http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/7276154.stm

"He's going to have to grind very hard for the next few years if he keeps playing this way.

"He tends to wait a lot for the mistake of the opponent," said Federer.

"He stands way far behind on the court and that means you've got to do a lot of running."

"I don't think he's changed his game a whole lot since I played him in the Bangkok final.

"Not that I'm disappointed but I really would have thought he would have changed it in some ways."

What do you guys make of these comments?Is it bitterness or is it fact?

To be honest this might be the media grabbing all the negative comments and making it look worse than it is but......his comments about Murray's style are quite true to be honest, nevertheless I thought Roger had much more style than to criticise an opponent.

And for it to be criticism an opponent that beat him and now has a positive H2H against him makes Roger look a bit bitter and silly. Roger what is up with you these days??? :nope: :nope:

Personally, I think it's a bit of both - it's bitterness because he's lost and frustrated, but it's fact that Murray cannot - and will not - win a Slam with that game. It doesn't mean that he can't beat big players, but if you look at the players Fed loses to...it's players that get the ball back, keep it in play a lot. Fed struggles with those players, everyone has their bogey players - a la Nadal and his flat players like Youzhny and Sod.

I don't think he should have said anything - as it makes him look a little foolish, but I really do believe Murray hasn't got big enough shots to win a Slam - not shots that are kept in play, I am talking real attacking, bullet winners.

I agree with the fact that Murray hasnt improved but I also agree with you Gav that its a bit silly to criticise the opponent that has just beaten you being him havent improved or what what.But also he could have been asked by the media to assess Murrays game and then they have taken it and made a different story out of it.We all know the media.Murray other than his serve hasnt improved to me and yes he does just wait for errors but he does take calculated risks but I also go back to when he beat Haas and Haas said the same thing as Federer.

Nevertheless Federer needs to shape his own game up and not worry about Murray.

i'm assuming he made these comments in his post-match interview, which can be found here

I haven't had time to listen to the interview yet, but it's probably worth seeing what context Federer actually made those remarks and what question he was answering - for all we know it could have been John lloyd asking whether Murray was the best player he's ever seen :rolleyes: ;)

Yeah I kind of agree. But I think Federer is right to be worried about Murray as he's one fo the few players with a postive H2H and Murray clearly shows that he is not over awed by Federer when they play, which has been a rarity to date.

What Federer is probably more worried about is that his aura of invincibility is slipping and players like Murray and Djokovic are the ones beatign him and they are not has beens having lucky days but young up and coming players. This must concern him. And if eh beleives Murray hasn't changed his game then it doesn't say much for Federer's way of handling it, having lost to him twice in a row despite knowing his game and claiming it's flaws. So in that context it make Fed look a bit bitter to say the least. I don't knwo the full context - I did click on those audio links but unless there is a fault with my PC it didn't cover this.

I think Murray has improved though, maybe not in tactics or shots, but from what i saw he was more solid and assured and totally unphased in the last 2 sets. I think it was harder to beat Federer today than last time as there was more pressure on Andy now he's higher ranked and has done it before. Doesn't matter if he's changed his game or not, all credit to him. :clap:

ah, ok - didn't have time to listen to them this morning. It'd be so nice if the Beeb could give us a source so we can hear the context :rolleyes:

Yeah I bet they haven't! On those clips there was very little said actually. I'll look and see f the BBC has anything.

I'm sure they haven't - it's just headline grabbing. :nope: Not saying that Fed didn't say that but without reading the whole interview it's really difficult to work out what context it was said in.

I know, and I can't find anything on there, or on the Dubai site but i might have missed it.

In the audio Federer doesn't give the impression Murray was poor or that he himself played bad. He said Murray did well to hang in there and that it was a tough match. He also said he would have wished for an easier draw but under the circumstances he felt he played ok.

yeah, i looked on the Dubai site and on asap sports which usually does the transcripts, but it doesn't appear to be doing Dubai :wacko: I've just read another article which quotes the same stuff but has a completely different headline - something like "Murray blasts critics after victory over Federer"

I swear sometimes the BBC is looking to cause all out war..... :rolleyes:

I agree with you here SB.With regards to the young guns its all about relativity or its more like the Lion King,the circle of life and such is demonstrated in all aspects of life not just sport.Out with the old and in with th new. :ok:

Hmmm ... well it's all about politics Jo - it is inescapable as we well know :D

I've never really scoured for interviews before, but you clearly know what you are doing and it is funny how this one doesn't seem to be anywhere. I guess that after Fed had said what he needed to say, he got grilled about Murray's game until he was forced to say what he though. I have visions of Lloydy with a gun to his head saying " you vill say that Murray vill vin Vimbledon" :lol:

well some of the tournament websites are very good and make it very easy to find interview transcripts - others are annoyingly rubbish. The only stuff i found on the Dubai one was the audio links, which i'm guessing are just highlights of the interviews.

