And then there was one.
Well, six players remain in the men’s singles draw at the U.S. Open. But, improbably, only one of those six is a member of the prestigious Big 3. Rafael Nadal stands alone in that department after Roger Federer got upset by Grigor Dimitrov 3-6, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the quarterfinals on Tuesday night.
Federer’s loss followed a third-set retirement by Novak Djokovic, who trailed Stan Wawrinka two sets to love in their fourth-round contest on Sunday.
“Not much,” the 38-year-old Swiss said when asked what it meant to have two of the big three gone from the tournament.
Federer did not have much left in the tank for a fifth set against Dimitrov after taking a medical timeout just prior to fifth for an upper-back and/or neck issue. The 20-time major champion got somewhat close to the finish line leading two sets to one and battling admirably in the fourth, but a dramatic service hold by Dimitrov late in the penultimate set gave the world No. 78 momentum he would not relinquish.
Dimitrov broke serve right away in the decider and Federer at that point was in no physical condition to mount a comeback.
“I felt very comfortable from the first point, despite the fact that I was missing a little bit here and there,” the Bulgarian assessed. “I had a few opportunities. I kept on believing in what I had to do, in my game-plan. I was moving really well. I was hitting my backhand pretty good, changing up the shots. One of the only things for me was try to keep him as much as possible on the court. I did that very well. A lot of long games. Yeah, clearly in the end he was not at his best. I used every opportunity I had.
“This is Grigor’s moment,” Federer noted. “Not my body’s moment, so… it’s okay…. (I) had a little bit (of the injury) this afternoon. That’s it. I was able to play. It’s okay. It’s how it goes. I tried my best. By far not too bad to give up or anything. Grigor was able to put me away. I fought with what I had. That’s it.”
And while that’s it for two of the Big 3 in New York, Dimitrov advances to a surprising semifinal showdown against Daniil Medvedev. The hottest player on tour, who reached finals in Washington, D.C., Montreal, and Cincinnati (champion), beat Wawrinka in four sets earlier on Tuesday.
“I haven’t looked that closely,” Dimitrov said of Medvedev. “I’ve just seen him a little bit in the background here, how he has played. Clearly he’s doing something right. Again, it’s not going to be an easy match. I have a good day tomorrow and here we go again.”
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wow
Ricky, you are normally quite good with predictions. But yesterday you and many others, too, got it wrong with both matches : Medvedev put away Wawa, which is IMO not such a big surprise, considering that Medvedev is on a roll and Wawa still isn’t quite as strong as before his injury time-out. But that Dimi, who was in a truly deep funk, slayed Fed, is extremely surprising. I didn’t see that coming at all, although Fed has had a few more off-days more in this season. I didn’t see the match. Therefore I can’t say if Dimi was playing extremely well and was simply too strong for an aging Fed, or if Fed was seriously hampered by an undisclosed injury. Whatever – everybody predicted a mouth watering semi-final clash of the giants Novak and Fed. Dimi vs Medvedev will probably cause the tv quote quote to plummet steeply. But for die-hard tennis fans it is a very intriguing match-up, since it features the generations which will rule when the Big Three are gone. And if the match turns out to be good, it might increase the interest in the younger generation.
Well I said that Federer won’t make the SFs but some didn’t see who can take him out. It was never about the other guy, it was always about Federer stumbling. He played too much and, worse, lost too much this year. Sure, he was all but guaranteed to make it into R3, but then he needed three consecutive good matches and that did not happen. Though I expected that Djokovic crashing out injured would boost Federer’s game, that wasn’t enough.
Anyway, I doubt that Federer could have beaten Medvedev after two rest days, and nor will Dimitrov as long as the Russian is in decent physical condition.
Cristian P, after Fed lost to Rublev in Cincy I had also serious doubts that Fed would make it into the final, since his draw was easy only in the first few rounds. And as you say, too, Fed has had too many off-days during this season. Age is definitely catching up with him now. And I also expected lingering negative consequences because of his heartbreaking loss of the Wimby final thriller. It’s very interesting btw that both Wimby finalists – Fed and Novak – underperformed in Cincy and in NY. But after Novak retired I had picked Medvedev as a potential Fed-slayer – certainly not Dimi, who was in a deep funk for most of the season. And I fully expect to see Medvedev and not Dimi in the final.
