RF Tennis News 2017

Paths of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal beginning to intertwine


29 Mar, 2017
Peter Bodo
espn.co.uk


MIAMI -- One of the newest words in the tennis dictionary is "Fedal," a shorthand reference to the rivalry between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

It has become more than a cute bit of word play. It accurately represents the way these two spectacular tennis players, so fundamentally different in almost every way, have become entwined in history and fused at the hip in their pursuit of greatness.

Fedal. Think of the men as the parallel rails of a railroad track. Theoretically, they should never meet. But as you look down the length of their careers they merge on the horizon into one. Now they're at the Miami Masters, where each of them took another step toward the 37th meeting of their rivalry.

Nadal ripped through a good workout against one of the many players who, inspired by the nature of Federer's recent successes, is doing a lot of attacking, Nicolas Mahut. Nadal played well when it most mattered, knocking out the Frenchman 6-4, 7-6 (4). Federer was put through his paces by Nadal's Spanish compatriot Roberto Bautista Agut but won a pair of tiebreakers, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4).



Rafael Nadal is happy with his game but doesn't want to get too far ahead of himself. Not yet anyway. Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports


Rafael Nadal is happy with his game but doesn't want to get too far ahead of himself. Not yet anyway. Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
"It's been a good start for both of us," Nadal said of 2017 in general. "It's positive that we can stay around and be very competitive every week."

Career-wise, these locomotives might be closer to the terminus than the point of departure. But they still have ambitions. Ironically -- almost hilariously -- both men have had less trouble winning Grand Slam titles than this tournament. Fedal XXXVII in Miami would be one for the record books: a decade between Masters titles at the same venue for Federer, a breakthrough first win in Miami for Nadal.

Who said there's nothing new under the sun when it comes to these guys?

Reflecting the other day on the first of the four finals he has lost here, Nadal said, "Probably I should win the first one." That was in 2005, when he was a stripling of 18 who had yet to play a Masters 1000 final and had a grand total of six singles wins at Grand Slam events. He lost the match after winning the first two sets to an opponent who didn't just meet him for a quick cup of coffee, Roger Federer.

Credit the Swiss wizard for waking the Mallorcan beast: After that crushing defeat, Nadal won the next four Masters 1000 events he played as well his first French Open title. In Paris, Nadal's run included a semifinal win over Federer. That was the moment when the individual rails met to form a single track.

Nadal's style is radically different from Federer's. It's counterintuitive but sharing the same style would just mute their other differences. The contrast binds them, like the yin and the yang.

Rapidly closing on 31, Nadal is almost a full five years younger than Federer. He isn't really of the same tennis generation, but he has forced the impression that he is because of -- in order -- his precocity, his production and his longevity.

Nadal posted his 1,000th singles win earlier this week and called it a "good number." He's particularly proud of what it says about his longevity, partly because it flies in the face of some early critics.

"During a lot of years, I heard that I going to have a short career," Nadal said, "so it's important."

But Nadal hasn't had quite as easy a time of it as Federer when it comes to injuries. Nadal has missed eight Grand Slam events (and had to withdraw during another) over the course of his career. It's a significant number in the context of the Grand Slam title tally, which Federer leads 18-14 despite trailing Nadal in their head-to-head rivalry 23-13.

Federer's career-long good health advanced the impression that he leads a charmed life. But after he damaged his knee in February 2016 and subsequently underwent minor knee surgery -- missing a Grand Slam for the first time since the fall of 1999 -- it landed him in the same territory as his lifelong rival in yet another critical way. Both men missed most of the second half of 2016, leading some to wonder if they were finished. Instead, they've re-emerged this year as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid in tennis shorts.

They weren't finished but refreshed. Not over the hill but over the stress and drudgery of career-building. Both of them had been abused and perhaps even demoralized by Novak Djokovic, when the Serbian star was at his peak. But this year, Federer and Nadal have become a free radical on the tour, liberated by their concerns and circumstances from routine concerns like ranking position and title hunting.

