Theories as to why Federer is going to Hamburg/Gstaad? The points obviously have a lot to do with his choice to play a couple more events. Federer has a decent amount of points to defend between now and the Tour Finals, and Olympic points (which cannot be defended) will drop off at the beginning of August. So, it is a good idea to mitigate any losses he might incur by gaining points elsewhere (lest he be in danger of failing to reach the Tour Finals). There is also a big hole in his schedule in the month of July, so this is the perfect time to gain those much-needed points. All of that makes perfect sense to me. The real question I have is: why Hamburg and Gstaad? I know Federer has had success at those events, but that was a long time ago; there is no guarantee that such success will be repeated so many years later. I know they’re in Europe and close to home; but is that really a good enough reason for someone whose objective is presumably to gain as many points as possible? One would think Federer would go to the US and play Atlanta and Washington, which are played on hard courts—a more favorable surface. He would not only have a better chance of winning those events on that surface, but they would also prepare him for the all-important, upcoming events in Montreal, Cincinnati, and New York. Montreal is an incredibly important Masters 1000 event for Federer, as he skipped it last year and, therefore, has no points to defend this year. Any points he earns are pure gain. In Cincinnati, Federer is the defending champion, and he cannot afford to lose many of those 1000 points if he wants to qualify for the Tour Finals. The US Open may be one of Federer’s final few chances to win a Major, and as he lost in the quarterfinals last year, the event could be a great opportunity for a point increase. So, why Hamburg and Gstaad? Is Federer looking to alter his game? The slower clay courts will produce longer rallies and allow him to work some new tactics. (Yes. I know Hamburg and Gstaad are “fast" clay courts, but they’re still clay courts.) Any other thoughts (that don’t have to do with Federer going on some retirement tour)? Also: how will these extra events impact Federer’s later season? Will he play in Shanghai? Will he skip Paris? As I said in a pre-Dubai post, those are must-play events this year. Will he have enough in the tank to do well at the Tour Finals, assuming he qualifies? #Federer #ATP #Tennis
Posted on: Fri, 05 Jul 2013 20:59:00 +0000
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