Hi, folks. I have a lot on my plate all of a sudden, but I’m not finished with Wimbledon 2015. There is more to be said. A lot of the stuff gets covered in comments and I enjoy the conversation as always with you guys. But we now have a long stretch before us before the next Masters in Montreal and I’d like to keep the conversation going. I really wish my blog would always be as busy as during the slams but, unfortunately, that’s not possible. Hopefully, some people will at least stay interested in the discussion.

In my last post, I ran out of time before I could talk about what is ahead for Federer. I think he played extremely well against Murray which should give Fedfans lots of hope. I’m not saying he will win another slam, but as the world #2 surely he still has a chance. Who else than Djokovic can currently win slams? Probably Federer, Murray, and Stan. Federer just destroyed Murray, but that was on grass. Murray will probably have a much better shot on any other surface.

We can’t forget what happened at the French Open either where Stan in turn destroyed Federer. The problem for Federer is his age and physical decline. Stan and Murray don’t suffer from that problem. They will probably both outlast Federer in a long best-of-five set match. The other problem for Federer is consistency. His form can drop in which case he can play a long five set match that tires him for the remaining rounds, or worse yet he could lose. For instance against Seppi at the Australian Open.

That said, I still wouldn’t count him out for the US Open. I think he is playing better than last year, but he needs to avoid a match like the one against Monfils last year. In slams these days he should try not to go more than four sets before the final. Otherwise, it takes too much energy. And for that to happen he must be able to shorten points. Wimbledon is still the fastest slam surface and provides him with the most assistance to shorten points and dominate opponents.

Can Fedberg still pull it off?

At the US Open, players can already extend the rallies for longer and get into matches. For this reason, I see him more as a dark horse there. He needs a good draw and to get through early rounds easily. Last year he had what you could call a good draw but then ran into a red-hot Cilic. I don’t think he will run into a red-hot Cilic this year, but Cilic is a guy who could, for instance, give him a long match and drain his energy. Many others could do it too like Berdych, Tsonga, Monfils, Nishikori, Raonic, Simon, Nadal, Kyrgios, etc.

Federer is ranked #2 in the world, but that’s not really the case in slams. Wimbledon is the only slam where he was the second best player in the world in the last couple of years. The last time Federer made a slam final outside of Wimbledon was in 2011 at Roland Garros. The last time he was in the US Open final was in 2009. Those stats tell a story of their own. He has been very consistent outside of the slams lately which has given him the #2 ranking, but it is slightly misleading.

At least it is at the slams. In the last five years, aside from Djokovic and Nadal, both Murray and Stan have won more slams than him. I’m not counting Federer out at the US Open this year, but he will almost definitely get a tougher draw than last year. For me, his best chance at #18 is still at Wimbledon and Djokovic seems to have the title booked there for the next few years. He already beat Federer more routinely this year as opposed to last year, and next time it will probably be straight sets.

I talked about this in the comments too, but why all the hype every time someone wins a slam? Now people all of a sudden have Djokovic chasing down Federer and winning 20 slams. Wtf?! Did they already forget what happened at the French Open when they hyped him to complete the career slam? What about the people who were talking about the calendar slam? Since when does that become likely after someone won the first slam of the year? The hype just gets old.

There is no guarantee Djokovic will even win the US Open. I would say he is the favorite, but it doesn’t guarantee anything. Can’t people just appreciate what he did for what it is? He is now tied with Mcenroe and Becker for the third most Wimbledon titles in the open era. Pre-2011 who would have dreamed that Djokovic would win three Wimbledon titles? He is now a grass court legend of the game. This was also his ninth grand slam title which puts him ahead of legends like Lendl and Connors.

It’s clear who has the moves here…

At the beginning of the year he won a record fifth Australian Open to become the slow hard court GOAT. And to back that honor up he won a third Indian Wells/Miami double – the first man to ever do so.What he has already achieved in the sport is extraordinary. Why are people so obsessed with the future? Probably he will never catch up with Federer. But it’s not out of the question that he could catch Nadal. He has five slams to go and probably bout 2-3 more years to rack up slams.

