@@Graceclaw Federer tore his meniscus in 2016 had surgery. Been a recurring injury even went thru multiple surgeries on his knee along with his back. But his knee was the reason why Federer had major set back and forced him into retirement.
@@h-dawg1876 Federer didn't even play Djokovic in 2017 and Djokovic wasn't even playing on the tour for nearly 6 months of that year having taken it off due to a long-term issue 😂 When Djokovic was back from his elbow layoff and surgery he tore the tour a new one. Somehow the "neo" was forever gone then - what a "coincidence"!
100%! I would go as far as to say the 2017 version of Roger Federer was the peak of tennis so far: all his experience, talent, technique turbocharged with the new backhand and an injection of confidence after the AO that year, resulted in the most complete tennis player ever. It was all there for the first half of 2017 - with another peak at Wimbledon - and then less consistently through to AO 2018. But for that period, Federer hit a level that surpassed himself in his 2004-2009 prime and which hasn't really been matched since.
@@amitkar5316 I agree that Federer's 2017 version surpassed his prime (2004-2007). I also think that Federer actually got better with age despite the decline in his movement and power; his 2011 and 2012 seasons for example were higher than 2004-2007 in terms of players' elo and Federer's game. I cannot agree that 2017 version of Federer was the peak of tennis, however. Roger and Rafa deserved every bit of success that they had in 2017, but Rafa was honestly not playing some of his best tennis in the 2017 AO final. His forehand wasn't as penetrating as in 2013 when his hard-court dominance was insane.
@@amitkar5316Could only agree! I am sorry that he didnt meat Novak this year because I think that he would have beaten him, Federer was unstoppable untill he hurt i back in Montreal against Zverev.
It was the racket change, he finally went to a bigger head. Federer stubbornly kept with his original sized racket for many years even when the courts and balls slowed. 2006 federer with that same racket would be a demolition job
@@masterofdisaster9194 he would have had much more success with backhand had he switched to the larger racket in 2006, most definitely winning mostly the non-clay matches against Rafa that he did lose. As for his forehand, I'm not sure if he would have been able to hit it as hard or freely as he did with the 90 sq. in racket. I still think that the larger racket was necessary and he switched it only because the baseline grind became a thing starting in 2011. With that being said, he would definitely have had more success against Rafa during his prime for sure.
Find the Oz finals Vs Rafa if you haven't seen it. 5 sets of it. After 6 months no match practice. I picked him to Win that thing (he's sneaky) as it just felt right- genuine excitement to hit again. Enjoy.
Im convinced we will never see tennis on this level ever again. His movement was electric. His shots, were crisp and penetrating. The timing, came together with the footwork, the precision, speed, everything was magical here. This Federer is unplayable, unbeatable, his opponents must have felt trapped. Stuck. hopeless. What a wizard!
This version of Federer had everything, serve, volley, forehand, backhand, court coverage, self belief. Just had niggles after Toronto and couldn't perform at the US open. It was his for the taking. He came back to his best at Shanghai. The last flicker of the candle had it all. That year was so lovely after a decade of being second or third best. Such was a treat for our prayers for the great man. Sweet. ❤❤❤
I agree . Healthy Federer would have beaten Nadal in both US open 2017 and 2019 finals but sad he lost in QF both time due to injury. 4-0 in 2017 and just beat Nadal in Wimbledon a month ago in 2019. Both 2017 and 2019 chances at US he missed
Nadal is a force of nature, the peak of human physicality who was both an unstoppable force and an immovable object. Djokovic is a well-oiled machine who tirelessly executes almost every technique with the textbook perfection. But Federer, he's the genius experimenter, the creative pioneer, the masterful wizard who perfectly embodies the balance between form and function. Fed forever!
I have seen an interview somewhere, I think it was McEnroe where he explained that the main problem for Federer vs Nadal was that Nadal played as a lefty. I can't remember the exact explanation he gave but it had something to do with the spin of the ball being different ... etc. Funny to know that Nadal is actually right handed but forced himself to play left handed because it would give him an advantage. Also the fact that Nadal was a real fighter, giving everything for every single ball which is probably why he was so strong on clay which is the slowest surface in tennis. I guess this is also why Nadal had to cope with regular injuries since he really went to the limit. Djokovic on the other hand is a more technical player and I think that being a few years younger gave him some edge over Federer. When it comes to technique I think Roger was hands down the most versatile player we have seen and being able to execute everything so gracefully made his games fun to watch. A fun fact about Roger : In his younger years, Roger was known for having a fiery temperament on the tennis court. As a junior player, he often displayed his frustration by smashing rackets, yelling, and arguing with umpires. His emotional outbursts were quite common and somewhat at odds with the calm and composed demeanor he later became famous for.
@ppdan The kryptonite to Fed's backhand was a leftie that could hit a brutal forehand with ripping topspin combined with a relentless physicality, in others...Nadal.
