Het Grote Roger Federer Topic Deel 10: 15 Grand Slams

quote:

Op dinsdag 5 januari 2010 21:37 schreef wimderon het volgende:

[..]

Het was de minder getalenteerde uitgave.

quote:

Roger’s Records To Stand Test Of Time

Like Mozart and Michelangelo, Roger Federer’s body of work ranges from exceptional to sublime. The Swiss has set multiple records that will likely stand the test of time. Below we look at 10 of Federer’s most amazing feats and quantify [with totally unscientific methodology!] the chances of the achievements being matched or topped during his lifetime.

1. Winning five consecutive titles at two different Grand Slam tournaments

About The Feat: Since the abolition of the Challenge Round [when the defending champion was automatically placed in the following year’s final] Federer is one of just four players to win the same Grand Slam tournament five consecutive years. [Tilden six at the US Open 1920-25; Emerson five at the Australian Open 1963-67 and Borg five at Wimbledon 1978-81]. But Federer is the only player in history to win two different Grand Slam titles [Wimbledon 2003-07 and US Open 2004-08] for five consecutive years.

Chance of Feat Being Topped: 1%


2. Winning 15 Grand Slam titles in the span of 26 majors

About The Feat: After going titleless in his first 16 Grand Slam tournaments, Federer has made up for lost time. Beginning with his 2003 Wimbledon breakthrough, the Swiss has won more than 50 percent of the majors he has contested. In contrast, Pete Sampras won his 14 majors over a span of 45 Grand Slam tournaments.

Chance of Feat Being Topped: 2%


3. Reaching 17 of 18 consecutive Grand Slam finals between Wimbledon 2005 and US Open 2009

About The Feat: This record goes beyond consistency. It speaks to Federer’s unrivaled excellence at the pinnacle of the sport – the Grand Slams – and his ability to play his best under pressure and when it counts most. No other player has come even close to a streak of Grand Slam finals appearance like this – and no one likely ever will. Federer will try to make it 18 of 19 at this month’s Australian Open.

Chance of Feat Being Topped: 3%


4. Reaching 22 consecutive Grand slam semi-finals (or better) from Wimbledon 2004 to US Open 2009

About The Feat: To put this feat into context, Federer’s ongoing streak of contesting 22 consecutive Grand Slam semi-finals is more than double the length of Ivan Lendl’s 10 consecutive Grand Slam semi-finals reached – the next best streak. The last time Federer didn’t make the last four at a major was in 2004 at Roland Garros, when he was beaten by three-time champion Gustavo Kuerten in the third round.

Chance of Feat Being Topped: 3%


5. Winning 22 consecutive finals

About The Feat: In 2004 and 2005 Federer won the 22 consecutive finals in which he appeared and was two points from winning his 23rd and last final of that two-year period. That’s astonishing considering that Federer was going up against the second best player in each of those particular tournaments. In finals, you not only have to play well, you have to play clutch. Ironically, Federer’s streak ended in the final of the Tennis Masters Cup. Although he came into the tournament with an ankle injury, Federer led arch rival David Nalbandian two sets to love and later, in the fifth set, was two points from the match on his own serve before Nalbandian rallied to win a fifth-set tie-break.

Chance of Feat Being Topped: 4%


6. Reaching all four Grand Slam finals in the same season three times

About The Feat: Only two singles players have ever reached all four Grand Slam finals in the same year: Rod Laver, who did it twice when he completed calendar-year Grand Slams in 1962 and 1968, and Federer, who did it a remarkable three times in the past four years. Considering also that Federer is the only man to reach all four Slam finals in the same year on three different surfaces (hard court, grass and clay), it seems even more unlikely that someone will top that feat in Federer’s lifetime.

Chance of Feat Being Topped: 4%


7. Three-year period of dominance

About The Feat: Between 2004-2006 Federer went on a tear that is unlikely to be matched during any future three-year period, compiling a 247-15 match record. His season records during that time were 74-6 (2004), 81-4 (2005) and 92-5 (2006). He won a stunning 34 titles, including eight Grand Slams, nine ATP World Tour Masters 1000s and two Tennis Masters Cup titles. Had he served out the 2005 Tennis Masters Cup final against David Nalbandian [instead of losing in a fifth-set tie-break] Federer’s season record that year would have been 82-3, the same as John McEnroe’s unrivaled match record in 1984.

