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Feb/15

28

Federer Masterclasses Djokovic in Dubai

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Today Roger Federer showed he can still summon a magical level of tennis and dominate the best player in the world.

Roger Federer was absolutely breathtaking today as he impressively mastered Djokovic in every aspect of the game. The final score was 63 75. Federer now leads the head to head twenty to seventeen. Also today, Federer hit his 9,000th career ATP ace.

Djokovic appeared to be playing his best tennis but everything he sent to Federer came back with interest. The backhand winners, volleys, movement, forehands on the rise, and serving were perhaps better than ever today for the Federer Tennis Machine.

Even when Federer found himself in precarious positions – down numerous break points including several fifteen-forty situation, he dug his way out of the adversity like Houdini, primarily with lethal serving of aces and unreturnable serves.

Djokovic battled gamely till the end but was never able to get over the hump. Even when a fan yelled out during the first match point – which Fed netted a forehand on the first ball into an open court, followed by a double fault, Fed still composed himself and finished the job with a short forehand winner into an open court.

Federer said after he always enjoys playing Djokovic and the challenge seems to bring out his best tennis.

To be honest, I don’t know if I’ve ever seen Federer play better than today, in a best two out of three. Save for a few netcorded forehands and narrow misses outside the lines, and one missed volley and drop shot, Federer was perfect today.

One aspect I feel should be mentioned about today’s duel: there were a hint of gamesmanship examples by Federer. How he changes racquets in the 3-3 and 4-3 games, making Djokovic wait and pause those extra seconds. Both times Federer did that trick of his, he broke Djokovic.

Also, three times on big points, Federer provoked Djokovic to miss and well before the ball landed, Federer had already yelled, somewhat rudely, come on. Federer gets a pass on this behavior, but if Djokovic did these theatrics, the fans would have surely rebuked him for it.

Djokovic may have came up on the losing end but it was he who was the perfect sportsman today, no stalling, no negativity displays, no outward signs of emotion or bravado.

Once again, Roger Federer showed today he is certainly a threat to win a major this year and even who knows, maybe regain the number one ranking. He was that sensationally spectacular today.

(Artwork by Barbara L. Jendrysik, an artist based on Longboat Key, FL)

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53 comments

  • Harold · February 28, 2015 at 2:27 pm

    Fed never serves with a new racket. Sometimes he changes on the 6th game or after the 7th game. Been doing it for years

  • Andrew Miller · February 28, 2015 at 4:07 pm

    Gamesmanship is legal 😉
    No elite player wins titles without doing something that un-nerves the opponent, rattles them or bothers them at a crucial stage. These guys aren’t just masters…they are performers and stage managers. Manage the court. That means…getting to the opponent, even if it’s as simple as taking time with a towel.

  • Scoop Malinowski · February 28, 2015 at 7:38 pm

    Almost all the greats had their subtle gamesmanship methods. I read that even Rod Laver would bend over and re tie his shoes at certain times. Patrick Rafter had his Sorry mate errant ball toss. Seles used that one occasionally too. I find Federer’s changing his Wilson just before his opponent serves usually at 3-3 or 3-4 to be a subtle calculated tactic.

  • Gaurang · February 28, 2015 at 8:03 pm

    I have always maintained that Djokovic normally never outplays Federer at his best. He needs Fed to be a little nervous and make unforced errors to win his matches against him. Federer really is a better player than Djokovic when he plays his best tennis. He is the only player that can beat Djokovic playing at his best. Also, due to this, Djokovic automatically lowers his level because he is afraid he might loose against him.

    Federer especially starts playing his best tennis when Nadal is not in the news, and out injured or something. Otherwise presence of Nadal makes Fed nervous, and he starts feeling vulnerable, even if he is playing somebody else. If you see, during periods when Nadal has been injured, or getting defeated in early rounds, Fed has played his best tennis.

  • Gaurang · February 28, 2015 at 8:07 pm

    On an unrelated topic, there’s this nice webpage, which gives rankings in age categories:

    http://tennisabstract.com/reports/rankingsByAge.html

    In under 18, Kozlov and Mmoh feature in the top 10. In the remaining young categories (under 19, etc) Jared Donaldson features. In under 23, Sock is #5. Surprisingly, Kudla is #12 in the under-23 ranking.

