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Hi all, I read with interest the Australia Open thread and wrote a little blog with my thoughts. Obviously this is just my opinion so feel free to disagree (in the nicest way possible of course!).
Roger's tears reveal a deeper pain
Like many I sat up watching the truly epic Australian Open Final last night and was amazed by the quality of tennis from both players.
I really felt for Roger at the presentation when he broke down. To put so much effort into your greatest passion only to fail at the last hurdle is utterly heart-breaking.
If you’ve ever put your heart and soul into something only to find your efforts have not been enough, it really can cripple you emotionally.
That’s not to say Roger Federer is a failure. The man has 13 Grand Slam titles and over $44m in prize money. Many even regard him as the best ever.
But behind the tears last night was more than just disappointment at losing an important game — a game that would have seen him equal Pete Sampras’ Grand Slam record. The reality has sunk in for him. He was, definitively, no longer the world’s best player.
Since Nadal utterly annihilated Federer at last year’s French Open, the specualtion started—Nadal was the new number one and Federer had lost his unbeatable aura. Nadal was showing impressive results, but many (including myself) felt his clay court dominance could not be translated onto faster surfaces where Federer excelled.
How wrong I was…
Nadal has come so far since his win at Wimbledon last year. That’s the scary thing about him—the level of improvement he continues to show. Every time I watch him play his game looks better and more refined.
I’m not going to beat around the bush here—Federer was playing with a clear advantage before a ball had even been hit. He had an extra day rest, and Nadal had played a five hour five-setter in his semi under extreme heat. Nadal is a super-fit guy, but even for him it must have had an effect on his final preparation, especially compared to Federer whose game against Roddick looked like nothing more than a training run.
The two are obviously very close in skill, but Nadal seems to trump Federer in some key areas. Firstly, Federer’s backhand needs some serious improvement if he wants to get back to the top. The last set in particular highlighted this problem as Nadal constantly pounded his backhand with his brutal topspin forehands and it cracked under the pressure. If Federer ever had a weakness in his career, it has been his backhand, but nobody I’ve seen has been good enough to exploit it like Nadal has.
Next in line is mental toughness. In years gone past, Federer was cool under pressure no matter the opponent or occasion. Whenever the big points came he was always able to step up and do what had to be done. While he’s still as strong mentally versus any other opponents, against Nadal he looks tense; unsteady. He looks pressured. He looked like someone who doubted himself after losing his last two Grand Slam finals to the same player. When the big points came last night, it was Nadal who stepped up and grabbed them. As much as Roger tried there was just this inevitable feeling Nadal had the edge.
Before the tournament started, Federer was — for the first time since 2004 — the number two seed at a Grand Slam. It irked him too — you could see it on his face and even in his pre-match interviews. He still believed he was number one.
After last night’s game, the reality seemed to set in — he really wasn’t the number one anymore.
Looking ahead, it will be interesting to see how the rivalry evolves, and how Federer will react at his “demotion” to number two. Some have suggested Federer won’t be able to bounce back after this latest set-back and the downward slide has well and truly begun. I don’t believe this is the case. As the old saying goes, “Form is temporary, but class is permanent.” Roger Federer is too good to just fade into the background. His era of dominance is well and truly over, but he is still a great player capable of winning Grand Slams — just not at the rate of three a year.
If anything Federer has become a victim of his own success. We all became so used to him winning we just expected it. Now as he heads into the final phase of his career and the competition has caught up, people are trying to figure where he belongs in the list of tennis greats.
In wrapping up, I want to acknowledge the efforts of Rafa Nadal. He has truly shown the world he is the best tennis player. Three consecutive Grand Slam victories against your closest rival on three different surfaces is damning proof. There is no more speculation or excuses — Nadal is the best tennis player going around.
Roger Federer is a legend of the game and the next couple of seasons will show the world whether or not he truly deserves to be known as the best ever. He has never faced a greater challenge in his career and his ability to rise above will be one of the most defining chapters in his legacy to the game.
Let’s just hope that includes many more epic five-setters!
  
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is there anywhere i can watch this online?
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If you mean the Ausie open, it has finished.
Nice read, i feel the same way.
Tho i've always cheered for Nadal when he was the underdog. I just loved the Roland garros, watched every stage of it.
But know when its the other way around i dont know what to think. You just can't not appreciate the greatness of both players.
They always made good games and will do in future, i have no doubts!
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reminds me of savior-bisu 
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amazing write up, and the games were fucking intense too, but i don't really understand the deeper concepts of the game beside hit ball over net
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i've never seen an athlete cry like that. usually they let out a few tears and their eyes go red, but man federer just let out a fountain of emotion. I think he bottled everything for the whole setter at during the ceremony it hit him that he had last and that the sun was setting behind him, so to speak.
the sad thing was on the tennis forum that i post on all the nadal fanboys were calling him a bitch for crying. i hate people like that. The guy just lost a championship, a huge paycheck, a historical record, and maybe a part of his emotional well being. Most of the guys who were calling him a bitch would probably sulk at the thought of missing their favorite t.v. show.
anyway, i hope federer can bounce back from this devastating defeat. But i dont know, i think nadal has his number. he's been beaten on 3 different services by nadal, and there are far too many good players coming up for him to easily attain his 14th. good luck none the less.
