2018 ABN Amro World Tennis Tournament...ATP 500...Rotterdam, Netherlands

[klacr]

Rotterdam is one of my favorite tournaments. Maybe because the Netherlands is one of my favorite countries and the people are tall. Or because Richard Krajicek is one of my favorite players and happens to be the tournament director, or that Rotterdam is a huge port city where money, commerce and trade happen. Or because they always get a strong draw. Either way, This is fed's to win.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[gzhpcu]

Very tight match against Kohlschreiber, who has very powerful strokes. One to go...

[don_budge]

"It's Complicated"...Roger Federer

Very tight match against Kohlschreiber, who has very powerful strokes. One to go...

It seems so simple...just go out and beat a guy that you have beaten 12 times in a row...and then shit happens. Roger Federer gives us a little glimpse as to his thought process during a match such as the one he won against Philipp Kohlshreiber last night 7-6, 7-5.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/...-2018-thursday

Well, that's what he said. But it looked to me as if Roger was playing an exhibition match and gave the crowd their money's worth. William Tilden used to do this back in his day. I would go so far as to hypothesize Tilden may have let that first set get away so he could make a big show of coming from behind to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Perhaps...perhaps not. But it interesting how a player can go from one extreme of being so perfect the night before to struggling to finding their rhythm. As he said.

Robin Hasse absolutely made Tallon Griekspoor wish that his mother never had him after Tallon made Stan Wawrinka make a wish that his mother never had him. Griekspoor goes from defeating the world's number 4 or 5, depending on who you talk to, to losing to fellow country man and world's number 42, 6-4 6-0. How does this stuff happen? Well a lot of it is in the preparation. Roger who is so good at this aspect of tennis has wiggle room. If he is off and doesn't have it down right in the beginning he knows how to navigate and tread water until it is time to strike. For instance when he was down 4-6 tiebreak he is focused solely on one thought. How to get to 5-6. That is exactly what he did and he will do it by hook or by crook. Whatever it takes...it doesn't hurt that he has all of the strokes. But he knows when it is time to throw "style" out the window and get down to brass tacks.

It appears that this business of being number one in the world again is almost a foregone conclusion. Federer won't admit it until he has the horse in the barn and that is one of the things that makes him the genius on the court that he is. But looking ahead I wonder how long he can hang on to the ranking. I sure hope he has a change of heart and plays the French...what would that do for his point output klacr since he didn't play last year?

Great fielding by the way the other day on the other question that I posed to you. Who has the record for the number of weeks at number one?

Federer is currently 2nd all time on the career match wins list with 1,139. He is chasing Jimmy Connors who has 1,256.
Federer is also 2nd on list of career titles with 96. Connors holds this record with 109.
Federer 2nd all time on total career matches played with 1389. Connors holds #1 spot with 1,535.
Federer does have the record of # of wins vs. Top 10 opponents with 213 victories. The next best is Novak Djokovic with 181 wins. Connors has 83.
Connors holds the record for # of wins on grass courts with 170. Federer is 2nd with 164.
Both Connors and Federer are tied for the all-time record of consecutive seasons reaching a final with 19. Connors from 1971-1989 and Federer from 2000-2018.

I'm sure there are a few more but those are the ones that come to mind.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[don_budge]

Who has the record for the number of weeks at number one?

Answer: Roger Federer with 302. Soon to be 303.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ATP_number_1_ranked_singles_tennis_players

[gzhpcu]

Here us another one: if he wins tonight he will set a record for the most time elapsed (more than five years) to return to No. 1 since the last time he held top spot (4 October, 2012).

[klacr]

"It's Complicated"...Roger Federer



It seems so simple...just go out and beat a guy that you have beaten 12 times in a row...and then shit happens. Roger Federer gives us a little glimpse as to his thought process during a match such as the one he won against Philipp Kohlshreiber last night 7-6, 7-5.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/...-2018-thursday

Well, that's what he said. But it looked to me as if Roger was playing an exhibition match and gave the crowd their money's worth. William Tilden used to do this back in his day. I would go so far as to hypothesize Tilden may have let that first set get away so he could make a big show of coming from behind to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Perhaps...perhaps not. But it interesting how a player can go from one extreme of being so perfect the night before to struggling to finding their rhythm. As he said.

