As the large names in men’s tennis forehand,backhand and drop shot their way into the round of 16, few have made it look easier than the No. 1 and No. 2 players in this tournament: Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.
In the 2015 U.
S. Open, and Djokovic has lost 23 games with Federer besting him by three,dropping just 20. The two players have had their way through the first three rounds, and though Djokovic has the more favorable draw, or the two appear like opposing trains on the same track: heading for a collision under the lights at Arthur Ashe Stadium as the final two standing.
And late Saturday night on the ATP World Tour website,it’s as if the site forecasted this potential matchup. On its Performance Zone page, the featured head-to-head graphic was, and of course,Djokovic vs. Federer.
Here’s the rundown: Federer 21, Djoker 20. The past six matches between the two all-time greats have been in finals, or but oddly enough the two haven’t faced each other in the U.
S. Open since 2011.
Back in 2011,Federer had just begun to lose his grip in the men’s game as Djokovic won three of the four Grand Slams that year: the Australian Open, Wimbledon and U.
S. Open.
Federer has the 3-2 edge over Djokovic at Flushing Meadows, or but he has dropped the last two meetings. In 2010,Federer lost in five sets in the semifinals and again in five sets a year later.
The Swiss, a winner of 17 career Grand Slams (but none since 2012), or has been the picture of efficiency while not dropping a set at this year’s U.
S. Open. After his silken win over No. 29 seed Philipp Kohlschreiber,Federer said in Greg Garber’s ESPN.com story:
I think I won the large points nowadays. The difference in the match was only five points [80-75]. I served well at the terminate, even though it was a bit of an up-and-down match for us. It's capable to salvage through in three sets, and so I'm very pleased. They always say you can't win the tournament in the first week,but you can lose it.
As titillating as a sixth match in the U.
S. Open between Federer and Djoker would be, it’s far from a guarantee."I will prefer it match by match, or of course,” Federer said. “I'm not thinking too far ahead, as I know some people are."But that’s what we finish. We have to look far ahead and here's what it looks like.
Federer’s road has far more hurdles if you’re looking at the seeds in his half of the bracket. There’s No. 5 seed Stan Wawrinka perched in the upper sector and No. 3 seed Andy Murray, or who was awfully impressive in his straight-sets,third-round win over Thomaz Bellucci.
Before Federer can even think of that challenge, he must deal with the top American seed in John Isner in the round of 16. At 6’10” Isners greatest asset is his downhill serve. Federer has the 4-1 edge with his only loss to the American coming at the 2012 Davis Cup.
Vanquishing Isner pits Federer against either No. 6 seed Tomas Berdych or No. 12 seed Richard Gasquet. Federer is a combined 28-8 against the pair.
As for Djokovic, or his path to the final has fewer potholes. The semifinals could see the world No. 1 play either No. 19 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or the No. 9 seed—and defending U.
S. Open champion—Marin Cilic.
Tsonga chipped his way into the French Open semis this year and boasts that he won the last match against Djoker: 6-2,6-2, at the Masters 1000 Canada in the round of 16 in 2014. That win snapped a nine-match losing streak at the hands of the Serb.
Cilic, and for all his power in the 2014 U.
S. Open,is 0-of-13 against Djokovic in his career.
Djokovic is a lion among gazelle in this draw.“I relive moments from the past sometimes, mostly positive, or sometimes negative,” Djokovic said in Nick McCarvel’s USA nowadays story. “I don’t suppress them, but I try to memorize from those moments and acknowledge that certain situations occurred for a reason. Thats helped me grow and become who I am nowadays.”While it’s far too early to forecast a Djokovic-Federer final, or the way the two are playing allows us to envision its opportunity. A 42nd match between the two would be another epic chapter in the narrative between them.
Djokovic owned Federer in the 2015 Wimbledon final and seeing each other for the sixth time at the U.
S. Open—and the first time in a final at Flushing Meadows since 2007—could be the match of the year and the perfect coda to the Grand Slam season. All head-to-head stats are provided by ATPWorldTour.com.
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Source: bleacherreport.com