Known as the charge-and-chip, Federer’s bold new approach is to sneak almost up to the service line to a return a second serve on the half-volley and rush his opponent.
It’s a strategy that has helped him breeze into the semi-finals of the US Open where he will face compatriot Stan Wawrinka.
Described by Will Swanton in The Australian as being similar to “a Test wicketkeeper standing up to the stumps to a 160kmh paceman,” the bold plan has been met with awe from Federer admirers, but Becker isn’t so enamoured.
“It’s almost disrespecting the other guy’s serve,” the German champion told Sky TV.
“Everybody talks about that’s his new strategy – he comes in. It’s within the rules.
“If he would have played a McEnroe, Connors, Lendl or even me, we would have said: ‘Roger, in all honesty I like you very much [but] one more time and I'll go straight at you.’
“In my generation guys would not have accepted as it is now."
Becker, who is Novak Djokovic’s coach, argued that if Federer was going to keep “disrespecting” other players with the strategy, his opponents would be well within their rights to serve it straight at his body.
So, pretty much what happened right here, when the Tour’s biggest server John Isner went at Federer’s body and still lost the point…
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— Brendan Bradford (@1bbradfo) September 8, 2015