Why Tennis Players FEARED Playing Roger Federer! 

The 2006 model Federer was the greatest player to walk the earth. I remember watching matches from Wimbledon at that time and thinking how effortless it all was - perfect shot selection, nearly every first serve going in, nearly every winner hitting the line, perfect movement, perfect decision making about when to come to the net, perfect volley execution, almost error free tennis... it was utterly extraordinary. If you saw it, you know.

Federer made it look effortless. He walked with a swagger that no other player has.

One thing that I never hear anyone talk about when comparing the big-3 is that Federer is 5-6 years older than both Nadal and Djokovic. In a time when court surfaces were slowed down, and tennis became more physically demanding than it's ever been in the past, this is a huge disadvantage. It was an advantage for Federer early in his career, I'd say, for the first 5 years that Nadal and Djokovic were competitively playing on the tour Federer had the experience and maturity that they hadn't yet developed. So between 2005-2010/2011 this worked in Fed's favor, but for the following 10 years+ this was a huge disadvantage. As Djokovic reached his prime in 2011, the 6 years of youth was a big advantage for him over Federer and during the last 5 years of Fed's career it was a huge advantage for both Nadal and Djok and yet Federer still found ways to win against both players. Obviously Djokovic is the greatest with his slam and title record, but I wonder what the GS counts and head-to-head records would look like if Federer was the same age as they were, or at least from the same class. I have to think it would have improved Federer's career to not be playing at a physical disadvantage for the majority of his career

Tennis was always exciting when Federer was on the court, that's a big thing for me. Even when he completely dominated a lesser opponent, it was still a treat watching him glide around and bring so much variety to the match. The mastery he had over the game in every aspect was simply sublime, like some kind of tennis ASMR.

I’m 25 years older than you. I watched this all live. He just was MUCH better than anyone else playing 2004-07. I think this HURT him later in terms of learning how to consistently win pressure points, because he barely faced any! Rafa developing a hardcourt game and then Djokovic learning how to serve in 2011 exposed his mental game a little. He was not more mentally tough than either of them imo. More talented, better touch, more attacking? Yes. But also more likely to frame a forehand at 5-5, deuce, against either of those two guys. This doesn’t take away his greatness at all; I just think it hurt him that he had so many years without a true rival.

I was a witness of Roger federer's prime, My rememberence is vivid because that's my youth too, he's simply perfection.

It is true. Those Fed years the highest tennis level the game has ever seen. Five straight W. Five straight USO. Those streaks in grass hard only possible with an elegant, graceful game from great athleticism which enables repeats. Nobody else going to do that.

5:40. how am i happy, i always call it the fire and ice situation. you know the fire and wanting to win being excited ( off to a good point ), the ice coolness of accepting losses ( of crowds ) but enduring the fans/people and finding the right balance. is a quote that goes far beyond tennis but is the best view on life. the man is just a virtuoso in life, that it shows up in the sport he loves to play is just natural, with a mindset like this you achieve great things

I reallyh love the way you present your videos, staying objective and backed up by the data. Really awesome. Good job!

An excellent, in-depth overview of Roger Federer's astonishingly athletic and entertaining-to-watch all-court game and career--and during the era of high-def recording so that his games can be viewed over an over. What a gift.

Graceful and beautiful game of Federer, he made the tennis court his dance floor, aided by natural beauty of one handed backhand and the ballet dancer like movement.

Such a graceful playing style. I really enjoyed watching him play.

You did this so well.....Now you need to get a spot on one of the tennis channels...great job

Truly loved and enjoyed this video. Thank you.

Elegant. And thanks for this video on RF, awesome!

Really good video man! Interesting and novel interpretations.

You have the most insightful and well researched tennis info. God I wish someone would hire you to take it to another level and help make tennis bigger for more fans around the world. Thanks for all you do to make the channel a great resource. Bravo!

Federer the era he came up in and surprisingly held his own in an era dominated by nadal and djokovic. Courts slowed down and playing styles changed but Federer adapted and still was able to have very few dips in his career. Nadal and Djokovic never changed their strategies or playstyles, they stayed with their grindy baseliner playstyles. Meanwhile Federer had to adapt to their games but was older and had much more at stake in his matches. The goat debate is dumb because we'll never see each of the big three at their primes play each other.

