Federer Falls To Raonic, Slips Further Behind Djokovic In No. 1 Race; ATP London Field Set

by Staff | November 1st, 2014, 1:26 am
  • 33 Comments

Roger Federer 2014 year-end No. 1 hopes crashed on Friday when the Swiss lost to Milos Raonic 7-6, 7-5 in the quarterfinals at the Paris Indoors.

Federer’s loss and Novak Djokovic’s win over Andy Murray meant the Serb will extend his 490 ranking point lead.

“I’m going to stay on indoors now,” he added. “Obviously two days more is big. So I’m looking forward to some days off right now, really resting my body to the max in a short period of time. I have plenty of days now to get ready for London, which is kind of nice, as well. So I can actually properly practise for a change as well again.”


Raonic had never beaten Federer in six previous attempts, and this was his first win over a Big Three player.

“It’s special,” said Raonic who makes his Paris SF. “To be playing as well as I did today. To be able to make the most of it in that situationg with all the circumstances in hand, I believe I played some of my best tennis with the pressure on.”

Federer entered the match on a 14-match win streak.

Earlier in the day, Tomas Berdych overcame a break down in the third to deny Kevin Anderson 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4. Berdych 12th straight win over the South African clinched his berth in London. Berdych will now face Raonic in a very big man semifinals.

“If I can do what I did today I’ll have my opportunities,” Raonic said. “I got to play well and control the center of the court.”

Defending champion Djokovic cruised past Andy Murray 7-5, 6-2. Murray held a break early in the second but that was the lone bright spot for the Scot who drops his fourth straight to the World No. 1.

“Obviously it helps the battle between Roger and me that I progressed to the semis and he didn’t,” said Djokovic. “But I’m trying not to think about the calculations. I have to focus on my own matches and try to play as well as I did in my first couple of matches of this tournament. Hopefully I can finish the year as No. 1.”

Djokovic moves on to face Kei Nishikori who knocked out David Ferrer 3-6, 7-6, 6-4 to clinch and finalize the ATP London year-end event.

Nishikori’s win makes him the first Asian born player to ever qualify for the Finals. And Raonic also earns a spot as well.


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33 Comments for Federer Falls To Raonic, Slips Further Behind Djokovic In No. 1 Race; ATP London Field Set

Michael Says:

What decided the outcome in favour of Raonic was the fact that Roger had difficulty reading his serve due to the high bounce extracted from the surface and delivered as a kicking serve which made life miserable for Roger when he was the returner. And that is almost half the match won for Raonic when his serve is alive and kicking, he is a pretty dangerous customer. From the beginning of this tournament, Roger had difficulties adjusting to the surface as it played radically different from Shanghai and Basel. Now with Paris lost and Novak on cruise control mode to lift the title, the only hope Roger can draw to become Year end World No.1 is by winning the World Tour finals for the seventh time.


sienna Says:

year end#1 would have been nice,
but as I said before federer being able to play and compete for te next 2 year is just enough for me.


Margot Says:

Not a fan of Raonic at all but gotta hand it to him, he’s certainly improved his all court game. In fact Koenig was saying IHHO that Raonic’s inside out forehand is amongst the best in the game. I feel it’s inevitable he’ll get a slam at some point too.
Don’t really care who wins in match v Berd but apparently it is good for Andy’s seeding if Raonic wins.
Soooooo *whispers very softly* “Come on Milos.”!


Brando GOAT poster Says:

The way Milos kicked his opponent to the curb: mwah, what a performance! Well done Milos, spank Birdman like that if you can although we know he’ll be a tougher out, so good luck anyhow.


Brando GOAT poster Says:

Well done Nole! Many are pleased you’ll be no.1: everyone wants the tour to have a lion as number 1. Not a sheep who everyone would cue up to face in 2015 since they know he’s a weak opponent! Well done Nole for keeping the dignity of the tour and maintaining the tradition of Slam winners being No.1 on the tour!


Tennis Fan Says:

Milos’s game has advanced rapidly in the last 12 months … he will definitely be a slam contender by next year. Fed improvement over the last year with new new racket also gives him a very good chance over overtaking The joker by early in the New Year if not before. Would be amazing if a 33 yr old could achieve that level one more time while playing with others that are in their absolute peak age.


Okiegal Says:

I think a slam is a “tall” order for the big guy! To be the winner isn’t it 6 or 7 games that have to be played?? I am not sure if he will have the stamina to get that done. The bigger they are the harder they fall. Now having said that I realize he gets a lot of free points on serve, but over a tough 5 setter, not sure he can deliver….jmo. I called this tournament all wrong. I felt so sure Federer would win this because of a rusty Novak….not so, little grasshopper. He is playing like the champion he is…..he deserves to be year end number one….me thinks!


skeezer Says:

Fed a weak opponet and a sheep? LMAO.
And their is no way players on Tour have this opinion. They know Fed is usually the man to beat on the Tour, even though he is the senior man. When Fed loses, its never against a QF or W/C.
These types are so jealous, they’ll say anything cause there fav has never “owned” #1 like Fed has.


jane Says:

from the highlights, it looks like milo’s return was a factor too, in addition to passing shots and net play? i didn’t see the match but if he’s continuing to evolve as a player, that can only be good for milos, the game itself, and fans. more variety can only add excitement and, for him, more wins. i think he’s got a wonderful coach in ljubicic, and it looks as though their partnership is working.


skeezer Says:

jane,
Fed 1rst serve avg speed; just over 100mph
Milos 1rst serve avg speed: 135……,thats an avg!
That tells alot. Fed serve speed was down, he can do bettet, an milos speed was incredible.


jane Says:

skeezer, thanks for the added info. takes two to tango!


skeezer Says:

^his inside out FH was huge yesterday also. He moved well to get around it and hit his big FH


Margot Says:

Think young Milos just did Andy a favour. Thanx ;)
How infuriating for Fed fans tho. Milos played far, far better yesterday. How often that happens and how often its happened to Andy!
Massive, massive choke from Big Berd helped mind you ;)


jane Says:

margot, what’s the bonus for andy?


mat4 Says:

Hi jane, hi skeez, margot, TF, BGP…

I wrote yesterday that the surface was the same like the surface of the WTF, and WB pointed that the surfaces were in fact different. I just checked: indeed, it is a different surface, but it can be tweaked a lot, and since last year, it is indeed changed to be more alike the surface in London. It can be found on the Wikipedia French page of the tournament.


