ROGER FEDERER PLAYS “TIGHT TENNIS” AND LOSES ANOTHER FINAL TO NOVAK DJOKOVIC IN ROME BY CRAIG CIGNARELLI

Written by: Staff on 17th May 2015

ROGER FEDERER PLAYS "TIGHT TENNIS" AND LOSES ANOTHER FINAL TO NOVAK DJOKOVIC IN ROME BY CRAIG CIGNARELLI

epa04753768 Swiss Roger Federer holds the trophy after losing by Novak Djokovic of Serbia in their final match for the Italian Open tennis tournament at the Foro Italico in Rome, Italy, 17 May 2015 EPA/MAURIZIO BRAMBATTI |

LIFTING THE CRUST OF THE ROME ATP FINAL

Tomorrow’s headlines will read, the Rome ATP final finished with Novak Djokovic defeating Roger Federer 6-4, 6-3 in a one-sided contest that saw Federer playing below his ability and Novak staying solid throughout. Headlines, however, are like bikinis, in that what they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital.

The match began with both players looking loose, Roger slicing balls to the ball kids with the kind of aim you hope to see in the men’s room, and Novak hitting through the middle with Nietzsche-like depth. Novak held to open, and then the inevitable became apparent.

Swiss Roger Federer returns the ball to Novak Djokovic of Serbia during their final match for the Italian Open tennis tournament at the Foro Italico in Rome, Italy, 17 May 2015. EPA/MAURIZIO BRAMBATTI

With Fed, you can almost see his subconscious working. Against other players, he swings all out, moves in with more aggression, growls a little. When Novak is the opponent, there’s a certain hesitancy in his shots, as though he’s trying to make things too perfect – not all the time, but just enough to make it tough on him. It’s the way other players feel when they play against him. Its not a fear of losing so much as a feeling of worry about what the other guy might do, and it wears on him. Ever since those two match points at the US OPEN several years back, you get the feeling Roger has this seed of concern in his head, that Novak might throw down a wildcard on any given point and secure the match. The fact that the other guy is currently the best player in the world has much to do with that.

The match speed was rapid, with seven games completed in twenty-three minutes, a lightning pace for two guys whose careers have been founded upon great movement and shot-making. At 4-4, Fed had a chance. At 30-30, Fed defended his backhand with four straight slices and then turned on a forehand and hit it in the middle of the net. The shot was there, open, hittable, the final stroke of a master painter – except he missed the one of two ways Fed always misses against Djokovic, either over-hitting it, or backing off the shot. Against other players, he hits that shot with his “winner pace,” but today he swung too forcefully, with the tiniest extra “ummph” as if to send a message. That was the story of the match. Fed had more balls in the bottom of the net than Stephen Curry.

Novak Djokovic of Serbia poses with the trophy after beating Roger Federer of Switzerland in their final match of the Italian Open tennis tournament at Foro Italico in Rome, Italy, 17 May 2015. EPA/CLAUDIO ONORATI

Ask any elite player the difference between going home with a plate or a trophy and the answer is always the same, BELIEF. And because Novak has this deep-seated BELIEF that he is the best player in the world, his shot-making shows up on the biggest points of the match. At 5-4 Novak broke and took the first set. Novak’s ability to put immediate pressure on the server with deep returns made Roger uncomfortable.

Between sets, the crowd chanted for their favorite, and with an almost 50-50 split, the strange combination of “Roger!” and “Nole!” sounded a lot like “ROLAIDS!” Based on the amount of pizza and gelato people eat at this tournament, one can understand the confusion.

To start the second, Novak holds and Roger steps up to serve. Roger had been having trouble winning the first point of his service games all day, and this one was no exception. Fed hit a big forehand and came to net, and Novak hit a soft ball that Roger let bounce. Somehow, the ball got behind him and Fed lost a very easy service point that led to a Djokovic break. At this level, one slip can cost you a match, and today it did.

With Roger, you can see him flirting with his return options. He has the backhand chip and charge on the deuce side, the short chip to the middle of the court, the big forehand that takes control of the point, the drive that gets him neutral, and the “I’m ending this acrobat act with one shot.” On this day, however, he never got into Novak’s service games. He missed or hit short enough for Djoko to take control of the points.

Both players held for the rest of the set and then took the podium to pay compliments in Italian.

Swiss Roger Federer serves the ball to Novak Djokovic of Serbia during their final match for the Italian Open tennis tournament at the Foro Italico in Rome, Italy, 17 May 2015. EPA/MAURIZIO BRAMBATTI

On another note, for the past three days I’ve had an argument with one of the pizza guys here at Foro Italico. At the tournament, you get two slices of pizza for 8 euro, but a Calzone costs 10 euro. Here’s the catch though. The way they make the calzone is to fold two pieces of pizza in half and call it a calzone. That means I’m paying 2 euros for the folding labor, which, if we’re being honest, isn’t 2 euros worth of labor, and is probably an act I could handle on my own without too much training. After several hours of intense debate, I’ve come to the conclusion that my verbal skills are simply not good enough to conquer the unrelenting shouting and gesturing of this pizza man. And that’s really a good way to close this article. Sometimes, talent is not enough to overcome the indomitable will of an adversary.