London: Federer d. Tsonga

From Roger Federer?s side of the net, there were two competing narratives at work in the third set of the London final on Sunday. On the positive side, there was the story of his late-season form. For the second straight year, Federer was trying to outlast his rivals and finish the year at his best. In 2010, he had won this tournament and gone 21-2 after the U.S. Open; this time he had outdone himself by going 16-0 and winning two tournaments since Flushing Meadows. On the downside, though, as the third set progressed, Federer still appeared to be haunted by the other, less-happy story of his 2010 and 2011: the curse of the match point. His last two seasons have been largely defined by his inability to close out seemingly certain wins. The most famous instance came in his semifinal loss to Novak Djokovic at the Open, and now it looked like it could happen again. Federer had dominated the first two sets against Tsonga, served for the match at 5-4 in the second, and held a match point at 6-5 in the second-set tiebreaker. Still, Tsonga had escaped, and by the third set he had found an ominous serving rhythm. This time, though, the curse was broken, and Federer made his late-season excellence the tale of the day by winning 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-3. The key came when he was serving at 2-2 in the third set. He went down 15-30, and some of the telltale signs of demises past had begun to show up in his game and his body language. Federer had lost his service rhythm as Tsonga was finding his; and when he couldn?t capitalize on a 15-30 lead of his own in the second game of the set, his shoulders had begun to slump, the same way they had slumped through the latter stages of his loss to Tsonga at Wimbledon this year. At 2-2, 15-30, Federer missed another first serve; Tsonga bounced on the opposite baseline looking eager. But Federer caught him with a good second delivery into the body to win that point. We didn?t know it at the time, but the danger had passed. Federer hit an ace at 30-all and went on to hold. Ten minutes later, he was back in top form, breaking Tsonga in a long and brilliant game and holding at love to close it out. There was a third storyline today: Federer?s record sixth World Tour Finals title. He passed Ivan Lendl and Pete Sampras with this win, and for most of the first two sets, he did it with Samprasian opportunism. By 4-3 in the first set, Federer had managed to win just one point on Tsonga?s serve. No matter: He won four straight in that game. The backbreaker came at 0-30, when Federer came up with a seemingly impossible get on his forehand side?no one who saw it would dare say he?s lost a step?and finished the point with a running backhand pass. A few minutes later, the first set was his. Tsonga, who had been standing toe-to-toe with Federer in rallies and knocking off clean backhand passes, must have wondered what hit him. And it hit him hard. The Frenchman went on to play a loose second set, filled with drop shots and errors and missed returns. At 4-5, though, he decided to make a stand, and he made the afternoon worthwhile by doing so. The Frenchman has played the best tennis of his career in the second half of 2011, and we saw why today. As usual, he was all over the place?flat as a pancake one minute, grinning and trying ill-advised shots the next, totally unstoppable a few points later. The peak came with him serving at 3-4 in the third set. Pounding serves and racing in on forehands, Tsonga saved two break points?one with a finely angled forehand volley?before succumbing. Federer broke him by doing the one thing he's struggled to do against Tsonga this year: making his backhand return. In many ways, this match was like their round-robin encounter one week ago. Federer started well, Tsonga revved himself up to win the second, but the veteran champion knew that if he hung in long enough, he?d have another chance. This time he squandered a match point and recovered. Federer remains the king of the WTF, and the king of the great indoors. That may nor may not mean anything for 2012?his success last fall didn?t carry over into 2011?but for the moment the former No. 1 is reminding us that he?s at least still in the mix. More important for the future, Federer also remains the king of the long haul. While Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, beaten down by the long season, were half-there in both mind and body, the 30-year-old Federer savored and enjoyed every moment of London as if he were winning his first title, rather than playing in his 100th final. He finishes 2011 not as the best player in the world or the champion at its biggest tournaments, but as the last man standing, the last man smiling, the last man crying, the last man winning. You get the feeling that he'll be doing all of those things for some time to come. ?Steve Tignor You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post. Posted by englishpeter 11/27/2011 at 04:09 PM **go roger..you da