@@huzcerFed killed it, seriously. Dude, he is the one who let it survive for too long. Barring Nole, no one was a problem to his BH. Even not Rafa post 2015
Honestly, this gave me chills. To watch the greatest of all-time reinvent parts of his game to make up for his age-related weaknesses is such a pleasure to watch. Truly amazing...
7 years after that historic win in Melbourne. 7 years after the 26 rally where the last right off the bounce forehand went down the line. "Riddiculous". 7 years after the tense hawkeye challenge for that cross court forehand. God damn, time flies.
Sorry to other fans but Rog on his day is unplayable. The reason Novak has been so successful is he is the most mentally resilient player probably in history, his defence and consistency has almost always been god level. Nadal is rapid around the court and had an excellent balance of incredible defence and offense. But Roger when he's on beats either of these two, you can't defend against him. That's why he's the goat
@WivoRN I was 10 th row Courtside seats Indian Wells 2012. Saw Rafa vs Roger , Novak vs Isner . Roger vs Isner . After that I had fully satisfied my urge to see any live tennis. It was my Grand Slam!
Fed's new coach gave him contribution as well for neo backhand. taking the ball early to returning of Nadal's forehand is the one of winning factors against Nadal
Exactly what I was going to say. Way better than Djokovic, way better than Sinner or anyone else has now. Better than Wawrinka (he was regularly outplaying Stan in direct backhand-to-backhand rallies in their matches, yet many people still rate Stan's backhand much higher, even though he only had a fraction of Roger's skills off that wing). People still keep badmouthing Roger's backhand, calling it a weakness, comparing it to Tsitsipas (the most ridiculous comparison of all) etc. This video and so many others show how clueless they are.
So are the Djokovic fans that kept whining under the last few posts gonna calm down yet? Wivo posts highlights for everyone. He’s a Nadal fan first but he’s a tennis lover and has been the best tennis RUclipsr for like a decade now.
truth is roger will always bring more views.people want magic, talent, touch , creativity and genius! thats what roger produced every game for 24 years. its inevitable that there will be much more content of him
It is a tricky thing for any player to change any wing this dramatically, but 37yr old Roger again did it better than anyone could ever have imagined. And in a sport filled with good two handers it was even more dramatic a change.
Fed's coach - Paul Annacone - was encouraging him to do it from a lot earlier (maybe even as early a 2012), but Fed was stubborn insisting on using his trusted 90" wilson. Fed's reasoning was that the accuracy he had with the 90" wilson would go away and that his forehands were starting to spray with the bigger frame. Fed eventually switched to the bigger frame in 2017 but should have done it a lot sooner. He certainly would have had an edge against Nadal in hard-courts and grass. In the end, the inability to hang with Nadal on hard-courts is what pushed Fed to adopt the bigger frame.
His best chance was 2019 and that match was cursed tbh. A sandstorm on court put him off. But then there's Rafa playing his best tennis and not affected by the storm at all. He is in his element after all.
What made 2017 fed backhand better than in his prime, is the depth of shot, pre-2017 fed had a consistent backhand but it landed most times just beyond the service line. 2017 fed was the most complete well-rounded tennis player coupled with amazing tennis IQ to ever exist.
I actually think it was how EARLY he took each shot on his BH. Stupidly early in some cases, combine that with his attacking style of play and it was deadly. It was a very risky strategy and quite unbelievable at how successfully consistent it was for the first 3 months that season.
I remember reading that he changed rackets around the same time to bring his equipment more in line with Rafa and Novak, which gave him more (equivalent) power. He'd stuck with the same racket for many years beforehand as he'd not been injured and was wary of switching equipment between tournaments.
It is such a damn shame that Nole and Federer didn't meet a single time between Aus Open 2016 and Cincinatti Open 2018. I would have loved to see Federer come up against Nole in this period.
Yes, don't know what happened in 2019 though, not even coaching? Should have kept the rally going instead of rushing to the net like a headless chicken.
@@anseinueseima408 BS, He was just lazy to play the long rallies, he got to the 5th set and invested all that effort to break Djokovic, he should have rallied him down even if he collapsed at the end, Novak made a routine pass just like Nadal in the semis, Feds tactic was horrible.
Federer's back hand (and front hand) had been constantly evovloing over his long spanning career. But the real reason that his 2017 was so dominating was because he changed to a larger racket. The new and bigger racket gave his shots more power and momentum while his talent largely made up for the loss of accuracy. He was one of the last pro tennis players who changed to the larger racket because he finally made up his mind for this painful but necessary change after the disastrous 2016 season. It leaves you to imagine how many more grand slams he could have got had he made this change earlier.
Well, he changed to a larger racket at the beginning of 2014 (first played with it in Australia in January, although he already tried a different larger racket in 2013). And he was indeed a very different player between 2014 and 2016 compared to previous years, the effect of the racket was very visible. That's where he added more power, ultra aggression, net play, that's when he invented the SABR etc. But it was only 2017 when he switched to this power baseline game with that insane neo backhand.