I like his chances at the US Open, but failing there wouldn’t be the worst thing because that will make him desperate to win a sixth Australian Open. And that is the one place where is he almost guaranteed a slam. But the big one remains the French Open for him to complete the career slam. Once he wins that it puts him in another bracket. Then he’d be in the conversation with Nadal and Borg. There is no doubt he missed some chances from 2012-2013 where he won only one slam per year.

The biggest setback was the 2013 French Open semi-final with Nadal. Had he won that he would 99% sure have won the US Open that year too. He even lost at the Australian Open the next year. That French Open loss was a big setback but I think it made him stronger. I like his attitude. In his final Wimbledon presser he said everything happens for a reason when asked about the French Open this year. And look how well he has bounced back from that. Three titles in his last five slams and he is completely dominating again like in 2011.

Who knows where he can take it from here. I am just grateful to be a part of it because I actually really like his game and character. I think he is in a good place and very confident but we will see where he takes it from here. It’s not always neccessary to hype players to appreciate them. It is good enough to appreciate what they are busy with. I guess we are in an era where we have been spoiled. After Djokovic who can actually win 10+ slams? We better appreciate it while it happens.

The is in your court.

Hello, tennis fans. As usual I am back with my customary post grand slam post. There always come out new and interesting things from a slam final and one post is not enough to write about it all. I also like to do a post that kind of sums up the tournament as a whole. And finally, I don’t want it to be over that quickly. The slams are always special and the most exciting thing for tennis fans, when there is the most activity on my blog and there is a kind of lull when it’s over so I’d like to extend it a bit longer with another post(or two).

The final didn’t deliver the drama of last year’s final but the quality of tennis was higher. Both Djokovic and Federer are better players now than they were one year ago. Federer adjusted better to his new equipment and playing style while Djokovic improved his offense with the help of Becker. Federer played his peak level against Murray, but it turned out to be one match too early. When I first heard Djokovic had recruited Becker to coach him I thought it was ideal for him.

Why? Because I had noticed that Djokovic was not effective enough at finishing points, even back in 2011-12 when he had that 7-match winning streak against Nadal. And it came back to haunt him as Nadal managed to turn the head-to-head around again due to that flaw in Djokovic’s game. To the points that I thought Nadal broke Djokovic mentally in the 2013 French Open semi-final and that he would never win a slam again. But then at the end of 2013(if I recall correctly) Djokovic decided to hire Becker.

My first thoughts were that it was perfect because Becker would help his volleys and ability to finish points which were his problem against Nadal. At first I didn’t see any improvement in Djokovic’s net game and of course he even lost at his favorite Australian Open in 2014. At the French Open that year he also lost in his third consecutive slam final. Things weren’t looking good for him and Becker. But then of course he came good at Wimbledon and broke the slam final curse.

He also won the Australian Open this year and now Wimbledon. And this year especially it has become clear that his offense has improved, but not only his net play but also his serve and baseline game. Throughout Wimbledon this year his serve was good but not amazing. In the final it just exploded where he used it to save breakpoints and win free points. He is now much more safe overhead and a very competent volleyer. And importantly he also plays aggressive from the baseline.

He has always been great at turning defense into offense, but now he makes it count more. He rips the forehand and uses it to finish points better. He will never be the offensive player Federer is, but he doesn’t have to be because his defense is so much better. He is now better adapted than Federer for the current era of tennis with powerful racquets, string technology, and slower conditions. I always thought Federer was the perfect player, but Djokovic is redefining perfection in this era.

He has a much better backhand and returns than Federer too. It’s very hard to call Federer’s backhand a weakness but in the current era it is not ideal and can be exposed, by none more so than Nadal. Then there is also the question of Federer’s mental fortitude and fighting abilities. He is mentally very good but not as good as Djokovic and Nadal, as his five-set record compared to Djokovic and Nadal illustrates. He has the ability to choke and he doesn’t fight as hard as those two.

Is Djokovic more complete than Federer even? I would say for the current era yes. Especially with the recent improvements in his game it is hard to find any flaws at all in his game. He isn’t as good a server or volleyer as Federer, but he has a better backhand and returns than Federer. I said before the final that Federer would win because on faster courts his superior offensive game favors him. But Djokovic showed he has great offense himself and the depth of his groundstrokes is just incredible.

