Looks like Novak’s got a great shot here.

September 2nd, 2012 at 6:11 pm

I think so, he will be very hard to beat.

September 2nd, 2012 at 6:51 pm

Good luck Nole!

September 2nd, 2012 at 6:55 pm

Yep- he looks extremely good. IMHO, ONLY fed on his A game can compete with and maybe beat him. To me he’s playing better than he did last year at the USO.

September 2nd, 2012 at 8:19 pm

As much as I want Roger,I just don’t see him winning it this time. I said before that when Rogi retires I will root for Novak.

September 2nd, 2012 at 10:06 pm

It appears that Novak is in ominous form. Granted that he did not have to face tough opponents and so he has not been tasted. But still looking at his all court game, it appears that he has regained that deadly form he had in 2011 for the first time in this year. I expect him to go all through and win this one. If there is anyone who can beat him in the finals, it can only be Roger and none else.

September 3rd, 2012 at 12:43 am

It should not read as tasted, but tested.

September 3rd, 2012 at 12:44 am

IF the final is a Nole/fed final, I’m sure both will bring their A games and put it all out on the court. I don’t think fed has played his A game yet. I think he has played as well as he has had to without expending too much energy in order to get a win. But no doubt if he is in the final, he will have to play that other level that they all have when playing each other (the top 4 that is)

September 3rd, 2012 at 1:00 am

“I’m sure both will bring their A games..”

Wow. Sure? How so you know that? “If”…. Alot of Tennis yet to play….

@gg

Same here.

September 3rd, 2012 at 1:22 am

I posted a totally unbiased tennis comment about a possible final matchup, and my opinion of it.

skeezer, if you want me gone and go back to not posting, just keep it up with your snarky comments.

September 3rd, 2012 at 1:27 am

Will just prove my point even further that this is a fed site.

September 3rd, 2012 at 1:30 am

juljo724,

?

Unbiased. And my comment was not?

I did not mention Rafa, nor “pro” Fed in my comment on this topic, what gives? Just sayin that we are starting week 2 only, and alot of tennis to be played, nobody is gauranteed bringng a “A” game the final, yet. Yes they are both playing great for now.

September 3rd, 2012 at 1:38 am

federer’s A-Game beats nole’s A-Game… anywhere and everywhere…

September 3rd, 2012 at 3:28 am

Huh,
Can you please clarify, you are saying that in all those losses against Nole (I think 12) Federer didn’t play his A-game?

September 3rd, 2012 at 6:03 am

A prediction from my favorite Argie forum:

Djokovic does not repeat championship, Murray neither. I put my chips to the great Roger Federer, Del Potro and Ferrer. Watch out for Raonic vs Murray tomorrow.

____________________

Yikes.

Winner of the US Open this year coming from Roger Federer, Del Potro or Ferrer.

IMO no way it will be Ferrer.

Federer or Del Potro could be.

September 3rd, 2012 at 7:58 am

But I can’t see Del Potro or Ferrer beating Nole.

Only Federer can beat Nole…

September 3rd, 2012 at 8:00 am

wogboy:

well, fed was playing close to his A-Game(not exactly A-Game) in US0 11 where nole did beat him and he also was playing his A-Game surely in Montreal 2007 where nole again beat him, but other than that fed hasn’t played really great in the losses to nole IMO.

moreover, fed’s A-Game is just better than Nole’s A-Game, no matter what the venue, and fed’s definitely gonna beat nole many more times if both meet at their A-Games thsn nole can actually beat fed. it has happened. And I’m not the only one who thinks so, everybody starting from henman to sampras, borg to laver have prettymuch said time and time again that it’s prettyhard to beat the A-Fed unless you’re nadal on clay…

in matches where fed and nole have played well only in patces as per their standards, more often than not fed has emerged victorious.

And though I’m a fedfan, for life, but the post where i opined fed’s game being good enough to nole’s game, anywhere and everywhere is as a neutral observer of the game of tennis, and not as a fed fan. seriously, federer is that good. even if he’s not playing his A-game, stil he has genuine chances of winning, but if he’s playing his A-Game with his real focus, I dunno how othrs can beat him.

