Fed v Raonic; a Wimbledon 2001 moment?

First topic message reminder :

So the next big game is on tonight, certainly full of Canada [Tennis fans] will get up early in the morning to watch it. Luckily for us its the 2nd match of the evening which means it won't likely start before 5.30 AM, I am gonna sleep early to be in time for the match

Do any body think Raonic have chance? will he atleast stand like Stan did?, so for Fed hasn't played anything special in this tournament, would like to see how he respond to Raonic's booming serves and forehand.

While I do think Fed will be a little too much for Raonic, I am pretty sure Raonic will rise to the occasion and give a stand out game.

Federer and Raonic. Like the pink shoe-laces win earlier today (Chardy), may the best player win.

147mph first up!!!!!!!!

Arghhhh! Customers here! Can I carry a meeting with one eye on the screen?

you iz like da boss yeee? just lay it out for dem u get me?
da mo fo boss inittttt peak

All over. Raonic is not as good as Tomic.

bogbrush wrote:Arghhhh! Customers here! Can I carry a meeting with one eye on the screen?

Of course you can.. you can do anything now he is one set up ...

Fed toying around with these young kids.

Just popped out to check. Good, Fed needs one more set to be safe from a Michael Stich.

Fed takes second set on TB. Fed-Murray final...

Semi-Final you mean surely Jahu?

Federer playing a smart game. Keeping his serve intact and waiting to pounce when he gets the chances. Raonic really is all serve and at the moment precious little else he has to worry Federer.

CaledonianCraig wrote:Semi-Final you mean surely Jahu?

Federer playing a smart game. Keeping his serve intact and waiting to pounce when he gets the chances. Raonic really is all serve and at the moment precious little else he has to worry Federer.

Has he ever CC Im still awaiting the butterfly to emerge from the crysalis .. I keep being told that he is a Sampras in the making .. and Ive yet to see anything that remotely floats my boat. The top four are a hard act to follow and so everything falls a bit short in my book. But I will try to be patient.

And to think you were worried BB ... shame on you ye of little faith.

He has the big serve - no doubt about that. However, you need a multi-layered game with all round strengths to beat and compete with todays top players. That is where Raonic comes up short. Sure his big serve can help him through matches against players with only an average return but once rallies develop he is like a fish out of water without tactical nous to build a point effectively.

Fed wins comfortably. Hmm Jim Courier already placing Roger Federer in the semi-finals. Hard lines Tsonga.

Well it has never done Karlovic much good has it.
Isner has developed more of a "game" over the past couple of years
Roddick and Sampras were the ones that could prove that a big serve was indeed an asset to their game.. not their game itself.

Raonic has not seemed to further his game from two years ago and sadly albeit we are all awaiting the next generation of "nail biting" tennis players I dont see one on the horizon yet. The big four will be playing on their zimmer frames at this rate

Well I would put Tomic ahead of Raonic (despite the rankings) going on the last few days. More to offer hope for Tomic than Raonic in my opinion.

Providing he gets his head right.. but thats going to require a bit more effort on his part.

Merge Ferrer's retrieving skills with Raonic serving bombs and you have a champion...

Would like to see a Federer vs Djokovic final. I think they both have very tough draws. Looks like to make it there, Djoko will have had to beat in successive rounds

Stepanek, Wawrinka, Berdych, Ferrer

Fed will have had:

Tomic, Raonic, Tsonga, Murray

Murray

Berankis, Simon, Chardy, Federer (still cannot believe the way the draw has worked out for Murray, never seen anything like it)

Of course, you still can only beat who is front of you so not a dig at murray, i am sure he himself cannot believe his luck! Would normally say Novak is the favourite but given the respective draws, i wonder is the ball in Murrays court now as he will have so much more energy. The tough draw on other two could take their toll

Josiah Maiestas wrote:Merge Ferrer's retrieving skills with Raonic serving bombs and you have a champion...

Not just Ferrer´s retrieving skills .. his work ethic I believe is something that all the young ones should take note of.. That man works his socks off and never gives up and in that respect he is a role model.
The dont nick-name him "The wall" for nothing

Right, that's them lot gone!

Excellent result for Federer, quite out of pattern with their previous matches. I only saw up to the first half of set 1 and was impressed that TMF (for it seems it was he today) was reading the serve. Just as well, plenty over the 140mph rate means they're gone in an instant.

Looks like Tomic played over his previous level, perhaps raonic beneath, though he got to the 2nd set tb and gave himself a shot.

Interesting that although some feared Raonic might cause trouble for Fed, most reckoned Rog would win in straight sets.
By all accounts he was impressive today. Can JWT stop him? At least he's beaten Fed in a slam before - and that after going two sets down. But if JWT goes walkabout at any stage and does his usual trick of chucking in a horrendous service game out of nowhere, he'll have no chance.
Am still banking on a Djoko-Murray final. Shall be following events sketchily, from....St Lucia. Well someone's got to go there to escape the snow, the cold, the dark.....

