Let's call this my return.....
Roger Federer advanced to the semifinals of the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati with a 63 75 win over struggling Andy Murray in a match where he recovered from a *4-1 deficit to win six of the last seven games against the 2013 Wimbledon champion.
Roger said after the match he felt he got a little lucky, and perhaps he did. But let me tell you this - with the way Roger has been attacking the net recently (even if it hasn't always been successful), he has earned his luck by putting constant pressure on his opponents. Coming to net as much as he has been doing has been a very valuable part of his game this season, not only because it limits the amount of long points he plays, but because of the gradual effects it has on the guy across the net. He may get passed once, twice, or five times, but attacking the forecourt so much asks the question. As the net player, you ask "you passed me there, can you do it again?"
Murray, who is one of the best passers in the game, yet even he felt the pressure of Roger coming in so much. That's the value of rushing your opponent, and that's what the classic serve-volleyers like Edberg, Sampras, Becker, Rafter, and McEnroe understood so well.
Roger's volleying has been curious however the last two weeks. His net play overall hasn't been horrible, but he definitely doesn't look completely sure of his ability when he approaches to hit a putaway volley, usually down the line. However, when he comes in and is forced to hit a low shoestring volley or half-volley, and then is forced to hit a second volley, he's done very well. So to say that his volleying overall has been terrible would be wrong in my opinion, but it still is curious that he is struggling with the simpler volleys but is doing better with the tougher ones. It could be the racquet, or just a matter of thinking one thing and doing another, but he has to get it fixed before it costs him a match.
Stefan Edberg's greatest effect on Federer's game has been his quicker approach to the net and better positioning. He seems to have taught Roger that you don't have to finish it off in one swing. Whenever Roger comes in and hits a volley that hasn't won the point, he's been doing a great job at staying close to the net and not giving up ground. We saw that against Monfils when he hit a heavy drop volley, stayed strong at net, and cut off a cross-court pass for a great reflex volley.
Federer's semifinal opponent will be Milos Raonic, a man who he is 5-0 against, though he did have three deciding-set wins in 2012 against the big-serving Canadian. Simply put, if Roger holds serve, he will have a great chance of winning. Raonic has only broken once in the 15 sets they have contested, or 1 out of 79 attempts. Roger's serve looks mostly on song so I don't think he'll struggle to hold if he is getting a good first serve percentage.
From now to the end of the year I'll be writing more often. I apologize for stopping, as I was dealing with some personal issues in my life and needed to focus on other things.
Saturday, August 16, 2014
Friday, March 21, 2014
2014 Federer Miami Preview
Hey all,
I apologize for not writing anything about Indian Wells, where Federer had a great week and just fell short in the final against Djokovic. Before I start with Miami, I want to talk a little bit about that tournament, for Fed, even if it is late.
Coming off the Dubai win, it was important for Roger to have a good tournament in California, especially because he could gain points after his quarterfinal exit a year ago. He probably got a little fortunate that Nadal lost in the 3rd round to Dolgopolov, as they would have faced off in the semifinals, but as they say, all you can control in a tennis tournament is your own matches.
By making the semifinals against Dolgopolov, it was the 7th consecutive tournament where he made at least the semis - dating back to Basel last fall. That kind of consistency is what was missing for nearly all of 2013 for a variety of reasons. It's nice to see Roger get a string of positive results, because in my view building up that confidence and momentum now is the only way he'll be able to put himself in a position to make another run at Wimbledon.
Also coming with the final appearance at Indian Wells was a jump in the rankings from #8 to #5, is biggest single week jump since 2002. He will go up to #4 after Miami if Ferrer doesn't reach the final and Berdych doesn't win, which would be a great feat and something to be proud of after a tough season in 2013.
Alright, onto Miami.
First up, the Fed will face Dr. Ivo, the man that dissects mere mortals with his serves and laughs them off keel with his humour. The big guy is always dangerous with his serves but whenever Roger faces him, he tends to bring out the best in his returning ability. I expect nothing less in this one.
