Most focused performances you've seen?

[beltsman]

What are the most focused performances you've seen? This jumped to my mind while watching the full Roddick-Federer 2009 Wimbledon match. Roddick was intensely focused in a great way. What else?

I think Federer in USO 08 springs to mind.

And of course Nadal in nearly every RG match. I also recall Janowicz had some beastly matches where his face was in the zone the entire time.

 

[metsman]

fed 2007 USO QF, 04 AO, 04 USO F, 03/04 TMC finals.

 

[King No1e]

Rosol, in that match. He was all business

 

[JaoSousa]

Djokovic Federer AO 2016 Semi. You could see it in his eyes.

 

[TheGhostOfAgassi]

Andy Murray Wimbledon 2013 final.

 

[ForehandCross]

Wawrinka in his slam mode matches.
Rafael in RG finals has been pretty focused.

Djokovic usually has a drop in focus but he was zoned in almost all the important matches in 2011

Federer 2006 Rome and 2011 RG.

He was out there to prove a point. Due to the length of the matches it must have been up and down for in patches but still he really really wanted to beat them.

 

[Nostradamus]

djokovic at australian open.

 

[Lew II]

fed 2007 USO QF, 04 AO, 04 USO F, 03/04 TMC finals.

Playing Roddick and Baghdatis doesn't require all that focus.

 

[Lew II]

My answer is Djokovic on match points.

 

[wang07]

 

[Thriller]

Serena against Sharapova. If she brought that calm and focus to all her GS finals she would be on about 30 slams by now.
A standout match would be the 6-0, 6-1 surgical dismantling in the Olympics 2012 final.

 

[Red Rick]

Djokovic vs Nadal, Doha 2016.

 

[weakera]

Nadal v Wawrinka RG 17

 

[blablavla]

Playing Roddick and Baghdatis doesn't require all that focus.

defeating Raonic, Berdych, Goffin, Berrettini requires more focus than playing Roddick?

 

[Druss]

Djokovic....when he's down 15-40 MPs.

 

[RaulRamirez]

While there's been debate over how well Djokovic played in soundly beating Rafa in the AO19 final, I think he was quite focused from the very first point that day.

 

[Deleted member 748597]

 

[skaj]

Monica Seles in almost every match.

 

[weakera]

djokovic at australian open.

Other than when he loses? He has plenty of non-locked in matches there including this year.

 

[QuadCam]

Serena against Sharapova. If she brought that calm and focus to all her GS finals she would be on about 30 slams by now.
A standout match would be the 6-0, 6-1 surgical dismantling in the Olympics 2012 final.

Hilarious that she broke out the "C Walk" at the end of that highlight. I'm sure that's a first for the lawns at the All England Club

 

[MeatTornado]

Sampras in the 01 QF comes to mind since I recently re-watched that match.

He was having his first bad season and coming in to that match as the underdog against Andre, but he turned back the clock for a night and won the mental battle against Agassi with all those tiebreaks. He looked like a man determined to save his season, he wasn't going to buckle under the lights in prime time.

 

[daggerman]

Serena against Sharapova. If she brought that calm and focus to all her GS finals she would be on about 30 slams by now.
A standout match would be the 6-0, 6-1 surgical dismantling in the Olympics 2012 final.

I'll add that Sharapova herself is also very often completely focused

 

[BeatlesFan]

Sampras in the 01 QF comes to mind since I recently re-watched that match.

I agree, one of the greatest-ever matches of the Open era. Probably the greatest four-set match in the past 50 years.

I think Nadal has the most "focused" performances of anyone, with Djokovic a strong second. Since both are baseliners who routinely play 20 stroke rallies, they have to be laser-focused, more so than a serve and volley player like Pete who can just effortlessly lay down 130 MPH bombs. 2011 Miami with Djokovic over Nadal 7-6 in the third is an example of great focus from both guys. The conditions were deplorable, very hot and humid, but Novak prevailed. 2009 Madrid with Nadal 7-6 in the third is another classic match of pure focus and will.

 

[6august]

Lendl - his mind and soul.

 

[Deleted member 770948]

Agassi 1999 US Open Final.

