Roger Federer's French Open Doubts

Posted by T. A. Niles Jun 13, 2007

I have recovered enough from this past weekend's disappointments to let the thoughts flow into words on screen. Roger and I played about the same this weekend...well, he hit the ball better than I did...but we both lost and both had the ability to win.

To be honest, I was more disappointed in Roger. After all, he is a professional who trains every day, and plays tournaments every other week. He had played Nadal several times before, the whole world has been telling him what he needs to do against Nadal, and he showed that he could do it...for one set anyway.

I, on the other hand, hadn't played a USTA Tournament since 2000, am an old dude with eroded skills, have about as much stamina as a turkey has future in late November, and as much confidence in my game as Rafael Nadal has boxer shorts (he can't have any, can he?). I couldn't really expect a whole lot more from me than the 3-6, 4-6 whuppin' at the hands of Mark Wagner, the tourney's No.1 seed and No.5-ranked player in Florida's men's 45 division.

To be honest, I didn't really expect Roger to do a whole lot more than he did against Rafa either, but I had that deep down hope that a Federer fan can't help but have, even when staring doubt straight in the eye.

It's that doubt that does you in on the court too. I suspected that Roger had plenty of doubts going in, even though he acted as though he bought into the hype surrounding his Hamburg win. C'mon, if I knew it, of course Roger knew he beat a tired Rafa. He's too smart not to know that.

Doubt is what grabs your arm just as you are about to smack that forehand down the line on a second serve at 15-40. Oh yes, that detestable doubt sticks its foot out and makes you stumble just as you are moving in for that easy volley for the break at 30-40. Care to guess what throws a kink into your shoulder as you are trying to hold serve at 3-4? You got it: DOUBT!

Some people give doubt a nasty nickname; they call it "Choke." Since we are "etiquettely correct" around here, we call it "the C-word." Roger went 1-17 on break points against Nadal. I didn't keep track of mine against Mark Wagner, but I went something like 2 for 12, and I, too, had some 0-30 and 15-40 games with which I did, you guessed it again, jack!

I figured that I wasn't anywhere near the kind of physical and mental shape I would need to be in to compete successfully against the better players in the USTA men's 45s, but Roger has the game, is in good physical, and, I had hoped, mental condition to, if not beat Rafa, at least give us an epic battle that would have justified the hype. He went out just as he did the previous two years at Roland Garros, playing a game that has virtually no chance to beat one of the best athletes our game has ever seen.

I, at least, changed strategies and got one more game in the second set, a set that better conditioning might have won me. Roger changed strategies for one set as well and won that, before going back to what has lost him 9 of 12 sets against Nadal at Roland Garros. That is the biggest disappointment of all.

I have given Roger credit for being the smartest, as well as most talented, player on court in the current game. I have claimed that he possesses the entire package: mental, physical, and emotional to be considered the greatest of all time. After the past weekend and Roger's withdrawal from Halle, I'm once again assaulted by the nastiest of nemeses, that demeaning demon doubt.

Roger can afford a sports psychologist to help with his doubt. I'm going to the gym to deal with mine. Next time I have triple break point against the No.1 seed, I'm smacking doubt squarely across the chops and the forehand cleanly down the line!