maan. Posted by Medid 11/27/2011 at 04:11 PM Wow. Just wow. Unbelievable win by the Fed. Posted by Ali 11/27/2011 at 04:13 PM Just as Nadal had the season of a lifetime in 2010, and Djokovic likewise in 2011, it will be Federer's Golden year !!! Possibly at the slams also ! I would consider him the Australian Open favorite for 2012. Posted by vikram 11/27/2011 at 04:15 PM Nicely written, Steve. Especially love the last few lines about TMF. His endurance and physical stamina after over 6-7 years of top flight tennis is amazing, given the number of injuries to Nadal and Djokovic. Posted by The Analyzer 11/27/2011 at 04:16 PM Congratulations Roger! Posted by LSURAVI 11/27/2011 at 04:17 PM Wonderful performance from the maestro ! Posted by Matt - Allez, Roger! Come on, Serena! 11/27/2011 at 04:18 PM Hey Fernando, how's it going buddy? Are you enjoying this win as much as we are? ;) I hope they're serving humble pie tonight at dinner because you'll be chowing down. ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOGGGGGGGGGGGEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRR! I was worried for you after the second set but you didn't let a lapse in concentration take this precious title from you! I'm so glad I was able to witness history being made today. Personally, I don't think he can do much more to cement his place as the greatest of all time. There's no surprise that Roger has so many fans (so much so that "#RF" "Roger Federer" and "Maestro de Maestros" was trending on twitter immediately after the win). Just his reaction was priceless. We love you Roger and we hope you can win a major next year! Posted by KellyR 11/27/2011 at 04:21 PM Federer must be keenly aware that this year he squandered the momentum he had gathered by playing well and winning London at the end of last year. He'll be extra careful to avoid this situation at the beginning of next year. Posted by Ominous serving rhythm? 11/27/2011 at 04:21 PM Federer won 20 of 23 on serve in the third set. Tsonga won 18 of 30. How you *feel* about the match is less important than what's actually happening. Though considering you as much as admit that you're married to narrative ahead of analysis, it's not surprising. Posted by ASZ 11/27/2011 at 04:23 PM "Federer came up with a seemingly impossible get on his forehand side?no one who saw it would dare say he?s lost a step" But he has indeed (at least half a step), one of the main reasons for his decline. He's 30 years old FFS! Posted by KellyR 11/27/2011 at 04:25 PM ASZ, I think Federer lost his nerve on some big occasions rather than his step. That's what made a difference in his relatively modest results over the past couple of years. Posted by noa 11/27/2011 at 04:26 PM Federer Federer Federer what more can we say? F E D E R E R Posted by Abraxas 11/27/2011 at 04:28 PM After the catastrophic collapse at Wimbledon against Tsonga, Federer makes it three straight wins against the Frenchman. by doing so, Roger continued his march on the record books. Posted by Mrs. Federer 11/27/2011 at 04:29 PM Seems that Roger's age is now unimportant. The focus should now be on those younger who are in their mid-twenties and why they haven't been more successful. Posted by Bach 11/27/2011 at 04:29 PM well done Grandpa....well done. Posted by Ali 11/27/2011 at 04:29 PM Just as Nadal had the season of a lifetime in 2010, and Djokovic likewise in 2011, it will be Federer's Golden year !!! Possibly at the slams also ! I would consider him the Australian Open favorite for 2012. Posted by Ali 11/27/2011 at 04:29 PM Just as Nadal had the season of a lifetime in 2010, and Djokovic likewise in 2011, it will be Federer's Golden year !!! Possibly at the slams also ! I would consider him the Australian Open favorite for 2012. Posted by ichi 11/27/2011 at 04:29 PM Congrats Roger, you are still the best! Never mind a few slips in 2011. Keep going and round up a few more Grand Slamns. AFter that retire as the greatest tennis player, and the greatest gentleman among tennis players, of all time! Posted by Ali 11/27/2011 at 04:29 PM Just as Nadal had the season of a lifetime in 2010, and Djokovic likewise in 2011, it will be Federer's Golden year !!! Possibly at the slams also ! I would consider him the Australian Open favorite for 2012. Posted by Ali 11/27/2011 at 04:30 PM Just as Nadal had the season of a lifetime in 2010, and Djokovic likewise in 2011, it will be Federer's Golden year !!! Possibly at the slams also ! I would consider him the Australian Open favorite for 2012. Posted by Ali 11/27/2011 at 04:30 PM Just as Nadal had the season of a lifetime in 2010, and Djokovic likewise in 2011, it will be Federer's Golden year !!! Possibly at the slams also ! I would consider him the Australian Open favorite for 2012. Posted by ASZ 11/27/2011 at 04:30 PM Kelly -- IMO his movement has definitely been compromised.... which is one of the causes for his timidity these days. In his prime he used to go from defence to offence so consistently, coming up with winners from impossible