They say that it is the eyes that go first, as an athlete ages. Nothing wrong with Roger Federer’s eyes. The first two sets of Federer’s semifinal against Novak Djokovic were as good as any two he has ever played. Unfortunately for Roger, it takes three sets to win in Grand Slam events. He choked away the next two sets, revived in the fifth and got to 40-15 and two match points on his serve. The first serve was wide and Djoker had a wild swing at it. The ball could have gone anywhere but ended up a crosscourt winner. For Federer, it was 2010 once again where he had squandered match points. Once he had missed an easy forehand on his second match point, the match was all but over.
Roger Federer has had an incredible run these past 10 years. For four years he dominated the sport like no other. But now his nerves have let him down at the crucial moments and it is unlikely if he will ever win another major title.
It is always lonely at the top. When Fed was number one, every player was shaping his game to beat him. Along came Nadal with the perfect counter, a heavy topspin forehand that exposed Federer’s backhand. Nadal was the next number one. Novak Djokovic was the perfect foil to him.
Djokovic took Nadal’s forehand early, hitting it back from the baseline with his two hander. But Djokovic had a service weakness, something he corrected in the winter of 2010. The rest is history. He has won three of the four Grand Slams and lost just two matches all year, to Federer at the French Open and to Murray at a Master’s Event in the USA. Significantly, he is 6-0 against Nadal, who is at his wit’s end trying to figure out what to do. That is how tennis is. Soon there will be another challenger to the throne, with a game custom built to beat Djokovic. But this might not happen soon.
Novak Djokovic is a tennis machine with no apparent weakness. He is fast, he does not miss and he takes the slightest opportunity to go on the offensive. Only stroke players who can hit consistently for winners have a chance against him, as things stand. Federer did, but came one point short. Federer’s game is there but his nerve now lets him down at the crucial points against the best players.
Super Samantha: Samantha Stosur has been threatening to do great things in the past. She reached the French Open final some time back riding her kicking serve to victory over many of the best players on the tour. It all came together at the US Open where she out muscled the formidable Serena Wiliams for her first major title.
Stosur is a strongly built player with perhaps the best serve on the Tour. Her second serve has the kick of a mule and she uses the short ball to put away the winner. On this day she overpowered perhaps one of the strongest players ever to play the women’s game by a decisive margin. Serena Williams has had issues with the officials in the past, the time when she used obscenities against a lineswoman who called a foot fault on her springs to mind. She was on her worst behaviour again, berating the umpire and calling her names. The USTA fined her $2000, a paltry amount that she makes every five minutes she is on court.