"Unfortunately, I can't do it all," Federer said Monday. "I can't chase the Davis Cup and the Slams and play all the Masters 1000s. At some point something has to give, unfortunately. I wish I could do it all like when I was 24.

Federer made a point of saying that the same is true for Nadal, which just illustrates the familiar nature of their relationship. But there is one significant difference in their situations, and it was magnified after Federer defeated Nadal at the Australian Open to win his 18th major title.

Nadal's problems predated his most recent injury. They trace back to the summer of 2014, when he started a descent into a mystifying slump. He's hopeful that, aided by good health, he's on the brink of reclaiming his savage A-game. But he sounded a note of caution in Miami on Sunday:

"It's very early," Nadal said. "I feel that I am playing well. I can talk about myself. It's obvious that Roger is playing great, but the year just started. Just let's see what happens here, and let's see what happens especially for me after this tournament."

You just know that Nadal is making a veiled reference to his beloved clay courts and thinking French Open. And when Federer said that he's going to have to skip some tournaments that he has played in the past, you know he's alluding to clay-court events and thinking Wimbledon.

Two rails, one set of tracks, merging on the horizon.

The five secrets to Roger Federer's success




Peter Bodo
espn.com

Mar 29, 2017

MIAMI -- The only career-related area in which Roger Federer has not been terribly lucky is with nicknames. No good one has ever stuck. The closest one, popular in Europe, is Maestro. It means orchestra conductor, or "master."

Sure, the moniker has a bombastic ring. But it's accurate. Just as a great maestro knows how to draw the best out of every instrument, from the massive kettle drum to the little flute, Federer has an absolute command of all aspects of tennis.

There are no holes in Federer's game. No glitches in his execution, no hitches in his technique. These days, everyone is gaga for his one-handed backhand, which once was derided as the source of his poor record against Rafael Nadal -- and, more recently, Novak Djokovic. That criticism has yielded to awe.

Some of Federer's other strengths are not so closely scrutinized, nor are they as volubly celebrated as that rock-solid forehand or precise serve. Here are five major components of his greatness that don't get a lot of attention:


1. Federer always plays within himself

You've seen it more times than you can count. A rally begins, grows in pace and intensity, then one or the other player overcooks his shot. He shanks a forehand up into the cheap seats. Or in the midst of an important point, a player tries for a shot better described as a prayer. Maybe it's a drop shot; maybe it's a backhand drive. Whatever it is, it leaves you wondering, "What was he thinking?"

Federer never overreaches. He never betrays himself. Sure, his level of talent is such that his comfort zone is immense. But this has less to do with talent than mental discipline and concentration -- two things that Federer has in spades. Federer's self-knowledge is profound. He's absolutely true to himself.

Those qualities are especially valuable in this latest phase, in which Federer is playing first-strike, offensive tennis from on or inside the baseline. The strategy demands extremely quick responses and microsecond decision making. Federer rarely makes the wrong decision, which is why it never appears that he's rushing.


2. Federer is the best serial volleyer in tennis

Roger Federer seems more comfortable than ever staying up at the net and hitting more than one volley to win a point. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
The romance of serve-and-volley tennis just won't die. Fans love to watch offensive tennis and quick action at the net. But few players, even among the growing number who are comfortable attacking, have a second and even third volley comparable to Federer's. That's an important distinction in today's game, because the premium on defense and movement means that a simple one-two serve and put-away shot or approach-and-volley strategy is no longer as deadly as in the past.

Federer's technique off both sides is superb, partly because his anticipation is so keen, and he's so light on his feet. He's spoken often about the wisdom of his decision to skip the second half of the 2016 season. You can bet that a lot of the grunt work involved ramping up his offense, hence the quality of those volley sequences.

"I feel like maybe on the offensive side, overall, I think I'm doing definitely a few things better than I ever have," he said after his win Tuesday against Roberto Bautista Agut.


3. Federer is a master of changing pace

Most spectators are enthralled by Federer's swashbuckling, offensive style these days. But even Federer can't win simply by swarming over his opponent point after point. That's where his rally game comes into play.

