INDIAN WELLS, CALIF.—We know that matches can turn on one point or one shot, but Roger Federer’s 6-3, 6-2 quarterfinal win over Juan Martin del Potro here was, for all intents and purposes, over after one call in the first game. At deuce—one of many deuces in that game—a Federer serve that appeared to be wide was called in. Del Potro challenged, and even Federer remained in his serving position, as if he knew that it had been wide (he said afterward that he did see it out).
One problem: Hawk-Eye, due to a failed Internet connection, was temporarily out of service. In that case, the call automatically stands. Still, Del Potro objected to chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani. And objected. And objected some more. He lost the game and kept objecting. Two games later, Del Potro could even be seen objecting to another chair umpire, Lars Graff, who was sitting in the opposite corner.
Del Potro was, not surprisingly, broken in his next game. What was more surprising was that he never came back mentally, playing and walking listlessly between points. But there was a reason other than a call for that: Del Potro continues to be owned by Federer, who again did a masterful job, as he has all year, of rendering the big Argentine utterly ineffective. The process began in the second game this time, when Federer hit two forehand drop shots, followed them to the net, and anticipated del Potro’s response down the line both times. From there, the first set was never in doubt.
One thing that Federer has clearly learned from losing to del Potro three years ago: If you’re going to go into his forehand, make sure you move him at least into the doubles alley, if not farther wide. Federer pushed him out there repeatedly today. I know he's 6-foot-6, but it’s amazing how much less effective del Potro is from that angle, when he’s stretched.
In the only other game of significance, del Potro’s opening service game of the second set, Federer upped his aggression level, ending one point at the net and breaking with a blitzed cross-court forehand. Two games later, he went back to the forehand drop shot. Again he followed it in, again he anticipated del Potro’s down the line response; but this time Federer went behind him with his volley. Again it worked like a charm. He had the man on a string.
As far as stats go, Federer hit 13 aces to del Potro’s zero, and 28 winners to del Potro’s seven. No early call, no matter bad or unfair, can excuse del Potro a performance that limp.
Federer says that he didn’t have the “Indian Wells virus,” and that he feels better. But I wonder if being under the weather might have helped in some way, at least mentally. After one of his close wins here, he said that he wasn’t worried about tactics, just about surviving and getting through. While that obviously isn’t a positive physically, it does help lessen your anxiety and give you a little less to lose.
Maybe Federer can use it in his next match. He might need it; there’s a good chance it will be against Rafael Nadal.
—Steve Tignor