positions... he court coverage was the best bar Nadal. There's a reason why he has started facing more problems from big hitters of over the last two years whereas before they used to be cannon fodder for him. Posted by Ali 11/27/2011 at 04:32 PM Just as Nadal had the season of a lifetime in 2010, and Djokovic likewise in 2011, it will be Federer's Golden year !!! Possibly at the slams also ! I would consider him the Australian Open favorite for 2012. Posted by Ali 11/27/2011 at 04:33 PM Just as Nadal had the season of a lifetime in 2010, and Djokovic likewise in 2011, it will be Federer's Golden year !!! Possibly at the slams also ! I would consider him the Australian Open favorite for 2012. Posted by Ali 11/27/2011 at 04:33 PM Just as Nadal had the season of a lifetime in 2010, and Djokovic likewise in 2011, it will be Federer's Golden year !!! Possibly at the slams also ! I would consider him the Australian Open favorite for 2012. Posted by fedfan 11/27/2011 at 04:33 PM Finally, Fed! Posted by Chris from CT 11/27/2011 at 04:33 PM It's the story of the Tortoise and the Hare. Federer is slow and steady like the Tortoise and Nadal and Djokovic burn out like the Hare. Roger is so good at managing his schedule, even it means leaving tournament organizers in the lurch. He has always emphasized how important a long term perspective is versus short term gains that many players go after. That is why he may have Agassi-like longevity. I think Roger is talented enough to remain in the Top 10 for years to come. The only question is whether or not he can win tournaments, and if he can't, will his pride finally get the best of him? Posted by LetsPlayTennis 11/27/2011 at 04:33 PM Anyone still doubt that Roger is GOAT? Posted by Abraxas 11/27/2011 at 04:37 PM Record books beware, Federer is not done yet! As mentioned, Roger has reached his 100th final. He is only the 5th player in the Open Era to achieve this. The others are Connors (163), Lendl (146), McEnroe (108) and Vilas (104). Roger has won his 70th title. He is in 4th place in the Open Era. Only Connors (108), Lendl (92), McEnroe (76) have more. Federer has also reached 806 wins, which ties him with Edberg for 6th place. In front of him are still the above mentioned players plus Agassi, who is next up the list with 870 wins. Federer has tie Lendl for the all-time lead with 39 wins at the WTF championship (Roger has abetter wing percentage than Lendl). Roger has won his 6th WTF or YEC title making him the sole owner of the record. Once again, this would mean that Roger takes away a record from Sampras (Sampras is running out of records to hold). In all fairness, should we take a look at the combined "most year end championships ATP/Grand Prix/WCT/WTF", the record still belongs to McEnroe with 8 titles, next Lendl with 7 and then Federer with 6. Posted by pov 11/27/2011 at 04:38 PM Fed-er-er!! So glad to see him close the season like this. Posted by KellyR 11/27/2011 at 04:38 PM One hears a lot about age, aging body catching up with you etc etc on this page. Nobody among experts, journalists, seems to make the simple and clear observation that tennis goes through a period now when older players enjoy a lot of success. On the men's side, Fish, Ferrer, Melzer have had their best playing time recently. They are all about 30. Tsonga also is 26 now and has had maybe his best stretch. Sure he's not old but he's not 20 either. In fact what's remarkable is how very few young players make a statement these days. Tomic, Harrison, Raonic - none of these young guys have won anything significant or has given a serious indication that they will soon. Oh yes, Tomic made a Wimbledon quarterfinal but at his age Nadal had _won_ Roland Garros. On the women's side this is even more blatant: Clijsters, Schiavone, Li Na, Sam Stosur, Serena Williams are older players and they have been most successful at Slams. Except for Kvitova, no younger woman has made a statement at a Slam either. So tennis is going through a phase of good older players. Better embrace this fact rather than go on and on about Roger Federer being done because Sampras as his age was. Posted by Mak 11/27/2011 at 04:39 PM I would say all time great champ came back after a break and give other to enjoy there efforts. No other player are compared with Roger. Not just because he has more title but ability to play great tennis for long and without any drama at all. Congrates and wish you all the best for 2012 Roger. Posted by www.theracquetshack.com 11/27/2011 at 04:41 PM It's simple, really! Fed has lost but a half step from age 27 to age 30. This means: he is no longer ranked #1...but being ranked #3 is nothing of which to be ashamed; he lets a few more guys off the hook instead of putting them away like he used to; and he loses a few more matches throughout the year than he used to. But he still plays beautiful tennis at a very high level and is so mechanically efficient that his body continues to cooperate even at the end of a long year. Kudos to a great champion! Posted