RF Tennis News 2018

CINCINNATI FINAL SNAPSHOT: DJOKOVIC-FEDERER

By Andrew Burton | TENNISACCENT  

August 20, 2018


Novak Djokovic came into Sunday’s final against Roger Federer hoping to make ATP history as the first man to win all nine Masters tournaments. He and his team came up with an unusual game plan – serve and volley on every point, chip and charge every return.

Just kidding. Novak came to the net once in the match (he won the point). His opponent served and volleyed several times in the match, and came to the net 24 times, winning 14 of the points, or a 58-percent conversion rate. But that wasn’t the key to this match.

Sunday was a tale of two returns, and if you see that you ought to be able to guess the outcome. Djokovic put 79 percent of Federer’s serves back into play; Federer managed to get his returns into court only 57 percent of the time. Federer went 4 of 18 on Novak’s second serve: That’s a figure that reads like one of his poorer days on break point conversions. Cincinnati is one of the faster courts, but Federer’s returns-in-play stats tell a story this week: He went 74%, 70%, 73%, then 67% against David Goffin (who was playing with a dodgy shoulder) and 57 on Sunday.

I asked Federer after the match about the returns – his a struggle, Novak’s aggressive. He told me,

“Yeah. It was definitely not my best day on the return. That’s it. It was just awful… But missing every second serve on the forehand side, I don’t know what that was about.”

Djokovic was much the more consistent player today, and Federer (perhaps understandably) didn’t want to dwell on his own play – he told the next questioner:

“[It’s] a bit frustrating, but I guess these matches just unfortunately happen sometimes. And then Novak, you know, he’s a great champion and this is what it should be about, this press conference; not about me missing second serve returns. It’s about him making history. That’s my opinion.

“We can go into whatever points you want, but I think this is what the headline should be about. This is an amazing accomplishment, and I hope he’s extremely happy about his moment.”

Djokovic at one point brought off a near carbon copy of The Shot – the 2011 cross-court forehand return that saved a match point and is one of the defining moments of his career. It was a testament to his control of this match that it seemed more like another demonstration of excellence than a bolt from the blue.

For the first time this week there were many Serbian flags in the crowd, and vociferous calls of “Nole! Nole!” rang around the stadium several times. When Federer fended off a 0-30 deficit to force Djokovic to serve out the match, the crowd’s cheers and applause seemed more sympathetic than exultant. Djokovic held serve in a composed manner, then turned to his box with his arms raised in happiness – but (to my eyes) it was also a composed emotion, not raw elation or defiance. In press after the match he told us it was his best match of the week:


Q. You felt you played your best match today?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: For sure.  Roger wasn’t obviously at his best.  He missed a lot of returns. He had also seems like a difficult time to move.  You know, he was not really playing as well as he did in previous matches this week, but at the same time, you know, I thought I was solid.  I didn’t allow him to, you know, come to the net and be aggressive too much, and I tried to kind of hold ground and protect the line.

It’s much easier said than done when you’re playing Roger, especially in these conditions where he loves playing here.  Everything happens really, really fast and there is not much time to think or to construct the points, so you really need to be alert all the time, you know, especially against him.

I’m very pleased the way I held my nerves at the end, you know.  And even when I lost the break of serve in the second set, I managed to rebreak the next game and get back on the right track.

Federer told English and Swiss press that Djokovic and Nadal, having split Canada and Cincinnati, and Roland Garros and Wimbledon before, are favorites in New York. That sounds right to me.

So here we are again – it’s 2018, and the Big 3 are in each others’ sights as we head into the last major of the year. The talk about the men’s game at the start of the week was about Tsitsipas, Shapovalov and Zverev; at the end of the week, the ATP’s old guard is still up on the podium, still making history.

Rumors of their death have been exaggerated.  

What it's like to play Roger Federer



Federer hasn't triumphed in Flushing Meadows since the end of his record-setting five-year U.S. Open title run from 2004 to 2008. Tenth year's the charm? TPN/Getty Images


Michael Steinberger  | www.espn.com
Aug 21, 2018


This story appears in ESPN The Magazine's Aug. 20 College Football 2018 Issue.

Other than playing Rafael Nadal on clay, the scariest task in men's tennis is facing Roger Federer pretty much anywhere. No one blends power, touch and creativity like he does, and playing the 37-year-old these days means taking on a living legend. As Federer heads to the U.S. Open looking to add a 21st major win to his record, we asked current and former pros what it's like to be on the other side of the net.


