Can Federer make it four in a row? It may be hard for longtime observers of these two to believe, but after his blitzkrieg victory in Indian Wells, the matchup with Rafa currently favors Federer. If he can swing as freely as he did there, and keep the points as short, there’s no reason he can’t win again. Nadal insists that the dynamic between them hasn’t shifted in Federer’s favor, but it’s going to be up to him to turn it back in his favor. He’ll need to find ways not just to hit the ball to Federer’s backhand, but to make sure he pushes Federer back in the court when he does. While Rafa got tight trying to finish off Fabio Fognini in the semifinals, he has been sharp in Miami so far, and there’s no question that he’d like to avoid going 0-5 in finals here.
What should favor Rafa the most, though, is that semifinal Federer had to play with Nick Kyrgios on Friday. Federer has been extremely good this season when he’s been rested, but his level dropped as this week progressed and his time on court mounted. He had to save match points against Tomas Berdych in the quarterfinals, and while he played brilliantly against Kyrgios, he had to do it for three hours.
I didn’t think Federer would have the energy to beat the 21-year-old Aussie in the semis, but he proved me wrong. Can he do it again?
Winner: Nadal