That made it awfully difficult for Federer to dominate proceedings and forced him into unforced errors. Djokovic’s ability to paint lines from the baseline is one of his most extraordinary abilities. And he doesn’t just do it on any point. He does it under immense pressure. His accuracy and feel for the tennis ball is unreal. Take for instance that return he made at 5-3 and 30-15 in the fourth set. Smack bang on the baseline for a winner from a Federer first serve. BOOM.

That’s why I say it was probably the highest level of tennis I have ever seen. There is something supernatural about it. Where does Djokovic go from here? I am always hesitant to join the hype after someone won a slam but obviously winning Wimbledon doesn’t hurt Djokovic’s chances to win more slams. The French Open loss was a setback and had he lost in the Wimbledon final too things would have looked kind of bleak. But he still looks extremely dominant.

This is why I feel he is the legitimate successor of Federer. Unlike Nadal, he has shown he is a true #1 and can dominate for extended periods. He can also dominate all surfaces while Nadal is a glorified clay-court specialist. Djokovic is also a much better offensive player than Nadal, especially with an improved serve and net game. I have already said he is my favorite for the US Open, but nothing is guaranteed so I won’t believe any more hype before he wins another US Open.

Then he will be on double digits for slams and chalk up another three slam titles year. If he achieves that then we can start asking questions about him catching Nadal or Federer even. He is already 28 so I don’t join Wilander-type hype that says he can win 8-10 more slams. Wilander is being extremely obvious in saying things to create hype and getting people involved. If Djokovic wins the US Open, the Australian Open, and the French Open next year, thereby completing the Djokovic slam and the career slam, then I will start thinking about it.

If he does that he would have done something even Fedal could not do and there would be a reason to believe he can do more extraordinary things. But that is highly unlikely with someone like Stan around for one, who can catch fire and blast everyone off the court over two weeks. There is a reason, not even Fedal could do it and I’m 99% sure it is not happening for Dokovic. Probably he will not even win the US Open this year but we will see. He does look very dominant and at his best no one can beat him bar Stan perhaps.

Where Does Federer Go From Here?

(To be continued…)

Ps. Check out Matt’s post too. Another good one!

The is in your court.

First of all, congrats to Djokovic. Second, I was wrong. Third, I’m very happy to be wrong. As was the case last year, I’m very grateful to have been a part of another extraordinary Wimbledon final. Wimbledon really does bring out the very best of the best and fully deserves its status as the most prestigious tournament in the world. Just unreal quality and drama again today. I am still mentally drained from watching, but I have to get a post out.

Federer came out where he left off against Murray in the semis looking to take the initiative which he did at 3-2 when he broke Djokovic to love to take a 4-2 lead. He was cruising through service games with the help of his unplayable serve and soon Djokovic cracked under the pressure on his own serve. But as soon as Federer took the initiative he lost it again, failing to consolidate. Djokovic played a sick return game which included a brutal backhand pass that forced the error from Federer at the net. 4-3.

It quickly became clear that Federer was not playing another Murray. This was altogether a different animal he was dealing with. Federer was still holding serve with relative ease though, and at 6-5 and 40-30 on the Djokovic serve he held a set point. You could be excused if you still thought Djokovic was another Murray at this point because Federer was only a point away from winning the first set 7-5 the way he did against Murray. But again Djokovic reminded us why he is world #1 and a mental giant when he dug himself out of that hole.

6-6. Tie-break time. Having dug himself out of that hole in that last game, I kind of liked Djokovic’s chances going into the tie-break. And he immediately made his move as he broke Federer on the first point with a remarkable get and control down the line as he thread the needle to pass Federer. Djokovic just raised his game to a god-like level in the tie-break as he bossed Federer from the baseline with sheer power and precision. Federer could only manage one point as Djokovic breadsticked him in the tie-break.

Suddenly things were looking pretty bleak for Federer after bringing his A game in the first set. Djokovic, on the other hand, showed immense mental strength the way he came back from a break and a set point to dominate the tie-break. The first set was clearly massive in the context of the match and Djokovic showed probably the best level that I have seen in my entire life. Talk of cometh the man cometh the hour. Just ridiculous!

