It will be an all-Swiss affair when friends and familiar foes Stan Wawrinka and Roger Federer square off in the Australian Open semifinals on Thursday. Federer emerged from a quarter of the draw that included Andy Murray and Kei Nishikori.
Stan Wawrinka and Roger Federer will be facing each other for the 22nd time in their careers when they battle for a place in the Australian Open title match on Thursday night.
Federer is dominating the head-to-head series 18-3 and he has never lost to his fellow Swiss on a hard court. All three of Wawrinka’s victories have come on clay; twice at the Monte-Carlo Masters (2009 and 2014) and once on the way to his 2015 French Open triumph. They have not met in more than a full year, as Federer most recently prevailed 7-5, 6-3 in the semis of the 2015 World Tour Finals.
Last season was a tough one for the 35-year-old, with a knee problem sending him tumbling all the way out of the top 16. That left him at the mercy of the Aussie draw, and he found himself in the same quarter as Andy Murray, Kei Nishikori, and Tomas Berdych. Federer got past Berdych (straight sets) and Nishikori (five) before avoiding Murray, who was stunned by unseeded German Mischa Zverev. The 17-time Grand Slam champion promptly ended Zverev’s run 6-1, 7-5, 6-2 in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.
“Against Roger it’s always special because he’s so good,” Wawrinka noted. “He’s the best player of all time. He has answer for everything. But I managed to beat him in a Grand Slam, so we’ll see. Most important is that I step on the court and I play my best tennis…. He’s playing so well since the beginning of the tournament. He had a little bit some hesitation in the [first two] rounds, but since that he’s really flying on the court.”
Wawrinka has progressed in similar fashion. The world No. 4 struggled against Martin Klizan (five sets) and Viktor Troicki (one point from going to a fifth set), but posted more convincing wins over Steve Johnson, Andreas Seppi, and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on his way to the last four. Wawrinka is through to the semis Down Under for the third time in his career and he is ultimately looking for his second title (2014) and fourth overall at a major.
“I think [Stan] and [Rafael Nadal] know my game (better than anyone else),” Federer commented. “Stan and I practiced so much together. With Rafa, I only practiced once in my life, whereas with Stan, I can’t even keep count anymore. Yeah, I guess those two guys know me very well.”
What Wawrinka knows is that his game does not match up well with that of his countryman. He does not have the heavy topspin to pound away at Federer’s one-handed backhand, which Nadal does with consistency. His backhand down the line can be combatted by Federer’s signature running forehand. Most importantly, Wawrinka lacks belief; he is well away of his futility against Federer on every surface other than clay.
This is not necessarily the 17-time major champion’s “last best” chance to win a major, but it is certainly an amazing opportunity. He won’t let it go to waste–not against Wawrinka at least.
Pick:Â Federer in 4
[polldaddy poll=9645867]
[polldaddy poll=9645868]
who ya got?
Interesting comment from Fed about Stan and Rafa knowing his game better than anyone. Stan because he practices with him and Rafa because he doesn’t? 🙂
Oh yeah, Fed in 4. Color me a believer!
Wawrinka in 5
wow
Fed in 3.
Fed is CryBaby’s tennis daddy. 18-3 overall (only losses on slower clay), 13-0 on hard court. 28-4 (0.875 pct) in sets played on hard court.
Fed in 3.
This isn’t the same Wawrinka of old, Fed is now facing a 3-time major champion and I’m sure Wawrinka will want to make that point very clear.
Should be a great match.
Fed hasn’t been tested yet. All his opponents are in terrible form or such a bad matchup that Fed doesn’t even think he can lose.
Wawrinka will test Fed throughout.
Plus the courts are playing very slow, that plays into Wawrinka’s hands.
No they are playing faster this year with a lighter ball with tighter felt. Stan gonna get schooled (just like the one here)….
ROGER Federer says the fast court speed on Rod Laver Arena could be behind the stunning series of results at this year’s event which has seen himself and other grass court specialists thrive.
Reports of faster courts than previous years were largely dismissed as a determining factor heading into this year’s event, but it has been a major contributing factor in the bizarre results seen during the opening nine days, including the shock eliminations of Angelique Kerber, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic.
Federer said it has been 15 years since the court speed at the Australian Open, now played on a Plexicushion surface, has increased.
