Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 in the Davidoff Swiss Indoors tournament in Basel this Sunday.
I admit it. Halfway through the first set I thought “Roger Federer’s forehand took off early – and is spending the offseason in Miami.” But there were no racquet smashes in this one – and no tears at the trophy ceremony:
It was a puzzling match. Roger Federer walked onto the court smiling, seemingly relaxed. And why not? He was playing at home, at a tournament he’s won three times in a row, his last loss in Basel coming in 2003 (he didn’t play the tournament again until 2006). Djokovic is a world class opponent, but Roger owned their head-to-head 9-4, beating Nole handily in their last meeting at the US Open this summer. Novak also struggled in his semifinal match on Saturday, needing to save three match points against Radek Stepanek.
But Novak drew first blood, breaking Roger in the first set. Then the nerves kicked in for both players, with Nole needing 20+ minutes and 6 set points to eke out his final service game of the set (Roger flubbed 5 break opportunities in the game). Federer wrestled the second set away after losing his first service game of the set, only to lose the momentum by being broken immediately in the third. Roger went down 0-4 in the final set and couldn’t find a way out of the hole.
“I think the lack of opportunities was the problem today,” said Federer. “I missed too many chances throughout the match. Novak played well and make it tough for me to get chances, but when I had them he also played well.”
“Nothing is easy, believe me, against Roger,” said Djokovic. “I knew he was going to try to come back at any time. Although I was two breaks up [in the third set], he had some break points but I served well at the key moments.”
Novak is finishing the year strong, winning his second title since the US Open. It’s the perfect build up to the season-ending World Tour Finals, where he is the defending champ.
But don’t despair, Fed fans, Roger says he’s still “in the mood” to end the season well:
“We have some exciting weeks ahead of us, for all the players,” said Federer. “I won Roland Garros in the summer and now I return to Paris. Of course having won Wimbledon, I will return to London. It will be interesting to see how the crowds will be, as I have never gone back to Paris as the Roland Garros champion. I am feeling well and mentally fresh. I am in the mood to do well there.“
I’m in the mood, too, Roger!
Loading ...Both Federer and Djokovic will be playing in the Paris Masters this coming week. Federer and Murray are on one half of the draw, Djokovic and Nadal are on the other side.
Quotes via ATP
Tags: ATP, Davidoff Swiss Indoors Basel, Djokovic, Federer, tennis
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Congrats to Novak. He had an amazing tournament here in Basel!
Commiserations to fellow Fed Fans. I hope Roger had a nice time being with his family and friends he doesn’t get to see to often. I’m glad the ballboys/girls still got Pizza after the ceremony!
On to Paris!
Boy, Roger played 4 great matches to get to the finals, only to turn up with no offense game. I almost threw my Federbear out the window.
Hopefully he learns from this and make his first Paris final. He’s gotta secure the YE No 1 for me to stop frazzling.
Now, can someone get me a room with padded walls?
I feel your pain, dootesiez!
It was one of those annoying losses – it seems like Roger either wins or loses in a really frustrating, passive, inexplicable fashion! Even the commentators couldn’t explain this one. The Miami loss was a meltdown – in this one, Roger never seemed to get above lukewarm.
I agree – year end No. 1 or bust, Rog!
You really thought he played four great matches? I thought they were so-so, really. His best match was against Rochus, I think, which was his first match after his break, funnily enough. Against Seppi and Korolev, he didn’t really have to do anything to beat them. Either they were making errors, or he could serve his way out of trouble (with the occasional actual winner thrown in there, of course). The match against Chiudinelli was mostly good, but there were still more errors than I would’ve liked.
But anyway, hopefully this match will have shown him where his game’s at, and he’ll work hard to find that forehand again. He won’t win Paris, let alone WTF, playing like this.
LOL recessional, it’s much easier to dismiss those matches as “not that great” after he lost, no?
Against Seppi and Korolev, Roger was still averaging 70% serves, and almost twice as many winners as errors. Not to mention he was wrapping those matches up in about an hour, unbroken in any of them. Sure, it wasn’t spectacular, but they were strong performances for Roger, or any other player for that matter.
My point being that you have high standards, no?
Forgive him too Dootz, as his/her mind went in “recession” too because of Roger’s lost.Hehe.
In all fairness to Roger,despite of that “unspectacular” performance he still managed to have reached the finals , no?Or maybe it was all pure luck?
I’m a she, not a he.
