Ma siccome i grandi campioni sono tali solo se ti sorprendono, ecco che Roger ha vinto gli UsOpen, il suo tredicesimo Slam, e allora forse ci eravamo proprio sbagliati. E invece no: lo svizzero ieri ha fatto sapere che la sua stagione forse è chiusa qui, anche se pochi credono che non si farà vedere al Masters. «Il 2008 è stato un anno duro per me - questo l’inizio del comunicato apparso sul suo sito - , perché ho giocato sempre cercando di recuperare, dopo che mi è stata diagnosticata la mononucleosi all’inizio dell’anno. Mi sento fortunato perché sto di nuovo bene, ma voglio rimanere al vertice per molti altri anni, e andare a caccia del numero 1 in classifica di nuovo. Per fare ciò ho bisogno di un lungo riposo per rimettermi in forze e tornare al 100% per il resto dell’anno… o per l’anno prossimo. In questo momento non so quando sarò pronto per giocare di nuovo, ma spero di tornare in qualche momento prima della fine dell’anno».

Fonte: http://www.ilgiornale.it/a.pic1?ID=295104

However this year has really turned out to be different for Nadal, not only he demolished Federe in the lop sided french open final , he also overcome the last hurdle in the wimbledon and oympics was the icing on the cake.

On the other hand Federer after getting bogged down by mysterious virus in FEB 08 has been keeping low. He lost to player he never ever dreampt of. Also his horrendous run of 4 losses in 5 matches from wimbledon to US open reflects hs loss of confidence.Although he won US open heis cause was helped by Nadal's defeat in semis by  Andy Murray and Murray's nerves of first grand slam final. Story would have been different if Nadal was in finals.

Going foward it is going to be really difficult for Federer. He is already 27 and not getting younger. Also players have started believing that he is beatable and the aura of invincibility is long gone. On the other hand Nadal is 56 years younger,hungry and great mover on the court.

I wont be surprised if Nadal rules the mens tennis for coming 3-4 years just like Federer did from 2004-08.

O Tenista da Suiça que recentemente ajudou a recolocar a Suiça no grupo principal da Copa Davis (torneio de Seleções) preferiu descansar e se preparar melhor para os torneios q ainda está por vir, como todos sabem Federer teve um problema no começo do ano de Mononucleose, uma doença q deixa a musculatura fraca e abaixa a resistência imunológica.

Federer Declarou " Estou Feliz por estar curado, porém para voltar ao topo do ranking (detalhe primeira vez q Federer fala sobre voltar a ser o número um do mundo) preciso estar 100% fisicamente e mentalmente pretendo voltar logo, para jogar os últimos pontos do ano (Madrid, Paris e MasterCUP). Eu peço desculpas aos fãns de tênis e aos Suíços (cavalheiro) pretendo jogar novamente esse torneio que tem uma grande tradição e um país onde se fabrica excelentes tenistas."

Creio eu que Federer vai se poupar um pouco mais e não jogará os próximos dois torneios Madrid e Paris  onde o ultimo campeão foi Nalbadian, mas acredito que o torneio da sua terra natal na Basiléia ele participará torneio esse onde ele apenas defende os Pontos, mas tem muita coisa em jogo do que apenas os pontos.

O Único Torneio que ele não pode perder esse ano é o da Master CUP onde os 4 melhores do mundo já estão classificados, lá poderá ser o torneio onde Nadal pode aumentar mais ainda a diferença entre os dois, por isso a "defesa dos pontos é muito importante".

Allez Roger !!!

How about the Williams sisters? These two amazons have dominated the tennis circuit for years, and aren't showing any signs of stopping. Just looking  at their physiques, leaves no doubt in my mind that these are winners of the genetic lottery. You don't have to look too far in the tennis world to come across the next set of demi-gods posing as normal humans. Rafeal Nadal and Roger Federer are the top two professional tennis players in the world, and possibly in history. Their rivalry is legendary. Federer is more well known than Nadal, as he has broken more records, and when all is said and done could very well be the greatest tennis player of all time. The scary part is that he is just hitting his prime, just in his late 20s, and already achieved more than most tennis legends. Outside of the tennis court, you would think this was just an average Joe, but don't be fooled by his lackadaisical attitude, this is one serious competitor who crushes opponents left and right without blinking twice.

I could traverse different sports, naming various athletes that could fit into this criteria. Phenoms like Sidney Crosby and Lebron James are already changing the way their sports are played and reshaping history whilst at it. Both are not even in their mid 20s, yet have already broken numerous records. I shudder to think what they might have accomplished before they are 30.