Good call on the result CC, you had it pegged. I thought it'd be tighter than that in the third set, but Raonic was clearly starting to get frustrated with the lack of cheap points coming his way - both on serve and in the rallies - and started pulling the trigger too early and going for too much. You have to give the kid credit though, it must be difficult to play against a guy who makes about 5 unforced errors in the first two sets. Federer just didn't seem to miss anything, and once he began to get a better read on the serve, it was all over. Raonic didn't play badly, Federer was just excellent. If he maintains this form, I reckon he's favourite to walk into the final. Difficult prospect to come in the next round, however...

bogbrush, Fed looked excellent on the return and played very patiently. Played the percentages far more often than usual, and only started trying more offensive play once the match was more or less done as a contest (double break up in the third). He looked consistent, good movement and most importantly of all in this type of match, the serve was excellent once again. All good signs!

Enjoy St. Lucia sirfred, I am more than slightly jealous

sirfred ---> St Lucia
bogbrush ---> Northern Ontario

We have different tastes it seems!

I am doubtful on Raonic tbh: as, mainly, a big server he completely lack another dimension to put up a little challenge on the return games. He doesn't have the net game of a Micheal Stich or the groundstrokes of Ivanisevic. what he has is an impressive first serve and that is it.

On a side note:

SFP: I hate you!!

Jeremy_Kyle wrote:SFP: I hate you!!

Like Tomic hates Federer.

Even more ....., like Hawkeye hates Rosol I would say.....

Jeremy_Kyle wrote:Even more ....., like Hawkeye hates Rosol I would say.....

It's not fair. Lukas refused to rally more than 20 strokes! Attacking/playing to win points is anti tennis I tell you!

Rosol is a wum, should be banned from tennis.......

very disappointed in Raonic today. A real step back for him, when towards the end of last year I thought he was getting there.

Can we change the article title to Fed v Tsonga a Wimbledon 2011 moment?

CaledonianCraig wrote:Well I would put Tomic ahead of Raonic (despite the rankings) going on the last few days. More to offer hope for Tomic than Raonic in my opinion.

been saying this for a while (since the beginning of last year), but until Tomic played some good stuff against Feds in the last round no one listened to me

Mad for Chelsea wrote:

CaledonianCraig wrote:Well I would put Tomic ahead of Raonic (despite the rankings) going on the last few days. More to offer hope for Tomic than Raonic in my opinion.

been saying this for a while (since the beginning of last year), but until Tomic played some good stuff against Feds in the last round no one listened to me

In the 2nd set maybe... but hardly enough if you want to win a slam is it? especially against a 31 year old.

Haddie-nuff wrote:

Mad for Chelsea wrote:

CaledonianCraig wrote:Well I would put Tomic ahead of Raonic (despite the rankings) going on the last few days. More to offer hope for Tomic than Raonic in my opinion.

been saying this for a while (since the beginning of last year), but until Tomic played some good stuff against Feds in the last round no one listened to me

In the 2nd set maybe... but hardly enough if you want to win a slam is it? especially against a 31 year old.

I'd agree. Fitness is very much an issue for Tomic, though there were mitigating factors here I think (he played a long match in the heat of the "furnace" day in his previous round, and has played a lot of tennis this year already - Sydney and the Hopman cup). Like Murray a few years ago, a lot of Tomic's strengths are negated on clay (he hits flat off both wings, and the serve will be less effective). Unlike Murray he doesn't have the great movement and anticipation to compensate somewhat.

Fitness of course is every bit as much of an issue for Raonic, maybe more so as he also was cooked after two sets and this isn't the first time we've seen it from him either (vs Murray at the US Open, vs Nishikori in Tokyo to name but two).

I still think Tomic has the better all-round game right now, but the big question with Tomic is his mental state. Confidence is a great thing, delusion isn't. I despaired somewhat towards the end of last year, but I think they're signs that he's improving (he'd have lost to Brands had that match taken place three months ago for instance).

Due to the now changed court condition - on the subject of Tomic and Raonic - if you were to ask me 20 years ago which of the two had a better chance of winning a slam I'd say Raonic in a shot. Today however I'd say Tomic where a game with variety and strengths in all areas beats having a huge serve any day.

Wat, I got up an hour late and the match is already over, Serena first did her demolition job and Fed-Raonic finished 3 setter so quick. I thought 6.30 match would start and I could watch it from 7, but damn goodness it got over.

Did Roanic played that bad or did Fed play his masterclass? or a combination of both?

It appears Raonic got something caught in his throat and choked on the big points

legendkillarV2 wrote:It appears Raonic got something caught in his throat and choked on the big points

Did he have any?

Well of the first 53 points of the match on Federer's serve, Raonic managed to win a total of four. Yes - that's FOUR.

But unfortunately for Raonic, they weren't all in the same game ......

Roanic. Your sport is basketball, not tennis. It is like a wierd comedy mix-up when someone from another sport appears in the wrong context entirely. Like a rugby forward turning up with ping-pong bat. Get is sorted!!!

A Match report and comments on Raonic from The Star - Toronto Newspaper


http://thestar.blogs.com/thespin/2013/01/the-road-gets-tougher.html