by Huh? 11/27/2011 at 04:42 PM In the end it is better for Fed to have won in the third and feel the fear of losing again, for his ability to recover, come back, and engineer a brilliant break against the mighty Tsonga proves more than anything else that the King of Kings has remembered how to win again. Mark my words. And obviously I am not Fernando. The one and only ?Huh? Posted by puretennisfan 11/27/2011 at 04:43 PM As a Fed fan I try to avoid watching these close matches, it's not good for my tension. I honestly thought Tsonga was going to win it but, as was correctly written earlier this week, Federer stopped the rot in the final set, held it together and got a momentous win. Beautiful win and he almost had tears again before he went to shake Tsonga's had at the net. Can anyone honestly deny that Federer is a legend, remaining hungry for the wins and still finding the shots after so many years? Simply amazing? Will this carry to 2012? I tentativley give him Oz or USOpen as his best GS shots, maybe Olympic Gold too because it's at Wimbledon but only at a push. It's a great day for us Fed fans but he is getting slower. Those running cross court forehands that used to fly from one corner to the next are landing shorter and the fitness with the hardcore grinders looks to be an issue. All to say, lets enjoy the win, we and Federer know the golden years are over. Count your blessings that we can still see "vintage Federer" when things go well but lets not gloat, it's not about that. Enjoy your tennis, I certainly have today. Peace out. Posted by Michele 11/27/2011 at 04:44 PM First off, yay! Second, you and Brad Gilbert had similar thoughts: that Fed was getting more serves back in play, especially on the backhand side. And that's what made the difference. Those slumped shoulders put me in a bit of a panic but that and some heart palpitations surely helped burn off some of my Thanksgiving indulgences. Federer once again gives us all so much to be thankful for. Posted by Mrs. Federer 11/27/2011 at 04:46 PM If this tournament represents one thing its this: the excuses for withdrawing and doing poorly should not be allowed any longer. If you sign up to play, then play. If you're injured, don't enter. If your favorite guy has been eliminated due to the schedule, long sets, too tired, etc, too bad. In after match press conferences, don't list your hypochondria, admit defeat graciously. In recent years this was a five set competition and Roger won even those. Man up already. Posted by KellyR 11/27/2011 at 04:47 PM At the world tour finals, the youngest players were Murray and Djokovic who are both 24 and have been around for a while, they are young but not really extremely young as traditional tennis careers go. A next compelling wave of players is simply missing. What we see instead is older players, 28+ playing very well. Federer's high level of play must be understood also in this context. Posted by Ren 11/27/2011 at 04:48 PM the old man is still the best!!! 6 YEC championships will be hard for these younger players to achieve! Posted by Omair 11/27/2011 at 04:53 PM @ puretnnisfan Completely agreed with you puretnnisfan. I too have similar feelings :) Posted by JohnC 11/27/2011 at 04:54 PM Abraxas, The total wins etc stats ignore the fact that in the 70s and 80s many tournaments had smaller fields and/or did not attract ALL the top players as is the case today. Posted by franklin 11/27/2011 at 04:58 PM job well done roger you're the best of the best,everybody is happy,good luck for 2012 Posted by Laskaris 11/27/2011 at 05:01 PM Congratulations to Federer and fans on a great victory. He has now won the WTF six times. Another record in the bag. The Federer fans are in ecstasy now, and deservedly so. Still, I would advise a little bit of caution. Federer also won the WTF in 2010 in commanding style, but was not able to translate that into a great season at the slams the following year. Will he be able to do it this time? We will have to wait and see. He will certainly not be able to rely on both Djokovic and Nadal always playing as crappy as they did this week. On the other hand, I have a hunch that Nadal will continue to struggle, and Djokovic will be hard pressed to repeat the miracle year he had in 2011. So I definitely foresee Federer winning a slam again next year. He can't go two seasons without one, can he? Posted by **Isis** 11/27/2011 at 05:01 PM great RR, Steve. it did feel as though a curse had been broken. I just kept thinking/muttering/possibly kinda yelling, "no, no, no, this CANNOT be happening again," and no doubt he was thinking the same; it was really interesting to watch him processing it all, and hanging in there. It's almost as though he'd been plagued by this recurring nightmare, and somewhere in the third set lucidity kicked in and he was able to change the ending. his fantastic finish to 2011, beginning in Basel, doesn't necessarily indicate what's to come in 2012, but I have to hand it to him: I didn't know if he had it in him. The fact