One of the most devastating attributes of Federer's volley game is the efficient, effective way he changes the pace of a rally. It can be the equivalent of hitting the reset button, but it's also a tactic.

Prime example: In the fifth game of the second set of his dangerous third-round match against Juan Martin del Potro, Federer reached break point. Delpo blasted a serve; Federer's return set up a power rally. But two shots in, Federer dropped in a feathery backhand that del Potro, in the midst of a comeback and still lacking big-point confidence, anxiously mistimed and drove into the net.

Late-career Federer loves to exploit touch and pace-changing shots. "I did have a little bit of fun," Federer said. "Not as much as I was hoping to. I was hoping to play a few more drop shots or [a] few more chip and charges. I couldn't quite do that like I was hoping to, but we had a few good points."

Only a connoisseur of the rally game would be disappointed after winning in straight sets because the variety in the rallies was unsatisfactory.


4. Federer's passing shot

Attacking players like Federer are celebrated for their offensive skills, but like-minded players, or those who can really bring power to bear, can meet them head on, or even beat them to the punch. Some excellent serve-and-volleyers struggle on defense. But how many players have a volley that can beat Federer's passing shots?

Not many. No attacking player is anywhere near Federer's level as a defender, especially when it comes to hitting passing shots under pressure. Put Federer's facility down to a combination of skill and confidence, as well as his all-around, all-situation composure.


5. The capacity for improvement

Can a 34-year-old, 17-time Grand Slam champion improve? Why would he want to, and how would he go about it? Those were the questions Federer faced last July after he lost to Milos Raonic in the Wimbledon semifinals. We now have the answers. The answers to the first two questions are found in something he said Tuesday.

"That's what I've always tried to explain to people -- that I do feel that I have improved," Federer said. "The game has evolved, and I had to adjust and change. Overall, I do believe I'm probably a better player than I was 10 years ago. It doesn't always translate into results per se, because other guys came up and did extremely well, like Novak, Rafa, Murray and all those guys."

Admitting that he needed to change ought to be enough to earn Federer some kind of medal. This was a guy who was already considered the GOAT by most fans. The way Federer went about embracing the future was simple but risky. He took a lengthy hiatus, during which he recognized that he needed -- and wanted -- to play a more liberated style of tennis. He recalibrated his game to satisfy that desire.

Like a brilliant conductor, maestro Federer is aware of every instrument at his disposal. And he's inclined to use every last one of them.

Roger Federer saves two match points in thrilling win against Tomas Berdych to reach Miami Open semis



Roger Federer celebrates his win  


Simon Briggs  
telegraph.co.uk

30 MARCH 2017 • 11:52 PM

The Roger Federer odyssey continued in Miami on Thursday night as he edged a fascinating, see-saw quarter-final against Tomas Berdych. Unquestionably the player of 2017 so far, Federer has now won 17 of his 18 matches this season.

This one could so easily have got away, as he saved two match points in the deciding tie-break before completing his 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 victory. His overall dominance in previous matches with Berdych surely helped here, causing his opponent to tighten up when victory was a single shot away.

A capacity crowd at the Crandon Park stadium was chanting “Let’s go Roger” by this stage, making no bones of their partisan support. And their vociferousness may have further scrambled Berdych’s anxious mind. Facing match point himself at 7-6 in the tie-break, he responded with one of the biggest double-faults you will ever see.

“You guys were making us nervous,” Federer joked to the crowd during the post-match interview with commentator Brad Gilbert. “If we threw in a few double-faults at the end there, it was because of you guys, not because we can’t play tennis.”

When Gilbert came up with an obscure statistic – this, apparently, was the first deciding set that Federer had won here since 2009 – Federer remained in light-hearted mood.


The two players shake hands at the end of the match

“Thank God you didn’t come out with that midway through the third,” he laughed. “I have had some tough losses here in the past and they stay with you. I am happy today that I came through somehow. I definitely got very lucky at the end, but I think I showed great heart today. I fought. Tomas started to step it up and it was a great match at the end, but one guy had to win.”

