French Open men's final - any hope for Federer?

It's hard to get the No. 1 player to change his game, but I would like to see Federer try SOMETHING different to get Nadal out of his comfort zone.

 

i think that's why federer changed coaches, to try and figure out a way to solve nadal on clay

but i don't know what he can do

go for winners all the time because the deeper points go the less of a chance he has? run around and try to hit forehand winners off all second serves?

i honestly don't know how he can win this match. nadal doesn't make mistakes, and he's so tough on big points. didn't i read somewhere he's never lost a five-set match on clay?

it will take perfection for federer to win a set. three? i just can't see it

 

Six games and two Nadal breaks into this match, I can only say I was wrong.

Federer looks totally lost. No chance whatsoever.

 

This is just stupid. Nadal has all the answers on clay.

 

The only way Roger wins at Roland Garros is if Raffy breaks an ankle before the tournament. Raffy is in his kitchen on clay.

 

What's irritating is that your average commentator, who knows next to nothing about tennis, will argue after this match that Federer "can't be considered the greatest of all time" because he's never won the French.

It's not like Federer is Pete Sampras, who only made it to the French semifinals once. Federer is in his third straight final, and the year before he got to the semis. He's an excellent clay-court player, but he keeps losing to the same guy - someone who, even at a young age, is being labeled as the greatest clay-court player ever. Just taking a set off Nadal at Roland-Garros is a major accomplishment, given his level of dominance.

For all we know, Federer could be better than Laver on clay. Hell, he might be good enough to have beaten Borg once in his prime. If Federer had played in any era by the current one, it seems reasonable to think he would have won this event by now.

So even though Roger has never won the French Open, I refuse to see it as a glaring hole on his career resume. It's just a testament to Rafa's greatness on clay.

 

i still think federer has a better chance to win the french than nadal has to win any other major

but i don't see either happening

i can't even watch this anymore. this is pitiful

 

Great clay-court season (as usual), Rafa.

But will you win a single tournament for the rest of the year?

 

Phil Mickelson is gonna dust this off in a week at Torrey Pines. Just sayin'

 

Aren't there a few more off-season clay court tournaments for him to win?

 

I think it's a pretty big hole on Federer's resume. He's often compared to Tiger. People get on Tiger because he's never come back on the final day to win. But what if he'd never won a U.S. Open, or at the British Open? That would be a big strike against him. It's gotta be against Federer as well.