@@sakshamsanwaria7486 Federer used go around shooting his mouth off. Calling Nadal "one-dimensional" and Djokovic a "joke" etc. similar about Andy Murray. Never mind the sore loser displays like the "lucky shot" etc. he got what he deserved - that dismissive arrogance beaten out of him.
RF learning this shot and pulling it off successfully and beautifully so late in his career is truly a masterpiece. Yes u r absolutely correct, we can only imagine what he could have done if he had introduced this shot earlier in his career.
Back in the early 90's, my backhand is stronger than my forehand. I practiced a lot with lefty players. I don't play tennis anymore cuz of injuries but still watching it.
I read somewhere that, during the recovery period before AUS Open, Federer reduced the swingweight of his racquets to about 340kgcm@, from 356 -ish previously. This was done to allow him to take his backhand earlier. Seemed to work!
Not only the ball striking firepower on both wings, how fast was Fed on his feet!! I've seen close up courtside views of Fed at this tournament and it's shocking just how fast he really is. He was flyig all over the court that year!
First 8 months of 2017 was peak Roger, especially Wimbledon, where he was almost unplayable at times. For me that was his best period ever, probably just shading his 2004/07 version, he was just on another planet that season, even Djokovic and Nadal had no answer.
is it just me or did he strike the ball much better at this age than he did when he was younger. the effortless weight he puts on the ball is just unreal, i doubt we will ever see player with this much pure talent ever again.
No matter what Novak achieved the most versatile player of all is Roger Federer.......it's like a dream and healing music to watch Roger Federer play tennis.
I love Fed as much as anyone else but he was definitely blood doping in 2017 look at his results at his age to not get tired after 5 hour match and actually get stronger is unheard of, he was doping it’s hard to hear but it’s standard at the very top level of any sport
This is incredible viewing, and my favourite form of Roger. When I see older highlights, I can’t help but wonder how he would have fared had he adopted the larger racket (essential for the neo-backhand) and more aggressive approach earlier in his career.
What a variability in his game. No one did it like RF or is doing it. Its genius. The best back Hand ever. I mean the today matches are kinda counterpunching only.
What Federer did in 2017 is material for a documentary or a Hollywood movie. He transformed what everyone agrees it was his big weakness, into a devastating weapon, and conquered the professional circuit with it. By training his level of precission, control and timing, he was finally able to take the ball so early that all the drawbacks of his single handed backhand were nullified. If he had this shot from the beginning of his career, he would probably have been the greatest player of all times, in my opinion.
Why can't we just enjoy the grace and greatness of Federer without thinking that it somehow makes him the GOAT. He'll always be my favorite to watch, but being the GOAT is defined by achievement
Weak era? Dude Fed won most of his slams in a 4 year stretch before Rafa got good on other surfaces and before Novak even came up. He was beating guys like Roddick, Safin, Hewitt, and Nalbandian to win slams. Alcaraz beat Djoker for the first time in 11 years on Centre Court. Sinner beat him for the first time ever on Rod Laver after the first week.
@@kalorakaloraActually, the true weak era was 2013-2022. Many of those years were really the darkest times of tennis, when the competition especially from younger generations was not even weak, it was non-existent. Several consecutive lost generations of spectacularly feckless young players. Unprecedented in the history of the sport. It really was the career-inflation era as many people call it, and both Djokovic and Nadal benefited massively from it. By the way, there is a difference between a GOAT and a BOAT (best of all time). The word "greatest" is not necessarily purely driven by numbers.
@@J.-M. I consider Novak both. How is he not better than Fed and Rafa when he has a winning record against them and has taken them out at their slams while holding his own slam against them?
@@J.-M. 2013 was still very strong, don't include that year in the true weak era. Prime Rafa, Novak and Murray. OK, Fed had a bad year though. Then there was also great players like Del Potro, the emergence of Stan and other quality players like Tsonga, Ferrer and Berdych. The really young players (like Raonic, Dimitrov and Nishikori) weren't great and that was the start of the lost gen era but the 2013 top 10 were very strong and 2013 was far stronger than some of the other weak years that followed over the next decade.
What I find incredible about Federer is at 37, he was able to retool a shot significantly and actually won big tournaments with it. I am not aware of any other player that could do that. Nadal in 2013 did a similar change with his serve and won the US Open, but that serve was not used anywhere else and Nadal went back to his usual serve. Federer's new BH stayed with him from 2017 until he retired, and he won 3 Slams and MS 1000, completely dominated Nadal outside of clay in those years because his BH weakness could no longer be exploited.
If Federer had been able to use this backhand at the very beginning of the competition, he would not have been beaten so much by Nadal in previous years. Federer has played great tennis for many years, but he was truly great in 2017.
@@huzcerThe problem for Federer in 2017 (and actually every year since 2012) was that he was old and his old body was always done at the end of the season, including the ATP Finals. Especially after such an extremely successful year full of big matches. His backhand was actually great in many years before 2017 (for example, his backhands from the 2006 Masters Cup are legendary), but yeah, this is the ultimate peak. 2017 Federer had the best backhand I've ever seen in my 4 decades of watching tennis.