As I sit here watching a college football game, I cannot help but marvel at the titans on the television set. 6'5, 275 pound running backs. Breaking tackles, running at breakneck speeds an pulling off athletic moves that would make even the most qualified gymnast applaud in awe. How about Usain Bolt, the 6'5 Jamaican speedster. Breaking records that no one thought could be broken ten years ago, and whats scary is how easy he has made it look.

So in conclusion, I say to my fellow mortals, watch out and be careful, take note for the super humans are amongst us. Luckily for us, they are on our side, we should honor them whilst they are with us.

Nine players from the world top 20 will attend the Bank Austria TennisTrophy at the Wiener Stadthalle. Three weeks before the opening day of the tournament, the participants form a nice little sequence in the ATP Entry Rankings: 9-10-11-13-14-15-16-17-18. With so little between the players, some exciting matches are sure to thrill the crowds at the Stadthalle. Moreover there will be one player who is set to mix it with the big four - namely Nadal, Federer, Djokovic and Murray - in the coming years: Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina. Many of the BA-Trophy past winners were or have gone on to become world number one. Del Potro could well be the next.

Koubek receives wild card for comeback

Of the three wild cards on offer Stefan Koubek will receive the first as a kind-of anniversary present. He is due to mark his comeback following a back injury with his tenth appearance at the Wiener Stadthalle.

The second wild card goes to Marin Cilic of Croatia, who is currently being trained by Boris Becker's former coach Bob Brett. Ranked 22nd in the world, Cilic won his first tournament this year in New Haven. He has signed a two year deal. The 20-year-old, measuring 198 cm tall and born in Mostar (Bosnia Herzegovina), Cilic joins Del Potro and Ernests Gulbis of Latvia to form a trio of young Trophy stars, who are breathing down the necks of the world's greats.

The final wild card goes to Davis Cup winner Alexander Peya, who recently secured Austria's 3:2 victory over Great Britain at Wimbledon.

Davis Cup heroes at the Bank Austria-TennisTrophy

When looking through the confirmed stars due in Vienna, not only Peya was involved in the Davis Cup. Wawrinka secured two points for Switzerland against Belgium, Gonzalez picked up two points for Chile against Australia and Karlovic matched the feat as Croatia played Brazil. Del Potro won twice against Russia to see Argentina through to face Spain in the Davis Cup final.

The doom merchants can now take a step back as the Bank Austria-TennisTrophy is set to bring back the glory days and I for one am already looking forward to 2009's tournament.

The tournament is co-sponsored by The Ring Hotel, Vienna´s Casual Luxury Hotel. For ticket reservation please visit the tournament´s website or call 0043 (0)1 79 999 79.

Wallace cresceu praticando o esporte e, quando trocou-o pela caneta/máquina de escrever/computador, jamais deixou de fletar com o meio, inserindo personagens ligados ao tênis em seus romances e acompanhando as temporadas para veículos de mídia norte-americanos.

Em 2006, Wallace conseguiu uma aparentemente impossível entrevista com Roger Federer em pleno torneio de Wimbledon, e o resultado deste encontro é um incrível texto (crônica? ensaio?) publicado no New York Times, intitulado "Roger Federer as Religious Experience".

O artigo é bastante técnico, descrevendo o talento do suíço ao invés de fazer alguma referência à entrevista - que existiu, segundo o site da ATP, para que Wallace "pegasse o jeito" de seu objeto de estudo.

Não vou ficar aqui discorrendo sobre a prosa de David Foster Wallace ou seu incrível poder de pegar um personagem interessante, quase enigmático, e desvendá-lo de maneira surpreendente. Eu jamais poderia susbtituir a prosa de Wallace e jamais tentaria, por isso, recolho-me a minha insignificância e, lógico, passo o link:

NYT: Roger Federer as Religious Experience

The matador facing him is silent, outwardly calm, apparently focussed, mentally preparing to tame the beast. The cloak came off long ago, he was badly injured by the animal he now faces and he remembers. The fear is there, the respect.

While once this matador found victory easy and danced happily around his predators, it was never the way with this adversary. Coursing on a renewed trajectory, he faces his sternest test. He would revel in the challenge but for the knowledge that this will not be pretty. Still, determination lights his eyes.

No doubt he is lithe, but he is not physically strong. No doubt he is highly skilled and aware, but so is his opponent. No doubt he is creative, but is he, finally, patient enough to control his flair at the right moments? Will he put aside his enjoyment of the game and do the hard work it takes to beat the unbeatable? These qualities appear a necessity in this of all arenas. Still… we can’t help but wonder if the advantage could be tipped in his favour simply through pure magic.

