Djokovic, Murray Dominant Heading Into Australian Third Round While Federer, Nadal Are Ailing

There’s life in the old dog yet – Baghdatis takes the first set 6-4 against Dimitrov!
I’d expect Grigor to win in the end, but he still isn’t playing to waht seemed his potential.

January 22nd, 2015 at 7:59 pm

I am watching them too, I can’t choose who to go for…

January 22nd, 2015 at 8:31 pm

Sean, only you could sensationalize Federer’s pinky finger issue for a half of a set that went away and didn’t affect him for 3 straight sets and a win, as an ailment. Nadal called that the toughest match of his life, not just because it was a 5 set, because he felt that poorly. That’s including his epic 5 set in the Australian Open against Djokovic when they both couldn’t stand during the medal ceremony.

Get some perspective, dude. Stop click baiting us.

January 22nd, 2015 at 8:46 pm

Dimitrov just lost third set so of he is to win it will have to be in five. Neither a playing particular great with very highs and lows. Looks good for Murray, think henis virtually in QF.

Can’t see Seppi troubling Fed much and if Kirguos still have some health issues Fed is good for QF as well.

Nadal is too much a question mark. He can strulge next 2 rounds and than bang, find his groove and in semis and finals hos record speak for itself. Think he will be confident in the finals agaisnt anybody apart from Djoko.

Djoko still looks the man to beat. Nishikori lost sets to lesser players, Novak can do better. And Wawa is hot and cold, a bit unpredictable as well.

Still think this will go to form, Novak x Fed / Nadal / Murray in the final. Can’t see none them Fed, Nadal or Murray in the final from bottom half, but can see Wawa or Nishi in the other side. Raonic is not having a great return game this tourney, but at least is winning his tiebreaks.

January 22nd, 2015 at 9:33 pm

do you guys have a stream for baggy/dimi?

January 22nd, 2015 at 9:35 pm

Berdych is dominating and looks for another three set win, bit we sae that tape before, he looks impressive and beat guys he should beat only to show vulnerable when playing one of the top guys. But he sure like this courts, pushed Nadal once, almost beat Federer and semis last year.

January 22nd, 2015 at 9:35 pm

No jane, watching on ESPN.

January 22nd, 2015 at 9:36 pm

found it, thanks anyhow. it’s difficult to say whose fans are louder: baggy’s or dimi’s. looks like this is going 5, which makes me think dimitrov will prevail.

January 22nd, 2015 at 9:54 pm

hmm, apparently marcos’ five set record at the AO is excellent; he’s 8-1 or something. but grigor looks fresher/fitter.

January 22nd, 2015 at 10:05 pm

Great tennis tonight. Will be interesting to see sharapova and nadal. You have to give credit to sharapova she really went for it on the match points reminded me of djokovic us open v Federer

January 22nd, 2015 at 10:05 pm

Very vocal fans of baghdatis and dimitrov

January 22nd, 2015 at 10:08 pm

Agree Jane, Dimitorv was in too many Baggy games, eventually he will break and he was confirming serve easier. The downsode is he is serving second and he battle nervea sometimes. Still think that he hit too many DF. He has tomdecrease thise to less than 5 per match and usually he is way up that.

January 22nd, 2015 at 10:08 pm

Heart’s with Baghdatis, mind with Dimitrov.

January 22nd, 2015 at 10:12 pm

“Heart’s with Baghdatis, mind with Dimitrov.”

Exactly my feelings.

jane, Bulgarians are outnumbered by Greek by at least 2:1 if not more, but they are pretty loud people, actually everybody is loud in the Balkans, ask my wife:)

January 22nd, 2015 at 10:30 pm

i feel the same as you two re: heart/brain split.

January 22nd, 2015 at 10:32 pm

Federer is scheduled for two back to back matches under the hot sun. The maestro just goes about his business without whining.
Allez fed !!!!!

January 22nd, 2015 at 10:36 pm

brains win… :) better luck next time baggy.

January 22nd, 2015 at 10:41 pm

Berdy in, Dimi in, top seeds moving on.

Dimitrov plated very smart with a lot of low slices bothering Baggy a lot.

Fed next!

January 22nd, 2015 at 10:42 pm

Too bad

January 22nd, 2015 at 10:43 pm

^^ He does that to Nole too, slice is a big part of his game.

