2018 BNP Paribas Open...ATP 1000...Indian Wells, United States

[don_budge]

Plus a tremendous amount of credit to Juan Martin Del Potro. He has been sorely missed due to his injury problems the past few years. Ironic that he has made it back at a time where the rest of the top players save Roger have succumbed to injuries of their own.

[don_budge]

True Grit...Roger Federer versus Juan Martin Del Potro...Indian Wells Men's Finals 2018

What is the mantra of a tennis player? Preparation...preparation...preparation. And who knows this better than Roger Federer. Roger had a little different look to him at Indian Wells this year. It wasn't necessarily the uncharacteristic facial hair growth that made him look like a homeless person (so my wife said). But he just looked out of sorts. He wasn't comfortable. So I try my hand once again at being Roger Federer. First of all I think that one of the announcers said that he had been battling a cold. I don't know how long or how severe it was but I suspect that this was a significant contributing factor in his looking out of sorts. He seemed to be just a tad slow and therefore he was just a smidge from being able to take the initiative and force the issue. He looked rather sharp against Hyeon Chung but he slipped a notch or two once he was up against Borna Coric.

Roger took two weeks off after the Australian Open before playing and winning the tournament Rotterdam, Netherlands. He was extremely sharp in the finals against Grigor Dimitrov after warming up on four players that he can practically beat in his sleep. But then he took another two weeks off before playing Indian Wells and it looked as if he had lost a bit of his competitive edge as the tournament dragged on. He appeared to get a bit gassed and he wasn't hitting on all eight cylinders against Coric in the semis where he was somewhat fortunate to escape with a win over the forty something ranked player in the world. And then it was the towering Juan Martin Del Potro who was hitting his competitive peak after playing three weeks in a row and winning the week before. Juan was in the groove and Roger was fighting to attain his C+ level of play. This is what made this final an ultra fascinating match to watch. It's always interesting with Federer. It doesn't matter who he is playing.

Juan Martin seemed to take control of the match right from the coin toss. Roger seemed to be searching for his feet and the middle of the racquet all at the same time. He was unusually fidgety throughout the match making all kind of gestures that are really uncharacteristic of him. At times he was exhorting himself on harder than I think I have ever seen him in the past. Other times he was making gestures or mimicking himself after missing a shot. One backhand in particular he made a very obvious swing at an imaginary ball after missing what he thought was a routing ball. There were times that he was shanking forehands out of the stadium. For no apparent reason he was missing little bunny rabbits as he was closing out points close to the net. He was fighting himself...which is unlike an in form Federer. He was suffering from more than a cold. He lacked what we call in the business..."match toughness".

So he made do. And this was the extraordinary element of the match to me. Much has been said of the larger frame racquet and how it has enhanced his drive backhand. This has been the most obvious improvement. But I maintain that every single aspect of his game has been enhanced proportionally with the increase in size which is in the neighbourhood of eight percent. But I believe that we witnessed another aspect as to how this increase in size has improved his performance. Against Coric and Del Potro he was obviously not at his best but the slightly larger racquet enhanced his ability to scrap and to dig deep and hang around when in the past he may have disappeared.

There have been times in the past when an opponent got on top of Roger Federer it seemed as if he would almost throw in the towel and it was somewhat disappointing to see that he didn't at least try to make a game of it. It wasn't as if he would tank but borderline. I don't think he felt he had the strength or the nerve sometimes when his opponent was hitting on all eight and he was battling with his C+ game with a smaller headed racquet. He felt as if he was giving too much away. But here at Indian Wells twice in a row he really dug down deep and he managed to get it home the first time and he all but did the second.

Roger put himself in position to win this match serving for the championship at 5-4, 40-15. How he managed to lose it is anybodies guess. He never loses when he is in position like this. But Del Potro was definitely match tough this week and he never let up on the accelerator and just kept pounding when he was looking defeat in the face. Roger for his part let up just a tad and maybe got a little tentative when he had the championship on his racquet. During this game he tried and failed with two drop shot attempts where if he had chosen another play he might just have gotten the horse in the barn.

It was a fascinating match. Perhaps the best two out of three set match since Roger played Nick Kyrgios at the Miami Open in the semifinals last year. Del Potro and Federer were really putting pressure on each other with every point and the pressure was mounting until it was clinched in the third set tie-break. Federer had fought so hard that he didn't have the necessary fuel in reserve to engage in the tie-break and Del Potro was still raring to go. It was another Federer versus Anybody moment and this time that Anybody turned into a Goliath in Juan Martin Del Potro. I watched the match on replay on Tennis TV which I signed up for this month figuring to get Indian Wells and Miami with Roger participating in both. A bargain at 15 bucks. Federer didn't disappoint. I was disappointed that he lost but very, very proud at the way he competed. I don't know if I have ever seen him digging so deep to get himself in position to win. He had it in his grasp but Del Potro had his say in it and he denied the great Swiss Maestro another Indian Wells title.

