Aussie Open SF Preview: Federer v Kiefer
Posted on January 26, 2006
By Richard Vach, Tennis-X.com Senior Writer
Fitness will be the key in Friday's Australian Open men's semifinal between world No. 1 Roger Federer and German surprise package Nicolas Kiefer, with both men salivating at the thought of facing exhausted slam rookie Marcos Baghdatis in the final. The Cypriot pulled off another marathon five-set win in his semifinal over the choking David Nalbandian, looking like he had little left in the tank after the second set.Federer looked sluggish at the end of his quarterfinal win over the relentless baseliner Nikolay Davydenko, somehow willing himself through the final two tiebreaks while struggling with his consistency. Federer has looked almost pedestrian at times during his last couple matches, and now faces a more difficult task. Kiefer, admittedly doped-up on painkillers after entering the Aussie Open with back and ankle problems, was running on fumes after his five-set quarterfinal with Sebastien Grosjean.
While Federer enters the favorite, the gap between the two is not as wide as one might be led to believe by rankings and results. Kiefer plays a cunning game, mixing up his play and utilizing the tactic that can hurt the Swiss -- timely net approaches, and not your chip-and-charge variety but rather in the unexpected crack-a-groundstroke-and-get-in mode. You won't see as many of the unsuccessful float-a-backhand-slice approaches utilized by Andy Roddick when he attempts to pressure Federer. Kiefer gives the Swiss less time to react, not only on approaches but with cutting off angles during baseline rallies, playing close to the line in the same vein as his duck-walk-alike hero, Andre Agassi.
Kiefer beat Federer three straight times, including a grasscourt meeting, in 2001-02 before the Swiss ascended into "Club Fed" No. 1-mode. Since then Federer has beaten Kiefer six straight times, but the German has taken a set in each of their last three encounters.
While the task is difficult, Kiefer isn't fazed by facing the Swiss, because he has a game plan. And he employs it rather than just talking about it. Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt would do well to watch Friday's semifinal, perhaps even get their coaches to watch, have a six-pack, order some pizzas, and take notes on how not to overplay (Roddick) or underplay (Hewitt) the net attack.
The only other roadblock for Kiefer Friday could be the dreaded "Slam Semifinal Choke."
You saw it from Nalbandian against Roddick at the US Open when the American went on to capture his lone slam title, then again on Thursday when the Argentine led Baghdatis two nets to none before his hands left the racquet handle and clutched his throat in an unbreakable death grip.
For Kiefer it took 35 slam appearances to reach his first semifinal, with only Mark Woodforde (38 appearances before his first slam SF) and Colin Dibley
Kiefer's chances of beating Federer Friday lie somewhere between slim and none. The best you can hope for is the German not to pull up lame with back spasms, to have shaken off his five-set quarterfinal marathon, and to be unafraid to employ the wonderfully-varied game that has in the past given Federer fits.
Oh, and hopefully without throwing his racquet at the ball or on his opponent's side of the court, chewing out the ball kids, bitching and whining at the chair umpire, screaming audible obscenities or otherwise acting like a completely unsportsmanlike ass as he did in his quarterfinal.
Richard Vach is a senior writer for Tennis-X.com and can currently be seen on The Tennis Channel's "Tennis Insiders: Super Insiders" episodes.