2018 ATP Tour Finals, London

[stotty]

Not the strongest of draws compared to previous years. The sledgehammer players are missing: Wawrinka and Del Potro. Rafa is also missing. Instead we have players like Anderson and Isner in the line up....hmm.

Roger's chances of making it through look strong to me. I am not sure how quick the courts are but whether they are fast or slow, Roger, indoors, takes some beating. Has there ever been a better indoor player?

Novak must fancy his chances to win the event. His occasional nemesis, Wawrinka, is absent. Del Potro, who has a habit of keeping Novak out there for hours on end, is also missing. So, all in all, it looks good for Novak.

Would anyone bet against a Novak and Roger final?

[gzhpcu]

Not me...

[stotty]

Terrible first set by Roger, Nishikori wasn't much better either. It's rare to see Roger shanking so many shots. Let's hope the level picks up.

[stotty]

Roger now a set and 4-2 down. Has anyone seen him play this badly? To compound matters, Nishikori has started to play quite well.

[bman]

I've watched virtually every Federer match since mid-2004, and that was without a doubt the worst I have ever seen him play. Nishikori was actually awful in the first, Roger would have crushed that level normally.

[stotty]

I've watched virtually every Federer match since mid-2004, and that was without a doubt the worst I have ever seen him play. Nishikori was actually awful in the first, Roger would have crushed that level normally.

Yes, bizarre. He seemed irritated and ratty about something. Roger does get like that now and again and I wonder if it's down to a argument with his wife. He's very close to his wife and maybe it unsettles him when they have the occasional tiff.

To his credit, Nishikori did come good in the final 4 or 5 games.

[stotty]

It's such an anomaly when Roger plays badly that it shocks people. His basic form is usually very high and hardly alters. Yesterday he shanked balls, miscued returns, and hit balls way over the baseline. When did anyone last see that? I still think he can make the semis, but it's not so straightforward now.

[arturohernandez]

Yes, bizarre. He seemed irritated and ratty about something. Roger does get like that now and again and I wonder if it's down to a argument with his wife. He's very close to his wife and maybe it unsettles him when they have the occasional tiff.

To his credit, Nishikori did come good in the final 4 or 5 games.

I think that Federer is battling a different fresh/fatigued/sharp gradient compared to the past. If he plays too much, he becomes fatigued and maybe even a little bit injured. If he rests too much, then he is fresh but gets a little rusty.

His peaks are just not as long or the same as before.

Before he could peak for a longer period of time and recover more quickly.

He looked really sharp in Paris. But a third hard court tournament in a month might be a bit too much for him at his age.

Thiem is probably going to want to make it through. Roger can make it through but he needs to be sharp and hope that he can win the next two.

His form on Sunday looked a lot like his US Open form the last two years.

He may be a little dinged and cannot move the same and hence his game is off.

It's not his game, it's his body that is off an that drags his game with it.

[stotty]

I never worry about things like that because Roger, by now, knows his body and how to pace himself to the very last fibre and calorie. If he didn't think he could get through a tournament from one end to the other, he would have hung up his bats by now.

[stotty]

Zverev and Cilic have shanked and miscued balls from start to finish of their first set, just like Roger and Nishikori. Is there something tricky about the court or indoor lighting? No one seems to be playing well so far.

[bman]

Zverev and Cilic were not world beaters, but it was nothing like Fed-Nishikori. Robby Koenig did mention during the warmup of Fed's match that Fed was shanking balls right and left and in an ornery mood the day before in practice.

I, too, had the thought that maybe he had some domestic strife putting him in a bad mood. What was particularly annoying, though, was that he had absolutely no fight out there...it was almost like a semi-tank.

I've noticed that this year, Fed has a tendency to play poorly after brutal losses. Lost to Kokkinakis in first round of Miami after the DelPo heartbreak in Indian Wells. Played awful in Cincinnati final after Wimbledon heartbreak. Now this after the Djokovic near miss in Paris. Also, he still has the capacity to play at a very high level, but doesn't seem to be able to do it for an entire tournament. You never know if "good Fed" or "bad Fed" will show up from match to match. What was different about yesterday was that he took "bad Fed" to a new low.

[stotty]

Zverev and Cilic were not world beaters, but it was nothing like Fed-Nishikori. Robby Koenig did mention during the warmup of Fed's match that Fed was shanking balls right and left and in an ornery mood the day before in practice.

I, too, had the thought that maybe he had some domestic strife putting him in a bad mood. What was particularly annoying, though, was that he had absolutely no fight out there...it was almost like a semi-tank.

I've noticed that this year, Fed has a tendency to play poorly after brutal losses. Lost to Kokkinakis in first round of Miami after the DelPo heartbreak in Indian Wells. Played awful in Cincinnati final after Wimbledon heartbreak. Now this after the Djokovic near miss in Paris. Also, he still has the capacity to play at a very high level, but doesn't seem to be able to do it for an entire tournament. You never know if "good Fed" or "bad Fed" will show up from match to match. What was different about yesterday was that he took "bad Fed" to a new low.

Good observations. The top players are so guarded and careful what they say these days it's tough to know what's going on in the background. You have to assume it's a personal thing with Roger when he goes ratty like that. But let's not be harsh. It's rare he gets like that, and even rarer he plays that poorly.

[stotty]

Novak completely outclasses Isner - no surprise there. How Novak returns so well at full stretch and lungeing, is beyond me.

[bman]

I think us Fed fans also need to give ourselves a reality check from time to time. Keep in mind that Agassi, the former standard bearer for playing top level tennis into "old age", was 36 when he retired, and was basically in a wheelchair between matches at his final tournament. Plus he only played 8 tournaments that year and didn't get deep in any of them. Roger is 37.25. Every win is a bonus at this stage. Simply qualifying for this tournament at his age is impressive.

[arturohernandez]

I think us Fed fans also need to give ourselves a reality check from time to time. Keep in mind that Agassi, the former standard bearer for playing top level tennis into "old age", was 36 when he retired, and was basically in a wheelchair between matches at his final tournament. Plus he only played 8 tournaments that year and didn't get deep in any of them. Roger is 37.25. Every win is a bonus at this stage. Simply qualifying for this tournament at his age is impressive.

I agree! Just noting that given his peak and how well he has taken care of himself it is still difficult to maintain a consistent level at his age.