With Roger's time off, he has of course disappeared off the tennis map over the last 3 weeks.

There is however this article in the New York times today:

Refreshed Roger Federer Ready to Renew Battle in Dubai
By REUTERS
Published: February 20, 2011

Dubai (Reuters) - Roger Federer has brushed off his Australian Open defeat to Novak Djokovic and says he feels as ready as ever to confront the season's challenges.

The world number two, beaten by Djokovic in straight sets in their semi-final in Melbourne, returns to competition at the Dubai championships this week, aiming to recapture a title he last won in 2007.

"I didn't really spend so much time thinking about the match with Novak," Federer told reporters. "It was more in general taking the first month of the year and thinking how has it gone. I felt good physically. Came out of the (Australian Open) tournament feeling good, although obviously it's disappointing to lose.

"After the match I felt fine, although it was really intense. It hasn't always felt that way. Sometimes you leave tournaments and you feel sore, tired, exhausted. Not feeling that way was something that was a big positive for me.

"I thought Novak played great. It was a close match and we've played many in the past. This one went his way but the season is very long so there is no real reason to be too brutal on yourself."

Federer took a break after Melbourne to prepare for a crowded schedule that will now keep him busy until Wimbledon in June.

"Had the perfect vacation," he said. "Spent a lot of time with my kids and (wife) Mirka.

"In the perfect world a body needs time to rest and heal and mentally get away from it all. This time around we had a longer time off and it did me really well. Nice."

Although he turns 30 in August, Federer said he feels the strain of competition much less than he used to.

"I always used to have incredible muscle pain. In tough matches I would come out and barely walk the next day," he said. "Today is different, you know. Basically the Novak match at the end of the Australian Open, which was a tough tournament for me, I had a spring in my step. I was like, 'OK, vacation'.

"When I was young I was like, 'I'm so tired, I'm so exhausted from the mental drag and everything'. And today, after three days, I can start playing tennis again.

"It's a different type of fatigue, I guess, but today I find it easier to handle the stress on tour and the tough matches just because I am so much more fit and I know what to expect, whereas when you are a young guy you don't know your limits so you push that extra bit too hard and be completely exhausted or even injured."

Federer is seeded first in a Dubai tournament that also includes defending champion Djokovic, Wimbledon runner-up Tomas Berdych and 2010 Dubai finalist Mikhail Youzhny.

www.nytimes.com/reuters/2011/02/20/sport...?_r=1&ref=tennis

As I know that CC has its share of fans of RF, feel free to post any other news etc here.

According to ATP stats, Rog needs just three more wins to go above Ilie Nastase on the all-time wins list. After that, Rog is just a handful of wins away from overtaking Pete Sampras in this category.
Only six players have recorded 800 or more wins since 1972. Can you name them ?

sirfredperry wrote:


NO replies from ATP folk? No DN, Tenez, Greasepipe, fah? Al mayb not have had access to CC - maybe he can offer thoughts on this..

Certainly Jimmy Connors is one.

Ivan Lendl possibly another?

Maybe Agassi or McEnroe.

Any players from the 70s? Don't know them very well.

Uh, I don't think we should be writing Fed off just yet. I still believe he has one or two titles left in him (Don't tell the folks at RF.com I said that )

NorthernLight wrote:


I think you've named most of them, apart from Vilas, who also holds the record of the longest match winning streak ,in 1977 .

Thats five out of six , if we're right .Might have to look the other one up

Actually the sixth guy is Edberg. Reckon that Rafa - injuries permitting - will get on the 800-club list and Djoko and Murray have a good chance too.

sirfredperry wrote:


Would not have guessed Edberg! I had even had my doubts about Mac and Agassi, partly because their respective careers did fall off the wagon at times, so maybe their longevity might not have counted in their favour..

Maybe Nadal, Djoko and Murray will all make the 800 club. I would think that longevity is the key - and it remains to be seen whether all 3 of them will remain top players for as long as Federer has. They certainly have the potential to do so, moreso than anyone else in the top 10.