Should he get by that, Fernando Verdasco could await in the third round. Verdasco had a solid week in Indian Wells, but should be no match for an in-form Roger, especially since the Spaniard isn't the player he once was in 2009-2010. Richard Gasquet could be a tough 4th round opponent, but the Frenchman hasn't given Roger any trouble on hardcourt since 2006 (the only time he troubled Fed on the surface). Kevin Anderson could also be a round of 16 opponent, whom Fed easily dispatched in the quarters last week. Ferrer is the highest seed in the quarters, but he is coming off an injury and he may have the dangerous Dimitrov in his path. And Roger get by all that, he'll likely face Djokovic for the 3rd time this year in the semis.
All things considered, it would be a disappointment not to make the semis given his form and the fact he got Ferrer in his quarter and not Nadal or Djokovic. Miami has not been the happiest of hunting grounds for Fed, not having made the final since his 2nd title win there in 2006. But when he's playing well, as he is now, he can definitely make a great run. I don't think he'd have any chance against Nadal on the slow courts at Key Biscayne, but against Djokovic he always has a chance no matter what the conditions are.
Here's to an entertaining tournament and to Roger entering the top 4 once again (hopefully!).
I apologize for not writing anything about Indian Wells, where Federer had a great week and just fell short in the final against Djokovic. Before I start with Miami, I want to talk a little bit about that tournament, for Fed, even if it is late.
Coming off the Dubai win, it was important for Roger to have a good tournament in California, especially because he could gain points after his quarterfinal exit a year ago. He probably got a little fortunate that Nadal lost in the 3rd round to Dolgopolov, as they would have faced off in the semifinals, but as they say, all you can control in a tennis tournament is your own matches.
By making the semifinals against Dolgopolov, it was the 7th consecutive tournament where he made at least the semis - dating back to Basel last fall. That kind of consistency is what was missing for nearly all of 2013 for a variety of reasons. It's nice to see Roger get a string of positive results, because in my view building up that confidence and momentum now is the only way he'll be able to put himself in a position to make another run at Wimbledon.
Also coming with the final appearance at Indian Wells was a jump in the rankings from #8 to #5, is biggest single week jump since 2002. He will go up to #4 after Miami if Ferrer doesn't reach the final and Berdych doesn't win, which would be a great feat and something to be proud of after a tough season in 2013.
Alright, onto Miami.
First up, the Fed will face Dr. Ivo, the man that dissects mere mortals with his serves and laughs them off keel with his humour. The big guy is always dangerous with his serves but whenever Roger faces him, he tends to bring out the best in his returning ability. I expect nothing less in this one.
Should he get by that, Fernando Verdasco could await in the third round. Verdasco had a solid week in Indian Wells, but should be no match for an in-form Roger, especially since the Spaniard isn't the player he once was in 2009-2010. Richard Gasquet could be a tough 4th round opponent, but the Frenchman hasn't given Roger any trouble on hardcourt since 2006 (the only time he troubled Fed on the surface). Kevin Anderson could also be a round of 16 opponent, whom Fed easily dispatched in the quarters last week. Ferrer is the highest seed in the quarters, but he is coming off an injury and he may have the dangerous Dimitrov in his path. And Roger get by all that, he'll likely face Djokovic for the 3rd time this year in the semis.
All things considered, it would be a disappointment not to make the semis given his form and the fact he got Ferrer in his quarter and not Nadal or Djokovic. Miami has not been the happiest of hunting grounds for Fed, not having made the final since his 2nd title win there in 2006. But when he's playing well, as he is now, he can definitely make a great run. I don't think he'd have any chance against Nadal on the slow courts at Key Biscayne, but against Djokovic he always has a chance no matter what the conditions are.
Here's to an entertaining tournament and to Roger entering the top 4 once again (hopefully!).
Friday, February 28, 2014
Federer Rolls Back The Years
Wow. Just wow. That is all I can say.
Where did that come from?
Is that man 32 and a half years old?
That man has played over 1100 matches (at age 32!) after playing 15 full seasons on tour. This will be his 16th. That was his 1154th match. To put that in perspective, Andre Agassi played for 20 years and played 1144 matches.
Where does that hunger come from? You know, the one that tells you that you've accomplished everything but still want more? One might think that Federer has a reset button in his brain, and that he takes on every new challenge with the mind of a man ten years his junior. Federer may be almost 33, but he has a youthfulness of spirit far younger than most of his fellow players on the ATP World Tour.