January 22nd, 2015 at 10:44 pm

Baghdatis looked like he ran out of steam. Dimitrov looked fresh interesting I know dimitrov had some question marks about his fitness he looked pretty got to me

January 22nd, 2015 at 10:44 pm

10:44pm was for Daniel

January 22nd, 2015 at 10:45 pm

Yeah, Wog bou but I was find strange that when he did drive a cross courr BH his ball was short. Don’t know if he was just not feeling the ball or sensed that slices were working better and was hardly hitting any BH to not allow Baggy rhythm. I just missed that shot today in his game.
Against Murray he will need it because for sure it will have more exchanges.

January 22nd, 2015 at 10:57 pm

Yes Kimberly, looked like Dimincould play two more sets. Noticed also that he wasn’t forcing his serve much, maybe to save energy. Saw him serve way better, but in fourth and fifth sets after 3 hours is expected a decline in serving frok both sides.

January 22nd, 2015 at 10:59 pm

Seppi broke Fed and serving for first set. Fed playing dangerously and his oponents actually playing quite good.
15-30 Seppi playing.

January 22nd, 2015 at 11:29 pm

Fed has 15-40 ans just shank a FH when he was winning the point.

January 22nd, 2015 at 11:30 pm

What a point, Fed unticipates to hit a FH cross courr winner on the run. Another BP to level and second serve

January 22nd, 2015 at 11:32 pm

Seppi just won the first set against Roger.

January 22nd, 2015 at 11:34 pm

Seppi had a lucky net cord where Fed didn’t kill the next shot. A great serve and first set is Seppi. Let’s see if he will keep it up or Fed change something. Not good to be losing first sets, he can put himself in big trouble.

January 22nd, 2015 at 11:34 pm

Federer’s lack of intensity & slow starts are a bit concerning. It’s good that he lost the first set because it forces him to play better. Seppi almost gifted him the break back, but that wouldn’t help in the long run.

Unless he starts playing better, he has no chance to win this tournament. In fact, an injured and sick Nadal from the other night would beat him in straights sets.

January 22nd, 2015 at 11:42 pm

seppi was trouble for nole that one year at the french. he can be streaky. but fed should come through; he’s 10-0 over andreas. from what i saw of the last match, it seemed like it took a while for fed to find his best serving. maybe it’s the same again?

January 22nd, 2015 at 11:44 pm

Federer is having one off day but he’ll make it through.

January 22nd, 2015 at 11:44 pm

Fed having an off day, more than 10 FH errors, a lot of DF and seems rushed sometimea in his shot selection. He had a few chances and made wrong choices. Maybe he can swich a gear and Seppi decrease a bit but tense times now

January 22nd, 2015 at 11:45 pm

Federer is completely reliant on the serve. When it’s not an easy point, his game consists mostly of errors.

January 22nd, 2015 at 11:47 pm

i think seppi will tire out, and fed wins

January 22nd, 2015 at 11:47 pm

Seppi just broke him, serving 2-1. He better domsomething better because Seppi apart from that game to close first set (DF and a few second serves) is playng great. Not looking good for Fed at all.

January 22nd, 2015 at 11:47 pm

0-30. Fed needs this break right now, just for Seppi to second guess himself

January 22nd, 2015 at 11:49 pm

The only problem is that Seppi is not quite Italian, as the matter of fact he is not ethnic Italian, if Federer doesn’t pick up his game it can be “astalavista baby” as Seppi’s countryman would say.

January 22nd, 2015 at 11:50 pm

Performance in early rounds can always be deceiving. I have seen in the past, best players struggling initially and yet get better and better as the tournament progresses and so Rafa can take a leaf out of this and move on. Moreover, I do not think Berdych and Anderson or Gasquet can beat Rafa. Of the three, you can say Anderson chances are the brightest as he has not played Rafa many times. It is futile to place confidence on Berdych or Gasquet to beat Rafa. How can they ? They have him in their head and that is difficult to erase.

As regards Roger, we do not know how serious is that taped finger ? But if that pain persists, then he has a real problem on his hand. It is also amusing that even Roger appears to be at a loss what exactly is ailing his finger ? That is preposterous. As Sean rightly said, he must have the best Doctors at his disposal to see this through.

It is Andy who is looking relatively injury free, but from the fourth round, he has a mountain to climb.