  • EddietheEagle · February 28, 2015 at 11:41 pm

    It’s Federer’s usual habit to change his racquet a game before serving with new balls. Sometimes that has a momentary effect of breaking an opponent’s rhythm but I doubt any perceived gamesmanship is intended. Others do it too. Maybe they ought to be obliged to take the racquet out with them on the changeover and keep it with their towel. That way they can respect the rule of working at the server’s pace. It’s rather like taking mini-breaks for liquids at tiebreak changeovers. They need to cut this creeping over-professionalism out and be obliged to get on with it. If they fall over with fatigue, all the better.

  • Andrew Miller · February 28, 2015 at 11:50 pm

    Gaurang, nice site. I think it’s useful.

  • Andrew Miller · February 28, 2015 at 11:59 pm

    Safarova d. Azarenka, wins Qatar. First ever win on Azarenka. Telling you…doubles makes excellent singles players awesome.

  • Dan markowitz · March 1, 2015 at 6:18 am

    Scoop, I told you and Federer to his face 4 years ago in Key Biscayne that Fed was dead. He told me lets see what happens over the next 5 years. The Fed just wouldn’t listen.

  • EddietheEagle · March 1, 2015 at 7:21 am

    Dan, Vince is once quoted as saying this about the Argentines, (at a time when they were getting popped for peds, left, right and centre Puerta, Hood, Corea et al).

    “The Argentineans practice on the court for two hours a day, then they must practice in front of a mirror for two more hour saying ‘I’m not guilty.’”

    Given Vince Spadea’s forthright views and willingness to express them, it would be interesting to get his take on how prevalent he considers doping is in pro tennis.

  • Scoop Malinowski · March 1, 2015 at 8:15 am

    Safarova is definitely one of those players who is on the verge of winning a major. She is ready, just like Nishikori, Bouchard, Keys, Raonic. I think she can do it this year. Remember she had the MPS vs. Na last year in Australia, then Na came back and won and also won the tourney. Safarova may be first in line to be the next first time major winner. I hope she does.

  • Scoop Malinowski · March 1, 2015 at 8:16 am

    Classic line from Break Point by Spadea, Edward. Dan, Fed never looked better than he did yesterday. This guy is a marvel. He also said he’s already looking forward to coming back and defending next year in Dubai.

  • Scoop Malinowski · March 1, 2015 at 8:20 am

    Eddie, it’s clearly intimidating when Fed stops everything and struts over to his bag to get the new weapon. It’s a move that says bluntly, “I am going to get my new weapon because this is the moment I must break you.” It’s psychological. I really think a player should stand up and call Fed on this, nicely and gentlemanly of course: “Hey Roger, you always do this, why don’t you just bring out the racquet and give it to the kid to hold. This way you won’t make me, or anyone, wait for you.” Fed will have to respond accordingly.

  • Scoop Malinowski · March 1, 2015 at 8:24 am

    Good observations Gaurang. I agree. But I wonder if Fed can dominate Rafa right now. I think he can finally turn the tables on Rafa, even on clay. But then again, no matter how off Rafa seems to be, when he matches up with Fed, he always seems to be able to afflict Fed with his patterns which always break down Fed’s backhand. But Fed could be at a new level now and with his net game, he just might be able to finally solve the Rafa puzzle. How the Fed-Rafa rivalry shapes up this year is one of my biggest curiosities about the sport this year.

  • bjk · March 1, 2015 at 8:37 am

    Fed’s backhand was really on fire. He was going for winners all over the place off the backhand. There were no long rallies in that match, Fed was always attacking and putting Djokovic on the defensive. I think new rackets could be giving a second life to the one-hand backhand. That little extra of power and stability could make the difference. Fed has said that the bigger head has helped his serve, but it’s obvious that the biggest difference is on the backhand.

  • Andrew Miller · March 1, 2015 at 9:12 am

    Better fed than ever? No way. Saw the highlights and he was flubbing off the fh…that is not better than ever. He seems confidant witbout being complacent, and on a fast court that suites him.

