Wimbledon SF: Federer v Berdych

[Front242]

May be, I need to check on it.

Does he have one against Nalby too.

Yeah. Shanghai 2005. He was only off crutches a few weeks though so impressive taking it the distance.

 

[Front242]

Well done, Roger. Saw none of it but will watch the final 100%

 

[GameSetAndMath]

TMF does it in straight sets!

But, it was a very close and fairly tense match though.

 

[tennisville]

Nice match and a good preparation for the final. Hopefully he plays better than he did today against Marin

 

[atttomole]

He did grind out his one.

 

[mrzz]

Honestly, lucky escape from Federer. He could easily have lost the first set TB, and given how sluggish he was, I am far from sure he would be able to come back. His best moment in the match -- and were I think he earned it -- was the second set TB. He found another level and suddenly was two mini-breaks up. Gave one back with a DF -- and in the following point he followed his serve to net, the volley was not perfect but luckily good enough. Had the match went one all, who knows what would have happened. I still haven´t checked the numbers but I guess today he made as much UFE´s as he made the whole tournament.

Course, merit also to Berdych who played well and deserved at the very least a set.

Finally, I had the impression that Federer had his mind already on the final -- in fact, he barely celebrated the win.

 

[Murat Baslamisli]

Not an impressive win I thought. Considering Marin does pretty much everything a bit better than Berdych, Roger has to seriously step up his game for Sunday. Has to serve better, use the angled slice better, bring Marin in on his own terms. It is going to be a tough final for Roger I think. One think I know, he is not beating Marin from the baseline.

 

[El Dude]

Does anyone know what time of day the final will be? I live in Hawaii, so RG and Wimbledon start during the middle of the night so I wake up in the morning and most of the matches are usually over. But I might try to get up early or stay up for the final, otherwise I won't be able to sleep.

 

[El Dude]

Never mind, I think I found the answer - 2pm, which is frickin 3am my time - probably the worst possible time. I guess I could get up really early and watch the second half or so of it.

 

[Shivashish Sarkar]

What a giant Roger is. At 35, he reaches two GS finals. Great stuff. It will be his 11th Wimbledon final. He will be trying to win yet another GS and Wimbledon title. It will definitely be a huge match.

Cilic is beter than Berdych, yes. But, he looked vulnerable today and I would think Roger's got a decent chance. Roger needs to play and win in first strike tennis. His serve and ROS will need to be top notch.

Roger, go for it. I hope you get your no. 19.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Federer definitely did not play very well today. Having said that, I don't have complaints about it due to the following.

1. He still won in straight sets. Actually he has not lost a set at Wimby. So he will be fresh for the finals.
2. I would rather Fed play at peak level on sunday than today (unlike in 2015 when he played great in Sf
against Andy and terrible in finals against Novak).

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Berdych played really well too. In particular he returned well. He did not go away after losing the first set. In fact,
he did not go away meekly after losing the second set either. The only weakness of Bird are 1) predictable second serve
and 2) terrible net play. He often looks lost when he moves forward. Not having good mental strength used to be a
weakness of him, but in this match I think he showed sufficient mental strength by way of hanging in there (even
though it was a straight set loss).

 

[El Dude]

Too bad for Berdy he's showing better mental strength when his skills are starting to decline.

As for Roger, I agree with @GameSetAndMath: the fact that he wasn't lights out isn't a bad sign at all, but maybe even good - like he's holding his best for last.

@Shivashish Sarkar, saying Roger has a "decent chance" is the understatement of the year. He is still the clear favorite, and maybe not even by a close margin. It is Cilic, though, who has a decent chance in that it is greater than 0, but far less than even. Maybe 20-30%?

And don't forget that for Cilic to win, he has to play his absolute best AND Roger has to struggle. Roger might be a tad jittery due to the stakes and context, but the fact he won the AO against his nemesis will help calm those nerves and build his confidence.

Of course if Roger loses it will be kind of tragic, as this may be his last shot at a "smooth-sailing" Wimbledon title. Next year Novak could be back in form, and various young players could have taken a step forward, and Roger will be a year older. He really has to win this one, if he wants to get to #8.

 

[Federberg]

Too bad for Berdy he's showing better mental strength when his skills are starting to decline.

As for Roger, I agree with @GameSetAndMath: the fact that he wasn't lights out isn't a bad sign at all, but maybe even good - like he's holding his best for last.

