Federer of old shows he's still a dominant player
Sep. 6, 2008
By Art Spander
The Sports Xchange/CBSSports.com
NEW YORK -- He was always the ultimate of Swiss cool, imperturbable, playing tennis with the precision of a watchmaker, the steeliness of a banker. No longer.
The pressure and the disparagement have given us a new Roger Federer.
Who, told he was heading for this third Grand Slam final of the year, responded, "I hope I get one. It would mean a hell of a lot to me."
That's not the guy we used to know. This is the one we're trying to get to know these days, the one who is desperate to prove he remains relevant, if no longer dominant.
Federer took apart Novak Djokovic 6-3, 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 Saturday in one of the men's semifinals.
He was Hurricane Roger, in a sense, before the arrival of the remnants of Tropical Storm Hanna, in a swirl.
The rains and wind, as forecast, swept across Billie Jean King National Tennis Center before the other semi, the one between No. 1 seed Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray, could get out of the third set.
Before the scheduled women's final between Serena Williams and Jelena Jankovic could even begin.
Murray won the first two sets. Nadal led the third. They'll return Sunday, as will the ladies.
Roger won't be back until Monday when, against one of the other two, he'll attempt to win a fifth straight Open, matching his Wimbledon record and becoming the first man to achieve the feat since Bill Tilden won six in a row in 1920-25.
"Who do I prefer?" was Federer's rhetorical response about the opponent. "I prefer the trophy, that's what I prefer."
Then he added, "I guess I have to say Rafa, because we've had such great battles over the years. Wimbledon was unbelievable.
Unbelievable. Five sets of extreme tennis, 4 hours, 48 minutes of tension and agony. But for Federer, unrewarding.
Nadal beat him in the French final. Nadal beat him at Wimbledon. Roger didn't even make it to the last round of the Australian. A year without a major. So far.
A U.S. Open with a great deal of emotion, of gesturing, of shouting, of allowing us to peek into the psyche of this 27-year-old who for so long kept his feelings under control as he kept collecting Grand Slam titles, 12 of them in all.
"Let's not forget the type of matches I've had here," said Federer, justifying his outbursts. "I beat (Radak) Stepanek, who I lost to in Rome. (Igor) Andreev was a five-setter on center court, so that was going to be emotional. Beating Novak today was big. And then also Gilles Muller was a tiebreaker in the third set.
"These are reasons four times I had to show a lot of emotion at the end. But it's true, that I am trying to push myself, not to be more emotional but to try to play well. I have been struggling on the hardcourt. I have no problems admitting that. But here it hasn't been a struggle, so maybe that's why I'm more emotional."
All season he fought his demons and our doubts. Like the New York Yankees of the past, like the great San Francisco 49ers teams of the 1980s, Federer has been in a position where others have waited for the fall. Waited to declare supremacy at an end.
When Federer didn't even make the final of the Australian, when he was destroyed by Nadal in the French, when he lost his grip on Wimbledon, when he couldn't win anything but two ordinary tournaments, when he was upset by people like Stepanek or Gilles Simon, there was a rush to produce his sporting obituary.
But after 20 aces on Saturday, after silky backhands, after the win over the world's No. 3, Djokovic, Federer showed he is very much alive and very much in line for this Open championship.
"I had moments out there," Federer said of his victory, "where I really felt this is how I normally play on the hardcourt -- half-volleys, passing shots, good serving, putting the pressure on, using the wind to my advantage.
"I definitely had moments where I thought, 'This is how I would like to play every time.' It was a nice feeling to get that feeling back."
Not so nice for Djokovic, who was beaten by Federer in last year's final. Novak stuck his foot in the grinder when he told the crowd after beating Andy Roddick in the quarters that they ought to give him more respect. Instead, what they gave him was a ton of boos.
It wasn't as bad Saturday, but Federer was the favorite and said the cheers helped when trailing in the third set.
"I said it from the start," reminded Federer. "It would be great if I do get a lot of fan support. I don't count on it, because I'm not American. But I feel a little bit New Yorker right now."
The 21-year-old Djokovic felt only resigned to his fate.
"He was playing good," Djokovic said of Federer. "I think he deserved to win, absolutely. I was a little disappointed that from my side I wasn't able enough, physically, to give him a challenge. Overall, it's been a very exhausting tournament mentally and physically for me. I'm happy I got to the semi."
That wouldn't do for Roger Federer.
"I'm getting one more match," he agreed. "That's the only one I need."
In the finals of U.S. Open. Again.
, the right word?). 
Wonder how he is doing. Is he back in tennis state of mind already? 
Order of preference ... Big Yin, Maestro and Andy. 
And I've got a humdinger of a cold. 
A win from the Big Yin will cheer me up ... and hopefully soon.