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I agree with most except that Federer's era of dominance - you said it's oveR? He owns everyone not named Nadal, so I'd say his era of dominance isn't anywhere near over.
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On February 02 2009 11:20 avilo wrote:
I agree with most except that Federer's era of dominance - you said it's oveR? He owns everyone not named Nadal, so I'd say his era of dominance isn't anywhere near over.
Can't agree here. In 2008 Federer had losing records against five of the top 10 players - Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Gilles Simon, Andy Roddick and James Blake.
Blake and Roddick I will concede are anomolies, but the others beat Fed consistently.
I still think he's a better player than all the top 10 bar Nadal, but he's not the dead-certainty he once was. You're not really that surprised nowdays if you see someone like Simon, Djokovic or Murrat beat Fed.
I actually think Verdasco is going to be the next big thing though . He really impressed me vs Nadal more than Fed.
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On February 02 2009 11:47 RowdierBob wrote:Show nested quote +On February 02 2009 11:20 avilo wrote:
I agree with most except that Federer's era of dominance - you said it's oveR? He owns everyone not named Nadal, so I'd say his era of dominance isn't anywhere near over. Can't agree here. In 2008 Federer had losing records against five of the top 10 players - Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Gilles Simon, Andy Roddick and James Blake. Blake and Roddick I will concede are anomolies, but the others beat Fed consistently. I still think he's a better player than all the top 10 bar Nadal, but he's not the dead-certainty he once was. You're not really that surprised nowdays if you see someone like Simon, Djokovic or Murrat beat Fed. I actually think Verdasco is going to be the next big thing though . He really impressed me vs Nadal more than Fed.
After this episode of events, Fed is obviously dropping down the ranks, now this could either go two ways
1: Fed grows a pair and starts going crazy practice omfgbbqsauce and just dominates everyone in the next events of tennis
2: I really dont know
Federer.. has just been bested, everyone loves him we know, but I guess his time of dominance is over, but wow, his reign has been long
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Looked to me like it's what the big RF needed to get him into WTFCRAZYWINEVERYTHINGMODE..
Watch it happen.. and as for Verdasco as next big thing? Sure he's good but just going into a 5 setter against Nadal doesn't automatically make him the next big thing.. If he'd of made finals then i might of agree'd.
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honestly its hard not to see the similarities between savior and federer
as a fan of both, its been painful
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United States10774 Posts
RowdierBob, this was an awesome read. I agree with every single point you made. In fact, these were the exact things that were going through my head as I watched the last few exchanges of the fifth set. Even though Nadal is definitely the number one player now, which I haven't fully acknowledged until last night's match, I am confident Federer will win more Grand Slam titles and beat Sampras' record. Nevertheless, amazing performance by Nadal. He never ceases to improve, and you can clearly see that in every tournament he plays. His mental strength, fierce competitiveness, athleticism, and all the other qualities are truly unbelievable. The commentators were talking about Nadal's fatigue towards the end of the third set, but this guy just proves everybody wrong. And of course, their sportsmanship and behavior are exemplary for not only the tennis players around the world, but all other athletes as well. What a great rivalry.
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LOL? It pains me to see people here trying to compare savior to federer when he JUST MADE A FUCKING GRAND SLAM FINAL LOL.
Look, a slump is where you basically start sucking, you stop winning shiot, you stop doing stuff within the scene.
Federer keeps making it to finals, it just happens that Nadal is also a player that will end up being a legend just as much as Federer is.
This Savior/Federer comparison is absolute BS. Is savior still making OSL/MSL finals and dominating virtually everyone in the scene? ...because Federer is still at the top lol. Some people here are just as bad as the talking heads on TV, OH NO FEDERER IS RANK "TWO!!!!" HE'S SLUMPING!!!
LOL?
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On February 04 2009 07:49 avilo wrote:
LOL? It pains me to see people here trying to compare savior to federer when he JUST MADE A FUCKING GRAND SLAM FINAL LOL.
Look, a slump is where you basically start sucking, you stop winning shiot, you stop doing stuff within the scene.
Federer keeps making it to finals, it just happens that Nadal is also a player that will end up being a legend just as much as Federer is.
This Savior/Federer comparison is absolute BS. Is savior still making OSL/MSL finals and dominating virtually everyone in the scene? ...because Federer is still at the top lol. Some people here are just as bad as the talking heads on TV, OH NO FEDERER IS RANK "TWO!!!!" HE'S SLUMPING!!!
LOL?
Game. Set. Match
Interesting read 
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plus savior probably sucks at tennis
WHY DOES HE REMIND ANYONE OF FEDERER AT ALL LOLOLOLOLLOL
HIS BACKHAND SLICE IS PROBABLY GARBAGE FEDERERS IS AWESUM
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United States17042 Posts
On February 04 2009 14:30 fusionsdf wrote:
plus savior probably sucks at tennis
WHY DOES HE REMIND ANYONE OF FEDERER AT ALL LOLOLOLOLLOL
HIS BACKHAND SLICE IS PROBABLY GARBAGE FEDERERS IS AWESUM
Backhand slice of savior. That's an image/clip that i'm having trouble imagining. Although if he got his gamesense back...
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EPT