Even dropping a set was a rarity for Federer this year. Before this nail-biter, he had won eight consecutive matches in straight sets in Indian Wells and Miami. It almost feels like the clock has been turned back ten years.

There are some extra tricks and skills that Federer has picked up in this latter part of his career, however, including a ferocious backhand drive and a new selection of drop-shots. The extraordinary under-sliced drop-shot he played late in the first set was up there with the strokes of the season so far.

The ‘Big Five’ reunited: Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal’s remarkable rise up the ATP rankings


Michael Hincks
Eurosports

30/03/2017 at 22:25


Rafael Nadal’s victory over Jack Sock in the Miami Open quarter-finals means order will be somewhat restored come Monday morning.


This is, of course, regarding the ATP rankings – with Nadal set to return to the world’s top five alongside his friendly foe, Roger Federer.

The veteran duo – alas, they are both in their 30s – are currently enjoying a run into the latter stages in Miami, and could yet meet in the final.

But before talk switches to a potential third meeting of 2017 between the two, we can at least celebrate their return to the top five – though who occupies fourth and fifth is yet to be decided.


Rafael Nadal congratulates Roger Federer - AFP

It has only been seven months since Nadal and Federer trailed Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka in the rankings, but there was plenty of evidence to suggest that this stellar quintet was never going to be seen at the top of the ATP tree again.

Following the publication of those standings on August 29 last year, Federer dropped to seventh a week later before ending the year down at 16.

A knee injury had forced the Swiss to miss every tournament after Wimbledon in June, meaning a 2017 rise up the rankings was no guarantee as question marks surrounded the 35-year-old’s ability to recover from a six-month absence.

It's never too late.#AusOpen #Federer #sleepisfortheweak pic.twitter.com/a3BKdiQBBx

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 29, 2017

It went rather well though, if you recall. Federer became an Australian Open champion once more. The 17-time Grand Slam champion made it 18 against all odds, and against his oldest adversary in the final.

And Federer confirmed that this wasn’t just a brief flirtation with vintage Roger when he took home the Indian Wells trophy earlier this month – beating Nadal and Wawrinka en route to a fifth title in California.

pic.twitter.com/tdgLGcupYe

— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) March 20, 2017

All of a sudden, talk of Federer regaining the world number one spot has become a reality, while injuries to Murray and Djokovic mean more ground can be made up in the weeks to come.

Of course, what we all want is a straight shoot-out between the world’s best players, and for injury to have no say in the rankings, but for now the absence of the world’s top two allows those giving chase to build up some steam.

For Nadal, Miami offers the perfect opportunity to clinch a first title since Barcelona last year, and a first hardcourt trophy since Doha in 2014.

It would be a statement of intent should Nadal win in Miami with the clay season around the corner. The French Open has evaded him since 2014, and he’ll want to regain his crown.

Most Tour-level matches played (active players):

1,340 - Federer
1,034 - Ferrer
1,000 - Nadal

Welcome to the 1,000 club, @RafaelNadal pic.twitter.com/eOrizjCi7m

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) March 26, 2017

And while it’s a testimony to Federer and Nadal that they have recovered to feature in the top five once more, it’s an alarming reminder to the next generation that the old guard don’t give up easy.

Milos Raonic was seemingly climbing the rankings - having briefly occupied third - but the now fifth-placed Canadian will drop out alongside Kei Nishikori. And then you have the likes of Dominic Thiem, Nick Kyrgios and Alexander Zverev, whose stocks continue to rise, though they are still some way off catching the seasoned pros.

In Federer and Nadal the young crop have a pair of legends to look up to, for inspiration as well as in the standings. Their longevity is a gift for one and all. Long may it continue.