    Beat Nadal? Maybe he will get another best of three win. If he doesnt play him at a major it is all good, Federer has more chances especially with a Nadal on somewhat weaker knees with slightly less mobility. At slams though it becomes a war of attrition, always favors Nadal.

  • Scoop Malinowski · March 1, 2015 at 10:18 am

    Right bjk, if Fed attacks Rafa more much more than he has in the past, like he did yesterday, it will be interesting to see how Rafa responds. Because before today, it seems Fed always tried to beat Rafa at Rafa’s grinding game, stubbornly. The next Rafa vs. Fed match up on hard or clay will be a fascinating match. Because last year they did not really cross paths in a big match situation.

  • Gaurang · March 1, 2015 at 1:23 pm

    Fed just cannot win against Rafa. No matter what he does 🙂

  • Harold · March 1, 2015 at 1:35 pm

    Whatever the reason, Nadal has been able to dictate play against Fed, on any surface. The heavy spun ball up high to Fed’s backhand will eventually tell what happens in one of their encounters.The first couple of sets, Feds BH, might hold up, but later in the match, the balls are going to start dropping shorter. After that, it’s bye bye Fed.
    Now why Fed cant figure his way out of this problem, is the 5 more Major’s question?

    Stubbornness? How many break points has Fed had against Nadal, you know he’s serving to your BH, take a step to your left, heck, take a step to your right, just show him something different.Gets a million break chances, and never breaks. some matches, he has been 2 for 20 on break chances. JMac doing the matches would be going nuts.

    The high BH is a weakness? How come no one else has been able to beat Fed with this ploy? It doesnt work for Nadal against Djoko, that ball is walking right into Djoko’s hitting zone. Hell, how come it didnt work for Nadal against Darcis?

    In every sport, someone just owns another guy, Nadal owns Fed.

  • EddietheEagle · March 1, 2015 at 2:45 pm

    What Federer and others do is a complete trashing of rule 30,
    play shall be continuous. It’s up to the umpires to enforce the rules but what do you do with ATP-backed prima donnas who ignore basic ITF tennis rules? It’s up to us spectators to voice our complaints but few of us do.

  • EddietheEagle · March 1, 2015 at 2:50 pm

    My take on today’s match was that Federer could have lost as easily as he won. His tennis is flat-out, instinctive, with little in the way of compromise. He wins or loses on his own terms. He got those first serves in on points where it mattered otherwise it may have been another story with a few more looks from Djokovic at Fed’s second serve.

  • Andrew Miller · March 1, 2015 at 4:37 pm

    Fed needs a two handed bh and a lefty serve . That should do it.

  • Scoop Malinowski · March 1, 2015 at 4:56 pm

    Federer said he enjoys to play Djokovic. I hardly think Djokovic enjoys to play Federer, who is like the God of tennis. He has to make sure he shows him too much respect and he can’t show a ruthless killer instinct, because fans will rebuke him if he does. Very strange mental dynamic for Djokovic to battle Fed, it’s a lot easier for Fed. For Djokovic it’s a suffering experience to play Fed in a big match situation, especially at majors.

  • Scoop Malinowski · March 1, 2015 at 4:59 pm

    You can never count out Federer, he can solve the Rafa puzzle – IF Rafa loses a step and loses some of his handspeed and racquet head speed and pace on this shots. It will be interesting this year.

  • Andrew Miller · March 1, 2015 at 8:56 pm

    More ways Federer can beat Nadal:

    – Grow 9 inches to become Karlovic during first and second serves. Similar to Gumby, he can then shrink soon thereafter in order to handle the Nadalian whiplashing ground game.

    – Borrow Michael Chang’s 1989 wheels while moving from ball to ball. This should lose that “step slow” thing that plagues Federer in off moments – Chang’s 1989 wheels are excellent and should help Federer match Nadal in the speedy Gonzalez / road-runner department.

    – Get some MUSTER coaching – how to be a lefty while being a righty. Muster was an animal out there and I’m sure he would be motivated as the clay beast he was and relish the challenge of “beating Nadal”…through Federer. On one condition – probably the Muster grunting. Federer would need some Muster grunting practice.

    – Develop a “hooking” left handed forehand and a double-fisted right handed forehand, which should cause Nadal some pause. It would be like looking in the mirror, something sure to un-nerve Nadal during a match.

