Federer Masterclass Dispatches Goffin in Melbourne
*GOAT Performance Klaxon* Hugely impressive win here for the Fed-meister as he crushed David Goffin 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 in just 88 minutes to book his spot in the Australian Open Quarter Finals for the 12th time.
It was an absolute clinic with the first set just taking 21 minutes as Goffin was blown away and the trend continued throughout with Roger rushing the Belgian who had no answers to Federer’s 39 winners and 86% of points won behind his first serve. The win sees him setup a tie with Tomas Berdych who defeated Bautista-Agut in 5 sets earlier in the day.
Quick Match Recap
Federer won the toss and elected to serve doing so to love for 1-0. Goffin lost the first point on his serve but held for 1-1. Another love hold for Federer put him 2-1 in front and Goffin was quickly broken to 30. A third love hold in succession consolidated the break for 4-1. The Belgian held for 4-2 but Roger was into the groove on serve, holding to 15 then breaking to take the set 6-2, hitting a ridiculous lob then backhand winner en route to doing so.
Set 2 began with another Federer love hold. Goffin held to 15 for 1-1 but was broken to 30 in his next service game as Roger moved into a 3-1 lead. No let up from the Swiss here as he reeled off the next 3 games to take the set 6-1. Winning absolutely everything – 28 shot rallies, insane lobs, forehand winners moving backwards. Fully in the groove.
Into set 3 and Goffin only had 3 games to show for his efforts and it didn’t look like it would improve significantly as he lost serve immediately to drop 2-0 behind. Roger then broke again in game 3 and held for 4-1. Game 5 saw Goffin go for broke on the return and finally found some success recovering one break and holding his next two service games for 4-5 to stay within 1 break of serve. Roger however was still in full flow and kept his foot on the gas, holding to 15 to take it 6-4 in the third.
Match Stats
| Stats | Roger Federer | David Goffin |
| Aces | 7 | 5 |
| Double faults | 1 | 2 |
| 1st serves in | 42/67 (63 %) | 55/83 (66 %) |
| 1st serve points won | 36/42 (86 %) | 36/55 (65 %) |
| 2nd serve points won | 16/25 (64 %) | 8/28 (29 %) |
| Fastest serve | 204 KMH | 198 KMH |
| Average 1st serve speed | 191 KMH | 173 KMH |
| Average 2nd serve speed | 168 KMH | 145 KMH |
| Net points won | 19/22 (86 %) | 4/11 (36 %) |
| Break points won | 6/13 (46 %) | 1/1 (100 %) |
| Receiving points won | 39/83 (47 %) | 15/67 (22 %) |
| Winners | 39 | 17 |
| Unforced errors | 20 | 23 |
| Total points won | 91 | 59 |
| Distance Covered (M) | 1699.5 | 1670.2 |
| Dist. Covered/Pt. (M) | 11.3 | 11.1 |
| SABR | 0 | 0 |
Highlights
Thoughts on the Match
Yeah, it was good. Surprised it went as fast as it did. You know, to win the first two sets within 50 minutes is the best thing that can happen out there, especially with a late start and against a quality player. So I was very happy. It was important to keep the momentum going, keep staying aggressive and, you know, trying to get the match done in three. I was able to do that. I was very pleased. There were some great moments in the match which I can take a lot away from. I was happy to, which after the Dimitrov match, which wasn’t so straightforward, wasn’t so easy, I was able to find an extra gear, I guess.
Absolute masterclass this one and he made Goffin look like a bit of an amateur. The whole match is a highlight reel and when everything clicks for Federer it’s just a joy to watch. An ace to start the match set the tone for it and his confidence levels just continued to rise and rise as the match went on – sliced lobs were landing in, he won every virtually every long rally (the longest one 28 shots) and the groundstrokes had a ton of pop of them. There’s no real thoughts or breakdown required on it as once Fed taps into the genius things just happen on court that nobody else can do.
As for Goffin he didn’t play badly but he has no weapons and no way to physically impose himself on the match. Roger rushed him, winning service games in a matter of seconds which prevented him getting any rhythm from the baseline. With no real way to get free points on his own serve Goffin couldn’t find a way to ease the pressure and he lost serve 6 times in 3 sets. What more could he do? Slow it down? Hard to really say, Fed was moving so well and on top of the baseline that it’s tough to see what many players out there could do.