Novak at the moment seems to be sitting pretty. But the real test will come only when he meets competitive players and it is then we might get a feel of his real level which is hidden now due to lack of competition.

January 22nd, 2015 at 11:50 pm

Broke back. Fed net assault work out.
Now better serve to stay ahead

January 22nd, 2015 at 11:53 pm

@Jane 11:44PM

What was Federer’s record vs. Cilic going into the US Semi last year? I think opponents have developed a blueprint for playing against Fed and aren’t quite as afraid anymore.

January 22nd, 2015 at 11:58 pm

isn’t fed having 4 double faults already kind of strange? he’s serving at 59% firsts, but seppi is even lower at 49%. fed has way more errors though.

January 22nd, 2015 at 11:59 pm

bob lewis, i am not sure, but i am guessing it wasn’t very good? hmmm, a blueprint, you think? not sure. could be fed’s starting slower, as you mentioned.

January 23rd, 2015 at 12:01 am

Nothing is working for Fed today. He made an excelent serve on decue and Seppi returned better. Than he hit a excelent FH, Seppi returned high Fed didn’t volley and the ball landed in on BP. Seppi to serve for the second ser 5-4. Fed in major hole now

January 23rd, 2015 at 12:12 am

30-40 fed needs a secosn serve now

January 23rd, 2015 at 12:14 am

Wow, the net and the gods said, 1 more chance Roger!

January 23rd, 2015 at 12:15 am

Oh, he gets lucky on the net cord. Those rarely go over, jeez.

January 23rd, 2015 at 12:15 am

Fed in the zone now. Below the legs shot, winnner painting the line.

January 23rd, 2015 at 12:17 am

In the mean time, Murray looking flawless.

January 23rd, 2015 at 12:18 am

Tiebreak.

January 23rd, 2015 at 12:21 am

Murray’s mountain gets extremely steep from here. Although he might get lucky and avoid both Federer and Nadal.

January 23rd, 2015 at 12:23 am

what? rog down 2 sets to seppi….

January 23rd, 2015 at 12:28 am

Andy in this form will beat Roger.

January 23rd, 2015 at 12:28 am

Now things are really interesting.

January 23rd, 2015 at 12:29 am

i think fed will come back, this is like monfils game at US open, he imploded after playing brilliantly

January 23rd, 2015 at 12:29 am

Fed will lose. Can’t believe how well Seppi is playing. Fed was leading 5-3, hit a first serve, Seppi returned excelent and won mini break back. Than played 3 excelent points in a row.

If he keeps this level, which he has for 2 sets he will win and worst, he is serving first third set.

What bothers me is that Seppi has no chance un this tourney, is jusy today that he is in the zone. Hate this matches, if it was QF onwards OK but why winnif he won’t pass QF regardless. Fed even withou winning the while tourney could play better. Acrually Fed increased his level but in the end of tiebreak lost two straight points in the net.

January 23rd, 2015 at 12:31 am

“Fed in the zone now. Below the legs shot, winnner painting the line.”

Not quite Daniel, he is two sets down..but he’ll come back.

January 23rd, 2015 at 12:31 am

To Roger fans, relax, Seppi was two sets up at FO against Nole and yet he lost.

January 23rd, 2015 at 12:33 am

Fed had BP first game, hit a crsso courr FH only to see Seppi make a passing shot DT on the run in the line. Amazing how everything is clicking for Seppi apart from the net cord where Fed got the break end second set. Seema is really not meant to be because Fed played a gane to break.

January 23rd, 2015 at 12:38 am

Current odds are still 50/50. No real Seppi believers yet.

January 23rd, 2015 at 12:39 am

Coming from two sets behind is a hard nut to crack. But Roger has the experience of having done this before coming from hopeless position to script a turn around. Will that happen again ? I think a lot depends also on the way Seppi plays. If he is consistency to carry over his form from the first two sets, then it is adieu time for Roger. Roger must he hoping that there is a dip in Seppi’s level which can aid his come back. Let us see.

January 23rd, 2015 at 12:39 am

Wog boy,
For thise few two games he was and he actually was 30-30 6-5 and missed a FH. And was 5-3 up tiebreak. Suddenly Seppi got a string of points.

Another Seppi game now where Fed has BP again.

