2019 Indian Wells F - [4] Federer vs [7] Thiem

[Roddick85]

When we were at the SF, I personally thought Thiem was the least likely to win this given who was left in the draw and the fact that I've always saw him as more of a threat on clay than on hard court, so kudos to Thiem for a well earned victory here. Going into that match, I thought this was going to be a straight sets affair for Federer. When the match started, Thiem's nerves got the better of him and that allowed Federer to capitalize and win the 1st set. However, as the sun went down and his nerves died down, Thiem got better and better while Federer regressed. I got the feeling that Federer really lacked enough fire power in the 2nd and 3rd set to "hit through the court" and hurt Thiem, which is why he started to come to the net a lot more...and got passed many times. I also noticed Federer played a lot of drop shots and it became quite predictable at the end of the 3rd set, he looked a bit desperate for options here. We also can't ignore how many BP Federer failed to convert which is the story of his career in the last 10+ years. He's great at giving himself BP, but when it comes to converting them, he's terrible and becomes so passive, it's frustrating to watch!

Overall this is a great victory for Thiem and I hope he uses that as a stepping stone to achieve even more. In Federer's case, he's had a good run at IW still. As much as I like to think this is a "bad loss" for him, I also remember he's 37 going 38, stuff like that happens at this stage of your career, especially when you got a much younger opponent on the other side of the net. We should still be happy that at his age, Federer can still play well enough to be in a position to win big titles.

 

[EllieK]

Rosewall won the WCT trophy (an important title at that time) with an age similar to the one Federer has now.
The Australian still has the longevity of the open era.

No disrespect to Rosewall who waS great but the game is way more physical now than when he played.

 

[jstr]

Looking forward to seeing Fed play on clay again

 

[EloQuent]

The jump that tennis made from 1970 to 2019 would be a lot bigger than the one from 2019 to 2069. Players would be probably better in a new ways but not by a wild margin like comparing Federer and Rosewall

Do you know the future? I don't. New technology is being developed every day. How do we know what equipment and medicine we'll have?

 

[Bukmeikara]

Do you know the future? I don't. New technology is being developed every day. How do we know what equipment and medicine we'll have?

We dont know for sure but how much the human body can take? We can hardly recover faster, hit the ball harder, run longer... The game is on its absolute peak right now, the margins of improvement are very slimmer and we can thank the Big 4 for it.

 

[Dilexson]

Thiem winning on hardcourt before clay.. damn.
Surely he's got to win something big on clay now..?

 

[Beacon Hill]

Federer was a routine forehand into the open court away from going up love-40 on Thiem's serve, then likely breaking, and serving out the match.

 

[Im(moral) Winner]

I hope these titles aren't just basel and halle

Stuttgart and Laver Cup are in the mix

 

[EloQuent]

Stuttgart and Laver Cup are in the mix

Don't forget Hopman

 

[icedevil0289]

Stuttgart and Laver Cup are in the mix

I heard roger isn't playing Stuttgart. I mean who knows he might add it, but I read that he hasn't added it to his official calendar.

All well, I forgot about the most important tournament of the year. Roger is not going down in his home country...I hope.

 

[BeatlesFan]

I heard roger isn't playing Stuttgart. I mean who knows he might add it, but I read that he hasn't added it to his official calendar.

He wasn't supposed to play Stuttgart last year either, but they enticed his last minute with a huge appearance fee. Same thing could happen this year.

 

[rh310]

Federer was a routine forehand into the open court away from going up love-40 on Thiem's serve, then likely breaking, and serving out the match.

There were clearly some odd shot selections from RF in the 2nd and particularly the 3rd that turned out to be crucial. Don’t know if it was fatigue, panic, or that Thiem’s ball was reducing RF’s options more than it appeared on the TeeVee.

RF was purely defensive once many rallies got started. As someone else said, he had a very hard time hitting through the ball.

Great win for Thiem.