Anyway, no more talk required, just enjoy the highlights, too many magic shots to mention and to think some were questioning why they always put Roger on Rod Laver arena 😉
Predictions vs. Berdych
Next up is Berdych who came through a tough five setter with grind merchant Bautista-Agut. I predicted Agut would have a solid Open and he delivered, winning some 5 setters with his relentless ground game but today was one match too far for him.
Berdych has looked good this week, taking out Kyrgios in the round previous in impressive fashion so I think he presents a threat on Tuesday. His record in Australia is solid too and he’s played well against Federer here before, taking him to 5 sets in 2009 which is a match he could have won had he shown that bit more resolve. The court obviously suits his game so Roger will need to be in full flight again like today – moving well, not getting pushed around by heavy shots and serving well throughout.
I think Fed can get it done but it could be a tough one. He’s handled Berdych easily in recent matches but conditions here are a little different. Maybe the time of day the match is played will make all the difference. I’m hoping for a night match 🙂
Great match by Roger!
1st?
Damn Ganesh – I give up. Yes great match.
Next match against Berdych would be tougher. Hope Roger comes through in straight sets with enough energy to break yet another Djoker streak.
Wow, my very first 1st I think. Roger’s after match interview was even more classy than his play. How can anyone be a fan of anyone else? 🙂
Sorry that was a bit ungracious of me – well done Ganesh on your maiden title.
The presser was funny, nobody mentioned Tomic but Roger was alluding to it when he was saying he was always telling his children that success doesn’t come on a plate and you’ve got to work for it everyday. I believe Tomic has a reputation for not working and failing to fulfil his potential.
Nah, I really doubt he had Tomic on his mind when answering that.. But who really knows…
No, I don’t think so either. It was a journalist brought the subject up – I don’t think it was directed particularly at Tomic.
Nice win Ganesh.
Yeah I agree with Nambi there is no way that was a thinly veiled dig at Tomic.
Can we say that this was a JesusFed appearance? Or last time was Wimbledon SF and Cincinnati Final?
No comparison with Wimby SF! Muzz actually played v well that day but Fed was greater. Goff only had a good spell for about 10 mins in 3rd set. It really showed that he had never played on RLA…
Level of opponent doesn’t determine JesusFed performance though, it his Fed’s own game that counts and I would put it in JesusFed category.
4th!
What a performance by the GOAT
So entertaining and definitely worth watching.
I dont know what the outcome of this tournament will be but it will be delightful to watch the maestro on the fast courts of Rotterdam and dubai.Fast courts would make it more fun to watch.
I hope roger has a good match against berdych.The more the slow court ,the better it is for fed against berdych so night match would be ideal.
Yeah I think a slower surface suits Fed vs Berdman. All Berdych’s recent wins or close encounters are on faster surfaces.
Darn. That was my computer deciding not to bother updating again, otherwise I might have got on the leaderboard!
Guess Fed didn’t want to be kept up too late …
There’s something about Roger and late night matches. He raises his focus and intensity and gets by it as fast as he can, at least in 2nd/3rd/4th rounds.
Yes, there is definitely. Remember, USO 2011 against Monaco around mid night? One of my favourite matches!
Yeah Monaco match is a classic, an absolute schooling.
Roger played great. I caught only the last two sets. It was super cool. The serve was doing wonders. That aside, I have a couple of observations
1. After he won the 2nd set, Roger looked towards Ivan in his box and nodded as though acknowledging him to be right on some count. Perhaps Ivan gave him a good strategy.
2. Fed won 19/22 at the net. A great percentage. But I get the feeling he is going to the net a little lesser this year as against 2014 and 2015. The numbers say that he has been to the net at least 20 times in each match this tourney. On tv it looks like he is hugging the baseline.
3. Has Ivan had an impact on Fed’s Baseline game? Over the last 4 matches, I have been impressed more with Fed’s defence than the other aspects of his game. I know that he has always been a great defender- His defence is top 5- only Nadal, Djokovic, Murray and Ferrer (debatable) are better defenders. But, Fed’s defensive skills seem to have gone up a notch in Australia. Some of it was jaw dropping- stuff you expect only from Djokovic at his very best.
Any opinions my friends?
Agree. Defensively he was awe-inspiring last night. He does seem to be coming in less–but I feel that might be a mistake. Keep ’em guessing!
Awe-inspiring is the appropriate word Emily. If he can keep this up without losing too much energy trading bombs from the baseline, I think he should go for it. But that does not mean he should stop coming to the net. 20-25 times in a 3 set match is good.