The coin flips, glinting in the summer sun. The matador knows luck is always involved, and his opponent always uses every given advantage. Question is, how will he use his? Will he live in every moment with his thoughts clear and his movement loose and flowing? Will he grab the bull by the horns?

Det festlige med Davis Cup er at hjemmelaget får bestemme hvilket dekke kampene skal spilles på. Finalen spilles i Argentina, og jeg blir overrasket hvis de velger å møte Spania på grus. Jeg regner med at de velger et raskt dekke. Både Nalbandian og del Potro har en bedre sjanse mot Nadal på en rask bane. Selv om del Potro er altfor dårlig å serve i forhold til høyden sin.

Jeg holder Spania som en liten favoritt i finalen uansett. Nadal er blant verdens 2-3 beste på hardcourt også, og både Feliciano Lopez og Fernando Verdasco er gode på raske dekker. Argentinerne har del Potro, og er avhengige av at han spiller godt for å ha en sjanse i november. Jeg tror Nadal vinner sine to kamper i finalen, og da må Argentina vinne de to andre singlekampene pluss doublekampen for å bli Davis Cup-mestere. Det tror jeg blir tøft.

Roger Federer vendte også tilbake til Davis Cup sist helg, og hjalp laget til seier over Belgia. Sveits er dermed tilbake i toppdivisjonen neste år. Jeg lurer på hvilke planer Federer har for Davis Cup i 2009. Nå har han Wawrinka å støtte seg på, og de to vant OL-gull i double nettopp. Samtidig gjør det store innhogg i kalenderen å vie seg 100 prosent til Davis Cup, og jeg tror Federer er litt for glad i Grand Slam-trofeer til å ofre seg for fedrelandet. Og hvis Sveits trekker Spania i første runde, hvor lysten er han egentlig på å dra til Madrid og få juling av Nadal?

i am sure some of you are still reeling from the absence of olympics, in other words, post-olympics syndrome.

so let me rub your wounds with the best highlights & controversies of the historic event:

china have set a benchmark, very high indeed. this is more than just a sporting event for china, in fact, the main purpose is to show the world how much china has progressed and showcase their ambitions in becoming one of the 'superpowers' of the world.

highlights

*some opening ceremony photos excluding the closing ceremony

chinese gymnast li ning igniting the cauldron

fireworks at the bird nest stadium

the five olympic rings - passion, faith, victory, work ethic and sportsmanship

you knew i was going into this topic isn't it. there's no way to talk about beijing olympics 2008 without even mentioning him - officially the greatest olympian, overtaking mark spitz (7) with 8 medals by setting seven world records and 1 olympic record in a single olympic.

and this includes the miraculous 100m butterfly which he won by the narrowest margin possible — one one hundredth of a second.

from other sources : what made his seventh win even more jaw dropping, was the fact that at the turn he was seventh out of eight swimmers. He made up significant ground (or would it be water?) in the final seconds, but when frontrunner Milorad Cavic of Serbia reached for the wall while Phelps was in the midst of his final half stroke, it looked as though the University of Michigan student's dream of eight gold medals was done for. But this is Michael Phelps we're talking about. The phenom inexplicably managed to circle his beanstalk arms around and touch the wall just before Cavic could glide to victory.

frames to frames picture : 100m butterfly phelps (left) vs cavic

the olympics committee confirmed that both of them, cavic and phelps might have touched the electronic touchpad at the same time, but Phelps applied sufficient pressure than cavic who barely reached it, to win by 0.01 second.

here's another sensation who overtake phelps as best individual performance in beijing olympics by an american newspaper, denver post.

he's the fastest man on earth and his name is usain bolt.

some papers criticised him for being arrogant, winning the 100 metres relay without inputting the full effort (towards his last strides, he pumped his chest while looking at the audience to signal victory) but all of them can only admire in awe by such dominance.

jamaican sprint phenomenon usain bolt was picked by the newspaper for his three world record gold medal performances in the 100, 200 metres and 4x100-metre relay.

"With swimmers breaking 74 world records in 2008 – including 24 at these Olympics – we no longer are impressed with world swim records.

"But when Bolt breaks track's two sprint marks for the first sprint double in 24 years, then runs a leg on the sprint relay that breaks a third record, that grabs our attention," the Denver Post stated.