that he himself never loses the belief that he does is probably one facet of what people might call his massive ego; call it what you will, I love and respect that about him. Posted by Mrs. Federer 11/27/2011 at 05:07 PM I came late to the Federer table. Was not interested in tennis once the last of the American elite players faded/retired in the early nineties. Did not see Roger's rise and will forever be sorry. Dicovered him during the spring of '08 when he had mono and was "only" making it to final after final. His ability to re-stock, refresh and win has been truly astounding. I'm so grateful he wants to stick around and not give in to the horrible gnashing of reporters' one line monotony of: "you're old, give it up'. I think they should start asking the younger ones: When are you going to win? You're 24, 25, 26, 27 already! Posted by robertt 11/27/2011 at 05:07 PM I am positively overjoyed--Australian Open next stop! Posted by elephant 11/27/2011 at 05:10 PM As I've pointed out many times, there is no rational reason why Nadal and Djokovic should be tired at this time of year. The time they should be tired is after Wimbledon, or even before Wimbledon, after many weeks of nonstop play from Indian Wells through the French Open. If you look at the calendar, they have played very little since the U.S. Open, and have had plenty of rest. In fact, there is only one reasonable explanation for large, periodic, and predictable swings in fitness level that do not coincide with the amount of recent play. Yannick Noah could tell you what that explanation is. Posted by d 11/27/2011 at 05:14 PM Steve, I've started reading the reactions without checking who wrote it, and trying to guess the author. I got this one easily. it was vintage you. nicely done, and not overdone. Abraxas, I think he's beaten tsonga 4x in a row now. the USO, Paris masters, and twice in London. Posted by Tennisrocks 11/27/2011 at 05:19 PM Isis, very well put. Love your stmt The fact that he himself never loses the belief that he does is probably one facet of what people might call his massive ego; call it what you will, I love and respect that about him. Posted by Emmanuel 11/27/2011 at 05:20 PM Nonsense! Fed is not dominating 2012. Don't forget he won this title last year, on his way beating Djokovic and Nadal. What does this all prove? Nothing. Ok it proves that federer is trying to prove that he can still tangle with Nole and Nadal, but here's the problem with this situation: Nadal and Nole were not all that enthusiastic about this event to begin with--I don't think the form we saw from both guys at the 02 remotely qualifies as giving it your all. It's a dangerous sentiment to think that because Federer won today that he'll be able to translate that to a dominant 2012( RE: Fed towering over Nadal & Nole)season. I strongly believe that the year end championships is a flawed tournament and that flaw in my opinion puts it in the same category as the NFL Pro Bowl. What insightful football fan will base their prognostication for an entire season based on the outcome of the pro bowl game--I'm guessing a fan who doesn't understand football or more importantly the mindframe of pro bowl players. We all know that NFL players go into the pro bowl to put on a good show for fans but save themselves and try to get out of there in one piece--this same dynamic is what's at work at the ATP year end championships. That said: I would be over generalizing if I didn't admit that some players come into the year end championship with a serious intent to win, but the fact that the field is so small compromises the out come of the contests even if it's just one or two players who are nonchalant about the event. I'm not against the year end championships I just don't want us to have any illussions about what's at stake each time the top eight guys show up to collect their bonuses and put on a show for tennis fans. Stop talking about it like it's a 5th major; I've already checked it is not. And as for those of you who believe it is the fifth most significant event on the calendar I implore you to rewatch the semis and finals of Rome at the Furo Italico and tell me that you felt goose bumps watching matches at the 02 as you did watching Nole take down Murray in a classic semi and then come back less than 24 hours later to take down Rafa. ARE KIDDING ME? Posted by Abraxas 11/27/2011 at 05:21 PM JohnC, That's why I put both, the current WTF record and the combined one. Nevertheless, as tennis statistics are (finally!) starting be complied properly and are becoming more inclusive of the pre Open Era and Open era, as well as, the various types of tournaments (i.e. Master series or YEC), the combined totals are starting to be used, more and more, as the norm. Another similar example is the Master Series (now Master 1000) events. If taken only from 1990, the leader is Rafa with 19 titles. If taken all variations of the Master Series, the leader is Lendl with 22 titles. It remains to be seeing how history will finally tally