What does everyone think will happen?

Can't see Fed doing the calendar slam, he would have to extend his streak to 10 slam finals which would be a lot even for him. I feel (and think he will) really target the elite RG/Wimbledon double. I think he will be going for Borg's record of 5 Wimbledons in a row over the French actually; although this will also be one of his priorities, naturally. I see Roddick getting back into the top 3 and Blake going from strength to strength (on hardcourts at least). I would expect some of the more consistent grinders to drop out of the top ten, and now as most of the elite youngsters are reaching 20/21 I would expect them to become more consistent and surge up the rankings, into the top ten for a lot of them :)

Safin may turn it around a little we'll have to see and Hewitt seems to be really struggling.

Im going to say:
AO: Roddick (assuming Fed loses before the Final)
FO: Federer beats Nadal in Final after losing warm up clay tournie to him
Wim: Federer wins it without dropping a set
USO Federer wins it but is pushed to 5 sets a couple of times :yikes:

I can see Federer doing the calender but I admit a WImbledon-RG run would be high on his priorities. He wants Borg's record and an RG (to make him GOAT).

I atually think the slam is honestly an opportunity. Threats: RAFA at AO and FO, Safin at AO, Roddick at AO.

AO - Federer
RG - Nadal
W - Federer
USO - Federer

Same as this year :shrug:

Maybe, just maybe, a safin win at the Aussie Open :pray:

The rest the same as this year :)

my predictions

Federer will grow a beard
Nadal will cut his hair
Agassi will return
Richard Williams will join the tour
Roddick has a three-some with both Williams sisters
Alex Bogdanovic becomes World No.1
Stepanek gets voted sexiest tennis player of all time

maybe PGs and SFs fantasies will finally come true and the whole of the ATP and WTA tours will come out....... :blink: (sorry.....i'm having one of those days - 'm even poking trolls on the BBC!!! :yikes: )

my magic 8-ball says federer for the grand slam :D

shame on you DJ - you know you should leave the trolls alone.

Now, I dont know bout anyone else (okay Fed to win just about everything!), but 2007?

Its the year of the Henman :D :D :D

Aus Open Federer
French Nadal
Wimbledon Roddick
US Open Federer

Don't get my hopes up!

I sadly think next year's Slams will all be the same as they were this year. Lleyton and Nadal might trouble, or maybe even defeat Fed at the AO. Safin and Lleyton should trouble him at the USO. I can't see Nadal not winning the FO, and Fed not wining Wimbledon.

Going to be optimistic and predict a calendar slam for Fed..If totally realistic though think RG may be one slam too far :(

I reckon that Fed will win the Oz Open and the French open, and then there'll be a shock defeat at either Wimbledon or the US Open.

of course, i'd like to say that he'll get a calender slam.....but i'm just not sure that i see it happening :(

Ooh, I'd say that of all of the slams, I'd say that Wimbledon is the least likely place for an upset to occur.. :)

The next couple of years could well be his best chances for the calendar slam, I would think.. I'm inclined to think that the pattern of winners could be the same as last year, just as Dav has said..

Given that all slam matches are best of five, then the way of phrasing this is to say where would Fed be most likely to lose 3 sets to someone? I think that he had a couple of 5 setters in the AO this year, and of course lost in the RG final.

So, in terms of likelihood of him winning a slam, I'd rank them as follows:

1. Wimbledon
2. USO
3. AO
4. RG

So, definitely the top 2, and then either one or two of the bottom two :)

Of course Rafa will be favourite for RG.

The AO is imo the most open of all of the slams (well, it's all relative!! :lol: ). Fed would be favourite, then Rafa, then a whole stack of others.. Can Baggy excel once again? Can A-Rod continue to build on his excellent form? Could one of the other youngsters really make a name for themselves??

The thing is petalp, that if we all think that, then surely federer also thinks that he's least likely to lose at Wimledon? My theory would be that he'll do the same as this year: work really hard to try and get the French, focusing more on beating rafa. Then the grass court season arrives, and as this year, he struggles at halle. And suppose he doesn't sort himself out at wimbledon this time?

