"The comeback is over", declared Roger Federer after his win over Rafael Nadal in the Miami Open final. Many would disagree with this assessment - they believe that moment had already arrived a couple of months back in Melbourne. However, what cannot be disputed is the grit and resilience displayed by the 18-slam winner over the last three weeks. At Indian Wells, the elegant Swiss didn't drop a set, was nearly impenetrable on serve (dropping serve just once) and breezed through the entire tournament without breaking a sweat (see my blog). In hot and humid Miami, things were much tougher though. Federer came through a gruelling 4th round encounter against Bautista Agut in two tie-breaks, had to save two match points against Berdych in the quarters (3rd set tie-break) and then in the semis, managed to overcome the red-hot Kyrgios in 3 very tight tie-break sets in a match that is already being billed as the match-of-the-year. In comparison, the final against his old nemesis, seemed like a cakewalk.
Road to the finals
R16 vs. Roberto Bautista Agut - 1st stiff challenge since Dubai
Coming through a tough draw, Federer dropped 2 sets and had to endure 7 tie-breaks, en-route to the final. His first real challenge didn't come, as was expected, from Del Potro in the 3rd round (6-3, 6-4) but from the 14th-seed, Roberto Bautista Agut in the next round. The Spaniard had overcome the impressive Sam Querrey in the previous round and matched Federer shot-for-shot in the pre-quarters. He first successfully fought-off three consecutive break points in his first service game and then broke Federer at 4-4 to earn the opportunity to serve out the first set. Unfortunately, nerves got the better of him as Federer upped the ante. The Spaniard quickly went down 0-40 and was broken on love, when he double-faulted. The set ultimately went to a tie-break and saw Federer rushing to the net on decisive moments to clinch the breaker, 7-5. The Indian Wells champion broke in the very first game of the 2nd set but the tenacious Spaniard broke back immediately to level terms. With Federer's formidable first serve as well as forehand misfiring on more than a few occasions, and Bautista Agut continuing to play solidly from both wings, the 2nd set too went to a tie-breaker. The Swiss again favoured the net on decisive moments and won the breaker easily (7-4) to take the set and match. Overall, it was a scratchy performance by Federer, putting only 49% of first serves in, making 32 unforced errors and converting only 2 of 10 break point opportunities. However, he continued to play aggressively, came to the net often, hit 30 winners overall and came through in nearly two hours.
Federer's next opponent was Tomas Berdych, who hadn't dropped a set till then, and even though the no. 4 seed held a 17-6 head-to-head advantage over the tall Czech and had demolished him in straight sets at the Australian Open 2017, the Swiss knew that he had to fire from the outset. That mental alertness showed as he broke Berdych in the very first game of the match (the first time Berdych was broken in the tournament) and snuffed out a break-point on his own serve to consolidate the break. Both players then held serve easily for their next couple of service games, with their forehands inflicting more damage. In the 7th game however, Federer increased the tempo on Berdych's serve. From 15-0 down, Federer unleashed the full array of strokes - first hitting a forehand down-the-line winner, then ripping a backhand cross-court winner, then hitting an inside-out forehand cross-court winner to bring up two break points, and finally, going up a 2nd break by employing a delicious, loopy, backhand dropshot winner that rendered Berdych unsure, flat-footed and motionless. Federer served out the first set by sending an ace down the middle, taking the set 6-2. This demolition job looked very similar to their 3rd round encounter Down Under where Federer ran away with a 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 win. However, Berdych was in no mood to let history repeat itself. He began serving huge, used a judicious mix of power and spin from both wings, and started finding angles as well as depth on the court, to keep Federer at bay. Federer himself was playing at a decent level but Berdych's level, esp. on the return games, had gone up several notches. Finally, the Czech broke his opponent's serve in the 8th game and then made a few brilliant forays to the net on his own service game, to take the 2nd set 6-3, thereby leveling the match.
The early part of set 3 was very entertaining with both players playing deep & aggressive, making lovely half-volley pickups from the baseline, and generally committing fewer unforced errors. However, in the 6th game, Federer drew first blood, finally converting his 4th break point of the set as Berdych made a few unforced errors trying to hit big on the forehand side. Then, serving for the match at 5-3, it was Federer's turn to make unforced errors - first an error in judgement followed by one in execution - as he was broken to love. In the next game, he had a match point on Berdych's serve at 30-40 but Berdych quickly erased that by a huge first serve and went on to hold to level the 3rd set at 5-5. The set, inevitably, moved on to a tie-break and Berdych, who was hitting crisp winners from both wings, had a slight upper hand. He clinched the first mini-break but Federer came back strongly, winning the next two points on Berdych's serve. Berdych got the mini-break back immediately as Federer double-faulted, and then he forced Federer to hit a backhand long at 4-4 to earn an opportunity to serve out the match. An amazing backhand down-the-line winner brought up two match points for Berdych (6-4) but then he netted a forehand and Federer followed up with two huge serves to go ahead 7-6. Down match point, Berdych committed a double fault to bring the curtains down on a topsy-turvy, but highly entertaining match. Both players hit 37 winners apiece but in a game of wafer-thin margins, Federer committed fewer unforced errors (22 to Berdych's 27) and got out of jail in another 2-hour battle.
For the 2nd time in exactly two weeks, two of the hottest players of 2017 faced up to each other. Federer and Kyrgios were supposed to play a highly anticipated quarter-final at Indian Wells (see my blog) before the Aussie had to pull out due to food-poisoning. Both players play a similar brand of attacking, first-strike tennis by taking the ball early. Both came off tight QF encounters and everybody was expecting a high-octane match with short points decided by ample dozes of winners and unforced errors. What we got, instead, was a match of the highest quality.
Federer, as is his wont, was off the blocks quickly, holding serve easily and putting pressure on Kyrgios' serve. He earned three break points in the first two return games, set up by a slew of exquisite winners, but couldn't convert any of them as Kyrgios' huge serve came in handy at the right moments. Having survived these nervy moments, Kyrgios started getting more confident. He comfortably held in the 6th game and broke Federer in the 7th game, aided by a couple of sumptuous backhands. While Kyrgios consolidated his break via an impressive service game to go up 5-3, Federer was clearly struggling to hold in the crucial 9th game. He was thrice taken to deuce but managed to hold his serve. With Kyrgios' serve looking overwhelming, the first set looked like a few shots away. Instead, Federer played an incredible return game, mixing offence with defence, forcing Kyrgios into errors and breaking back to level things up, at 5-5. He even held a set point on Kyrgios' serve at 30-40, 6-5 but the Australian again came up with huge deliveries to take the set to a tie-break. The pair exchanged a couple of mini-breaks early on but some audacious play by Federer on 5-5, helped him secure another set point; this time on his serve. He was to be denied when he shot wide while trying to rip a backhand down-the-line. After winning a couple of points each on serve, Kyrgios secured another mini-break to go up 9-8 and gain an opportunity to serve on set point (his 2nd of the set). However, Federer was to deny him again through a magical backhand winner down-the-line. Then, Kyrgios tried to go for extra on his second serve and committed a double fault to hand Federer a 4th set point opportunity and this time, Federer clinched it to go one set up (11-9 in the tie-break).
The first 6 service games in the 2nd set were routine holds with no break point opportunities for either player, and featured four love-holds as well as a tweener by Kyrgios. Then in the 7th game, Federer secured two break points but was unable to convert either of them as the Aussie held on. This seemed like a minor aberration as normal services were restored thereafter, with both players comfortably holding their serves. At 5-5, Federer tried to force the issue on the Aussie's serve through two remarkable backhand winners, but Kyrgios' serve bailed him out again. Federer meanwhile had no such troubles on his serve and lost just 5 points on his serve throughout the 2nd set. A tie-breaker followed, the 2nd of this match and the 5th consecutive one that these guys have played! Unlike the 1st set, both guys started off soundly on their serves. The Swiss maestro was the first to break away, playing aggressively and forcing the error, to go up 5-4 with two chances on his serve to close out the match. Kyrgios got the crucial mini-break back by employing an amazing forehand down-the-line winner, hit while back-pedaling to a deep ball on his backhand corner. Federer held a match point at 6-5 on Kyrgios' serve but failed to capitalize as his backhand slice landed slightly long. His next match point came at 8-7 but shockingly, he dumped an 88 mph second serve return at the bottom of the net. Some excellent serving by the Aussie from thereon, ensured that he won the tie-break 11-9 and leveled the match.
If the Swiss champ was disappointed at missing out on the opportunities in the 2nd set, it clearly didn't show as he held serve comfortably in the 3rd set too. He got a look-in on Kyrgios' serve in the 4th game, producing exceptional tennis but the Aussie matched him stroke-for-stroke and held on. The pattern would repeat in the 10th game as Federer forced a deuce but couldn't break his opponent's resolve or his serve. His own service remained solid and he dropped just 6 points on his serve in the 3rd set. The pair threw everything at each other - huge serves, forehand drives, backhand slices, serve and volley, drop shots - but neither could surge ahead and in time, the inevitable tie-break arrived. The two-time Miami champion started the tie-break with a moment of magic - an insane backhand half-volley pickup that was hit down-the-line to successfully pass the advancing Kyrgios. Nonetheless, it was the youngster who won the first mini-break when Federer went wide with his forehand. Kyrgios had an opportunity to serve out the match at 5-4 but he was first undone a deep backhand from Federer that he swatted out and then, shockingly, he served a double fault to hand a 3rd match point to Federer. The Swiss was in no mood to let that one go and produced a big first serve out wide to force a backhand error and wrap up the match in 3 hours and 10 minutes. It was a stunning match, played at a very high level throughout - Federer outhit Kyrgios in the winners department (54 vs. 38) and crucially, in a matchup between big servers, won more 1st serve return points (25% vs. 15%).
By winning his 3rd Miami title (and having won Indian Wells a couple of weeks back), Roger Federer completed his 3rd Sunshine Double, eleven years after his previous one. This was also his 3rd straight victory over Nadal in 2017 (4th consecutive overall) as well as his 3rd tournament victory of this year. The tournament victory also marked his 26th ATP Masters 1000 title and 91st tour-level tournament overall. His ATP ranking has improved to no. 4 (from no. 17 at the beginning of Australian Open this year) and he's currently leading the singles Race to London. The Swiss, at a ripe of age of 35, has a realistic chance of becoming world no. 1 again. However, he's decided not to rush into things and is likely to skip the entire clay court season (except for the French Open), in order to focus on Wimbledon, the US Open and the hard-court season. His 19-1 start to the year is his best since 2006 i.e. around the time when he was winning everything in sight (except French Open) and the year in which he racked up an incredible 92-5 season record. He's unlikely to match that in 2017. However, since these 19 wins include a 3-0 record against Nadal, April 2017 may just feel more pleasant than April 2006!
QF vs. Tomas Berdych - saved two match points
Federer's next opponent was Tomas Berdych, who hadn't dropped a set till then, and even though the no. 4 seed held a 17-6 head-to-head advantage over the tall Czech and had demolished him in straight sets at the Australian Open 2017, the Swiss knew that he had to fire from the outset. That mental alertness showed as he broke Berdych in the very first game of the match (the first time Berdych was broken in the tournament) and snuffed out a break-point on his own serve to consolidate the break. Both players then held serve easily for their next couple of service games, with their forehands inflicting more damage. In the 7th game however, Federer increased the tempo on Berdych's serve. From 15-0 down, Federer unleashed the full array of strokes - first hitting a forehand down-the-line winner, then ripping a backhand cross-court winner, then hitting an inside-out forehand cross-court winner to bring up two break points, and finally, going up a 2nd break by employing a delicious, loopy, backhand dropshot winner that rendered Berdych unsure, flat-footed and motionless. Federer served out the first set by sending an ace down the middle, taking the set 6-2. This demolition job looked very similar to their 3rd round encounter Down Under where Federer ran away with a 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 win. However, Berdych was in no mood to let history repeat itself. He began serving huge, used a judicious mix of power and spin from both wings, and started finding angles as well as depth on the court, to keep Federer at bay. Federer himself was playing at a decent level but Berdych's level, esp. on the return games, had gone up several notches. Finally, the Czech broke his opponent's serve in the 8th game and then made a few brilliant forays to the net on his own service game, to take the 2nd set 6-3, thereby leveling the match.
The early part of set 3 was very entertaining with both players playing deep & aggressive, making lovely half-volley pickups from the baseline, and generally committing fewer unforced errors. However, in the 6th game, Federer drew first blood, finally converting his 4th break point of the set as Berdych made a few unforced errors trying to hit big on the forehand side. Then, serving for the match at 5-3, it was Federer's turn to make unforced errors - first an error in judgement followed by one in execution - as he was broken to love. In the next game, he had a match point on Berdych's serve at 30-40 but Berdych quickly erased that by a huge first serve and went on to hold to level the 3rd set at 5-5. The set, inevitably, moved on to a tie-break and Berdych, who was hitting crisp winners from both wings, had a slight upper hand. He clinched the first mini-break but Federer came back strongly, winning the next two points on Berdych's serve. Berdych got the mini-break back immediately as Federer double-faulted, and then he forced Federer to hit a backhand long at 4-4 to earn an opportunity to serve out the match. An amazing backhand down-the-line winner brought up two match points for Berdych (6-4) but then he netted a forehand and Federer followed up with two huge serves to go ahead 7-6. Down match point, Berdych committed a double fault to bring the curtains down on a topsy-turvy, but highly entertaining match. Both players hit 37 winners apiece but in a game of wafer-thin margins, Federer committed fewer unforced errors (22 to Berdych's 27) and got out of jail in another 2-hour battle.