YEC and Master Series event wins and records (and others). I have the feeling that the combined approach will probably win out. These might accelerate if the current players break past both records, which they might. For instance, if Rafa wins more than 22 Master 1000 titles, then the entire discussion is unnecessary anyway as he would be the record holder in any case. Can Roger win another 2 WTF titles to achieve this as well for the YEC? That one is tougher, but he might. He is that good, and this event is a perfect fit for him Posted by lynhazel 11/27/2011 at 05:21 PM as with isis i was thinking muttering and ventilating thru what i watched of the match...oh we of little faith:) so this win was supremely satisfying...also i can't crystal ball what goes on from here...taking it one match at a time:) Posted by Shripathi Kamath 11/27/2011 at 05:23 PM Tsonga needs to lose about 10-15 pounds and he'd be virtually unstoppable. I am not saying that he is not fast or atheletic. Just that with that weight loss he'll move a hair faster, and will not tire so much as to lose a little here and there. He showed the only way to beat Federer on a fast surface: You have to outhit him in terms of winners Posted by **Isis** 11/27/2011 at 05:23 PM "I've started reading the reactions without checking who wrote it, and trying to guess the author." lol - so have I. :) and I agree, nicely done, and not overdone. Posted by johnsteinbeck 11/27/2011 at 05:23 PM great win. even though, just like against Ferrer, Federer wasn't really on top of his game, he found a way. on the mental side (of him and his fans), it was good to see that he overcame the matchpoint demons (with the help of a few of Tsonga's demons, maybe). It's still amazing to see the things that Tsonga can put on. it's hard to imagine how one should effectively stop him when he's on. then again, it's unfortunately also hard to imagine to see him keep his groove long enough to win a big one. really too bad, but he still seriously lacks a B game. maybe the losses against fed, at least two of which were in his reach to win, will help him decide and get a coach. he doesn't need one for the killer forehand or the sublime touch. but an experienced supporter might come in handy when dealing with the mental side, and on learning how and when to dial it back a bit. as for people with great game who still can't put it together (and, by the way, one of the only people who i could imagine to neutralize an on-fire tsonga): when will my frustration with Murray come to an end? hell, i'm not even a brit, yet i've been dying to see him win a GS ever since, at least, last year's AO. i would say that he's got a great shot now. but that's what most of us thought at the Paris masters as well as here in london. too bad, really. still won't give up hope, i guess. Posted by Zeljana 11/27/2011 at 05:24 PM Congratulations to Federer and his many fans. A great match in the end. Tsonga is amazing all tournament and he too can be proud of himself. Brave, confident and opportunistic he gave his all. I hope he can carry that kind of mental side and form to next year. His presence in the top 5 would be great for the game Posted by DJB 11/27/2011 at 05:29 PM Here we go again Federer's decent wins being blown out of proportion. If Fed managed to get back to some of the form of 2007 then great but he clearly is nowhere near that. This is exactly the same as last year, he wins a few tournaments, all indoors, beating no one except Tsonga and Nadal who apparently was going to pull out of the tournament if Murray had not done so already. The WTF had 4 players, thats 50% of the field, coming in with injury problems, including the top 3. And on a surface that isn' used in the slams and on a best of 3 set format. Fed played well, but it was niothing special after looking at the competition and circumstances of the wins. He did the exacet same last year and beat Djoko, Nadal, and Murray on the way. Then looked what happened in 2011. Against Nadal, he lost on hard courts (badly) and twice on clay. The only important match being the grand slam Final according to Fed. Against Djoko, he lost all matches, including 2 slam SFs. Granted he won the RG SF but he never came up with that great strategy against Nadal in the final, why? Because he just isn;t good enough anymore. I said the same thing last year, and no one believed me but look what happened. Unless Fed gets a lucky draw or only has to play 1 of either Djoko or Nadal I can't see him winning another slam. Hes played well in three weeks beating only Nadal and Tsonga on the way, but he's still ben the third best player this year regardless of what rankings say. Posted by ASZ 11/27/2011 at 05:29 PM @Kelly: Prime Federer was a free shotmaker. Current Federer is mostly an X's and O's guy. Watch some old Youtube videos. The guy's running forehand used to be devastating. He used to have a terrifying jumping forehand in his arsenal. He took the backhand down the line pretty much at will. Federer doesn't leave the