2015 Masters Series Final Indian Wells: #1 Djokovic v. #2 Federer

[Federberg]

I used to be on Tennis.com under a different screen name with most of you and hardly ever visit this forum. However, I wanted to check in and read after the Fed vs Djokovic match if things had changed much. They havn't. Same voices same rhetoric. Carry on.

What was your Tennis.com name if you don't mind my asking?

 

[tented]

Sigh...Rafa fans are so sensitive. :dodgy:

Fans of one player tend to see the fans of other players as sensitive. And other less kind words.

 

[Murat Baslamisli]

I used to be on Tennis.com under a different screen name with most of you and hardly ever visit this forum. However, I wanted to check in and read after the Fed vs Djokovic match if things had changed much. They havn't. Same voices same rhetoric. Carry on.

Hey 19,

The players have not changed (relatively speaking), the fans' alliances have not and will not change, so the natural extension of that is the arguments will probably not change in any meaningful way, no? I mean , I would be extremely excited to hear a new angle in the Fedal debate for example, but I feel like I have heard everything on that one. If you have different takes on these players and their rivalries, please hang around and share them and let's talk man.

 

[Puppet Master]

Roger came out playing as well as he did in his previous two matches. He just came up against someone who was playing better. Roger often had to hit three winners to get one point, and sometimes that wasn't even enough. He was forced to go for more and the ue's crept upward.

The match was not on his racquet as it used to be in days gone by. This time it was on Novak's racquet, and when he lost focus, Fed the opportunist pounced and ran as far as he could with it. Those last few games, physically and mentally, the old guy just lost the plot.

You are right, Djokovic was a lot better than anyone Fedster faced before the final, but please don't tell me he didn't have a chance just because Novak was hitting very deep baseline shots. At the very least he could have served better, and I remember he had some crazy shanks, there must have been 35+ ue, that wasn't all Novak.

I never said it was because of deep baselne shots, nor did I ever say it was all Novak. I just said that the match was on his racquet this time.

Watch the first set again. Regarding Roger's serve, he's playing the best returner in the game. Novak makes everyone go for more on their serve because of that. And things start to break down for his opponents from there.

Some of Fed's shanks were due to the heavy shots coming his way, some were due to his not getting to the ball quickly enough, some were frrustration and at the end he was just worn down.

I guess we gave all the sensible reasons why Roger lost, but I have one more. This proves everything
http://v018o.popscreen.com/eHNnaHd5MTI=_o_roger-federer-londres-2012-illuminati-symbole.jpg
Lol, a friend sent it to me, so I thought it would be funny.
I mean obviously how else could he have lost. :snicker

 

[brokenshoelace]

Maybe this year, if they meet a few times in the right places, that slam h2h will even out a little too.

A bold statement to make after watching Nadal lose to Berrer, Berdych, Fognini, and Raonic

 

[brokenshoelace]

Nope. You're missing the point. You're trying to bring in the fact that Novak was affected. We are talking about the rudeness of the crowd.

This. Denis and I both agree, Novak should be able to handle that... no argument from us there. But to cheer as loud and as long as they did on those double faults, that is Davis Cup type of behavior, and really unacceptable from a supposedly discerning tennis crowd. But they are also the reason Venus and Serena stayed away for many years, so we really shouldn't expect more from the bums.

Not to play semantics but I wouldn't call it "unacceptable." That would imply they yelled during a rally, or while Novak was mid-service motion, or something like that to deliberately affect his play. What they did is simply excessive, and kinda rude towards someone who deserves more respect. Let's not make more of it than what it is though.

 

[brokenshoelace]

lol that was the most routine runner-up speach ever. just monotonely ticking the boxes.

I think players should start Gregg Popoviching these dumb runner-up interviews until they're abolished.

 

[nehmeth]

Maybe this year, if they meet a few times in the right places, that slam h2h will even out a little too.

A bold statement to make after watching Nadal lose to Berrer, Berdych, Fognini, and Raonic

Huge stretch for me to even consider writing it....

 

[mrzz]

Sigh...Rafa fans are so sensitive. :dodgy:

Fans of one player tend to see the fans of other players as sensitive. And other less kind words.

This time I have to side with Kirijax. And don't push me, or I'll say that Nadal is a booger and a fool.

 

[brokenshoelace]

Sigh...Rafa fans are so sensitive. :dodgy:

Fans of one player tend to see the fans of other players as sensitive. And other less kind words.