It's not unheard of for defending champions to go out amazingly early in tournaments - Roddick, US Open, didn't graf go out of Wimbledon in the first round at some point and it was a huge shock?

My point is, we all get so hung up on how he has to win the French, or might be tested by safin (don't i wish) or Nadal at the Australian open, that we forget that he's not a sure-thing for Wimbledon, and he could just as likely be tested there as anywhere else - only it would be more of a shock.

God, i have this feeling i'm not making any sense again..... :blink:

I do see your point! :)

I just think that he is sooo ahead of the pack on grass. He just about cleaned up every opponent this year, and has dropped about 3-4 sets or something daft like that in the last 2-3 years! In total!!

Yes, he was exhausted after RG, and nearly lost the odd game at Halle. But they were best of 3 set matches, where players are always likely to be more vulnerable to being blown off the court.

I just think that he is in a win-win situation here (usually is win-win for him!) Firstly, if he loses RG early, then more preparation for SW19. And he is usually even more determined after a loss.

If he reaches the final again and loses, then he knows that he can compete in Halle and then go on to win Wimbledon. Been there, done that.

And of course if he were to win RG, then he has a real incentive.. Wimbledon can't be any tougher than it was for him this year, i''m sure of it.. But then again, he was pretty awesome (in the British sense!) throughout..

I just think that grass is his best surface, he is the best player there by a long shot, it is his favourite tournament, Centre Court is his domain. Barring a chronic dip in form, I just can't see an upset happening. And add to that the fact that there just aren't that many natural grass courters, and the grass court season is so short.. too little time for any momentum from anyone!

But I agree with you that a shock defeat is certainly a possibility. I just see it as more likely to happen in another of the slams. :) I just can't see anyone taking more sets off him than he's conceded in the last 2 years in total!

I think that it will be interesting to see how things go as the season progresses.. I mean, he was awfully tight at RG, when history weighed heavily on him. He as admitted that he was far too serious during that tournament. If he were to win the first 3, then he could be in danger of being vulnerable to a shock then, at the USO.. AO is always a bit of a lottery as it's so early in the season..

I think that it's my turn to wonder if I'm making sense now! :wacko:

I think you're making sense :hug:

i do agree that Fed is sooo far ahead on grass that I wouldn't place bets on him losing, but I do think that we sometimes forget that the possibility even exists.

I also agree that a lot will depend on how the clay season pans out - what Fed really needs is a victory over nadal on clay before RG - Rome or Monte carlo i guess. I think that might give him the extra push he needs to win RG.

I also think you're right (lots of agreement tonight....) about fed having a few issues when he's got pressure on him. Whisper it in front of the trolls, but just occasionally he does *choke*. Following the match against nadal last week was just terrifying - i think both me and Big Al were wondering whether Fed was going to choke the whole match away (should never have doubted him :bow: ), but the thing was that every time he did get close to winning something in his mind seemed to go a bit awol. Not to the extent of say, safin, but still had a blip.

I think if Fed wins the first 3, there could be an upset at the US Open, simply because of the pressure on him, and he may let it get to him a little. Cool, calm and collected he may be, but Federer does realise when he's making history, and understands tennis history (I htink his tears at the Aus Open possibly proved that) and I think if he has the chance of doing the slam, he could well end up messing it up slightly.

(This is where MJT turns up and makes me recite the commandements. roflmao )

I think that Federer is even more ahead of the pack on grass than anywhere else. Whereas it will take the rest a couple of years to catch up with him everywhere else (AT LEAST), we can expect him to dominate at Wimbledon for the next 5 years, I would say.

However the same was true of Steffi Graf, grass was her best surface, she had completed her second :bow: GRAND SLAM earlier in the year and although she seemed a bit lacklustre at the FO, she was 3 time defending champion and world number one and no-one really expected her to lose at SW19, but she did...upsets can happy on any surface as Jo rightly points out :)

True, Steffi is a good example of how upsets can happen.. And Sampras with Krajicek..

