Cincy...

[Moralspain]

Good to see that Rafa is still "hungry", what a champ!!

[Florian]

I don't expect Roger to do anything amazing but I expect him to do well until the end of the year. He does have some points to defend, mostly Shanghai and at the O2, but if he can avoid Nadal or even Berdych in QF at the USO, he might reach another SF.
He'll have a better 2014 no doubt to me, but his worst enemy from now on will be the draws he'll be facing...

[Uchiha Muss]

I don't expect Roger to do anything amazing but I expect him to do well until the end of the year. He does have some points to defend, mostly Shanghai and at the O2, but if he can avoid Nadal or even Berdych in QF at the USO, he might reach another SF.
He'll have a better 2014 no doubt to me, but his worst enemy from now on will be the draws he'll be facing...

Well current Federer or at least the one played against Nadal is good enough for most players. This year's Nadal is just too tough. I mean everyone including gulbis, janowicz, djokovic, dimitrov pushed him to 3 sets several times, yet nadal came on top every time. So I do expect Fed to do amazing things, perhaps not win a title but do some awesome damage.

If Fed keeps himself within top 8 that's all right. I read somewhere that 5-6-7-8th seeds are usually put in random to draws.
Also fed reached semi-final of AO13 just this year. One can't lose his top form in under a year. He surely has all the power, but not the control to take advantage of it.

P.S. All in all, I don't give a f**c what happens to federer. I'm just providing my insight. I'm a djokovic fan so I expect him to win 800 points in US and completely deny nadal No1.

[Amazing Matheja]

Mad respect to Rafa.

He's the only guy where it doesn't upset me if he beats Federer.

He now leads their head-to-head 21-10

Impossible for Roger to ever break even.

Food for thought

The way he does it upsets me a lot ! A very lot ! It's awful to see Rafa spamming Fed's BH !...

But yes, mad respect for the come back !... Hope he dosn't "sign blank checks" (Agassi, about how hard Nadal is with his body)

[Moralspain]

couldn't see the match against Federer, but i thought Federer's BH improved after getting a bigger racquet, well... it seems it wasn't the racquet the cause of his problems with his BH but his lack of skill to execute that shot. Feel sorry for him

[VMoe86]

couldn't see the match against Federer, but i thought Federer's BH improved after getting a bigger racquet, well... it seems it wasn't the racquet the cause of his problems with his BH but his lack of skill to execute that shot. Feel sorry for him

Federer was playing with his old racquet. In Hamburg and Gstaad he was testing the prototype, for Cincy + US Open he is playing with old racquet. It is funny how most people look at Federer's BH against Nadal, but even most two handed BHs cannot handle Nadal's FH to their BH. Very few are able to neutralize it (Djokovic for instance).

[Moralspain]

Very few are able to neutralize it (Djokovic for instance).

Murray as well

[Amazing Matheja]

And Nalbandian was... You really need a terrific BH to win Rafa ! (and a physic ! ^^)

[djarvik]

GULBIS DAMMIT!!! The shots are not a problem for him, he can take all Rafas shots and more...but the damn Headcase is....

[Florian]

Even Wawrinka can't do anything. I thought taller guys like Raonic Delpo Isner would handle Rafa's fh better but they just can't...

[Moralspain]

He's the only one that can add that combination of high, speed, and spin to his balls, otherwise anyone would like to hit high balls, (well proved that anyone likes them) but it's not that simple. You need to hit with a lot of spin and of course you need to be consistent, i mean this guy could be the whole day hitting to his opponent BH. At the end of the day we are talking always about the same thing, the mind. Not a lot of players can be that focus on a tactic (that he knows it works) like he is.

When guys are facing Roger they do know (everybody knows) he can't manage well those high balls to his BH, but none of them follow that tactic, they just play their tennis they don't follow any tactic, not because they don't want but because they can't be consistent during the match to follow it,

[Corbon]

Nadal has a positive winning record against every player currently in the Top 30 incl.

21-15 Nole
21-10 Federer
13-5 Murray

[Ali-Iqb93]

Federer and nadal rivalry would have been more interesting if they played each other in all slams during 2005-2007.. Would have been amazing to see these two guys playing at Aussie, us open against each other.. Back then they mostly met each other during clay season and fed would lose everytime to rafa.. And during rest of season rafa was not reaching finals of AO and us open or other masters.. Maybe that would have made federer's record better against rafa in their head to head..

P.s I believe rafa can easily win 35-40 masters in his career.. A record which will be very difficult to break.. I wonder they never count year end masters cup in masters titles count.. If they do so then federer will be still 2 ahead of rafa uptill now with 27

[Florian]

In 2005-07 courts were faster so no chance for Rafa to reach a final of grand slam back then

People often say "if..." about Nadal and others being 5 years older and kicking Fed's ass. They just forget how important net play, serve quality and offensive tactics were back then.

[djarvik]

Does Rafa have a losing record (at least 3 games) against anyone?

I maybe wrong, but I don't think so.

THAT speaks volumes and in my mind, makes the bets player ever.

Surfaces, styles etc....yadda yadda... Can you imagine having the best of ALL your opponents withing the confinement of ATP?