Chance of Feat Being Topped: 5%


8. Holding the No. 1 South African Airways ATP Ranking for 237 consecutive weeks

About The Feat: Federer’s 237 consecutive weeks at No. 1 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings (from 2 February, 2004 to 17 August 2008) is best contextualised by looking at the next best streaks: Jimmy Connors at 160 weeks, Ivan Lendl at 157 weeks and Pete Sampras at 102 weeks. Federer, who has been No. 1 a total of 265 weeks (as of 11 January, 2010), is now within reach of Sampras’ all-time (non-consecutive) record of 286 weeks at No. 1. [Federer has five times finished as ATP World Tour Champion, just one year shy of Sampras’ six finishes as year-end No. 1. But Sampras finished No. 1 six consecutive years - a separate feat that Federer, now 28, is unlikely to ever match.]

Chance of Feat Being Topped: 7%


9. Sixty-five consecutive grass-court match wins

About The Feat: Federer’s 65 straight wins on grass could so easily have ended at 39 when he saved four match points against Olivier Rochus in the Halle quarter-finals in 2006. But history shows that Federer scratched out a win and ultimately extended his record streak to 65 before he lost 9-7 in the fifth set to Rafael Nadal in the 2008 Wimbledon final. With modern-day grass-court tennis no longer favouring a dominant serve-volleyer like a Sampras, Becker or Edberg, it will be more difficult for one player to dominate on the surface and threaten Federer’s streak.

Chance of Feat Being Topped: 12%


10. Winning one Grand Slam title a year for seven consecutive years

About The Feat: This is a category in which Federer does not hold the record – yet. The Swiss has won at least one Grand Slam title for seven consecutive years, just shy of Pete Sampras and Bjorn Borg, who won at least one major for eight consecutive years. Assuming Federer wins a Grand slam title this year to get a share of the record, what are the chances someone (other than Federer) will extend it? It sounds a tough record to break, but Rafael Nadal is already riding a five-year streak. And despite his lapse at Roland Garros last year, he’s likely to be the leading contender for that title for many years to come, as well as at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, where he is a former champion.

Chance of Feat Being Topped: 25%

quote:

Tuesday January 5th, 21h30, Roger Federer is chatting on the backseat of the car that drives him back from the stadium to the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Doha. The interview has been suggested to him unexpectedly and he said : “No problem, just get in the car”. When this kind of things happen, you don’t ask the driver if he’s got his driving license; you just jump in the car. Here we go. Federer is beginning his 12th year on the tour. But this one is different: ‘It’s the 2nd half-time of my career’ he says. Grand Slam titles record? Done. Roland-Garros? Done. So what’s left?

Q: For the first time since a long time, you start the season not having to answer those 2 questions: ‘Are you going to break Sampras’ record any time soon?’ and ‘Are you finally going to win Roland-Garros?’ Do you miss them?
RF: (he laughs) Now I’m done with unpleasant questions! Frankly, it’s relaxing. A year ago, I was No. 2 in the world, I was about to lose the final in Melbourne and people were relentlessly questioning me.

Q: Now that you’ve won at least once each of the Grand Slams, now that you hold the Grand Slams titles record, don’t you feel a sense of emptiness?
RF: It’s the end of a period. Within one month last year, between RG and Wimbledon, I reached those 2 great goals. I think it changed my life, but I never felt ‘empty’ afterwards. I’ve never woken up one morning asking myself: ‘What do I do now?’ We’re lucky because tennis is a very dense sport. There’s the rankings, Grand Slams, Masters 1000, head-to-heads… Sometimes I motivate myself just by thinking about the history I have with one player.

Q: You haven’t felt the need to think about what happens next, about your goals?
RF: No. The desire to play comes naturally. What I often do is that I go back to the beginning: why did I chose tennis as a kid? Why did I work so hard during all those years? What do I like so much when I play tennis? And the answers come easily. It’s simple: I don’t really think there is someone who loves tennis more than I do.

Q: But don’t you feel like a burden has disappeared?
RF: Yes and no. Personally I think the pressure is always there, and it’s a good thing. It’s a different pressure, but it has not disappeared. Anyway, if one day there’s nobody to put pressure on me anymore, I’ll still be there to put it on myself. I don’t even remember having played a match without feeling any pressure.

Q: You like challenges, so here are some. Tell us if you’re motivated by them.
RF: OK, here we go.