Stunning. Spectacular. Mind-blowing. Age-defying. However you want to describe it, that word will probably work for that win from the Swiss Maestro. It's unbelievable how he continues to put together these masterclass performances time and time again, and just when we all think his car is running out of gas. But the tank is full right now.
I mean, did you see how great he was moving? Did you see that ridiculous forehand pass to get the second break in the third set? He wasn't doing that last year - because he couldn't do that. I think Roger showed the world today what he can do when he has a healthy body and a strong mind, even for a guy that by the end of this season may have 1200 professional matches under his belt (and not to mention thousands of hours practicing and training over as I said, 16 years on tour).
I named this article "Federer Rolls Back The Years" for a reason - because of what I saw in his match against Djokovic. Time and time again in the last two sets, Novak had break points, and Roger erased them with big serves which were unreturned - and against the best returner in the game no less. The new racquet certainly helped with that, but the biggest factor in being able to hit those great serves at pressure moments was confidence. Roger certainly has it right now. He is playing with a hunger and a desire to win at all cost that we saw two years ago (and we know what happened that year).
The way he served in the clutch was reminiscent of the way he served in his peak years of 2004-2007. Heck, so was the way he moved, the way he hit the ball, the way he played aggressively all the time, even the way he defended (remember that line from Mary Carillo at the French Open in 2011 vs Djokovic? "That's Grandpa?" That's Grandpa, baby!)
I admit, I didn't watch the match live as I was at work. However, I followed the third set online and saw that he went up 3-1. I had matters to attend to, and when I came back, I saw he had won 6-2. I was actually astounded. Many of you know that I am one of the more faithful Fed fans you'll ever come across, but even I never expected the kind of performance he would give us. He won after losing the first set, something he had never done against Djokovic. He won 10 of the final 13 games of the match, and he delivered an entire commercial block of amazing shots that would make your jaw hit the floor if you happened to be close enough to it.
I have long gone past the point of trying to understand how this man does it. He has two beautiful children, with a third on the way. He has accomplished everything he dreamed of. There is really nothing left to play for and nobody would blame him if he had hung up his racquet on the wall after his 2013 campaign. But he plays because he loves it. He loves the whole lifestyle that comes with being a pro tennis player - even after having done it half his life. I'm sure he even loves the responsibility of being such a revered athlete and the weight of the stardom he possesses. There's just Something About Roger.....
I have had people tell me that I'm crazy for being such a diehard supporter of Fed in the wake of all his "decline." They said he would never win another major. He did. They said he would never get back to #1. He did. They said his game was old-school and out-dated. Well, that may be true in today's baseline-dominated sport. But he's Roger freakin' Federer, and his tennis will never go out of style.
If there is one thing I have learned about sports, it is that you never, ever count out the great ones. Ev. Er. 2013 was a low point in Roger's career, perhaps the lowest. But like the proverbial phoenix, he rises from the ashes soaring up and up, and when he commits himself to something, it is very hard to stop him. We saw that in 2012. I think we are seeing it now. Great players will always be great, especially in the face of great adversity. We have heard that for years about Nadal, and it is true. But Roger doesn't get the credit he deserves for having such a champion's mindset. He is a fighter; always has been, always will be. He just does it in a different way.
Personally, I think all of last year's disappointment made this victory so much sweeter. There have been many who have fallen after bad seasons like that, but not Roger. After the painful defeat at Wimbledon in 2008, he won the gold medal in the Olympic games for doubles and then won the US Open. After the Australian Open defeat that left him in tears to Nadal in 2009, plus a string of bad losses that spring, he rose and won the Roland Garros/Wimbledon double. After the so-close-yet-so-far defeat at the hands of Djokovic at the US Open in 2011, he went on to have one of the best 12-month stretches of his illustrious career. Now, after the nightmare that was 2013, there is 2014. A year to rise, to reclaim, and to bring renewed faith to those who lost it.
Berdych awaits in the final and he has been playing some amazing tennis lately. But, so is Roger. Being the champion he is, I expect nothing less than a championship performance to bring home a 6th Dubai crown - which, forgive me - would be a truly crowning achievement in his trophy collection.