September 3rd, 2012 at 9:48 am

of course i don’t claim that what i say is absolute truth, but i’ve a valid point if i say that i’ve not really often seen anyone beating fed if he’s playin his A-Game, but there’re few exceptions…

e.g. the best example being safin in 05 AO, and rafa in 2005-07 & 2011 FO. And then come some of the defeats of fed by nalby in slams in 2003 which were also absolutely first rate. Nalby’s actually been the player who has made even a A-Fed look out of sorts and bewildered at times. these were the first rate defeats inflicted on fed by anyone. Then that thrashing of fed by guga in 04 FO was also absolutely first rate against A-Fed. Nole’s best win over fed was in the USO 11 which also was a first rate win over fed. Nadal came agonizingly close to beating a first rate Fed in non-clay in WIM 08, but just missed it.
then the 2nd rated wins vs fed have been like when fed was also playin ok, but nole straight-setted him in AO 08(that was prior to people raising questions about fed’s confidence, that’s why it is damn impressive from nole to really THRASH fed when fed has that invincibility cloak in non-clay slams). so it’s highly creditable. nole’s demolition of an ok playing fed at AO 11 was also damn tough thing made look easy. and fed’s defeat by nole in 2010 USO was also very good. and of course fed was playing well when nadal beat him in 4 sets in AO 12, that was a better level of fed than the AO 09 or 10 or 11, so that was also fantastic.
But in these second rated wins, fed was definitely capable of playing better, but his form prevented him from doing so. It’s only in the first rated wins abovementioned that fed could’ve done nothing more, and lost deservingly.

September 3rd, 2012 at 12:05 pm

Huh, it’s just the opposite – Nole’s A-game beats anyone else’s A-game including Federer. It’s just that Novak’s A-game is not as consistent as Fed’s in his heyday.

Federer’s A-game against Novak is his 1st serve. If it clicks, he’s got a chance of winning, even if Novak plays great (FO ’11 semi). If Federer’s 1st serve doesn’t work there’s no way he beats in-the-zone Novak. No way in hell.

So he’d better pray his 1st serve works on the big-match day, or he’s doomed. Goes without saying, Novak has to be in-the-zone too, leaving whatever personal issues hi might have outside the court, once he goes in.

September 3rd, 2012 at 2:50 pm

kriket:

it’s not bad to dream sometimes! ;)

we’ve seen numerous instances of how nole’s A-Game has fared against fed when he is pumped up, I needn’t elaborate more! ;)

September 3rd, 2012 at 2:56 pm

and why should fed’s game be his A-Game without his serve?? care to think what people’ve done to novak when his own serve is not firing, lol ;)

in fact, fed’s B-Game can even win him slams, unlike novak ;)

September 3rd, 2012 at 2:58 pm

like murray said, only if it were the traditional fast low bouncing courts, he’d have been continuously no.1 for about 9 or 10 years now.

September 3rd, 2012 at 3:01 pm

i mean, “like murray said, only if it were the traditional fast low bouncing courts, fed’d have been continuously no.1 for about 9 or 10 years now.

September 3rd, 2012 at 3:01 pm

i really mean people must’ve definitely forgotten how miserable nole used to do with his B-Game just 2 years ago, but glad tennis history’s longer than that ;)

September 3rd, 2012 at 3:03 pm

Huh,

I will agree to disagree with you. You don’t beat GOAT 12 times and then come to say that most times out of 12 GOAT didn’t bring his A-game or the tournament wasn’t important. When you beat GOAT in front of his home crowd on his favorite surface it is importan regardles of being 500 Basel tournament. When you beat GOAT five times in GS matches you must be doing something right, and three times of five GOAT didn’t win a set. I do belive that Nole’s A-game can beat Federer’s A-game based on his 12 wins against GOAT and few close losses.
Huh, did you ever consider possibility that in some of those 12 wins (important one :))Nole didn’t let Federer produce his A-game, it can be as simply as that.
Nice talking to you.

September 3rd, 2012 at 3:27 pm

yeah wogboy,
basel was also a match on even terms which nole won, so you’re right.

and i agree that somethings nole does prevents fed from doing a few things better, but i’m talking also about those things in my mind which fed coulda done better to snatch the match from nole. nevertheless, i don’t find anything illogical or false to disagree with your last post. I concede that of late I’ve started worrying about nole’s consistency and high level of play quite a bit. :)

September 3rd, 2012 at 4:24 pm

nice talking to you too wogboy btw. :)

September 3rd, 2012 at 4:32 pm

I posted earlier this week:
“IF the final is a Nole/fed final, I’m sure both will bring their A games and put it all out on the court. I don’t think fed has played his A game yet. I think he has played as well as he has had to without expending too much energy in order to get a win. But no doubt if he is in the final, he will have to play that other level that they all have when playing each other (the top 4 that is)”

Now do you understand why I said “IF” skeezer?

Fed did not play his best yet and I stick to that assertion. He played as well as he had to, except last night. Berdych played great and deserves some respect regardless of what number of titles he has or has not won!

September 6th, 2012 at 12:22 pm