NorthernLight wrote:


I am a bit worried about Murray.He is fast becomeing the almost man and this recent Slam final showing has knocked the wind out of his other lung. And then there is his attitude,still not entirely right,still not bluffing me or the public!!!! I dont know how long he is going to last...

Its a good time to have a Federerwatch thread as he approaches the big 30 . He could be about to lose the No.2 ranking having lost to Nole yet again in Dubai, and in straight sets. Despite being in great form going into the match, he didnt serve well and hit too many unforced errors .He was outhit and outserved almost from the first game.
So the question seem to be, Is Federers best still good enough to beat anyone elses ?

Other big question : Will he ever win another Slam ?

Federer approaches 30?!! I haven't been able to pay as much attention to tennis as I would like over the last 7 months or so.... amazing how quickly time flies. I remember thinking a few years ago I need to get to see Federer play before he retires and thinking I had plenty of time to do so! Maybe not now.

I saw a bit of the AO and I still think Federers best is enough to beat everyone else, well maybe not Nadal, those two on their best days are hard to seperate in my opinion but in terms of the other guys, I think he still has the edge.

Well, it has been just 3 months since Roger beat (an admittedly knackered) Nadal, Murray, Djokovic, Soderling - ie the other 4 of the top 5 - all in the space of a few days - at the YE Masters in London.

And his win/loss record since WImbledon is something like 46-5 - does someone know the stats? He has lost to just Murray, Monfils, Djoko in that time (exluding Rafa exhos) - and maybe one or 2 others - can't remember - but it is not many.

Djoko's positive mental attitude (etc) is a threat - whether he has the physicality to back it up, well, we shall see. Rafa has oodles of points to defend - it will be surprising if he successfully defends even 70% of them.

Federer will be refreshed after his rest. He looked a little jaded in the AO semi - and really overdid it in the Dec-Jan close season, exhos and all that.

Hopefuly the Federer/ Annacone partnership will continue to be a fruitful one. I really enjoyed the more attacking version of Federer in the second half of last season.

hey hes not that old!! im 33 now but still feel i can around like an 18 year old!!

liam_valid wrote:


Exactly!!

It's definitely still possible to mix with the big boys at that age - definitely still youngsters

FEDERER: “I’D TAKE ISNER’S SERVE”
Indian Wells, U.S.A.
by ATP Staff | 14.03.2011

Ever the perfectionist: Roger Federer wouldn't mind trading serves with John Isner.
Roger Federer is arguably the most complete player in tennis history, so it’s hard to imagine any shot that he’d trade. But when asked if he had the chance to take any shot from his opponent, the Swiss hinted that he wouldn’t mind a little extra heat on his serve….

“A good serve is a good start,” said Federer after his second-round win at the BNP Paribas Open on Sunday. “Then you pick the obvious suspect. The ones who are hitting aces and unreturnable serves and can clutch serve all day. One of those big guys, like John [Isner] or [Ivo] Karlovic or [Andy] Roddick and so forth. Guys who have proven themselves over a long period of time, of course, and also have variety.”

The Swiss was also drawn into the one-handed vs two-handed backhand debate, but despite being a master of the single-hander, remained firmly on the fence as to which shot was more advantageous.

“It seems like to have a double-handed backhand has maybe a slight advantage. But if you look at the one handers out there, there are some really good ones. It gives you opportunities on different surfaces maybe to mix it up better. And maybe the reach is not the best with the double-handed, but then if you look at how Djokovic and Nadal and Murray stretch to their backhand, it's quite incredible.”

So, would the 16-time Grand Slam champion like to trade backhands with Murray after singling him out? “I don't know how effective it would be, Murray's backhand with my game,” said Federer. “My game needs my one-handed backhand, I feel, and I don't know how his game would work out with my forehand.”

www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2011/3/...nts-Isner-Serve.aspx

FEDERER UNFAZED BY WORLD NO. 3 RANKING; PRAISES DJOKOVIC

www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2011/3/...zed-By-Rankings.aspx