Comments
North Greenwich will be transformed into a miniature Swiss canton on Tuesday evening, when Roger Federer makes his entry to a tournament he has won six times. He is always the best-supported player at the O2 Arena, even when drawn against Andy Murray last year. But is he slowing down?
That was the suggestion made on Monday by Novak Djokovic, Federer’s opponent. Was it a knowing challenge to the authority of the great man?
Probably not, for Djokovic was simply offering his opinion on the question, “What has changed in Roger’s game this year?” But given the touchiness of Federer’s legion of fans, it was still a bold thing to say.
“From my point of view he hasn’t been moving as well this year as he did the year before and that’s one of the reasons why he hasn’t had much success this year,” said Djokovic. “But he is Roger Federer. He has had achieved so much in his career and he is never to be underestimated as long as he plays tennis.
“He has an incredible quality in his game. Even though he is moving maybe slower than he used to, he is still striking the ball really well. And if he strikes the ball well that day he can beat anyone.”
Related Articles
Djokovic and Nadal want new venue
04 Nov 2013
Comeback king Nadal in mood for final flourish
03 Nov 2013
Djokovic beats Ferrer in Paris
02 Nov 2013
Murray risked injury over fear of anti-British tag
02 Nov 2013
ATP World finals: the eight
02 Nov 2013
Faith powering Del Potro to success
02 Nov 2013
Djokovic is speaking from a position of strength, for he has won both his most recent meetings with Federer – the last one in Paris only three days ago.
In both cases, he came out with an obvious desire to convey the message “Move over, this is my time”.
Privately, Djokovic is frustrated that, despite spending the best part of two years as world No 1, he still lags far behind Federer on any survey of social media or global recognisability. He is discovering that excellence is not enough in men’s tennis these days, for Federer’s insouciant charm still casts a long shadow.
As for Federer himself, he recognises that 2013 has been a thin year. But would he acknowledge the argument that – at 32 years old and with 1,034 matches behind him – his powers might be waning? No chance; you might as well suggest that he dye his hair pink.
“I disagree with it because last year I was world No 1 at some point, and I was 31,” Federer told the BBC on Monday. “So at 32 you can’t play tennis any more? I just don’t believe in that quick a turnaround.”
Does he think that he can win an 18th grand slam next year? “The French Open is always going to be hard as long as Rafa Nadal is around,” Federer replied. “But on the other surfaces, if I am playing well, it’s more in my racket than in anybody else’s racket.”
While Federer inspires slavish devotion among the majority of sports fans, there has always been a small minority who react against his aura of total assurance – the sense that he could probably beat Felix Baumgartner’s free-diving record if he so chose, or captain a clipper to the America’s Cup.
Yet Federer could not have achieved everything he has in the game without fancying himself just a little. His certainty is his armour, and as long as it endures, he will not even consider the question of retirement. Setbacks are temporary; the quest for glory goes on.
On Tuesday evening, Federer will certainly believe that he can reverse the recent pattern against one of his most dangerous rivals. A point in his favour is the short turnaround between this tournament and the previous one. Djokovic came in on the Eurostar on Sunday night and has had only the briefest chance to prepare.
“It is right away the biggest challenge I could have,” said Djokovic. “To recover and get ready for these conditions and try to play as well as I did in Bercy.”
There will be a similar situation in Tuesday’s first singles match, which bizarrely also recreates one of Saturday’s semi-finals from Paris. In this case, Nadal will be the slightly more rested player, for he suffered a rare loss to his opponent David Ferrer last week.
“For the moment I didn’t adapt very well
View the Original article