@@J.-M. what about at the start of the season? Federer beat a teenage Djokovic once at the Australian Open and then won a single set TOTAL across 4 best of 5 matches against him there. Djokovic had an elbow issue that saw him take 6 months off the tour and then go for surgery. That was a bigger factor than anything else in Federer getting those slams in 2017/18.
I believe Roger is in the same category of human legends like Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Pelé, Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali, Newton, Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, etc.
An incredible tournament dominated by his backhand. I've seen anyone dominate with their backhand like this. 2017 was the year he destroyed the tour with the greatest backhand of all time.
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
Federer 2017 was an absolute meteor. The most brilliant, beautiful tennis I think we will ever see. Thank you for a wonderful video.
This was Federer in 06 but in 06 he was faster on the court. Yeah he beat Novak and Nadal like nothing in 2017
Why did he fall off again so quickly afterward?
@@Graceclaw Federer tore his meniscus in 2016 had surgery. Been a recurring injury even went thru multiple surgeries on his knee along with his back. But his knee was the reason why Federer had major set back and forced him into retirement.
@@h-dawg1876 Federer didn't even play Djokovic in 2017 and Djokovic wasn't even playing on the tour for nearly 6 months of that year having taken it off due to a long-term issue 😂 When Djokovic was back from his elbow layoff and surgery he tore the tour a new one. Somehow the "neo" was forever gone then - what a "coincidence"!
@@Nostalgia.50ba he did tho bubba
For me, this version of Roger is my fave tennis player of all time.
100%! I would go as far as to say the 2017 version of Roger Federer was the peak of tennis so far: all his experience, talent, technique turbocharged with the new backhand and an injection of confidence after the AO that year, resulted in the most complete tennis player ever. It was all there for the first half of 2017 - with another peak at Wimbledon - and then less consistently through to AO 2018. But for that period, Federer hit a level that surpassed himself in his 2004-2009 prime and which hasn't really been matched since.
@@amitkar5316 I agree that Federer's 2017 version surpassed his prime (2004-2007). I also think that Federer actually got better with age despite the decline in his movement and power; his 2011 and 2012 seasons for example were higher than 2004-2007 in terms of players' elo and Federer's game.
I cannot agree that 2017 version of Federer was the peak of tennis, however. Roger and Rafa deserved every bit of success that they had in 2017, but Rafa was honestly not playing some of his best tennis in the 2017 AO final. His forehand wasn't as penetrating as in 2013 when his hard-court dominance was insane.
@@amitkar5316Could only agree! I am sorry that he didnt meat Novak this year because I think that he would have beaten him, Federer was unstoppable untill he hurt i back in Montreal against Zverev.
It was the racket change, he finally went to a bigger head. Federer stubbornly kept with his original sized racket for many years even when the courts and balls slowed. 2006 federer with that same racket would be a demolition job
@@masterofdisaster9194 he would have had much more success with backhand had he switched to the larger racket in 2006, most definitely winning mostly the non-clay matches against Rafa that he did lose. As for his forehand, I'm not sure if he would have been able to hit it as hard or freely as he did with the 90 sq. in racket. I still think that the larger racket was necessary and he switched it only because the baseline grind became a thing starting in 2011.
With that being said, he would definitely have had more success against Rafa during his prime for sure.
Can't believe some people can watch this and don't think this is perfection. This is the most amazing Tennis I've ever watched
Find the Oz finals Vs Rafa if you haven't seen it. 5 sets of it. After 6 months no match practice. I picked him to Win that thing (he's sneaky) as it just felt right- genuine excitement to hit again. Enjoy.
tennis is easy
@@AK-sw1nj what ?
@@Frenchy78ify tennis is easy
@@AK-sw1nj like ur mom ?
Im convinced we will never see tennis on this level ever again. His movement was electric. His shots, were crisp and penetrating. The timing, came together with the footwork, the precision, speed, everything was magical here. This Federer is unplayable, unbeatable, his opponents must have felt trapped. Stuck. hopeless. What a wizard!
Only the GOAT can break tennis
Best player I’ve ever seen made it look so easy miss him playing tennis
We are seeing this level of tennis now with Alcaraz and Sinner, I must admit. But, of course, Fed is still the GOAT.
Peak Alcaraz gonna be way better.
This version of Federer had everything, serve, volley, forehand, backhand, court coverage, self belief. Just had niggles after Toronto and couldn't perform at the US open. It was his for the taking. He came back to his best at Shanghai. The last flicker of the candle had it all. That year was so lovely after a decade of being second or third best. Such was a treat for our prayers for the great man. Sweet. ❤❤❤
He injured his back after returning to hardcourt. Maybe that's why he stopped hitting so flat and hard afterwards.
Serve isn't his forte
He injured his back in the Toronto final. I think this Neo-backhand puts a lot of stress in his back.
