At the beginning of the year, it became apparent that Roger Federer was clearly suffering from a lack of motivation. At times, he played frankly through the sleeves, in the style of “beat me, someone please,” he made a bunch of mistakes, and in general, showed far from everything that he was capable of. And why? Because this was enough to win. Sometimes it seemed that Roger was playing with fire - remember his disgusting match with Robredo in Australia, won nevertheless in three sets. The indicative flogging of Andy Roddick in Australia was more likely the exception that the rule proves. Roger can tune in to important matches. I tuned to Roddick so that in three sets I gave only 6 games. This is just the case when you can judge the degree of general relaxation by the level of mood for a particular match with a strong opponent. Well this is how you need to relax, so you can pack up later. And after Roddick, Fernando González was still in Australia, who crushed everyone in a row, after the match with Haas, he shouted “Roger, you are next!”, But in the end did not win a single set. Maybe if you hadn't shouted about the “next”, you look, and you would have won at least a set.
But playing with fire sooner or later turns into a fire. And usually breaks where it is thin. The strongest tennis players in the world still can not do anything with Federer. We don’t take nadal - this is a separate story. Neither Djokovic, nor Yuzhny, nor Roddick, nor Haas were able to beat Federer on the hard this season. On the ground, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Ferrer could not. Who beat Federer? On hard, it was Guillermo Cañas, who in Indiana lost in qualifying and ended up in the main grid as a varnish-loser. The same Kanyas on the hard in Miami, still made his way through the qualification. And now on the ground Filippo Volandri, who got into the main grid thanks to the wild card. Here it is where danger is - qualifiers, lacquer-losers, wild cardovtsy.
It is clear that the cause of these lesions is precisely in the lack of motivation, and not in poor shape. Roger himself said that he came to Rome before all the players, that he had the most time for training, in the training itself he was simply magnificent, and he had a very good first match. And in the first round he had a difficult opponent, Nicholas Almagro - another young soil talent. And that's how it all ended. The last time Roger lost with such a humiliating score, winning only 6 games, Nadal in Miami in 2004. And Rome became the fourth consecutive tournament in which Federer participated, but did not win. Since Roger topped the rating, this has happened to him for the first time.
Federer himself does not apply to the reasons. For such cases, all tennis players prepared a duty phrase that we must continue to work on ourselves. Roger also says that now he will have more time for training before the Masters tournament in Hamburg. True, it is not entirely clear what is the point, because in Roman training he looked great, and we all know how it ended.
It's too early to talk about the consequences. Even the consequences for the remainder of the dirt season. The tournament in Hamburg, which kicks off next week, needs to clarify a lot. What happened with Rome is pure chance. And in Hamburg we will have the opportunity to find out what is the nature of this accident. Federer just relaxed? Or Federer did not want to meet in the finals with Nadal?
Nadal Hamburg does not favor. He was there only once, in 2003 he lost in the 3rd round of Gaudio. But Rafa does not go to Hamburg not because he does not want to, but simply does not succeed - for the past two years he has had very difficult finals in Rome. In 2005, he played with Koria the longest ending for the entire Open Era - 5 hours, 14 minutes. In 2006, he and Roger just barely reached the record - 5 hours and 6 minutes. For comparison: the landmark match between Safin and Federer in the semifinals of Australia in 2005 lasted less than 5 hours.
And this year, for the first time in his life, Rafa should win Rome easily and naturally. Djokovic is hardly a serious threat to Nadal on the ground. Like the South. Nadal was already dealing with Berdych this year in Monte Carlo, winning the first set at zero. True, there is still an unidentified object in the form of Fernando Gonzalez. But Fernando somehow completely wilted after Australia - maybe the Davis Cup with the Russians depressed him. And there’s nobody else to pat Nadal’s nerves. Well, it’s neither Robredo nor Davydenko ... So the appearance of Raphael in Hamburg is quite likely, in any case, he is still listed in the application.
If Nadal does not come, Roger, in theory, should win. He urgently needs to save his reputation. After all, a negligent attitude to the game can then come back to haunt Wimbledon. In addition, he is a three-time winner of the tournament in Hamburg (2002, 2004, 2005). In the end, before Volandri Federer had not lost anyone on the ground except Rafa since April 2005.
But Rafa can come, and come quite motivated. On the one hand, Nadal seems to have nothing to cling to in Hamburg, there is nothing to protect. But on the other hand, he has such an iron motive as his win-win soil series, and it must be protected.
Thus, on the eve of Hamburg, we have two issues on the agenda. The first is whether Roger will reach, whether Roger wants to reach the finals if Nadal is there. The second is what Federer will do in this finale. It is possible that the fate of Roland Garros will be decided there.
Ksenia VITRYAK