting on the chair during changeovers, aware that his dynasty was under siege, but without a trace of panic. He was an old Roman Emperor aware of the threat to his power but all the more determined to hold onto his crown.

Despite only getting two breaks the entire match, he never wavered with his outward confidence and belief. He played with his usual dominating style and cool demeanor.

Federer matched this composure with a sense of assurance. He never seemed satisfied to be locked in an epic duel, but forged on one detail at a time. His changeovers were spent eating a piece of a banana or dabbing faint evidence of perspiration with his towel.

Even after getting blown out in the fourth set tiebreaker, Federer strode out to battle with the same bearing as he had earlier in winning the first set.

There are few transcendent moments in athletics when an emerging player combines rare talent with composure in such a way you know he is destined for greatness. It’s hindsight now, but the feeling was there during this match. By 2003, his first Wimbledon title actually felt overdue.

Sampras to Federer was a link of legends, but also of dignity and class.



What a Tangled Web We Weave

Had Wimbledon not changed its grass, it’s very likely Federer’s serve and volley would have evolved with greater punch, placement and touch. Could his skill set at net become one of the greatest ever at a time with great baseline players and powerful racket technology?

Federer has proven his prowess of mastering fast courts including indoor surfaces and blue clay. It would have been interesting to see if he could have used his all-court skills to back up a lethal serve and volley game rather than attack primarily from the baseline.

Could any of the big servers of the past decade have reversed their results against him? Andy Roddick would have benefited from the faster grass to serve even more aces, similar to Goran Ivanisevic. Maybe 2004 or 2005 could have brought him titles. However, he has never had the volley, return game or versatility to match Federer.

What about the baseliners led by Nadal and Novak Djokovic? Would they stand a chance on the fast Wimbledon grass?

Which most reflects your opinion on Federer's grass legacy?
Federer is 2nd best on grass behind Sampras Federer is equally comparable to Sampras on pre-2001 grass but greater on the new grass Federer is the greatest player on grass (both grass surfaces considered) Submit Vote vote to see results

Is it unreasonable to suggest Federer could have collected ten Wimbledon titles on the fast grass? Certainly it’s a credit to Federer that he adapted his baseline game so successfully to grass in a manner that has helped his hard courts and clay game.

One thing is certain. Nadal’s rise to Wimbledon prominence was good for their rivalry and for tennis. The slower grass has added more interesting matches and more varieties of players to compete. It’s like trading in a predictable short story for an intriguing novel with more plot twists.

Sir Walter Scott would have been fascinated with the tangled weaves of modern tennis, but all we know for certain is what actually happened. Besides, it's tough to second-guess 17 Grand Slam victories.

I haven’t changed my mind on Sampras as the greatest grass court player I’ve ever seen, but it would have been interesting to see if Federer could have surpassed him. The difference between the two is closer than it may seem.

[tamizharasan]

http://tennis.si.com/2012/07/18/roge...?sct=tn_bf1_a8

Who rivals Roger Federer’s accolades? Perhaps just one: Steffi Graf


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Roger Federer

There may just be one other player in Open Era history to rival Roger Federer’s stats and records. (SI)

Why do we love records? We love records because they provide empirical evidence for debate, they validate — or invalidate — our gut feelings (is Rafael Nadal the greatest clay court player ever or am I just craving a sandwich?), and to state the obvious, they’re recognition that we’re seeing something being done that has simply never been done before.

With Roger Federer’s record-breaking 287th week at No. 1 this week, he’s effectively hijacked almost every meaningful record in the men’s record books. Most major titles? Check. Most weeks at No. 1? Check. Most consecutive weeks at No. 1? Check. Career Grand Slam? Check.

The fact that he was able to do all this amongst a group of contemporaries that includes Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Roddick, and Lleyton Hewitt, makes his set of numbers even more astonishing. The list of his record-setting achievements goes on and on, including the one stat that, for my money, is THE Roger Federer stat: reaching a record 33 consecutive Slam quarterfinals. It’s one thing to possess a game that can dominate. It’s quite another to bring it consistently over seven years and avoid the inexplicable early-round losses. If the true measure of greatness is longevity, Federer’s sustained consistency is second to none.

There are few tennis players who can rival him in he record books these days, but Federer’s most recent achievement made me go back and take a look at another Wimbledon-loving player with a big forehand and one-handed backhand, who put up some numbers that still make my jaw drop to this day: the one and only Steffi Graf.

