Roger Federer beat Rafael Nadal for the fifth time in a row–including four this year–with a 6-4, 6-3 triumph in the final of the Shanghai Rolex Masters on Sunday. The second-ranked Swiss cracked 10 aces without double-faulting, dropped only eight points in nine service games, and never faced a break point. He needed just one hour and 12 minutes to prevail.
A break in the opening game of the 38th career showdown between the two all-time greats Federer on his way. The 36-year-old consolidated it the whole way before breaking again for a 3-2 lead in the second set. Federer closed his dominant performance in style, breaking again at 5-3 to clinch victory.
Highlights:
This is Federer’s third Masters 1000 title of the season, having previously lifted trophies in Indian Wells and Miami. Federer and Nadal, of course, also split this year’s four Grand Slam titles.
“A lot has happened since and I was not here last year because of injury, so it is nice to be back in Shanghai, Federer noted. “[Nadal and I] didn’t think, maybe, we would have the year we have had. I definitely didn’t, so it is nice to share a court here with him here.”
It was lot nicer for Federer than it was for Nadal.
“It was a very difficult match for me,” the world No. 1 lamented. “He played very fast and he played well. I don’t know how many unforced errors he made. I could have done some things better, but that’s it. He just played too good. That’s my point of view. So congrats to him.
“I played a fantastic tournament, having very good wins; very pleased the way I played the whole Asian tour for me. Beijing and Shanghai have been a very positive two weeks for me. A lot of points, a lot of victories against great opponents. I come back with very good personal satisfaction the way that I played.”
Additional good news for Nadal is that he still leads Federer in the race for year-end No. 1 by almost 2,000 points. Nobody else is within 6,000 points of the race leader or within 4,000 of Federer.
Ramara i think thats the whole point of it, if you notice they always say this rumour appears to be false ….
I really think it’s time for Ricky to step in and put a stop to this insanity. There is a place for personal comments and non-tennis related discussion.
This is a continued violation of site rules. It’s interfering with our discussion about tennis.
Rules only work if they are actually enforced. This is stifling quality discussions about all things tennis.
Maybe deleting these off topic ranting posts will convey the message to Stanley. There is a place for this if need be. Then at least we can have our tennis discussions without having to read this drivel.
ignoring seems the only way to go and it does wonders, I came to the bottom of the thread in no time at all 🙂
I wish the rumours about Rafa being a daddy are true, about time Rafa!
I have a lot to say but let’s end this, i didn’t start this conversation but i happy it was brought up.
You have made your views clear and by the grace of God i have done my best, i have tried to tell you the Truth and nothing but the Truth.
Hold on to you beliefs and keep going to where you going, you will reach your destination soon, sooner than you know it.
God knows my heart towards you all and the sincerity of my love.
I love you, i will say it again, I LOVE YOU and i wish you no harm, but i know this, at the end we will all reap what we have sown.
A word is enough for the wise and those who hunger & thirst after righteousness will be filled.
If you sincerely seek after what is true, you will find it.
I love you & i care about all of you, i mean it.
Fed just posted a really heartfelt video message to Rafa congratulating him on the 1-year anniversary of his academy.
https://youtu.be/4Iqmd5hqt_s
And invited himself 🙂 I guess the last year union they had at Rafa’s Academy brought them a kind of luck and prosperity in the following season. So, maybe Rafa will invite him again.
Too much bromance. Too good to be true. They are rivals and so much bromance going on. I mean it’s good to see but the sport is so competitive that it is difficult to be friends till you compete and are the top of the notch. Not sure if it’s because of the sudden head to head gap decreasing or is it realization that few years left on tour that is promoting this. Or is it genuine liking (respect was always there no doubt )
Genuine respect and appreciation of one another, I feel. Also, Fed winning five in a row (all on HCs) perhaps had made him feel better about this rivalry. However, I feel the streak is about to end soon.
Frankly, I feel Rafa when he’s fresher (ie not playing B2B weeks at end of season) will do better on the HCs. He’s so good at Beijing (even though he said he didn’t like the balls there) but was a bit slow and a bit more defensive/passive when he played at Shanghai. On a quick HC, you can’t afford to be passive, and I feel he was like that vs Cilic and then Fed.
Fed didn’t play particularly well vs Gasquet and Delpo, but once he passed all those tests, he was able to bring his best in the final, not making many UEs and served very well in the final (he didn’t serve that well prior to that, not that Gasquet or Delpo were better ROS).
He definitely started off the tournament relatively rusty, but by the DelPo match he looked awesome, especially in the second and third sets. I actually thought he played really well in the first set, he just wasn’t getting any free points in his serve. The quality of tennis was extremely good on the first and second sets from both of them. DelPo just played a little better in the first set. I re-watched the whole thing yesterday, and I didn’t realize just how great that match was for much of it. That was the best I’ve seen DelPo hit his backhand since the surgeries. He was primarily hitting topspin backhands for a lot of the match, even hitting winners and forcing errors with it! Fed just overpowered him in the end. Mid-way through the second set, however, it was starting to look like Fed might not be able to pull that one off, but he really kicked it up another level in the second half of the match. And then, as we saw, he peaked in the final. I’m certain that the sets could have been more competitive had Rafa’s knee not been sore, but there is no way Fed would lose that match under any circumstances when he’s playing that well on a fast court with the roof closed. I really hope that Rafa’s knee will feel better after a couple weeks of rest. With the WTF court being significantly slower than Shanghai, he would naturally have a better shot at beating Fed than at Shanghai. It wont be a walk in the park for either Fed or Rafa to get to the final there, though. Guys like Zverev and Cilic are deadly in those conditions in best-of-three.
