The Rome title will come down to Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer on Sunday. Djokovic has triumphed three times at this event, while Federer is still in search of his first Rome winner’s trophy.
Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer will be squaring off for the 39th time in their careers when they battle for the Internazionali BNL d’Italia title on Sunday afternoon.
Federer is leading the head-to-head series 20-18, including 4-3 on clay. The top two players in the world most recently faced each other on the slow stuff last year in Monte-Carlo, where Federer prevailed 7-5, 6-2. They have already met twice this season, splitting a pair of final showdowns. After Federer got the job done 6-3, 7-5 in Dubai, Djokovic pulled out a 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-2 victory in Indian Wells.
Federer has been the undisputed best and most consistent player throughout the week. The second-ranked Swiss has advanced with straight-set wins over Pablo Cuevas, Kevin Anderson, Tomas Berdych, and Stan Wawrinka (Wawrinka had upset Rafael Nadal in the quarters). He is 25-4 on the year with titles in Brisbane, Dubai, and earlier during this clay-court swing in Istanbul.
“I feel like I have a chance to play well for sure,” Federer commented. “Novak is not Rafa on clay, so it’s a different situation. I’ve done fairly well in the past against him. We played here twice before and I lost both times, so it’s up to me to put in a good performance.”
Federer is correct about Djokovic not being Rafa; Djokovic is far better than Rafa right now. Although he endured a tougher trek to the final than Federer, Djokovic raised his level when it mattered most on every occasion. The top-seeded Serb beat Nicolas Almagro 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-3, Thomaz Bellucci 5-7, 6-2, 6-3, and Kei Nishikori 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 before finally taking care of business in straight sets against David Ferrer on Saturday.
None of Federer’s previous opponents play defense at anywhere near the level of Djokovic, who has lost to the 33-year-old on anything other than a fast hard court only once in the last three years. The No. 1 seed should always have the edge on this surface against Federer thanks to his ability to extend points ultimately break down his opponent from the back of the court.
Pick: Djokovic in 2
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http://m.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2015/05/19/Rome-Final-Federer-Reaction.aspx
With victory over Roger Federer in Sunday’s Internazionali BNL d’Italia final, Novak Djokovic extended his run of dominance at the most prestigious tournaments on the ATP World Tour.
The Serb is a perfect 37-0 in Grand Slams, ATP World Tour Masters 1000s and the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals since last November, but if you ask Federer, nine-time champion Rafael Nadal is still the favourite to hoist the Roland Garros trophy once again. Speaking to press following a 6-4, 6-3 defeat to the World No. 1, the Swiss admitted that while Djokovic is playing the best tennis of his career, there is no counting out the King of Clay in his home away from home.
“You cannot take away the past 10 years,” said Federer. “It’s going to be best-of-five sets. We know how tough Rafa is physically and mentally. He is the favourite still to me. Novak at this point probably has to win, with the results he’s shown this year. It feels similar to 2011 when he didn’t lose the whole year.
“Maybe Rafa isn’t having the same success as before but nevertheless that remains the situation for me. But it’s all talk because in the end his racquet’s going to do the talking.”
The players know what is going on with Rafa. They are not blind. However, I think that Fed has real respect for Rafa. He’s being diplomatic about it. I don’t know, maybe he actually believes it but I find that hard to believe.
There are no secrets in the locker room. They have seen Rafa play just the way we fans have this year.
I would expect some unfortunate Novak fans to try to take shots at Rafa and his fans. They know that this is a tough time for us. But that only reflects on them. I am not going to even bother getting into it.
I give Novak credit for what he’s done so far this year. I agree with him that this is his best year since 2011. He’s done what he had to do to be ready. Rafa helped his cause by dissembling. You can see it in Novak’s body language and sense it when he’s playing. You start to think that you can’t lose.
Novak’s not talking his chances up too much at RG. I think maybe he learned from past years. There is only one player who can take him out, the guy who’s done it up till now. But that player is not himself these days.
One more final thought. I really, really miss the real Rafa. 🙁
Djokovic on whether he’d prefer to play against Nadal in the quarterfinals or in final at RG?