    – Yell “Vamos!” as much as possible during a match. It had been said Federer hasn’t learned Spanish, but given his strengths in German, French, English and some Italian, Spanish shouldn’t be too hard for super-Fed. Vamos is easy to learn. It sounds like “Hummous” but has a “V” at the front of it..VAMOS!

    – Change his name. That’s right, start referring to himself as Rafael Nadal. That should help him out too – because why would Nadal want to play someone with the same name? He wouldn’t…Nadal wouldn’t want to lose to himself, but if he loses it’s as if he never lost, because…Nadal won.

    – Add Uncle Toni to his staff. No, not that Toni…just some guy named Toni who he can call Uncle Toni. That way he always has Uncle Toni cheering him on. He could even give a few box seats to Muster on the condition that Muster consider himself an honorary “Uncle Toni”.

    – Towel off a lot during points. This is a hard one to master for impatient people, but with some practice I have no doubt Federer can do this.

    – Work on his “Nadal” signature for fans. It would probably become a collector’s item – a Nadal signature signed by Federer.

    There are more things Federer can pick up to prepare himself for a Nadal match – buy some new sleeveless shirts for one. Hit the gym for another and consume a lot of protein shakes.

    – Start spending more time in Mallorca. That will drive Nadal crazy.

    But until then – Federer has to start having a lot more in common with Nadal. I mean, given that Nadal has already taken up permanent residency in Federer’s head, I’m not sure he has much of a choice. Being himself isn’t working.

    (As you can tell this is a huge joke – I’m not mocking Federer or Nadal. Just having some fun here).

  • Gaurang · March 2, 2015 at 1:05 am

    nice one Andrew…..lol

  • Scoop Malinowski · March 2, 2015 at 7:54 am

    🙂 Andrew’s advice to Federer. Could also suggest hysterical grunting like Rafa too. And throw more fist pumps. Though Roger has thrown a sporadic few fist pumps, some of which looked exactly like Rafa’s.

  • CS3 · March 2, 2015 at 2:53 pm

    Roger has the skill set but not the mental toughness to ever dominate his “rivalry” against Rafa… Federer is INTIMIDATED, NERVOUS & UNCOMFORTABLE whenever he plays Rafa… Bad match-up physically & more importantly, psychologically… Roger thrives on feeling superior & in control, Rafa doesn’t allow him to feel that way…For whatever reason, Roger is far more in his comfort zone against the tremendous tennis machine named The Djoker, who for as great is he is mentally cracks far easier than Tennis’s BEAST BULL… By the way, Rafa’s decline is once again being forecasted prematurely as he is starting to find his rhythm & is getting his timing/match fitness level back to form… His title win yesterday, albeit at a lower-tier clay court event in Buenos Aires, will likely get the Bull charging forward with confidence & momentum like his 2013 clay court title in San Paolo, Brazil did… Good Afternoon fellow Tennis Fans!

  • CS3 · March 2, 2015 at 3:04 pm

    The fact that Roger is still able to produce vintage, Maestro performances nearing the age of 34 is extremely impressive though I must say… To be able to beat the Best/Top Player(s) in the world & compete for/win significant titles still on a recurring basis only adds to his already Tennis Royalty stature… Neither Rafa nor Novak will be able to play at such a high level in their mid 30s due to the grinding, extremely physical baseline style they play as 2000s/2010s Era Tennis Gladiators!

  • Scoop Malinowski · March 2, 2015 at 3:55 pm

    CS3, Rafa is Roger’s worst nightmare and every great champion has his worst nightmare. It’s a combination of factors – Rafa’s play, his humility, his nice guy persona, lefty, etc. I think Fed has an easier time getting motivate to beat Djokovic because of some of their previous confrontations which give Fed a little extra incentive. Rafa’s so nice that he kills Fed with kindness. I think this is an aspect to consider also.