I'll have a look on the atp site although they don't often appear there :wacko:

Yes indeedy. And it's probably all getting a bit much for poor old Federer at the moment. He's held off Nadal for a few years and he's had Murray and Djoko pissing all over him, so one has to sympathise. And I now have visions of Fed sittign on a throne singing Circle of Life with the young guns running around him dancing :lol: Oh dear, mayeb I should go back to bed! :lol:

On a more serious note, it may be that what Federer said was him off loading his thoughts and tryign to rationlise what had happened. He coudl have been thinkign 'how come he beat me , what is new to his game?' and then merely come out with the thought that nothing had changed from his point fo view. I think he needs to accep though that Murray's composure, mental strenght and possibly hsi fitness, certainly his serve, have improved. Plus Murray sin't going to take the same game plan to every opponent - no good player should, although many do today. Coudl be that Murray felt his strategy was right for Federer - and obviously it was.

actually - have the BBC now changed the headline btw? I'm sure it was a much harsher headline when i first read it this morning. Also, it doesn't say that Murray hasn't improved, it says he hasn't changed his game - which is different. The BBC do have a habit of changing their stories so I wonder if they've toned it down a bit :unsure:

I don't know cos I onyl saw it recently, but it is dated last night at 10.40pm. :shrug:

What Roger’s basically saying; “I”M not the player i used to be”
But that’s ok, it reveals his combativeness. There’s no need for a player of that caliber to act humbly all the time.
Obviously there’s nothing wrong with the motivation, now it’s time to try a few things to bring back that A game more often; new coach, more match practice instead of training sessions.

Just came on here to see what you guys were saying about the comments Fed is reported having said yesterday about Murray. I cringed when I first read them (regardless of whether they were taken out of context or jumbled together from different parts of an interview) because I knew what a PR disaster it would be for him in a country where he is a mostly well loved champ of the Brit slam - Wimbledon.

He may not like Murray's playing style (can't say I care for it myself) but he's got a lot better at it since 2005 - especially his serve. It may not lend itself to a long playing career (given Murray's past record on injuries) but at the same time, I don't recall Fed ever making this kind of comment about Nadal - and we can all see the results of his playing style!

I thought Murray acted with dignity and decorum when he won - there was no rolling on the floor or screaming his head off. I felt that in itself was giving due respect to Federer - which whatever you think about the World No 1, he has rightfully earned over the past 4 years or so;

Fed may be surprised to think that having raised the bar so high with his play over the past 4 years, the young guns are now catching him and some are staying with him. As some rightly say, its the way of the life ... the young 'uns must have their day in the sun!

Anyway, I'm off now to see There will Be Blood ... ha ha ... very apt - I think some was spilt last night in Dubai!!

I didn't see the match but this is interesting stuff.

Personally I hate Murray's style of play - and his on court demeanour.

Having said that, the way Federer could beat Murray is by been more aggressive himself isn't it? If Murray is so far behind the baseline couldn't Federer come in more often? Use more angles on serves, use more approach shots to counter Murray?

For those people that saw the match, how did Federer approach the match yesterday?

A lot of baselining and waiting for errors, was my impression - but it didn't work, Roger was making them first. UE count was flashed up at Fed 20- Murray 10 at one point.
Don't know how the stats finished (anyone else see them?) but I did get the impression that Roger was more successful - on average - when he ventured to the net.

Another angle to this is that Murray looks up to Federer and always talks about him as a benchmark.

This means that Murray might lose some respect and will try even harder not to lose the next time they play, even though Federer will try to raise his level.

Federer is making a rod for his own back if he continues to say things about the younger players - he's already felt the force of Djokovovic, Federer has been less than complimentary about Novak and it just means it makes them more determined.

We are not talking about Davydenko, Blake, Hewitt and Ferrer - Federer better realise this quick if he wants to stay ahead, he better start been more complimentary in his defeats.

Oh yes, and Roddick.

It would have been interesting to see the reaction if it had been the other way round - if Murray had said that Federer hadn't changed his game since they first met and therefore Murray had managed to work out how to beat him :shrug:

Actually, it's very very rare that you hear players criticising each others games isn't it? I mean, they might have their behaviour criticised (e.g. Djoko and his ball bouncing, Nadal and his little serving routine) but i've rarely heard a player actually criticising the playing tactics of another player. :unsure:

I find this very sour grapes from Federer and really shows his arrogance i read also that he thinks Andy has a negative style of play well not negative enough eh.Andy is very capable of hitting winners and his serve has improved immesely Roger needs to look in the mirror. :angry:

You say you didn't see the match. If yesterday was anything to go by his on court demeanour has changed a lot!

I often find that when Fed loses he is never very respectful to his opponents. Instead he finds excuses and rarely says anything positive about who beat him. Andy played some amazing shots to beat him and deserves praise, not just well he's played more than me this year. Who's fault is that?
And actually he has improved a lot, his serve was particularly outstanding.

Talk about being a sore loser Roger :rolleyes:

I'm no Murray fan, but at i could never begrudge that great performance. Fed clearly could :rolleyes:

Yes I saw some fo the match. His serve was indeed outstanding - he served out the last game to love, and I read that eh never faced a single break point on it in 3 sets. :bow: Now he isn't Pete or Goran, but a tidy solid serve can make all the difference to a game like Murray's. And credit to him, he has worke don it.