Bolt, 22, joined a short list of track and field greats who have successfully completed an Olympic double when he became the first man in Olympic history to set world records in both events at any Games.

nadal ended federer's 4 1/2 years reign of atp no. 1 spot after winning the olmypics singles gold medal

roger federer finally won his first olympic medal despite dominating the tennis court for years

singapore claim its first olympic medal after 48 years wait

Waseelah Saad competing as the first female sprinter from Yemen. She ran while wearing a hijab.

controversies/moments to forget

Liu Xiang, the defending Olympic champion and icon of Chinese sport, managed just three steps in his opening heat in the 110m hurdles before pulling up lame with a hamstring injury.

The Athens gold medalist was shown by television cameras crouching by an outside wall in bitter disbelief as officials, volunteers and the entire country watched on in horror.

china's favourite poster boy absence in the games, obviously had a huge impact as sponsors and advertisers suffered millions in losses.

the country's weight of expectation and extraordinary hype surrounding him was simply to much for him to cope in his home ground.

us men 4x100m relay team committed horrendous error by dropping the baton - disqualifying themselves in the process

a case of monkey-see-monkey-do? or you jump i jump?

The U.S. women didn't learn from the U.S. men's relay mistake earlier in the day, calling into question the program's leadership.

lin miaoke (above) appeared to be singing the anthem "hymn to the motherland" at the olympic opening ceremony on august 8, 2008.

but a chinese official admitted that lin miao ke was actually lip-synching because the singer of the performance - yang peiyi (below) was deemed not cute enough to appear for the ceremony.

The main consideration was the national interest. The child on the screen should be flawless in image, in her internal feelings, and in her expression. In the matter of her voice in the unanimous opinion of all the members of the team-Chen Qigang

a family forming the symbol of olympics

there's only one phrase for it - an inch to perfection. i doubt any olympics opening ceremony will come close to what we have witnessed on 8th August 2008 in years to come.

china has done asians proud. perhaps it is time for the westerns to stop stereotyping us as inferior race and remind them their colonizing days are over.

still having olympics syndrome? fret not, its only 4 years time!

For Federers del spiller han playoff for å komme med i World Group neste år for Sveits mot Belgia. Tipper det går greit. Ellers ikke den store spenningen i playoff-oppgjørene. Ikke så mye annet som skjer i tennisverdenen for øyeblikket før Masters-turneringen i Madrid i oktober.

L'articolo di David Foster Wallace che fu pubblicato sul New York Times del venti agosto 2006 s'intitolava "Federer come un'esperienza religiosa". E' probabile che venga criticato come positivista incallito, ma non ne farò un problema, perché l'ascendente che ha avuto su di me l'illuminismo credo che sia in grado di consolarmi. Non ho un'indole che mi induce a contemplare e descrivere i misteri, li vedo piuttosto come problemi a cui cerco di dare una soluzione logica, razionale; se poi tale soluzione risulterà sbagliata sono convinto che rappresenti lo stesso un passo ulteriore che ci avvicina alla verità, per tentativi ed errori. Sì lo ammetto sono un incallito positivista, anche se in un modo particolare, e non posso fare a meno di pensare che conoscere ci risolve molti problemi. Questo mio eccesso di logicità mi spinge a domandarmi perché dovrebbe trattarsi di un' esperienza spirituale vedere Roger Federer giocare a tennis. Perché religiosa? Se ne conosci l'aspetto trigonometrico, allora ne conosci l'aspetto scientifico e tu stesso ti dilungasti sull'analisi millimetrica della posizione del piatto corde all'impatto, sull'errore angolare del proiettile sul bersaglio quando si sposta la canna del fucile anche solo di un micron. Lo stesso avviene nel tennis, dove questo spostamento di micron all'impatto può essere provocato anche dal colpo che la pallina conferisce alla racchetta e non solo dall'imprecisione del gesto del giocatore. Poi ti dilungasti nello scrivere dei riflessi, della velocità di gambe, dei tempi di reazione e in quel momento la logica conseguenza del tuo ragionare era che stavi dando una spiegazione razionale, e non mistica del fenomeno Federer. Ma tutta questa logica all'improvviso ti sembrò non spiegare nulla, ti apparì come un parlare vano e inutile che, in fondo, non andava alla radice vera della spiegazione, non ne coglieva l'essenza.