1. I think Fed was acknowledging Ljubcic was going to leave before the match ended?
3. I think Ljub is tactics man more than improving shots as such. But who knows exactly what he brings to the table.
I think Ljub will be better on tactics and game plan rather than any technical specifics. Hopefully encourage Fed to be more aggressive from the baseline as he clearly was today…
Fed was quite aggressive today. It might have had something to do with Goffin. But I doubt Goffin had much of an impact. Fed is usually aggressive. If Ivan can help with reducing UFEs and encouraging Fed to stay in the rally which he sometimes does not.
A simple example will be the Djokovic Simon match. On several occasions (close to 20) Djoko tried to get out of the rally by using a drop shot. It failed almost everytime. Simon nearly won because he was patient and willing to rally with Djoko. If Simon can do it so can Fed. I recall Fed did that in the RR match at WTF 2015 against Djoko and he actually won.
Fed loses to Djoko more often than not because he pulls the trigger quickly- too quickly. But as he has demonstrated this past week, he is capable of being patient. His defensive skills are insane. If Fed can bring that to the table in the semis (if he beats Berdych that is), he can take the fight to Djoko.
Let us hope he does.
I don’t think Fed can beat Djoker using the Simon blueprint. Simon can’t even beat Djokovic using the Simon blueprint.
Interestingly Fed actually ran a little further than Goffin did…although it seemed like Fed was just gliding/floating , not running.
Donna, upon seeing match statistics, more often than not, we can see that Fed outruns his opponents by at least a small margin. If at all it appears that he hardly ever moves, it is because of the way he glides as you have stated.
He turns a lot of backhand into forehands – that requires a lot of little steps.
I can’t help feeling that Fed’s good defence in yesterday’s match has in some ways to do with Goffin’s lack of firepower (relative to other opponents). Berdych will be a new ball game as far as Fed is concerned. Looking forward to the match.
And the Djoker match was a nightmare. Ugh. And BORING.
Hey Emily, I watched his match. I don’t like the way Simon plays (especially when he plays Monfils). He plays so boring. Waiting till the other one makes a mistake. Even Roger finds him boring to play. The match lasted 4,5 hours. I saw it all (except the 3rd match). And yes, rallies, rallies and rallies. Almost all over 20 points. When Novak wanted to stop the rally, he made an ue. The dropshots were HILARIOUS. So much for “Novak is unbeatable in every aspect”.
Kudos to Simon, he kept playing and playing. The guy looks so skinny that wind will blow him away, but oh man, he doesn’t get tired. Rally after rally.
Novak was sooooo not in the mood. He wanted out. My commie said “Novak is playing a moving and running wall, Simon is doing to him, what he did all 2015 to others” 🙂 I dislike the guy very much, but hats off for winning it. Matches like this is why he is the world number one. Just wish he would LOSE, just to stop seeing his and Becker’s arrogant faces.
And if you want to feel sorry… feel sorry for Nishikori. After matches like this, Novak will not be tired, but extra fired up. Maybe same scoreline as in the WTF 🙂
And Roger… what can you say. GOAT. And with all the talk last year about peaking too soon, I think he, Seve, Ljubi and the rest are all taking extra good care so that that will not happen again.
Tomorrow Stan the Man vs Raonic will be very interesting and Muzza vs Tomic. Not to mention my Ferrer against Servebot Isner… Go Ferru
I don;t know how you could have watched it. Hellishly boring. Just the type of tennis to be loathed. But i guess it’s good research!
Hey Emily, I almost never watch Simon’s matches, wayyyy too boring and the same all over again. But…. if it makes Novak in trouble, then HELL YES…. I will watch 🙂 Just…. I fell asleep during the 3rd set 🙂
Wasn’t that match on about 4am? Dunno how you can stay up for that 😀
Q. Federer made some comments about you missing out on the top 10 the last couple years. Does that motivate you or bother you?
BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, well, he has his predictions. I think he’s also far away from Djokovic as well if he wants to say that. If he believes I’m very far away from the top 10, I also believe my prediction that he’s nowhere near Novak’s tennis right now.
A Fed Vs Djoker semifinal match should make it clear to Tomic and all of us.
The surface gives Djoker the edge. Not fair comparing the tennis of greats during different times and ages and stages of evolution of the game. The great Laver or Borg might not win a set against anyone in the top 100 the way the game is played today compared to theirs. But no one in their right mind would take it to mean a damn thing. It’s just amazing how Roger has kept up with the times and opponents and at 34 about the only person with a chance of beating Djoker on his favorite surface. (No disrespect to what Simon managed to do).