6:41 it's scary how big of a resemblance this 2009 wimbledon championship point is to the championship point of 10 years later. (Wimby 2019) Not just that, but Fed beat Andy all 3 times they faced in a Wimby final, where Novak beat Fed all 3 times they faced in a Wimby final, what Roger did to Andy, Novak did to Roger. Crazy how much similarities there are here

Thank you!! I have been making this argument for literally years! Yes, some players are more successful than Federer. Success is determined by a combination of your own talent and circumstances, ie. the latter of those two, who is around at the time to stop you from winning. Federer during his peak faced one of the other 2 greatest players of all time IN HIS PRIME. The records show how many times Nadal stopped Federer going on to win slams in the finals, 6 times. By contrast, Djokovic has had his prime period against Federer and Nadal outside of their prime, and other players that are nowhere near as good. Just look back at the finalists he played against for half his slams. I'm not having a go at Djokovic, his record is unmatched and the length of time he has maintained his peak is astounding, but he hasn't had to face a rivalry against a player as good as Nadal or Federer in their primes. I am of the same opinion as your video put across so well. The level of play reached by Federer in those prime years is unmatched, he was able to be so aggressive and attacking with his play, without sacrificing any consistency. I've never seen another player combine that play style with so few errors. It's the highest the game has ever seen.

Ur storytelling is def one the top buddy. I could disagree with some of the things here but the flow of the video is just great

Well done ! Keep it up !

Thanks for this great video 👍

Roger Federer,a Tennis Legend,the best and greatest of all .Even if he has less Grand Slams than others,he beat and taught em all abt his meastry.The best that's ever been.GOAT.

One word for Federer, king. Probably the greatest for sure. Nadal and Federer has always been a hard say of who dominated their rivalry. Federer leads 3-1 on grass and on hard 11-9 against Nadal. But what made Federer scary is that nobody could touch him when he was on. 2017 Dubai he destroy Novak and beat Nadal in every meet. Win 2 GS, 12 titles ending the season with 54-5 in 2017. His best is 92-5 in 06. Most dominant player sense Sampras prime. It’s hard to say because Sampras and Federer probably the best ever to play the sport.

Throughout this video on Feds dominant years 2004-2007, every closeup video is from Fed … post 2010, most of them post 2015. Even showing Fed A0 2018. Same wit Fed audio. Cmon. These are two different players.

One of the GOATs… and hands down the most beautiful Tennis ever played… he was a dancer in the court… Fred Astaire playing tennis with children

When you look at Sampras or Federer playing at their peak, their play is much better (especially as regards creative shot making) than Djokovic's when he's at his peak. It's silly basing your judgement of greatness purely on number of Grand Slams won - which depends on lots of other factors (mental strength, will power, staying healthy for a long time, who you're competing against, etc.) apart from natural talent.

You were spot on with your first sentence, prime fed was a freak of a tennis player, nole is a freak of am athlete, 2 very different things

I love his plasticity and the way he performed all the different strokes superbly, along with his smooth footwork. He would hit it from the baseline, he was amazing at the net, he could change the pace with his slice... it was like Ronaldinho playing football.

Great video!

What a great video! And love the shoutouts to Chang and Lendl, two of the forgotten all-time greats, along with the insightful assessments of many other top players..

As a non tennis watcher, Roger doesn’t grunt so he’s the best player just for that reason alone.

Federer's renaissance was also linked to switching to a different racket during his recuperation from injury. He hadn't wanted to switch to one of the more powerful modern rackets while he was still playing week in week out, but the break enabled him to level the playing field on the equipment front.

Great Video!

Absolutely excellent video about Roger!

I remember being 9 or 10 and seeing Federer effortlessly slay the clay court of Roland Garros on tv... My life was never the same

Lleyton was good enough to take advantage of Roger's hyper aggressive style in the early days with his tenacity but Roger took his game to another level and became untouchable after about 2006.

Great video

Not Murray. Murray had a winning head to head against prime Fed Then when Fed got older is when he was able to beat Murray and have a positive H2H against Murray Murray had an advantage 8-6 overall from 2005-2010 and having beaten Fed 4 times in a row from 2008-2009. Then after 2010 until 2015 the H2H ended at 14-11 overall with Fed having won more.... while Fed was getting older Fed feared Murray out of everyone I'd say since Nadal was mainly dominant on clay which he beat Fed on easily but Murray was more dangerous on the other surfaces more so then Nadal

Federer has the super weapon no player can handle it. His serve. It's insanely devastating

Great video! My only critique is that Federer wasn't ultra aggressive in his prime. He was happy to get into rallies and be patient. This is what cost him against Nadal. He got ultra aggressive starting in 2015 and peaked his aggression in 2017.