He said any player who grew up playing tennis before tennis shifted towards slower courts and longer rallies around 2005 has a huge advantage of being more familiar with the quicker velocity balls have been flying at — especially on Rod Laver Arena — this week.
http://www.news.com.au/sport/tennis/talking-points-from-day-nine-of-the-australian-open/news-story/fb8e9f54f3d77c1a5c7c01cbd7710cca
My bad, I read it wrong. Looks like Fed might have the advantage this year then.
Fed in 4 is the likely result but I want Wawrinka to win.
No worries.
A set at most IMO.
I just hope to God you are right.
new posters FTW
Will that include our dear boy Rafa? Rafa started playing in the main tour in 2003, playing in futures, challengers in 2001/2002, would that count?
I’m sure Rafa had played on quicker courts back in 2004 and then 2005 (won the Madrid indoor HC Masters). Surely he’s ok at least with the quick surface, having survive to QF so far?
Fed in four
Bet $1000 on federer?
Up to you. Wawrinka hasn’t dropped a set last 2 matches against handy opponents.
That would worry me if I was having a bet on Fed.
Fed has looked like young Fed this tournament. Serving unbelievable, hopping around like a kid out there. And he’s hungry, having been away from his beloved tennis for so long.
Fed in 4 or Wawa in 5
Wawa yelling at Tsonga was so inappropriate. He really was rude! I wonder if he would have been so “vocal” if it was Kyrgios on the other side of the net as most of us expected!
Fed over nervous and frustrated Crybaby in 4
will be great tennis…Fed in 3!
No pick, just want Fed to lose.
Wow hardly anyone expecting Stan to win here..Lot of respect for Fed 🙂
That said since courts are playing fast and Stan still has a mental block against Fed and has not beaten him outside clay, Fed in 4
Stan was 2 time champion even during USO2015..but it just did not matter. He lost tamely.
Anyways iF Fed passes Wawrinka, he wil be crushed by Nadal in straight sets..He can avoid his head to head with Nadal from getting far worse..from 9 – 2 in grandslams to 10 – 2.
Ricky which team do you think will win the super bowl?
We will
Don’t let tom brady hear that.
On paper Fed should win, but better let it go if he wants to prevent Rafa getting 18 slams and beat his record.
The only way is to let Wawa fighting for him.
He would never believe he could beat Rafa if they were to meet in final, zero chance.
Only Wawa has a chance to beat Rafa as he is fearless in GS final.
Don’t be so sure that Fed will lose to Rafa if they meet.Nothing is sure ever. Things can change anytime
How could you say zero chance? If you go on their overal head-to-head, then sure Rafa is by far the favorite. But everyone is saying that this court is playing very fast- some even going as far as to say the fastest on tour. If this court is playing as fast as indoor hard courts or grass, then you really can’t say that Federer has “zero chance” when the head-to-head on traditionally fast courts (indoor hard and grass) is 7-2 in Federer’s favor. I’m not saying that Federer should be the favorite. I just think it’s pretty ridiculous to suggest that it would be a guaranteed win for Rafa. Also, Federer is playing much more aggressively than he was when Rafa last beat him. Like I said the other day- if Federer insists on staying back and trying to slug it out from the baseline like he always did against Rafa, then he won’t stand a chance. But if continues playing the more aggressive game he has been playing this far at this tournament and comes to the net a lot more, then he absolutely stands a chance. That being said, I do think that it would be Rafa’s match to win or lose, especially being a best-of-five match.
not buying the ‘it is impossible for fed to beat Rafa’ but would like to say that never confuse indoor courts and quick outdoor hard courts. They are very different. Rafa has even beaten Fed on the quick courts of Cincinnati.
The courts are playing quick but I don’t think they are that quick. Fed will need to execute a super-aggressive game plan to take Nadal down.
Anyway,first let’s see whether Fed has a good enough game plan for Stan tomorrow!
I can be very wrong here, but I think Stan is not going to even put up a fight.
Federer is 18-3 against Wawrinka, with those three losses coming on clay. He hasn’t lost to Stan on hardcourt in 13 meetings. It wasn’t always easy, but those times where it was a struggle, those matches were on rather slow HCs – Indian Wells 2013, WTF 2014 (4 matchpoints for Stan). This year, the courts at Melbourne are playing reportedly faster.
Of course there are some age issues, but I think a lot of people forget that Stan is also over thirty. He’s three and a half year younger than Fed – is it much? Both yes and no. However, I heard a lot before the Nishikori vs Federer match that if it goes into the fifth set, Kei will have the advantage. This opinion turned out wrong, because in the fifth it was actually Kei who barely moved at times and took MTO, while Fed was looking fresh, just like in the beginning.
