Australian Open - Day Fourteen

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Federer vs Nadal and other matches on day 14.

It's a case of who blinks first here. On serve with Nadal leading 3-2. I will stick my neck out here and say this first set is much more important to Roger than Rafa.

Fantastic game to break from Feds!

Roger breaks to lead 4-3 in the first set. Just what he needed. Imperative he serves it out now.

Federer playing aggressively and gets the break - he''s certainly made the brighter start and Nadal not really sparked into life yet. Agree that this 1st set is crucial for Federer though.

Dream start for Feds.

Great hold from Federer to move to 5-3. If he keeps serving as well as this he's got a decent chance in this match.

GET IN THERE YOU BEAUTY! 1ST SET!

Federer takes the first set 6-4 in 35 minutes. Can he keep Rafa on the back foot and keep the pace up? Time will tell.

That's as close to a perfect set as you'll get from Roger. Could win in three if he plays like that for another hour

So far so good from Federer

And Wilander isn't on commentary for the second set. Happy days all-round!

Nadal looks lacklustre. Expecting his momentum to pick up any time now.

Sloppy service game from Federer and Nadal gets the break of serve. Federer leads 6-4 0-2.

That's the problem got Federer. He has to play at a ridiculously high level against Nadal. He struggled to always maintain it at 27-28, what more 36

That's it in a nutshell - right there.  The whole dreary history of the non-existent Fedal rivalry.  More like the Nadal steamroller.  

Fed gives his fans false hope before succumbing to the inevitable - and the crazy thing is that I still have a little bit of painful hope.

Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh.

Init Barry

Way too many forehand errors for Roger so far

This is becoming Rafa's kind of match

Roger had better take care

barrystar wrote:That's it in a nutshell - right there.  The whole dreary history of the non-existent Fedal rivalry.  More like the Nadal steamroller.  

Fed gives his fans false hope before succumbing to the inevitable - and the crazy thing is that I still have a little bit of painful hope.

Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh.

I don't even know why I'm awake

Fed has to try and end the cycle of long points. He's up to nearly 12m a point and he simply isn't good enough from the baseline to take Nadal on in that style of match. It will also probably mean he's out on his feet by set 4.

Hope is a dangerous thing, Barry. Hope can drive a man insane

That game was not what Roger wanted. Two break points missed and a long drawn out game with long rallies. Nadal holds to lead 3-0.

Nine errors on the Federer forehand now....

And in a flash another three break points from Rafa.

Federer could be looking at a trip to the bakery here. Only question is: breadstick or bagel?

4-0

10 erros on the Federer forehand now.

Nadal breaks again to lead 4-0 in the second set.

The Federer breaks back

Federer breaks to get one of the breaks back but still trails 4-1 in the second set.

Even the pace of this set is more suited to Rafael. 34 minutes for six games vs 34 minutes for 10.

Federer holds to lead 6-4 2-4. You kind of feel as if this is energy being dispelled on a lost cause (this set).

kingraf wrote:Even the pace of this set is more suited to Rafael. 34 minutes for six games vs 34 minutes for 10.

I just think that is because Rafa has got in to far more of Roger's service games which extends the rallies naturally.

Out of curiosity do Rafa fans like the style he plays against Feds?

Worst case scenario: Roger serves first to begin the 3rd set

I think Rafa fans by definition are not concerned with style of play

LuvSports! wrote:Out of curiosity do Rafa fans like the style he plays against Feds?

And Rafa serves out to win the second set 6-3 and level it up one set all after one hour sixteen minutes.

Roger needs to rediscover the serving form of the 1st set to stay in this match and rediscover his forehand in the process

CaledonianCraig wrote:Federer holds to lead 6-4 2-4. You kind of feel as if this is energy being dispelled on a lost cause (this set).

Pete Sampras was master of not wasting energy - defending his serve to the hilt, not attacking every service game of his opponent, and preserving his energy for the next set if he was losing a set.  Federer gets sucked in.  In a way I think that Nadal is more like Sampras in terms of the vital quality of relentlessness than Federer is, even though Federer's game is obviously more similar to that of Sampras.

It is also notable that Sampras's stats of losing important games like SF's and finals are similar to Nadal's - he didn't lose many.  Fed on the other hand makes masses of Semi's and finals, and of course he has won his fair share, but the w/l ratio is high.

Rafa's intensity is what wears Roger down. To win points against Roger he has to hit three or four shots that are winners against most tennis players whereas the first of those against others would be winners. That MUST wear Roger down physically and mentally.

This is an awful game from Fed. Get it together!

A must win game for Federer.

Great hold in the end. Awesome backhand.

And having saved three break points Roger holds. A long and crucial game that.

Roger essentially saved some match points there

BP on Nadal's serve - more hope..........................!

Great first set from Roger - winners, few UEs, serves, service return, taking a break point.

Since then just way too many errors. Cannot win if the forehand keeps misfiring. Although literally hit his best forehand of the match the second I wrote that, and this has been his best forehand game since set 1, so still hope!

And Roger turns the tables to break in the third set.

It does still look like Rafa in 4 at this point, as it has throughout the match, however the early break in the third keeps things interesting at least.

Rafa looks solid to me. Where are the increased errors that he does against everyone else in the last few years? Grrr.