Talking about being the GOAT, Roger's impact on the next generation tennis players, including his beautiful and effortless forehand, accurate and disguised serve, his footwork on court, a balanced all court game, is unsurpassed by either Nadal or Joke. Even his relatively weaker one handed backhand is still among the best, and it becomes lethal when he mixes it with slice.

I think his prime was 2004 to 2007. 2017 was mix with luck that one of his main rival Novak out with elbow injury. When Novak fully fitted at Wim 2018, we know what happened. But he surely is the most talented player who inspired many people to play tennis.

No one will be like him. The goat. Number can change but the fact he changed alongside the game makes him a step better than everyone. He chaged his game again in his later carrer.

As a Djokovic fan, I can say without a shred of a doubt that federer feared nadal. Nadal has never trailed federer in their head to head and actually had a dominant record against federer during federer's prime. Fed did turn the rivalry around post 2016, but he couldn't beat teenage nadal during his prime in his mid -20s.

Nice video, someone actually did some checking, i would dissagree on 2009 being Federer prime ... i watched most of matches at the time ( by most i mean like 98% )... he's edge lost sharpness, got little slower in his step, forehand and backhand lost "impossible" effect, all in all he become human enough so he could get challanged.... everything else seems on point. What he did between 2004-2008 remains to this day Mt.Olympus of tennis level of play, skill, dominance and overall greatest tennis ever seen.... which is why he is The G.O.A.T.

Great piece!

Nice video. Federer was super talent

His biggest lesson in life came after rafael nadal humbled him and brought him back to the ground

There will NEVER be another Federer, the way he played. I can count another 100 people that play with Djokovic lol. Federer is the goat for me simply due to the way he played

It was so fun to be part of this era of tennis, and it would be nothing without the Nadal rivalry.

Current Djokovic. He's just unstoppable currently. As a Nadal fan, he really is showing how dominant he is right now. Almost all the tournaments he plays in he wins, and when he loses, they are in the semis or finals.

I am 81 years old and started playing tennis when I was a kid and got good instruction in summer camp starting at 10. I'm still playing (I played today), though my knees get very unhappy when I do. I mention this because I've seen the changes in the game over all the years I've played; racquet size and material, stringing, rules changes (the foot-fault rule used to much more strict) and surface changes. The result is that the game played today is significantly different than the game played 50 or 60 years ago and there is no way to decide whether Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic was better or worse than Rod Laver. They are not comparable because while they all played something called tennis, the 1960s game was very different from the 2020s game and the two are not comparable. Having said that, I preferred watching Federer and Nadal and admire them both more than Djokovic. I do not deny that Djokovic is a great player, certainly one of the greatest of the present era. But I find it hard to admire him as a person, given some of his on-court and off-court behavior. He simply does not stack up against two of the great sportsmen I've seen in my life, Nadal.and Federer. As for watching them play, Federer was simply astonishing, making the near-impossible look easy. Anyone who has ever played the game seriously understands that time was measured differently by him. Taking a 95 mph forehand from someone like Fernando Gonzalez on the rise, essentially a half-volley, and not only being ready to make the shot and then to make solid contact and then to do something wonderful with it? Insane. Ordinary humans can't even begin to relate. He was the Ted Williams of this tennis era. Nadal? Incredible will combined with a great, great athlete. Throw in the fact that he is a gentleman and you have something pretty special. Nadal is someone I would want my grandchildren to emulate, as is Federer. Going back, Laver was a marvel in his time. I still remember the first time I saw him uncork that great running cross-court topspin backhand (against Butch Buchholz at Forest Hills 64 years ago). He could serve-volley at Wimbledon when Wimbledon was a real grass-court tournament, not the groundstroking contest we have today on green clay. But he could win on the clay in Paris. An extraordinary talent who won the Grand Slam TWICE. I am absolutely convinced that if Laver was 60 years younger, he'd be at least top 10 today, but he wouldn't be able to play the same one-grip game he played in his time. The same is true for Johnny Mac, another of the greatest talents the game has ever seen. Mac also played/plays one-grip tennis, like Laver, his idol. Wouldn't work today, but Mac the eyesight, talent, coordination and reflexes (much like Federer) to compete in today's game. Even Pete Sampras's powerful game would need some tweaking to work now. Borg, Agassi and Connors all deserve mention here, as do Jack Kramer, Pancho Gonzalez, Lew Hoad and Don Budge. And others, e.g., Vic Seixas, who is still alive at 100. Borg's achievement of winning 6 French titles and 5 Wimbledon titles when the two surfaces were so different is one of the great achievements in the history of the game. And Borg won those French titles at the same rate Nadal did at comparable ages. Borg would have won a lot more had he not retired very prematurely.