My other observations were that his demeanour ha dimproved, he stayed cool, focused and wasn't intimidated. He looked pretty fit too. I knwo what they mean about him staying back, but personally I think he has more variety to his game than most, and he can use all of the court, he has good tactical awareness. He migh tnto have a bit weapon but so what? You don't nee done if you can pull everythign else together. There is more to tennsi than a booming forehand :rolleyes: He is working on things and I think he will end up with a pretty complete game. Eventually I don't think anyone will accuse him of just staying back. Anyway don't most of the ATP these days? :lol:

Couldnt agree more dl... :ok:

Roger's comments are :bs:

and if Murray hasnt improved then what the heck is he saying about his own game? :yikes: :shrug:

I'm not defending Fed 'cos the more I read his comments the more I think he's incredib;y out of order for criticising another player's game. However, I don't think he actually said that Murray hadn't improved - he said he hadn't changed his game. I still think he shouldn't have said anything at all, but there's a slight difference in saying he hasn't changed his game to saying he hasn't improved :shrug:

I can understand Roger's frustration but he needs to watch what he says and does. We all know how the media can twist things around. :D

well let's not split hairs here, the bottom line is his comments suck... :bs:

I think Andys response was more surprising than Fed criticism:

He is showing a maturity and composure that certainly HAS changed since the first time they played, and if that marks a change in his game, which i think we all saw it did when he got to the business end of the Fed match, then Fed is wrong anyway. I sense the end of an era

" I sense the end of an era"

Feds dominance, or Murray being impudent?

LOL!

Yes but it still implies Murray is standing still. I mean when he beats Djokovic, Fed always raves 'He's improved so much', and when Murray beats him he completely shuts down. He just seems unwilling to admit that the changes in Murray's game contributed to his defeat. If he hadnt changed his game, he probably wouldnt have won.

It seems to me Federer always tries to dumb down his opponenys games. I remember him saying that 'It's a bit hasty to say Rafa is a much better player on clay than me'. Well it's not, considering Rafa's phenomonal clay-court record and 3 RG titles :rolleyes:

I just thinks he needs more give and take. Everyone throws praise on his ego, why cant he just concede a good comment for people who play great matches to beat him? :shrug:

I wanted to see the whole interview becuase i wondered if Fed had bene pushed to comment on Murray rather than unleashed a load of criticisms in a bitter backlash. I coudln't find it. So I still have concerns about the context, but that aside I agree it seems bitter anyway. And Murray certainly HAS made changes. Maybe not a major trnasotion in playing style but other aspects of his perforamance like composure, mental toughness and serve. He deserves credit for those things IMO. And form what i saw he played very well, it wasn't like Fed looked sick and stiff or anything, or was spraying errors liek they are out of fashion. And Murray was certainly applying himself on the court and tryign to work out how to play each point. So tbh it all shocks me a bit.

Actually, I think the bit about Murray;s game not changing isn't the worst bit of what he said - we don't know the context, but if he simply was asked "do you think Murray's style has changed in the last few years?" and he replied "no, i think he still plays in a similar way to how he did when we first played - so no it hasn't changed" it wouldn't be so bad. (especially if he'd added words to the effect of "he just outplayed me today....." ;) )

But, it's the rest of what he said which just makes him sound appallingly bitter and more like he's implying that Murray hasn't improved. i think this is wonderfully patronising:

"That's what served me well over the years but who knows, he might surprise us all and do it for 20 years.

:nope: I'm disappointed in Fed for these comments - it just doesn't seem right to outright criticise another player for their style or playing tactics. :shrug:

ok, this made me laugh. I've been hunting for a transcript of the actual interview (out of interest Fed is getting some stick in our national newspapers for his comments) and ended up on this page to find this:

natural disaster???? A few hardcore fed fans must have been doing some hacking

:giggle:

Federer didn't cover himself in glory with his comments,and I thought he played the first two sets well.He lost his appetite in the third when he couldn't blow Murray away,the usual forehand errors which is becoming an alarming trend.Right now I'm waiting for it to break down,like I used to wait for Henman's drop in tempo and level when he was playing great.
He needs a coach I think to give him some straight talking,because he's in denial about his whole game,mentally and physically.

Murray,well unlike everyone on the board it seems I truly believe that he is special.Granted he does stand too far behind the baseline,and maybe that's just instinct,or lack of confidence which I doubt.Murray though has potentially a huge game to impose on his rivals.He can unload,has the Agassi style two-hander down the line.His serve is getting bigger,volleys well,has a great slice.
There was one astonishing full blooded forehand on the run around the net post,which Federer only just managed to drop on the baseline.

He just has the ability to find the killer shot,and if it hadn't of been the fault of his injury problems last year then he would be plying his trade at the top with Djokovic,as there carreers had been pretty much in tandem up to that point.
In fact I would suspect that Murray will have a similar year to Djoker's 2007.