Federer's Strengths Abandon Him On The Big Stage

Roger Federer has earned a reputation for the precision of his shots and the resolve to put opponents away. These traits helped Federer to win a record 17 major singles titles, and to continue fighting for that elusive 18th, even into his middle 30s.

But on Sunday night, those normally dependable characteristics failed Federer in key moments, allowing top-seeded Novak Djokovic to fend off Federer, the No. 2 seed, and win the U.S. Open, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4.

Even with the crowd on Federer's side on virtually every shot, he made a bushel of errors, most notably when he had a chance to break Djokovic's serve.

Federer had 23 opportunities to break Djokovic, but he converted only four, a dismal 17 percent rate that cost him chances to win sets and, perhaps, the match.

The four breaks were actually three more than Federer had against Djokovic at Wimbledon, where he was 1 for 7 in those chances. But all of those lost opportunities in this one bothered him a lot.

"I had too many break chances, and some of them I could have done better," he said. "I should have done better."

Federer also made 54 unforced errors, 17 more than Djokovic and accounting for more than a third of Djokovic's 147 points. Most surprising, 29 of those unforced errors came on Federer's forehand.

That normally singular shot of Federer's hit the net, sailed long and flitted wide. Some of his forehands were mis-hit and some came when Federer aggressively sought to clip a line and decisively win a point.

In the second set Federer made one of his worst mistakes of the match, which did not hurt him because he eventually won the set. But it was an indication that something was not quite right.

With Djokovic serving at 4-5 in a 20-point game, Federer had a chance to win the set on an easy forehand with the entire deuce court empty after Djokovic had gone wide to his left to return a shot. But Federer unloaded and did not get enough top spin on the ball, and it floated long.

In previous matches in his career, including in this tournament, Federer would have put that shot away. He did finally win the game and the set after three more deuces. But subsequent mistakes cost him later on.

It was not that Federer played poorly. It just was not up to his usual standards, especially in this tournament. In seven matches, he lost only three sets, all to Djokovic on Sunday.

In the fourth set Federer made a bad mistake when he was serving at 2-4, helping Djokovic to a break in that game. Djokovic was 6 for 13 on break points, for 46 percent.

Federer was serving up 40-30 and came to net. Djokovic hit a lob that might have gone out if it had been allowed to land. But Federer quickly decided to go for the ball. He leapt and tried the protective overhead slam, but only the tip of his racket touched the ball, which floated out.

Federer did make great shots at various points in the match, eliciting loud cheers. In the second set, he hit a sizzling crosscourt backhand winner after he kept pushing Djokovic wide to the other side of the court.

Federer also showed his fighting spirit, refusing to relinquish ground even when Djokovic was on the attack. Federer did break Djokovic's serve at 2-5 in the final set, but only after Djokovic had saved a break point. Federer remained vigilant and at 30-40, he won the game on a backhand volley.

Federer also had a key break point at 4-4 in the first set, but he hit a crosscourt backhand wide, and then Djokovic blasted Federer at love on his own serve to take the first set.

Federer used his sneak-attack service return, the so-called SABR, or Sneak Attack By Roger, to good effect. He unleashed it six times, including once in the final game of the match, and won four points with it. But it was not enough.

It was all too familiar for Federer in recent months. In July, after cruising through the first six matches at Wimbledon, Federer lost in four sets to Djokovic.

"I enjoyed it," Federer said on court. "I thought it was a great match, and congratulations, Novak, on another great win."

© 2015 New York Times News Service