Forward Thinking

To wind up 2014, I’m reposting 14 articles I liked from this past season. I’ll put up one each day until January 5, when the new season begins. Roger Federer wasn’t the player of 2014, but at 33 he made himself the game's most intriguing figure going into 2015.

“Winning titles, winning five titles or something, I guess, something exciting. Leaving tournaments as the winner. That’s what keeps things exciting.”

This was Roger Federer's answer last November when he was asked what would constitute a “satisfactory” 2014 season for him. He may have plucked “five titles or something” out of the air that day, but by any measure Federer has had a successful season. On Sunday in Shanghai, he won his fourth event and second Masters title of the year, beat Novak Djokovic in the process, and moved back up to No. 2 in the rankings. Afterward, Federer sounded duly satisfied, even ecstatic.

“I’m enjoying myself on the tennis court,” he said. “I’m playing the way I was hoping I could play again. Everything fell into place. I’m playing a very consistent, solid season.”

Everything eventually fell into place for him in Shanghai, but it took a little while. He began with a beyond-rusty—can we call it corroded?—performance against Leonardo Mayer, in which Federer joked that he was trying to set the world record for missed volleys, and which he had to survive five match points to win. Federer admitted that when he was up a set and a break on Djokovic in the semis, he thought back to the Mayer match and wondered, “Hmm, should I be here or elsewhere?” It didn’t take long for him to make his decision: “I’m here,” he said to himself, “let’s make the most of it.”

Federer made the most of the situation by winning the tournament, but he also made the most of it in the way he won it. Most people will tell you he did it at the net, and it’s true, he came in 35 times in both the semis and the final, which is a high number for any two-set match these days. But against Djokovic, Federer also lost 15 of those 35 points. His chip approaches tended to float, and Djokovic, as he was at Wimbledon, was usually ready with the backhand pass. Usually, but not always: Federer broke at 2-2 in the first set with a slice approach that Djokovic couldn’t handle, and he closed the match with a textbook backhand volley winner. Even if he didn’t win every point at the net, he disrupted Djokovic’s normal rhythm by planting himself up there so often.

But Federer’s win wasn’t about doing one thing; it was about doing everything.

He won by coming over his backhand early, before switching to a slice that stayed down on Shanghai's low-bouncing courts and elicited some key errors from Djokovic.

He won by serving exceptionally; Federer made 71 percent of his first serves, faced one break point, held five straight times to close the second set, and nearly hit four aces in one game.

He won by changing direction with the ball more often and more freely than Djokovic, who is famous for his ability to do just that.

And he won by out-fighting Djokovic through several long games down the stretch, when the world No. 1 had raised his game to something close to his best.

Djokovic said afterward that this was as well as Federer had ever played against him; I’m guessing he was thinking mainly about the string of games at the end of the second set. In Djokovic’s two wins over Federer this year, at Indian Wells and Wimbledon, this was the point where the Serb had turned the match around. He looked ready to do the same thing here. Down 1-3, he saved a break point with a terrific flick backhand pass, and then went up 0-30 in Federer's next service game. At 15-30, Djokovic unloaded on a series of forehands; but Federer, in the most important rally of the match, stayed with Djokovic, who eventually curled a crosscourt forehand wide. In a match where he spent so much time at the net, Federer also won a crucial point from the baseline.

“There was nothing in the game today that wasn’t working,” he said.

Outside of the Grand Slams, most of what Federer has done in 2014 has worked. He leads the tour with 61 wins, nine appearances in finals, and 13 victories over Top 10 opponents—that last stat may be the most impressive after his poor record against the big names last year. In Shanghai, he also slayed a few demons. He kept Djokovic from making his customary comeback against him. He won his second Masters final, after losing his first three of the year. He won his first title at this event. And while he did have to save match points in his opener, at least he was the one doing the saving; he has often found himself on the other end of that dynamic.

Which means you’re going to ask: What does the future hold for Federer? Will his good play and good feelings carry over into 2015? Next up is the indoor season, where he has traditionally had success. In 2011, he used a three-title run at the end of the year as a springboard back to No. 1 in 2012. Last season he found his footing with strong results in November. In 2014, he could finish the year as a member of the Davis Cup championship team for the first time. If that feeling doesn’t carry over, nothing will.

All we can say is: We’ll see what happens. For now, it’s enough to appreciate what Federer brought to Shanghai, and what he has brought to the game in 2014. As we’ve lamented many times in recent years, the future keeps failing to arrive in men’s tennis. There have been some breakthroughs among younger players this season, but the Big 3 are still the Top 3 in the rankings. Watching Federer go around, over, under, and finally through Djokovic in Shanghai, I felt like the Swiss was trying to become that future. He was trying, with an old method, to find a new way to topple the dominant baseline style of the day.

In his spry steps and his sharp reactions at the net—“like a mongoose on amphetamines,” as commentator Robbie Koenig put it—you could feel a youthful sense of adventure from Federer. You could also hear it in his words.

“It’s very exciting playing this tennis,” Federer said after his win over Djokovic, “because I think attacking tennis is the most exciting. When I can do it myself, it’s great.”

At the end of last year, Federer said he wanted to do "something exciting" in 2014; he has succeeded, both with his victories, and with the way he has won them. At 33, Federer has made himself the most intriguing figure in tennis’s future.