Serena Williams vs Justine Henin: The ‘hand’ incident 2003. From Dominic Anderson. Thanks.

DOMINIC ANDERSON

Draw possibilities: Madrid.

Round	Federer		Nadal
1st	Bye		Bye
2nd	Moya		Seppi
3rd	Wawrinka		Isner
Quarter	Gulbis/Youzhny		Tsonga
Semi	Cilic/Murray		Soderling/Verdasco
Final	Nadal		Federer

Madrid draw.

Click here.

Federer interview after losing to Montanes.

Federer loses to Montanes @ Estoril semis – in straight sets.

Score: 2-6, 6-7.

1st serve percentage in the first set: 60.

In the 2nd set: 70.

Unforced errors: 48.

Match time: 1:21.

Bk pts earned: 3 (two of them in the second freaking set) – Broke once.

Bk pts offered: 6 (all in the first set) - Broken three times.

Montanes is now the sixth different player to beat Federer this season – just the second one to pull it off in straight sets – Davydenko @ Doha was the other one. The first serve percentage alibi is now beginning to take a back seat to another horse called the backhand. The combination of two is producing an erratic performance across the board. All that at an event where Federer was not only virtually guaranteed to win the title he was supposed to hammer the tomato can line up into pulp.

Whoever suggested to include Estoril on the schedule in January and did not feel the need to alter it as the season progressed for obvious freaking reasons should be drained down his kitchen freaking sink RIGHT NOW. What a freaking knucklehead move!!!! Or is everybody waiting for the switch to flip come Roland Garros to make everything go away? Granted Federer’ Slam record still carries that intimidating aura to make the mistake of taking him lightly but the jokers he has lost to this season, how and at what berth on the draw today seems way too steep a hill for even Federer to conquer.

He is lucky to be still holding the top spot and be in contention to overcome Sampras’s record of most weeks at No. 1. Nadal has to be totally freakingly beside himself as the unexpected red carpet starts to roll out to welcome him back on top. While there may be a ton of reasons for Federer’s lacklustre showing this season, to me it all boils down to this: Federer’s focus on the Slams substantiated by his record has back fired big freaking time. With every loss, instead of being angry and disappointed, Federer reminds himself of the AO title and that he will win the big ones to shut everyone up screaming free fall today.

While that approach may have some merit under normal conditions, today it is working against him more than his low first serve percentage and the errant backhand. But it may all also be due to this: Federer is DONE at 28. He has now won just one title in his last ten tournaments – with just two final appearances (USO and Basel). If not for the AO title this year, this run could have started the comparisons to Sampras’s title drought of two years. That was at age 30.

Have you noticed another interesting fact: When Federer is about to lose the match, his ego forces him to act nonchalantly even more than if he was winning. It’s his way of avoiding the embarrassment and save face (in his own way) from the humiliation of losing to tomato cans. If he allows the panic inside him to be seen by fans that in someway will be like admitting to a sin. And with a history of bad decisions when he has been in similar situations in the past it’s the last ghost he wants to resurrect specially when these six losses appear to be pointing to a whole new mountain – so vociferously – making any ostensible effort to look disturbed moot.

Federer now has just 11 tournaments left on his schedule this year – three of them Slams. Winning a Slam is looking more and more like desperation time to wash away all bruises and pain from everything else. The onus again falls on Wimbledon as it has so many times – six actually – to allow Federer to put up some semblance of respect and acceptability to the season – at age 28. Winning any of the remaining eight tournaments to gain anything worthwhile seems to be waning faster than Wawrinka’s returning to his old ways.

However, if Federer is able to win or reach the finals at the remaining three Slams while continuing his train wreck elsewhere, it will not only strengthen his case of rising when it counts it may even make these lopsided losses appear pre meditated and wisely calculated – even if they are not.

Nadal’s interview in Spanish.

Photos.

Rafa training with Pico in Madrid. From M. Thanks.

M

Federer interview, Estoril Open, 07-05-2010. From M. Thanks.

M