Federer Wins AO

In what must b e considered the greatest achievement of the open era, Roger Federer defeated Rafa Nadal in five sets to win the Australian Open.  At age 35, after six months off the tour, Federer came back to defeat Thomas Berdych, ranked 10, Kei Nishikori, ranked 5, Stan Wawrinka, ranked 4, and finally Nadal, ranked 9 in the world.  This victory is up there with LeBron James’ performance in the 2016 NBA finals and Tiger Woods’ 2008 US open victory in 91 holes while playing with a hairline fracture in his leg and torn ligaments in his knee. 

How did Federer do it?  First of all, as Roger continued to do what he has done over their last few matches – taking shots to his backhand on the rise before Nadal’s awesome topspin could make the ball climb up on him.  To execute such a backhand requires unreal timing and hand-eye coordination, and Federer has those skills at a level never before seen in tennis.  Second, this match was played on a fast hard court, which allowed Federer, by taking balls early, to rob Nadal of time.  Nadal plays a bit like Dominic Thiem in that he hits the ball much better when he is able to set is feet and gather himself for the shot.  He is a better “wrist” player than Thiem, but Federer is the best of all time at wristing the ball.  Third, Federer was calm and cool throughout.  It must be understood that Federer is a very emotional player.  Witness the numerous times he has shed tears after matches, even when he won.  Earlier in their careers, when Roger was trying to figure out how to deal with Rafa’s topspin, I believe he made nervous shots on key points.  If you go back over their matches, it is startling how many break points Federer had that he was unable to convert.  In this match, Federer’s maturity and realistic expectations allowed him to remain on an even keel and deal with adversity quite well. 

What ever else happens in 2017, this Australian Open has sent three important messages:

1) Federer is a tennis “natural” like no one has ever seen.

2) Nadal is back.  Rafa played some really outstanding tennis in this tournament, and he will pose a serious threat to Novak and Andy Murray, particularly in the clay court swing.

3) Dimitrov has arrived.  Grigor Dimitrov put on a performance in the semis that was truly remarkable, with an amazing display of physical skills and psychological fortitude.  He will be a force for the very top players to reckon with.

Overall this was a very interesting tournament, with the older players showing that they can still dominate the youngsters.  A provocative and stimulating start to the 2017 grand slam season.