Indian Wells - 2019

Fed is over aggressive. Looks like he doesn't want (or can't rather) rally with Thiem.

Quite poor returning from Fed, in spite of his break...just way too aggressive cause desperate for short rallies.

And Thiem breaks back....He seems to have too much energy for Federer.

His over aggressiveness gives him another break...serving for the set.

Thiem has lost that first set for the same reasons he lost that FO final to Nadal: He is not a smart player. Hitting too hard when not necessary.

Fed cannot rally with Thiem but he has enough tools in his toolbox that it did not matter.

I think good decision by Fed to be aggressive.  It is very hard to rally with this Thiem.  It is sort of like rallying with Rafa of old - if you allow Thiem to get into neutral rally he will ultimately take over.

Also, I think Federer's aggressiveness is forcing Thiem to go for more than he would like to.

Very weird game from Fed, especially the way he handled the 2 BPs. , clearly he has the shots but his stifness is really obvious ....I think more than anything this is the very reason of his over aggressiveness.

Going to the net on second serve...twice in a row....not really good sign from Fed!

Fed plays like that FO08 final v Nadal.....going way too quick between serves...trying to get to his chair as quick as possible.

Very bad signs.

summerblues wrote:Fed cannot rally with Thiem but he has enough tools in his toolbox that it did not matter

Today he could not have rallied against Karlovic. He looks particularly weird.

I am hopng he can focus in the 3rd...or simply find some form as his body warms up.

Someone do something, wtf is this total lost of focus and 1st serve.


Come onnnn breakkkk

It is going to be tough.  Thiem has been the better player these first two sets; started off nervous but getting better now.

Thiem has had problems closing matches in the past, so maybe that could help Fed.  Or better yet, Fed should step up and improve his own game this set.

Should you guys not be sleeping?

I should but catching a plane in 4 hours so Fed better win this match so I can feel better tomorrow.

I also hope you can feel better tomorrow.

Hopefully you are flying someplace nice.

Bit more settled now, 1st serve working more, it was 38% 2nd set, never seen it lower.

We need a break NOW!!!

summerblues wrote:Should you guys not be sleeping?

Should be but nowadays I don;t have to wake up that early.

summerblues wrote:I also hope you can feel better tomorrow.

Hopefully you are flying someplace nice.

Thanks buddy, flying to a not so special Skopje, Macedonia.

I know BB is watching under cover in bed and twisting his fingers from stress 

Fed will give it all to break from now. That is when he will spend his energy to go a gear up. If not this serve, teh next one.

Jahu wrote:I know BB is watching under cover in bed and twisting his fingers from stress 

Actually I’m trying to watch through eyes that keep flickering. Just got a coffee, should really turn in I’ve got a lot in this week.

BB hang in another 30 min

Tenez wrote:Fed will give it all to break from now. That is when he will spend his energy to go a gear up. If not this serve, teh next one.

The way second set went  I'm ok if it goes to TB, I feel more secure for Fed on a TB tonight.

Jahu wrote:

Tenez wrote:Fed will give it all to break from now. That is when he will spend his energy to go a gear up. If not this serve, teh next one.

The way second set went  I'm ok if it goes to TB, I feel more secure for Fed on a TB tonight.

If Fed breaks, He serves for it...and Thiem will be nervous.

I cannot believe after all these years how nervous I am still for Fed even for a relatively irrelevant tournament (in the bigger scheme of things) like this.

Ffs 2 Bps gone.

How much power does this git have, is it more then Delpo??

Well i know im walking infront of TV on those BPs, every Fed match now is a heartache.

Too bad Fed could not win that point at 3:4 0-30

Have to say many of Thiems BH and FH winners and hitting winners from anywhere on the court is like watching Fed 2004-2008.

Stay away from the net man, his BH is faster than your FH, ffs.

Well deserved break by Thiem, Feds just sloppy with drop shots.

That second drop shot was silly from Fed.

Oh well.  Congrats to Thiem.  Some impressive hitting from him.  The third set was the best of the three, and Thiem did not choke at all in the end.

Deserved winner in the end; he looked the better player for most of the match.

There is no power in Fed's shots cause there is no mouvement.

This match reminds me his lodd to Delpo last year in Miami. Fed battles hard without a proper body...but as the match extends his chances drop quickly.

Happy for DT to get a Masters, but Fed played clueless, careless and totaly lost as to what to do.

I think slow courts suit him more now, he is a full 1 step sloe now and cant rally with big hitters any more nor relay on his serve to save his ass.

Piss poor by Roger, overall.

He had all the experience and he used some of it to great effect - drop shots, slices and so on.  But he went way too passive at key points, his backhand was woeful - and his 1st serve went awol - as has been the case in many finals in his late 20s onwards. 

