Say it again, Federer vs Djokovic is the best rivalry in sports history

What an ugly trophy. Fed won’t be the favorite for the US Open, but by winning this match he’ll be seeded #2 which should give him a good shot to make the final. If he can keep returning this well he’ll be tough to beat.

“Fed won rather easily. Djoko played pretty flat, double-faulting three times in one game and playing tentatively.”

Dan, IMO Federer’s weird attack on serve/drop shot completely unraveled Djoker for awhile after that first set tie breaker. Djoker doesn’t like surprises, he scouts opponents very well and when they do something that breaks normal patterns he’s unsettled. Federer won the mental game of tennis today.

You have to think you will see others trying to emulate the attack, half volley return, it will definitely rattle players and lead to double faults, you can’t do it too often.

Scoop could beat Harry now. In my book, I’m writing a chapter on Harry and I’m going to get to the crux as to why he has self-destructed in his career. I’m going to talk to Harry, his coach, his father, Harry Harry and his brother.

I don’t think many players can duplicate the Fed half-volley return of serve net charge. You have to really have a one handed backhand and great hands and quick feet. The only other guy I could see doing it is Dimitrov and maybe FLo.

Djoko may not be a humorless heavy, but he does get awfully pissed and Boris and the other two goons could’ve been cast in an old Sopranos episode.

Prime Rafa versus either Federer & especially Novak is the Premier Rivalry arguably of All-Time — which the always changing his tune like the seasons Scoop has even said repeatedly but Federer-Djokovic is the top rivalry now… Novak is beginning to come down to earth & his body is feeling the affects of playing a lot of matches at a VERY HIGH LEVEL… There’s a price to be paid for playing a more grinding, physical style that rallies on long rallies from the baseline… Roger is the VERY RARE ageless wonder… It’s a “mystery” how the guy never seems to tire on the court… Roger has put himself in the mix to be 1 of the Favorites at the US Open… I think he’ll come close but inevitably FALL SHORT like has been his pattern in Grand Slams for the most part since 2010!

IMO, Kei Nishikori will be the Non-Fab 5 player who has the best chance to break out & win his 1st career Major at the US Open… Things would have to fall into place for him but he’s definitely capable… Pains me to see Rafa finally wearing down; 2015 is a lost cause for him pretty much… I could see a RESURGENCE happening next year potentially; if not, he needs to retire before his incredible legacy is tarnished in the eyes of the so-called experts… Never a pleasant sight seeing 1 of the Greatest Ever in a sport, who at their PEAK, made a strong case to be the Very Best in History, reach a point where they become ordinary… Father Time is the lone unbeatable: player, fighter, team etc. in sports… Novak, Federer, & Murray have to be considered the Favorites at the US Open… If Wowrikna resurfaces, all bets are off obviously… Kei is my darkhorse like I said… On the women’s side, Serena has a date with history & destiny unless something unforeseen happens… A “Grand” coronation awaits… Take Care fellow avid Tennis Fans & Enjoy the upcoming happenings in New York City!

@Dan, the only answer I can give is not everyone ages at the same rate… Federer has a much more natural, easy flowing game which has enabled him to maintain a Top Level even as he approaches the age of 35… Rafa’s PHYSICAL, Brute Force style based on athleticism, overwhelming the ball while mentally/physically wearing down his foes in more grueling matches that are heavy on long, baseline rallies was bound to result in a shorter shelf life… Just the fact that Rafa was able to be #1-2 in the World & a Grand Slam Champion for a decade is an amazing feat… It’s like in Boxing, not all fighters age at the same rate… The more ring wars a fighter is in, the sooner his days as a World Class fighter will end… Bernard Hopkins has been able to be a World Champion & Top 10 Pound-for-Pound fighter even in his 40s because he is a Master Technical Boxer who other than his fight with the Russian Monster Sergey Kovalev last year hasn’t taken any real beatings… Great Defensive skills resulted in LONGETIVITY & being a Top Fighter up to the age of 50 for BHop… On the other hand, Mexican Legend & former 4-division World Champion Erik Morales was already shopworn & past his prime as he approached the age of 30 because he took a lot of punishment in some tremendous toe-to-toe SLUGFESTS with the likes of Marco Antonio Barrera & Scoop’s Beloved Manny Pacquiao… Emmitt Smith was able to have a longer career than Earl Campbell because his running style didn’t result in him getting nearly as battered!

Agreed Scoop! Amazing how the are so many similarities between the 2 sports… Federer is like an Ali while Rafa is like a Frazier… Rafa had all around tennis skills too but he preferred to make matches a BATTLE… Federer makes simplifies things!

