Roger Federer, tired? Doesn’t seem like that should be possible does it? With his relaxed and loose style of play it seems as thought he should be able to play forever, however the world #1 announced recently that he would be taking some time off to “rest, rehabilitate and fully recover from a physically challenging year”. Federer will be skipping the events at both Tokyo and Shanghai.
I certainly don’t blame Roger. Professional tennis has become more and more physically demanding over the last 10-20 years as players have continued to hit the ball harder and with more topspin. Modern professional tennis players have shifted from the crafty tacticians of the mid 20th century to world class athletes who bash and slam not only their rackets against the ball but also their bodies against the court for 2-5 hours at a time. Today’s top level players take a beating day in and day out.
What I find puzzling, however, is why we hear this from Roger before the likes of Rafa Nadal who struggled with injuries all year, including through out the most recent slam the 2009 US Open. Nadal plays a style of play which takes a much harder toll physically than Federer does, I think that if anybody needs an extended rest before next year it’s him.
No matter what my biggest hope is that both players return to the tour rested and ready to go physically for the 2010 season, I can’t wait for the grand slam schedules to get back underway!