January 23rd, 2015 at 12:40 am

And he gets an early break. Let’s see if he sustain it.

January 23rd, 2015 at 12:41 am

bob lewis you said almost the exact same thing as michael about murray’s mountain, which is true, but if fed goes out, then things certainly open up. andy can beat dimitrov over 5 sets. then it depends on how sick rafa is. i saw a “fitness report” on him today that said he was fine, so who knows. lots of tennis still to come, even in this fed/seppi match.

the other side has lots of interesting match ups too, with 9 seeds and wawa, kei, milos, nole, isner, ferrer, and simon still alive. this side of the draw has 7 seeds with 3 of the “big 4”.

fed with the break now … can he stay ahead this time?

January 23rd, 2015 at 12:41 am

@Michael

He has the lead now but has problem sustaining momentum these days.

January 23rd, 2015 at 12:42 am

How bullish are you on Kyrgios chances vs. Murray? If Fed goes out, things open up for him. The home crowd will become a real factor in the later stages of the tournament.

January 23rd, 2015 at 12:44 am

What a drama with Fed. Don’t worry, it’s Seppi. In 5 – just you watch.

On the other hand, Andy is playing fantastically. He’s completely relentless. Everything working.

January 23rd, 2015 at 12:46 am

Everytime Fed serve when he was at 4 he was broken. Now he is leading 4-3 and is already 15-30. He needs some first serves

January 23rd, 2015 at 12:54 am

Finally an ace, long time.

January 23rd, 2015 at 12:55 am

the DA, I am watching him and following result in RLA ( I know it is heresy) he is playing great, not just today and that is why I said that this Andy will beat Roger if they are to meet.

January 23rd, 2015 at 12:57 am

Fed too slugish this game, won first point and then missed a bunch of returns. He better serve ir out and gets this set in the bag. So far a quick 31 min set.

January 23rd, 2015 at 12:59 am

Fed misses 3 first serves but even so is 40-0. Now a firsf serve and third set.

Now Seppi star serving fourth. Hope Fed can get another early break beacause I don’t want end of set drama.

January 23rd, 2015 at 1:02 am

@Wog Boy – Yeah, I think this Andy has an excellent chance vs Roger. It has been so long since I’ve seen this level. Happy.

January 23rd, 2015 at 1:04 am

Again Fed had BP and was too passive with only slices in that point. Seppi almost didn’t find a first serve and Fed didn’t break. He should be taking his chances whenever he can. He can afford this lapses not with this score.

January 23rd, 2015 at 1:09 am

5 All 4 th set tense moments … Come on FED

January 23rd, 2015 at 1:34 am

Federer to serve to force fourth set tiebreak. Drama drama drama

January 23rd, 2015 at 1:40 am

DF. Seppi two points away. OMG

January 23rd, 2015 at 1:41 am

Fed first serve deserted him.

January 23rd, 2015 at 1:42 am

Fed very courgaeous, inside out winner on deuce. My heart!!!

January 23rd, 2015 at 1:45 am

Yeah, ace for a tiebreak. Damn

January 23rd, 2015 at 1:46 am

Tie berak !!

January 23rd, 2015 at 1:47 am

Jezzz another DF when leading 3-2. My God.
C’mon Fed. Good first serve in now!!

January 23rd, 2015 at 1:50 am

Where is Fed first serveeeee. 5-5. This is it!! Aceeee

January 23rd, 2015 at 1:54 am

True Bob !! Age is really a factor !!

January 23rd, 2015 at 1:55 am

Seppi was just too steady, kept attacking, and deserved to win. Bravo!

January 23rd, 2015 at 1:56 am

Astalavista baby

January 23rd, 2015 at 1:57 am

I think Seppi has won it !! Pity that Roger could not put things together and may be his injured thumb played a macro role in scripting this defeat. Nevertheless, all credit goes to Seppi for pulling this off. He is known as a dangerous player and today he lived up to that reputation.

January 23rd, 2015 at 1:58 am

UnFu$& believable how he did it. He got an impossible ball. WTF!!!!
First he painted the line with a FH and now this get. Damn you Seppi only to lose to Kirgios or Murray later. No way he lasses by Murray.
Fed only shot really is Wimbledon and even so a big if. Age catches everybody and even hos amazing semi final run in AO come to an end.