“I have no preferences, I’ve never won against him in Paris so if I don’t play against him, it’s better. Sometimes it seems like his game improves while the tournament proceeds. Nobody would like to play against him, me neither. It’s better if others play against him, but I have to be ready for any challenge. If I find him in the quarterfinals it’s okay, but I can’t focus on this thought”.
Djokovic has to be the clear favorite going into RG. However, he may feel a different kind of pressure this time. Remember the pressure federer faced when rafa was knocked out in 2009? Federer ALMOST lost to Haas…then he went down two sets to one against a young Del Potro in the semis before peaking in the final when he could see the finish line! One could say he was not in great form as he struggled in second and third round matches too but I think the match againts Haas was a perfect demonstration what burden of expectations can do.
Djokovic now feels this is the year he can get it done. He has been very close but now rafa is not at this best. Additional pressure could definitely creep in ! If he plays against nishikori in the qtr final, a red-hot murray in the semis, things could get complicated for him.
As for rafa, it is impossible and unreasonable to make any predictions! He continues to shock us these days. However, he insists he is heading in the right direction and can turn things around at RG. I hope there is belief inside of him.
I really hope he gets the luck of the draw at RG ! I would not want him to draw Nishikori/Novak/Murray in the qtrs but even the other qtrs federer, berdych, stan, ferrer will be very challenging. Ferru/berdych would be perhaps ideal?
IF novak faces rafa in the final, that would mean rafa winning six best of five matches! So he would face an in-form rafa at least. That would be quite a battle. The bigger problem for rafa right now is reaching the final! Who knows, he could face djokovic in the semis/qtrs ! I hope they rig the draw to avoid that lol
He cannot draw Ferrer, Berdych. They are seeded 5-8 and Rafa will have to draw wither of Novak, Roger, Murray, Nishi in qtrs.
I have a feeling Rafa will draw Murray in qtrs. The organizers will prevent Rafa drawing Novak or Fed in qtrs. 🙂
Sorry for the mistake. You are right! I also kind of feel he will draw either Murray or Berdych !
Berdych nahin re baba. Berdych is not ranked in Top 4. It will be Murray or Nishikori.
I know finding positives is too difficult right now and that rafa has disappointed quite a lot whenever we have felt he is close to finding his form. This crisis in unprecedented but, let us try to analyze things anyway.
2014:
Remember , last year rafa had a terrible clay court season and there was luck involved in his win against nishikori in madrid. He lost to ferrer, almagro , djokovic , had some positive wins (against berdych in madrid, and headed to RG playing at a decent level. He had a soft draw for week 1 and played at a good level but was then tested sternly by ferrer in the qtr finals! I remember people were saying he would have a tough time against Andy! THAT was the point where he turned it around for the first time that clay court season. We saw the vintage rafa and then he comprehensively beat novak in the final (special thanks to rafa’s forehand DTL). Also, rafa had minor back issues in his third round match where he reduced his service speed. He also overcame physical issues.
2013:
Rafa looked like superman heading into RG esp after dismantling federer in rome but then began RG . He then ran into daniel brands in the first round of RG and played a tentative match. rafa was VERY close to going down two sets to love before pulling off a comeback win. He struggled against Klizan in round 2 and then even though he won in straight sets against Fognini, his performance was FRUSTRATING AND BAD. His backhand was hopeless and the Fog helped him in winning! I remember being scared of djokovic after that match as rafa only had two matches left for the big semi. Thankfully, he blasted Nishikori and Wawrinka away and then overcame Novak (who could not handle the pressure as well as rafa did in the 5th set).
I know the challenge is different this time. Bigger and more daunting than ever. But, RG is a different animal. Rafa will have a full week comprising four best-of-five sets matches to really sharpen his game and build momentum before the real tournament begins qtr final onward. CAUTION: rafa winning his first four matches with ease is FAR from being a lock. he can struggle there too!
I don’t know how much pressure rafa will feel as compared to previous years but when it gets to business end (assuming he reaches there), lack of confidence will plague him. I hope the memories at RG and a solid week 1 will muster enough confidence for him!
Also, apart from confidence/consistency issues, I am also concerned about rafa’s physical strength. I know he is carrying no injuries but his fitness is definitely not top notch. He complained of getting too tired against Fognini in Rio , then against djokovic in MC and SHOCKINGLY, against stan in Rome! (How?!). Seems like he has not gotten enough match toughness right now. I hope he overcomes this.
