Matchless elegance

Paul Hayward applauds Roger Federer’s enduring genius as title record looms

Uncertainty, they say, is the life blood of sport. This may be true in the majority of cases. But when Roger Federer plays tennis, many of his admirers don’t care whether the match is close or not. They just want to see peak Roger: their idol at his most magisterial.

So where would we place yesterday’s 7-6, 7-6, 6-4 victory over Tomas Berdych on this scale? It was probably an eight out of 10, maybe climbing to eight-and-a-half. To put it another way, Federer produced more magic in 138 minutes than many players have conjured up in their entire careers.

Inevitably, he received a standing ovation at the end.

In her marvellous book Love Game, Elizabeth Wilson wrote: “The tennis match may seem at one level like a duel or a fight, but it is also a dance, with its own elaborate courtesies … more like a day at the opera at Glyndebourne than an afternoon of football at the Emirates Stadium.” This is never more true than when Federer is playing.

Federer’s opponent, as far as most spectators are concerned, is not there to remove him from the tournament. God forbid! Instead, he is like the straight man in a comedy duo, or the assistant in an illusionist’s act: someone to weave tricks and routines around. And then to accept a sympathetic round of applause, while the true star takes the bouquets.

‘I want to make sure I have all the energy and resources to play inspired and creative tennis’

Berdych has played this role to perfection over the years. He, Milos Raonic and Kei Nishikori have long been the bridesmaids of the tour. Immensely rugged and powerful, with the physique of a Greek god, Berdych served at a ferocious lick yesterday, making breaks hard to come by. As a result, he extended Federer past the two-hour mark for the first time in this tournament. But did anyone really think that he could actually win?

The challenger’s plan was to launch a series of piledriving crosscourt forehands. In the early stages, Berdych succeeded in knocking Federer off balance with this tactic. Yet Federer adapted, making use of his vast repertoire and uncanny hand skills. Berdych doesn’t have that luxury, being more of a slugger than a creator. He was simply too predictable, both in his patterns of play and his familiar inability to find something other-worldly when it mattered most.

Not everything that Federer tried came off. He threw in a couple of his most flamboyant drop-shots – the ones where the ball performs a vertical, Harrier Jump Jet-style takeoff and landing – without putting either in court. He also sent out obvious signals of frustration at his inability to take complete control of the match. One framed backhand was followed by a growl and a petulant kick at the ball.

But there were also plenty of micro miracles – the shots that nobody else can play, and which will be sorely missed when Federer does finally hang up his racket. Anyone can hit a forehand passing shot up the line, given time to set their feet. But to do it on the half-volley, while still coming out of your service action? So many elements go into that: balance, anticipation, co-ordination and touch.

“It’s very, very difficult,” said Berdych afterwards. “Roger doesn’t give you any rhythm at all. I mean, he’s playing barely with any mistakes.” A couple of times, Federer even held a service game in less than a minute – which is roughly the amount of time Rafael Nadal takes to get ready for the first point.

How does Marin Cilic go about trying to halt the Fed Express tomorrow?

Federer intimated last night that he feared a repeat of their 2014 US Open semi-final, in which he was