How to Beat Roger Federer

Roger Federer. Winner of 12 grand slams. World number one for over 200 weeks. Owner of every tennis shot in the book. Currently on track to break Pete Sampras' record of 14 grand slams and arguably become the greatest player ever. There are times when Roger plays at such a high level that he can severely outclass other highly ranked players.

At times, it can seem impossible to even get a point when playing him; however, there is a way to beat Roger Federer. Why is this important to the normal recreational player? Because there will be times when you are playing someone that you just can't seem to do anything against. Your best shots come back at you, and seemingly impossible shots zoom past you all the time.

Whether the Storm

Realize that a large part of this match lies out of your hands. You can serve, return and do everything else well. However, the reality is that you're playing someone who is a once in a generation talent. When Federer gets on a roll, there's little you can do to stop it. What you can do, though, is hang tough. Do your best to stay with him during the match. Do your best to stay close him score wise. Don't let the many winners that may stream past discourage you. Why? Because there's a good chance that Roger's usual attacking artistry will drop a level at some point during the match. In matches like these, once you have a window you need to take it. That window matters if the score is close. However, if you are down 1-4 and two breaks, it doesn't really matter.

Keep Him Out There

One of the reasons why Rafael Nadal has success against Roger is because Nadal rarely misses. Roger is a shot maker, and if you can keep him from hitting those shots, you can rattle him. Do your best to get all of his shots back. Make him hit more winners than he would like to. Make him feel like he has to hit three or four lines just to win a point. If you can do that, you can possibly goad him into making errors.

Don't Be Amazed