Robin Hasse absolutely made Tallon Griekspoor wish that his mother never had him after Tallon made Stan Wawrinka make a wish that his mother never had him. Griekspoor goes from defeating the world's number 4 or 5, depending on who you talk to, to losing to fellow country man and world's number 42, 6-4 6-0. How does this stuff happen? Well a lot of it is in the preparation. Roger who is so good at this aspect of tennis has wiggle room. If he is off and doesn't have it down right in the beginning he knows how to navigate and tread water until it is time to strike. For instance when he was down 4-6 tiebreak he is focused solely on one thought. How to get to 5-6. That is exactly what he did and he will do it by hook or by crook. Whatever it takes...it doesn't hurt that he has all of the strokes. But he knows when it is time to throw "style" out the window and get down to brass tacks.

It appears that this business of being number one in the world again is almost a foregone conclusion. Federer won't admit it until he has the horse in the barn and that is one of the things that makes him the genius on the court that he is. But looking ahead I wonder how long he can hang on to the ranking. I sure hope he has a change of heart and plays the French...what would that do for his point output klacr since he didn't play last year?

Great fielding by the way the other day on the other question that I posed to you. Who has the record for the number of weeks at number one?

The fact that Federer skipped the clay season last year means he has zero points to defend and everything to gain. If he played in just one clay court event this year or entered in Monte Carlo, Rome, Madrid he would be guaranteed points as he would have a bye and automatically make the 2nd round and collect points. But Roger is a master at knowing his body and whats best. Skip the clay season for another wimbledon title? Sure, why not?

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[don_budge]

The fact that Federer skipped the clay season last year means he has zero points to defend and everything to gain. If he played in just one clay court event this year or entered in Monte Carlo, Rome, Madrid he would be guaranteed points as he would have a bye and automatically make the 2nd round and collect points. But Roger is a master at knowing his body and whats best. Skip the clay season for another wimbledon title? Sure, why not?

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

Google "Federer to Play the French?" It looks to me that he will. Just a guess...call it a hunch.

[gzhpcu]

Break out the champagne! Roger is number 1 again!

[bottle]

All true. But one "teachable moment" for recreational and tournament players deserves attention here too. That is a point in the video where Kohlschreiber is at the net and Federer drills him.

Brent Abel makes the point that too many players are needlessly nervous at the net for fear of getting hit.

And that when they see the opponent taking a possible bead on them they tighten their hand on the racket which in turn causes their whole body to become rigid.

Which robs them of any chance for versatility, cleverness and "good hands." Tightening your grip, he points out, is a way to get hit-- the very thing you didn't want.

One can see that Kohlschreiber stayed loose in his hand and everywhere else and thus was able to angle off the shot. (Almost as if Federer wanted to showcase the K. talents and make him look good.)

[bottle]

What would we do if we didn't have mein Steve to explain Roger Federer for us? We'd be at a loss, right? Why do we always have to have mein Steve with his big fat ego to intervene in our experience of Roger Federer?

Also mein Steve would achieve more editorial clarity if he could ever remember to correct the most common error in the English language. I got my form of the correction from the cover of a kid's book just right for mein Steve. Possessive its never splits.

And why does mein Steve feel the need to malign Geoffrey Williams from an exchange so long ago? I have come to appreciate Geoffrey Williams more and more-- not for his exchange with mein Steve on the subject of Bill Tilden but because he was one of the only forum members brave enough to confront mein Steve on his attitude toward women tennis players.

Lastly, I think that when you're maligning someone you should name him. To allude may be as bad as to collude.

[don_budge]

Being Roger Federer...

Break out the champagne! Roger is number 1 again!

This occasion might call for something a bit stronger if you get my drift.

