Roger Federer & Sascha Zvarev team up but also lose in Laver Cup doubles

Team World took the lead for the first time at Laver Cup 2018 thanks to a gripping doubles victory for John Isner and Jack Sock over Team Europe’s Roger Federer and Alexander Zverev in Chicago.

The American pair saved two match points as they won 4-6 7-6(2) 11-9 to give Team World an 8-7 lead on the final day, with three points for a win and 13 required to take the trophy.

Federer and Isner will return to court straight away for the first of a potential three singles matches at the United Center.

Isner will hope to carry the momentum that has brought World back from 7-1 behind on Saturday afternoon to leading with three matches left to play.

It looked as though Europe would reassert control when Federer and Zverev dominated the early stages, taking the first set thanks to a beautiful Zverev lob on break point.

With the blue shirts edging towards victory in the second set, an increasingly partisan Chicago crowd played their part in energizing the World players and bench.

A huge groan filled the arena when Isner leaked a forehand wide on their first break point of the match, but the Americans were on the front foot and raced away with the tiebreaker to level the scores.

A match tiebreaker was required and this time it was Europe who made the early running, edging 6-4 clear when Sock put a volley over the baseline.

Novak Djokovic was on his feet, urging his teammates on when Isner framed a forehand to put the Cup holders 8-5 up, before a terrific Sock forehand winner cut the deficit to 8-7.

It fell to Federer to try and close it out on serve, but this time Isner lined up a forehand down the line and made it before a sharp Sock volley levelled up at 9-9, and had McEnroe, the red bench and the whole United Center roaring their approval.

The sound had barely died down when it went up a few more decibles as Isner hammered down an ace for match point, and the comeback was complete when Zverev sent a backhand long, prompting leaping World players to mob their victorious teammates.

“That was epic, you guys were absolutely amazing, holy cow,” Sock told the crowd. “The first lead in Laver Cup history for Team World, that feels amazing.”

“We played the GOAT in our sport and a guy who’s extremely solid in the top five in the world, so I’m not sure how much we were favourites. We kept our heads up all weekend after being down early.”

Asked if his doubles partner could now take down Federer in singles, Sock added: “Hell yeah.”

LaverCup.com

Roger Federer & Novak Djokovic team up for Laver Cup doubles

Nowhere as good as Fedal, but still fun, too bad they lost

Jack Sock and Kevin Anderson saw off Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic 6-7 6-3 10-6 in the Laver Cup doubles to give Team World their first point of the tournament in Chicago.

Excitement had been building ever since it was announced the former world number ones would pair up for Team Europe in the competition's second year - with the blue side hoping to take a clean sweep into the weekend after a trio of singles wins earlier in the day.

Federer and Djokovic took a while to settle into the four-man format, the latter - on the back of his singles US Open triumph and 14th grand slam title - accidentally hitting his partner with the ball in the third game.

The Serbian and Swiss both laughed off the incident to the amusement of the crowd and went on to clinch the first-set tie-break 7-6 (7/5).

But their opponents soon found their rhythm, taking the second set 6-3, with Sock's experience as a three-time doubles major champion shining through on some impressive volley shots and Anderson displaying a strong serve.


The foursome went toe-to-toe in the early stages of the last set, but having seen their team-mates lose in two deciders earlier in the day, Sock and Anderson made sure not to waste their opportunity when Federer doubled-faulted at 4-4.


An impressive return winner from Sock sealed the set 10-6, giving captain John McEnroe a little relief before day two.

The doubles game followed three singles matches earlier in the day - Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov putting the first point on the board for Europe after beating Frances Tiafoe 6-1 6-4.

Britain's Kyle Edmund, a Laver Cup debutant, claimed an impressive 6-4 5-7 10-6 win over Sock and match three saw Belgium's David Goffin add to Europe's advantage as he beat Argentina's Diego Schwartzman 6-4 4-6 11-9.

Schwartzman had looked to threaten Europe's lead with a second-set comeback, and dug deep at 5-1 down in the last to level at 7-7, but Goffin remained calm on his first match point to cheers and hugs from his team-mates and captain Bjorn Borg.

Team Europe now lead 3-1 with two points up for grabs on day two.

telegraph.co.uk

Roger Federer considering playing on clay in 2019?

CHICAGO -- Roger Federer is contemplating a significant change to his 2019 schedule.

Federer, who credited much of his resurgence since the start of 2017 in which he won three majors to a decision to avoid the entire European clay-court segment (including the French Open), might return to the red-dirt grind next season.

"The clay-court season is under review," Federer told ESPN.com at the Laver Cup, which begins Friday. "It's not off the table. I will know by the end of the year."

Avoiding the clay enabled Federer, 37, to save energy, train and adequately prepare his game for the grass-court season. Grass is the surface on which Federer's game is most effective, and Wimbledon begins less than a month after the end of the French Open.