"Tutto questo è vero, eppure niente di tutto ciò spiega veramente qualcosa, niente evoca l' esperienza di guardare quest' uomo che gioca. [...]
Esistono tre tipi di spiegazioni valide per dar conto dell' ascendente di Federer. Una ha a che fare con il mistero e la metafisica ed è, ritengo, quella che più si avvicina alla realtà. Le altre sono più tecniche e più praticabili per un testo giornalistico. La spiegazione metafisica è che Roger Federer è uno di quei rari, soprannaturali atleti che sembrano essere esentati, almeno in parte, da certe leggi della fisica." D. F. Wallace.

Posso capire, perché ci sono passato a cercare vane e inconsistenti spiegazioni su come sia possibile colpire in corsa, con il peso del corpo arretrato e di solo polso un passante incrociato stretto che cade preciso sulla riga. Me ne sono date tante di giustificazioni, un po' come hai fatto tu, e proprio come è capitato a te nessuna mi appagava. Non ero pienamente convinto né che dipendesse dai riflessi, né da una vista migliore, né dalla posizione delle gambe (era con il peso all'indietro). Non mi convinceva nemmeno che certe abilità dipendessero dal sincronismo perfetto del movimento verso l'impatto. Sentivo che qualcosa mancava, e tutte queste ragioni, anche se unite in un quadro d'insieme, non mi gratificavano, e quando si ha questa sensazione la metafisica è lì che aspetta dietro l'angolo. Non mi convinceva pienamente nemmeno il senso "cinestetico". Insomma qualcosa non quadrava. Ma la soluzione, alla fine, me l'ha data la fisica, e la teoria del caos gli ha fornito un abito molto elegante. Vorrei evitare di apparire presuntuoso, ma credo ti sarebbe piaciuta. Probabilmente non ti avrebbe sollevato dalle preoccupazioni che hai avuto, ma se avessi aspettato prima di compiere il tuo gesto, avresti avuto, forse, un'esperienza scientifica in più, che non sostituisce certamente quella religiosa, ma può illuminarla con un'altra luce. C'è sempre un motivo, anche se sconosciuto, per rimandare scelte irrevocabili, anche se certe volte sono in tanti a remare contro, e sembra che lo facciano deliberatamente.

• Oblio (Einaudi 2004)
• La ragazza dai capelli strani (Einaudi 1998, minimum fax 2003)
• La scopa del sistema (Fandango 1999)
• Tennis, tv, trigonometria, tornado (minimum fax 1999)
• Infinite Jest (Fandango 2000)
• Brevi interviste con uomini schifosi (Einaudi 2000)
• Il rap spiegato ai bianchi (con Mark Costello, minimum fax 2000)
• Verso Occidente l'Impero dirige il suo corso (minimum fax 2001)
• Una cosa divertente che non farò mai più (minimum fax 2001)

Last year we saw some chinks in the armor, as Roger dropped nine matches - as many as he had in 2005 and 2006 combined! Still, he won three of the Slams, went to the French Open final, and won the Tennis Masters Cup.  Sure, he seemed to be losing his focus in some of the lesser tournaments, but when he was on the big stage he shined brightly.  Not so this year.  He lost to Djokovic in straight sets in the Australian semifinal and was thrashed by Rafael Nadal in the French Open final.  He had several early exits from tournaments, and his only two titles until Monday were in minor events - events he hadn't even competed in last year.

Meanwhile, Rafa was on a run.  Oh, he didn't start off that great.  In fact, he was doused by Mikhail Youzhny 6-0, 6-1 early in the year.  And for the second straight year he was smashed in the Australian Open, this time 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semifinals.  Then there was the perplexing finals loss to Nickolay Davydenko in the Miami Masters.  As is his custom, however, he caught fire during clay court season, and then came that incredible victory over Federer at Wimbledon.  By August he was #1, ending Federer's historic streak at 237 weeks - and his own stretch at #2 at 160 weeks.

Despite Nadal's great year, though, most people attributed Federer's fall to his own problems rather than improvements by Rafa.  Oh, everyone had an opinion: Fed was sick, unfocused, spooked, lackadaisical, etc.  What?  It is undeniable, however, that he was slipping by his own standards.  Coming into the U.S. Open he had 12 losses - the most since 2003 - and he wasn't rolling over people too often anymore.  The chatter about Fed not being "The Mighty Federer" began when his third round match at the Australian Open against Janko Tipsarevic went five sets.  He had cruised the Australian the previous year without dropping a set.  After that, the hits just kept on coming: the straight sets loss to Djokovic in the final, the blowout loss to Mardy Fish at Indian Wells, the upset loss to Radek Stepanek in Rome, and his increasing troubles with Nadal on clay.