It was time for Federer to regroup. Losing the first set was a big setback after playing a very good set but unlike Murray Djokovic is a tennis god. Many people would have missed this either due to bias or ignorance, but you only play as well as your opponent allows you to. Here is why:

1. Federer did not have the serving advantage he did against Murray for two reasons: Djokovic is a better returner and a better server. He doesn’t have a weak second serve which Federer can freely abuse and he has a very good first serve himself which he can win free points off of the way Federer can.
2. He didn’t allow Federer to push him around on the baseline the way Federer did with Murray. He is both a better offensive and defensive player than Murray. He went toe to toe from the baseline with Federer and then some.
3. Djokovic is mentally far superior to Murray. He gets in Federer’s face. He acts like he owns the place. He believes he is better and knows it.

So once the first set was over Federer knew he was in desperate trouble already. It was highly unlikely that he was going to win in four sets from there, and even if he pushed it to five sets Djokovic would be the favorite. That said the match was far from over and Federer was still putting loads of pressure on the Djokovic serve. At 2-2 he had a break point but couldn’t convert and Djokovic clinched the game with a monstrous forehand winner up the line. In this set, the scoreboard pressure was on Federer as Djokovic served first.

So at 4-5 and serving Federer almost cracked under that pressure as he served a double fault at 30-30 and gave Djokovic a set point for a two sets to love lead. A virtual match point. Djokovic made a deep return but then missed a regulation forehand. Federer was let off the hook and held serve. At 5-5 Djokovic made things way harder for himself than he should have after missing a sitter forehand volley. He appeared to be nervous but held serve. Federer did the same and another tie-break ensued.

This time it was Federer who broke serve on the opening point, but Djokovic soon raced ahead again and held three more virtual match points at 6-3. I think Federer forced the error on the first point but on the second Djokovic made another unforced error. Then at 6-5 he made a first serve which resulted in the weak reply from Federer but Djokovic went the wrong way where Federer was waiting and Federer steered the backhand into the open court which forced the error from Djokovic.

Another opportunity was gone. But that was not all. At 10-9 Djokovic held yet another virtual match point and made yet another unforced forehand error. Finally, since Djokovic didn’t want the second set, Federer took advantage and claimed the tie-break 12-10 himself. Huge drama and Federer was right back in the match. I felt Djokovic really let himself down mentally in that set after being so clutch in the first set. He made three unforced errors and chose the wrong side on four virtual match points.

As a Djokovic fan, the second set was tough to digest. He really should have been two sets to love up from which there is almost no chance at all that Federer could come back. But now they were squared up at a set apiece. And right at the beginning of the third set Djokovic was back to wasting chances as he was up 40-15 on Federer’s opening service game but failed to break again. He was then also a break point down in his next service game which was very dangerous indeed.

If Federer had taken that point then there was a legit momentum swing and Federer was in the ascendancy. The drama just wouldn’t stop! Djokovic showed some more immense mental strength though as he held serve and went on to break Federer in the next game. Quickly Djokovic was back in control of the match and this time there was no way he was gonna let it slip again. At 5-4 he held serve to love to get into a very strong position against his older opponent at two sets to one.

But after what we saw last year you couldn’t write Federer off just yet. Little by little Djokovic’s rock-like mental strength started to take its toll on Federer though. At 2-2 he broke serve again after more relentless pressure from his return game. At 4-3 he held serve and at 5-3 Federer would serve to stay in the match. Would we see another miraculous comeback from Federer? Not this time. At 30-15 Djokovic was ready to drop the hammer as he hit a brutal backhand return winner which he followed up with a blood-curdling ‘COME OOOOON!’ that signified the end for Federer.

The predator had patiently sized up his prey and it was time to pounce and finish him once and for all, which he did with another monster forehand winner and a roar of triumph.

Even writing this post had more adrenaline flowing through me. I was incredibly tense throughout the match and found it difficult to watch. It was a kind of torture, but a good torture. I desperately wanted Djokovic to win after what happened at the French Open. That was simply brutal after all he’s been through there, but thanks to Stan the man it was easier to deal with for Djokovic. And so much for the people who thought that loss would cause a drop in form for Djokovic.

