Cross-court masterstrokes serve notice for Open
Mark of Zverev undeniable in fifth title march of 2017 with Federer strangely slow
Even the victor was rueful, almost forelock-tugging in apologia.
“I’m sorry that you didn’t win Montreal this year.” He might have added: Mr. Federer. Roger Federer has never won the Rogers Cup in Montreal — though twice raising the trophy in Toronto — and it is anybody’s guess if the now 36-year-old Swiss Maestro will ever pass this way again.
But don’t go thinking that losing to a 20-year-young stud says anything gamechanging about the resurgent and rampant 2017 Federer — though it certainly signifies a seminal moment for Alexander Zverev: A second Masters 1000 triumph this season, in itself a rare bang-bang achievement, first prevailing over Novak Djokovic at the Rome Open in May and then dispatching the incomparable Federer here in straight sets on Sunday afternoon, 6-3, 6-4. Knocking out two legends of the game.
This trophy (it looks like a blender) puts the hard-charging beanpole — six-foot-eight and Olive Oyl scrawny — on a tourlevel equal plane with Federer for ’17, with five titles apiece. First German to win five titles in one year since Boris Becker in 1996 and youngest to win the Rogers Cup since Djokovic in 2007. Vanquisher (killjoy) the night before of Canadian teenage sensation Denis Shapovalov, the first time Zverev had ever played someone more tender in years than himself.
The Next Big Thing, as Zverev has been tagged for the past couple of years, might actually have already arrived at that status.
“I’m super-happy the way everything is standing.” ALEXANDER ZVEREV
Albeit with not yet a single Grand Slam final much less championship to his name. The Fed Express, in case you need reminding, has 19 Slam victories on his resume, two of them copped this year — the Australian Open and a Roger the Eighth Wimbledon ascension — churning away (but elegantly) on his wondrous comeback journey from knee surgery and a widely held view, just 12 months ago, that he was possibly done and definitely on the decline.
Instead, Federer has turned back time.
But there was something palpably amiss in this final because that wasn’t the Swiss Maestro we’ve seen since January. Not so balletic with a bandana.
Zverev is multi-skilled, with a hammering serve, fleet feet, excellent court coverage smarts and a hip-holstered forehand. None of which would have much troubled Federer, who’s been solving the best in the game from the days of Andre Agassi through Rafael Nadal. A core asset is how quickly, instinctively, Federer can assess and recalibrate, within a match, to blunt an opponent’s strengths.
But this Federer, from about the end of the flat first set and definitely through the second, was puzzlingly off form: heavy-footed, sapped of energy, tendering a first serve far off in velocity, about 20 km/h slower than his average, in the final few games pretty much standing still as passing shots whizzed by his head, spraying forehands long and wide. Broken three times, just 51 per cent on first serve, and a couple of aces compared to a dozen for his opponent.
Completely atypically was how, at set point in the mere 30-minute first frame — Zverev kept him continually off-balance — Federer dumped a serve to his backhand into the ground, almost in surrender. He was clearly in a funk, out of sorts, unusually disgruntled in mien.
“Obviously I noticed it,” said Zverev when asked about the un-Roger Roger, particularly that meek first serve. “At the score 2-all (of the second set) I think his first serve got a little bit slower. You’ve got to ask him what happened there, I don’t know. But yeah, I definitely noticed it.’’
Except nobody from the flower of tennis journalism did ask Federer about it and most of the post-match Q&A was spent fawning over his year, over the prospect of winning a third major come the U.S. Open in a couple of weeks. “Winning my third of the year, my 20th Grand Slam, would be completely insane.” Not so crazy, actually. Federer’s only allusion to his state of body — and clearly he was walking gingerly by the end of match, little steps between shots, suggestive perhaps of a back issue — was a vague reference to a “bit of muscle pain, aches and pains here and there,’’ but he was talking about the entire week in Montreal and adjusting to hard courts after a post-Wimbledon vacation. “It’s always a bit of a shock to the body.”
So, fingers crossed there’s nothing seriously ailing Federer, though he was somewhat noncommittal about playing in Cincinnati this coming week, last tour stop before Flushing Meadows, even as he quickly departed for his flight to Ohio. “(I’ll) take a decision in the next couple of days and see how I feel after five days of playing, if I’m ready to play in Cincy.”
Since the meniscus surgery and extended rehab, he’s been more discriminating about which tour stops he plays, skipping the entire clay season for example.
Montreal was a last-minute decision — and tournament organizers were pathetically grateful, having lost such big names as Andy Murray, Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka to injury woes.
Montreal set an attendance record — perhaps thanks even more to Shapovalov’s memorable exploits than Federer’s presence.
Until Sunday, at least, Federer — he celebrated his 36th birthday here — was clearly enjoying himself. And he certainly sounded sincere, lauding the emergence of the young’uns.
“I loved watched Denis play,” he enthused of the Richmond Hill teen who ousted top-seed Nadal. “He had the matches of the tournament, with all these great three-setters that he had, especially the one against Rafa. I think he caught the attention of the tennis world, and rightfully so.’’
Zverev he’s more familiar with. In fact, the German beat him in a three-setter in Halle, Federer’s first match back after his lengthy furlough, and they’ve practised together quite a lot.
“I’m really happy for him, to see that he’s taking everything not just to the next level but the two next levels, winning two Masters 1000s. It’s a wonderful achievement for him.’’
Just the tiniest bit of a caution, however, for Zverev, who’d halted Federer’s match winning streak at 16, longest since 2012.
“Well, he’s been playing well but he has to do this for a whole year. For the time being he’s in good shape. He’s healthy. He’s motivated. He has a lot of confidence … Now we’ll see what happens for the rest of the year.’’
Zverev also won the Washington Open last week, so two-for-a-fortnight, though he admitted he’s feeling weary.
“But game-wise and confidencewise, I’m super-happy the way everything is standing.”
Standing at world No. 7 now, by the way. Earlier in the week, Zverev suggested his surge up the rankings has maybe been too swift. He’s had a rethink on that.
“The faster the better for me, actually. I don’t mind that I’m winning tournaments. I don’t think anybody would.”