The French Open final was the one that had every expert shaking his head.  Federer had looked pretty good, but Nadal gave him a beatdown like he hadn't suffered in years.  How could Federer win only four games in the match?  He had performed well against Nadal in the 2006 final, and at least took a set off him in the 2007 final.  This time, he came up horribly empty.  Still, he was optimistic, and refused to say that his confidence was dinged in any way.  He bounced back with an excellent grass court season that culminated in a final with Nadal at Wimbledon.  On his way to that final, he didn't lose a single set.

It's interesting to look back and see how the whole perspective of the tennis season swung on one match.  If Federer had won that title, he would have two Grand Slams this year rather than Nadal, and his career total would be at 14 - tied with Pete Sampras for best all time.  But that's not what happened.  Nadal was able to escape with that fifth set 9-7 as they played in darkness.  Federer showed some heart, though.  He clearly was being outplayed after the first two sets, but got it together and made a run.  He had his chance to win, that's for sure.  Leading 4-3 in the fifth set he had a break point at 30-40.  Had he converted that, he would have served for the match.

The loss at Wimbledon combined with some other lackluster performances caused Federer to lose his #1 ranking.  After Wimbledon he failed to match his performances from 2007 at either the Canada Masters or the Cincinnati Masters.  He also came up short at the Olympics, losing in the quarterfinals to James Blake, a man he has traditionally blown out.  Here he was, coming up on the U.S. Open with only two titles and zero Grand Slams.

It's interesting, though, that the Olympics helped Federer out in a way no one could have anticipated.  He may have come up short in singles, but he teamed with Stanislas Wawrinka to win the gold medal in doubles.  That experience made him more confident at net, leading him to come to net much more often at the U.S. Open.  He victimized Andy Murray by coming to net quickly after serving, as Murray was playing several feet behind the baseline to return.

The tournament was not a Federer masterpiece like last year's Australian Open or the 2006 Wimbledon, but he finished with a flourish.  He did drop only three sets, but two of them were to #23 Igor Andreev in the fourth round.  He struggled with qualifier Gilles Müller in the quarterfinals but came through in straight sets.  Then Federer caught fire; in both the semifinals and finals he opened and closed with gems.  He frustrated Djokovic with some great serving (20 aces) and really whacked him in the fourth set 6-2.  His first sets against both Djokovic and Murray were just clinics.

I think that the fact that Federer won in dominant fashion is almost as important as his winning at all.  He showed that he still had that extra gear - the gear that seemed to be missing this year.  He rose to the occasion against Djokovic and Murray, knocking them off center stage even though they had beaten him earlier in the year.  He showed that at 27, he can still be The Mighty Federer.

The truth is that Federer is still the most consistent player at Grand Slam events - a testament to how difficult it is to take three sets off him.  He has now reached the last three finals, and that's the longest current streak!  Nadal's best so far has been two - Federer's record is 10! His amazing streak of Grand Slam semifinals continues to roll on; it's now at 18.  By comparison, Nadal's current streak is at four, and Djokovic's best of five ended at Wimbledon this year.  John McEnroe put this phenomenal streak into perspective when he said, "How many guys have even played in 18 straight Grand Slam tournaments?"

Is it possible that he's now hungrier than ever?  I certainly think so.  Not only does he want Sampras's record, he wants to prove to everyone that he can still play at the elite level that characterized his stint at #1.  He wants to show that he's still the best when he needs to be.  I look for him to finish 2008 with some strong performances; look for him to dominate at the Tennis Masters Cup.

Explained as such:

Washington Post:

“I had moments out there where I really felt, ‘This is how I normally play on hard court.’ You know, half volleys, passing shots, good serving, putting the pressure on, playing with the wind, using it to my advantage,” Federer said. “I definitely had moments during today where I thought, ‘This is how I would like to play every time.’ So it was a very nice feeling to get that that feeling back.”

“This is how I would like to play every time”—the pathos of Federer’s collapse is how purely mental it has been. *Why* can’t he play the way he used to play? There are no physical impediments; he is neither injured nor old. People talk about the fact that he had mono earlier in the year, but it’s not like he’s out there in long matches out of breath. It’s just that the beautiful machinery of his game was based on a feeling of total mastery, and when that feeling disappeared, he couldn’t even go through the motions (literally) in the same way. Federer wasn’t great as a young player. He lost to players his own age, players he would later beat. He did not become stronger or develop new shots or a new serve. It was more like one day his tennis game became perfect, and remained perfect for five years. And then one day it ceased being perfect, and he still can’t understand why.

from someone else's tumblr