Andre Agassi

8-time Grand Slam champ; 3-8 vs. Federer
"When a ball left my racket [with most opponents], I knew exactly where it was going and I could assess to what degree I would gain the advantage in that point. With Roger, you could not count on the advantage no matter where you hit the ball. He was leaps and bounds better than anyone I had faced. When I faced him late in my career [in the 2005 U.S. Open final], the biggest reaction I got was him looking down at his shoes. Then he just went to a gear I'd never seen before. It was a privilege to see, a privilege to have the worst seat in the house watching it. The truth is, me at my best, him at his best -- I would have had to be perfect to cause him any distress. What I needed to do to display what I was good at, he could neutralize. That turned me into a relatively average player."

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Sergiy Stakhovsky

1-1 vs. Federer, including an upset win at Wimbledon in 2013
"Over three and a half sets, I was not thinking about winning. I was just going point by point, trying to hold on. Then I was a break up in the fourth, and you start to think, and that's the problem. You become nervous. You go for shots you didn't go for before. You are pressed down by that other Federer, the legend. I was up 6-4 in the [fourth-set] tiebreak and serving, and he passed me. You had a match point on your serve; you may have just missed your opportunity. OK, you're not going to win it -- that is the honest mindset. That backhand that he missed -- I was in disbelief. [Federer shanked a backhand on the next point to give Stakhovsky the match.] At the end of the line, he's also a human being. Not always but sometimes."

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Jack Sock

World No. 18; 0-4 vs. Federer
"He makes you so uncomfortable. Any ball lands short, he's on top of it so fast. He's into the net, taking time away, angling into balls. He may be 37 now, but his footwork is like a fresh 18-year-old on tour. You're playing a style of play you don't want to play and feeding right into how he wants to play. The next thing you know, you've lost 6-2, 6-2 and are feeling like an idiot. People don't talk about his serve a ton. I don't know if I've ever broken him. I'm pretty crafty on the return games, but I have no idea where [Federer] is serving. It's not coming in fast, 116 to 121 mph, but he's hitting his spot. You feel like if you don't hit a great return, don't neutralize perfectly, you are on the defensive already, and he's holding 98 percent of the time."

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Marco Chiudinelli

Childhood friend; 0-2 vs. Federer
"We met when we were 6. From the beginning, we were friends. We practiced together. The first time we played a real match was a tournament series in Switzerland. You play up to nine. I won that one. That was the only time I won. We had funny matches. We were very emotional. We got warned by the supervisors. We were playing on the sixth court, in Bern, so people could only watch on the terrace from Court 1. Imagine how much noise we made that people would complain and send the supervisor to Court 6 to warn us. We were screaming, tossing rackets. It was never against the other. You just got frustrated by your own game, your own mistakes. We walked off the court as we walked on, as best friends."

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Philipp Kohlschreiber

World No. 33; 0-13 vs. Federer
"Maybe the biggest difference between him and [Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray] is that he takes the first chance. Murray is a great returner, but if you survive the return, he lets you play. If you hit to Rafa's backhand, maybe you get time to play the point. Maybe Djokovic on hard courts is more aggressive than the other two, but Roger is completely different. He doesn't care if he makes 10 mistakes. If you are short, he attacks, he comes to the net, and we all know he does this combination well. It's never great to lose so many times against one opponent, but if I have to pick the best losses [over my career], they're the ones I played well against him. I hope he continues to play a few more years, myself also. It would be great to at least win once."

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Grigor Dimitrov

World No. 8, known as "Baby Fed"; 0-7 vs. Federer
"I remember the first time I played him. It was in Basel [Switzerland]. I thought I played so well. But I never experienced someone who takes time away like that, who has such a clear vision of the game. He's always one step ahead of you. That makes him so dangerous. Sure, he's an icon, but at the same time, we are all even when we are out there. But, of course, you get to tough moments and he's better in many, many ways. Yeah, we have some similarities and I've always appreciated the comparisons, but I think our game plans and how we play are completely different. He's the greatest out there. I hope he keeps playing ... but not too long."

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Frances Tiafoe

0-3 vs. Federer, including a 5-set loss at the 2017 U.S. Open
"I was ready to go. Let's beat him. Let's do something crazy in New York. Let's get the crowd behind me. I'm a crowd-pleaser myself. I came out playing great tennis. I was serving well. It was an unbelievable match and something I'll remember forever. He stepped up. He's so good at stepping up at the big moments, so good at taking time away from his opponent with his feet. It's like he's playing pingpong out there. He pounces on the ball so quick. He measures the ball so well and creates crazy angles. You can't read his serve. He's the GOAT for a reason."