Federer did not say how many clay events he might play, but he has three ATP Masters 1000 events to choose from, as well as a host of lesser events before the French Open begins.

"I would like to make up my mind ahead of time so I can plan my buildup, my fitness schedule, even the way I would approach my December practice sessions," Federer said. "It could benefit the clay-court season."

The No. 2-ranked Federer knows what he is up against. "This is something that is obviously a big deal. If you play the clay, it changes everything."

Federer played in five French Open finals, winning one in 2009, when he completed his career Grand Slam. All four of his finals losses were to Rafael Nadal, who is the defending champion at Roland Garros and still ranked No. 1 in the world.

Federer's ranking could be impacted by this decision. A good result would earn him clay points for the first time in two years. But should Federer struggle on the clay or find himself low on energy later in the year because he played on the clay, it could have a negative effect. So why would he return to clay?.

espn.com

Roger Federer helps keep Team Europe in front with Kyrgios defeat at Laver Cup

TEAM Europe have tightened their grip on a second Laver Cup triumph as they extended their lead to 7-1 after Roger Federer dazzled Nick Kyrgios and Alexander Zverev defeated John Isner.

The roars at the United Center in Chicago the previous evening were reserved more for underdogs Team World but there was no escaping Federer’s casual brilliance on day two, as he won 6-3, 6-2 in a tour de force.

“I felt good from the beginning and that’s not usual. We need some matches to get going, but today I was very clear in my game plan and I got wonderful support from my team,” Federer said in his post-match court-side interview.

Kyrgios, the high-spirited Australian, tends to reserve his best for the greats of the game.

He regularly loses to inferior players but is 1-3 against Federer. And so the game between the two immensely talented players went again, just as it had three weeks ago at the US Open, as Kyrgios was left in awe of the shot selection employed by Federer.

It took just three games for Federer to break Kyrgios in the opening set, but he waited even less in the second, breaking him in his first service game of the second set with a masterful combination of play that kept the crowd in rapture.

That is not to take anything away from Kyrgios, however.

At times, he also was sharp, and sent blitzing passing shots past Federer but the glimpses of brilliance were far too few.

At a crucial juncture in the second, with Kyrgios trying to save a break point at 1-3 with Federer holding an advantage, a line judge called his ace out. The computer system Hawk-eye showed otherwise and the chair umpire ruled the point to be recontested.

That prompted vocal protests from Kyrgios, who branded the decision a “s*** judgment”, while Team World captain John McEnroe tongue-in-cheek commented he hoped the umpire would “get a little present after the match”.

But by the end of the one-hour and 40-minute encounter, Federer simply proved a superior player. He only found his rhythm more in the second set to win 22 more winners than Kyrgios and served out the match with an eighth ace. German Zverev rallied to beat new dad Isner 3-6 7-6 10-7.

news.com.au

Roger Federer Laver Cup promotion with Team Europe

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Roger Federer suffers earliest defeat at U.S. Open due to humid conditions

Five-time former champion Roger Federer said that the hot and humid conditions at the US Open got the better of him on Monday night, but he was also full of praise for John Millman after the Australian’s fourth-round victory.

“I just thought it was very hot tonight,” said Federer, who lost 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(7), 7-6(3) on Arthur Ashe Stadium. “[It] was just one of those nights where I guess I felt I couldn't get air. There was no circulation at all. For some reason I just struggled in the conditions tonight. It's one of the first times it's happened to me.

“John was able to deal with it better. He maybe comes from one of the most humid places on earth, Brisbane. I knew I was in for a tough one. Maybe when you feel like that, as well, you start missing chances, and I had those. That was disappointing. But at some point, also, I was just happy that the match was over.”

The Swiss superstar suffered his earliest exit at a Grand Slam championship since a third-round loss at the 2015 Australian Open (l. to Seppi). “I've trained in tougher conditions," said Federer. "I've played in the daytime at 120ºF. Some days it's just not the day where the body can cope with it."

Millman booked a place in his first major quarter-final by breaking a 10-match losing streak against Top 10 players in the ATP Rankings (now 1-10 lifetime). Federer had led 6-3, 5-4, 40/15 on his serve, but he was unable to convert two set points. Millman will now prepare to meet two-time former US Open champion Novak Djokovic on Wednesday.

“I thought the match was tough, said Federer. "I wish I could have led two sets to love and then maybe the match would be different and I would find a way. Because I did have my chances all the way till the end. It was just tough. I thought John played a great match in difficult conditions.

“I love his intensity,” added Federer, who had trained with 29-year-old Millman for a few days ahead of the grass-court swing in June. “He reminds me of David Ferrer and those other guys that I admire a lot when I see them; when I see how they train [and] the passion they have for the game.

“He's got a positive demeanour about himself on and off the court. I think he's got a great backhand that he can protect very well down the line and cross-court. When you attack there in the wrong way, he will punish you every time for it. He has options, now especially where it's a bit slower, to return in and return back. I think against Novak, he just has to bring it again [and] try to worry Novak.”