And has Jahu mentions - Federer is now slower, so can't hang in the rallies (which is Thiem's main strength).

Thiem was there for the taking on numerous key points.  One of Fed's drop shots had a nice get by Thiem - but he then tried the very same shot again the point after and again fell for the same trick. That was a pivotal moment.  But he just never found an extra gear at all. 

Thiem collapsing to the ground like he's beaten a 2006 Fed lol...  

On slower courts, Thiem will be a handful - especially clay.  But on grass and faster surfaces, he's a poor man's Nadal.

Fuck this sucksssass, wanted this to be  a quick 101.

He didn't deserve to win with the passive shots at the end, the bad back hands, poor serving, and that brainless drop shot though.

Well at least I hope Thiem goes on to win some real tournies and does not dissapoint in longterm like Dimi/Nishi etc etc.

One thing is clear, Fed doesn't have the fitness to win another slam. If even after having a day rest following easy 2 setters he appears tired and/or stiff to the point of refusing any kind of rallies, then he might as well pack it up.

Yesterday he did not even look great to watch,

He will win Miami

Tenez wrote:There is no power in Fed's shots cause there is no mouvement.

This match reminds me his lodd to Delpo last year in Miami. Fed battles hard without a proper body...but as the match extends his chances drop quickly.

That loss was in IW finals after having 3 MPs in the deciding set. In Miami, he lost in the opening match to Kokkinakis.

Tenez wrote:One thing is clear, Fed doesn't have the fitness to win another slam. If even after having a day rest following easy 2 setters he appears tired and/or stiff to the point of refusing any kind of rallies, then he might as well pack it up.

Yesterday he did not even look great to watch,

His is too slow on the FH side when defending. This is a clear ploy used by many players. Keep plugging on the BH corner and push in away from the centre of the court and then hit a FH. It doesn't have to be a winner or a well-placed ball. Fed is often going to be too slow to run for his FH defence. So either point ends there or he is still behind in the rally.

He should skip Miami and go hit some balls with Rafa on clay.

But his whole family is in USA so might as well chill around Miami.

What a frustrating match that was.  Fed was poor, but he nonetheless had some big chances and could be said to have thrown it away with that awful service game in the second set, and in the final set when he had a chance to go to 0-40 on the Thiem serve towards the end (at about 5-5 - I can't remember exactly) but put a regulation forehand tamely wide despite having the deuce Court at his mercy.

Thiem got better as the match wore on.  He was rubbish in the first set doing exactly what Fed expected and merely bashing, but once he started introducing a bit more variety Fed had a lot less time for his shots, and when Thiem really pulled the trigger Federer could not handle his pace.

If that's the best that Fed can manage in a big match there are no more slams, and only the chance at the odd Masters if the draw falls open and his opponent is over-fazed by facing him.

As far as Thiem is concerned, if he learns from this that he can't do it by weight of shot and stamina alone, but that by adding in some variety, he's got an excellent chance of picking up a slam or two and looking back on this as his stepping stone.  If he sticks to duracell-bashing he may well repeat this this sort of result, but it will represent his ceiling.

Personally, I'd like to see him adopt more variety and press on.

It doesn't look much but this match really ends Federer's carrer for me. He will not win anything significant from now on.

He had ideal conditions, a not that good opponent (in spite of what I read) but Fed was simply stiff and tired. He clearly could not play the game he had in mind and that made him successful even until recently.

A sad day even if that day came very late in his career and was more than due.

It doesn't end Fed's career at all.  He'll still have a good shot at wimbledon - but probably not at any other slam.

Tenez wrote:It doesn't look much but this match really ends Federer's carrer for me. He will not win anything significant from now on.

He had ideal conditions, a not that good opponent (in spite of what I read) but Fed was simply stiff and tired. He clearly could not play the game he had in mind and that made him successful even until recently.

A sad day even if that day came very late in his career and was more than due.

I am glad I got to terms with it and detached myself emotionally on time. I detected his fire went out, I think I even made a comment here. I reckon Nole's resurgence got to him.
But I've been ready for a while. It's cool. Really cool.

I watched the highlights, just the first set.
His footwork was beautiful, BH breathtaking, variety, the lot.

Don't know what happened later, judging by your comments he was injured.

I am actually annoyed he lost, he shouldn't have.

To who did he lose?
Boring, dull sweaty basher called Dominic Thiem.

Looking at those highlights he looked like a sprinter forced to run a marathon. Waste!

The question is how long is he going to put up with the sponsors and playing. The whole thing is really killing him now.
First emotionally then physically.

It wouldn't surprise me if he just pulled the plug out of the blue. Either that or the soppy Basel goodbye.

It's like having to induce euthanasia being perfectly healthy.

It bloody sucks.