Well, I personally don't feel surprised in terms of results. Fed didn't produce enough tournament wins to stay in the top 3. But I do feel a little surprised at how quick he has shifted priorities to winning only the Slams mainly and less on winning the regular tour events.
But then again, I have always said that once a number one player gets married, the tennis results always seems to drop.
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I was replaying the 2005 Fed vs. Agassi matches, both Australian and U.S. Open. Fed was more vigorous and "swashbuckling" in his strokes. His backhand had great coil and balance, his forehand had more loop in the backswing to get him out of trouble. Agassi never seems to get the ball out of Fed's deceptive extension. Now his backhand looks abbreviated and his forehand does not start as high and comes through with flattened spin. He has given away his marvelous extension, especially on the forehand.
He used to hit 35% flat finishing forehands. It is also clear to see his footwork cover less ground and surrounds the ball less. He seems to hit more "inside and out" swingpath off both wings of his groundstrokes, instead of "outside and in". Hence, some of the strokes lack the power he once had. Perhaps age has caused all of these changes, but something in the back of my mind also thinks Fed has also chosen to be more conservative as well.
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