By Richard Pagliaro | Sunday, August 23, 2015
An attacking Roger Federer did not face a break point topping Novak Djokovic, 7-6 (1), 6-3, to collect his seventh Cincinnati crown and 87th career title.
Photo credit: Western & Southern Open
Creative multi-tasking can make Roger Federer a wonder to watch.
The father of two sets of twins was up to his tricks again today and this time he turned the world No. 1 into an appreciative audience. Federer didn't just deconstruct Novak Djokovic at times in today's Western & Southern Open final, he reconfigured the court in the process.
No man's land is now Federer's center stage.
More: Federer Says Edberg Injects Energy
Attacking from all areas and serving almost flawlessly, Federer displaced Djokovic, 7-6 (1), 6-3, to capture his record-extending seventh Cincinnati crown and 87th career championship.
It is Federer's 24th career Masters title and gives him a 21-20 edge in an usually electric and constantly-evolving rivalry. Federer employed another tactical shift unsettling his rival by taking a few returns so ridiculously early he could have jumped into the service box after jolting Djokovic back into defensive positions behind the baseline.
An absurdly early return followed by a stab volley, full spin and smash helped Federer take charge of the tie break.
"You always adapt to the surface. If you look at our match in Indian Wells, it was totally different," Federer told ESPN's Patrick McEnroe and Darren Cahill afterward. "Many more rallies from the back, longer rallies, more angles. Whereas here you can more shoot through the opponent and I tried to really mix it up on his second serve. I was hoping I was gonna serve solid, or good enough, that it would keep me out of trouble. And I was able to do that. And he really had that one bad game at the beginning of the second, which at the end, basically cost him the match, which was good for me."
Bidding for his first Cincinnati championship, Djokovic was rushed right out of the tie break. He continued to fight saving seven of eight break points, but his level dipped in one hideous service game in the second set. Djokovic never recovered.
"He's more aggressive here than in any other tournament because the surface and conditions allow him to play very fast," Djokovic said of Federer. "He generally copes well with the fast balls, fast game. He likes this rhythm. I don't too much. It was the right tactics for him. I knew coming into the match he was going to be aggressive. No question about it. So I tried to handle it. I've done well until the tie break in the first set. After that, he was just the better player."
This 41st meeting between future Hall of Famers, was a victory on multiple fronts with a few potential repercussions for Federer.
He secured the second seed for the US Open, which means he could not face Djokovic until the final.
He re-established his serve as an imposing weapon. Federer took the title without dropping serve, saving all three break points he faced against Feliciano Lopez Friday night and denying two of the game's snipers on return—Djokovic and Andy Murray—a single break point betwen them.
Mixing the chip-and-charge and crush-and-rush return tactics earned Federer some cheap points against rivals not used to see returners almost stradding the service line.
It's an art coach Stefan Edberg perfected, particularly off his sweeping one-handed backhand. Though Federer was brilliant timing most of those kamikaze running returns, he concedes the radical court positioning that puts him in pre-match coin-toss territory, borders on madness.
"It is a bit crazy to be quite honest, but it is working out some," Federer told McEnroe and Cahill on ESPN afterward. "I am winning some of these points. And maybe it messes around with an opponent."
Launching up on his serve, Djokovic produced three biting serves to save three break points in the third game. Federer answered with his second ace and a wicked wide kick serve closing a love hold for 2-all.
When the free-flowing attack of Federer meets Djokovic's counter strike brilliance some crackling moments. On the full stretch, Djokovic slid into a dart of a backhand pass that eluded a charging Federer. That shot helped him hold for 5-4.
The tie break was a shot-making festival from Federer. First, he lasered a one-handed backhand down the line over the Michelob Ultra sign affixed to net. That shot left Djokovic shaking his head. Federer followed with a beautifully-timed rushing return struck near mid-court. A rapid net exchange and that slick spin set up an overhead winner giving the second seed a 6-1 lead. When Djokovic netted a shot to end the set, Federer, who was 41-1 when winning the first set this season had momentum on his side.
Losing the tie break extended an ignominious streak: It was the ninth straight set four-time finalist Djokovic had lost in a Cincinnati final.
Residual trauma from Federer's rushing returns rattled Djokovic in the second game. In a serving horror show he spit up three double faults, including successive faults to donate the break and a 2-0 second-set lead. Federer backed up the break with a love hold.
Consider what Federer did this week, exploiting the bounce of the court, masterfully shifting speed, spin and angle on his serve in neutering two of the game's best returners in succession. He hit seven aces, dropped just six points on his first serve and seven on his second.
Djokovic, who converted all four of his break points against Stan Wawrinka in the quarterfinals, earned his best second-set threat at 30-all in the fifth game. Federer danced forward snapping off a forehand volley for 40-30—the Swiss hit drop and drive volleys beautifully winning 18 of 23 net points to that point—then slid a serve winner down the middle holding for 4-1.
An ace wide brought him to triple championship point. Federer sealed a sharp win in 90 minutes.
Few players possess the timing, racquet skills and sheer feel to pull off some of the shots Federer conjured in the tie break. The forward rush gives him another tactic for opponents to consider—with both Federer and his fans enjoying the buzz.
"I think this is more fun for me rather than playing defense. I've done the transition game from defense to offense so much over the years that maybe just playing full-out offense sometimes is fun," Federer said. "I like being at net. I like keeping it athletic. Usually when one guy comes to net, it's gonna finish with a winner—either the guy at net hits a winner or you get a chance as a passing guy to hit the winner. So it's actually more exciting for the fans, I feel like they get into it as well."