Is Federer done? Losing to nobodies now! WTF! :((

[GQStylin]

He lost in Toronto at the Masters Series in his first match there to a nobody. WTF??

I wonder if this is truly the beginning of the end for him as world number one and that title goes to Nadal now, which would be very sad.

[Slava]

I don't think he's done since he hasn't shown any sugns of physical strain even in his losses but he does need a break to cool off and he could recuperate on his game and come back with something new, like mixing it up a bit more. I think he's psychologically more strained after losing consecutive finals.

[Marmoset]

It's all mental right now. With today's loss, it looks likely that Nadal could grab #1, which might be the best thing that could happen for him. Maybe being the underdog for the first time in five years will allow him to relax a little and get his game back.

To write him off would be idiotic - no player in history has maintained #1 as long as Federer has. He'll be back, and will win more slams.

[Slava]

As much as you hate to see Federer lose, I think Nadal deserves the #1 ranking. He's had the best tennis year so far since I can trace back to Pete Sampras' best days. Never has a player so thoroughly dominated his best competition like Nadal did against Federer this season and I think it'd double his confidence and bring out more of his best tennis.

[Marmoset]

As much as you hate to see Federer lose, I think Nadal deserves the #1 ranking. He's had the best tennis year so far since I can trace back to Pete Sampras' best days. Never has a player so thoroughly dominated his best competition like Nadal did against Federer this season and I think it'd double his confidence and bring out more of his best tennis.

Nadal absolutely deserves the #1 ranking right now. But I've got to take issue with him having the most dominating season ever. Federer had a couple of seasons where he only lost 4 or 5 matches for the entire year. McEnroe also had a 4-loss season I believe, and there have been a couple others around there (Borg?) Nadal has "already" lost 7 times this year, and to really reach that level of dominance he needs to win the U.S. Open, and probably one of the Olympics and Master's Cup. Don't forget that Federer won three slams in a year three different times, something Nadal has not done as of yet.

I also don't buy the 'Nadal is #1 because he destroyed Federer' argument. He's #1 because he's had the best results this year, whoever he beat. To use a Toronto example, when the Blue Jays were winning World Series titles they would regularly be clobbered by the Milwaukee Brewers, including an infamous 22-2 game. But nobody would claim that Milwaukee was the better team then. Up until now, despite the fact Nadal has handled Federer most of the time, Federer's results have been significantly better and he deserved to be #1. Federer has lost the #1 as much because he's lost to guys like Simon and Karlovic as he has because of Nadal. Not that Nadal didn't have anything to do with that, because I think he did.

[Tomas_11]

Nadal just needs to win 2 more matches and he'll not only win the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters Tournament, he will be number one! Its about time I say, Federer had the best stretch of tennis ever throughout his reign at the top. Nadal is definitely a deserving number 1 player.

[BlackMamba]

this is sad, i've been a strong federer supporter for the last years and seeing his performances has made me think if his problem is physical or mental.

when i think of physical: he's 27, almost 28, most of the tennis players have that age as the limit to show all of their potential. plus, he's been for the last 4-5 years absolutely dominating in almost every single court and tournament.

when i think mental: i don't know if he's still doesn't have a coach or not and if he's making the best preparation. he started bad this year and maybe that got into his head and he seems to be battling vs. that. plus all the pressure he has could not be helping him concentrate. because he's making silly mistakes. i could understand making those mistakes vs. a player like nadal and in the finals, but not vs. 1st or 2nd round players.

[Duiz]

Federer decided to go at it in his career without a coach, and he is starting to fall apart. I am glad that he is falling apart, because now everyone has a chance and he isn't so dominant anymore. Poor Federer..

[Field87ven]

Haven't seen the magic federer in a long time, he shows glimpses every once in awhile but its just that his peak has come and is leaving fast. His forehand is still something of beauty, as is his serve and slice. The main problem is his backhand, its got no pace on it anymore, the odd time that it is on you see him bagel opponents 6-0 6-0. He suffered from a strong case of mono earlier in the year, and in the world of pro sports a slight hinderance of ability can mean the difference, and in the case of #1 and #2 the margin is even smaller.

Another thing i've noticed is the speed in which he gets to balls, it looks like fed is a step slower than he used to be, requiring him to hit shots a bit more off balance, his UF's have been the death of him.

[Slava]

He has come out and said that he is suffering from a back ailment and might not be 100 % soon, indicating that he might take it a little easy for the rest of the season.