If Medvedev really makes it into the final the NY audience will be thrilled, lol, because they picked him as their favorite villain after Kyrgios’ exit!
A final featuring Rafa and Daniil could be good. I fully expect that Medvedev won’t go down as meekly as in Toronto.
Hopefully Rafa doesn’t catch the upset virus, too! On paper Rafa is the overwhelming title favorite now, since none of the remaining players in his half are even remotely in his league. But one never knows, and there are still three matches which have to be played before he can lift the trophy, and Schwartzman, Monfils and Dimi, too, have given him occasionally a lot of trouble – like in the thrilling semi of the AO 2017, where Dimi threw everything plus the kitchen sink at Rafa. And Schwartzman is one of the few players who managed to snatch a set from Rafa at the FO. He definitely knows how to cause trouble for Rafa.
Rubbish. It was always about the other guy. Unfortunately for Fed he ran into someone primed (right age and maturity, right venue, right surface, right form) to get a big win over him.
Sometimes a period of bad performance can precede a peak career performance which is what happened with Dimitrov.
If Rafa go over schwartzman which is very likely but could be interesting he will not have problems with Monfiels or Berrettini that i am sure of it. Than in final we will see but if Rafa is 100% and playing at his best no one will touch him….
Fed should’ve seen this coming. At some point during their careers Dimitrov was going to turn the tables on him. What better time than at 28 yrs on Dimitrov’s best surface at the venue Fed has been struggling most in recent times.
Fed was shell shocked in the final set. Dimitrov didn’t take a backward step and took to Fed. The psychological effect of that strategy alone cannot be underestimated.
I only started watching in set 4, but in the 5th set Fed’s level was so low that a lot of the tour would’ve beaten him. I’m not sure if it was the back playing up or what, but he basically conceded that set after the injury TO.
From what I saw of the rest, Dimitrov played very well, but not well enough that he looks like challenging Nadal. If Medvedev were fully fit I’d definitely be tipping him, but I’m not sure where he’s at physically. It’s certainly a great opportunity for someone to make a final… and get the honour of being belted by Nadal.
Rafa fans who are superstitious may not like hearing it but he deserves to be the favourite by a huge margin.
I watched the first 3 sets and went to bed with Dimi up a break in the 4th. Federer had some odd mishits in the first 3 sets, but seemed to be moving and playing well in general. He also hit some brilliant shots. Dimi was playing well, much more like his old self. He was fighting better than he used to, I think, but I had no reason to think this match would turn out any differently than his last 7 matches v Fed.
I regret that we won’t see a fit Roger play Medvedev. Would have been interesting. Not to mention no Fedal at the USO. Again. 🙁
Thanks for the info about the match.
I have to say I had a feeling Fed would lose…but I often do as I’m pessimistic like that. Part of it is that he just seems less consistent these days, which is natural. In the first two rounds he looked poor, then all of a sudden he raised his game and really looked better against Evans & Goffin, even despite their poor performances. He hit some great forehands in both those matches, better than he has for a while.
It’ll be interesting to see how Dimitrov backs it up. I don’t think he will have any fear of Medvedev, he really seems to playing with a lot of freedom after a serious rankings slide.
And I agree, it’s all quite anti-climactic now with Roger & Djokovic gone. Still good news for Rafa fans though, a slam win is a slam win.
Ok, yesterday I didn’t sleep till morning. I am will express my opinion as my head is clearer now.
I like Dimi, but an in form Fed or Rafa would have beaten him in 3, max 4 sets. I think Dimi’s level is not good enough to win vs Medvedev, not to mention Rafa.
What was wrong with Fed is my question. I assume the regret of losing the Wimby final is the main cause…
That’s not the level Fed usually plays. He’d normally close it in 3. He looked as if he doesn’t want to be there, and is looking forward to leave USO.
I said that Dimi’s level is not impressive. However, I liked his enthusiasm and desire to win. That’s what Fed didn’t have and made the difference. It’s all mental. When your thoughts of anxiety or worry are hindering you, it’s like fighting with the air. He was not present there yesterday. Maybe it’s time to say good-bye to tennis and do something more useful for himself and his family.