@Shivashish Sarkar, saying Roger has a "decent chance" is the understatement of the year. He is still the clear favorite, and maybe not even by a close margin. It is Cilic, though, who has a decent chance in that it is greater than 0, but far less than even. Maybe 20-30%?

And don't forget that for Cilic to win, he has to play his absolute best AND Roger has to struggle. Roger might be a tad jittery due to the stakes and context, but the fact he won the AO against his nemesis will help calm those nerves and build his confidence.

Of course if Roger loses it will be kind of tragic, as this may be his last shot at a "smooth-sailing" Wimbledon title. Next year Novak could be back in form, and various young players could have taken a step forward, and Roger will be a year older. He really has to win this one, if he wants to get to #8.

Why on earth do you keep on trying to write the finale for this guy's career? I don't understand it. On one leg last year he got to the semi-final. He's played in the finals of the last two slams he's participated in. Where is the evidence.. at all.. that this could be his last chance. I really don't get it...

 

[Front242]

Why on earth do you keep on trying to write the finale for this guy's career? I don't understand it. On one leg last year he got to the semi-final. He's played in the finals of the last two slams he's participated in. Where is the evidence.. at all.. that this could be his last chance. I really don't get it...

Watch as he wins both Wimbledon and the US Open !

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Watch as he wins both Wimbledon and the US Open !

That would be a typical Fedal year (you take one, I take three).

 

[El Dude]

Why on earth do you keep on trying to write the finale for this guy's career? I don't understand it. On one leg last year he got to the semi-final. He's played in the finals of the last two slams he's participated in. Where is the evidence.. at all.. that this could be his last chance. I really don't get it...

You misunderstand. I said it MAY be his last chance at a "smooth-sailing" Wimbledon title - meaning, a relatively easy one. I am not counting him out for next year, just pointing out that this is a real window of opportunity without a great player on the other side of the net in any of his matches (I'm not saying he's had an easy draw as he's faced quite a few very good players, just no great ones).

If Roger is this good in 2017, I see no reason to think he'll crash so hard that he won't have a chance in 2018. I just don't think he'll have the red carpet he has right now. This tournament is his to lose.

 

[Federberg]

You misunderstand. I said it MAY be his last chance at a "smooth-sailing" Wimbledon title - meaning, a relatively easy one. I am not counting him out for next year, just pointing out that this is a real window of opportunity without a great player on the other side of the net in any of his matches (I'm not saying he's had an easy draw as he's faced quite a few very good players, just no great ones).

If Roger is this good in 2017, I see no reason to think he'll crash so hard that he won't have a chance in 2018. I just don't think he'll have the red carpet he has right now. This tournament is his to lose.

Well personally I'm done predicting how draws work out. I've seen draws that look brutal turn out to be easy. Easy ones turn out to be tough. Frankly I don't care if it's easy or not. I just want the dude to win! The AO was brutal, and to my mind I can't recall a slam win of his I've enjoyed as much. The toughness made it unforgettable! Screw easy...

 

[El Dude]

Well personally I'm done predicting how draws work out. I've seen draws that look brutal turn out to be easy. Easy ones turn out to be tough. Frankly I don't care if it's easy or not. I just want the dude to win! The AO was brutal, and to my mind I can't recall a slam win of his I've enjoyed as much. The toughness made it unforgettable! Screw easy...

I agree on all accounts. Just pointing out this is a great window of opportunity for him to get #8, not that he won't have more chances. Just probably not any as relatively easy or probable. Seems pretty uncontroversial to say.

But yeah, 2017 AO was my favorite Fed win too. I've re-watched that fifth set maybe half a dozen times or more.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Federer has lost 4 matches being 2 sets up.
Once in Davis cup
Once in Year End Championships
Twice in GS in 2011

• Lleyton Hewitt defeated Roger Federer 5-7 2-6 7-6(4) 7-5 6-1 in Davis Cup semis 2003.
• David Nalbandian defeated Roger Federer 6-7(4) 6-7(11) 6-2 6-1 7-6(3) in Tennis Master Cup Final 2005.
• Tsonga defeated Roger Federer 3-6 6-7(3) 6-4 6-4 6-4 in Wimbledon 2011 QF.
• Novak Djokovic defeated Roger federer 6-7 4-6 6-3 6-2 7-5 in US Open 2011 semis.

Hopeully, we did not miss anything else.