The really dumb shot that cost Federer the match - no one is talking about it?
 

Djokovic was serving at 3-4, 15-30 in the 5th. Djokovic pops up a weak backhand volley crosscourt and close to the net. Ball bounces near net a few feet from Fed's ad-court alley while Federer sprints toward it from the opposite corner of the court.

Federer reached the shot with ease, and I was expecting him to rip a backhand passing shot down the line to set up a double break point that would have been a virtual match point. Djokovic was probably expecting him to do that shot, as he knew he was too close to the net to react to it.

But Federer couldn't help himself. It looked to me like Federer saw an opportunity to try a crowd-thrilling below-the-net around-the-netpost backhand buggy whip hook shot. Would have made Espn highlights if he made it.

Unfortunately, the ball wasn't wide enough for Fed to execute the round-the-netpost shot, and he buried it halfway up the net.

This was very reminiscent of his 2005 AO loss where he missed the tweener on match point when he could have easily passed Safin with a routine forehand, then went on to lose the match.

I'll bet this one is even more painful than the 2005 AO loss though, because his chances are running out.

That was a dumb shot. There was another dumb shot where he had the down the line forehand winner wide open up at the net, and instead he hit it crosscourt right to Novak, who bunted it back to the open court for a winner. Very strange.

Fed made 60+ UEs. What can you expect when you become such an UE machine?
I have to say though that in the last games of the 5th set, Fed had his chances. Djoko just played some insanely brilliant tennis at that stage.

agreed, both were dumb shots/misses ...

one thing I disagree about is regarding the safin match, I don't think federer could have passed safin easily, safin was ready at the net and you can't say fed would have passed him easily if he chose to hit a FH - although the tweener was absolutely dumb

Regarding the alley shot - I was 100% sure he would simply dink the ball down the line past Djokovic. Instead, he went cross court right at where he was standing still, probably having conceded the point already.

Dumb players tend to make dumb shots at key points in big matches - that's the difference between those players and truly great champions. I look forward to the final tomorrow.

They showed the 2005 AO tweener point today. I didn't notice until today how easy it was for Fed to reach that ball - you may disagree, but for a player like Federer (who has a rifle for a forehand), a routine pass of Safin would have been like a pro basketball player making an open layup.

When I saw the thread title I thought it was gonna be about the shot you mentioned. I think had he made that shot he would've had two BPs. That was a really bad decision by Fed, I don't know what he was thinking.

Fed played a lot of dumb shots actually, just periods of dumbness. Amazing at how hard it still was to beat him.

Man, you are a trip. Are you in Riverside, CA? If so, you're quite close haha.

If indeed that's what he was going for, I agree that it was stupid and that it might have cost him the match. However I believe that he lost the match for two other reasons after that: Djoko's way of denying the match points at 4-5, and Fed's 3 forehand errors at 5-5. Once again, the forehand was a little shaky in the fifth (as in the AO and Wimby finals against Nadal).

I disagree about his tweener at the 2005 AO: There's no way he would have had a "routine forehand" passing shot. Sure it would have been wiser to try a regular passing shot, but it would pretty much have been a blind shot.

Yes, final set 6-5 /15-30. If he had won that point he may have made a break since later it's one break point 30-40 :(

Finally someone agrees with me! He was in no position for a "routine" forehand. :-?

Great point OP. I agree that those were 2 crucial points. Those were the 2 points I remembered immediately after the match ended. Normally, Fed schools his opponents in such situations. Not anymore.

Haha thanks - no I am analysing USO upclose here from the upper west side of manhattan, we have our own riverside here.:D By the way, I found that talk about Nadal - Feddrer final pretty hilarious all along. We all knew Nadal was in good form this year and a lock into USO final despite the toughest draw in history, but Ferder? Perhaps he can continue to work on establishing a good head-to-head record against Dabul to cement his legacy.:lol:

so i guess it justifies calling fed a "dumb player" :-\

i agree that those two instances were mental errors

Kinda like when he was serving for the second set against Del Potro last year...30-15, I think it was....Del Potro is in and Federer has a perfect look at a cross court forehand passing shot...should have been routine if he just blasted it...and instead he chooses to do a lob and Del Potro winds up winning the point and later the game to break back...then later takes the second set. Had Federer won that point and gone on to win one of the next two points to win the set, he would've no doubt won the match, being up 2 sets...and that would've given him 6 straight USO.

Federer played like a clown. There was another shot where Djokovic had to reach up for a backhand volley that popped up, and Federer somehow missed the forehand passing shot that I would have made.

I am temporarily not a fan. Not until he does something that draws me back.

That was definitely a stupid shot. He was obviously there for the shot but hit it way too low and into the Mercedes sign. Given that he had so much momentum at that point (he had just held after 4 or 5 deuces to force a standing ovation) and destroyed a forehand in the corner the first point of the game, he should have just played it safe and gotten that shot in so that Djokovic would have to hit a ridiculously fast reflex shot to stay in the point. Basically, Federer was stupid and tentative when it mattered late.

Ambi,
he tanked it. He did not want to meet Nadal, had anyone else been there on the other side, he would have won in straights.
Its a bit painful, but i think he's more afraid of losing the "GOAT" status by being beaten by Nadal on all four slams.
As far as I am concerned, this loss is tantamount to losing to Nadal (provided of course that Nadal wins the final, which is a given.)