I agree . Healthy Federer would have beaten Nadal in both US open 2017 and 2019 finals but sad he lost in QF both time due to injury. 4-0 in 2017 and just beat Nadal in Wimbledon a month ago in 2019. Both 2017 and 2019 chances at US he missed
22 > 20
Nadal is a force of nature, the peak of human physicality who was both an unstoppable force and an immovable object. Djokovic is a well-oiled machine who tirelessly executes almost every technique with the textbook perfection. But Federer, he's the genius experimenter, the creative pioneer, the masterful wizard who perfectly embodies the balance between form and function. Fed forever!
I have seen an interview somewhere, I think it was McEnroe where he explained that the main problem for Federer vs Nadal was that Nadal played as a lefty. I can't remember the exact explanation he gave but it had something to do with the spin of the ball being different ... etc. Funny to know that Nadal is actually right handed but forced himself to play left handed because it would give him an advantage. Also the fact that Nadal was a real fighter, giving everything for every single ball which is probably why he was so strong on clay which is the slowest surface in tennis. I guess this is also why Nadal had to cope with regular injuries since he really went to the limit.
Djokovic on the other hand is a more technical player and I think that being a few years younger gave him some edge over Federer.
When it comes to technique I think Roger was hands down the most versatile player we have seen and being able to execute everything so gracefully made his games fun to watch.
A fun fact about Roger : In his younger years, Roger was known for having a fiery temperament on the tennis court. As a junior player, he often displayed his frustration by smashing rackets, yelling, and arguing with umpires. His emotional outbursts were quite common and somewhat at odds with the calm and composed demeanor he later became famous for.
@ppdan The kryptonite to Fed's backhand was a leftie that could hit a brutal forehand with ripping topspin combined with a relentless physicality, in others...Nadal.
This must be an inspiration to all the one handers out there, specially those on the Tour. Don´t let die the most beautiful shot in tennis.
only 1 player in the Top 100 under 25 with a 1hbh. Federer killed it off.
@CdawgAMVsFilmEditing 🤝
We are coming-wait another ten years
@@huzcerFed killed it, seriously. Dude, he is the one who let it survive for too long. Barring Nole, no one was a problem to his BH. Even not Rafa post 2015
@@colinmcmullin1154 FUck YEs!!!
Honestly, this gave me chills. To watch the greatest of all-time reinvent parts of his game to make up for his age-related weaknesses is such a pleasure to watch. Truly amazing...
7 years after that historic win in Melbourne.
7 years after the 26 rally where the last right off the bounce forehand went down the line. "Riddiculous".
7 years after the tense hawkeye challenge for that cross court forehand.
God damn, time flies.
It doesn't matter who has the most titles now, that's the best player who has ever drawn a breath !!
40-15😂
Stupendous. Without grunting! Even better.
I don't even like watching tennis but watching Roger play is just so enjoyable
Sorry to other fans but Rog on his day is unplayable. The reason Novak has been so successful is he is the most mentally resilient player probably in history, his defence and consistency has almost always been god level. Nadal is rapid around the court and had an excellent balance of incredible defence and offense. But Roger when he's on beats either of these two, you can't defend against him. That's why he's the goat
No man could ever play like federer. It’s just perfect
Got to see Federer vs Warwrinka live at this tournament, a check off my bucket list
Wow, that's amazing!
@WivoRN I was 10 th row Courtside seats Indian Wells 2012. Saw Rafa vs Roger , Novak vs Isner . Roger vs Isner . After that I had fully satisfied my urge to see any live tennis. It was my Grand Slam!
@@allboutthemojo WOW so happy for you my friend!
@@WivoRN thanks. We got super lucky as nobody knows who will be the final 4 in any event. The love of tennis paid off
Fed's new coach gave him contribution as well for neo backhand. taking the ball early to returning of Nadal's forehand is the one of winning factors against Nadal
ljubicic and edberg !!
_Nobody is gonna do that again. It’s perfection on its own._
What I like most about Federer is that he plays the backhand with one hand, but the most is: he doesn't have to grunt with every shot!
This is just real life Prince of Tennis. His backhand is a special move.
Never seen badminton, I guess 😂
In AO and Indian Wells 2017, Federer had the best backhand on tour.
In history maybe.
Exactly what I was going to say. Way better than Djokovic, way better than Sinner or anyone else has now. Better than Wawrinka (he was regularly outplaying Stan in direct backhand-to-backhand rallies in their matches, yet many people still rate Stan's backhand much higher, even though he only had a fraction of Roger's skills off that wing). People still keep badmouthing Roger's backhand, calling it a weakness, comparing it to Tsitsipas (the most ridiculous comparison of all) etc. This video and so many others show how clueless they are.
So are the Djokovic fans that kept whining under the last few posts gonna calm down yet? Wivo posts highlights for everyone. He’s a Nadal fan first but he’s a tennis lover and has been the best tennis RUclipsr for like a decade now.
Thank you so much for the kind words buddy ❤️
People will never stop complaining but it's part of the job haha
truth is roger will always bring more views.people want magic, talent, touch , creativity and genius! thats what roger produced every game for 24 years. its inevitable that there will be much more content of him
The only thing I see is you whining every videos about Djokovic fans.