 

[Im(moral) Winner]

Don't forget Hopman

He won the last edition of Hopman Cup

 

[tudwell]

Disappointed for Fed – he probably won't have too many more opportunities to win titles like these – but happy for Thiem. Irony of ironies that two of his three titles above the 250 level have come at hard court tournaments. I hope this gives him the confidence to break through to the next level on clay and also continue to build on his excellent US Open run last year.

Wonder who Fed will gift Indian Wells to next year. He's now 1-4 in his last 5 Indian Wells finals and also 1-4 in his last 5 Masters finals. Father Time is getting a little more strict, it would seem.

 

[TearTheRoofOff]

He wasn't supposed to play Stuttgart last year either, but they enticed his last minute with a huge appearance fee. Same thing could happen this year.

I for one would probably prefer him to skip it, but will enjoy his decision regardless.

 

[DSH]

He still stopped him from winning a slam.

2 final against a semifinal.
In any case, Cilic failed miserably in those decisive matches.

 

[Beacon Hill]

There were clearly some odd shot selections from RF in the 2nd and particularly the 3rd that turned out to be crucial. Don’t know if it was fatigue, panic, or that Thiem’s ball was reducing RF’s options more than it appeared on the TeeVee.

RF was purely defensive once many rallies got started. As someone else said, he had a very hard time hitting through the ball.

Great win for Thiem.

When Thiem's rally ball was 90 miles per hour, Federer may have believed he would eventually begin missing. And he easily could have. It was, as you point out, odd to see Federer not in control of many of the rallies. Maybe Thiem will play this way from now on, and be a contender in every tournament. I doubt it, but it will be interesting to watch. Eventually someone has to break through.

 

[DSH]

The jump that tennis made from 1970 to 2019 would be a lot bigger than the one from 2019 to 2069. Players would be probably better in a new ways but not by a wild margin like comparing Federer and Rosewall

We will see it (if we get old).
.

 

[jklos]

It’s just tough to see Fed get out muscled on the forehand side these days. I felt like Tsitsipas definitely outplayed and outhit him from the baseline at the Australian as well. In the past guys like a Djokovic would wear him down with defence but now he’s getting outhit from the baseline. It’s amazing he’s still making finals at 38.

Thiem was the only guy all tournament to out muscle him on the baseline. And it wasn’t by much. The high bouncing slow courts helped in that regards as well. A couple of mental errors by Fed late in the match determined the outcome. That said, Thiem earned the victory by going for his shots and staying mentally strong. Great match from both players.

 

[albertobra]

Anyway let's face it. We have a 38 year old that swept the field up to the final of the most important M1000 of the year. And actually didn't win for a question of 2 or 3 points that didn't go his way. And actually lost to a GOATing Thiem, a player that when gets his game in the zone makes Nadal shy on clay. What shall we want more?
With the clay season coming and with no points to defend, I wouldn't be surprised if Fed goes on a high climb to the tops of ATP rankings. To the very top? We'll see.I wouldn´t be surprised. Actually is there anything left to be surprised from Fed?

 

[Raul_SJ]

This was a heartbreaker. He could have won this. Don't care for the way Fed was so casual about this loss in post-match interviews and his ugly shot selection in third set.
Wish I had not watched this match.

 

[Bhagi Katbamna]

I watched the match. Roger of 2005-2017 would have found a way to win two points at 5-4 30-30 in the final set(and wouldn't have hit 2 consecutive drop shots in his final service game).

 

[Enceladus]

seriously why are you cheering for FED?
dont you think he has enough trophies everybody?
do you want to come to age 100 and see a Grandfatherer still winning on tour?
is that your vision?
is this the future of tennis?

I'm not a Fed Fan, but I'll answer them. 10 trophies missing Roger on overcoming this guy:

 

[Povl Carstensen]

I watched the match. Roger of 2005-2017 would have found a way to win two points at 5-4 30-30 in the final set(and wouldn't have hit 2 consecutive drop shots in his final service game).