ground nearly as much as he used to, and he doesn't get low as comfortably as he used to. He's a stiffer player. It's pretty obvious. He's much more "canned." He has a pretty specific plan, there are certain shots he really won't entertain anymore, and he just does his best to execute his game plan. Serve-wise, I think he's "improved" only in that he's gotten craftier with it, because he's had to...and he's aware of that. Posted by FFF 11/27/2011 at 05:30 PM "no one who saw it would dare say he?s lost a step" Really, Steve? You just have to get your snide remarks in there somewhere. Anyone who has followed tennis lately can easily see he's lost at least a step, no matter what your biased mind is telling you. Posted by Yuval 11/27/2011 at 05:31 PM Oh man, 2 monthes without seeing Federer is too much to bare. Let's just call it a 2 weeks break and get on with Oz... Posted by Yuval 11/27/2011 at 05:32 PM *months Posted by FFF 11/27/2011 at 05:33 PM And another thing about your last paragraph, the only thing this end of the season showed that Fed is the best INDOORS. Anything else is just fanboy excuses. Posted by Sunny 11/27/2011 at 05:35 PM Steve Tignor must be happy that his prediction about FEDERER winning came true :) Posted by johnsteinbeck 11/27/2011 at 05:35 PM two posts i both agree in part with and yet have to discard as utter nonsense: @elephant: very true. no reason for them to be any more tired now than right after wimby and all through the uso - physically. forget the Noah jibberish. it's a mental thing. novak, for one, has just lost the bite. kinda sad, if you think about it. if he's already full now, how should he keep up his hunger for a few more years? @Emmanuel: yes, that in no way is a sign of fed dominating 2012. but no, he didn't win it because the others just didn't care enough. yes, their motivation was low. but that has nothing to do with the size of the tournament. Nole fought like hell for every win in the 250s, 500s and 1000s of the year. i'm sure he would have loved to top the year of with a few more W's and a great WTF. but he just couldn't handle getting a few roadblocks into his unbelievable run. and that should not be an excuse for him, or anyone. in tennis, for the greatest players, keeping yourself motivated is half the deal. how many losses by fed can we chalk up to a lack of motivation. unfortunately, a lot. yet he's always found a way to bounce back. something i'll sure we see by nole and rafa, too. and over the long run, there's no way around it: they will have the upper hand v Fed. and so will/should murray, actually. as for 2012? maybe, finally - and we've talked about this moment for ages - it will be a year without a dominator? in the past, we've had one Big guy each year. not just a #1, but a real dominator. and one, maybe two contenders. maybe 2012 will open the field a bit. would love to see andy m and tsonga snatch a slam each. maybe tomic can win olympic gold? sure will be fun to find out. Posted by johnsteinbeck 11/27/2011 at 05:36 PM @ emmanuel: i left out one important thing: sour grapes much, yes? Posted by nene 11/27/2011 at 05:38 PM At the beginning I thought this would be a straight set win for Federer, almost though, lol. Happy to see he avoid another loss after holding match point. And yes Steve, I like the post especially the last one. I watched over and over again last year final highlights and the moment when Fed holding the trophy was very touching for me. ... the last man standing, the last man smiling, the last man crying, the last man winning ... YESS! ^^ Posted by Cisco2403 11/27/2011 at 05:38 PM What is it with people suggesting Nadal was tired. He had over a month off before playing the WTF. Please, he will be basically starting 2012 off with the same amount of time off. I guess Nadal is screwed if he was too exhausted for this tournament. Posted by Shripathi Kamath 11/27/2011 at 05:38 PM "Nonsense! Fed is not dominating 2012. Don't forget he won this title last year, on his way beating Djokovic and Nadal. What does this all prove? Nothing. Ok it proves that federer is trying to prove that he can still tangle with Nole and Nadal, but here's the problem with this situation: Nadal and Nole were not all that enthusiastic about this event to begin with--I don't think the form we saw from both guys at the 02 remotely qualifies as giving it your all." I generally agree. But I do not think that Nadal will be the same as he was a couple years ago, and I can see Federer beating him a little more often. Fed has won his last slam. I said that after his 09 loss to Delpo in the USO. He proved me wrong by winning the AO the next year, but I think that was a fluke. He cannot sustain the level of play for a whole seven matches anymore unless both Nadal and Djokovic falter and no one else gets hot. Very unlikely. It takes nothing way from a remarkable run at the end of 2011, or his status as the greatest of all time Posted by Alvin 11/27/2011 at 05:40 PM Congratulations Roger! You deserve to win! Posted by