@@NamTran-xc2ip and I didnt say a word about bathroom breakovic fans, they are a bunch of ignorant clowns, I dont mix with that sort of people
Goooood niiighttt
No one can really match the excitement of Federer’s tennis. No one. Truly magnificent to watch.
Tennis heaven. The court level shots are amazing, you appreciate the frightening speed - wish there were more of them.
It is a tricky thing for any player to change any wing this dramatically, but 37yr old Roger again did it better than anyone could ever have imagined. And in a sport filled with good two handers it was even more dramatic a change.
Fed's coach - Paul Annacone - was encouraging him to do it from a lot earlier (maybe even as early a 2012), but Fed was stubborn insisting on using his trusted 90" wilson. Fed's reasoning was that the accuracy he had with the 90" wilson would go away and that his forehands were starting to spray with the bigger frame. Fed eventually switched to the bigger frame in 2017 but should have done it a lot sooner. He certainly would have had an edge against Nadal in hard-courts and grass. In the end, the inability to hang with Nadal on hard-courts is what pushed Fed to adopt the bigger frame.
when Fed backhand on fire he makes all players looks like amatures!!
I really miss that roger and rafa intro
It's never gone buddy, but I won't be able to use it in non-grand slam videos.
sigh. Those were the days. Tennis has never been the same since Federer retired.
Agree, he was incredible
Federer was on fire in 2017
Should have won the french open too that year if Iam being honest
As a fed fan I was the happiest
didn't he skip it?
he did. And honestly there was nothing he could have done against Rafa there. Even he admitted that. Rafa was a beast that year at RG.@@nihilus1626
absolutely not. French Open is Rafa's turf. he will beat anyone especially in 2017
Anybody who watched RG 2017 knows Federer wasn’t even touching a set against Rafa
His best chance was 2019 and that match was cursed tbh. A sandstorm on court put him off. But then there's Rafa playing his best tennis and not affected by the storm at all. He is in his element after all.
What made 2017 fed backhand better than in his prime, is the depth of shot, pre-2017 fed had a consistent backhand but it landed most times just beyond the service line. 2017 fed was the most complete well-rounded tennis player coupled with amazing tennis IQ to ever exist.
I actually think it was how EARLY he took each shot on his BH. Stupidly early in some cases, combine that with his attacking style of play and it was deadly. It was a very risky strategy and quite unbelievable at how successfully consistent it was for the first 3 months that season.
Nobody beats this version of Federer.
Nice compilation and lovely to ad the speech of Stan in the end, my fav player in his prime actually 😊
I remember reading that he changed rackets around the same time to bring his equipment more in line with Rafa and Novak, which gave him more (equivalent) power. He'd stuck with the same racket for many years beforehand as he'd not been injured and was wary of switching equipment between tournaments.
That backhand is so graceful, yet deadly af
Roger wasn't just a wonderful player he was and is a wonderful person too.
Boy thank a lot for bring back those memories he es the one an only.
He already had the best forehand in the world and once he tweaked the backhand, that gave him perfection on both sides on the court.
It is such a damn shame that Nole and Federer didn't meet a single time between Aus Open 2016 and Cincinatti Open 2018. I would have loved to see Federer come up against Nole in this period.
Blimey. He had everyone running around like headless chickens.
an absolutely OVERPOWERFUL setback👊😲😲😲😲
It's just amazing to watch!! we will never see such power in a one-handed backhand again❤❤❤
The legend forever
That's why he's the GOAT, even if you think differently.
The most beautiful Federer single handed backhand places him on top of the rest of the pack.
Pure grace!
Can’t believe this was 7 years ago
Kudos to Ljubicic for improving Federer's backhand.
Yes, don't know what happened in 2019 though, not even coaching? Should have kept the rally going instead of rushing to the net like a headless chicken.
@@pauljohnson6019 he's trying to save stamina and finish the games quick cause he's too old
Ljubicic had an awesome single handed backhand himself!!!
@@anseinueseima408 BS, He was just lazy to play the long rallies, he got to the 5th set and invested all that effort to break Djokovic, he should have rallied him down even if he collapsed at the end, Novak made a routine pass just like Nadal in the semis, Feds tactic was horrible.
The most artistic player ever. He is the beauty of tennis.
I'm convinced that 2017 Federer is peak tennis. No one else comes close.
lol
2006 shanghai vs James Blake...Might be better. THe 2006-07 Federer was comparable. Highest levels of tennis ever acheived on this planet for sure.
Peak Nadal on clay is peak tennis.
I love the way you say "without further ado" :D.keep it up!
Hahaha thanks man, will do!
Federers backhand is the most beautiful tennis shot ever!!!
Federer's back hand (and front hand) had been constantly evovloing over his long spanning career. But the real reason that his 2017 was so dominating was because he changed to a larger racket. The new and bigger racket gave his shots more power and momentum while his talent largely made up for the loss of accuracy. He was one of the last pro tennis players who changed to the larger racket because he finally made up his mind for this painful but necessary change after the disastrous 2016 season. It leaves you to imagine how many more grand slams he could have got had he made this change earlier.