Major congrats to Seppi. Can’t believe how he played both tiebreaks after being down twice. Can’t believe Fed’s serve deserted him, he was 5-4.

This looks like a claer path for Murray. Dimitrov is not in super great form and the way Murray is playing think he will be favorite agaisnt Nadal. If Nadal reaches that stage as well.

Stay up umtil 5am Rio time for this, Seppi winning twi tiebreaks agaisnt Fed. WTFFFFF

January 23rd, 2015 at 1:59 am

seppi was steady and fed was not at his best. this side just got looser, especially for andy, as rafa’s draw was pretty good already. rafa and murray as the main contenders, then, with kyrigos, berdych and dimitrov as outsiders?

January 23rd, 2015 at 2:02 am

Oh my :( Federer was off today..9 Double Faults..unheard of..hope it wasnt the thumb.. :/

January 23rd, 2015 at 2:03 am

Tough luck roger. Glad you fought till the end
Maybe again sometime I would see you holding a Gs again or maybe never.
Whatever, thanks for being so dedicated to tennis and play amazingly well even to this day. I have learned a lot from you.
I know you will come back. :(

Congrats seppi.. You deserved it.

January 23rd, 2015 at 2:04 am

poor you daniel, commiserations – get some sleep!

January 23rd, 2015 at 2:05 am

A good number of ranking points lost, but he’ll still keep his #2 ranking. Lots of time to rest and reflect now. How motivated will he be to play some of these smaller events? It’s a long time between now and Wimbledon.

Round of applause for 11 straight Aussie semis, that streak comes to an end.

January 23rd, 2015 at 2:06 am

Even though I am a fed fan it is nice to see a journeyman player like seppi get a big win.

January 23rd, 2015 at 2:07 am

“I think Seppi has won it !! Pity that Roger could not put things together and may be his injured thumb played a macro role in scripting this defeat.”

I can’t believe it, what f…ing thumb, don’t try to find exuse, he lost it man, lost it to better player, and it wasn’t f…ing thumb, it was pinky finger. Now blame the bee for Federer’s loss,

Good on you Seppi…SEHR GUT!

January 23rd, 2015 at 2:08 am

Wow, I could scarcely believe what I was seeing. Roger’s serve wasn’t as reliable as usual and there were too many UFEs, but credit has to be given to Seppi for not choking. He hung in there with him until the end. And that shot which won the match? Incredible.

It’ll be interesting to see who in that section of the draw seizes on the advantage. Maybe Kyrgios will step up?

January 23rd, 2015 at 2:10 am

Federer played some nervous tennis on the big points, had some awful sprays. He did try to stay engaged and aggressive, electing to go away from the BH slice.

OTOH, Seppi was more steady. Even when he made errors, at least they were attacking shots. He was going for it and got some weak replies on Fed’s FH wing.

January 23rd, 2015 at 2:12 am

pitty, but when serve is of through injury then no way he gets rhrough these kind of players.
Murray must be delighted another slamfinal is luring. (probably another loss in final )

January 23rd, 2015 at 2:13 am

only came back in at the end of the 4th. is it just me or was there way more rallies between these 2 than almost any other match i’ve seen roger play? it felt like almost every ball in play from roger’s end was 7-9 stroke rallies. just playing too tentative…nervous about having to win the 4th set and not going for shots.

his serve definitely was the pits in the games i saw. in brisbane it was so clean and crisp. untroubled.

congrats to seppi though. what a match for him. and his speech after was very humble; so excited to be on centre court. we get so used to the top guys and their existence, it’s easy to forget the hundred other guys who are always playing on court 13 or 18 in front of nobody.

January 23rd, 2015 at 2:19 am

Congrats to Seppi. He studied Roger’s game and played Roger’s game……taking ball early, serving boldly and not being intimidated at the net. Lovely exchange at end of match.
Nothing really worked for Fed…..sluggish movement, lack of serve, terrible error count. Regarding the little finger (not thumb) Wilander said it was a burst blood vessel which is a different story from all the other theories. As some above have wondered, did have an impact on his play? Probably unlikely we’ll ever find out.
Allez Stan and Andy.