Fed was the only one who beat Djoker 3 times in 2015. So sure, Fed is a little behind Djoker but who isn’t. Fed’s comments were truth…Tomic has not been to a GS quarterfinal in eons..sure he has potential but has not really proven himself yet.
It was a petty response really, but it’s given people plenty to write about.
A JOY TO WATCH 🙂 And ‘once Fed taps into the genius things just happen on court that nobody else can do. ‘ – couldn’t agree more Jonathan, and poor Goffin’s face at the end of the 1st set and once he got broken in 2nd, said it all. I really like Goffin, such a sweet guy, and he didn’t really deserve this. But then, no shame in losing to Feds when he’s in that sort of mood. He definitely didn’t want to hang around too long. BP conversion at 46% (esp. when compared to ND’s at 24% which is one stat you don’t expect to see to often when applied to him) – gives you a warm feeling inside. 😉
Berdy on this court will certainly be tougher. But I take comfort from the fact that Feds has dealt with him pretty handily last few times. What we want – more stunning tennis from the GOAT
Goffin won’t have minded really, I’m sure he wanted Fed to win too 😆
Great performance by Roger, a masterclass like Jon said. I hope he carries this form into the QF against Berdych ’cause he has caused some troubles in the past (still remember USOpen QF in 2012 when Roger was No1 and played sloppy against him and was defeated in 4). Its good that Roger advances with minimal effort so he has good energy levels for the upcoming matches.
BTW, Djoko played kinda bad yesterday, i hope its a good sign for Roger or even Kei to take Nole out in the QF o SF ???
No.18 is around the corner ??????
#GoRoger
#GOAT
Cheera
Emerson
Agree that Berdych is no walkover, gonna be fun to watch 🙂
Djoker had a bad day but he’s still winning… He went down 2 sets at wimby to Anderson and won the whole thing. Gotta win the last point against him to really put him out ^^
So true. We know from experience that wobbles from Djokovic early on don’t mean a thing.
Yeah Djoker is the man to beat without a doubt.
Sadly, I’m getting very used to Djoko-Bots “bad days”.
Almost invariably, it seems to mean absolutely nothing by the end of the tournament.
When it comes to the finals of majors over the last few years – Robo-Nole’s bad days means even less than Fed’s genius tap-in days. (Of course – finals aside – there’s an inherent reward in watching the grace and power in full-flight Rog whenever he shows up like today.)
I think Federer takes out Berdych. And I also think Federer will have a day match for the Berdych matchup.
Who watched Gilles Simon/Djokovic , if you looked closely , there was a game plan for Gilles which lookked to me like play to the centre of the court and slow the pace, when Djokovic decides to paint the lines , he misses by a bit. I think there was something revealing about that match though, I may not be getting it correctly , but I sure think a coach like Ivan will understand.
Have a great week everyone
Yes I read somewhere by a pundit saying the returning the ball to the centre prevented ND from gaining pace and power, hence the UEs. Smart Simon. Had he not played those long matches last week, he might have won.
Yup it was all over the commentary about playing down the middle. It can work for Simon has he has the foot speed and ball striking to pull it off.. dunno about Feds chances doing that.
I know! Zero! 😀
Honestly, Fed would never just push it back to the middle ^^
Mirka had clearly given Rog a curfew and boy did he complete! Late night match, he is in a hurry to get out of there. Played too fast for Goff who had been hitting v clean v Thiem but who takes big prep, so giving Goff more time. Here he was brushed aside by half volley after half volley… Very good play by Fed. Nice write up Jonathan!
I hv always thought you shld slow ball, slice and play centre of court v Djoko but easier said than done. Djoko hates a slow flat ball and made a ton of errors trying to force the pace but Simon does this to everyone and Fed gave him credit in the presser.
So Tomas! Well Fed has won the past 4 matches but best of 3, and Tomas clearly playing confidently! He has to serve exceptionally and can then can rip his return game. Like Jonathan I want a 11pm start! ??
Like Jonathan
But we get a day match 🙁 could be a close match.
It was God of tennis in his entirety. Superb footwork, aggressive hitting, unreal defence, all in beautiful motion. Utter joy to watch. I’ll think about next match in a day.
