NEW YORK—“I think it’s just a straight shootout, and I think that’s the cool thing about our rivalry.”
That’s how world No. 2 Roger Federer described how he feels about playing world No. 1 Novak Djokovic, and it’s hard to argue with him. Since their first match in 2006, they’ve stood toe to toe on the baseline and let the best man win. And over the years, their rivalry has turned into the coolest—or at least the closest—in the men's game. With his win over Djokovic in the Cincinnati final last month, Federer broke a 20-20 tie in their head-to-head.
This matchup has also been pretty cool, and pretty close, at the U.S. Open. Federer beat Djokovic in the Serb’s first Grand Slam final in 2007, and smacked his most legendary tweener past him there two years later. But Djokovic turned the tables, in the most painful way possible, in 2010 and 2011, beating Federer in five sets after saving two match points both times.
With Rafael Nadal dropping out of their “trivalry” for the moment, the Djokovic-Federer battle has only escalated in frequency and import in recent years. They played six times in 2014, and they’ve already played five times in 2015; Djokovic won in Indian Wells, Rome, and at Wimbledon, Federer in Dubai and Cincy.
And as usual these days, each will come into this match in what appears to be peak form. Djokovic has dropped two sets over the fortnight, one to Roberto Bautista Agut and one to Feliciano Lopez, while Federer hasn’t dropped any. Each was especially good in the semifinals; Djokovic ground the defending champion, Marin Cilic, into dust, while Federer played circles around Stan Wawrinka.
Considering their form, and the historical tightness of their rivalry, it’s clear that either of them could win this match. Federer says there aren’t any new tricks they can show each other, but of course he knows that isn’t true. His running-start SABR return, which may have started as a joke and a gimmick, proved to be a valuable tactic against Wawrinka. It rattled his countryman just enough to get him out of rhythm and earn Federer an early break. Federer also used it successfully at least once against Djokovic in Cincy; we’ll see how much of an effect it has here. Djokovic wouldn’t comment on it after their last match, but his coach, Boris Becker, has said Federer would have faced “retribution” for it in his day. It would obviously serve Djokovic best to stay calm and not let Federer SABR-rattle him on Sunday. (For the record, I think the cheeky SABR is a fair play and a smart play, but that Federer shouldn’t be surprised if he finds a passing shot or two flying closer to his face when he does it.)