Roger Federer Opens Up About His New Uniqlo Partnership and Returning to the US Open


by Steff Yotka | Vogue
August 23, 2018 6:53 PM


When Roger Federer steps onto the court at the US Open, he’ll do it in a crimson red Uniqlo polo and shorts. It might not sound revolutionary, but Federer’s partnership with the international retailer is the first of its kind in many ways. First off, the deal is cemented for 10 years; Federer will be 47 years old by the time it concludes, an age when he may no longer be playing tennis professionally. Then there’s the fact that, if you haven’t noticed, Uniqlo isn’t exactly an activewear company.

All of this is by design.

From a penthouse hotel suite in midtown, Federer and Uniqlo’s global president of creative John Jay explain. You see, Uniqlo prides itself on its “LifeWear” and in many ways, tennis provides the perfect fusion of life and sport. “I think it’s important to remember the core idea of what tennis [clothing] is; it actually works very well on and off court,” says Federer. “I think tennis in the past was always very wearable off court, not only the shoes, but the polo we used to play in.” In the future the collab might include everyday clothes, or more activewear, or—wild idea—maybe even puffer jackets. Uniqlo has vast expertise and Federer knows much about fashion, attending runway shows around the world and sporting Ferragamo, Dior, and Gucci more in his daily life. He did look exceptionally dapper in a Uniqlo suit at our meeting. It’s something he says you could maybe even play in because of the stretch. “Why not? We should try it out!”

Their inaugural design is intentionally simple, with astute, modern details. A button collar. Contrast piping. Light breathable fabric. It will be available for pre-order from today, delivering mid-October. You can get the red edition, from the US Open, or opt for the tennis whites Federer wore at Wimbledon.




“I signed the deal on Thursday before Wimbledon and I walked out [on the court] on Monday, you know?” he said, explaining that the accelerated timeline made simplicity a big focus. “The good thing is it was Wimbledon, so it was all whites. We knew there is only so much you can do, and we did some testing beforehand making sure the fit, it’s good, it’s tailored, everything works; there is no drama there. I think we did a really nice job coming out with an outfit people enjoyed, so that was nice.”


But simple isn’t boring. “I like modern, especially to start off the collaboration because there are so many more things to come in the years, that I think this should send the message out that this is what we’re going to be doing, modern cool things,” Federer begins.

Plus tennis outfits have gotten a little crazy recently, haven’t they? “Very!” he exclaims, laughing. “I feel sometimes tennis has lost its way just to be loud, just to be recognizable, you know? To stand out from 10 outfits you want to be the one that’s the loudest. So we had the times we went neon, we had times where we had incredible crazy designs.” He pauses to laugh about some of the more graphic looks of the past. “I don’t mind it, but then you look back and you’re like, really? Did we have to do that?”

Now Federer’s on court uniform is closer to his daily one. “I live out of a suit case, so a lot of outfits have to match with other things. I can’t do all the crazy designs from Fall and then three months later I’m totally in a different place where it’s warm or cold and it doesn’t match anymore,” he says. “So usually you go with a lot of very classic, very clean looks that can mix around with materials as well. I think that’s where my looks come from.”




OK, so this is all very chic and streamlined and accessibly elegant, but does it work?

Indeed, it does. Uniqlo has partnered with athletes before. Take Novak Djokovic, who won “basically everything” by Federer’s count while dressed by Uniqlo.

Jay emphasizes that there’s more than just sports at play here. “We’re not a sports company, we’re a company devoted to life, with LifeWear,” he says. “We didn’t start out, hey let’s do some athletes and do some marketing and so forth. The first athlete Uniqlo ever signed was Shingo Kaneda, a wheelchair tennis champion. “What attracted us to him were values and principles. And without embarrassing this man sitting over here,” Jay continues, gesturing to Federer, “that was at the forefront. All the trophies—of course!—but the values and the principles. That’s why we’re locked in to a longterm commitment here because the potential is ahead of us.”

In the end Federer wants to win, but moreso, he wants to “bring a lot of joy to a lot of people” on courts, off courts, with fashion, with philanthropy, with sports. Starting by winning the Open.