I will think about next match when my 3.30am alarm goes off 🙂
Bravo, nothing to add. It was just a master class.
On Berdych match, Roger will be alright, if he serves well, dictates play and show plenty of variety. Almost forgotten that Roger also could lob 🙂 🙂
Allez!
Goffin is only 4ft 9 so quite easy to lob 😉
Not quite Jonathan. He is 1.8 m – around 5’10”/5’11”, so not really that small, although he does look smaller because of his very slight build.
I honestly don’t understand why people are feeling sad for Goffin, here in this forum as well as in other forums. Here is the thing: Goffin is a professional tennis player who, like every other pro more so in the Top 20, believes that he can challenge and beat someone like Federer when he goes on court. He goes in hoping to spill his guts and, in the process, hopefully, the opponent’s blood as well. Now, at the end of the encounter, when he realizes that Federer took him seriously enough to get into a JesusFed mode and crush him, he can only feel the kind of pride and satisfaction that only true competitors can feel.
I am sure this is what Goffin, or anyone else who gets “crushed”, takes away from a match like this. What do you guys think ?
So, you’re saying that Fed doesn’t take Djokovic seriously enough? 🙂
I think if Goffin walked away from the match feeling pride and satisfaction, then he wouldn’t be a professional tennis player.
If only Fed got to play the sloppy frustrated Djoko of last night.
Nice encounter and the sort of match and happiness and class the tennis world seems to respond to and appreciate. Fed was able to shape and reset the narrative by showing an elegance and skill that was understatedly thrilling. Now all the young fools are gone or under pressure to perform in the big league so let’s see what happens. Do we really need the colour of brats behaving badly for excitement in Tennis? Do we really need Novak obscenely swearing in his native tongue at Simon? This aggression and dominant posturing eewwwww, what a turn off.
There is something ugly in Tennis at times and the happy slam in particular has been dogged by match fixing claims and a young Aussie futures/ challenger level player has just been charged for a country tournament incident and is in court as I write. Coupled with some of the outrageous statements and antics of the kids on court even Lleyton’s farewell has been overshadowed somewhat.
For a few hours last night Rod Laver was in the stands looking happy, Fed played exquisitely against a young and likeable Goffin, Jim did a great interview and we have all been uplifted . The crowd seemed to be in raptures .
Thanks Roger time and again you keep evolving and showing us the best of yourself and enhancing your sport.
PS I read Roger had been putting in late nights to acclimate for the possible late match nights , if he had been watching the classic match shown locally on Saturday, I think it would have been a good prep. It was AO 09 certainly gave me hope something good was going to happen.
Memorable matches are his hallmark whatever the result and he does bring the best out of his opponents even if it’s just a post match embrace. Respect he has earned and not just by winning everything.
Great comment Katie 🙂
Nice commnent Katie 🙂
Yeah they mentioned his 09 match against Del Po when he was playing Goffin, he said like he welt he was playing with wings…
“If only Fed got to play the sloppy frustrated Djoko of last night.”
Not going to happen. Djoko’s way too clever to let that happen.
First time to your blog sir. Thank you, I liked reading this.
Thanks.
He’s moving like a dream and reading the ball amazingly well. Seemed like he always had time to strike the ball cleanly despite taking it so early. That forehand squash shot he uses on defense has improved. Goffin played pretty well, esp. in the third set, but there was just no way he could stand up to god-mode Federer. Seems like he wanted to stick mostly to the baseline in this match–somehow I don’t remember his making 22 net approaches.
Berdych is a dangerous opponent, but if Federer can keep up the form he showed in this match (a big if, these days), he should be able to get through in straights. He has to win in at most four in order to have enough left in the tank for Djokovic, who I’m sure will crush Nishikori and be ready and raring to go in the semis. I don’t think one should read too much into the Simon match. We all know Simon can give even the top players fits with his unusual counterpunching game, no surprise that he could push Djokovic that hard. The world #1 could be a little vulnerable, but even if he is, it’s not very much of an opening.
To return to the matter of the QFs, Berdych is a very linear player who needs a bit of time to wind up for his punishing groundstrokes, so if Federer takes the ball early and mixes it up, I see only one outcome.
Yeah Fed has to mix it up. The only concern is a day match suits Berdcyh game as the courts will be fast. He can end points with a couple of big strikes that fly through and his serve will be tough to return.