Yes...God Bless him...and Tilden, Gonzalez, Budge and Hopman. It is quite an accomplishment to climb to the top of the mountain once again. What an ascent. Precisely when Novak Djokovic started his ascent of spending 223 weeks on top of the mountain I wrote that he was "Meteoric". I started this thread back in March of 2011. I was just getting my feet wet here on the forum. I wish that I hadn't deleted my post. I was new and there was one "loudmouth" cantankerous SOB that was drooling at the mouth about my use of Bill Tilden in referencing tennis knowledge. But Djokovic appeared at the summit in July of 2011. Djokovic remained at the top or near it until he relinquished his hold on the throne to Andy Murray in November of 2016. The meteor came and went...apparently. Enough said.

https://www.tennisplayer.net/bulleti...kovic-meteoric

But this "old guy" has gone with the ebb and flow. Like a cagey veteran that he is...his five setter against Marin Cilic in the 2018 Australian Open Finals further testimony to his ability to not only go with said ebb and flow in a tennis match but to go with it over time. Over vast expanses of time. What does that tell you about his makeup? Intestinal fortitude? Courage? Grace? Style? Roger was first at the summit in February of 2004 and now here he is again in February of 2018. Do you have any idea how much time that is in terms of a tennis player's longevity? As they say in the don_budge tennis school of thought...it ain't the miles, it's the terrain. Fourteen years is a very, very long time indeed. Now he is back.

So notwithstanding the remainder of this tournament we put ourselves in Roger's shoes. Surely this is just a number in a sense but it is more than that. It is symbolic in nature and it also gives the man a new lease on life. He stands at 303 weeks at the summit at this point in time. Who's to say that he cannot stay there for some significant period of time in the near foreseeable future? All of he challengers are in a word "challenge" at this point. The question mark is "FAFA" Nadal...that great con artist. His status is a question mark after that cowardly exit at the Australian against Marin Cilic. He will make it all serve to his storyline like all great "Straw Men" and other liars. He may be holed up juicing his brains out trying to eek out another run on the tour. He may make up a lot of ground come clay court season.

But the rest of the crew do not look like they have the same possibilities. Novak is mired in some issues with his elbow and will have to realize the he is going to have to make it outside of the comfort zone if he is going to make it back to the top. He is going to have to bite the bullet and play through the pain. No easy task with all of the other nonsense swirling around in his life. It's hard to keep a smile on when the elbow is throbbing. Andy Murray? Anybody heard from him lately. Last I heard it was surgery on the hip. What are his chances of recovering enough mobility to dethrone the "Once and Future King" as I once dubbed Federer. Another pearl from the don_budge school of tennis. He is the King once again. Enough said.

Stan Wawrinka and the rest of the also rans remain where they are. Running on a treadmill somewhere...going no place fast. That is why they are called also rans. So it is Roger who controls his destiny now. He is the "captain of his own ship" as I like to tell the student. What better example of this than that? Great sentence here. What better example of this than that? I like that one. But anyways...come clay court season Roger can only accumulate...he cannot regress. Per klacr. I wonder how he is calculating things. I can only go so far although I have been in his head for so long now. Calling the shots...a keyboard warrior they call me. Did you see the movie "Being John Malkovic"? Would you believe me if I told you I was writing a movie called "Being Roger Federer"? No? You are too smart for me. I lied.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7ahIGLNNwo

I've only been a fly on the wall. A voice in the wilderness. I kind of like it here. I found a little niche in life. don_budge. Just a figment of my own imagination coupled with the concept of tennis and life. God Bless Roger Federer...and you too.

Who's Next? The Who?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyuE1C0-ES8

No silly...it is none other than Anybody. This time it just happens to be Andreas Seppi. If I am Roger Federer that defeat down under some years ago still sticks in my craw. Tonight I am going to make him wish his mother never had him. Actually Roger is in exhibition mode. That match against Hasse last night was as I wrote of Tilden the other day. Throwing the first set and coming back from 4-6, 6-1, 6-1. Making a point of making a point. Naw Federer is feeling something I have never come close to feeling. He's on top of the mountain once again...looking down. What a great feeling that must be. He's in a good mood. Benevolant even. But watch out Andreas...he remembers that backhand you hit against him that went floating down the line and somehow stayed in. He still remembers. I know I remember. Being Roger Federer has it's lucid moments. But he knows what the score was then and he knows what the score is now. He's on top. Like a sparrow flying over your head on the top of the summit and all you can here are the sound of his wings going...swoooooosh.

[gzhpcu]

Federer is phenomenal. All his younger competitors fall to the wayside with injuries, not surprising considering their style of play. The so called next generation the ATP is hyping about, is not ready yet. Federer looks good for a while yet. When he decides to retire, it does not seem as if a dominating player is around.