Q: You need 2 more Masters 1000 to beat Agassi’s record of 17.
RF: Mmmmmh. I’m not really excited by that. Masters 1000 have been existing only for 20 years, and I don’t know how many of them great players from the past could have won. So this record does not mean much.

Q: Another challenge. If you stay world No. 1 after RG, you’ll beat Sampras’ all-time record of 286 weeks.
RF: This is an important record to me. When I beat Connors’ record (consecutive weeks as world No. 1) I already thought it was really great. Staying in the front that long when you know who is behind you, it’s not easy. By the way, my main goal this year is to finish the year No. 1 in the world. It has been so hard to get that ranking back.

Q: So you want to stay No. 1. What else?
RF: To win more tournaments. Last year, I won 4 of them. They were big ones, but I have to be able to do better. I lacked titles in smaller tournaments. True, I had to withdraw several times, because of an injury or because I needed some rest (Dubai, Halle, Tokyo). So I focused entirely on big tournaments, and I don’t really like it. Before I withdraw from Tokyo last year, I had told Seve (Luthi): ‘I’m going there to serve-and-volley on 1st and 2nd serves’. Because I thought it could help me later.

Q: Speaking of later, when do you think you’ll end your career?
RF: To calm down everybody, I said I’ll play until the 2012 Olympic Games in London. But it’s a minimum. I don’t think I’ll stop there. I see myself playing after, but differently. I’ll try to play some new tournaments, to do some exhibitions in South America, where I’ve nearly never been to.

Q: You’re in the top 10 since you’ve entered it in October, 2002. Do you think today’s top 10 is stronger than back in 2002, with Safin, Hewitt, Novak, Henman, Grosjean, Ferrero?
RF: Tough question. I’m not so sure. Nowadays, the guys have less weaknesses but maybe also less main strengths. Before, players were more surprising, with more varied games. It was harder to dominate on a specific surface. Nowadays playing conditions are been standardized and the players as well. Often, when I watch players like Davydenko, Del Potro or Djokovic, I wonder what their best shot is…

Q: If you had to chose one player that is going to reach a new milestone in 2010, who would it be?
RF: If I had to chose only one, it would be Murray. He has built himself cleverly, he won a lot of Masters 1000, he already has a lot of experience. That being said, Del Potro never won a Masters 1000 but still won the US Open. A year ago, I would never have said predicted that. He was not really using the strength of his serve, unlike now. He’s improved so much.

Q: And what about the winner of the World Tour Finals, who just beat you 2 times in a row?
RF: Oh, Davydenko! I can tell you I’m going to follow him very closely in Melbourne. The Australian Open is going to show us if he can keep up with this rhythm, and if he can beat us in best-of-five matches. This is so interesting!

Q: Monfils, Tsonga, Simon, Gasquet, you’re interested?
RF: A lot. We all know they have a big potential. Let’s say they confirmed it last year. Now, they need to make a breakthrough and therefore to be less injured. Richard is going to go up quite fast. The big question is how far?

Q: Nadal has not won a tournament since Rome last year, in May. Some think he’ll never be what he once was.
RF: This is bullshit. It reminds me what people said about me last year. I’ve seen Rafa play in Abu Dhabi and in Doha: he lacks absolutely nothing. Granted, he’s not won in a long time. But look at those who beat him: Del Potro, Murray, Davydenko, Djokovic, Soderling… They’re not bad! Think about it: had he played Wimbledon last year and not lost 2,000 points from his victory in 2008, where would he be right now? He came back from injury, so it’s normal that he lacked confidence. But to me, the really great Rafa is still to come.

Q: You never had any serious injuries. The Australian Open is your 41th GS tournament in a row. Is it hard work or luck?
RF: Both. I’m expecting myself to be fit in big tournaments. You cannot just come at Grand Slams with a small injury. Ladies can handle the 3 first rounds while healing, men just can’t. My style of play helps me to last longer. Most of the time, I decide how the point is played, I make the other one run. When Rafa takes 45 minutes to win a set, I can take 30. I worked really hard when I was a junior to build myself an efficient armor. Now, I work less hard, but more precisely.

Q: You’re 28 and you can’t recover as fast as before. Is it why you hired Stephane Vivier, a French physio?
RF: He’s from Marseille on top of that! (he laughs) It’s true that your age matters. Until this season, I always had masseurs, and I wanted to work with a physio. He had worked a long time with the ATP and I didn’t want people to think that I was stealing him, like ‘Sorry guys, but I’m Federer. Now he’s mine’. I think everybody took it well.