Glad Roger gotten a good win which he normally does after a bad match on Friday. Berdych looks good but important for Roger to keep points short as it going to be physical if Berdych drags him into baseline rallies. I think Roger’s match will be 3rd day match at RLA. Hope for a good match from Roger, go go go
When Roger plays a picture-book match as he did against Goffin I sometimes prefer not to look ahead but just enjoy the experience of, once again, recalling him play in a way no one in the history of the game has been able to do. Incredible at 34 years of age. We also know that at his age those days of pure excellence are never guaranteed – so I will leave the next match (or matches) for another day. However it does amuse me to see some Djokovic fans try to interpret their man’s win with 100 unforced errors as the better victory. Rod Laver was in the stands for Roger’s match – as he often is. I’m sure he appreciated what he was seeing.
Exactly Richard you felt you wanted this to last forever and how sublime is that. It is definitely not only about the winning, it’s all the other feelings you get when he plays and on a higher plane of enjoyment which should be savoured not requiring the comparison to which match was better or what next?
Kind of fits with the Moët in the moment campaign as well as appreciating what we have just enjoyed so much. What a brand ambassador he is too.
Yeah you just gotta enjoy matches like this and watch the highlights a few times 🙂
So many beautiful comments here. Nothing better than watching Goderer. Enjoyed every aspect of his game. Return of serve had lots of success.
Thanks Jonathan. Great write-ups!
Sue you got your wish for us to calm down and appreciate it all and thanks Jonathan for all your efforts -‘brilliant and consistent as usual.
Yeah Sue agree. Nothing better than watching Fed in tennis. Rod Laver sure agrees.
What a great blog this is! Eternity thanks to Jonathan and all.
Thanks 🙂
Yeah the Rocket is an RF fan 🙂 no surprises as he blends generations.
Was at the Goffin match and got to see Laver watch Fed. Very cool.
Day match for Roger next. Was hoping for a night match, but Roger should be able to win regardless. That’s all that matters. Hope it is in straights.
Yeah me too I think night would favour him vs Berdych.
wow!how can u hate this guy…. really.. how can this guy do all that shots… hehe
His backhand improved A LOT!!!! hope he can maintain that kind of confidence!
*those
Yeah his bh has been solid. FH looked like it had something extra on it too.
This match was so eye pleasing, Feds movement so fluid and simply beautiful. At 11pm I felt I was embraced by warmth and happiness watching this great man dancing on the court like a free butterfly. I pleaded, please can you play forever? I’d don’t want this to end!
Haha, I will try do the same tonight but at 3am not sure I’ll feel too happy 😀
Oh oh, cranky Jonathan again.
I reckon Goffin might have been struggling with the late night conditions in centre court, as he played all his previous matches during the day in outside courts. This is where things favour the big names when it comes to matches like this. That’s why although Nishikori looked in great forms vs Tsonga, first time playing night at Rod Laver against ND, hmm clearly been disadvantaged even before the match starts.
I agree April. Good to get the variety..day, night, roof closed, etc.
Yeah Katie, you don’t know what you got til it’s gone.
…they paved paradise, and put up a parking lot.
Sorry, couldn’t help it. 🙂
Here…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvtJPs8IDgU
Yeah Goffin was definitely at a disadvantage having not played on RLA or a night match…
Hey Sid, here is original written by Joni Mitchell.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94bdMSCdw20
Watching live scores at work…. and right on cue…. Stanislas loses….. again up to only Roger to stop Novak. What else is new. But…. no worries Stan the Man…. you tried. Guess the hidious outfit didn’t work this time 🙂
I’d been hoping to keep Stan in reserve to take out Djokovic, but I guess you can’t drop the first 2 sets against a server like Raonic and still hope to win 🙁
I don’t think I’ve even seen his outfit, BTW – will have to look it up.
Stan said he’s been ill for 10 days. Couldn’t give his best tennis.
Oh, I didn’t realise that. What a shame 🙁
Poor Goffin had lots to worry
Fed was playing in a real hurry
Jon put it nicely “a masterclass”
I put it more like ‘pure kickass’
Can Berdych do a Soderling ie beat Rafa & Fed in the same tournament in consecutive years. I doubt it.
Kei can beat Novak. Novak looking vulnerable for sure.
No, you put it more like ‘a poetry class’, professor Murli 🙂
Berdych can but I think Fed goes in as favourite.
