There’s probably just too much teacher-pupil in the Roger Federer versus Stanislas Wawrinka match-up for the younger man to really believe that he can upset his older Swiss compatriot.
It did happen once in their previous 10 matches—in Monte Carlo in 2009, around the time Federer got married and may also have been carrying an injury.
On Saturday in the semifinals of the Swiss Indoors, Wawrinka looked to have a genuine chance, and looked like he believed that as well. At least, that's what most people took out of his racquet obliteration in the fourth game of the second set of a what turned out to be a 7-6 (5), 6-2 loss.
Wawrinka had every reason to be frustrated, because there were certainly openings for him in the first set, after Federer failed to serve it out at 5-3. Two points in that game provide some of the atmosphere in the St. Jakobshalle. On the second point, in control and leading 15-love, Federer, falling backwards, hit a weak forehand into the net, and the crowd reacted with a collective “aw-aw” as if it was beneath him to miss a shot like that. On the next point, the players had a terrific rally which Wawrinka punctuated with a huge down-the-line backhand winner.
Federer missed a forehand to eventually lose the game, and Wawrinka grew in belief.
When the set reached the tiebreak, Wawrinka got a mini-break with a well-timed net approach that ended with him hitting an angled backhand volley winner on the first point. That was the best moment of the match for him because, suddenly, it was as if he fell back into the established Swiss pecking order. Federer hit a backhand pass winner on the next point to level the breaker at 1-1, and then Wawrinka made four unforced errors in a row, all over the baseline. Down 5-1, his fate was pretty well sealed.
In the second set, a break against him in the opening game and another soon after led to a 4-1 Federer lead, and Wawrinka’s exasperation was just about total.
It was a so-so performance by Federer. You would think he should serve out the first set at 5-3 and generally have been able to control the match as he did in the quarters against Andy Roddick. But it's not so easy playing in your hometown, especially after a six-week break, against a sturdy battler like Wawrinka.
Now Federer faces an interesting final. In what has to be rare for him these days as a veteran, he will be playing someone—Kei Nishikori—for the first time. He will also be playing to win Basel for the fifth time, meaning that only Wimbledon (6), the U.S. Open (5) and Halle (5) would have figured as frequently in his trophy collection. And his expected opponent, Novak Djokovic, will not be there.
It all combines to provide a new challenge for him, and make it interesting to see how he deals with it on Sunday.
—Tom Tebbutt