Here are some of my favorite Steffi stats:

• The only player, male or female, to complete the Golden Slam, which she did in 1988.

• Her 22 Slam singles titles remains the Open Era record for both men and women. Five to go, Roger.

• Won all four Slams at least four times. Talk about an all-court player.

• Made 13 consecutive Slam finals.

• Reached final of all four Slams in a calendar year 3 times

• Spent a record 377 weeks at No. 1

• Ended the year at No. 1 eight times.

• In 1987 and 1989, made the finals of every tournament she played. Think about that.

• Played in 36 Slams and made the final 22 times with a winning percentage of 81 percent in the finals (22-9).

It’s obviously not an apples-to-apples comparison, as the depth of the women’s game at the time is always a subject of debate, though I would argue that it’s a somewhat unfair charge (Martina Navratilova, Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario and Gabriela Sabatini were no hacks). And of course there’s the “what if” game surrounding Monica Seles’ stabbing in 1993, which derailed her career right when she had cemented herself as Graf’s only true rival. But the numbers are still startling on paper (all four Slams at least four times?), and ones that I suspect, may never be broken.

[tamizharasan]

one interesting fact about Roger Federer and Steffi graf is difference of 5 grandslam titles comes from french open. everything else including no. on each is the same.

[tamizharasan]

http://www.tennis.com/articles/templ...d=18946&zoneid


Federer: 2016 Rio Games possible if healthy
AP - Thursday, July 26, 2012



LONDON (AP)—Roger Federer is leaning toward competing in the 2016 Games if his body holds up.

Federer, who turns 31 on August 8, says his mind wants to compete again in Rio de Janeiro, but it will depend on his ability to stay healthy.

First up for the world No. 1 is the London Games, where he will try for his first gold medal in singles on a court he knows well.

The seven-time Wimbledon champion teamed with Stanislas Wawrinka to win doubles gold in 2008. His best finish in the singles competition was a fourth-place showing in Sydney in 2000.

But this year's Olympic tennis facility is the All England Club, where Federer won his 17th Grand Slam title a couple weeks ago.

Federer made his remarks about Rio on Thursday.

[VinodKumar's]

OLYMPICS 2012

Federer Hands Flag Honour To Wawrinka

Roger Federer has handed the honour of carrying Switzerland's flag at tonight's opening ceremony at the Olympic Games in London to doubles partner Stanislas Wawrinka. Federer, who carried the flag for his nation in Athens and Beijing, said he was happy for his gold-medal-winning doubles partner to shoulder the responsibility.

"I felt it was important to give someone else a chance," Federer said. "I told Switzerland they should choose someone else and they then chose my partner Stan, and I think it's a great honour for him because I couldn't have won Olympic gold without him and everybody knows that. That's why I think they chose the right guy."

"I thought about it for a long time, what I should do with it when they offered it to me. First, I obviously hoped they would offer it to me and only later when I did accept it, I thought it was better for me to give it to someone else actually."

Looking for his first singles gold medal in his fourth Olympics, Federer opens his campaign Saturday on Day 1 of the tennis event at Wimbledon against Colombian Alejandro Falla.
While Federer enters the event full of confidence having won his seventh Wimbledon title earlier this month, he said that the Olympics presented a different challenge to a Grand Slam tournament.
“In Wimbledon we play seven matches best of five sets; here we play five matches best of three. Only the final is best of five, so that puts the margins closer to each other, I believe. If it would have been best of three in Wimbledon, I would have lost in the third round to Julien Benneteau because I was down two sets to love, so it just goes to show that here now, obviously a bad five minutes or a bad couple of points could cost you the tournament.”

Should he reach the second round, Federer could meet Frenchman Benneteau.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Ten...-Wawrinka.aspx

[San_K]

one interesting fact about Roger Federer and Steffi graf is difference of 5 grandslam titles comes from french open. everything else including no. on each is the same.

Angana thaan Nadal P.S.Veerappa maaRi sirikkuraar

[tamizharasan]

Angana thaan Nadal P.S.Veerappa maaRi sirikkuraar

No one competes on the court better than Nadal. He is true warrior on the court and plays every point as if it is his last point of life but that took a tool on his body lately. So there is no wonder Nadal looks like P.S.Veerappa for federer fans including me.