He also got very tired while winning last year’s RG final! Rafa had to see a trainer right after the ceremony and he admitted that had djokovic broken back in the fourth set, things might have been over for him as he had started feeling cramps.
Too much to worry about :/ But , may be he can defy the odds again? He has been getting slightly more and more vulnerable at RG but has survived so far. May be this time too? VAMOS!
Really wishing and praying right vamosrafa..the eternal optimist. 🙂
haha…I know very hard to be optimist right now Sanju. To be honest with you, my confidence level is much lower even as compared to last year but I think we should wait for this RG to unfold. On many fronts, RG has been very different for rafa than the rest of the clay court season has been. This time, he has no such momentum heading into
RG so we don’t really know what will happen. What I do know is that rafa will try harder and his opponents are also aware of the threat rafa can pose.
As far as rafa’s game is concerned, he is missing some routine shots on important moments. He is defending well….it is not like he is not moving well or something. In fact, he has been getting good length on running forehands CC against powerful shots but what’s letting him down is is the inability to punish short balls, miss neutral balls in rallies and of course, not going enough for shots that do most damage. HIs serve has been decent too and ROS has not been shabby . What’s lacking is a well-rounded performance. He did so well against ferrer in MC and then against berdych in Madrid and against Isner in Rome. He would need to play excellent first few matches as he himself admitted that to sustain the highest level, you need to play at a high level for a few successive matches! (said this after losing to Andy in madrid).
We can hope and pray!
I am also more worried about his physical capabilities. The tiredness is more of an issue than the inconsistency which can get fixed. How can he take care of the legs. He has used this getting tired statement multiple times. RG is all a physical slugfest and if he cant keep physical momentum, people will take advantage of it.
Last RG yes he had cramps, but it was way too hot..it was dehydrating. Even Novak was out of gas in the final. So I would not read much into it.
I am not sure if you all noticed. There is a big good news. Berdych is ranked 4 and will be seeded 4 for RG. Now that can mean good news. Rafa can draw him too and drawing Berdych will be better than drawing Kei (if he was 4).
I just feel it will be Murray or Berdych, he wont draw Novak or Fed. I hope it is Berdych.
Also if Raonic withdraws, Stan gets No 8..So Rafa avoids Kei, Stan in qtrs which we would have had he been in top 4 and in current form, both would be dangerous. There is always a silver lining.
Stan or Kei would be more dangerous for Rafa in QF than Berdych and both Kei and Stan would be as tough as Murray or Fed for Rafa.
You guys see the silver lining? Cheer up!!
So as long as he avoids Novak, it does not matter who he faces in QF. Whether he was in top 4 or top 8, quality of other opponents based on bucketing is the same.
And for all of Rafas poor form, see the race rankings. Federer who many people say is playing good is barely 265 points ahead of Rafa. Even Look at Kei, barely 190 points ahead.
ank, Name & Nationality Points Week Change Tourn Played
1 Djokovic, Novak (SRB) 6,385 0 8
2 Murray, Andy (GBR) 3,760 0 9
3 Berdych, Tomas (CZE) 3,030 0 10
4 Ferrer, David (ESP) 2,555 1 10
5 Federer, Roger (SUI) 2,465 2 9
6 Nishikori, Kei (JPN) 2,390 -2 10
7 Nadal, Rafael (ESP) 2,200 -1 10
8 Wawrinka, Stan (SUI) 2,185 0 10
Federer is playing sporadically well. I don’t know anyone who’s claiming that he’s playing consistently well. He also skipped Miami and Monte Carlo.
He did not skip Montecarlo..he got defeated by Gael Monfils.
Right you are sanju.
Still Federer is 25-5 win loss on the year with three small titles whereas Rafa is 25-9 with one small title. Federer has played two less tournaments then Rafa but still has more points so to be fair it’s more than just the points differential. After 2013 I never thought we’d see Federer pass Rafa in ranking certainly not the several thousand point lead hee currently holds at that.
Speaks both to Federer’s longevity and Rafa’s frailty both of which I’d underestimated.