Q: What do you mean by ‘working more precisely’?
RF: When you’re young, you don’t warm up. You play on your PlayStation and when you’re called to play the match, you leave. Now, I consistently take a 10-minutes muscle warm-up right before the match. I strengthen my back nearly everyday because I’ve had problems in the past. I’ve always felt my back wasn’t strong enough.

Q: And what about your sleep? Word is that you sleep like a log.
RF: True! If I don’t sleep 11 or 12 hours a day, it’s not right. If I don’t have that amount of sleep, I hurt myself. When the twins cry and I’m in a tournament, I put my earplugs in and I go back to sleep.

Q: You withdrew from the Davis Cup 1st round. Is it because it’s against Spain, in Spain, and on clay?
RF: Not because it’s Spain. Just because it’s on clay. Between Dubai and Indian Wells, it just doesn’t fit. It saddens me, but I know why I took that decision.

Q: Some said it was self-centered and unpatriotic. People thought that after having beaten Sampras’ record you would be able to play the Davis Cup…
RF: People have to understand that it’s just not possible to do everything. Had I made another choice, maybe I wouldn’t have won RG last year. Do people prefer me to play the Davis Cup or to hold the GS record? Don’t Swiss people prefer having me as the world No. 1? If I play it and then it costs me in the rankings, people will always be there to tell me: ‘Ho, hum, you’re not no1 anymore!’

Q: Is it really impossible to do both?
RF: I consider that a Davis Cup round amounts to take out one Masters 1000. And I’m not ready to do that. I still favour my individual choices; time will come when this changes. You also have to understand that I do not have a team as abundant as Rafa’s with Spain. I’m not complaining. It’s just a fact. Rafa hasn’t played the quarterfinals and the semifinals last year. But people saw him as the star in the finals. They just forgot he wasn’t there before.

Q: Have you spoken to Tiger Woods since his problems were revealed?
RF: Yes, he is my friend and I told him I was there to support him. It’s really tough for him and his family to see their intimate problems flaunted everywhere.

Q: Have you learned something from the magnitude of this story?
RF: This is instructive. The tabloids are going crazy, sponsor contracts are falling apart… I’ve always been aware that the image you patiently construct for an entire career can be ruined in a minute. It scares you a bit, but that’s the way things are. Tiger needs calm. And soon he’ll become the wonderful golfer that we know again.

quote:

Op zaterdag 16 januari 2010 03:31 schreef wimderon het volgende:
Interessant interview
[..]

quote:

Op woensdag 27 januari 2010 09:52 schreef Bruce117 het volgende:
23 Halve finales op rij op een Grand Slam

quote:

Op zondag 31 januari 2010 12:54 schreef TheGeneral het volgende:
FEDERER

quote:

Op zondag 31 januari 2010 12:38 schreef Leatherface het volgende:
Knap werk.

Hoeveel zal hij er uiteindelijk winnen? Stuk of 19?

quote:

Op zondag 31 januari 2010 12:38 schreef Leatherface het volgende:
Knap werk.

Hoeveel zal hij er uiteindelijk winnen? Stuk of 19?

quote:

Op zondag 31 januari 2010 14:50 schreef Ambrosius het volgende:

[..]

Wel 22 denk ik.

quote:

Op zondag 31 januari 2010 15:09 schreef Federer-fan het volgende:

[..]

Gaaf zou dat zijn. En zie je het dan ooit nog iemand breken? Ik moet zeggen dat ik dat eerder zie gebeuren dan dat er nog een keer iemand 23 achtereenvolgende halve finales op de GS'en haalt.

quote:

Op zondag 31 januari 2010 15:10 schreef Ambrosius het volgende:

[..]

Dat sowieso, die SF-streak is bijna onmogelijk .

quote:

Op zondag 31 januari 2010 15:11 schreef Federer-fan het volgende:

[..]

Ja, net als die 24 finales op rij winnen - dat record wat Nalbandian stopte tijdens de finale van de TMC in 2005. Dat achtereenvolgende maakt het zo moeilijk.

quote:

Op zondag 31 januari 2010 15:38 schreef Nalbandian het volgende:

[..]

quote:

Op zondag 31 januari 2010 14:50 schreef Mr-Sander het volgende:
Ik hoop op een Year Grand Slam, dat zou echt geil zijn

quote:

Op zondag 31 januari 2010 15:57 schreef Klopkoek het volgende:
Hopelijk krijgt Federer ook eens wat knieklachten zodat Nadal weer es kan winnen. Het blijft een fenomeen.

quote:

Op zondag 31 januari 2010 15:54 schreef the_legend_killer het volgende:

[..]

