Federer is a five-time US Open champion (2004-2008). Or maybe subtitle it the Djokovic Heartbreak.
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Roger Federer could not hide his delight after beating Novak Djokovic in straight sets to win his seventh Cincinnati Masters title on Sunday. Both will be expected to do well at the U.S. Open which begins in about a week. “I thought this is the time to do it”, he said. “Let’s go, right?”
Djokovic only won one point as Federer marched into a one-set lead and the writing was on the wall at the start of the second. Federer has never failed.
Djokovic, meanwhile, was thwarted in his bid to become the first man to win all nine of the elite Masters 1000 titles as he endured his fifth final defeat at Cincinnati – the lone Masters missing from his resume. Cincinnati title victor reclaimed the number two spot from the Scot in Monday’s new rankings.
“I tried to really mix it up on his second serve and I was hoping to serve good enough myself to keep me out of trouble”, said Federer in the post-match interview.
No surprise there. Federer is the undisputed king of this court. “After that, he was just the better player”. “He’s more confident each year”.
With the win, Federer secured the No. 2 seed for the upcoming U.S. Open and won his 24th ATP Masters 1000 title. But the Serbian ace showed why he’s been the premier player in the game in 2015, holding off Federer’s relentless assault and stepping up in his own service games to not be broken as well. “He deserves it, he went so close many times”. His new book on the 1975 Wimbledon final between Arthur Ashe and Jimmy Connors will be out in June of 2015. From there, Djokovic took control, breaking Dolgopolov twice for a 4-1 lead in the third en route to the victory in two hours and 20 minutes.
Not because it’s Cincy, and not because it’s a week before the US Open. The Swiss finishes the week not conceding a break of serve in 49 service games. More recently, Djokovic defeated Federer for the Wimbledon title at the All England Club. One other Djokovic disappointment.
“I moved well”, Federer told reporters after he beat the Serb 7-6 (6-1), 6-3. He served superbly again and did not have to defend a single break point, despite facing the player recognised as the greatest returner in the modern game.
Williams won four of the last six points in the tiebreaker, finishing it when Halep sliced a backhand shot into the net.
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But the difference in how they won their tournaments spoke volumes about the nature of another occasion – Williams’ historic pending quest to complete a Grand Slam at the upcoming US Open.