I appreciate the thoughts and analysis of what could happen at RG. We are really in uncharted waters this year. Of course, the draw will be important. But my concern is where Rafa is at now. He has not won any titles this clay court season. He is having a lot of different issues. He has been inconsistent and at times has struggled with tiredness.
I can’t look at the past history of Rafa’s journeys at RG because this year things are so completely different. Rafa’s inconsistency is a real concern. Also, three out of five set matches take a toll physically.
I just don’t know how you go into a slam without having won anything. Will Rafa just get on the court and feel at home again?
I don’t know that I am pessimistic as much as I am just not sure what to expect. I honestly have no idea what will happen.
Agree with your concerns..all valid especially for a confidence player like Rafa for whom winning breeds winning.
However Cilic went into USO 2014 without winning anything much..Stan went into AO 2014 without winning anything much.
Enjoy folks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pI8bCZ2FM0
Old times glory days.
Federer played ok, he was neither great nor abysmal. But Djokovic was too good, after watching a lot of matches from this year’s European clay court season I think its obvious Djokovic is the clear favorite entering Roland Garros and this year he will complete his career slam, unless Rafa can somehow roll back the years.
yeah, by watching this video above I realize how good Rafa was but also how better Novak is now when compared to his game in 2013…it’s hard to believe that Rafa can reinvent himself now…we hope for the miracle…it’s the only way…
Lots of bared teeth over on tennis-x blog between erstwhile comrades, Fedfans and Nolefans. I think we can safely say the “marriage” is heading towards splitsville. Veritable destination for all marriages of convenience.
#FairWeatherFans
#AntiRafaAlliance
#Shameful
I read the same on atpworldtour.com too. It was acrimonious.
All because Fed said Rafa is the favourite to him and Nole fans went on a furious lash and Fed fans started retorting calling Nole all kinds of names.
I haven’y been over to “The Dark Side” in over a week. Must pop on over.
Came across this summary of the cool Fedole relationship up to 2011…
http://tennis-column.blogspot.ca/2012/10/the-relationship-between-federer-and.html
The writer is quite obviously a Djokovic fan but he got everything pretty accurately over the years including this gem regarding the 2011 FO SF meeting between the two…
“But as the match wore on – not only did Djokovic have problems with his footing, something that he seemed to have resolved with significantly improved footwork, there seemed to also have a problem with the crowd – again! Over and over again, they seemed to take Federer as an adopted Frenchman. While Nadal has grown accustomed to this treatment by the French, at the hands of Federer, he had (and still has) the game to let all of that wash over him like a cool breeze. But Djokovic had no answer to Federer’s brilliance that day. And, as is most often the case, with Federer serving as well as he did, Djokovic was left to respond to point after point with sarcastic, head-shaking incredulity at how his winning streak, and his almost certain coronation as the champion against a Nadal, a player he owned at the time, was fading away like the light on Phillipe Chatrier that twindled so poetically at the end of the match.
If you watch the clips, you can see, at one point, Ion Tiriac, a fellow eastern European, angrily and fervently gesticulating in support of Djokovic as he stood alone, with the exception of his entourage, struggling to keep the match alive, while the French crowd ruthlessly bayed for his blood. Tiriac, no stranger to being unappreciated by the game, appeared to be the only one not related, in love with, or working for Djokovic that wasn’t. It is at these times when tennis can be its most cruel. After all, as a global sport, why should one player, who has won so much, be so heavily supported by the crowd? So the reception Federer received must have been an arrow in the heart to a player who so obviously wants to be loved.
That’s why that little index finger of Federer’s, shaken after hitting an ace on match point, at once dismissively and defiantly, in the direction of Tiriac, Djokovic and his entourage, was so unexpected. After all, were they the only ones Federer saw in the crowd? Could he have better blocked out the undying support from the French spectators (who so desperately willed him to win), than Djokovic (whom they so desperately willed him to lose)?”
^^Priceless!
Federer really is the King of Snideful remarks.
Too see them all in one spot is hilarious.
There is a similar one for him and Murray but it seems the link is broken. This one about his comments after losing gold to Murray is a decent runner up…
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2012/08/roger-federers-backhanded-complimenting-is-in-peak-form/1#.VVteXPlVhBc