Paris Masters ATP 1000

[stotty]

I watched the whole match in the end. It was a close match yet at the same time it wasn't. Novak always looks the more comfortable of the two. Roger has to play at the very brink of his attacking capabilities which puts his game a knife-edge when he plays Novak. The good thing is he can often rely on good serving to get to a tie-break and then hope for a flash of genius or two...which is entirely possible with Roger.

Novak doesn't seem to have to change his game one iota to play anyone. It's really down to Roger and Rafa, and just about anyone else, to change theirs when they play him.

Since 2011 Novak's head to head is 20-9 against Roger...and 7-2 in majors. Since 2011 against Rafa it's also 20-9...and 5-3 up in majors. That pretty much says it all. It's tough to beat a wall.

[don_budge]

I watched the whole match in the end. It was a close match yet at the same time it wasn't. Novak always looks the more comfortable of the two.

I remember watching that match live but that was a month ago. Novak definitely seemed to be a bit more in control. Barely. In the first game on Federer's serve I think he put an enormous amount of pressure on Federer to hold while he was holding routinely. It's a little deceptive as the two are playing different styles and Federer is taking more chances which makes it appear that he is playing more "on the razor's edge". I think that is what makes it interesting is the contrast of the two styles. Still Federer had that set under control as it played out and probably he feels that he should have won that tie-break which would have put him in the driver's seat.

At this point in their respective careers Djokovic has a rather pronounced advantage in that he doesn't have as many miles on his body and most importantly...his legs. Advantage Djokovic and that accounts for the disparity in matches since 2011. As it is now we see that Federer can play him even up but it does take a supreme effort for him and all of the stars have to be lined up. That's how it is when you have a disadvantage in the movement department in tennis. I was watching Federer solely during a part of the match and he is still moving very, very well. Even for a player much younger than he is. But the fact is he has to play just a tad more defensively because he has just a bit more difficulty getting into good enough position to really get his feet under him.

It was a great match though. When you match up the pluses and minuses, the strengths and weaknesses the two really put on quite a show. Roger served well...maybe not at his very best...but good enough to keep him in the match. He just ran out of gas in the final tie-breaker which is proof that his legs were taken out from under him. Djokovic can really wear you down with his defence and his ability to get just one more ball in play. It isn't that he just gets the ball back but he manages to play clever defence that manages to be subtle offence. The match up on the backhands is classic. Now that Federer is able to drive his backhand with more confidence than he was a few years ago prior to the equipment switch that eliminates a go to placement for his opponent.

I noticed that Roger was very consistently using a tactic of driving a low slice in the area of Novak's service line on the backhand side but not too close to the sideline. Djokovic wasn't able to do much with this ploy. He isn't capable enough to do something to move forwards and capitalize on the short ball yet he is too close to the net to drive such a low ball. Shades of John McEnroe?

As usual though the worth of a match is to be judged on the merit of "Federer vs. Anybody" and in this case Djokovic is not just anybody.

[stotty]

But the fact is he has to play just a tad more defensively because he has just a bit more difficulty getting into good enough position to really get his feet under him.

Yes I have noticed also Roger finds himself defending more at times despite his all out attack policy.

I noticed that Roger was very consistently using a tactic of driving a low slice in the area of Novak's service line on the backhand side but not too close to the sideline. Djokovic wasn't able to do much with this ploy. He isn't capable enough to do something to move forwards and capitalize on the short ball yet he is too close to the net to drive such a low ball. Shades of John McEnroe?

I know what you mean. Novak, nor any two-handed player, cannot do much with it. It's often a default move by Roger to try and stabilise a rally getting out of hand.

I also like the short, angled sliced backhands as a rhythm breaker and as a way of getting Novak in an area of the court he doesn't like. A good example would be the first point in this clip and again at 1:37. Novak does better than you would expect at 1:37 but you can see it's a useful ploy to execute for Roger if the opportunity presents.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CWFcvvtrt8