Federer probably also has the mental edge, plus Wawrinka hasn’t played evening session at Rod Laver Arena yet, while Federer played 5 out of 5 matches on RLA, 4 out of 5 being in the evening session.
If Federer plays agressive enough, it’s gonna be like that US Open semis 2015. I think Roger is too intelligent and has too good of a team to come out on court with a poor tactical plan. If he grinds from the baseline, goes backhand to backhand with Stan, he will lose. We also know that Stan needs time to prepare his groundstrokes, to get into his rhythm, and Fed is one of those players who hit the ball early and feel comfortable playing without any rhythm to make their opponents feel uncomfortable.
Therefore, I don’t think Wawrinka even takes a set.
Are courts slower at night compared to day ? That’s what I read sumwhere..anyone can clarify ?
courts aren’t, conditions are
Very Difficult to Predict.
if courts are very fast then Roger will win.
Otherwise 50-50.
will be medium pace most likely. Slower at night.
Anyone who is taken to 5 sets by Seppi cannot beat an in form Federer.
well Federer isn’t playing Kyrgios, so……..
who got taken to 5 sets by Seppi?! lol. Stan beat Seppi in 3 sets…
I got Fed in 5. I hope it’s a great match. I wouldn’t be surprised if Stan wins. Fed is playing great, but let’s not forget he has been out for 6 months and he is 35. Stan is usually very good at this time of the tournament. All that being said, I’m going with who I want to win and the sentimental choice of Fed.
Yeah, I don’t necessarily think that they are playing like indoor hard courts. I just don’t think that people should take for granted how much better Roger plays against Rafa, whether he beats him or not, when the courts are fast. I just think it’s ridiculous to say that Roger Federer has “zero chance” of beating anybody when he’s playing well. That being said, I actually think that it’s a 50/50 toss-up between Fed and Stan. I can see why people would think that Roger will wipe the floor with him like he always has on this surface, but this is the Australian Open and Stan always plays so well in the later rounds there and has recently won it. Anyone who could beat the 3-time defending champion Djokovic at the Australian Open on the way to the title has a very, very good shot at beating anyone in the SF!
That last comment was meant to be a reply to vamosrafa. Sorry, I’m a newbie and am still figuring this site out!
Agreed. When Fed is in the zone, he can cause serious damage to Rafa as well and Rafa knows that too!
Well, stan’s game stacks up much better against Novak but I agree that this is AO and stan can do wonders here against Roger as well. I’d say Roger is the favourite but if Stan’s baseline game is red hot tomorrow, he may well win it. If the courts really are playing quick, then adv Federer but can’t rule stan the man out.
Fed in 3
I would never say that Fed has zero chance of beating Rafa! I do think that it is important to make a distinction between indoor hard courts and even the fast, low bouncing hard courts of the Asian swing, as opposed to outdoor hard courts like st the AO.
They posted the h2h with Rafa and Dimi and he did beat Rafa in Beijing. I am not sure but I think he also beat him somewhere else. But beating Rafa on courts like in Beijing or Shanghai is different than playing him st the AO.
I think Rafa will have the answers in the next match with Dimi. As for Fed and Stan, I would not rule out Stan. He has done well at the AO. It is true that he is a tougher matchup for Novak, but if he gets his power game going, he can be dangerous.
I have to believe that Fed will pull out all the stops to win and get to another slam final.
I’m so sick of listening to Fed’s fake post-match interviews. “I love him, he’s great, I love him blah blah blah”. Wawrinka just calls it like it is.
C’mon Wawrinka!
Stan not winning this, he looked sluggish from the get go; Fed OTOH, looked so fired up, rearing to go. Fed is beating Stan now with his varieties and net rushing; Stan just continued to camp at the baseline allowing Fed so much space to work with.
Fed certainly worked on his game esp his footwork during his long break; he’s moving so much better and quicker than Stan could ever dreamed of.
Stan turning the tables
The drop that happened to Fed was literally unbelievable.
He led 7-5 6-3 1-1, hasn’t been broken all match and then he loses six games in a row doing some crazy stuff like five forehand unforced errors in eight points. However, he seems to be back on the right track. At least, I hope he is.
not sure why this is going into moderation
Why isn’t stan pointing to his head and roaring? lol
Showing respect for Fed, I suppose.
so who is winning this now?