Federer, who currently in second position in the ATP Race To London for a spot at the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held at The O2 in London from 11-18 November, is now 36-6 on the season, which includes three titles.

atpworldtour.com

I'll be honest I did not think he would win this U.S. Open based on the way he performed in Cincinnati. 

But I did get some false hope when he beat Kyrgios handily, and I thought he would at least reach the quarters.   

No one could have predicted this though, there was a moment when I thought he got injured (so I'm glad to see that's not the case). 

But boy, the heat really effected him last night. 

It's the worst he's ever served in a Grand Slam match 36 % first serves, horrible stats all around.  It was really painful to watch at times.  

I wish I could agree with Roger and give his opponent as much credit, but let's face it Roger beat himself last night.  

Had to grabbed those 2 sets points and gone up 2 sets to none, it would have been a different match. 

Same in the forth when he broke to go up 4-2.  I'm not too shocked with this defeat, aside from the Aussie Open 2018 has been really abysmal for Roger and it's really too bad.  

Hopefully he can salvage the season with some wins in Bejing, Basel and the Nito Finals.  

Maybe doing well at Laver Cup in a few weeks will be a good boost for him too. 

I know people are talking about Djokovic or Nadal winning it, but I think this might be Del Potro's year. 

As for the women no clue, that remains the most unpredictable. 

Roger Federer confidently dispatches Kyrgios reaches 4th round at U.S. Open

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When five-time champion Roger Federer and No. 30 seed Nick Kyrgios stepped on the court in Arthur Ashe Stadium for their third-round match at the US Open on Saturday afternoon, there seemed little doubt that it would be a hard-fought clash. Each of their three previous FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings went to third-set tie-breaks, after all.

But Federer made it clear that he is one of the leading favourites in New York, dismissing the 23-year-old Aussie 6-4, 6-1, 7-5 in just one hour and 44 minutes.

"I think he didn't come up with the goods when he really had to, and I was good, I think, by making him hit that extra shot," Federer said. "Things worked well for me today."

Federer is into the fourth round in Flushing Meadows for his 17th consecutive appearance, improving his record at the year’s final Grand Slam to 85-12. The Swiss star has only failed to reach the Round of 16 here once, on debut in 2000, when he advanced to the third round before losing to Juan Carlos Ferrero.

This year's Australian Open, Rotterdam and Stuttgart champion, who is bidding to lift his first US Open title since 2008, recovered from 3-3 (0/40) down in the first set, saving four break points, before securing a crucial break of serve in the 10th game with a chip backhand return as Kyrgios attempted to serve and volley.

"I thought Nick was inspired. He knew what he wanted to do. I din't quite, off the baseline, get the right balance going," Federer said. "It was important to somehow get out of it and stay within 4-3 and probably look at a tie-break. But I was able to break earlier, which was clearly great because I had no sniff on any of his service games in the first three or four. I didn't get discouraged, and I think that was also the key today."

Federer was also dominant on serve, dropping just five points on his first delivery through two sets. He also did a good job of keeping Kyrgios from controlling play with his forehand by playing aggressively himself, hitting 51 winners to just 24 unforced errors.

While it was not the decisive blow, it became clear in the third set at 3-3 that it was simply the 37-year-old’s day. Federer sprinted forward to a ball and shoveled a forehand around a netpost for a winner — surely the shot of the day — leaving Kyrgios with his mouth wide open in disbelief.

"I was trying to tell him that the shot wasn't that good," Kyrgios said, smiling. "No, it was almost unreal. Almost got to the point where I wanted him to start making shots like that, and I finally got it.

"It was unbelievable. I'm probably going to place it on Instagram."

The Swiss now leads the Aussie 3-1 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series. Before the match, eight of the nine sets they had contested went to tie-breaks.

Federer will next face another Aussie in John Millman, who beat Mikhail Kukushkin 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 to reach the fourth round at a Grand Slam for the first time. The Swiss was victorious in their only previous FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting, which came in a three-setter three years ago in Brisbane.

Millman will attempt to earn his first victory against an opponent inside the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings. The 29-year-old is projected to surpass his career-best ranking of No. 49 based on his performance in New York.

atpworldtour.com

Now that's the Federer I know and love, much better performance his best for the tournament thus far really. 

Having fought off 4 break points in set one really loosened him up and he played freely, it was a joy to watch.

Roger played a 2nd day match in a row I thought for sure that might make it harder for him to win, but I'm so happy I was wrong.  

I was actually quite surprised they didn't make it a night match, because Djokovic/Gasquet is really not night match worthy to me. 

But whatever Mr. Federer came to play so now I can relax until Monday.  Well done Fed.  

That around the netpost shot was an absolute highlight, and Kyrgios expression was even better.  Not bad for a 37 year old.