Comments on: Thoughts On Federer’s Loss To Julien Benneteau

By: Nishant

Nishant — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 08:51:07 +0000

Hey Leo,

Your comments reminded me of my visit to the Arena to watch the same match. And I used precisely the same word (‘surreal’) to describe my experience to a friend. I’d bought the ticket thinking that there was a 50% chance that Fed would play in the evening slot. He did and it was really a superb match and truly one of my best experiences. It was the first live match I’d seen and to get to see my Tennis Hero play in person was a dream come true.
The best thing was that since Murray was playing as well, there was equal support from the crowd for both players. The atmosphere truly was electric. And the way Roger moved and his sublime backhands and the precision and control of his forehands were really, as you put it, out of this world. I hope you get to see him at Wimbledon this year.

By: Leo

Leo — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 09:13:59 +0000

Just saw Federer beat Murray last night at the O2 arena. What an amazing venue and a breathtaking atmosphere. It was a great match and fulfilled a long ambition to see the great man (Federer) play live..it’s just not the same on TV is it? Somehow I had always ‘missed’ him when going to Wimbledon each year.

As the O2 will be staging the World Championships for the next 5 years I urge anyone to visit, you will NOT be dissapionted.

Federer’s display of tennis was awesome. What struck me most watching him live was his incredible and graceful movement. He was rarely ever caught out of position, always in the right place, and his shot selection and execution…out of this world.

If you are a die-hard tennis fan, like me, and enjoy playing the game, then
watching Federer ‘in the flesh’ is a surreal experinece, you can learn so much from it!

By: Jean Landry

Jean Landry — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:17:05 +0000

I saw part of the match and I have to agree with J.Marc
Federer seemed to have his mind wondering, probably in a hurry to rejoin his new family members and to refocus himself for London. I dont agree with Nior on the impact of his age. He is a fit and still youg man.

By: Peter J. Marc

Peter J. Marc — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 21:39:59 +0000

I watched this match in Paris. My impression was that Roger wanted a quick out from this tournament in order to rest for the Masters in London. He did not seem very unhappy in loosing.

By: Tomaz

Tomaz — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 07:59:00 +0000

Hey Nior,

As you can see, all players sooner or later lose to lower ranked players. You cannot play every day at your 100% and sometimes you lose.

The first thing is to accept this as normal and not dwell on it. If you keep thinking and worrying about, it won’t be just a small chance that it happens, but now YOU will be the cause of the defeat.

By: Nior nti

Nior nti — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 04:53:53 +0000

That is a question that lingers in my mind everytime I lose to player with a lower ranking than me. I need more mental practice to see the problem. Or possibly, I understimate the opponent that I lower the quality of my game.

I don’t know what was in Roger’s mind at that time but I think the age factor is coming to the fore. Benneteau’s win was probably due to his inspired play before a home crowd.

Thanks to your analysis that Roger really needs to improve his backhand. More power!

By: Feizai

Feizai — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:13:00 +0000

Interesting analysis. Always an enjoyable learning from your thoughts. Personally, I didn’t catch the match, so I can’t analyse much (in fact, anything).

Nontheless, I have followed Federer’s post match interview snippets, and I think it’s pretty evident that he’s turning down a gear notch or two. Don’t get me wrong, not to discredit Benneteau’s success, but Federer is obviously less tensed up about winning nowadays. He still has that inner desire to win, but he’s got less to prove now. And judging from your observations about he working on his backhand, I think it just shows how he intends to modify his future game plan as he enters the mature phase of his tennis career.

By: Leonard Griffie

Leonard Griffie — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:31:03 +0000

I did see the entire match and I honestly think it was just a case of Benneteau playing inspired tennis, way above his usual level. Once in a while you’re just “in the zone”. I think Benneteau was able to feed off the Paris crowd. We’ve seen this time and again during Davis Cup matches, when lower ranked players play way above their usual level with the emotional support of the home crowd. You could literally see him gaining more and more belief as the match progressed. I like Roger and all, but I must admit I couldn’t help rooting for Benneteau. That win meant far more to him than it would have to Roger.

By: Jonas Lindgren

Jonas Lindgren — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:53:47 +0000

As always Tomaz, I find your take on matches the most interesting around. I didn’t see the match, but I’m happy to hear that Federer’s working on the drive backhand. It’s something I’ve felt that he should have used much more throughout the season – especially when returning second serves. I’ve felt that his chip backhand returns often lets the opponent off a bit too easily, when he had the opportunity to apply pressure.

Not too upset about the loss, keeping my fingers crossed that Robin Soderling will find his range quickly after missing Valencia last week with a wrist injury. I would like to see all the top guys in London, and in my view Robin is more of a threat to the top 5 than is Verdasco. Davydenko and Soderling both have the ability to beat most guys in the top 5, whereas Verdasco seems to come close but never quite gets there.

Keep up the good work, looking forward to your next match analysis!

/Jonas (Göteborg, Sweden)