Polo Says:

That looked easy. Great job by Djokovic. Quite expected. Give him the year end number one ranking already.


Margot Says:

Well that was a damp squib :( Hope Kei is OK for the O2.
Hope Nole wins tomorrow.
Hi mat4 :) Yes, my comms agreed with you re tweaking the surface. It makes a lot of sense and helps the players.
@jane
If Berd had won he’d have overtaken Andy in the rankings.


Wog Boy Says:

Good job Nole, keep it up.


jane Says:

thanks for the update margot. yes, kei wasn’t serving well today. but sometimes it’s difficult to tell with him, because he launches sudden surprise attacks from the ground, so i never count him out until it’s over over.


Wog Boy Says:

Hi mat4, you are probably right, court speed that I gave you is offical court speed from manufacturer but you can always lay it down to make it faster or slower. I need a sleep, it is 4:30 am here.


jane Says:

wog boy and mat4 (i think you’re the only nole fans around) thought i’d share a few happy stats with you. sorry for boring others with these details.

nole is going for his 3rd paris title tomorrow.
not sure if he’ll beat milos, who’s obviously playing well.

in any case, nole has now won several masters more than once.
miami – 4
iw – 3
roma – 3
monte carlo – 1
madrid – 1
canada – 3
cincy – 0
shanghai – 2
paris – 2

that’s 19 masters titles – possibly 20 as of tomorrow.

this is the 4th year in a row that nole’s won at least 3 masters and a slam.

plus … that the 26th straight indoor win for nole

so our fav is doing alright, whether he secures the #1 or not.
it’s still not a done deal!!


Wog Boy Says:

Hi jane, I am around but just. My eyes are closing down. I agree, #1 is not done deal, not yet. Thanks for info:)


Hippy Chick Says:

Well done Novak, whom when playing like that is virtually unstopable,congrats on making another Masters series final,although i agree with Margot about the match been a bit of a damp squib,Kei looked fatigued though after playing quite a few 3 setters,although that doesnt take away how good Novak is indoors,i hope he beats Milos whos a nice guy,but his style of tennis leaves me feeling rather cold….


Hippy Chick Says:

Can i just say when/if people dont blog,its maybe because they are leading real lives ie work,holidays etc,and not leading virtual ones,so why does it become an issue when/if people dont blog?….


mat4 Says:

@jane:

Yes, jane, I am very happy with Novak’s results. He has done so much under very difficult conditions in his career, and he already is among the greats of the game.

But it is clear that he is closing fast to the second part of his career, and although I have seen improvements in his game (his shot selection is about that good that it can be, he serves a bit better, his net game has tremendously improved), I didn’t see the changes that are probably necessary to extend his career. He needs to work on his FH, and to try to finish points faster. I feel that he has stopped improving fast enough in the last two years.

But then, nothing lasts forever, and it is clear that a new generation of players is rising fast, and they have learned from the best. That is good for the game.


brando GOAT poster Says:

@Mat4: hi. Your thoughts on: milos, kei, grigor? Pick to win a slam from this bunch?


brando GOAT poster Says:

Missed the match. Disappointed that kei was not as competitive as I hoped based on scoreline but pleased nole is one great match away from sealing the deal on what belongs to him for this season: year end no1.


brando GOAT poster Says:

Milos raonic: major props to him. Not a fan and sceptical of his talent but to reach a grand slam sf and master series final this season is a good step up for him results wise. Still not sold he’s a future slam winner but it’s good to see genuine improvement in performance from him.


mat4 Says:

@BGP, aka Brando:

They probably all win a slam at one point or the other.

Miloš needs a better return and he has difficulties with his height and weight — I just feel you can wear him down about the third set, but it could change. Grigor needs to improve his nerves and his shot selection. He needs a better coach for this. The only tournament Kei can’t win is Wimbledon, although, you never know.

They are here, now, it’s just a question of day, a bit of luck and a lot of inspiration. But overall, the changes are here, this year.

I wrote a few months ago that Nishikori, for me, was already the fifth player in the world, and I didn’t realise how right I was. I also believed that Cilic would finish among the top ten (I have written it too), but then, I didn’t see him wining a slam.

I believe that I will be harder and harder for the top four to win the way they did in the past, especially in slams, where their routine and experience can’t always help them. The USO was a demonstration of this.


mat4 Says:

… it will be harder…


Hippy Chick Says:

I think Kei will be the first of the new breed to make that breakthrough and win a GS,i agree with Brando about the stamina thing with Milos over five sets,and he aint the best mover,Grigor needs to knuckle down and become more consistent,Kei has a very strong work ethic,its a shame that hes had so many ups and downs with injuries,but when playing well can hit winners all over the court,and hes a great mover….


Hippy Chick Says:

Hi Mat 4 :))….


mat4 Says:

Hi, Alison. Nice to read you today, like always.

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