Well, he changed to a larger racket at the beginning of 2014 (first played with it in Australia in January, although he already tried a different larger racket in 2013). And he was indeed a very different player between 2014 and 2016 compared to previous years, the effect of the racket was very visible. That's where he added more power, ultra aggression, net play, that's when he invented the SABR etc. But it was only 2017 when he switched to this power baseline game with that insane neo backhand.
Rafa was a beast, Novak was a machine.
But Roger was a wizard
Perfectly said. I'd rather watch a wizard, dancer or jazz player than a machine, robot or cd player.
@@Dilmahkana A wizard with a chicken bone caught in his throat at 40-15 😂
@@huzcerYou despise him with all your heart, don't you? I reckon you wouldn't have even met Nole once but still.
@@huzceradolescent reply
@@sakshamsanwaria7486 Federer used go around shooting his mouth off. Calling Nadal "one-dimensional" and Djokovic a "joke" etc. similar about Andy Murray. Never mind the sore loser displays like the "lucky shot" etc. he got what he deserved - that dismissive arrogance beaten out of him.
I miss this 😭😭
Wow! If only Roger had discovered that early, on the rise backhand tactic a couple of years earlier--we can only imagine!
RF learning this shot and pulling it off successfully and beautifully so late in his career is truly a masterpiece. Yes u r absolutely correct, we can only imagine what he could have done if he had introduced this shot earlier in his career.
This was the Federer that went into Roland Garos 2019.
Nadal is my 🐐, but watching this Fed was beautiful. The SABR. The backhand. The aggression. The net play. Quick, clean, dominant. Appreciate him much.
Back in the early 90's, my backhand is stronger than my forehand. I practiced a lot with lefty players. I don't play tennis anymore cuz of injuries but still watching it.
I read somewhere that, during the recovery period before AUS Open, Federer reduced the swingweight of his racquets to about 340kgcm@, from 356 -ish previously. This was done to allow him to take his backhand earlier. Seemed to work!
If that is true, it added plenty of racket head speed too. On the forehand he was hitting like the old days.
Definitely Federer in the green shirt is like God mode!
This exhibition of supreme playing, is why he was called FedEx. Federer Express, thank you come again. Get off my court and hand me the title hahahah
I love the fact that Federrer doesn't make a sound when he plays.
What absolute perfection!
Not only the ball striking firepower on both wings, how fast was Fed on his feet!! I've seen close up courtside views of Fed at this tournament and it's shocking just how fast he really is. He was flyig all over the court that year!
The backhand is unreal, but that inside out forehand is insane!!!
Federer era um animal. Uma besta. Um gênio. Um monstro. Um fenômeno. Em números ninguém contesta Djokovic, mas as coisas que Federer fazia..
First 8 months of 2017 was peak Roger, especially Wimbledon, where he was almost unplayable at times. For me that was his best period ever, probably just shading his 2004/07 version, he was just on another planet that season, even Djokovic and Nadal had no answer.
2017 Federer was the GOAT. No one today would have beaten him back then. What a pity, there was no olympic games that year.
Was not Neo Federer. Was always Federer. The flying swiss.
And an absolutely SWEET backhand.
is it just me or did he strike the ball much better at this age than he did when he was younger. the effortless weight he puts on the ball is just unreal, i doubt we will ever see player with this much pure talent ever again.
Just incredible and unstoppable. Surprised nobody has commented on Warinka's comment at the end...lol.
8:17 Nadals face lol
What a great performance from Roger! 😍
Roger Federer,a Legend ,best of all times.Though he has less Ground Slams.He is the best and Greatest.He taught the Old and Young his Meqstry.
And Federer is now closer to Nadal on weeks at No.1 than the outright leader. (who is also double Nadal). It's highlander basically.
The best tennis I’ve ever seen
Dude... Federer really is the GOAT sry... he REALLY is !
The best tennis player to ever do it. In my opinion of course. Im a 6'3 250 pound blk man. And i watched this man whole career. It was beautiful
it's so funny seeing federer and nadal being opponents, transported with their backs at each other on a single gold caddy
So beautiful! The GOAT ❤
It was 7 years ago, but I remember This Roger as it was yesterday.
No matter what Novak achieved the most versatile player of all is Roger Federer.......it's like a dream and healing music to watch Roger Federer play tennis.
It was stats until Djoker broke them.
3:57 Lahyani's face expression
I love Fed as much as anyone else but he was definitely blood doping in 2017 look at his results at his age to not get tired after 5 hour match and actually get stronger is unheard of, he was doping it’s hard to hear but it’s standard at the very top level of any sport
Freaking legend.
This is incredible viewing, and my favourite form of Roger. When I see older highlights, I can’t help but wonder how he would have fared had he adopted the larger racket (essential for the neo-backhand) and more aggressive approach earlier in his career.