It's crazy how the story of Federer played out - 2006 was Federer's most dominant year, and he only lost five times the entire season. But who was responsible for 4 of those 5 losses? Rafael Nadal. It was a blossoming rivalry that would elevate both players and deliver some of the best matches ever, including that 2008 Wimbledon final. Yet even with this, Federer over the years learned to adapt and overcome his biggest threats - Hewitt, Roddick, Nadal, Murray, Djokovic - he always found a way to beat them with new strategies that the tennis world had never seen. Mechanically perfect strokes, great mind - he might not have the most slams, but to me, he's the guy I'd want to model a tennis player after.

Second poont of his physical conditioning is so true...even after longest of rallies even against likes of Nadal and Djkovic ...I very rarely heard him grunting....

Roger is easily my favorite player. But it's very hard to argue his GOATness when Novak is still out there breaking records and doesn't even look like he's slowing down.

Federer has made significant contributions to the sport of tennis, elevating it beyond its traditional boundaries. While other notable players have also enriched the game, Fderer's impact is unparalleled. It is an indisputable fact that Federer's contributions have transformed tennis, and those who deny this are displaying a lack of appreciation for his achievements. I would like to express my gratitude to everyone involved in the sport.😮

People who say he feared nadal in his prime are wrong. You can argue he feared him on clay but on other surfaces roger won their head to head. Thing is they only played 5x on grass and many more on clay which makes nadal look better in the h2h. Hard was fairly even

Btw Fed Nadal match up on grass hard 1st 16 matches was 8-8. Fed weakness was high topspin to his backhand. Late career, last time Fed lost to Nadal hard grass was 2014. After that, as Fed 7-0. One loss on clay in that hurricane.

Because Federer took the ball early and was so aggressive off both wings. He disguises his shots well, sometimes it’s difficult to read the direction of the ball he hits, and this applies to his serve as well.

That Wimbledon final was the best match ever played IMO.

Beautiful color pictures

Decían que no los dejaba jugar. Se sentian menos ante este gigante de la perfección

I dont think there will be another player that has fed's elegance classy swaggful effortless style!

I really love Roger videos

To your question with highest peak exists simple and measurable answer: ELO rating. And the output that Djokovic many seasons is far ahead. But yeah, easier to create long video with your own feelings, perfection and other stuff...

Nice work on this nuanced story, esp given the amount trash talk on the subject.

2017 Federer was epic. Insane dominance. If only he had switched up his style and changed his racquet earlier - what could have been?

Fed had back issues in 2013 onwards from time to time. And what about the knee? This didn't appear in 2016. Probably fed was hiding this issue for years

Roger is goat in my book. he was great on and off the court. people loved him making any tournament his home court. shots look so simple.

Roger's tennis and Tennis's Roger. He gives so much and we love him in return. Thank you so much for your beautiful words he deserves it. I miss him so much.❤

Thank you for making this great video about Federer. To all Novak fans and Fed fans i have a suggestion for both camps. From now on let's just not comment on the other camp's videos no need. We will never proclaim that Djokovic is the undisputable goat for us he has only numbers and tennis is not only numbers and you will never appreciate Federer. Why ruin everybody's fun.

2017 Roger Federer is my favorite style ever.

Magic

Pure love

Roger in one word could be - Treasure, magic, genius, artist, poet, gentleman. He was all about technique, touch and timing with little power infused. Whenever opponents let federer get in his groove there is simply no competition. He sometimes outplay the opponent but he mostly outsmarts the opponent. In many points, opponent isn't even in same league when Roger is in his groove, this applies even to Nadal. Nadal's aggressive left forehand going against the defensive right backhand of Roger is one main reason why Nadal dominated the rivalry head to head. In 2017 when Roger started to play aggressive backhand shots Nadal's dominance against Roger suddenly crumbled. Any player who beat roger consistently after 2011 or 2012 did so only with their power hitting.