 

[alexio]

Agassi 1999 US Open Final.

and sampras 1999 winbledon final

 

[Deleted member 770948]

I loved that 1999 US Open Final because Agassi was like a perfect soldier all the way through, always looked supremely confident and never worried despite Todd Martin bossing him around plenty.
64 67(5) 67(2) 63 62
Agassi faced 8 break points and saved them all.

 

[Jonesy]

Tsonga AO08 semi against Nadal.

 

[Im(moral) Winner]

 

[gjm127]

If we're taking unique sets into account...

Fed vs. Haas AO 2006, 5th set - Fed wasn't missing anything... Lazer focused for the W.

 

[kevaninho]

Surely Soderling V Nadal RG 09 deserves a mention.

At the time, the toughest match in tennis for anyone, and the big man never let up.

 

[The Green Mile]

Ferrer when he schooled Berdych in the Davis Cup Final, worth a mention. Insane level in front of Berdych's home crowd on an Indoor HC...

 

[Breakpointerer]

JMac '84 W final

 

[Terenigma]

Djokovic when he crushes Nadal at Australian open 2019. Rafa got outplayed on almost every point and quite frankly the score reflects that Nadal was playing well too, that's how one sided it was.

 

[Deleted member 770948]

Rafa's physio didn't let him practice defense in January, and that's why he was ending points so quickly in the first 6 matches, but as soon as he played a consistent baseliner like Djokovic it was impossible-
"....because of the things that happened to me in terms of surgery, then what happened in Abu Dhabi, I was not able to work that much the defensive game. I worked a lot on the offensive game, but not that much on the defensive game.
To play against a player like him, playing the way he played tonight, I needed that defensive game to finally have the chance to be offensive, no?"
https://ausopen.com/articles/interviews/rafael-nadal-f-interview

 

[Fridge]

nadal in last 2 matches of ao 09

 

[MichaelNadal]

Djokovic vs Nadal, Doha 2016.

The most overrated match of all time lmao. Nadal was in peak form in 2016

 

[Terenigma]

Rafa's physio didn't let him practice defense in January, and that's why he was ending points so quickly in the first 6 matches, but as soon as he played a consistent baseliner like Djokovic it was impossible-
"....because of the things that happened to me in terms of surgery, then what happened in Abu Dhabi, I was not able to work that much the defensive game. I worked a lot on the offensive game, but not that much on the defensive game.
To play against a player like him, playing the way he played tonight, I needed that defensive game to finally have the chance to be offensive, no?"
https://ausopen.com/articles/interviews/rafael-nadal-f-interview

Lmfao. Hilarious read. He mentions injuries and how he was not fully healthy like 10 times. Give me a break, you made the final of a slam and got destroyed in the final. Stuff like this is why I can't stand Nadal and then he will pretend he's Injured long enough to make a return on clay because of its magical healing properties. He's a joke and I'm saving this article for when I need cheering up.

 

[E36BMWM3]

Nadal RG 2017

 

[Deleted member 748597]

 

[HetTheGreaterer]

Nadal RG 2017

Against basilashvili

 

[E36BMWM3]

Against basilashvili

I was referring to the final against Wawrinka

 

[JaoSousa]

Playing Roddick and Baghdatis doesn't require all that focus.

Interesting to note that he only played Roddick in one of those matches. So you are almost completely wrong.

 

[Breakpointerer]

Interesting to note that he only played Roddick in one of those matches. So you are almost completely wrong.

Ànd Baghdatis in none

 

[OldschoolKIaus]

Rafter FO 1999 Round 1

 

[Nicholo]

Monica Puig in Rio 2016

 

[King No1e]

Sampras in the 01 QF comes to mind since I recently re-watched that match.

He was having his first bad season and coming in to that match as the underdog against Andre, but he turned back the clock for a night and won the mental battle against Agassi with all those tiebreaks. He looked like a man determined to save his season, he wasn't going to buckle under the lights in prime time.

And then Hewitt exposed Sampras false dawn

 

[MeatTornado]

And then Hewitt exposed Sampras false dawn

New Balls Gen just too tough mentally for Petros in slam finals.

 

[Stannis Baratheon]

 

[King No1e]

Couldn't resist at the end
"Whoa, this is ombeleebal no?"