Well, I do have high standards, but that’s not the point. :p
Actually, I already thought so right after he played those matches. No, really, I did. :p Idk, it was just almost too easy, you know? Like, he didn’t get much rhythm on his forehand or backhand, because he didn’t have to do much to beat either of them. The only thing that seemed to click was his serve. Like I said in my previous comment, he could easily serve his way out of trouble almost every single time. I don’t think he played badly, though. Just decent, and certainly good enough for his first four opponents. I think Djokovic, also the first seeded player he faced, was a big wake-up call.
That being said, I don’t think it was ENTIRELY because of easy opponents. It was definitely partly mental, as well. I don’t know if he went into the match with the wrong attitude or whatever, but he was at least playing rather passively. Possibly because Djokovic was forcing him to play that way, but the Federer I know always seems to know how to turn defense into offense, and he didn’t do it nearly enough yesterday.
I have to say, though, while I screamed, facepalmed and headdesked my way through the match (particularly at the last game of the first set when each player squandered 385792385 breakpoints/setpoints and the third set when Federer immediately got broken again), I’m oddly okay with this loss. Definitely not “heartbroken” or anything. Pff. AO was muuuuuuuch worse. I was almost crying during the RG R4 and SF, too. *horrible memories*
Hey ‘recessional’ – my situation was worse… cried all day after AO and prayed more than watching the RF R 4 and prayed some more during SF and then cried with him after the finals.
*Pleasant memories*
In India, one sports channel keeps on showing all Grand Slams official diary (for the last week or so) and its so beutiful to live all the memories as it’s TMF at his best on most occassions. I still believe that there isnt a single contender who can take him out on a best of 5 sets! Why do they not have atleast the Masters Series Finals of 5 sets – TMF will never lose!!
haha, long comment. sorry ’bout that.
No problem, recessional! love the comments and the new word “headdesked.”
This loss didn’t bother me, either. I think it’s mostly because I’m used to them now. Roger does not win every match or every final anymore, and I’m okay with that – at least at the lesser tournaments. At the Slams, well, I’m right where you were during the RG matches vs. Haas and del Potro – headdesking and trying not to cry! (Seriously bad memories!!!)
Though I was oddly zen about the US Open, too. Gosh, what’s happening to me! I hope Roger isn’t feeling equally zen.
I THOUGHT I was okay with the USO loss, too… but as it turned out, I wasn’t, haha. Not completely, anyway. I think it’s partially because Delpo went out of the Asian tournaments really early. I would’ve liked to see him back up his win, you know? But his fitness isn’t quite where it should be yet, I think, and he has time to improve, so I can forgive him… I guess… *grumbles*
I don’t think Roger’s the zen kind of guy. His little argument with the umpire during both the Basel and USO final (which I just looove to quote!) are a nice indication of that.
I don’t think del Po has ever won a Masters title! Yet he beats Roger in the US Open final.
The US Open loss definitely doesn’t bother me like Wimby 08 or AO 09 do, but it does bother me if I think about it for too long. So I try not to think about it! Denial is awesome.
Get that smile off your face Nole!I hate you!!!!Its gonna be your last win this year im telling you and btw, that golden trophy doesn’t look good on you.!(Hmmmp!)
And to you Roger….what in hell were you thinking??(Urrggggghhhh!)
Very mature post there Sazzylove
And you were mature right?Yeah yeah.Spare me the lecture ok?COuldnt careless what you think.Just Be true ok?Dont act as if Roger’s loss doesnt affect you…Oh wait,you must have been a Nole fan that you took my comments against him real bad.So, ill repeat it again to show how immature i really am…NOLE will not win Paris or London!!!!!!!ANd im counting on it!
after waiting for weeks to see rog play this one stressed me out, especially that ridiculously nervy final game of set 1. I was waiting for Roger to go to the next gear! he didn’t but could not sustain the level and consistency. didn’t seem fired up enough and novak hung in there. bummer!
guess the camouflage didn’t work ff.
agreed, fed needs to finish #1! hope he’s mentally and physically strong in Paris and London! I think today was mostly mental. novak played ok, but not his best. it was strange that fed was serving pretty well but the forehand let him down. backhand was pretty great though. oh well.
sazzylove … man you really need to chill down. Nole won because he was simply the best and Fed played reaaaally bad. Go vent out your frustrations at another place. Deserved win by Djokovic, he’s the fittest player right now.
nina… you’re absolutely right about djokovic’s deserving win. it is just a matter of time. soon he will be ranked number one in the world.
what an awful awful match for TMF!! i was in pain the whole time…. from the first service game i kinda felt he was sleepy, heavy and passive… very annoying. i hate it when he gets on court all dozy. to lose to Djoko when he’s not at his best at all – what a shame… hope Fed will come to the next two tournaments a bit more motivated and focused, i would like to see him improve the record vs top 5 players.