Roger Federer touches tennis perfection after lightening load of expectation

Andrew Anthony
The Guardian's Blog

Few expected the 35-year-old to win the Australian Open after his injuries but he has been on stunning form since and a more relaxed attitude has helped



If Roger Federer is the greatest player in tennis history, does this make his current performances
the best the sport has ever seen? Photograph: Al Bello/Getty Images


Saturday 1 April 2017 15.05 BST  

Two comeback kids met in Miami and played a very fine match of tennis this week. One was Juan Martín del Potro, the lanky, lugubrious Argentinian who has suffered two career-threatening wrist injuries. Since returning last year, after a two‑year hiatus, he narrowly lost to Andy Murray in the Olympic final and led Argentina to their first Davis Cup win.

His is an uplifting story of triumph over adversity, stalwart determination in the face of debilitating physical and psychological setbacks. He played beautifully this week, with his elegant backhand slice and his thunderous slap of a forehand. But unfortunately for him he was up against Roger Federer, who, at 35 and following his own long lay-off with a knee injury and then a back injury, is playing perhaps the best tennis of his life.

Given that Federer is arguably the best player in history, that would make his tennis right now the best there has ever been. That’s an extremely large claim that is probably easier to shoot down than support. But there is no doubt that Federer, that most heavenly of players, is enjoying a second coming at an age when most top players are either retired or long past their peak.
 
He went through Delpo like Delhi tap water through a tourist. Some of the shots he played were, even by his own exalted standard, jaw-dropping. And there is certainly no question that his single-handed backhand, so ruthlessly targeted by Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, is now a weapon of match‑winning destruction. Federer’s supreme 2017 continues to defy all expectations as he booked a place in the Miami Open final and with it the 37th episode of his rivalry with Nadal.

Has sport, let alone tennis, witnessed such an astonishing comeback? First we must acknowledge that Federer wasn’t exactly a spent force. During his injury-riven doldrums last year his ranking was 17, his lowest since 2001 but still among the world’s elite. That said, at the start of this year he hadn’t won a grand slam title for five years and the only way forward seemed down or retirement.

He had retained his competitive instinct during that spell, three times finishing runner-up in grand slams to the seemingly unbeatable Djokovic – but the plain fact was he hadn’t defeated the Serb or his great rival Nadal in a grand slam final since 2007.

Even though he had accumulated an astounding 17 grand slam titles, it was almost painful to see him try so hard, want it so much, and get further away from his goal of an 18th. Moreover, the slow decline started to cast a shadow backwards over his early glorious years. Between 2004 and 2007 he was by so far the best player in the world that he resembled a god among men – except on clay, where he had feet of clay.

Yet this superiority was now held against him. He was only so successful, said his critics, because the rest of the field wasn’t up to the job. Once Nadal found out his backhand weakness and Djokovic started to outlast him, Federer, for all his peerless grace, began to look all too mortal. And the man who never seemed to break a sweat, much less strain a tendon, started to get injured.

In January at the Australian Open in Melbourne, the stage was set for the world’s new No1, Andy Murray, to confirm his position with his fourth grand slam title, especially once a psychologically troubled Djokovic fell by the wayside. That didn’t happen.

Instead Federer and his nemesis Nadal fought an epic five-set final, with the Swiss emerging triumphant. Since then he’s scarcely lost a set. His game is not just revived but in many respects, not least with his backhand, improved.

When he was a promising teenager, the imperturbable Federer was known for his fierce temper – not with other players, but himself. He couldn’t forgive himself for his mistakes. As he reasoned at the time: “One should just be able to play a perfect game.”

He really started to beat everyone else only when he stopped beating himself up. The paradox was the less he demanded perfection, the closer he got to it. And this may be a clue to this splendid Indian summer of his sparkling career.

He didn’t expect to win the Australian Open, or to be back in the top five by this time of the year. It’s not that he stopped trying – it required enormous effort to regain fitness and change technique – more that he lightened the load of expectation and allowed his phenomenal talent to enjoy one last season in the sun.



 Roger Federer with the trophy after defeating his nemesis Rafael Nadal to win the Australian Open,
his 18th grand slam title, in January. Photograph: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images


It can’t last. Nothing can. That’s the ephemeral beauty of sporting genius. It’s very hard to believe that Federer could maintain his current form into his 37th year. There is a biological point at which even the finest athletes must succumb to irreversible physical decline. In the same way, it beggars belief that the 35-year-old Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic could squeeze another season like the current one out of his monumental frame.

