2019 Rolex Shanghai Masters...Shanghai, China...ATP 1000

[don_budge]

The point is you have to do something. You cannot just go out and say "I have to serve well". In your mind you have to pick a spot when the opportunity presents itself that there is something very specific you have in mind to exploit your opponents weakness. This has been great tournament for Stefanos Tsitispas and it is great for the game of tennis. The one hand backhand defeats the rock solid defence of Novak Djokovic.

But one thing leads to another and you are only as good as your last miracle it seems. Next up is Daniil Medvedev who is looking rather Djokovicesque. Impeccable defence and sometimes it looks like he is a bit down but then he comes out firing on all eight. Stefanos Tsitsipas versus Daniil Medvedev is a tremendous match for the tournament. I wonder how badly Djokovic wanted a rematch with "Mr. Pencil". Maybe better to pack it in and move on to the next tournament.

Meanwhile in the bottom half Alexander has a huge opportunity to make a statement about himself and where he measures up on the food chain of the professional tennis tour. One minor problem for Alexander that might just well turn out to be a major problem...he beat Roger last time he faced him. It was a rather questionable match as I recall. In the tour finals last year. So today Roger looks to be taking a scalp of the hapless German/Russian who had the misfortune to beat him last time. Roger doesn't like that when that happens. He looks to take it in stride at the time but it is remarkable how he uses it as fuel to egg him on the next time they meet. At thirty-eight he needs all the fuel that he can get. Highly combustible preferred. Watch how Roger uses the slice to exploit the tall and lanky Zverev. Zverev not to be taken lightly in this match. He is 3-3 head to head against Roger and a win here would do wonders for the inner Zverev. Federer on the other hand doesn't need it. Plus a pounding match against the winner of Thiem and the Italian is looming.

Lots of one-handed backhands left in the tourney. Things are looking interesting...rather interesting.

[stotty]

The two mighty men have fallen. Who'd have thought it.

Amazing low forehand volley from Roger at 40 love down facing three match points. Even the great Frank Sedgman would have tipped his hat at that one. If Zverev had a volley it would make life so much either for him. I find it frustrating to watch Roger chop forehands and backhands back on the stretch that are crying out to be moved in on and despatched from the net. Instead Zverev stays back and the rally starts all over again. Good defending from Roger but twenty years ago he would never have gotten away with it. It would have been good night Eileen for sure.

Will the last volleyer to leave the tour please switch off the lights on your way out.... Roger, I think that might be you.

[stroke]

That was very impressive by Zverev, especially after the disappointment of not closing it out in the 2nd set. Alex definitely cannot volley well, he is not even as good a volleyer as even Novak. Berrenttini vs Theim still to come looks to be a very interesting match. I could easily see any of these guys, Medvedev, Stefanos, Alex, Theim, or Berrenttini winning this tournament.

[stroke]

Berrenttini wins 1st set in a tiebreaker. Theim has a very big forehand, but Berrettini's looks bigger. End of 1st set stats showed that Berrenttini also gets slightly more rpm's on his fh than Theim, who also hits with a lot of spin.

[stroke]

Berrenttini wins in 2. His forehand is a massive weapon, the best one out there of the 4 semifinalists to me. End of match stats on the rpm's on his forehand looked liked Nadal numbers.

[don_budge]

GREAT...GREAT performance by Roger Federer yesterday. He obviously is struggling with his form a bit due to a lack of match play but he really showed us how to dig down deep. At his age against the top players in the world. Youngsters in comparison. Roger was down deep in Davey Jones Locker yesterday. He was gritty and arguing with the umpire. He was stretched out at full stretch trying to just keep the ball in play at times. I noticed against David Goffin the other day he was starting to look his age a bit. Goffin was pushing him around just a bit more than I would think was possible. Roger's serve didn't seem to be as penetrating against either Goffin or Zverev. He wasn't zipping through his service games in a minute or thereabouts. But he dug down deep saving a bunch of match points while Zverev struggled to get the horse in the barn.

A good win for Zverev but the next match will show the reality of the situation. Berrettini is young and very, very hungry. He is like an Italian bear. Look at those skinny legs of his. Sort of odd for such a bearish upper body.

But the real goods is in the upper half. Stefanos Tsitsipas has a different look about him. He lost the first set against Novak Djokovic and refused to go away. This is what I saw in him a couple of years ago when he started to eat his way up the food chain. A tenaciousness that has been missing as of late. He is going to have to go deep again in this next match. Daniil Medvedev is like Novak Djokovic 101. He is a slippery one. A couple of times at least in this tournament he has looked to be on the ropes but he ended up comfortably extricating himself and finished matches rather calmly. Without a great deal of struggle. Tsitsipas has cleared a couple of excellent hurdles but it has been said...you are only as good as your last miracle. This is the case here. He has put himself in great position to play arguably the toughest out in tennis today. Medvedev's match record is incredible. I think I heard that he was 11-0 in quarterfinal matches played this year. I wonder how he has fared in semifinals.

[stroke]

Medvedav takes out Stefanos again. Medvedev basicly brings the same questions to a match as Novak. You know exactly what he is going to do, how to get through him? Stef right now does not have a answer. Looking forward to Alex vs Berrenttini. Alex will be seeking the bh of Berrenttini obviously. The Berrenttini bh is really pretty good, particularly his slice, but that forehand is something.

[stroke]

Well that was a rather routine win for Alex. Berrenttini never seemed to really be in the match. Should be a good final tomorrow

[don_budge]

I called my dear old tennis coach today. Haven't talked to him since I visited him with my Father this summer. That day Federer defeated Berrettini in the quarters at Wimbledon. I remember that his wife was pulling for Nadal in the semi against Roger. We know how that went down. But Sherm Collins is a legend to many of us. We discussed Roger yesterday against Zverev. An impressive match. The old guy giving it the old college try. I'm a very lucky man to have had this guy in my corner. He taught at the same community college as my father. They were visiting this past week. I talked to Dad and then I turned around and called Coach Collins. What a lucky guy I am. Really blessed.

[stotty]

I didn't see the final but had a strong feeling Medvedev would win. He is more wily and has more nous than the rest of the Next Gen bunch. He's just that bit better. Making yourself awkward and difficult to play against is a great quality to have. Medvedev has that quality in spades.