But of course no-one is a cast iron certainty of winning any tournament. I just think that, of all the slams next year, Federer winning Wimbledon is by far the most likely occurrence, based on what we know at this juncture.. I guess we are dealing with probabilities, and random variables are an inevitable caveat. It is a brave or foolhardy person who declares such things with outright certainty!! :)

But I think that if you had to say to Federer, you can have one slam this year, he would probably take Wimbledon.. He has already said that he would rather win 11 Wimbledons and no RG than 10 Wimbledons and 1 RG..

So, not setting his sights too high then!! roflmao

roflmao

I've gotta be honest it seems illogical to me though, Wimbledon is slightly more prestigous than the FO, but to trade one of then in for a RG crown when you already have plenty of Wimbys is something I would certainly consider :D

If i could have either of 'em i'd be pretty chuffed - especially as i don't play tennis roflmao

Jo, I have to agree with your thoughts.. yes, lots of agreements tonight!! roflmao

There are 2 categories of Fed fans, at least from following his matches online :)

the ones who have every confidence in him and will back him to the hilt..

and the ones who are much more mindful of the fact that a shock defeat might be just around the corner for him, and will be more apprehensive when such danger signs occur


I think that both are valid perspectives :ok: Scolios is usually in the latter category.. usually the moderating 'voice of reason'! And also usually is restraining factor in everyone jinxing the fedster as we all know that he is more than capable of having the odd 'wobble'.

In the former category, there is MJT :) Logic and experience fully justifies his confidence, but as you said, there should not be compacency or expectation that he will always cruise to victory..


Personally I find that the big factor in having every confidence in him is his mental approach. He has already said that he underestimates no-one, and sees everyone as a potential danger. His preparation is exemplary, and he gives himself every chance of winning..

And I wish that Safin had some of this apparoach too, as he would be terrific to have in the top 3 (and he would be there, I'm convinced!).. but I think that his demons are just a little too strong for him sometimes. His well-documented love of partying might well be a factor too!! :lol:

why does no one else make wacky predictions like me? B)

I predict Stepanek will marry hingis

Is that ok for you for a wacky prediction????

noooooooooo :cry:

Maybe the years after Hingis will retire (again) and have little Radek's and Martinas???? :devil:

nope, coz she won't be with him 4ever, she has had many men :devil:

if she does, i hope they have the mother's genes :D :wub:

Jeez, i hope for their sakes they do too!!! :blink:

but for some reason, sometimes really ugly people have good looking kids. Hingis, for example, I've seen both her parents, and gladly she looks nothing like either :lol:

That;s true, i have a mate who has a little girl, and him and the mother of the child (lovely though they both are) are not the best looking people, but their daughter is gorgeous....looks nothing like either of them

She is a devil-child, but she's pretty so that kinda excuses it :devil:

Maria will draw Serena in round one of the Oz Open and get thrashed 6-0 6-0 :D

Then Serena will play Hingis in the semi final and lose 7-5 in the final set.

Hingis will then beat Jankovic in the final! :D :pray: :ok:

i've been told I look like Marat Safin B)

:wub:

well thank you B)

what player do you look like? :P

None that i can think of....but i don't follow the women's game so that's probably why...... :rolleyes:

When I was little my nan used to say I look like Tim Henman...personally I think Im far better looking B)

do you look like Billie Jean King? roflmao

nope!! roflmao and i'm certainly not a nun either oblivion ;)

I can';t think of anyone i even vaguely or remotely look like,. Someone told me a while ago i look like Keira Knightly, but i don't think she was in any fit state to be making a judgement call...... roflmao

ok. I think you look like Patty Schnyder roflmao

Keira Knightley?! Hopefully you found that one an acceptable comparison? :rolleyes:

eeerm.....no :shrug: