Last man standing: Federer prevails in threepeat over Nadal at Indian Wells
Roger Federer defeated great rival Rafael Nadal in straight sets in their fourth round clash on Wednesday night, 6-2, 6-3, in just over an hour.
It was the backhand, stupid.
It was that simple. A liability was turned into a weapon, leaving Rafael Nadal with no opening.
For so long, Roger Federer’s one-handed backhand had been a disadvantage that Rafa was able to pummel into submission, hitting lefty high ball forehands to it, in an uncomfortable range that bothered Federer’s form. This time, however, the 35-year-old made it clear that the improved backhand we all witnessed in the Australian Open final was no fluke; he’s made it an asset. And he set the tone by ripping two of them down the line right out of the starting gate, in the opening game.
“By coming over my backhand on the return, from the get-go of the point, I can dominate points right away,” Federer said in his on-set interview on Tennis Channel. “It’s important to keep your opponent off-guard and know that he has to be careful.”
In the last game of the second set, Nadal went back to the same tactic that had worked for so long and clipped a second serve high to Fed’s backhand side. With quick reflexes, the 35-year-old answered by powering a backhand winner right up the line that left Nadal standing across the net stunned. He stared at the spot where the lethal stroke had landed, raised his eyebrows in disbelief and resigned himself to walk to the net to congratulate his competitor. The match lasted 68 minutes, a far cry from their greatest battle at the 2008 Wimbledon final, and far shorter than their captivating Australian Open final just two months ago. But significance was in the fact that Wednesday’s match was the first time that Federer has beaten Nadal three times in a row, his first hat-trick over his greatest tennis frenemy.
“It’s a nice feeling to win the last three. I can tell you that,” Federer said afterwards. “But most importantly, I won Australia. That was big for me.”
Nadal still maintains an overall lead in their head-to-head stats — where he has won 64 percent of their meetings (23-13), but Federer has now leveled the playing field in their hard court performances: they’re evenly matched at 9-9, including the last three — all played on the surface.
Federer also silences the few critics who claimed that he benefited the most from the newly renovated Australian Open courts, which played faster, suiting his game better. At Indian Wells, the court surfaces were markedly slower but the world No. 10 still outclassed his competitors. The aggression from Melbourne was there and it still packed a punch at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. One could even say it was a knockout, with an even more commanding scoreboard, that had Federer taking the lead early and breaking more to set the tone early.
“For me, it was all about coming out and trying to play the way I did in Australia,” the 18-time grand slam champion said afterwards. “I didn’t think it was going to be that possible, to be quite honest, because the court is more jumpy here so it’s hard to put the ball away.”
“I did very well today, I’m so pleased I’m able to step into the court and play super aggressive,” added Federer.
Nadal simply looked overwhelmed. “He returned well. But at the same time, it was obvious that I didn’t have the right answer for his returns,” he said after the match. “I needed to neutralize the points. I needed to neutralize his two first balls, and I didn’t. So I was not enough good tonight and he deserved the victory, for sure. Very easy.”
In their closest matches, it’s been a question of contrasting styles and Nadal knowing Federer’s weak points, like his backhand. Everyone knows Federer has all the moves: the great serve, power forehand, ability to dance around all over the court and keep his opponent guessing. It’s a marvel that at the age of 35 that he’s continuing to adjust and improve his game. The first sign of that mindset was the switch to the larger Wilson racquet size of 98 inches, allowing his “weaker” backhand side to pack more power.
Perhaps sacrificing a little artistry in his one-handed stroke, the choice proved that classic Federer could modernize in order to keep achieving heights as he ages in the sport. Perhaps he learned from Pete Sampras, who said after he retired that he wished he hadn’t been stubborn about his 85-square-inch model and experimented with something larger. The change in racquet size occurred during Federer’s almost five year slump in slams, but as of the AO in January, it seems to be paying off big. Federer also hired a new coach, Ivan Ljubicic at the end of 2015 and he has helped Federer channel his backhand into a more lethal weapon, which came together at the Australian.
Federer also displayed aggression in his movement, coming forward during key points and dictating play off his serve. His service game was at a high level throughout the match, maintaining 75 percent or higher on both first and second serves.
“I was there and fighting,” said Nadal post-match. I was trying to find solutions. It was not my day.”
Tennis journalist Abigail Johnson tweeted:
https://twitter.com/abigailtennis/status/842184701729226752
Now with Grand Slam 18 out of the way, with his three-peat over Nadal at Indian Wells, and Federer’s intentions to keep playing to at least 2019 or perhaps later, many believe he could probably collect 20 slam titles in his full career:
Also out in the fourth round is Novak Djokovic, defeated by the 21-year-old #nextgen sensation Nick Kyrgios. The Australian prevailed from the start and exhibited great movement as he took the first set 6-4. The Serb put up more of a fight in the second set, but the world No. 16 powered through to win the tie break 7-6 (3). Djokovic had hoped to avenge his loss to Kyrgios in Acapulco a few weeks ago, but the 21 year-old repeated the feat Wednesday.
“I’m just in a good place mentally,” Kyrgios said after the match.
He’ll face the Swiss player in the quarters. The last time Kyrgios and Federer played each other, the younger opponent won in Madrid, two years ago. Federer said it was on the same day as his twin sons’ birthday and he was a bit distracted. Feeling more refreshed and channeling renewed aggression, he issued a warning to the upstart player.
Next: Will Maria Sharapova play at Roland Garros?
“Of course I´d like to get him back,” he said on Wednesday.
The 15th seed will face ninth seed Federer in the quarter-finals at Indian Wells on Friday. With Murray taken out of the first round thanks to Vasek Pospisil (who went out in his next match), and both Nadal and Djokovic defeated on Wednesday, most of the men’s reigning grand slam winners are out.
Only one of the Big Four is left, Roger Federer is the last man standing.