Request: Which Federer Would You Choose? Part 1

Let me just start by saying that I didn’t create the post to just reinforce everybody of the fact that Mr. Federer is the best player of all time. I think every superlative has been used to describe him. My job with this post is to get you to think about which Federer you would pick to play for you to win a million pounds in a one-off match, try not to overthink the question, you’re probably wondering well who would he be playing and on what surface? I will leave that up to your imagination and i hope you can have some fun with it. My only goal is to try and foster some constructive discussion on what I deem an interesting subject matter requested by a reader. After you have read all parts of this post i hope you can comment on weather you would choose 2006-2009 Federer (1.0) or 2017-current Federer (2.0)

It is a testament to Federer’s evolution that I am able to speak of him in versions if I want to, when a tennis player reaches a peak level in their career, they have normally taken the hard yards to improve every area of their game and then comes the ‘click’ where every element of a players game comes together and what emerges is a period of domination and success. 2006-2009 is what people consider ‘Federer’s Prime’ and when you look at the 2006 stats it’s hard to dispute it. Only Nadal and Murray had conquered Federer in 2006.

After a period of domination its only natural that a decline phase begins, and the invincibility aura begins to fade. It was becoming obvious to fans that Federer physically had lost a small but essential fraction of his speed, explosiveness, five set endurance and perhaps even belief at his ability to claim another grand slam. Its only fair to say that the decline became more obvious after his 2010 Australian Open success when he put on a fine performance to deny Andy Murray his first slam win. In my eyes his backhand had become more vulnerable and not a reliable shot when placed under heavy pressure, his opponents had also picked up on his very reliable but very readable backhand slice return which before his slight physical decline (notably his speed) gave him a nice amount of time ready to settle his court position and take charge of the following shots. Now opponents were using this as a way of getting the first strike and unsettling Federer as unlike before they didn’t need to take as much risk as players knew he wouldn’t cover the court as well and were still able to establish a strong court position, or foothold early in the point, before players would have felt the need to go for the shot and if they didn’t then Federer would have neutralized the serve with ease, simplistic genius.

With the likes of Murray, Djokovic, Nadal entering peak physical condition and the game styles they adopted, Federer was beginning to hit himself of court or find himself short on ideas when it really mattered, the improved tennis IQ in recent times could sway your mind as to which Roger you would pick. As the seasons went on it was clear that something had to change if he was ever going to reclaim his throne. Many critics were beginning to write Federer of for future grand slam success even after various ATP masters’ flurry’s which still showcased that he still has not lost anything in the serve, forehand, volley, anticipation and shot making department, especially on fast, grass or indoor surfaces. It was clear Federer himself had clearly done some soul searching and knew himself it was time for change.

Enter Stefan Edberg….

Part 2 coming soon.