The greatness of Novak Djokovic, who beat
Roger Federer
in Sunday’s U.S. Open final, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, is subtle. It’s not
his serve or his forehand or his backhand, or really any shot. It’s not
even his speed or agility, or his smooth technique.
Djokovic,
ranked No. 1 in the world and now the winner of 10 Grand Slam singles
titles, is the unsurpassed master at making his opponents press.
At
the U.S. Open on Sunday, the 28-year-old Djokovic was at his sturdy,
destabilizing best. He hit the ball deep. He flicked passing shots from
near splits.
He even solved the most talked-about shot of the
Open, Federer’s vaunted SABR: Sneak Attack By Roger, in which Federer
returns a serve on a short hop and charges the net. After Federer’s
first SABR worked on Sunday, Djokovic snuffed out the next three with a
hard second serve, a low backhand and a perfectly placed lob. Federer
tried a few more, but a decisive tactic it was not.
“He’s going
to try to disrupt my rhythm, and he’s going to put a lot of variety in
his game,” Djokovic said. “But I was ready for it.”
Djokovic also
defeated the crowd, which pulled for Federer so hard that they
sometimes interrupted Djokovic as he tried to serve or swing. Djokovic,
who had several outbursts this tournament, could easily have let all the
noise derail him. It didn’t, he said, because he expected it.
“He
absolutely deserves to have the support he does,” Djokovic said. “Me,
I’m there to earn the support, and hopefully in the future I can be in
that position.”
Federer, 34 years old and in the midst of a resurgence rarely seen
at this stage of a tennis career, had not lost a set all tournament. He
had lost his serve just twice since losing the Wimbledon final, both
times in the third round here. He had been attacking and hitting winners
in bunches.
Then on Sunday, Federer lost his serve twice in the
first set and six times in the match. Federer hit 11 aces and five
double faults. He hit a lot of winners—56—but a lot of unforced errors
too (54).
About those unforced errors. Look at the stat sheet
alone, and it’s clear that Federer made too many mistakes to win this
match. The reality: No one in tennis today, and maybe ever, is as good
as Djokovic at making opponents miss when they shouldn’t.
To beat
Djokovic, a player must hit the lines repeatedly. Serves must be
precise, volleys hit just so. Federer tried everything. He was daring at
times, steady and safe at others. In patches Federer played
brilliantly. In the fourth set, trailing by a break of serve at 3-2,
Federer had a chance to even the set. A long rally ensued, with Federer
in control. He went for too much and hit a forehand wide. In all, he won
just four of 23 break points.
“I had my chances on my racket,”
Federer said. “I should never have been down in the score the way I was.
But Novak did a great job of fending them off.”
That’s the
essence of Djokovic. The precision, energy and concentration required to
win a point against him taxes the mind, even a mind like Federer’s—and
then the errors pile up. Late in the fourth set, as Djokovic broke
Federer’s serve for a 5-2 lead, Djokovic’s defense forced Federer to
mishit an overhead smash straight up into the sky.
Federer, ever
resilient, made one final charge. He broke Djokovic’s serve with a
backhand volley and served out the next game. In the final game of the
match, Federer had three break points, but Djokovic saved them all. He
closed out the match with two bullet first serves that Federer couldn’t
put in play.
“It was a tough night, but still, I don’t know, thrilling at the same time,” Federer said.
Djokovic’s
victory caps one of the finest Grand Slam seasons in men’s tennis
history. He won three Grand Slam titles. He also played in all four
major finals, something that only two other men—Federer and Rod
Laver—have done in the Open era, which began in 1968. This was
Djokovic’s second U.S. Open title. His career record against Federer is
now even, 21-21.
“It’s been an incredible season,” Djokovic said. “It’s more than I could ask for.”