Yeah, I agree – lately you can look at Roger and sense that sleepy state of mind. “Heavy” is a good way to put it. It can’t just be our imagination, can it? I wonder if the other players sense it, too.
IMHO its the motivation issue. He’s so used of winning US open, defeating Del Potro, winning in Basel..He isn’t there 100% while his opponents are 200%. I think/hope that both in Paris and London he will find this challenge that will keep him motivated as in the match against Murray before the US Open, in Wimbledon and in Paris. Go Roog!
Dear Sazzylove
You’re more immature than I first thought if you think your comments about Djokovic not winning Paris or London is what annoyed me.Just to make it clear, it was your “well-reasoned out” arguments for hating him that slightly irritated me so why don’t you do us all a favour and go off and do your Novak hating somewhere else,a padded room preferably,where the rest of us don’t have to listen to it
With kindest regards
Fellow poster
Oh no, another one of those heart-breaking, my heart is in my mouth the whole time game.
Sorry ranjolie! Hope you have reason to smile by the end of the year!
i was definitely yelling at the tv during this one. i was expecting rog to turn it on, get extra motivated by the home crowd, tough it out. even when he’s not playing his best, he often finds a way. not converting so many break points and waiting for an opponent of novak’s quality to lose the match does not work. that’s what it seemed like at times. i thought it would be close, because their matches are often close, even when it’s straights, but i did not expect this. nole did keep his cool, didn’t let the roger/swiss fans bother him and didn’t get too excited or tire himself out with celebrating when he won big points. he showed great respect for rog, stayed strong, never underestimating tmf. roger had flashes of brilliance, which may have worked against lesser opponents, but not against nole on this day. rog gave novak credit and didn’t make excuses. i wonder if the relationship between these two is improving little by little. they certainly still have a weird, tense vibe during their matches, but it seems like they have more respect. it will probably never be a rafa and rog level of friendship, but it seems better than before. hopefully fed had a nice dinner with family and friends after and now it’s on to paris!
Yeah, there’s definitely a vibe going on! I agree that they seem to be getting along better off the court – maybe it’s having Nole taking an active role on the players’ council? But I think it’s hard to muffle the old tensions once they’re hitting balls at each other. And I could almost see Roger’s internal eyeroll when Nole took that medical time out. So funny.
totally agreed on the medical time out, was so thinking that in that moment! i didn’t catch rog looking over though. then nole goes on to win! was that more of a rubdown and time to rest vs actual injury?! i’d like to give nole benefit of the doubt, but he does have a reputation. hmmm… maybe the lukewarm feelings will become cold again? beat me when i had mono and ruined my GS final streak, you bastard! beat me, the 3 time defending champ at home, you bastard! what was that your camp used to say… the king is dead, long live the king? i think there should be some big time vendetta in paris! oui! oui!
It was disappointing to see Roger lose in his hometown, but Novak is really good and is in great shape with lots of tournament practice.
I think when a player takes time off he sort of loses that winning edge as it breaks the momementum. But, Roger needed time off with is family and he obviously needed time to recouperate from the hectic year. So, it’s onto Paris. This loss may make him an even more determined competetor this week. We’ll see. Great tournament for Novak !
That’s a good point, Denise. Roger’s had the longest layoff of any of the top guys (I think Murray tried to play a tournament after Davis Cup) so he can’t be expected to be sharp as a tack. And Novak’s at his height right now.
i think rog did really well getting to the final after not playing for 6wks. neither one of them played really well. i would like to think rog’s fh is waiting for him in paris. for ssome reason this loss wasn’t bad 4 me. i think nole has grown up alot since murray overtook him and then he came back again. i do think him and rog looked friendlier……maybe i’m just happy it wasn’t murray. also, lets not forget rog gave us an emotionally thrilling year so far on/off court. lets cut him some slack.
i was expecting ur victory……………….bt anyway u tried and u fight,,,,best of luck for the of ur tourments
best of luck for the rest of ur tourments…and especially australian open 2010..