Roger Federer: Dubai Loss Raises Questions About Decline in His Game

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: February 26, 2011

commentComment        

It was painful - again - for me to watch Roger Federer lose another tournament to Novak Djokovic this morning. Djokovic trounced Federer 6-3, 6-3 in the Dubai Tennis Championships and the match didn't seem close most of the time. Last month, Djokovic also beat Federer in the semi-finals of the Australian Open before he defeated Andy Murray in the finals.

As a fan, I love Federer and want him to keep playing at the highest level for as long as possible.  But in the finals of the Dubai event, Federer again appeared more flawed and vulnerable than ever.

This match was much less of a contest than the Federer-Djokovic match at the 2011 Australian Open.  Federer only looked strong during a short spurt in the second set, when he went ahead of Djokovic 3-1, but he regressed into his bad form and Djokovic dominated until the end.

At this point, like all Federer fans and observers, I'm trying to determine if Fed has, in fact, begun to decline, or if he can mount a comeback and make a few key changes in his game to win a few more majors.  I must say that the more I watch him, the more worried I am that his game is spiraling downward - perhaps in slow motion, but still downward. 

I say that after watching Federer play in all the majors for the past few years. The bad trends, unfortunately, are indisputable.   His serve, which had been dominating and such an important piece of his entire game, has become more average.  In fact, in the past year or so, his serve has become even a vulnerability.  His most talented adversaries - Rafael Nadal and Djokovic - have made it a habit to pounce on Fed's second serve and take the offensive in rallies that they're then winning more often.  In today's match, Federer lost a lot of points off his second serve and he often didn't get this first serve in, and when he did, it was quite playable for Djokovic.

Can't Federer practice and get ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis

Latest News


Comments

Comments are closed.

Sponsors

Bruins Tickets The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Red Wings Tickets The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League.

Penguins Tickets The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New York Rangers Tickets play their home games at Madison Square Garden, they are one of the oldest teams in the NHL, having joined in 1926 as an expansion franchise, and are part of the group of teams referred to as the Original Six.

San Jose Sharks Tickets The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States.

Toronto Maple Leafs Tickets The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New Jersey Devils Tickets The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Washington Capitals Tickets The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C.

Buffalo Sabres Tickets The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League. Get the Sabres and all of your NHL Tickets here.

NASCAR season is on of the most attended sports in the world. NASCAR Tickets to the best tracks is a must every year. Some of these tracks are: Talladega Tickets, Lowes Motor Speedway Tickets, Pocono Raceway Tickets, located in Ridgeway Virginia you have Martinsville Speedway Tickets and southern US you have two of the most popular Atlanta Motor Speedway Tickets and Texas Motor Speedway Tickets. Don't miss all the racing events this year!

Boston Red Sox Tickets The Boston Red Sox are a member of the Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Since 1912, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park. This is one of the hottest MLB Tickets sales of any team in the major league.

New York Yankees Tickets The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York and are a member of Major League Baseball's American League East Division. Get tickets to one of the hottest games of the season Yankees Red Sox Tickets.

Chicago Cubs Tickets The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League.

Phillies Tickets The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883.

Orioles Tickets The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland.

Do you love wrestling? Get your WWE Tickets and WWE Survivor Series Tickets today!