Roger Federer on the way out ?

[cheekyboy]

On 17/09/2022 at 8:54 AM, metal beat said:

The great man has retired at age 41.

 

What a career,  what a player, what a person.

 

Enjoy life after tennis Roger.

 

14 hours ago, Phill451 said:

Shame I could not have seen him play in Australia one more time. I’m not really interested in comparing who is the greatest but I do know Roger was the reason for my interest in tennis for the last 20 years. 

 

Yes, it is a little sad to think we won't get to see him compete at that ATP level again, but as you say Shane, what a career he's had and a true ambassador for the game of tennis. I always thought, especially back in 2011 that it was a little early to be writing Roger off and he did win another 4 grand slam singles titles, two Australian and two Wimbledon after you posed that question back then.

 

It is very difficult to nominate the GOAT in tennis, primarily because it is so difficult to compare generations given the the advancements in equipment technology, sports science and playing surfaces and if you were to go purely on Grand Slam singles titles won, at least for some considerable time, it's probably going to be Novak Djokovic or Rafa Nadal.

 

Roger Federer is the archetypal player's player, with excellent technique, stroke production, movement, court coverage, a head for the game and very good temperament, even though that was apparently not always the case. That combination of attributes in one player is rare and doesn't come around very often and Roger was indeed a hugely gifted player and athlete. Roger is also a very orthodox player and he achieved his lofty levels in the sport with a single handed backhand, which during his time and now, is the exception and not the rule. Regardless, that single handed backhand was a beautifully produced stroke and was too good for most of his opponents, but it was his achilles heel when he played Rafa Nadal, who was one of the few players able to exploit it with high, leaping balls with heavy top spin into that side.

 

I got to see Gonzales and Sedgman for example play live from that era of tennis and I also got to watch live, Rosewall, Hoad, Emerson, Stolle, Newcombe and Roche to name a few very good Australian players, as well as Jimmy Connors live, but regret never catching either Borg or McEnroe play live. These players and many, many more have a legitimate claim to greatness or being the best, but for me right now, Roger Federer is the best player I've ever seen play the game.

 

Cheers,

 

Keith

Edited September 17, 2022 by cheekyboy