Ibrahimovic is a colourfully contrasting character to Federer. The Swede revels in an arrogance that the Swiss works overtime to suppress. Where Federer could win prizes for humility, Ibrahimovic likes to speak of himself in grand historical terms. But in reality these are superficial differences, because at their core both men possess a cast-iron self-belief, and are willing to do what is needed to retain their competitive edge, long after they are under any obligation to prove themselves.

Andre Agassi, who himself came back from another kind of crisis – the usual: worrying about marrying Brooke Shields and dabbling with crystal meth – recently said that he and his wife, fellow legend Steffi Graf, watched Federer and Nadal in that Melbourne classic. “Why do they do it?” Graf asked her husband. “Can you believe what these guys are willing to put themselves through?”

It’s certainly not for money. Federer could live long and well on his vast wealth and global celebrity. But he’s still striving to be better, to win one more, to reach the top. As a result we can see now that there was a misconception about the arrival of Djokovic and Nadal in Federer’s pomp. They didn’t bring him down to size. He lifted them up to where he was. They would never have reached those heights without his leading the way. And now, like the indomitable champion he is, he’s stepped out in front once again.

Miami Open champion Roger Federer solidifies grip on GOAT title



Greg Garber,  Senior Writer
ESPN


April 2, 2017 - 8:02 PM ET


Coming into 2017, Roger Federer had lost 23 of 34 matches to Rafael Nadal.

In the sometimes heated discussion regarding the greatest men's tennis player of all time, it was the only serious asterisk.

And now, three months into this young season, Federer has taken some positive steps toward erasing that qualifier. Three big, swift strides, to be precise.



Roger Federer swept the "Sunshine Double," Indian Wells and Miami, for the third time in his career. Rob Foldy/Getty Images


For the third time in three months, Federer defeated Nadal in a meaningful match. This time it was the Miami Open, and Sunday's score was a forceful 6-3, 6-4.

That followed his straight-sets win in Indian Wells and his five-set victory in the Australian Open back in January.

Suddenly, 23-14 doesn't seem so one-sided. And the GOAT argument doesn't seem quite as complicated. Especially the way things have gone this season.

"The dream continues," Federer said during the trophy presentation. "What a start to the year. Can't believe it."

And, believe it or not, he really can't.

After surprising himself in Melbourne and Indian Wells, Federer figured the semifinals in Key Biscayne might be a stretch.

Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?

We would remind you that Federer is 35 years old -- so far beyond the sweet spot of an elite player's prime that it is, frankly, difficult to process. The last time he won this tournament was 11 years ago, and he beat his coach, Ivan Ljubicic, in the final.

Federer, reinventing himself to a thrilling degree, has now:

• Won 19 of 20 matches this year and is far and away the leader in the ATP World Tour's Race to London.

• Already locked down a major for the first time since 2012 and secured two Masters titles for the first time since 2014.

• Beaten Nadal four straight times for the first time ever, going back to 2015 in Basel, and won five consecutive sets for the first time.

"Congrats to Roger," Nadal said. "Amazing start for the season, one of the best comebacks ever. Well done. Very happy for you."

If just a tad sad for himself. As Nadal explained to the crowd, this was his fifth time holding the smaller loser's trophy in the Miami final.

Federer now has a 10-9 edge in hard-court matches over Nadal, and this one underlined how he has been able to turn around this once one-sided matchup.

Nadal would typically overpower Federer's one-handed backhand with his lefty forehand and wear him down with an endless reservoir of energy.

Federer has a little more pop after switching to a larger racket, but it was his commitment to be more aggressive that has made the bigger difference. Federer made the conscious decision to crowd the baseline against Nadal and hit a significant number of shots from inside it, virtual half-volleys.

He finished with 17 forehand winners, 11 more than Nadal. Federer served flawlessly again, fending off all four break points. He converted two of the nine offered by Nadal.