Stan’s won 71% second serves in this match. SICK stat
Uh oh. Fognini
Don’t worry Fed has his own to remember: Tsonga in Wimbledon 2011
And USO2011 SF vs Djoko.
haha yes… That was at least against Djoko.
Anyway, Fed is through to the final! another 5-setter but this one was just over 3 hours so not demanding at all. Well doe to Fed! He has played a fantastic tournament.
Now, Rafa needs to do his part! Please don’t lose to Dimi, Rafa. The title is yours to take now.
How are you so sure vr rafa won’t lose to Fed? This is different Fed and Rafa now
Sanju, will comment on this if Rafa is able to beat Dimi tomorrow.
so fed toughs it out. thought he was going to lose…..
stan had the better winner to unforced errors ratio in the end which is surprising. usually stan hits lots of winners but also a ton of unforced errors.
Fed seems to have more belief with his bigger racket to play Rafa in another GS final.
Looking back, he did beat Rafa with his bigger racket in Basel in 2015.
That was indoor hardcourt, and this is outdoor hardcourt slam.
Will he be ready for it?
Hope he does not go back crying second time.
bet brad gilbert and chris fowler were down on their knees praying that fed would go through in that last set.
they’ll be sacrificing to the gods tonight in the hope of getting a fedal final. network heaven for them…
Stan was BAD in the 5th set after 2-2. Fed saving that break point was crucial
so did stan lack belief in the end vr?? he did at least fight back to take it to 5…
amy,
well he didn’t go away even after losing two sets so in that sense you can say he has self-belief. I guess he just did a bad job of handling nerves in that moment. Missing that break point and then facing pressure on his own serve was too much for him in that moment I guess.
stan has been bad at handling his nerves for a good while now vr. he may have won uso but has fallen to pieces in many matches last year where he could have played a lot better. his capacity to suddenly get in a mood out of nowhere and implode spectacularly is quite something…
nice to see you btw vr – i don’t seem to have talked to you in a long time. the site is so much better when you are here…!
Nice fake injury timeout Fed.
Looking forward to Nadal taking care of business in the final.
I laugh every time Ricky mocks someone for their pick on a match. Ricky is a good writer who does know his tennis, but his picks are normally garbage overall. I remember him trying to be a handicapper for covers.com a few years, and it was awful if you followed his picks.
hahaha Fed’s interview was cool. And he said he is the biggest fan of Rafa’s game.
Dear Rafa, please make sure you make it to the final.
Regards
Unreal. This even trumps rafas comeback in 2013. To reach a final in the first tourney back after injury is just unreal. And hearing his post match he is so much more humble now but hope it stays that way if he wins the open too
Vmk, yes he is off to a wonderful start but Rafa’s 2013 was excellence throughout the year. He won slams and ended the year at no.1. Fed’s just made a final yet so let’s see how it goes.
Yes vr definitely but it was at age 27. This man is beating players of in their twenties and the top players like there is no tomorrow?.
Berdych is in a slump; Kei should have won the first set at 6-2 but took it only in a TB wasting precious energy hence he ran out of steam and reinjured his hip in the fifth set.
Fed had an easy opponent in the QF; Stan is the only major obstacle but he managed to tough it out.
Rafa had AlexZverev, Monfils, Raonic and now Dimitrov. He’s 30 and also on an injury comeback so he’s faring not too bad too.
What’s with the top ten these days? No.1 and 2 knocked out in first week, no. 7 too. No. 10, 5, 4 knocked out by a 35 yo guy, and no.6 and 3 by a 30 yo guy. Time for fresh faces in the top ten. Goffin the first fresh face in top ten this year.
Er….Berdych is 31, Stan too, M Zverev is 30, Melzer as old as Fed I think. So only Kei and Rubin (or is he a teenager?) are in twenties.
Exactly VR. Rafa made it to final at his first tournament though it’s just a 250 but he went on to win Brazil, Acapulco, IW, final of MC and then won Barcelona, Madrid, Rome and FO! He only lost early at Wimbledon and then went on to win Montreal, Cincy and USO, reached final of Beijing and claimed the no. 1 ranking, reached another final at WTF too.
Rafa had a more serious injury then than Fed had last year; Fed in fact had started training for a while during the break, hence he’s physically fresh and fit now.
Feds injury timeout to halt momentum was master stroke
He will be full of confidence after winning two 5 setters
The quality of this match was very poor though. Filled with errors.
