Only weeks after his heartbreaking defeat against Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer took the court for his first match in Toronto and lost.
Wait, say that again? Roger lost?!?
Yep, Roger Federer, the most dominating player in recent tennis history, fell to No. 22 ranked Gilles Simon.
Who?
I suppose the "who" doesn't matter as much as the "why".
This is a sad day in tennis, because its unbeatable, unwavering champion is suddenly looking quite human. Two Grand Slam losses in a row, added to the surprising loss on Wednesday, and suddenly the warning lights are turning on for Roger Federer.
I myself stated that Roger Federer would easily rebound from his loss to Nadal in the Wimbledon final, and that his superb play over the course of the next month and a half would make the U.S. Open one of the most interesting tournaments in recent history.
But I don't think anyone expected this. Is it that Federer is losing confidence in his game? I don't think so. His first set domination proved that he is a long way away from losing his form.
Was it a superior opponent? I do not think so there either. Simon is a great up-and-coming player, but he is not the type of competition that would defeat the great Federer on Day One of a tournament.
Personally, I believe it has been the rising pressure that has been put on Federer's shoulders the last two weeks. The media has been asking "Is this the end for Roger?" and "Has Roger finally been broken?", and that obviously is having a huge toll on Roger's psyche.
For four years, he has stood firmly at number one, and no one has come close to knocking him off his throne. Following his Wimbledon defeat, Federer undoubtedly had to be wondering if he was going to lose the top ranking. Anyone who says that they don't think about that is not being honest, in my opinion.
Federer has lost before in the Grand Slam tune ups, but for the most part it has been in the quarterfinal, semifinal, or the final, and no one has said anything about it, because all players are human. No man can win EVERY tournament he plays in, but it was his ability to make it to EVERY semifinal and final that made him a great player for the last four years.
I, like many, expected Federer to come into Toronto and walk through the early rounds, and make it into the final unscathed, because that is what tennis fans expect of him. It was this expectation, coupled with the immense pressure to prove that Wimbledon wasn't the end of him, that ultimately brought Roger down.
Why did he seemingly shut down after the first set? Some will say he went on cruise control, and thought that he could get through the rest of the match that way. I do not think this was the case.
I think that once Simon showed signs of life in the second set, Roger tried too hard to prove that he was still the dominating force that took him to the top. He started over hitting his forehands, and they weren't hitting their marks, which is very atypical of Federer.
He gave much of the credit to Simon.
"He's a good baseliner. We saw that today. He moves well. He's deceiving because he's kind of thin and tall but moves really well for his height, you know. He flicks a lot of balls with his backhand as well, so when you come in you can't see where he plays." (ESPN.com)
Every sporting athlete will praise their opponent when they find themselves on the losing end of a competition, but in this case, I believe that Roger Federer played beyond his comfort zone, and did not play "Roger Federer tennis".
This is reality check number two for Federer, and just like Wimbledon, this tournament makes the U.S. Open look VERY interesting for tennis fans.
Not only might we see Rafael Nadal emerge as the number one player in the world during the next couple of weeks, but we might also see a broken Roger Federer struggle to find his way back to form before the Open.
After Wednesday, I have a new outlook on the tennis world- NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE.
comments (8) write a comment »
write a new comment
2 months ago
Tyler
lovely - very good flow to the read, loved it
There is nothin wrong with Rodge, yeah, he has lost in the past 2 slams yes - but in the FINALS
As he enters a new phase hes just gonna have to accept he will lose more - as shud we
i dont much care about toronto - its New York baby - thats all I really care about
bad day - nothin more
from 2 months ago
I agree, my eyes are dead set on New York, I can't wait much longer. I haven't been this interested in a Grand Slam in a long time.
Can't wait to see him rebound though, I want to believe he will come in a sweep through the competition and make things fun in the later rounds.
Let's just hope he doesn't have another bad day like today before he gets there!
Thanks for the comments Long, I'll be sure to keep 'em coming!
2 months ago
keep the articles coming will ya - will be good to have a consistent writer in the tennis section
2 months ago
One quick comment: it was his first match, but he had a bye so it was a second round match. You make a good point in arguing that he's not use to the pressure or media attention on him losing, but I'm not sure how true that is. Remember before 2003's Wimbledon triumph? The media was all over him for not yet breaking through.
Anyway, nice article. It was a good, fun read!
2 months ago
Ahhh, I fixed that in my article, thank you.
I can see your point. The only argument I will make against that is that it is a different type of pressure he is experiencing. Winning 1 GS vs. Winning 1 GS 6 times in a Row. Losing in 5 sets in what could have been the record-breaking final has to have a profound effect on you mentally, and certainly the media will feed on that until he can break through again and prove to them that he can still win.
from 2 months ago
That's true. It is definitely a different scenario. Plus, he has faced more attention being number one than he ever did while he was expected to become number one. Like you said to me, I look forward to reading more of your articles!
2 months ago
check out this article
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/40579-roger-federer-the-next-andre-agassi
intersting parallels
2 months ago
2008 is not Roger Federer's year, or so me thinks! Nice read!
write a new comment