Laten we erop hopen
Dit is het enigste wat hij nog mist.

quote:

Op zondag 31 januari 2010 15:57 schreef Klopkoek het volgende:
Hopelijk krijgt Federer ook eens wat knieklachten zodat Nadal weer es kan winnen. Het blijft een fenomeen.

quote:

Op zondag 31 januari 2010 15:58 schreef the_legend_killer het volgende:

[..]

Misschien moet Nadal zijn stijl veranderen ?
Je kan niet bouwen op Power tennis.

quote:

Op zondag 31 januari 2010 15:57 schreef Klopkoek het volgende:
Hopelijk krijgt Federer ook eens wat knieklachten zodat Nadal weer es kan winnen. Het blijft een fenomeen.

quote:

Op zondag 31 januari 2010 16:01 schreef Szura het volgende:
All-time sporthero

Federer

quote:

Op zondag 31 januari 2010 16:01 schreef Federer-fan het volgende:

[..]

Als Nadal weer fit is, heeft hij dat toch niet nodig? Ook met Federer erbij kan hij GS'en winnen.

Overigens was ik blij om te horen dat dat van die knie van Nadal iets anders was dan eind vorig jaar. Als het dezelfde blessure was geweest zou ik me meer zorgen hebben geweest en dan begint het toch wel chronisch te worden.

quote:

Op zondag 31 januari 2010 16:03 schreef Godtje het volgende:

[..]

Iemand blessures toewensen zodat een ander kan winnen.

quote:

Op zondag 31 januari 2010 16:03 schreef Godtje het volgende:

[..]

Iemand blessures toewensen zodat een ander kan winnen.

quote:

Op zondag 31 januari 2010 16:03 schreef Klopkoek het volgende:

[..]

Toch staat Nadal sinds Wimbledon 2008 stil in zijn ontwikkeling. Ik vraag me zelfs af of een 100% fitte Nadal ooit de Us open kan winnen. Denk van niet.

Maar wie weet... van de australian open had men het ook niet verwacht.

quote:

Op zondag 31 januari 2010 16:04 schreef Federer-fan het volgende:

[..]

We hebben Nadal al een tijd niet meer dominant gezien Hopelijk komt dat weer en komen er weer van die geweldige partijen tegen Federer. Ik hoop dat Federer de finale van RG dit jaar in een zes uur durende vijfsetter van Nadal wint.

quote:

Op zondag 31 januari 2010 16:01 schreef Klopkoek het volgende:

[..]

Power tennis is het ultieme symbool van masculiniteit. Zou jou moeten aanspreken.

En kijk eens bij de vrouwens. Power tennis gaat prima, zonder dat ze helemaal opbranden.

quote:

Op zondag 31 januari 2010 16:06 schreef Klopkoek het volgende:

[..]

Wat denk jij? Heeft Nadal het in zich om ook de US open te winnen? En waarom wel/niet?

quote:

Denk dat onderhand iig kan worden vastgesteld dat Murray en Djokovic een maatje te klein zijn. Hoe gek dat ook is. Zijn ook relatief saaie spelers vind ik, echt hele sterke punten hebben ze niet. Echte zwakheden ook niet btw

quote:

Op zondag 31 januari 2010 16:10 schreef Federer-fan het volgende:

[..]

Ja, waarom niet. Als hij fit is en weer wat wedstrijdritme heeft, is hij wat mij betreft na Federer de grootste kanshebber. Hij is wel zesvoudig GS-winnaar. Weet wel dat dat voorla op gras is, maar zijn mentaliteit is enorm goed, hij kan goed op beton spelen en al hij zijn jaar wat anders indeelt en niet opgebrand is in augustus heeft hij er een hele goede kans denk ik.
[..]

Murray heeft een behoorlijke backhand. Alles is wel goed van hem vind ik.

quote:

Op zondag 31 januari 2010 16:01 schreef Klopkoek het volgende:

[..]

Power tennis is het ultieme symbool van masculiniteit. Zou jou moeten aanspreken.

En kijk eens bij de vrouwens. Power tennis gaat prima, zonder dat ze helemaal opbranden.