Federer just shrugs it off. What he said afterwards is just another indication of what a great player and competitior he is. Here he showed us courage and guts. It is much tougher in defeat than in victory. He was up to it.

It was almost as if he had a little "Bad Boy" in him. He got down and dirty. True grit.

[stroke]

That is really tough stroke. But you pulled it off. I'm more old school...what a surprise! But one of my most enthusiastic "fan" experiences was the Detroit Piston "Bad Boys" team. Bill Lambier, Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Vinnie Johnson, Dennis Rodman...the whole bunch. Chuck Daly the coach. Sort of explains my disdain for Micheal Jordan.

Not too long ago I got into a Larry Bird youtube experience. Watched everything Bird. Growing up I was right in the middle of the Larry Bird versus Magic Johnson show in 1979. I was in college playing intramural ball for my fraternity. We won our championship. My doubles partner and I played guard together. Man...that was a lot of fun!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNkyv4S67EU

I like your pick of Kevin McHale. He and Bird were just so tough together. The rest of their crew too. Bill Walton comes to mind. Larry Parish. It's funny...the Pistons and the Celtics hated each other but I loved them both. Just loved them both.

I read an article about Larry Bird and he was saying that he would have rather played tennis or he should have been a tennis player. He said that because he said nobody wanted to win as much as he did and it was impossible to get his teammates on his level. He observed that in tennis it is just you and that is what he felt comfortable with. I concur...which just shy of saying that I agree.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcXv0JtzNQA

Look at 5.20 in this highlight video...he steals the inbound pass from Isiah Thomas. Broke Detroit's heart that day. Just loved him. Scorer, passer and rebounder. All of the intangibles. Larry all day long over Jordan.

Don't forget my Bad Boy bias.

I remember the Detroit bad boys very well. They took over for a bit after the Celtics and Lakers got older. They were the reason for the intentional foul rule change. Mahorn and Lambier in particular liked to get an exra "free" foul or cheap shot in after a foul had been called. I am in Atlanta area and was a Hawk fan. They brutalized Hawk star Dominique Wilkins. I still remember one time when Wilkins, a great leaper, went up for a dunk. Lambier bent over down low, and Mahorn clothes lined him in air, head over heels, over Lambier. Unbelievable. Of course, when Jordon joined the league, the Pistons were the team to beat and they did not like Jordon at all. They treated him with no respect at all. Pippen joined the Bulls after a couple of years, and the Pistons reign of terror was over. Jordon, not one to forgive and forget, took great pleasure in trying to not only beat but embarrass the Pistons, which he pretty much did. He and Pippen, both with those huge hands palming the ball and their top level athleticism, were the most dynamic twosome on both ends of the court I have ever seen.

[don_budge]

db, I saw your post about Larry BIrd. I like him a lot. Definitely in my all time starting 5. Still like Jordon as my Federer. Off subject, but I would go with Jordon, Magic, Bird, Kevin McHale, and Abdul Jabbar as starting 5. Tough to leave Lebron and a young Julius off.

That is really tough stroke. But you pulled it off. I'm more old school...what a surprise! But one of my most enthusiastic "fan" experiences was the Detroit Piston "Bad Boys" team. Bill Lambier, Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Vinnie Johnson, Dennis Rodman...the whole bunch. Chuck Daly the coach. Sort of explains my disdain for Micheal Jordan.

Not too long ago I got into a Larry Bird youtube experience. Watched everything Bird. Growing up I was right in the middle of the Larry Bird versus Magic Johnson show in 1979. I was in college playing intramural ball for my fraternity. We won our championship. My doubles partner and I played guard together. Man...that was a lot of fun!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNkyv4S67EU

I like your pick of Kevin McHale. He and Bird were just so tough together. The rest of their crew too. Bill Walton comes to mind. Larry Parish. It's funny...the Pistons and the Celtics hated each other but I loved them both. Just loved them both.

I read an article about Larry Bird and he was saying that he would have rather played tennis or he should have been a tennis player. He said that because he said nobody wanted to win as much as he did and it was impossible to get his teammates on his level. He observed that in tennis it is just you and that is what he felt comfortable with. I concur...which just shy of saying that I agree.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcXv0JtzNQA

Look at 5.20 in this highlight video...he steals the inbound pass from Isiah Thomas. Broke Detroit's heart that day. Just loved him. Scorer, passer and rebounder. All of the intangibles. Larry all day long over Jordan.

Don't forget my Bad Boy bias.

[stroke]

db, I saw your post about Larry BIrd. I like him a lot. Definitely in my all time starting 5. Still like Jordon as my Federer. Off subject, but I would go with Jordon, Magic, Bird, Kevin McHale, and Abdul Jabbar as starting 5. Tough to leave Lebron and a young Julius off.

