It's all about Fed in Pete Bodo's world right now. He's got a post at Tennis.com and this one at ESPN. They not-so-latent snark in the ESPN one is cracking my shit up this afternoon. I don't think the sugar high from my post-lunch donut is helping either.
Still, the Federer faithful keep having to adjust their expectations downward, and in so doing they invoke just about every excuse in the book to explain the ragged state of Federer's once seamless, shining game. It all goes back to the mono he suffered from before the 2008 Australian Open -- an illness we may not have heard a word about had he actually won that tournament.
On top of that, Roger's got a bad back that keeps him from being fully fit; it also prevents him from hitting his forehand the way he likes and is responsible for his poor first-serve conversion percentage (whether it accounts for him having lost the keys to the car, I don't know). And that's also why he hasn't been able to find and hire a coach in this time of obvious distress. Besides, what's a coach going to do for a guy who can't move?
OK, so let's play along with this. Federer's back is a mess; the guy can barely get out of bed in the morning. Rafael Nadal is in his head, Novak Djokovic is in his face, and Andy Murray is in his kitchen, stealing the silverware. What's a guy to do? The answer is obvious: take some time off. Go get yourself healthy, clear your head, get rid of that tummy and return with a strong back, fire in your eyes and a good hate on for Nadal, Djokovic and company.
I don't know why Roger played Monte Carlo. Seemed totally unnecessary to me given his health issues. Pete's suggestion that Rolex "asked" Roger to play in Monte Carlo seems reasonable I suppose. Then again doesn't that cut against the premise in his Tennis.com article that maybe Fed's playing so much clay in order to try out a new, more attacking gameplan?
Fed speculation seems to be the great hobby these days. No one knows anything for sure.
Except that Mirka's pregnancy rack looks fabulous. That is fact.
