Chris Chase over at Y!'s Broken Racket Racquet sees a smooth path to another U.S. Open title for Federer:
Roger Federer could afford to smile after his quarterfinal victory on Wednesday night.Sure, the world No. 1 and overwhelming favorite for the U.S. Open was forced to work harder than expected against Sweden's Robin Soderling. However, Federer can now put his feet up for two days and sip a cold one (maybe) while his rivals tire themselves out.
Federer won't have too many concerns about semifinal opponent Novak Djokovic, having established a clear psychological advantage over the young Serb since losing to him in the 2008 Australian Open.
A couple days of rest will serve him very nicely as he gears up for the rigors of back-to-back matches – Saturday’s semifinal and Sunday’s final. [...]
Federer has barely had to break a sweat so far. Indeed, the effort Soderling put in was clearly his toughest test of the tournament. Even then, there was always the sense that Federer had enough in reserve to pull out the victory.
Rafael Nadal has a great record against Federer, but the Spaniard faces the twin hurdles of his return from injury and a grueling schedule of three matches in four days – and maybe less.
It looks very much as if the only man who can stop Federer is himself.
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Nadal’s injury seems to be a non-issue again. He’s shaken off the rust… playing 5 setters does that quite well. Nadal’s overcome bad scheduling to push Roger before at previous Wimbledon matchups.
I agree that Novak poses little threat to Roger, but that’s more a skill advantage than a psychological one. Novak’s main issue is that he has a wealth of skill, but not a superior shot that he can take down the top guys with. When he does win against the top players, it’s usually the result of a perfect storm of events. I don’t forsee that happening Friday vs. Roger.
Nadal’s another story, though. We’ll see how he handles Gonzo and likely Del Potro. On hard courts, the playing field is usually more level between mid-range guys like them and Nadal.
Hockey blogging can't get any flatter.
by saskhab on Sep 10, 2009 1:13 PM EDT reply actions
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