January 23rd, 2015 at 2:20 am

Yay! Go Andy! 3 down, 4 to go.
@Sienna
You were so rude about Andy’s chances against Fed and here we have Andy through and Fed out. It’s called hubris. You just never know what will happen.
@Bob Lewis
Agree with you about Fed’s serve. When it’s off he loses matches.
Also agree if Kyrgios and Andy should meet, I think he’ll be quite a handful for Andy.Will thrive on the crowd support.
@the DA
Yessssssss! Our man is cooking…….so far, says she injecting usual note of Andy fan caution into the proceedings!

January 23rd, 2015 at 2:27 am

Wog Boy: pretty uncalled for comment. If people wish to speculate about Roger’s loss that’s up to them. There’s plenty of speculation……let’s be fair………excuse making, when other favourites lose, play badly or scrape through.

January 23rd, 2015 at 2:33 am

“pitty, but when serve is of through injury then no way he gets rhrough these kind of players”

Another Federer fan is coming with injury exuse, what injury, didn’t you say that injury exuse is exclusive to Rafa, tell us please?

January 23rd, 2015 at 2:35 am

@Margot – Yes, our man was – although he nearly reverted to type late in the 3rd set. One match at a time. Grigor will need some recovery after today’s energy-sapping 5-setter but he’s young. One match at a time. Plenty to be encouraged about. BTW that usual note of caution is what I’d call an ‘antijinx’.

January 23rd, 2015 at 2:36 am

Wog Boy…I’ve no idea to whom you are addressing your rant but I would strongly advise you to A. Calm down B. Stop lecturing. C. Have some respect for posters thoughts and opinions. We don’t want you bursting a blood vessel do we.

January 23rd, 2015 at 2:42 am

@ the DA
True but fairly typical of matches wasn’t it? Andy loses focus, this time found probs with sun I think, our Andy is such a sensitive fellow…;) Suddenly player x, with nothing to lose starts hitting freely and confidently and us fans are behind the sofa, yet again. ;)

January 23rd, 2015 at 2:44 am

@Purcell,
Sorry, the words I picked might not be nice, and I might regret using them but there is NO injury, same as it was NO injury in WTF and it was not uncalled for.
I am fed up with double standards!

January 23rd, 2015 at 2:45 am

Even in the previous round, Federer had problems finding his A game. A bit odd, considering that there weren’t any signs of this during the warmup tournament in Brisbane.

Unable to close the deal in either tiebreak in which he held mini-break leads. Unfortunately, this has become more common. Not as clutch anymore in these tiebreaks. Times have changed.

Moving on – this could be a huge breakthrough slam for the Aussies. The three youngsters on the men’s side are playing with confidence.

January 23rd, 2015 at 2:46 am

@Purcell,
First one was for Michael and second for Sienna, if you check the quotes you can find it yourself without asking me. Don’t worry about my bllood vessels, they are fine, better worry about blood vessels of Roger fans, didn’t he say that his game is best than ever after einning Brisbane, and stop lecturing me, please, OK??!!