SF vs. Nick Kyrgios - three tie-breakers
For the 2nd time in exactly two weeks, two of the hottest players of 2017 faced up to each other. Federer and Kyrgios were supposed to play a highly anticipated quarter-final at Indian Wells (see my blog) before the Aussie had to pull out due to food-poisoning. Both players play a similar brand of attacking, first-strike tennis by taking the ball early. Both came off tight QF encounters and everybody was expecting a high-octane match with short points decided by ample dozes of winners and unforced errors. What we got, instead, was a match of the highest quality.
Federer, as is his wont, was off the blocks quickly, holding serve easily and putting pressure on Kyrgios' serve. He earned three break points in the first two return games, set up by a slew of exquisite winners, but couldn't convert any of them as Kyrgios' huge serve came in handy at the right moments. Having survived these nervy moments, Kyrgios started getting more confident. He comfortably held in the 6th game and broke Federer in the 7th game, aided by a couple of sumptuous backhands. While Kyrgios consolidated his break via an impressive service game to go up 5-3, Federer was clearly struggling to hold in the crucial 9th game. He was thrice taken to deuce but managed to hold his serve. With Kyrgios' serve looking overwhelming, the first set looked like a few shots away. Instead, Federer played an incredible return game, mixing offence with defence, forcing Kyrgios into errors and breaking back to level things up, at 5-5. He even held a set point on Kyrgios' serve at 30-40, 6-5 but the Australian again came up with huge deliveries to take the set to a tie-break. The pair exchanged a couple of mini-breaks early on but some audacious play by Federer on 5-5, helped him secure another set point; this time on his serve. He was to be denied when he shot wide while trying to rip a backhand down-the-line. After winning a couple of points each on serve, Kyrgios secured another mini-break to go up 9-8 and gain an opportunity to serve on set point (his 2nd of the set). However, Federer was to deny him again through a magical backhand winner down-the-line. Then, Kyrgios tried to go for extra on his second serve and committed a double fault to hand Federer a 4th set point opportunity and this time, Federer clinched it to go one set up (11-9 in the tie-break).
The first 6 service games in the 2nd set were routine holds with no break point opportunities for either player, and featured four love-holds as well as a tweener by Kyrgios. Then in the 7th game, Federer secured two break points but was unable to convert either of them as the Aussie held on. This seemed like a minor aberration as normal services were restored thereafter, with both players comfortably holding their serves. At 5-5, Federer tried to force the issue on the Aussie's serve through two remarkable backhand winners, but Kyrgios' serve bailed him out again. Federer meanwhile had no such troubles on his serve and lost just 5 points on his serve throughout the 2nd set. A tie-breaker followed, the 2nd of this match and the 5th consecutive one that these guys have played! Unlike the 1st set, both guys started off soundly on their serves. The Swiss maestro was the first to break away, playing aggressively and forcing the error, to go up 5-4 with two chances on his serve to close out the match. Kyrgios got the crucial mini-break back by employing an amazing forehand down-the-line winner, hit while back-pedaling to a deep ball on his backhand corner. Federer held a match point at 6-5 on Kyrgios' serve but failed to capitalize as his backhand slice landed slightly long. His next match point came at 8-7 but shockingly, he dumped an 88 mph second serve return at the bottom of the net. Some excellent serving by the Aussie from thereon, ensured that he won the tie-break 11-9 and leveled the match.