I would’ve liked to have seen his neo 2017 backhand earlier in his career. Just imagine if he had that in his arsenal from his prime. I thought his neo backhand was better than his forehand.

what is the song name at 15:30 ???

In one word "GENIUS"!

Miss watching him play tennis. He is the GOAT, no question.

So let me see if I can explain this: 2006 Roger Federer was the most dominant tennis player ever but I think 2017 Roger Federer was the best Roger Federer. In 2006, Fed’s competition wasn’t what it was in 2017. He was obviously quicker and faster in 2006 but in 2017, once he went to the larger racket in 2013, Federer absolutely mastered his backhand and it went from a liability to a weapon. There’s a reason Roger finished his career 13-1 against Nadal and in form, fully fit Andy Murray. The biggest problem for Roger was blowing those 2 match points in back to back US Opens vs Djokovic. If Roger even wins one of those matches his trajectory from 2011-2016, 2019 is completely different and he likely has 3-4 more slams which means Djokovic has 3-4 less slams. But those two early US Open wins for Djokovic down match points 100% played a part in Roger’s losses to Djokovic at Wimbledon, USO 2015, Wimbledon 2019 and several other matches between the 2.

Djokovic prime was 2015/16 season which he accumulated 16500+ ATP points which is the current record and also double in number than the no: 2 player. And also he won 4 slams in a row which is also a record. No one comes close when Novak reaches his prime

Federer prime was 2006. Shot making, physical tools, mentality etc. He looked like he was in the zone all the time. We probably never gonna see such beautiful-dominant tennis ever again. After that you could see that his speed, strength was lacking to the new players. Nadal was hitting his prime while Roger was declining, then Djokovic came into play. Roger reinvented his playstyle and that's why he won again. But I'd love to see prime Roger going against every other top player at their primes

My goat

Poetry in motion is such a cliched and overused saying. But with prime Federer, his play was actually beautiful in to watch. His effortless backhand was a thing of beauty.

I love and respect all of the Big Three (and nearly all of the greats in tennis, of course). But my favorite is and always will be Roger. His shotmaking ability and graceful and complete all-court game was mesmerizing. And as you said, he set the standard and at least so far everyone else is in his shadow from that standpoint. Novak, stats- and results-wise, is clearly the GOAT. But he can't overshadow Roger's grace and Rafa's grit. But certainly, the Big Three are by far the best ever. Here's hoping Carlitos and Jannik can come close to or even surpass them!

Federer: SUPERNATURAL. 💖

If Fed was in a weak era, good lord I'd like to know what era we're currently in, because it's absolute trash.

I'm baffled how Federer moved silently over the court when everyone else was squeaking. If you play tennis you know how difficult it is to be that quiet. Still wondering if it was just footwork technique, or if he had some special non-squeak compound on his shoes.

He was the most graceful athlete I've ever seen in tennis.

For some, tennis is a sport. For Federer and those who watch him play, tennis is an art. Like painting. No sweat, no grunts, no falling over. Just smooth classy strokes of the 'brush' that produce a breathtaking mosaic. Greatness is not only in trophies won. It is also in the beauty and effortlessness of how the trophies were won. Stroke quality-to-effort ratio. For me, Federer is the greatest!! And I'm a Rafa fan.

2023 Novak was perhaps the most dominant years ever ... 3 majors and in the final of the 4th as well as ATP Finals champion.

Nadal and Djokovic may be better athletes, but no one plays tennis like Roger Federer-he IS tennis. Getting to see him up close (on clay) during his peak years, is the greatest sporting pleasure of my life.

Folks might remember the influx of interest in tennis from fashionistas bc Federer was championed by Vogue editor Anna Wintour.

Fed shaped tennis. Fed was the king and all the young lions raised their game watching the master. He was the "miastro" the mozart of tennis. He could play tennis better than anybody else ever.

Federer was awesome but to say he never feared other players isn't correct. Look at his body language in matches with Nadal in 2008 and 2009. Nadal had him demoralized at the time.

In one word you say? The racket whisperer!!! (3 words...)

The most talented and skilful tennis player to ever play the game.

Pure elite