January 23rd, 2015 at 2:51 am

Q. You didn’t look quite comfortable out there today, especially the first two sets. Was something
special going on or just a bad day?
ROGER FEDERER: Just a bad day, yeah. I mean, I wish I could have played better, but clearly it was
tough losing the first two, you know. Had chances to get back into it. I let it slip, I mean, both times in
some ways. I guess I won the wrong points out there today. I knew how important that second set
tiebreaker was, so clearly that hurt, losing that one. The end wasn’t pretty, you know. It wasn’t easy to
play with the shadow. But it was the same for both of us. Just a disappointing loss, you know.
Q. Did you have a chance to make a volley on the very final point?
ROGER FEDERER: I mean, I guess maybe if he hits it normally, maybe yes. But the way he hits it you
think, This can’t possibly land in. You kind of go and you’re there and you’re like, No, I’m going to let it
go. As you’re telling yourself that, you look behind you and you already know it’s done, so… Because he
was also running into the sun, so I have to cover cross-court just in case. That’s where everybody goes.
I don’t know. Ask him how he felt hitting it. It’s clearly a big blow because I actually hit my forehand
pretty good.
Q. You never lost a set with him. Was it surprising the way he played? Do you think Seppi played
his best ever?
ROGER FEDERER: Against me, you mean?
Q. Yes.
ROGER FEDERER: Possibly so. We had some good matches in the past. He hits a good ball, forehand
and backhand, so I knew that on a quicker court where he gets more help on the serve it was potentially
going to be more tricky. And I felt for some reason yesterday and this morning it was not going to be very
simple today. Even in practice I still felt the same way. I was just hoping it was one of those feelings you
sometimes have and it’s totally not true and you just come out and you play a routine match. Yeah, it
was a mistake. And I know the strength of Seppi, especially after he beat Chardy, who I know can play very well. I was aware of the test and was well-prepared. Just somehow couldn’t play my best tennis
today. It was definitely partially because of Andreas playing very well.
Q. What was your feeling in practice this morning? ROGER FEDERER: I don’t know, maybe rhythm was missing. But I feel like that very often and then,
you know, I come out and play a good match. Sometimes you feel too good and then you play a horrible
match. I mean, the practice to me doesn’t mean a thing anyways. But I was aware that this could be a
tough match, so I wasn’t mistaken this time around. Q. What do you think let you down the most? Was it your serving or missing those breakpoints?
ROGER FEDERER: I guess it was just an overall feeling I had today out on the court that I couldn’t, you
know, really get the whole game flowing. You know, was it backhand? Was it forehand? Was it serve? It
was a bit of everything. At the same time, I think I got broken in the last couple of sets. The second set
also I only got broken once. I was hanging in there. Gee, what did I have, 4-1 in the breaker, 3-1 in the
breaker? I don’t remember what it was. I hit a pretty good serve that I shouldn’t — downwind I should
never lose that point. So it wasn’t all bad. It’s just when it counted the most somehow it just ended up going his way. I think that was because overall I wasn’t feeling it quite as well. I had to play it a little bit
passively at times when normally I would play aggressive. You know, it was just a tough match for me.
Q. When you come to reflect, do you think you made it back on top after a very grueling, very
emotional Davis Cup very late in the year? Maybe this event came in a bit of a rush.
ROGER FEDERER: Not really. I was actually very happy that it was the way it went, because it allowed
me to stay within the rhythm and take the break after the Australian Open. I was playing very well in
practice. I was playing very well in Brisbane. I was playing great in the practice leading into the
tournament. So I don’t want to say that I peaked too early, but I definitely was hitting the ball very well. I
still believe I’d still be in the tournament, that I’d still have a chance to go very deep. Like I said at the
very beginning of the tournament, I truly believe that. But then again, margins are small, and sometimes these things tend to happen. Clearly I’ll have a look at it, but I don’t think I did anything wrong honestly. I
wanted to go to India. I wanted to go back to Switzerland for Christmas. I practiced as hard as I possibly
could. Can’t do more than that. Sure, the year ended late, but one week later than normal. At the end of
the day, honestly I’m confident that what I did was the right thing.
Q. The first set you played versus Bolelli, there was this little sign of alarm. You were pushed by
the forehand of Bolelli a lot, and maybe today the whole match instead of just one set or not?
ROGER FEDERER: Maybe. I don’t know. I think I gave a lot of explanation. I wish I could have won the
first set; then things would have been different. But I definitely wanted to go into the match, play
aggressive, play the right way, play on my terms, but it was just hard to do. For some reason I struggled.
Like I explained, it had things to do with Andreas’ game and with my game as well. You put those things
together, all of a sudden you’re playing a match you don’t want to play. The rallies are going in a way you
don’t like it. Then when I maybe needed my serve the most, it wasn’t quite there, because my baseline game wasn’t there either. It went in phases. But at least I was able to iron out things a bit and able to
play much more solid at the back end of the match. But it just broke me to lose that second set. And
actually the fourth, I should win it, too. Just a brutal couple of sets to lose there.
Q. Were you surprised you were playing in the morning session? Maybe the conditions might be
different.
ROGER FEDERER: Who knows. I mean, it’s totally no excuse. How many times have I played night
session, day session, night session, day session or day session, night session? Who cares. I think he
did well. I struggled today and he took advantage of it really. I wish I believed maybe if we played at night
I would have been more comfortable, but at this point who cares, right? I mean, like I’m on the plane and
he’s not, so…
Q. What are you going to do next?
ROGER FEDERER: Rest, then get ready for practice really.
Q. Do you have any tournaments planned for February? ROGER FEDERER: Dubai is my next one. Q. Do you feel like you’re having these off days, do you feel they’re coming more often in the last
couple of years? ROGER FEDERER: Oh, no. This is a feeling I’ve had for 15 years. To me I don’t read anything into that.
It’s just not the best feeling to have. It’s not like I’m playing shocking or I’m feeling shocking. It’s like one
of those things you look back and maybe, Yeah, I didn’t feel so good. But if you win, you never even
question it. If I were you, I wouldn’t read very much into that.