I guessed you missed out on sharing this post on twitter so I was wondering why there wasn’t a post even after a day. I thought I’d just check the blog once anyway and I found this. Quick lightning-fast match. Fed is so concerned about his fans that he didn’t want to hamper their sleeping schedule, so he finished it just around midnight. Fans favorite for a reason! 😀
His QF tomorrow is a day match. Hope it’s an advantage to Fed since the courts are supposed to be quicker during the day. Then again maybe it favors Berdych too, who has troubled Fed on fast hard courts before, beating him in Dubai 2013 and almost repeating it again in 2014. Although after switching to his new racquet, Fed has never lost to him.
P.S. Thanks for the follow 🙂
Yeah didn’t realise I hadn’t shared it. Just done so now.
And I didn’t realise I wasn’t already following you 🙂
Upset about Stan!!! No one is talking about Murray. Don’t think he has looked great either.
Guess Muzza’s got a bit on his mind at the moment. Haven’t seen his matches yet, so will have to catch up with Saturday’s hour of highlights the BBC gave us.
No, I agree, Murray hasn’t looked that great. OK, he beat Tomic in 3 but I watched some of the match (not that much, endless boring rallies as expected) and really, 2 1/2 hours for a 3 set match, with the last set on a tiebreaker (which if Murray had held on to the break would have been unnecessary 😉 ), and really made more of a meal of it than was strictly necessary. Usual game, 5 ft behind baseline waiting for the errors, far too passive as usual. Some improvement on second serve, but still far too easy to attack. AM has beaten Ferrer in last 5 matches, so I imagine he goes through, but against Raonic, can’t see it. Monfils last beat Raonic in 2013 – Raonic has made big improvements since then, so I see him through.
Yeah, the back court passive game is HELL to watch–esp w such a joyless player as Murray. I just do not have the patience! I wish Ferrer would come through–he is a nice guy. Boring game, yes, but at least he has a good attitude.
I will pick Monfils to beat Raonic. 4 sets.
You think Monfils can do it? You’re often right Jonathan, and maybe you are this time, in which case I shall bow to your superior knowledge/predictions. OTOH he did one of his ‘flying’ attempts to return a ball and had a medical time out soon after apparently. 😉
*his match against Kuznetzov + he took 4 sets to beat him.
Seriously Jonathan? I say Raonic in 3 and then troubles Murray.
I haven’t seen any changes in Murray’s game that would enable him to beat Djokovic. When he tries to play aggressively it is rarely for more than a few games before he resorts to his usual retrieving. That won’t beat the Serb – even though Simon came close. Going for winners doesn’t suit Murray as he makes too many errors. Roger – who is one of the greatest attacking players of all time – shows how hard it is to get the balance right between taking risks and managing errors. Murray is no lock against Ferrer here, either. Monfils v Raonic depends on whether Monfils shows up. Same for Roger and Berdych. If the ‘Goffin/Roger’ shows we have few worries. Otherwise …
I think it’s safe to say that form in the first week of a slam isn’t the full story for what may happen down the track. Muzz does have a lot going on off the court but could turn it up as we get to the business stage of a slam he has had pretty good success at. Now that Stan is out, Murray has got a great chance to make the final.
Also going to go with J and pick La Monf to take out Milos, what a run he’s having!
“I haven’t seen any changes in Murray’s game that would enable him to beat Djokovic.”
Nope. It would probably be a repeat of last year’s final if they were both to get there. So it’s up to Roger to take Novak out. They’re only playing on Plexicushion, and at night, I assume – should be a doddle, shouldn’t it? 🙁
Hi everyone,
Anyone recently read Ruan’s Blog. It totally gone down the drain.
Just have a look at this http://theultimatetennisblog.com/australian-open-day-7-djokovic-survives-simon-despite-100-unforced-errors/
He claims that fed had it very easy in his 4th round match as compared to Simon (who is such a threat you know in grandlams :P) He goes on to make the audacious claim than Goffin tanked and the match was over before it started, completely dis-crediting Federer playing some sublime tennis.
It’s really funny how Nole can corrupt someone to such an extent. Even a win with 100 UE’s seems very fulfilling to him as in the end Nole won. From being a guy who would fawn over the beauty of fed’s game he has come down to this. I guess he was never a true fed fan just a Nadal hater perhaps and Nole was finally a worthy adversary.
Well enough about that ***hole Ruan.
Jonathan please remove the link on your site to his page in the sites i like column.
How did Nole corrupt anyone?? He’s just doing his stuff, and doing pretty damn well… Why lop it on his head that Ruan’s a dork?
