Roger Federer lost to Kei Nishikori in the quarterfinals of Miami in a rather puzzling match that looked 100% like it was going Federer's way. Leading by a set, in which he looked quite convincing in spite of his low first serve percentage, and then two times a break up in the second, it seemed as if it was going to be wrapped up quite quickly. But each time after securing the break he was immediately broken back. As he said later, he just couldn't seem to find his rhythm on his serve, and that caused him to question himself in some of his other shots. Kei began playing more aggressively, and in the end he was the better player.
But the biggest contributing factor, along with his serve being MIA, were the night conditions that have often been difficult for Roger to overcome in Miami. Along with playing at night for the first time in the tournament, conditions were freezing for Florida, so given that all of Roger's matches had so far been played in 80+ degree temperatures, this was extremely different from what he was used to. This isn't an excuse; it's just plain fact.
After each Federer loss it takes me a little while to process it. While it was disappointing to have him lose a match that looked totally like it was going to be an easy victory, we have to look at the whole picture. First of all, Roger has had a great year in comparison to the struggles of 2013. He is healthy, moving great around the court again, playing with aggression, using his new racquet to come up with the incredible shots that never cease to amaze, and overall seems to be back to the Roger Federer we know and love.
Miami hasn't been overall a successful tournament for him anyway, so if he has to lose I guess I would rather have him lose to Nishikori than to Djokovic two times in a row, or worse yet, Nadal in the final. I think we can take some positives out of Miami, though: He had some great matches showing off his GOAT skills and giving him more confidence as he moves forward, and he gained ranking points that should take him back to #4 in the world.
So now he gets to head back home to Switzerland and go hang out with his Davis Cup buddies, which is always fun for him, and hopefully to put the Swiss team into the semifinals
I just finished watching Roger Federer put a beatdown on Richard Gasquet and I'm so excited that I have to write a post right now. Roger was in absolutely incredible form with a 6-1 6-2 victory in a mere 49 minutes! He took 5 out of his 6 break point chances, which is awesome in itself. He has had only one break point against him in the whole tournament so far, and saved it easily today. He made every part of tennis look oh so easy, and made it look oh so difficult for his opponent.
Much was made of Nadal winning 6-1 6-0 against Istomin in 59 minutes yesterday, but Istomin is ranked #57, Gasquet is ranked #9. Another notch in the belt of Roger Federer in his top 10 wins so far this year, which include Tsonga, Murray, Berdych, Gasquet and Djokovic.
I can't help but to keep coming back to the point that so many in the media put Federer's rough 2013 down to Father Time catching up with him, with some people saying he would soon be out of the top 10 and he should retire. There are many who should be very embarrassed and really owe him an apology for not giving any credence to the back injury he was suffering and that it was for that reason he was struggling. While it was hard to watch last year, it really makes these victories all the more beautiful.
He is projected to be #4 in the rankings again after this week, assuming either that Roger wins in his quarterfinal against Kei Nishikori or that Tomas Berdych doesn't win the title. At 32 years old, and with a growing family who travel everywhere with him, this isn't too shabby!
I felt like I was beaming like a proud parent during and after that match. So incredibly impressed with the comeback he has had in 2014. Let's see how far he can go in Miami!