Long Live The King.
Where did that come from?
Is that man 32 and a half years old?
That man has played over 1100 matches (at age 32!) after playing 15 full seasons on tour. This will be his 16th. That was his 1154th match. To put that in perspective, Andre Agassi played for 20 years and played 1144 matches.
Where does that hunger come from? You know, the one that tells you that you've accomplished everything but still want more? One might think that Federer has a reset button in his brain, and that he takes on every new challenge with the mind of a man ten years his junior. Federer may be almost 33, but he has a youthfulness of spirit far younger than most of his fellow players on the ATP World Tour.
Stunning. Spectacular. Mind-blowing. Age-defying. However you want to describe it, that word will probably work for that win from the Swiss Maestro. It's unbelievable how he continues to put together these masterclass performances time and time again, and just when we all think his car is running out of gas. But the tank is full right now.
I mean, did you see how great he was moving? Did you see that ridiculous forehand pass to get the second break in the third set? He wasn't doing that last year - because he couldn't do that. I think Roger showed the world today what he can do when he has a healthy body and a strong mind, even for a guy that by the end of this season may have 1200 professional matches under his belt (and not to mention thousands of hours practicing and training over as I said, 16 years on tour).
I named this article "Federer Rolls Back The Years" for a reason - because of what I saw in his match against Djokovic. Time and time again in the last two sets, Novak had break points, and Roger erased them with big serves which were unreturned - and against the best returner in the game no less. The new racquet certainly helped with that, but the biggest factor in being able to hit those great serves at pressure moments was confidence. Roger certainly has it right now. He is playing with a hunger and a desire to win at all cost that we saw two years ago (and we know what happened that year).
The way he served in the clutch was reminiscent of the way he served in his peak years of 2004-2007. Heck, so was the way he moved, the way he hit the ball, the way he played aggressively all the time, even the way he defended (remember that line from Mary Carillo at the French Open in 2011 vs Djokovic? "That's Grandpa?" That's Grandpa, baby!)
I admit, I didn't watch the match live as I was at work. However, I followed the third set online and saw that he went up 3-1. I had matters to attend to, and when I came back, I saw he had won 6-2. I was actually astounded. Many of you know that I am one of the more faithful Fed fans you'll ever come across, but even I never expected the kind of performance he would give us. He won after losing the first set, something he had never done against Djokovic. He won 10 of the final 13 games of the match, and he delivered an entire commercial block of amazing shots that would make your jaw hit the floor if you happened to be close enough to it.
I have long gone past the point of trying to understand how this man does it. He has two beautiful children, with a third on the way. He has accomplished everything he dreamed of. There is really nothing left to play for and nobody would blame him if he had hung up his racquet on the wall after his 2013 campaign. But he plays because he loves it. He loves the whole lifestyle that comes with being a pro tennis player - even after having done it half his life. I'm sure he even loves the responsibility of being such a revered athlete and the weight of the stardom he possesses. There's just Something About Roger.....
I have had people tell me that I'm crazy for being such a diehard supporter of Fed in the wake of all his "decline." They said he would never win another major. He did. They said he would never get back to #1. He did. They said his game was old-school and out-dated. Well, that may be true in today's baseline-dominated sport. But he's Roger freakin' Federer, and his tennis will never go out of style.
If there is one thing I have learned about sports, it is that you never, ever count out the great ones. Ev. Er. 2013 was a low point in Roger's career, perhaps the lowest. But like the proverbial phoenix, he rises from the ashes soaring up and up, and when he commits himself to something, it is very hard to stop him. We saw that in 2012. I think we are seeing it now. Great players will always be great, especially in the face of great adversity. We have heard that for years about Nadal, and it is true. But Roger doesn't get the credit he deserves for having such a champion's mindset. He is a fighter; always has been, always will be. He just does it in a different way.