In fairness, a cursory glance over the body of work Djokovic has amassed shows how well he’s doing, and you can hardly blame a player for some random nobody idiot becoming his fan. Especially one who jumped ship from one fandom to another. Players should be ashamed of the bandwagon jumpers.
The fact that he actually thinks Goffin would purposely tank against Roger is stupid. This is a guy that nearly took a two sets to one lead at the French in 2012 and took a set off Roger in Basel 2015. He’s a top 20 player, a very good player who can give problems to anybody when he’s playing well. I guess we will know if Ru-an is full of crap when Coric and Djokovic play against one another – if he thinks Coric “rolls over” when he gets beaten.
Kei seems to be “rolling over” right now . Lets see how Ruan describes this match
Its actually fun reading his posts. Some genuine bullshit and authentic use of double standards in each and every post.
I ain’t saying its Novak’s fault. I am not blaming him for anything. Maybe i didn’t word it correctly.
I just meant the amount of hypocrisy that ruan will drop to so as to defend Nole and undermine everyone else is just appalling.
Remove the link Jonathan we don’t need to endorse the BS blog.
Ruan = Nadal hate + a desire to see and portray himself as anti-establishment + lots of free time. Don’t worry about him, he is just a troll.
Hope Kei gives Novak a good match even if he loses, and Roger can make most of the fast conditions in his semi.
Day matches also suit Federer’s serve , he needs to just have a good eye on returning Berdych’s serve, d extra ball back. Federer wins Berdych in straights.
Can we just enjoy the tournament.. stop the nasty comments.. everyone made a mistake. not only players but also the fans.. I don’t like to hear bad comments about Federer and admittedly I made a bad comment to Tomic… But its already the 2nd week of the Grandslam. Everyone focus on what media says instead of the tournament…. So spread the love not war:)
Interesting stat that Berdych has taken out the 3rd seed at the QF stage at the Open for the past 2 years. Really tight match thus far.
Hope we get a fan report, Alysha!
Poor old Berdych. He loses in straight sets to Roger who was only playing his ‘B’ game. The backhand was a lottery today. But Old Faithful – the serve – was there. Thankfully.
I felt Roger was better than his B game, to be honest. With berdych playing well, it’s really a lottery whether you’ll have control of any given point, so I can see why fed might have looked under pressure and sluggish. I just feel the ball was so much heavier than his other opponents.
A- or B++ for me, maybe not quite top form, and some wobbles, but generally as well as you could expect.
Fed nowhere near his best but served well, was effective at net and came through on the big points against a sub-par Berdych. But there was a lot of pressure and in the end, remarkably, it was a straight-sets win against a difficult opponent.
Fed to the Semis!!
Can’t recall watching a GS (from the States anyway) on a Monday evening and seeing Fed lock on a Semi already.
Will he get an extra day of rest before the semi?
Yeah, I believe semis are Friday, so that gives him extra rest 🙂
Let’s see what Nishikori can do, I have a feeling he can push Novak (though probs not win it)…
Doesn’t look like it’s going to happen. Dragonball K is 0-1 and already 1 break down in set 2. Except for some unexpected turn of the tide, I don’t expect other outcome than 3-nil.
Semis as per the Ao tournament schedule are on Thursday night .The other one is friday
Really?? How can they have them on different days, one of the players gets 1 days rest more than the other….
If by some miracle Roger gets past Novak in the SF, he may well need that extra day to recover! OTOH, it might throw the winner off his rhythm.
And who the heck is that guy playing Djokovic??… Looks like Kei doesn’t want to win, giving points and games away for fun…
Kei is choking,I don’t know how he beat tsonga in straight sets,maybe its djokovic effect but it is definitely not the Kei we know.
And definitely not the Kei who put him out of the USO. Disappointing. I thought it might have been a tightish match.
Was expecting to enjoy this, stopped watching mid way…
Federer has never taken a set off Djokovic in Plexicushion and I expect that trend to continue in the semi-final.
Djokovic in 3 due to the slow ass night conditions.
Solid match by Federer in difficult conditions. Anyone else noticed how much he was grunting?
Yeah. I did. That is because he seems to be playing a bit more from the baseline to improve the winning percentage at the net.
I remember reading Severin Luthi’s saying that he and Ivan Ljubicic are advising Roger to attack “intelligently”.
So i think Roger is going to the net only if the chance of winning the point is slightly higher as compared to the risks he took under the tutelage of Edberg.