However that means Fed can peak in final
Congrats to Fed. So three veteran multi slam winners through to the final(s); Rafa please join them and plays in the final on Sunday. Make it one better than Fed on comebacks by winning the title.
Stan just making too much careless mistakes in the final set. He had Fed on the rope a few times but Fed just served well and hung tough.
If it is Rafa in the final, I like Rafa’s chances for the title; he is a better big match player than Stan. If its Dimi then I think Fed will win his no.18th slam.
stan have beat the nightmare of Rafa Novak djokovic in two GS finals and even to Rafa in one final.. im sure Stan is a great big match player…dont take merits from Fed
he was tough today…but not tough enough
Are you serious? You want to compare Stan to Rafa? Rafa could beat Fed in slam finals, Stan couldn’t beat Fed in a slam SF.
Fed’s merit was to tough it out in the fifth. He could have finished the match well before the fifth set but played poorly to lose the third set. Stan really didn’t do much to win the third.
Also i think it is time law of averages catches up and fed wins a gs final after losing three in a row.
Another thought could we have the teverse of 2009 fed winning in five rafa in three in the semis and fed defeating rafa in five in the finals?
Don’t think Fed could last a five setter and beat Rafa in it. Like I said, Rafa has good chances of winning if he makes it to the final.
Fed not as good as in 2012 and 2014, he has to finish matches quickly, lapses like in the third set today can be very costly in the final.
Fed’s mental is not really there if he plays Rafa.
First serve % will drop to below 50% compared to his first serve when playing others.
Stan never plays to his potential against Fed, he has a mental block that will last his whole career (which is disappointing).
Nadal will destroy Fed in the final. I predict 3:0 or 3:1.
Looks like the bookies will be giving 2/1 also
First, Rafa is not in the final yet so we should all be focused on Dimi! If Rafa is aggressive and stays focused, but also firing FHs and dictating points instead of let Dimi do that, he should be fine. At this stage of the tourney every opponent is dangerous.
I disagree Dimi will be more relaxed or have “nothing to lose” attitude! In fact he has everything to lose. This is his chance to reach his first GS final so he will be nervous. Rafa should capitalize on that and avoid his usual slow start!
As for Fed I totally agree Wawa is his puppet and has huge inferior complexes and mental barrier when facing Fed. Even when Fed lost two sets I kept telling people around me that Fed was gonna win at the end.
Fed is high on confidence. Playing well! Add to it great draw, faster surface to suit his game, night matches, two days of rest before the finals…what more can he ask for…
“Fed is high on confidence. Playing well! Add to it great draw, faster surface to suit his game, night matches, two days of rest before the finals…what more can he ask for…”
None of this accounts for the mental edge Nadal has over him and the lefty to right-handed single backhand advantage.
Fed crumbles against players he doesnt have the mental edge over.
The bookies are giving money away @ 2.50 for Nadal to win the final.
Fed Jnr will be the first and then Fed Snr.
Agreed. But one match at the time for Rafa and his fans! We had too much of the painful times and can’t afford to get ahead of ourselves…
Mark, I agree with you that the mental edge has always been a huge factor for Fed vs. Rafa in slams. I wonder how Rafa will do mentally in terms of not having been 1 win away from a major title in over two and a half years. I would think that it is won’t make much of a difference. Rafa is arguably the most mentally tough player of all-time, so I don’t like to compare him to other people. But history has shown that sometimes people can want something so much that they actually think too much and it affects them negatively. That being said, I would like to think that this won’t happen to Rafa. I just can’t help but be a little worried about it for Rafa when he hasn’t been his close to the big title in so long (for his standard). What do you think about this?
If Rafa reaches final nerves will grapple both of them. One chasing no 18 that he has been waiting for 4.5 years and other double career slam which is a huge milestone in itself .
So Fed ended up winning in the end. I only stay up for Rafa! I thought he would get through. Now it’s up to Rafa to do his part.
I am not going to talk about Rafa and Fed until Rafa beats Dimi! First things first! We know Rafa’s big advantage in the H2h with Fed in slams. History will be made no matter what in the final.
I have to believe that Rafa can see the finish line and will show that mental toughness and fight.
Vamos Rafa. Do your best and take care of Dimi.
Nadal is in a zone. I watched the highlight against Raonic again just now. Nadal is hitting winners like he did in the 2008 Wimbeldon Final.