He has let a few slip away through the years (perhaps exept 2004-7).

 

[mike danny]

A bit late, but congrats to Thiem for winning his first masters 1000. I am still bummed that Fed missed a good opportunity given his draw, but if this propels Thiem to greater things, then so be it.

And maybe Fed will win something big this year too, who knows.

 

[MichaelNadal]

Tennis needed this.

 

[Povl Carstensen]

seriously why are you cheering for FED?
dont you think he has enough trophies everybody?
do you want to come to age 100 and see a Grandfatherer still winning on tour?
is that your vision?
is this the future of tennis?

From now on I will only cheer for teenagers

 

[Meles]

Now I'm going to eat dinner, play with my kids, and make love to my wife lol.

See y'all tom.

Combine 1&3 with the tennis next time

 

[Meles]

Thiem, because BADASS isn't a last name!
What a win, on hard court, fighting out Raonic and Federer in succession.
It's to Federer's credit that he's still playing on final Sunday after all these years and all those wins. He fought fiercely to the last point, and he has made clear these 2 weeks that he's going nowhere yet.
But this is Dominic's moment. A real milestone win and a step in Thiem's development outside of clay.
Clay season awaits. Onward, Thieminator!

The mug's mug

 

[Meles]

Wow. I know Federer played a sub-par match, but Thiem just wouldn't let him find a rhythm and get into it. Good job by Thiem. I'm always in shock that he can try to rip the cover off the ball on every shot and win matches. He was definitely on today. Now let's hope he can keep moving forward into the clay season. Miami should set up nicely for him. Hopefully he doesn't wear himself out.

Doubt it with basically a week off before he plays again.

 

[Meles]

That shot selection from Federer, loses a drop shot exchange - does another.

Dropshots are always a tentative play and go for too many then it infiltrates your game; those two drop shots were the kiss of death.

 

[NatF]

Dropshots are always a tentative play and go for too many then it infiltrates your game; those two drop shots were the kiss of death.

Thiem was getting inside the court and dictating way more in the last half of the match, it worked early on when Thiem seemed nervous but he really had to nail it at that point and the percentage shot was definitely to hit the forehand into the open court.

 

[Meles]

The nonsense in this thread is amazing. Has Federer returned to 2017 levels? I think not, but betterer than end of 2018 for sure. Federer may be playing well, but Thiem has been absolutely clinical in his last two matches, displaying his best speed on court to date (late bloomer it appears), and phenomenal serving and groundies. EVERYTHING is clicking for Thiem. Don't fall into the trap of comparing Raonic vs Thiem against Raonic vs Big 3 and getting killed for the most part. Raonic was the best I'd seen him in a long time and almost felt like Wimby 2016. 4th year in a row SF or better at IW and the fact that he has very easily beat Thiem in their previous two encounters means this was actually a tremendous victory for Thiem. This is Thiem's worst matchup on tour and the fact he won and made Raonic look like a pud for much of the match is a huge improvement for Thiem.

Thiem won't be choking in the final and he's extremely likely to play well. The Raonic match was not all that draining and Fed might not be ready to go into full gear after a far from secure victory over Hurkacz on Friday. Thiem in 2 since he's playing better tennis than I ever imagined he could and I can imagine a lot.

Now I see why you were so apologetic.

 

[Federer and Del Potro]

Now I see why you were so apologetic.

Nah I always meme these matches win or lose lol. That was for the handwringerers.

 

[Meles]

Let's count since announced. All masters 1000s (Paris and IW) plus WTF for Diamond age to Djoko slam in Auz. And really Djoko and Fed part of Diamond Age along with Nadal so 4 of 4; all finals LostGen and Pigeon free. This is getting good.

 

[Meles]

Thiem was getting inside the court and dictating way more in the last half of the match, it worked early on when Thiem seemed nervous but he really had to nail it at that point and the percentage shot was definitely to hit the forehand into the open court.