[bottle]

Federer is phenomenal. All his younger competitors fall to the wayside with injuries, not surprising considering their style of play. The so called next generation the ATP is hyping about, is not ready yet. Federer looks good for a while yet. When he decides to retire, it does not seem as if a dominating player is around.

I'd rather hear it from you than from the other guy. I'm sick of the other guy. In my view he's worn out his welcome with all his huge harangues. But you may feel the same about me-- that's all right.

[tennis_chiro]

Chung is my pick for NEXT. Still hoping for Shapovalov; he's very young and all the weapons. But Chung is the better in the forecourt than Zverev or Rublev. He is in the draw in Delray Beach next week and it will be very interesting to see if he justifies my thought. To me, he is the next one capable of winning more than 5 Majors. The serve is atrocious, but on the serve, the ball is in your hands. They may not be able to get him to serve great, but they should be able to get him to serve adequately enough to complement his speed and groundstrokes. In my book, he is a beast.

But Federer should be able to rule the roost for another year. If Nadal can get healthy, he will definitely keep the boys at bay for at least another couple of years. But none of the rest seem capable of handling the burden of being number one. Oh, they may pick up one or two Majors, but they will not be able to unseat Roger this year or Rafa next, in their perch above everyone else.

I just wish I could work with Chung on his serve for about 3 months. I think with even a decent action, he would dominate with the play he showed in the Aussie Open before his feet gave out on him. Really impressed me.

I don't find Dimitrov or Cilic mentally strong enough to rule the roost. Certainly dangerous, but just not tough enough. Novak and Andy are on injured reserve until proven otherwise and it doesn't look good for either of them. If there was a way for Diego Schwartzman to do a mind meld with Nick Kygyrios, now that would be a player to reckon with. But the muscle between the ears is still the most important one to be reckoned with.

don

[stotty]

Chung is my pick for NEXT. Still hoping for Shapovalov; he's very young and all the weapons. But Chung is the better in the forecourt than Zverev or Rublev. He is in the draw in Delray Beach next week and it will be very interesting to see if he justifies my thought. To me, he is the next one capable of winning more than 5 Majors. The serve is atrocious, but on the serve, the ball is in your hands. They may not be able to get him to serve great, but they should be able to get him to serve adequately enough to complement his speed and groundstrokes. In my book, he is a beast.

But Federer should be able to rule the roost for another year. If Nadal can get healthy, he will definitely keep the boys at bay for at least another couple of years. But none of the rest seem capable of handling the burden of being number one. Oh, they may pick up one or two Majors, but they will not be able to unseat Roger this year or Rafa next, in their perch above everyone else.

I just wish I could work with Chung on his serve for about 3 months. I think with even a decent action, he would dominate with the play he showed in the Aussie Open before his feet gave out on him. Really impressed me.

I don't find Dimitrov or Cilic mentally strong enough to rule the roost. Certainly dangerous, but just not tough enough. Novak and Andy are on injured reserve until proven otherwise and it doesn't look good for either of them. If there was a way for Diego Schwartzman to do a mind meld with Nick Kygyrios, now that would be a player to reckon with. But the muscle between the ears is still the most important one to be reckoned with.

don

I think the problem with players like Cilic and Dimitrov and many others like them is they have spent so many years in the shadow of the Big 4. You feel certain they have developed an inferiority complex by now....I mean they have lost over and over again.

The newer crowd are still young but you feel Kyrgios is the only one with the balls and the confidence to win on a big stage. It's a shame he's so stupid and self-destructive at times. At the moment, outside of Roger, anyone can lose to anyone it seems.

To me, it looks like Federer will finish up like he started his career, mopping up in a weak field. Nadal is less effective than he was since his forehand has become flatter. I felt he won the US Open last year because the draw truly opened up for him. His tactics at times are bizarre when you consider where the game has gone. Other than on clay, retreating miles behind the baseline is a game no longer viable. His match against Muller at Wimbledon last year tactically ridiculous, yet he nearly won, which I found amazing.

I feel Chung is certainly a decent bet but yes the serve is a handicap. We said the same of Nishikori, didn't we?

I still think Zverez will push through. He is the only one of the young crowd to have won anything. He's beaten Djokovic and Roger and come awful close against Rafa. He's still only 20.