November 27, 2010: Roger Federer eases past Djokovic to set Nadal clash
Achieving his only "Channel Slam" in 2009, Roger Federer had failed to defend Roland Garros and Wimbledon crowns a year later, losing in the quarter-final to Robin Soderling and Tomas Berdych and stepping down from the ATP throne as Rafael Nadal passed him on the ranking list. Nonetheless, Roger was the most consistent player by the end of the season, playing eight tournaments and winning four titles from six finals, wrapping up the year with his fifth ATP Finals crown. Following a terrible loss to Gael Monfils in the semi-final of Paris and five match points he squandered, Roger used the next week to recharge his batteries and attack the ATP Finals, the event he dominated in the past but where he failed to reach the final in the last two editions.
Considering his form, Roger was the top favorite and he delivered fine tennis in all five matches to lift the title, becoming the third player with ATP Finals crowns after Ivan Lendl and Pete Sampras. After three commanding wins over David Ferrer, Robin Soderling and Andy Murray in the round robin stage, Roger had to beat Novak Djokovic to earn the place in the final and he outplayed the Serb completely, securing a 6-1 6-4 triumph in an hour and 21 minutes for his 13th and most convincing win over Novak in 19 clashes, also the fourth in five matches that season. The Swiss had the edge on both the serve and return, offering Novak only one break point and winning 49% of the return points for the first time against the Serb.
They had a similar number of unforced errors but Roger dominated with his sharp serve and forehand, keeping Novak outside the hitting zone and dominating in both the shortest and more extended rallies to wrap up the win in 80 minutes and reach the final. Federer kicked off the match with a hold at love after a forehand winner and he won four points in a row in game two for an early break following a costly double fault from Novak. Finding his shots right from the start, Federer placed three winners in the third game to extend his lead and we were yet to see something from Djokovic in this encounter. He finally held in game four after an ace but that was all we got from him in the opener, suffering another break at 1-4 after a terrible volley at the net.
Serving for the set in the next game, Roger fired a service winner to take the opener 6-1 after just 31 minutes, dominating in every segment so far and hoping for more of the same in the rest of the encounter. Raising his level at the start of the second set, Novak made an easy hold and he created his first and only break point in game two, stealing Roger's serve to move 2-0 up. Another nice hold pushed Novak further in front and he looked good to grab the set and force a decider. Having to reach quickly, Federer fired a forehand winner in game four to reduce the deficit and he pulled the break back a few minutes later after an exceptional net coverage that left Djokovic furious and on a verge of slamming the ball into the stands.
The Swiss held for a 3-3 after a lightning quick game, rattling off 12 of the last 15 points and gathering the momentum before the rest of the set. Djokovic fends off three break points in the following game to bring the game home with a service winner, stopping his downfall and sending the pressure to the other side of the net. Facing possible troubles in the following game at deuce, Roger blasted two service winners to bring the game home and level the score at 4-4, boosting his game and breaking Novak a few minutes later after a return that the Serb failed to control. Serving for the win, Federer delivered three winners in the 10th game to clinch an impressive win and set the final clash against another great rival Rafael Nadal.
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2KBx4vf
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