I have never seen Roger play better than today. Today he played perfect tennis. Made very few unforced errors, execute his ultra-aggressive plan perfectly. He came into the net many times, even on second serve returns, and was very successful.

Djokovic played well, but was nowhere close to his best. He was not executing his trademark accurate, aggressive, deep baseline play. Also, if he wouldnt have gifted the first game of the second set by committing 3 double faults, the second set could have been close.

But Federer was nearly unbeatable, even if Djokovic would have played his best tennis today, Fed would have probably won. I have never seen a player completely dominate the world no. 1 player like today. Novak is usually able to make it a tough fight even in the matches he looses, but today Federer was just dominant from the start to the end. He never faced a break point, whereas he went deep into most of Djokovic’s service games.

Federer is Godly. I cannot imagine any other player at the age of 34-35, playing such a high level of tennis. Federer is not a normal human, not a normal #1 player. He is the GOAT, past, present and future.

The term “Maestro” is only reserved for a Master… Djokovic seems to struggle the most in matches in which he has a chance to achieve history… Whether it’s completing a career Grand Slam at Roland Garros or become the first player in ATP history to win all 9 Masters 1000 series titles in Cincinnati… The Djoker is a tremendous Tennis Machine but his psyche is his biggest weakness… He has tremendous resolve & the ability to come back in matches as well bounce back after tough defeats… The more Novak starts thinking prior to or during a match, especially 1 with a lot at stake, the more VULNERABLE he is… It takes quite a player & competitor to expose Novak’s shaky psyche though… In his younger years, he cracked & tapped out regularly… Not nearly as much post 2011 but it still happens on a semi-recurring basis!

Novak does need to reserve some injury… He is looking just a little more human these days… I think his body is feeling it some as he’s been pushed to the limit a lot more than usual in 2015 the last 2 weeks… Even the Top Player(s) are prone to “hitting the wall” during the final stretch of the season!

Yeah Djokovic had some elbow injury in Montreal, and a stomach injury in the match against Dolgopolov. Maybe age is catching up with him. Since switching to gluten free diet, he has had a mostly injury free career (apart from retiring in two matches in late 2011 from playing too much tennis)

Playing late into every tournament equals very good results but it also amounts to more wear & tear on the body… Novak may be tiring & fading like players who have Amazing years often do in the season’s second half!

In 1988 during the Austrailian Open final, Cliff Drysdale said Mats Wilander, 24 at the time, would retire at 26,just like Borg, because you cannot play that grind out style of tennis, without your body breaking down. O thought that was a tad presumptious on CD’s part, but he was right. Wilander did not retire,but he was never the same player by the time he was 26. Injuries, maybe partying( did have a Coke suspension)might have played a role.

1988’s 26, is 2015’s 29. The grinders have a much more physical battle these days. Tennis in 88, was not as close to the physical game now. Maybe it’s the string, the raquets, the physios that these guys.

Fed just glides through his career, while the other 3 of the core 4, grind out matches, from the first round to the final.

The only difference is back then Master’s were 3 out of 5

Nadal stole his wins from Djokovic??? What a joke. You clowns just won’t give Rafa the credit he deserves for being such a great player – his tennis game plus his mental strength.

In that 2013 SF, Djokovic had 78 UFE, Rafa had 47. Who was the better player? They had virtually the same number of winners, 59 to 58. Rafa won 70.4% of his 1st serve points and 62.7% of his 2nd. Djokovic won 64.9% and 47.7%. Rafa saved 6 of 11 break points, Djokovic 8 of 16. Rafa won 39.4% of his return points, Djokovic 32.1%.

2014F was much the same. 1st serve points won 72.6% to 72.0% for Rafa, 50.0% to 36.4% 2nd serves won for Rafa, 6/9 to 4/10 BP saved for Rafa, 40.5% to 34.2% return points won for Rafa.

Stats don’t always tell the whole story but they can give you a lot of important information and the facts are that Rafa gave Djokovic a comprehensive beating that day in 2013 and Djokovic was lucky it even went to a fifth set. Rafa should have won in four. 2014 wasn’t as good a match from either of them but despite cramping badly in the fourth set, Rafa won comfortably.

Rafa didn’t steal his 67 tournament championships, 14 slams, 27 masters, 15 500s, 4 Davis Cups, and Olympic gold medal. He damn well earned them with his fabulous unique tennis.

So YOU think Djokovic played better even though Rafa out-served him, out-returned him, made fewer errors, had more winners and, according to you, played smarter and mentally tougher. Okey dokey. That makes a lot of sense. Guess that explains why you think all those American players ranked in the 100s are going to be winning slams soon. *rollseyes*