January 23rd, 2015 at 3:11 am

The poster from down under is rude, obnoxious, disrespectful and a total ignoramus! Get your act together and learn some manners which clearly you do not have. Geeeez!!
Commiserations to fed fans.

January 23rd, 2015 at 3:41 am

^^ Can I kiss you for those nice words, just one nice looong kiss:)

January 23rd, 2015 at 3:49 am

@ Wog Boy
Have u been watching Atomic. I think he’s playing as well as he did against Nole at Wimbles, better than for agesand ages, in other words.
I know u don’t like him but I have a very soft spot. How many mad tennis dads have wrecked promising young careers?
Also, a double hip op at 20 something. Crikey! My friend in her seventies just had one of those.

January 23rd, 2015 at 4:11 am

@Margot,
You are right, he is playing well, I was going for Groth but Tomic was just to good for him today. Doesn’t matter if I don’t like somebody, if he is good..well, he is good, and Tomic is playing good so far. My Aussie favourites were Kokkinakis and Groth (true blue Aussie) but they are out now, I have to pick new one now:)
BTW, Andy looks good, really good, you must be happy for him.

January 23rd, 2015 at 4:18 am

Love that quadruple K young man too :)
Groth played sublime shot followed by muppet shot! Atomic slow and steady. Still doesn’t move too well, looks big, slow and awkward.
Groth had a br8 from tennis and come back to it?
Well, I can’t warm to Kyrgios but certainly has the fire in his belly!
Jaziri is so pretty but, me oh my, so tubby! A distinct disadvantage in that heat.

January 23rd, 2015 at 4:50 am

@sienna

`Murray must be delighted another slamfinal is luring. (probably another loss in final)…`

He would have beaten Fed anyway should they have met.
Roger’s game was nearly as bad as your English is in this tournament!
hahahaha
The court is playing faster now, if Andy does indeed make it to the final, no way am I writing him off this time..

January 23rd, 2015 at 4:59 am

Yes, Groth he went to play football (Aussie rules) in 2011, he is typical next door person who is going to crack open a beer with you and throw a sausage on the barbie with you on any given day.

January 23rd, 2015 at 5:00 am

I can’t believe it, what f…ing thumb, don’t try to find exuse, he lost it man, lost it to better player, and it wasn’t f…ing thumb, it was pinky finger. Now blame the bee for Federer’s loss,

Why are you losing your patience and use such uncultured language which is totally uncalled for and vitiate the nice atmosphere and tranquility of this forum where friendly discussions are the norm rather than exception. We may differ and have different perceptions and that is natural. But anything we might want to highlight should be done in a polite and polished fashion so as not to offend the sensibilities of others. Nobody is denying what is rather obvious. Seppi won and Roger lost. Matter ends. Seppi is going to the fourth round with his head held high and Roger is going to his home to rest with his wife and kids. No amount of whining is going to change that. But the fact of the matter is Seppi has lost the last 10 times he played against Roger and that is testimony to the kind of supremacy Roger had over him. It is also no secret that Roger was nursing a blistered finger in his earlier match and how any body say for sure that they did not have a bearing in this match ? He was also not able to serve well in this match and that is another reason for his loss. Ofcourse it is purely speculative and depends basically on individual perception. Even if it was Rafa or Novak replacing Roger, I would have only commented in a similar fashion. These are all great players and when they are defeated by lilliputans, you need to explore all possible causes.

January 23rd, 2015 at 5:08 am

Seppi won fair and square. Congratz and all the best for ur next match

When Fed cant turn 4-1 lead in TBs into a set win then he deserves to lose.

should have played the volley at match point. but point summed up his whole day perfectly.

and plz dont start the retirement talk

January 23rd, 2015 at 5:15 am

lilliputans!

Gael and Earnests gone and now this.

Just bad luck.

Well I for one just hope any finger woes are gone in time for Dubai.

Commiserations to Fedfans.

January 23rd, 2015 at 11:23 am