  • CS3 · March 2, 2015 at 4:49 pm

    Good points Scoop… Rafa’s nemesis is Novak because they are so similar style wise on the court yet different off the court… That rivalry is far more competitive though with each having proved capable of having the other’s number for periods of time but not permanently… Rafa & Novak get along off the court & have been very close over the years at times… There has long been TENSION even ANIMOSITY between Roger & Novak; it’s mellowing some but they are still not exactly fond of each other… Roger & Rafa have a mutual respect/admiration for each other so Roget may indeed not be able to channel that inner fuel to destroy Rafa like he does with Novak… Emotion is a big part of Tennis like it is in Boxing… No question Roger is more than good enough to beat Rafa -) which he has on THE BIGGEST STAGES before; it’s just not an ideal match-up for him!

  • Scoop Malinowski · March 2, 2015 at 7:06 pm

    CS3, I sense Djokovic lights Fed’s fire unlike any other competitor. They say all the right and nice things about each other but I sense, deep down, Fed holds Djokovic in disdain. To say he enjoys to play Djokovic is also saying he enjoys to beat Djokovic. Fed vs. Djokovic is the best rivalry in tennis today.

  • CS3 · March 2, 2015 at 8:31 pm

    I would agree to a point regarding Federer & Djokovic’s rivalry… The level of Tennis is the best between Novak & Roger though I still feel the most amazing matches are between Rafa & Novak… They take Tennis to a SUPERHUMAN level of: skill, will, physicality, emotional resolve & endurance unlike anything we may ever witness again… Each guy pushes the other to almost out of this world limits physically & mentally… Ali-Frazier like BATTLES on a tennis court… Can never overlook the ALL-TIME GREAT MATCHES Rafa & Roger have played in either… Simply put, we will never see such an OUTSTANDING TRIO at the top of Men’s Tennis again IMO producing so many EPIC CLASSICS between the lines!

  • Andrew Miller · March 2, 2015 at 9:14 pm

    Federer in front of a mirror: “I AM Rafael Nadal. I AM RAFA! King of clay courts…dominator of the Fed Express!”

    Sadly I still don’t think that will work at a slam. I’d give Federer a shot to beat Nadal at a Masters, even a big one like a semi or final of Indian Wells or Miami if they both make it that kind of match.

    At a slam…sorry – Nadal has the pent-house suite in Federer’s head and he has a sign on the door:

    “DO NOT DISTURB”.

  • Andrew Miller · March 2, 2015 at 10:06 pm

    Harrison…#109. Watch out…

  • Gaurang · March 3, 2015 at 12:16 am

    CS3, I agree with most of your points. Fed is simply uncomfortable and that could also be due to Rafa’s humility. And also Rafa has a very deep desire to defeat Roger, given that when he was growing up Roger was the top player. He must have spent a lot of mental energy to plan how to defeat Roger, and now Roger has gotten afraid of him. It affected Roger deeply — his level of game against other upstarts like Murray also suffered. With Novak its been back and forth.

    Also agree that Roger’s sublime at the age of 34 will actually his most impressive record… I dont see anybody even coming close. Roger was very close to being #1 at the end of last year. Rafa and Novak will decline significantly around the age of 30 due to their physical game.

  • Dan Markowitz · March 3, 2015 at 6:21 am

    Don’t agree Djolo won’t be a top player at 33. I might take that bet he’ll still be Top 10 at 33. Let’s remember, Fed has won how many slams after the age of 30?

  • CS3 · March 3, 2015 at 7:57 am

    I won’t be surprised if Djokovic is Top 10 still at 33, I just don’t expect him to be as good as Roger is at that age due to the very physical, grinding style he plays which involves stretching his body out a lot… Guys like Ferrer are showing that it’s very possible to play high-level, top 10 tennis in their early 30s… Novak has the all-around skill to be Top 10 for the remainder of his career but the level at which Roger is playing nearing 35 is the exception to the rule because he’s still playing at a Top 2-3 in the world level… Rafa likely won’t be playing at 33 or 34 because his body won’t allow him to; he’s like the attacking Mexican or Italian heritage boxer who only has so much of a shelf life… Than again, he’s been Top 3 in the world for over a decade now so only time will tell with my statement!

  • Andrew Miller · March 3, 2015 at 9:24 am

    Rafa can do it. He is Connors #2

  • CS3 · March 3, 2015 at 12:20 pm

    I respect your opinions always Andrew so I won’t dispute what you say… Nadal does have that same relentless competitive FIRE % maximum effort on every point that Connors had… His WILL not to mention CONSIDERABLE SKILL can never be discounted!