This time I have to side with Kirijax. And don't push me, or I'll say that Nadal is a booger and a fool.

Every fan base here is extremely sensitive with the exception of some truly satisfied Federer fans who feel their man has done enough and his legacy is secured (which is fair) so they're not bothered by most things...unless you bring up the Nadal head to head

 

[mrzz]

^You mean, head to bald head?

 

[Denis]

Let's be honest. He is getting pretty bald.

 

[nehmeth]

Let's be honest. He is getting pretty bald.

He's thinning. Ljubicic and Agassi are bald.

 

[Front242]

With Federer running out of gas so obviously in set 3, what chance does he have a winning a slam now? Maybe Wimbledon? If not Federer, who can face up to Djokovic in the Slams this year? Going to have to hope for a Nishikori/Raonic/??? to break through somewhere or we could see a calender Grand Slam.

Big difference between Wimbledon and slow/medium hard courts. The points are much faster on grass, more aces helps conserve a fair bit of energy and shots that aren't quite winners on courts like Indian Wells will be on grass. Roger's main problem at Wimbledon last year was lamely going down a break so early in the final set and he did the same thing yesterday. Keeping things level till 3-3 or 4-4 is absolutely essential but I knew he'd falter yesterday after winning that 2nd set TB. When Roger starts flicking his fringe with his head down you know he's losing focus and likely serve. The negative body language is easy to spot having seen it so many times at this stage

 

[Kirijax]

Let's be honest. He is getting pretty bald.

He's thinning. Ljubicic and Agassi are bald.

Bald is much more liberating.

Or so I've been told...

 

[Haelfix]

When Roger starts flicking his fringe with his head down you know he's losing focus and likely serve. The negative body language is easy to spot having seen it so many times at this stage

You can sort of see it coming too with the nonchalance in the return game.. Its hard to keep up the same shotmaking intensity against great defenders like Novak/Nadal/Murray for such a long period of time, especially when the legs and arms start to go. On a fast surface you can sort of figure that a few great shots will put you back in the match, but on the slow stuff it really requires baseline consistency and I don't think he's comfortable matching that type of baseline game anymore against the elites of the draw.

Its one of the big differences between now and his prime. Whereas before he could match athleticism for athleticism and you would figure a 50-50 split at the tail end of the 3rd or 5th set, for the past 6 or 7 years he is suddenly the slower less explosive player. He knows it, the opponent knows it, and it of course spirals out into more UEs.

 

[mrzz]

I'm not that worried (regarding Federer's immediate future) about that match for a simple reason. Even if I could not see the third set, for me Djokovic was simply outplaying Federer for most of the match, even the second set, so I was surprised that it was still competitive by almost half of the third. I am not so sure it is physical, I am sure in other circunstances, with matches developing in different patterns, we must get different impressions.

Course Federer had some great moments too, but he was shanking and missing from the beggining, sometimes when pressed (and Djokovic was pressing big time), sometimes not. Djokovic was simply better in this match.

 

[Denis]

Let's be honest. He is getting pretty bald.

He's thinning. Ljubicic and Agassi are bald.

Bald is much more liberating.

Or so I've been told...

It saves you money from going to the hairdresser too.

 

[Federberg]

Fans of one player tend to see the fans of other players as sensitive. And other less kind words.

This time I have to side with Kirijax. And don't push me, or I'll say that Nadal is a booger and a fool.

Every fan base here is extremely sensitive with the exception of some truly satisfied Federer fans who feel their man has done enough and his legacy is secured (which is fair) so they're not bothered by most things...unless you bring up the Nadal head to head

I've never had an issue with the head to head. It gets brought up by some Nadal fans (not you, there's a specific &^%$ who's self worth seems to be attached to it). But my view has always been you play matches to win titles. H2H only has value in terms of when I'm looking to bet on who wins a tournament

 

[Carol]

Fans of one player tend to see the fans of other players as sensitive. And other less kind words.

This time I have to side with Kirijax. And don't push me, or I'll say that Nadal is a booger and a fool.

Every fan base here is extremely sensitive with the exception of some truly satisfied Federer fans who feel their man has done enough and his legacy is secured (which is fair) so they're not bothered by most things...unless you bring up the Nadal head to head

There are not more sensitive fans than those aparent satisfied (they are not) Federer fans and not only when you brings up the Nadal H2H but thinking if he could reach those 17 numbers, they are begging for someone could stop him, but nobody can stop him, only the injuries