What a variability in his game. No one did it like RF or is doing it. Its genius. The best back Hand ever. I mean the today matches are kinda counterpunching only.
What Federer did in 2017 is material for a documentary or a Hollywood movie. He transformed what everyone agrees it was his big weakness, into a devastating weapon, and conquered the professional circuit with it. By training his level of precission, control and timing, he was finally able to take the ball so early that all the drawbacks of his single handed backhand were nullified. If he had this shot from the beginning of his career, he would probably have been the greatest player of all times, in my opinion.
And he did all that wearing the same shirt !
Great vidéo! Thanks!
Glad you liked it!
In 2:37 😮😮😮❤RF❤😮😮😮
Why can't we just enjoy the grace and greatness of Federer without thinking that it somehow makes him the GOAT. He'll always be my favorite to watch, but being the GOAT is defined by achievement
But when that achievement is due to the lack of competition. Weak era stat padding 2018-23 doesn't make Djokovic GOAT.
Weak era? Dude Fed won most of his slams in a 4 year stretch before Rafa got good on other surfaces and before Novak even came up. He was beating guys like Roddick, Safin, Hewitt, and Nalbandian to win slams. Alcaraz beat Djoker for the first time in 11 years on Centre Court. Sinner beat him for the first time ever on Rod Laver after the first week.
@@kalorakaloraActually, the true weak era was 2013-2022. Many of those years were really the darkest times of tennis, when the competition especially from younger generations was not even weak, it was non-existent. Several consecutive lost generations of spectacularly feckless young players. Unprecedented in the history of the sport. It really was the career-inflation era as many people call it, and both Djokovic and Nadal benefited massively from it. By the way, there is a difference between a GOAT and a BOAT (best of all time). The word "greatest" is not necessarily purely driven by numbers.
@@J.-M. I consider Novak both. How is he not better than Fed and Rafa when he has a winning record against them and has taken them out at their slams while holding his own slam against them?
@@J.-M. 2013 was still very strong, don't include that year in the true weak era. Prime Rafa, Novak and Murray. OK, Fed had a bad year though. Then there was also great players like Del Potro, the emergence of Stan and other quality players like Tsonga, Ferrer and Berdych. The really young players (like Raonic, Dimitrov and Nishikori) weren't great and that was the start of the lost gen era but the 2013 top 10 were very strong and 2013 was far stronger than some of the other weak years that followed over the next decade.
Subscribed to your channel man. The content is pure gold. I dig into single handed backhand anyday - what's your style ?
Thanks man! Same as you though I'm a Nadal fan 😂
His tennis was beautiful to watch.
What I find incredible about Federer is at 37, he was able to retool a shot significantly and actually won big tournaments with it. I am not aware of any other player that could do that. Nadal in 2013 did a similar change with his serve and won the US Open, but that serve was not used anywhere else and Nadal went back to his usual serve. Federer's new BH stayed with him from 2017 until he retired, and he won 3 Slams and MS 1000, completely dominated Nadal outside of clay in those years because his BH weakness could no longer be exploited.
The Rafa serving change was 2010 US Open, not 2013. Rafa did win the 2013 US Open as well, but his serve wasn't as good as 2010.
Nadal’s serve was the best in 2010.
@@imaginativeIdeations But it didn't last long.
Thumbnail is hilarious!
Federer es de otro planeta !!!
If Federer had been able to use this backhand at the very beginning of the competition, he would not have been beaten so much by Nadal in previous years. Federer has played great tennis for many years, but he was truly great in 2017.
Losing to David "0 masters titles" in the 2017 ATP Finals semi with Dimitrov the choker waiting in the finals was peak....
@@huzcerThe problem for Federer in 2017 (and actually every year since 2012) was that he was old and his old body was always done at the end of the season, including the ATP Finals. Especially after such an extremely successful year full of big matches. His backhand was actually great in many years before 2017 (for example, his backhands from the 2006 Masters Cup are legendary), but yeah, this is the ultimate peak. 2017 Federer had the best backhand I've ever seen in my 4 decades of watching tennis.
@@J.-M. what about at the start of the season? Federer beat a teenage Djokovic once at the Australian Open and then won a single set TOTAL across 4 best of 5 matches against him there. Djokovic had an elbow issue that saw him take 6 months off the tour and then go for surgery. That was a bigger factor than anything else in Federer getting those slams in 2017/18.
2017 Federer was just peak. without a doubt the best version of himself.
I believe Roger is in the same category of human legends like Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Pelé, Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali, Newton, Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, etc.
How do you measure greatness. Easy, just warch Roger at his best. GOAT
6:35 that contact point shows crazy hand-eye coordination!
Someone travel back to 2017 and tell Federer to watch that knee, please…
Lahyani speechless 3:55
An incredible tournament dominated by his backhand. I've seen anyone dominate with their backhand like this. 2017 was the year he destroyed the tour with the greatest backhand of all time.
Dominating David "0 masters titles" Goffin in the ATP Finals semi for example - oh wait!