Well, there’s another record Roger Federer doesn’t want — a record that further signals his slow and yet painful retreat from the top of the game. As if we needed any more signals.
His 6-3, 6-3 loss to Novak Djokovic in the Dubai final on Saturday marked five consecutive sets he has lost to the Serbian No. 3, and to the best of my knowledge he’s never lost that many sets in a row to any player on a fast court (hard, grass or carpet).
Rafa Nadal has taken him down six sets in a row on clay in matches in 2006 and 2007 and six straight sets on a combination of clay and grass in 2008. But on Federer’s once-supreme surface, the fast court, I don’t think he’s ever lost five straight sets since he ascended to No. 1 in February of 2004.
I give you one cautionary note. I’ve double-checked this fact on his key opponents — Nadal, Andy Murray, Lleyton Hewitt, David Nalbandian and Gilles Simon, who once held a 2-0 edge on Federer. None of them have dominated Federer on a fast court as Djokovic has this year. Of course there could be someone I’ve overlooked and I’m not spending the next 10 hours poring over every Federer head-to-head. So just go with me on this one, OK?
Including the Australian Open semifinals, Nole has now taken him down 7-6 (3), 7-5, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 with the next stop for both at the ATP 1000 at Indian Wells, Calif.
And Novak whipped Federer this time very much as he did in Melbourne, by denying Federer free points off serve and beating him down in the backhand-to-backhand rallies. Just as at the Aussie Open, Federer could manage only five aces in this match, well below his average.
At the end, Federer looked tight, tentative and slow-reacting. On what was little more than a warm-up ball on match point, Federer, strangely open-stanced at the baseline, slopped a forehand well wide of Djokovic left sideline and it was over.
You can’t say that Federer didn’t have a chance to crash back into this party. In his only burp of the match, Djokovic looped a backhand deep on break point to give Federer a 2-1 lead in the second set, and it looked as we were headed for three.
Twenty minutes later, however, it was as if Federer had no idea how to secure his advantage. He gave the break back at 3-2, 15-40 when he let an easy lob drift on him. Never adjusting his position near the service line, he stroked the overhead so badly the ball slammed down on the bottom of the net.
Two games later, now on serve at 3-4, Djokovic forced him to hit four straight backhands. Federer’s fourth went deep. Another Djokovic tactical edge on the backhand side. Five points later the match was over.
The first set was more of the same, only worse, because Federer never had a break point. On set point, he looked indecisive, nothing like the player who had once dominated the game. In position to hit a commanding forehand from just inside his baseline, he stroked well enough to the corner, but he hesitated too long before sweeping to the net.
That hesitation cost him because he never got as far as the service line and Djokovic’s backhand crosscourt return forced Federer to stretch wide for a backhand that cuffed him. Had he been in tight to the net he would have handled the volley easily, but he lacked commitment to going forward and left himself in an untenable position. Set over.
For Djokovic, playing his first match since his Aussie Open triumph, he is now 12-0 for the season and exhibiting more confidence than I’ve ever seen from him.
For Federer, another disappointment. “Novak played well,” Federer said later. Played well? He played like the No. 2 player in the world and, who knows at this point if he’s not the best, regardless of what the rankings say.
Let’s move on to California and then Key Biscayne, Florida.
