John Isner draws differences between Federer's and Djokovic's return
The 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer is still capable of delivering big titles at the age of 37, losing the final at Indian Wells to Dominic Thiem but going all the way in Miami for Masters 1000 crown number 28, the fourth in Florida! In the title match, Roger took down the defending champion John Isner 6-1, 6-4 in 63 minutes after a one-sided affair, dominating on both serve and return against the rival who barely managed to finish the match, struggling with a left foot injury. Roger was the dominant figure here in Miami, beating Daniil Medvedev, Kevin Anderson and Denis Shapovalov in commanding style to become the first player with 50 Masters 1000 finals, scoring the sixth win in eight encounters against the American and the first since the US Open 2015.
Also, this was the 17th ATP final for Federer against the Americans and the 16th win, losing the only one here in Miami 17 years ago against Andre Agassi on this very same day! Overall, Federer lifted the 101st ATP crown and the 28th at Masters 1000 series, closing the gap on Nadal and Djokovic and notching the 13th season with at least one Masters 1000 trophy. Isner reached the final without losing the set but he was forced to play nine tie breaks in ten sets, winning them all but having nothing left in the tank for the title clash against the strongest possible rival, losing 43% of the points behind the initial shot and suffering four breaks overall.
On the other hand, Roger finished the match with 17 winners and just seven unforced errors, controlling every segment and delivering five holds at love, dropping only three points on the return! Federer broke Isner three times in the opener to wrap it up in under 25 minutes, reading rival's serve beautifully and building the momentum before set number two. There, John fought well in the opening eight games, managing to bring home four service games to stay in touch with Roger before that foot injury that bothered him a lot, barely being able to move in the last ten minutes. The medical timeout couldn't help the American and Roger broke him in game ten to seal the deal and close a perfect Miami campaign with the title, the 11th at Masters 1000 level after turning 30!
"Roger was making a lot of returns back, blocking them back. I needed to come out, especially in that first game and try to assert myself. I didn't serve a particularly great game and he made me pay for it. I knew he was going to play well today, seeing the ball very big and that was certainly the case. I wasn't up to the task in the first set, that's for sure. Roger returns a little bit differently, kind of blocks it back. Whereas Novak, when he's locked in, he just kind of rips it back, doesn't block it too much. You know, Roger was standing in close, as well, just reacting very well and very fast to my serve.
I mean, he's something else. Well, I guess it's kind of fitting, you know, one of our game's greats and current greats and of course all-time greats. Yeah, I'm very happy with it. I mean, that atmosphere out there today was.. I can't tell you how cool that was, seeing the whole upper deck full. I thought it was fantastic and the players have enjoyed it overall. It's a lot of space. I think the fans have enjoyed it, as well, I just wish I could have given them a little bit better match out there today."
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2UrLViY
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