As for Basel, even though Rafa won’t be there, I think it actually has potential for some really competitive matches! DelPo is obviously pretty well matched-up with Fed this year, and he would go into a potential Basel match with Fed knowing as a two-time former champ who beat Fed both times in the final. Those Basel courts suit DelPo’s game just as well as Shanghai. If he can continue hitting his backhand better, he has an excellent shot at Basel. Also, Cilic looked awesome in Basel last year, and will go in with a lot of confidence this year as the defending champ. I think it could be an interesting tourny.
You have to factor in the fact that Delpo got frustrated with the crowd mid way through the second set in his SF match with Fed at Shanghai. I even think that had he kept his calm, he might beat Fed in straight sets!
The Shanghai court not only suits Fed, but also suits Delpo and Cilic. Cilic was also playing very well after his first two service games hiccups. Rafa wasn’t as brilliant in Shanghai compared to at Beijing (he had tough draws at both) , had to battle past Dimi again in consecutive weeks (and Dimi was playing very well!), very unlucky for a no.1 player to have such tough draws in two consecutive weeks.
I would say that had Rafa had an easier draw and he’s able to play like in the Beijing final, he might not lose to Fed. Rafa was far too predictable in that Shanghai final, unlike at Beijing where he mixed things up nicely to keep his opponents guessing. Where it mattered (ie at the Shanghai final) Rafa couldn’t deliver; that atrocious shot at BP in his first service game said it all.
And Rafa is saying, Fed does not need any invitation. Just check Rafa’s latest Facebook post. All over each other.
First time number 1 and number 2 are so likable to each other.
Coming back to tennis, If you consider year after Rafa’s early loss against FED in Aussie Open, Rafa has outshone everyone. It was expected that Fed would probably win Wimby after preparing for that tournament only.
Winning big apple has really swung the year in Rafa’s favor. He should go all out for WTF so that he keeps the edge.
Rafa outshone everyone in NYC and Beijing, no doubt. I would definitely say that Fed winning another Masters, against Rafa no less, has swung it back in his favor for now. Obviously Rafa could swing it back toward himself by winning either Paris or WTF, or both.
Rafa’s performance at FO stunned everyone! Nobody expected that kind of performance from him, it was even better than his 2008 FO.
Rafa was consistently good at the slams; even though he lost in R4 at Wimbledon, he lost to a red hot player who played consistently well for quite a while during the season, not some random player ranked in the 100s and did nothing before beating Rafa at Wimbledon. He won two slams, reached a final and a R4 ( better than Djoko’s 2016; or better than Djoko’s 2014 where Djoko won a slam, reached a final, a SF and a QF).
I hope Rafa wins at least the WTF if not both (including Paris) and finishes the year as YE no.1; he’s a worthy world no.1 having come a long way, given his poor seasons of 2015/2016.
A lot of people have said Federer is playing better than ever. I think Nadal, since the FO, has played the best tennis I have seen him play. I agree: simply the best at FO, even better than earlier in his career. I would have never thought that possible at the beginning of 2017.
On HC, Rafa has been much better than earlier in the season, and (I think), even better than 2013. The one exception is his serve, which hasn’t been quite as good this year as 2013, but still very good, vastly better than early in the season.
In my opinion, a WTF title would be the single biggest thing Nadal could accomplish at this point; it’s the one thing missing in his career. In terms of overall legacy, I would weight it more heavily than winning another slam.
Agree, WTF would complete his career.
I think they’ve always had that genuine respect for each other. I think it’s become more outward now because they are older, and in Fed’s case especially, are approaching the end of their careers. I bet when they’re both retired, they will truly become buddies, even if they don’t see each other that often.
If R. Federer wins basel & WTF, will he become #1?
What does Federer need to do, to become #1 this year?
I agree. I know Rafa has always admired Fed’s talents and achievements and he just plain likes other great sportsmen. And Federer genuinely likes other players and has always done his best to encourage the growth of tennis. Plus he just plain likes Rafa – Rafa amuses him, too. It’s obvious in the body language, especially when Rafa was younger, more of a kid. Fed could not stand next to him without throwing an arm around him.
Anyway, the Big Four really are special. At an interview for IPTL a few years ago, Rafa was asked which of the big four he’d like to have dinner with. He thought briefly, then said, “All of them. Why not? It’d be fun!” And I expect they will some day. 🙂
Fed said it himself, that when both of them retired, he wished to do exhos with Rafa, (maybe around the world, I guess) or be involved together in some tennis related endeavors.
This is a nice topic. We don’t compare them. Instead, discuss about their friendship. Coffee is good, but sometimes you want to enjoy the cream on top of it.
Like many tennis fans I am in total awe at the way these two continue to dominate the scene and hog the headlines.
Their rivalry will enter the history books as one of, if not the greatest in, the open era. We are truly blessed to have witnessed this clash between two outstanding sportsmen of their era.
Well said Ed.
Watching the repeat telecast of the Shanghai final; just finished the first set. Robbie Koenig said Rafa didn’t play poorly the first set, just the first service game. Precisely! What boneheaded point Rafa hit in the BP! All three BP chances in the first set that Fed had, happened in the first service game of Rafa! On a quick HC, losing one service game was enough to cost you a set!
Rafa also made the boneheaded mistakes of hitting right back to Fed, couldn’t even change the pattern of play. Fed had studied Rafa’s pattern of play so well that he knew where Rafa would hit or serve to. Rafa didn’t play poorly, just not playing wisely! Not that he would win, but at least made it more competitive, and at least paved a way for him ( at least confidence wise) to do better in future.