How missed opportunities costs Federer the U.S open

Novak Djokovic reacts after winning the U.S open 2015 by beating Roger Federer.

Novak Djokovic took a tumble as early as the fourth game of the first set but ensured he did not tumble in the quest for his second U.S open title. The Serb defeated Roger Federer 6-4,5-7,6-4,6-4 in four sets to claim his third major of the calendar year at the Flushing Meadows.

The final was delayed over three hours due to rain but it was well worth the wait as the match had everything, right from brilliant play to downright sloppy at times from both players. Djokovic showed his mettle in the end by closing out the match against both Federer and the crowd. This is the 10th major win for Djokovic in his career and it reaffirms his status as the alpha male of men’s tennis.

Djokovic started quickly off the blocks and broke Federer for a 2-1 lead in the first set. A slip in the subsequent service game seemed to have rattled him as he lost the advantage immediately. The ninth game of the second set proved decisive and the Serb broke to go one set up.

The second set saw probably the best tennis in terms of quality, with the highlight being a Djokovic service game that produced 20 pulsating points. Federer eventually put enough pressure at 6-5 to break through and even the score line.

Both Players traded service breaks early on in the third set but Federer again misfired in the crucial ninth game of the set .Djokovic duly obliged and closed out the set in an emphatic fashion.

The Swiss maestro appeard to be out of fire and ideas by this point. Djokovic sensed it and took a 5-2 lead by breaking Federer twice. The 17 time major champion attempted a valiant comeback by getting a break back but it was too little too late as Djokovic held his nerve to snuff out the late challenge.

Djokovic certainly did not play his best tennis by any means but was solid enough to come out on top. Federer though would look back at this match with immense regret for he had so many opportunities .

Too many unforced errors

54 unforced errors from Federer’s racquet was certainly not going to cut it in a major final .It was simply too many. Majority of them came at crucial points like the forehand sprayed wide in the ninth game of the first set to concede the break. The forehand, which is usually one of his most reliable shots was woeful in particular. It meant that the Swiss Superstar was having to dig himself out of a hole most of the time.

Wasted Break points

As much as the 54 unforced errors hurt Federer, Nothing hurt him more than the missed break point opportunities. He had 23 break points but could only convert four of them. Even accounting for Djokovic’s brilliance in saving some of the break points , Federer should have made much more of his chances than the paltry 17% he could manage in break point conversion rate. The 34 year old has never been the most efficient converter of break points in his career but one would certainly expect him to do much better than the numbers he posted on Sunday.

Abandoning net play in the third set

Federer’s strategy was pretty clear at the start of the match. He was going to come to the net as much as possible and adopt a super aggressive style of play to put pressure on Djokovic .The goal was to keep the points as short as possible . It certainly was the right strategy as well. There is no use in trading blows from the back of the court when your opponent is six years younger and a better mover on the court than you are.

Federer reaches for a volley during his clash with Djokovic in the U.S open Final on Sunday.

Yet Federer bizarrely gave up his aggressive style of play in the third set and decided to engage Djokovic in baseline rallies. Consequently, he made errors at important moments and allowed the Serb to squeeze out the set. Surely he could have done better and converted one of those numerous break point chances had he come to the net more often. He was never going to have the legs to outlast Djokovic after losing the third set. Not committing to the net play having known the importance of the third set suggests naivety on Federer’s part.

This by no means takes anything away from Djokovic’s victory. He played well at important moments and was a deserving winner. He also remains the man to beat in men’s tennis. Still, Federer will look at this match as one that got away from him. He had enough opportunities to take the game by the scruff of the neck but somehow managed to let it out of his grasp. This was undoubtedly the best chance he had of winning his 18th major. He just might rue this match for the rest of his life as he is in the twilight of his career and may not have another shot at grand slam glory.