Tennis Serve Unleashed
Take Your Tennis Serve to the Next Level
Modern Tennis Forehand Ebook
Learn How to Hit a Forehand Like Federer, Nadal and Djokovic
That debate has intensified as Roger has hit some rough sledding of late, first losing to Rafael Nadal on a fairly consistent basis, now encountering another formidable foe in Novak Djokovic.
The debate has shifted from Greatest Of All Time to Best In His Era, which it appears he might not be. This Federer analysis will explore this question as well as take a closer look at Federer’s game. At his peak, however, many analysts were ready to anoint Federer as the GOAT. The only proof that these experts needed was Federer’s reign as the number 1 player in the world, which he held for a record 237 consecutive weeks from 2004-2007. During that incredible period, Federer won 11 major titles, totally dominating the men’s field as no one had done before.
A Federer Game Analysis: The Best Player of All Time?
Beyond even the numbers and a recognition of Federer’s sublime fitness, any Federer analysis must also discuss the man himself and his game. Roger Federer has had all of the qualities that sportsmen treasure in a champion: he is humble, gracious, tenacious, kind, caring, competitive and an extremely hard worker. In victory, he does not gloat. In defeat, he makes no excuses, crediting his conquerors. Off the court, he is a family man who gives time and money to numerous charities.
In short, he is the anti-type to the tennis brat that seemed to dominate the men’s scene for so many years. This well-developed character is probably why many tennis writers have been inclined to anoint Federer as the GOAT, and it is an essential part of any Federer analysis. Who Federer is as a person comes through when he is on the court.
On a tennis court, Federer is a little like a fairy, seemingly gliding all over the terrain and hitting any number of shots with consistency and beauty. Federer’s forehand is smooth and vicious, especially when he angles it. His backhand might be the most beautiful on the men’s tour, full of one-handed purity and exquisite follow-through. His serve is deceptively fast and tricky, full of spins and pace. His volley is solid when activated. Federer has no perceptible holes in his game, another reason why people call him the GOAT. That lack of holes is evident when you look at is record on all surfaces. Unlike most top players, Federer does not have a surface that is his bugaboo, like Pete Sampras and other great champions, the one major that constantly eluded him due to his inflexible game.
To prove this, Federer has gone out and won 6 Wimbledons, 5 U.S. Opens, 4 Australian Opens and 1 French Open. He would have won several more tournaments at Roland Garros were it not for the emergence of Rafael Nadal, his primary nemesis to this point, having defeated Federer four times in the finals of that spectacular tournament. Any Federer analysis needs to include the name of Nadal; he is a central character in the Federer story.
During his reign on top of the world, Federer grew tennis as a sport as millions of fans worldwide admired him for the versatility and splendor of his game and the attractiveness of his character off the court.
As for his ability to win on all surfaces, former champion Jimmy Connors summarized it well: "In an era of specialists, you're either a clay court specialist, a grass court specialist, or a hard court specialist...or you're Roger Federer." Federer is able to gain victories on grass, clay and hard courts because of his speed and exception shot-making ability.
Federer stays on the baseline for the most part but shows no discomfort at the net. He is known as one of the best volleyers on the tour. Federer does not need to venture to the net often because his forehand is so lethal. Tennis commentator and former champion John McEnroe called the Federer forehand "the greatest shot in our sport."
The Federer serve draws praise for its routine consistency and its deceptiveness. With the same toss each time, Federer makes it impossible for his opponents to read what is coming. As he coils his back and turns it to his opponent, the receiver has no idea what type of serve is coming nor where it will be placed. As many champions do, Federer often produces his best serves at key moments, as if he were saving speed for the right occasion. At these times, his serve rises about 10 mph, from 125 to 135, stunning his opponent with the occasional ace when he needs one.
Add that element to the fearsome games of Nadal and Djokovic and you have a perfect recipe for quick decline. What keeps tennis fans interested, however, and Federer backers ready to make yet another case for GOAT, is the question of whether the old lion can summon one last great run to humble his new rivals.