It was not a Roger Federer like performance by the world’s number two player in his semi-final encounter with Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open. Federer sat behind the baseline and handed control to Djokovic in a role reversal to the Federer we have come to expect.
With the game slipping away, Federer would show little emotion; not even a ‘Come on!’ could be heard.
Everything about Federer on the night looked off. His body language (or lack of), shot selection, and court positioning, all indicated a bad day at the office. He was able to counter Djokovic briefly in the second set with trademark style.
However, this fizzled out as Djokovic took his game to another level. Once the second set had evaded Federer, the stats turned against him. The Swiss ace has never beaten a top 20 ranked player after loosing the first two sets.
It was more than stats that finished the game there and then. Federer looked prepared to lose. You could see him flick to power saver mode.
Stanislas Wawrinka was unlucky to have found himself against the bull and all his horns when facing Federer in the quarter-final. They may share an Olympic gold medal, but there was little empathy from Federer as the Swiss master picked apart every facet of the apprentice’s game.
Just two days later, Federer looked to have lost his way against a mighty Djokovic.
He now has three months of tennis between now and Roland Garros, the French Open starting on May 22.
With the punishing ATP schedule, Federer won’t be lounging around in the Swiss Alps. Federer’s schedule allows for no less then five tournaments, starting with the Dubai Championships later this month.
Djokovic, Murray and of course Federer will headline the list of competitors set to embark on the riches of the United Arab Emirates.
Djokovic will head into the tournament having winning the event in 2009 and last year, and this will be a chance for Federer to prove more than just a point. Federer excels in the indoor tournaments, and will return to Dubai with confidence.
His coach Paul Annacone will serve a vital role. Federer must work on his aggression. He whittles his opponents down to nothing, until they no longer have the will to think they can win. This is not the key to unlocking Federer’s game: this is Federer’s game.
Take away the bullets from a gun and there’s no danger, take away the aggression from Roger and there’s no Federer.
Federer will move on to Indian Wells, the Sony Ericsson Open, the Mutua Madrilena Masters, and the Internazionali BNL D’Italia following the completion of the Dubai Championships.
Many pundits will claim these five tournaments in the wake of the Australian Open are some of the most important Roger Federer is likely to face. I’m quick to second those thoughts as he strives towards the French Open, and further, Wimbledon on his quest for Grand Slam titles.
The good news is that Roger Federer is yet to reach DEFCON 1; in fact the bloke in charge of pressing that button should seek further employment. What we witnessed at Melbourne Park was an upset, not a change in tide.
An in-form Federer is the best in the world at what he does, and that includes making adjustments to his game. Dubai will be an important read for his French Open hopes.
More Roger Federer analysis: Feb 1 – Roger Federer is merely in transition
Satish
Guest
Federer will win all the 3 remaining majors... french open draw should be 1. Nadal, berdych, soderling, ferrer in same half.. Wimbledon Nadal, roddick, hewitt, berdych US open. nadal, djokovic, del potro, soderling in the same half..
Charlie
Guest
When Federer plays his best tennis i have no doubt he can beat every player on the tour still. He just seems to have lost his spark that you can see when he has that cheeky grin!
Stoffy18
Roar Guru
Dave, I stand corrected. I got that stat from the Australian Open website so i assumed it was legit. http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/news/articles/2011-01-27/201101271296131542434.html 5th paragraph.
Dave
Guest
"The Swiss ace has never beaten a top 20 ranked player after loosing the first two sets." AO 2009: (2) Roger FEDERER def (20) Tomas BERDYCH 4-6 6-7 6-4 6-4 6-2... this is an instance of Federer winning after losing first two sets against a top 20 player.
Vishwas
Guest
This a much better review than others, he indeed looked off atleast as viewers, RF might disagree if asked personally though. There were many things that he let go in that match, pretty non Federer game that we saw, no approach to the net, not many cross court winners. I guess something else was eating him away than being 100% focussed. I wouldnt say a 100% RF match against Wawrinka too. He was not entirely into the game for some reason. I wish him all the best and to regain his concentration.
ohtani's jacket
Guest
Federer doesn't have anything to prove in regard to his aggression or Djokovic. I know it all makes for a neat story, but Federer and Murray had both beaten Djokovic the last three times they'd played him. The tour is a very different prospect to Grand Slams, otherwise Federer would've won the Australian Open on form. Anybody who saw him in London and Doha will tell you that he was aggressive and mixing up his game. Where that went in the Aussie Open is for Federer and Annacone to decipher. What the rest of the hard court season represents is a chance for Federer to improve his ranking points since he did so poorly last year. Federer can make up a lot of ground over the coming months by going deeper in tournaments, whereas Nadal has a ton of points to defend. With that in mind, Roger will have to crash out completely for his season to not be interesting. He's unlikely to win the French unless he has a dream draw, but he can look to improve on his quarterfinal placing for starters. Eventually, he's going to lose before the quarters and that's when the articles will start getting unbearable.
Brian
Guest
Federer is that little bit slower now. I don't think he can beat Nadal, Djokovic or even the likes of Ferrer on clay. His best bet is focusing on Wimbledon where after Rafa he has the most chance of claiming the title. Sampras won his last couple of slams by giving up on the French
Hospital
Guest
Yes, it's a tough road. Perhaps his French Open title will be decided by Nadal's fitness, who really is supreme. However, as you say, if Federer can build up a streak of form his confidence will be higher. Paul Annacone will need to massage his game into the aggressive play that we've cherished over the years.