If the Swiss champ was disappointed at missing out on the opportunities in the 2nd set, it clearly didn't show as he held serve comfortably in the 3rd set too. He got a look-in on Kyrgios' serve in the 4th game, producing exceptional tennis but the Aussie matched him stroke-for-stroke and held on. The pattern would repeat in the 10th game as Federer forced a deuce but couldn't break his opponent's resolve or his serve. His own service remained solid and he dropped just 6 points on his serve in the 3rd set. The pair threw everything at each other - huge serves, forehand drives, backhand slices, serve and volley, drop shots - but neither could surge ahead and in time, the inevitable tie-break arrived. The two-time Miami champion started the tie-break with a moment of magic - an insane backhand half-volley pickup that was hit down-the-line to successfully pass the advancing Kyrgios. Nonetheless, it was the youngster who won the first mini-break when Federer went wide with his forehand. Kyrgios had an opportunity to serve out the match at 5-4 but he was first undone a deep backhand from Federer that he swatted out and then, shockingly, he served a double fault to hand a 3rd match point to Federer. The Swiss was in no mood to let that one go and produced a big first serve out wide to force a backhand error and wrap up the match in 3 hours and 10 minutes. It was a stunning match, played at a very high level throughout - Federer outhit Kyrgios in the winners department (54 vs. 38) and crucially, in a matchup between big servers, won more 1st serve return points (25% vs. 15%).
Grand Finale - Fedal XXXVII
As compared to Federer, Nadal had a relatively easier path to the finals. After astonishingly losing the first set 6-0 against Philipp Kohlschreiber in the 3rd round, Rafa went from strength to strength. He didn't lose another set leading up to the finals, and his most impressive victory came over the in-form Jack Sock in the quarter-finals - he outplayed the 13th seed American, 6-2, 6-3. Having spent considerably less time on court than his arch rival, and given the slowish court speed at Miami, many would've considered Nadal as the favourite going in to this 3rd Federer-Nadal meeting of 2017.
Federer's serve was under pressure in the first game of the match, and like their Indian Wells encounter, Nadal earned two break point opportunities. But the Swiss erased both those opportunities via a persistent, attacking game plan - hitting a forehand winner to end a 15 shot rally on the first one, and then advancing to the net to cut off a backhand volley & snuff out the second one. The next two games went off smoothly with both players holding their serves comfortably. Nadal had clearly come out with a more aggressive game plan, ripping his double-handed backhand flat and cross-court on most occasions. Both players were going hammer and tongs and this set the tone for the next five games in the opening set. There were five break point opportunities over the next four games but neither player could capitalize. It was almost like the initial rounds of a heavyweight boxing bout where both boxers throw enough jabs but refrain from landing a decisive uppercut. Then, in the 8th game, Nadal's dogged resistance was finally broken. After saving two more break points in the game, Nadal couldn't cope up with Federer's ferocious forehand. The Swiss set up his 3rd break point of the game (and 6th of the set) through a forehand cross-court return winner and followed that up with an inside out forehand drive, that had Nadal scampering to his forehand corner and dumping a weak response into the net, to secure the decisive break. Federer then held on comfortably to win the first set, 6-3.
The Aussie Open finalist pair started the 2nd set serving confidently and faced no hurdles in the first 6 games. In fact, Nadal just lost three points on his serve in his first 3 service games while Federer lost none! Then, in the 7th game, Federer started tightening the screws. He got his first break point of the set thanks to an explosive backhand drive. The Spaniard quickly wiped that out through an intelligent drop shot followed by a forehand volley winner. And even though he presented Federer with another break point opportunity in that game, the Swiss couldn't take advantage and Nadal held on. The pumped up Spaniard then got his first two points on Federer's serve (in the set) but couldn't go any further as Federer held to 30. In the next game, Federer again started applying pressure. At 30-30, Federer got slightly lucky as his backhand caught the tape and had Nadal scrambling forward. The weak response from the Spaniard was met by a very intelligent lob deep into the backhand corner to bring up another break point. This time Federer was not letting it go, his backhand down-the-line service return catching Rafa off-guard and forcing him to hit long. Serving for the championship at 5-4, Federer started with a double-fault. Then, as if to make up, he finished a 17-shot rally with a bit of Fed magic - a spectacular backhand half-volley pickup winner directed down-the-line, from the baseline. At 30-30, he produced another one to bring up match point - an outrageous inside out forehand cross-court winner. A huge serve on match point was enough to draw an error from Rafa and secure his 14th career victory over the Spaniard.
Although the final never reached the dizzying heights of the previous two rounds, Federer did enough to win, 6-3, 6-4. He hit 29 winners to Nadal's 15 and even made fewer unforced errors (19 to 23). Crucially, Federer converted 2 out of 9 break point opportunities while Nadal couldn't convert any of the 4 opportunities he got.
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