The guy as the absolute heart of a champion and doesn’t know the meaning of the words ‘give up’. He came back after that 2013 French Open loss stronger than ever and he did it again now. I have immense respect for that and it shows me that his tough childhood taught him how to fight back from adversity. This season is now starting to rival his 2011 season. For me, he is the favorite for the US Open too. He is too good a hard courter to have only won one US Open so far.

For me he deserves this title more than anyone, and not just because he won it. He has been by far the best player this year but was dealt an impossible draw at in Paris which he made the best of. If he lost to another unplayable Swiss today it would have been devastating, but of course he didn’t come off a nerve-wracking quarterfinal with Nadal and a marathon five-setter with Murray that stretched across two days and gave him no rest day for the final. He was much better prepared.

The level he showed today was the highest level of tennis I have ever seen, aside from the mental slips in the second set and his insistence on lobbing Federer which didn’t pay off once. He should have passed on many more occasions, but his passing wasn’t great either. But you have to give credit here to Federer as well for how he fought back in the second set and for how he covers the net. He almost forces you to go for the lob, but then he has the safest overhead in the world.

Anyway, I think with the level Djokovic showed today he could have beaten Stan in the French Open final too. I really do believe now that he was mentally tired in that final after what I saw today. His whole demeanor was different today. He looked fresh, strong and imposing, whereas in Paris he looked tired and impotent. But that is all erased now with a third Wimbledon title and a ninth slam. He is by far the best player in the world. No one is close. I didn’t even know he had the level he showed today.

Just unreal. As for Federer, he remains an inspiration to be playing as well as he is at almost 34 now. His level against Murray was extraordinary, and I guess you could say he peaked too early too. But yeah, Djokovic made things very difficult for him indeed. He just could not impose himself the way he can against just about everyone else(not peak Nadal). I really thought this was Federer’s time again after doing his dues and walking the long road back to his best.

And I do believe he was back to his best. He said it himself and Pat Cash said it on twitter again today. The match against Murray was as good as anything I’ve seen from him. I thought a record 8th Wimbledon was his destiny, but Djokovic is scary good. I can only watch in sheer awe and admiration. As a massive tennis fanatic, the level I saw from him today is something very exciting and inspiring. I can’t wait to see what is next for this guy and how far he can take this.

I always knew he was a special talent, but today he exceeded my expectations. Federer was playing better than last year, but Djokovic’s game had improved even more. His serve is now a lethal weapon and he has become more than a competent net player. For both of those things, his coach Becker deserves huge credit and it obviously has a huge influence on his grass court success. He is more aggressive off the ground too I think. He just keeps improving and becoming more and more complete.

I just want to extend my sympathies to the balanced Fedfans who wanted Federer to win one last Wimbledon today. I know it’s tough on you guys, but I’m sure you can appreciate what you saw from Djokovic today as well. What I think should also help you is that Nadal did not win the French Open this year thanks to Djokovic so that he didn’t come any closer to Federer’s slam count. Federer has still won three more slams than anyone else and only a spoiled rotten Fedfanatic would be unhappy with that.

Only three people were crazy enough to go for Djokovic today and they were Charlie, Abert, and Veronica. Charlie got the amount of sets and the order of the sets correct as well so he is the winner today with 9 points. Outstanding job(yes I know you wanted to be wrong lol)! And the winner of the prestigious Wimbledon title in our prediction game is….wait for it….the myth, the man…..none other than Joe! Congrats! It couldn’t have happened to a nicer blog reader and well done!

Actually Joe was late with a prediction once so he should probably have won by more than one point but a win is a win! You will now be displayed as the best predictor in the tennis world on the front page of my blog until the next tournament! Seriously though, good stuff Joe. You have been extremely consistent and that takes tennis knowledge no matter how hard you try to deny it! Thanks to everyone for playing it was fun and I think we should do it again! Or what do you think?

Ps. I will update the rankings and points after this post.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLnnOS3gnyY

The is in your court.