And don't forget: The best match of the tournament -- and perhaps this 2017 season -- was Federer's three-hour, 11-minute semifinal win over Nick Kyrgios in three tiebreakers.

There's a lot to savor for fans of Federer and, with the clay-court season nearly upon us, you might have to hang onto those memories until Wimbledon comes around in July.

"Congrats to Rafa on a great comeback yourself," Federer told him on the court. "I'm happy we're both here together. Over the years, mostly we had some great battles over the years.

"The clay courts around the corner. I'm sure you're going to tear me to pieces over there."

Federer will play a more limited clay schedule, possibly Rome or Madrid and the French Open.

No. 1-ranked Andy Murray and No. 2 Novak Djokovic, both nursing elbow injuries, have not been major factors early but should make a greater impression going forward.

Even if Nadal manages to come away with his 10th French Open title in Paris, Federer should be the favorite at the All England Club. Imagine if Roger and Rafa came away with the first three majors of the season, to run their Grand Slam singles totals to 19 and 15, respectively.

That would make them, certifiably, the greatest and the second-greatest of all time. No argument, no asterisk.

And for now, there is no GOAT argument.

Other links - Editor's Pick:

Roger Federer has become the Miami Open's oldest men's champion after beating Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-4
for his third victory against the Spaniard this year.

  Federer dominates Nadal to win Miami Open  


Roger Federer was simply magnificent in beating Rafael Nadal to win the Miami Open.
Here's what the Twittersphere had to say about the Swiss' win.

 Social Reaction: Federer dominates Nadal to win the Miami Open  

KEY BISCAYNE, FL - APRIL 02: Roger Federer of Switzerland poses in front of the Miami Skyline after defeating Rafael Nadal of Spain during the Men's Final and day 14 of the Miami Open at Crandon Park Tennis Center on April 2, 2017 in Key Biscayne, Florida.
(Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)


Richard Evans: Federer Stands Tall

BY  Richard Evans | April 03, 2017
Tennis Channel


Under the swaying palms of the California desert and the Florida Keys, the year’s first two ATP tour 1000 events played out to large and wildly enthusiastic crowds. And if it would be unfair to say all the cheering was for one man, much of the noise was all about Roger Federer, a champion whose performances at the age of 35 continue to defy logic and belief.

There are two pertinent aspects of the titles Federer won at Indian Wells and Miami to go along with his Australian Open crown.

The first concerns the way he, along with Rafa Nadal, stepped so effortlessly into the sudden vacuum created by the two players who were supposed to be the men to chase this year – Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic.

Neither Murray nor Djokovic made any kind of impact at Indian Wells and then absented themselves from Miami, both complaining of elbow injuries. Green lights should have been flashing in the locker room for that little army of highly talented, hard working pros who keep beating on the door of the Top4 and so rarely gain admittance.

Stan Wawrinka, usually the first in line, managed to fight his way through to the final at the BNP Paribas Open after Federer had stopped Nadal in his tracks in just 68 minutes in the quarters, but it was Roger who grabbed the title and when finals day arrived at the Miami Open who walked on court to face each other for the 37th time? You know who.

Federer went on to win the 91st title of a career that seemingly has no end while Nadal was left with the runners-up trophy for the 5th time in Miami. All told, 58 of the last 62 ATP Masters 1000 titles since 2010 have been won by a member of the Top4. That was the stat Greg Sharko of the ATP came up with but let me embellish it. BEFORE 2010, Federer won sixteen 1000’s and Nadal thirteen. These are staggering statistics.

One day, of course, Father Time will have his say but the beauty of this year’s Miami Open lay in the emergence of at least two of the young players who will prove themselves ready to step up in the not too distant future.

The draw set it up perfectly. First we had Nick Kyrgios facing the German teenager Sascha Zverev for the first time at such a big event. It will not be the last. Their quarter final produced everything one could ask of two young players who are still learning their craft.