Personally, I think all of last year's disappointment made this victory so much sweeter. There have been many who have fallen after bad seasons like that, but not Roger. After the painful defeat at Wimbledon in 2008, he won the gold medal in the Olympic games for doubles and then won the US Open. After the Australian Open defeat that left him in tears to Nadal in 2009, plus a string of bad losses that spring, he rose and won the Roland Garros/Wimbledon double. After the so-close-yet-so-far defeat at the hands of Djokovic at the US Open in 2011, he went on to have one of the best 12-month stretches of his illustrious career. Now, after the nightmare that was 2013, there is 2014. A year to rise, to reclaim, and to bring renewed faith to those who lost it.
Berdych awaits in the final and he has been playing some amazing tennis lately. But, so is Roger. Being the champion he is, I expect nothing less than a championship performance to bring home a 6th Dubai crown - which, forgive me - would be a truly crowning achievement in his trophy collection.
Long Live The King.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Federer Survives in Dubai
After a smooth and efficient first round win over Benjamin Becker in Dubai, Roger Federer was made to work a little harder, beating veteran Radek Stepanek 6-2, 6-7(4), 6-3 in a thriller.
Things couldn't start much worse for Roger as he was broken in the opening service game of the match. Fortunately for him it all went uphill after that, as he broke right back and broke two more times to win the opener 6-2. He only hit one error after the first game, so he really tightened things up.
The opening game of the 2nd set went badly though and Stepanek broke. He would hold that break lead until 5-4, when Fed broke back and the set went to a breaker. Roger played a few loose points and Radek closed it out on his own serve.
In the third, Roger was broken in his first service game of a set for the third time in the match (I wonder if that has ever happened before?). Stepanek was serving for a 3-0 lead and had 4 separate game points, but Fed hung tough and fought hard to finally earn the break back with a sweet backhand return winner. Momentum was with him after that and he roared to a 5-2 lead, where he was serving for the match. On his first match point he hit an ace but it was called out, and lost the point. He would get broken, giving the Czech some hope, but Roger put the match to bed a few points later.
Overall it was a good match by both men. Roger was great in the first set and then Stepanek raised his level, playing nicely from the baseline and taking charge of a lot of the rallies. Fed almost seemed to lose his rhythm from the baseline and played more conservatively in sets two and three, which surely helped Steps implement his gameplan.
To see Roger fight back from a break down in the third set was good to see. Last year he wasn't winning these matches where he wasn't playing his best tennis throughout, but he found a way to get through this one. He played the same way under pressure he did in 2012, and we all know how great a year that was for him.
Next up is Lukas Rosol, known for upsetting Nadal at Wimbledon in 2012. A guy like him is always dangerous but Fed should have no problem getting by him, which would likely set up a semifinal with defending champion and world #2 Novak Djokovic.
Keep going Roger.
Things couldn't start much worse for Roger as he was broken in the opening service game of the match. Fortunately for him it all went uphill after that, as he broke right back and broke two more times to win the opener 6-2. He only hit one error after the first game, so he really tightened things up.
The opening game of the 2nd set went badly though and Stepanek broke. He would hold that break lead until 5-4, when Fed broke back and the set went to a breaker. Roger played a few loose points and Radek closed it out on his own serve.
In the third, Roger was broken in his first service game of a set for the third time in the match (I wonder if that has ever happened before?). Stepanek was serving for a 3-0 lead and had 4 separate game points, but Fed hung tough and fought hard to finally earn the break back with a sweet backhand return winner. Momentum was with him after that and he roared to a 5-2 lead, where he was serving for the match. On his first match point he hit an ace but it was called out, and lost the point. He would get broken, giving the Czech some hope, but Roger put the match to bed a few points later.
Overall it was a good match by both men. Roger was great in the first set and then Stepanek raised his level, playing nicely from the baseline and taking charge of a lot of the rallies. Fed almost seemed to lose his rhythm from the baseline and played more conservatively in sets two and three, which surely helped Steps implement his gameplan.
To see Roger fight back from a break down in the third set was good to see. Last year he wasn't winning these matches where he wasn't playing his best tennis throughout, but he found a way to get through this one. He played the same way under pressure he did in 2012, and we all know how great a year that was for him.
Next up is Lukas Rosol, known for upsetting Nadal at Wimbledon in 2012. A guy like him is always dangerous but Fed should have no problem getting by him, which would likely set up a semifinal with defending champion and world #2 Novak Djokovic.
Keep going Roger.
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