[stotty]

I saw Friday's match against Chung on Thursday. Federer looked very unnerved. Just not in rhythm. Then he had a long semi and long final. I think he was just not playing that well this week and ended up losing steam. The unhappiness was already there during the week. In the quarters he was up 3-0 and then lost momentum. It felt kind of like the US Open. Maybe he is dinged up a bit or something is a little off. He is getting older.

It wasn't a good week from the outset. I have seen Roger like that before, not often, but I have. However, I have never seen him like that in a slam event and don't think I ever will. ATP 1000 events are expendable, slams aren't.

[arturohernandez]

I saw Friday's match against Chung on Thursday. Federer looked very unnerved. Just not in rhythm. Then he had a long semi and long final. I think he was just not playing that well this week and ended up losing steam. The unhappiness was already there during the week. In the quarters he was up 3-0 and then lost momentum. It felt kind of like the US Open. Maybe he is dinged up a bit or something is a little off. He is getting older.

[klacr]

It was the 19th time in his career they Roger had match points and failed to win.

Federer also leads the tour in losses with matches featuring Simpson's paradox. Even when he is bad, he is still good.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[gzhpcu]

It was the 19th time in his career they Roger had match points and failed to win.

[stotty]

The level of play was just about the best this year. It was amazing to see how well Roger was defending, but you have to give Delpo credit for playing aggressively. He won most of those match points down with winners. Some of the rallies were just breath-taking.

Stotty, you have a good memory for matches. I remember watching all those RG finals against Rafa where Roger would miss so many short forehands. At almost 37, it seems like he is covering court better than ever and making a lot less unforced errors than even during the 2004-2007 run. What do you think? No question the backhand is better, but I think the big frame is helping with his retrieving and even his forehand.

don

It certainly was a high level match once Roger engaged better midway through the second set. He didn't seem to fancy it all that much at first but then his will to win kicked in and seemed to override his tetchy mood.

Without question Del Potro played well from start to finish and smothered Roger with power much of the time. But yes Roger's defending was the highlight of the match for me, as it was against Coric. Not only did he defend well in both those matches, he also managed to give his opponent really awkward balls to deal.

Most pundits think Roger is a better player than he was back in his youth. He is, they are right. Most pundits, however, think his volleys aren't as good as the start of his career, and they are right here too. I think he moves about the same, slightly slower at times.

Del Potro has been desperately unlucky with injury throughout his career. He is as good as any of them. Once he has the opportunity to plant and hit, it's game over. Opponents simply have to try and find ways to keep him off balance, which is tough when his first strike is nearly always so crushingly powerful.

I think back in those days of Rafa and Roger you speak of, there was so much pressure on Roger to hit winning forehands to avoid being penned in on his backhand. With his improved backhand, he has less need to worry about that and can be more relaxed and bide his time with his forehand. The difference has been amazing, not just in the Rafa/Roger match up, but against anyone. I think it will make everyone on the tour pay more attention to equipment. It can make all the difference in the world.

[klacr]

Roger serving at 5-4, 40-15 everyone assumed the match was in the bag. But not Del Potro. Federer then goes on to make a mess of the tie-break. Double faulting twice. Could not buy a first serve. Tough match to lose.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[tennis_chiro]

The level of play was just about the best this year. It was amazing to see how well Roger was defending, but you have to give Delpo credit for playing aggressively. He won most of those match points down with winners. Some of the rallies were just breath-taking.

Stotty, you have a good memory for matches. I remember watching all those RG finals against Rafa where Roger would miss so many short forehands. At almost 37, it seems like he is covering court better than ever and making a lot less unforced errors than even during the 2004-2007 run. What do you think? No question the backhand is better, but I think the big frame is helping with his retrieving and even his forehand.

Delpo is ahead of the pack in 2nd place in the race to London and his level of play says he clearly belongs there. Both players clearly played the best level of tennis I have seen this year. Perhaps his ranking is still only 6 after today, but I think he has to be considered top 3 right now, even if Rafa is healthy again. And his use of the front court is better than anyone else in the top 10 except Roger. It will be interesting to see how these two recover for Miami.

On the women's side, the Venus/Kasatkina match may have been the best women's match of the year. But she didn't bring that level to the final. However, Osaka continued to play very well. Look for her to oust Serena in the first round at Miami. If she does, she will have confirmed herself as a major arrival and she will be in the hunt for RG and Wimby and definitely seeded top 8 by the time the summer swing gets here, maybe even by Wimbledon. Definitely most exciting addition to the women's tour I have seen in a very long time.

don

[stotty]

Del Potro wins....strange, could have sworn Roger had that in the bag.

Great game. Really enjoyed it even though I am not a diplodocus fan.

[don_budge]

Now he is serving to get to a deciding tie-breaker. Lot's of pressure by both players. Remarkable.

[don_budge]

Roger serving for the championship. He is so good at this. Didn't have his best stuff again at the beginning but clawed his way back into it. Unbelievable.