Zverev, with his blond locks held in place by a wide head band, cuts an attractive figure on court, while Kyrgios has established himself as one of those rare performers that demand your attention – Ilie Nastase, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Andre Agassi are others who come to mind. Obviously the Australian does not compare as far as achievements are concerned as yet but, after Federer, he is well on the way to becoming the biggest ticket seller on the ATP tour.

The entertainment value is undeniable. Kyrgios came up with two tweeners in one point against Zverev and then, after the German had produced an exquisite lob to reach set point at 10-9 in the second set tie break, he tried another and blew it.

“A tweener on set point,” Nick muttered afterwards. “What was that?”

It was Nick Kyrgios. That’s the answer and there is no point in dwelling too long on the tactical niceties. He knew it was the wrong shot but, unlike a year ago, there is evidence now that Kyrgios is learning how to manage his talent. There was no melt down after losing that set and he was the better player in the third, finally winning 6-4, 6-7, 6-3.

The quality of the tennis had been high and the crowd feasted off this glimpse into the game’s future. What came next was the perfect clash of generations – Federer playing a young man thirteen years his junior.

Some critics are already calling Federer’s 7-6, 6-7, 7-6 victory over Kyrgios under the lights the best match of the year (quite a statement after Federer’s five set win over Nadal at the Australian Open) and one of the best they had ever seen. It was hard to argue.

Frequently, Federer’s shot making was majestic but, as in their first meeting which Kyrgios won at Madrid last year, the Swiss could not break Nick’s serve. The pair have now played six sets and all of them have gone to the tie break. Remarkable.

The Australian’s ability to hold serve will, of course, form the bedrock of his game as he moves ever upwards. It is not simply the speed he can generate – regularly touching 135/136 mph – but the way he varies the delivery. He hit an ace that was no more than 115 mph. Occasionally, he would throw in a second serve of around 85 mph. Federer, one of the best returners in the history of the game, worked furiously to find the key but the lock never turned.

A major factor in this extraordinary encounter was the way the Florida crowd made their presence felt. OK, they were always going to scream and jump up and down for Federer but a section of them decided there had to be a villain as well and were absurdly harsh on Kyrgios.

Apart from bouncing his racket just hard enough for it to crack after losing the first set (for which he received a warning) Nick did little wrong. But there were people on his back all the time and it needed some expert umpiring from the vastly experienced Mohamed Lahyani, who is Swedish in case you didn’t know, to keep things under control.

Even then, some idiot called “Out!” as Kyrgios, with the match on his racket, prepared to serve at 5-4, with the mini-break, in the final breaker. Exasperated, Kyrgios turned and mouthed “Shut the f…….up!” He should have received a second warning for that but Lahyani was sympathetic. He knew just what Kyrgios had had to endure.

Sadly, the disruption did seem to have an affect and Kyrgios promptly double faulted. In a flash, Federer seized his chance and won an unforgettable duel with an unreturnable serve.

Federer, needless to say was impressed with the talent he had needed to quell and the difficulties he had faced. The closeness of the encounter could be spelled out by the length of the tie breaks – 11-9, 9-11, 7-5. A match of tiny margins.

Happily for American tennis, there were signs of home grown talent blossoming, too. Jack Sock, who has started the year in great form, reached the quarter finals before falling to Nadal while Jared Donaldson, whom Sock blitzed 6-2, 6-1 in the fourth round, had played impressively to beat the older Zverev, Mischa, 6-4, 6-4 in the second round and Britain’s powerful Kyle Edmund in the first.

And then there was Frances Tiafoe who found himself on Stadium Court facing Federer in round two. He went down 7-6, 6-3 but was not overawed. “I think he’s going to be really good,” said Federer. “I think he’s going to learn a lot from a match like this because playing on center court with a lot of people, under pressure, saving break points, making break point, playing breakers – that’s what it’s about and it should feed a player like him with a lot of energy moving forward.”

In all sorts of ways, tennis moved forward as well as standing still to preen itself in on Key Biscayne, Federer’s pavonine ( )  performances demanding the accolades he receives from his adoring fans.