www.lovetennisblog.com 11/27/2011 at 05:40 PM www.lovetennisblog.com/?p=4647 Super Federer Triumphs in London again, fantastic spectacle, i hope it stays in London for the next decade, fantastic venue. Match today was a fitting finale to the atp season, tsonga had he kept his head probably should have lifted the trophy but you just cant keep a good guy down! go roger Posted by johnsteinbeck 11/27/2011 at 05:41 PM @ASZ: excellent point about the "craftier" serve. his great invention of 2012, apparently found after he suffered under it in the RG final: the body serve. there's hardly a "craftier" shot in tennis than the body serve. you don't have to hit it nearly as accurate as the hammer dtl, or the kicker out wide; it's not as pretty, and it won't win you the point on it's one. but more often than not, it gets the job done when you need it. Posted by LAP 11/27/2011 at 05:43 PM The year end is not a 5th GS, but is more than a 1000 Master; hence, the winner gets more than 1000 points depending if he wins without losing or wins losing one or two games (yest, it can be done). Not trying to exagerate the importance of this win, it is worth remembering that 25 years ago this tournament was more important than the Australian Open (that many greats simply ignore). Today is still the fith most important tournament, and the fact that you have to win over your top 8 fellow player adds value (you can be lucky and win a GS without defeating one top 10, or only defeating just one). Congrats to Federer for an important victory... Posted by Mrs. Federer 11/27/2011 at 05:46 PM Davis Cup is next week for what countries? Posted by LAP 11/27/2011 at 05:47 PM By the way, the point system here is as follows: 1st round win 200 points; SF win 400 points; winner in the final, 500 points. Federer got the maximum 1500 points (200+200+200+400+500) Tsonga got 800 points (200+200+400). If you win the tournament losing a game in the first round you get 1300 points. If you win the tournament losing two games in the first round you get 1100 points. Posted by **Isis** 11/27/2011 at 05:50 PM lynhazel, we of little faith indeed. ;) btw, congrats on your clean fridge! "Here we go again" -- exactly what I was thinking, DJB! yeah, Fed definitely has lost a step, in general - don't know whether Steve meant that that point was 'evidence' that he hadn't, or if he was simply saying that it gave a glimpse of what he could do in his prime (and still can, if not nearly as frequently). and +1 to johnsteinbeck's thoughts at 5:23 about Tsonga and Murray Posted by Fernando 11/27/2011 at 05:52 PM Fernando cannot deny that winning 6 WTF's irrespective of surface, against the top 7 players in the world is truly an amazing accomplishment. Fernando did not think Maestro would be able to absorb Tsonga's power. But in the 3rd set, Maestro returned many balls into play off of Tsonga's booming first serve. Bravo, Maestro, Bravo! But remember, Maestro won the 2010 WTF and did not win a GS in 2011. Fernando is just saying. The Bull will win Oz! I am Fernando Posted by DJB 11/27/2011 at 05:52 PM How exactly did Federer outlast anyone Steve? He wasn't nearly as successfull as his main rivals therefore never played anywhere near as many matches or had the mental fatigue of as many finals, and he missed the entire asian swing? Fed outlasted no one he just made 3 finals for the first third of the year. Posted by KellyR 11/27/2011 at 05:54 PM @ASZ: Don't be so negative, watch the match against Nadal this week - Federer played superbly, there was amazing shotmaking galore. This was one flawless match. The other matches he played in London were not flawless, but he held his nerve. I think for instance the RG tournament this year was the best Roger has played, too bad he couldn't win in the final. Again, matter of nerves primarily, he and Nadal had the same number of break point opportunities, Nadal just converted more. Posted by Critic 11/27/2011 at 05:55 PM 30 is the new 25 - at least in Fed's case. Posted by Alex Rakic 11/27/2011 at 05:56 PM @DJB Source: http://blogs.tennis.com/racquet_reaction/2011/11/london-federer-d-tsonga-1.html hope solo hope solo texas high school football fugazi fugazi indiana jones and the last crusade nba lockout Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom) Followers Blog Archive ►  2013 (623) ►  October (4) ►  August (22) ►  July (85) ►  June (84) ►  May (87) ►  April (79) ►  March (91) ►  February (83) ►  January (88) ►  2012 (973) ►  December (90) ►  November (87) ►  October (85) ►  September (87) ►  August (92) ►  July (91) ►  June (89) ►  May (100) ►  April (95) ►  March (52) ►  February (54) ►  January (51) ▼  2011 (42) ►  December (34) ▼  November (8) "Untouchable" challenging box office records in Fr... Egyptian Elections: Will Democracy Trump Military ... PwnDev Team releases Ac1dSn0w jailbreak tool for i... Raiders get 6 FGs in 25-20 win over Bears Video: Hollywood Stuntwoman UN warns 25 pct of world land highly degraded ... 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