  • Andrew Miller · March 3, 2015 at 1:13 pm

    Cs thanks, Connors was no clay jedi knight but his intensity / skill / speed / competitive aptitude set the bar for who / what came after him. He was a first class jerk on the court and intimidating in an unsportsmanlike way – a bully . But the instincts underlying it are similar to the best of all eras. Nadal reminds of Connors – same fire, but he is a class act. Not a stretch to say the are two sides of a coin.

  • Andrew Miller · March 3, 2015 at 7:11 pm

    Coach courier wow. Earned it no doubt, tough choice. Maybe wants a chance to undo last year’s smashing at the hands of Murray. Izzie needs to win and frankly so does everyone else given that Izzie is no shoe in to win either match in front of a Scottish home team.

  • Scoop Malinowski · March 3, 2015 at 7:42 pm

    Isner is under a lot of pressure now. His singles confidence is crumbling now, in the midst of a disappointing year. This is make or break for Isner. If he fails this weekend to get the job done, Dan may stick his fork into the big man. The Bryans have been spotty this year. Inglot has a huge serve, Jamie “Rory McIlory” Murray is top ten in doubles this year. DY is unproven in Davis Cup. IF USA can emerge victorious from this tie, it could be a fantastic kickstart for USA tennis.

  • Andrew Miller · March 4, 2015 at 5:23 pm

    Djokovic is very solid technically – his serve is same one since age 17. His backhand is Agassi’s. His footwork is superb. He’ll probably rely on different things later in his career. But he has everything he needs to get there and be outstanding.

  • Scoop Malinowski · March 4, 2015 at 9:37 pm

    Djokovic has everything to win a grand slam in one year. Will need some luck but he’s capable of doing it IMO.

  • Andrew Miller · March 4, 2015 at 10:29 pm

    Indian Wells: Harry wildcard. Others: Del Potro Smyczek, Kudla, Krajicek.

    WTA: Serena Williams, Vekic, Gibbs, Townsend, Min, Chirico, Vickery, Mattek Sands

  • Scoop Malinowski · March 5, 2015 at 8:10 am

    Good WC picks. Vekic has been silent this year. Let’s hope some of these WCs take advantage of their good fortune. Interesting that Venus is not united with Serena on the IW return.

  • Andrew Miller · March 5, 2015 at 12:18 pm

    Wildcards have been bad for all these guys except Kudla, who rarely gets one. Anyhows, will get a sense of “true” rankings, indian wells is both on a neutral surface and hasan a+ entry list. If team usa does well in scotland i expect isner to get a bump in.confidence. if i were gimelstob id want isner to play davis cup as if it were a slam .

  • Andrew Miller · March 5, 2015 at 1:02 pm

    Dan how did spanish tennis book turn out?

  • Gaurang · March 5, 2015 at 10:10 pm

    Yes I agree Djokovic has the ability to play top level tennis for a long time. He has been one of the most consistent players on the tour in history (after Roger). The only things that can bring him down are

    (a) his body may start crumbling with the way he stretches to retrieve balls. No human can stretch his body in so weird ways so many times. Something has to give at some point.

    (b) his mind. He is vulnerable to nervousness after loosing, and this could affect his ability to beat day in day out the new crop of players

    (c) I think his ability to change his tennis style, and come up with new strategies is not as good as Federer. Fed plays pure tennis and can change his style as per whats required in a match. Whereas Novak has more or less one playing style — “Stay in the back and hit balls left and right to the two corners — and sometimes come up to the net if there’s a chance. If nothing’s working then hit a backhand slice drop shot. In any case, try to return all balls.” . His tennis is not as multidimensional as Fed’s. This will affect his ability to adapt to and beat the new crop of players who may become better at what he does. Look at Fed; it appeared that Nadal had killed him, then Murray and Novak also started beating him. But he is not going down — he is adapting and fighting. He can still win any match except against Nadal (somehow he just hasnt been able to adapt against him).

    I love Novak and hope he continues to play at the pinnacle of tennis for many years. I hope he gets close to Roger’s records. Its a pleasure watching him play. His defense is pure melody.

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