Thiem (unlike Zedrot) is actually rather good against dropshots and Fed should have known this despite the success in the first. Tentative, desperate move and quite pumped when this unfolded after the failed break.

 

[tlm]

Thiem was the only guy all tournament to out muscle him on the baseline. And it wasn’t by much. The high bouncing slow courts helped in that regards as well. A couple of mental errors by Fed late in the match determined the outcome. That said, Thiem earned the victory by going for his shots and staying mentally strong. Great match from both players.

That’s because Thiem was the only good player he faced, he only played mugs until the final.

 

[tlm]

Anyway let's face it. We have a 38 year old that swept the field up to the final of the most important M1000 of the year. And actually didn't win for a question of 2 or 3 points that didn't go his way. And actually lost to a GOATing Thiem, a player that when gets his game in the zone makes Nadal shy on clay. What shall we want more?
With the clay season coming and with no points to defend, I wouldn't be surprised if Fed goes on a high climb to the tops of ATP rankings. To the very top? We'll see.I wouldn´t be surprised. Actually is there anything left to be surprised from Fed?

He swept the field? That’s hilarious because he played the easiest weakest draw possible in a 1000.

 

[Meles]

Yeh lol. Does anyone know if that's a Thiem thing or is this a secret weapon of psychological warfare prepared especially for TheROGER?

Bamos is a Thiem thing, variation on vamos.

 

[TearTheRoofOff]

Bamos is a Thiem thing, variation on vamos.

Isn't 'bamos' simply how 'vamos' is typically pronounced?

 

[Meles]

Is Thiem Diamond Gen?

He's part of it like Big 3/5, the rest are youngerer.

 

[Meles]

Isn't 'bamos' simply how 'vamos' is typically pronounced?

No its an official Thiem thing and even on twitter...
Bamos

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1107448540735987712

 

[Meles]

Conspiracy confirmed at IW

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1103139589991018496

 

[BeatlesFan]

He swept the field? That’s hilarious because he played the easiest weakest draw possible in a 1000.

Fed played a top 10 player in the final. The "weakest, easiest draw" would be playing someone like Donald Young in the final. He also played a three-time slam winner in Stan. So much for the "easiest, weakest draw" blather.

 

[tlm]

Fed played a top 10 player in the final. The "weakest, easiest draw" would be playing someone like Donald Young in the final. He also played a three-time slam winner in Stan. So much for the "easiest, weakest draw" blather.

He played nobody the only blather is coming from you claiming it was not a cakewalk draw. He played a legit player in the final and lost. But prior to that he played nobody so getting to the final was a cake walk. Stan is coming back from knee surgery and is not even close to his top form. Pleas tell us who else fed played in this event that we would even recognize?

 

[AnOctorokForDinner]

He played nobody the only blather is coming from you claiming it was not a cakewalk draw. He played a legit player in the final and lost. But prior to that he played nobody so getting to the final was a cake walk. Stan is coming back from knee surgery and is not even close to his top form. Pleas tell us who else fed played in this event that we would even recognize?

You may want to check the rankings of Nadal's opponents in IW 11 before the final.

 

[jklos]

That’s because Thiem was the only good player he faced, he only played mugs until the final.

Who in the field wasn't a mug? Not his fault Nadal bailed and Novak lost to a journeyman.

 

[tlm]

Who in the field wasn't a mug? Not his fault Nadal bailed and Novak lost to a journeyman.

Thiem wasn’t a mug. So fed played one real player and lost. Lol

 

[TearTheRoofOff]

Thiem wasn’t a mug. So fed played one real player and lost. Lol

Does Fed owe you money or something?

 

[Povl Carstensen]

Thiem said that Federer played differently than any player he met in the tournament. And it was almost enough, hinged on a few shots. And before people start going on about Federer choking, let's remind ourselves that it is not that he hasn't won his share.