US Open classics: Novak Djokovic vs Roger Federer, 2011 semi-final

Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic at the end of their US Open 2011 semifinal

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Staring back at the result, even after three years, one still can’t believe that Roger Federer lost the 2011 semi-final to Novak Djokovic after having two match points in his hand. In that the match is truly a classic – not only because of that one-of-a-kind forehand winner that Nole conjured at 15-40 in the final set at 3-5, but because of the seemingly haphazard manner in which Federer lost his way during the whole course of the proceeding: blowing lead after lead, break after break and ultimately, squandering his hold on the match itself.

The outcome of the match was coincidental too – eerily, in fact – to the result of the previous year’s semifinal between the same set of players. But where in the past year Federer seemed unable to exert his sway for the full length of five sets, 2011 saw him drop to a new low.

After Jo-Wilfred Tsonga had blighted the previously untarnished repute of Federer of never losing a Grand Slam match after being two sets to love up – just a few months ago at Wimbledon – the Serb imposed an even bigger penalty by actualising the same feat with an even bigger margin of defeat.

True, by no means were Federer’s wins in the first two sets comprehensive – he shanked plenty of set points before finally pocketing the first set – but Nole’s ability to dominate the proceedings while on the brink of defeat was quite out of the ordinary.

So much so, that the Flushing Meadows crowd that is generally biased against the Serb, looked upon him with newfound awe and respect. This was the fourth straight time that these two players had met in the semi-finals of the US Open and though Federer led this four-match head-to-head 2-1, after his unexpected upset at the hands of Frenchman Tsonga at Wimbledon, many amongst his fans wondered as to whether Nole would replicate the monumental feat that Tsonga managed to carry out.

Moreover, going by the Serb’s utter domination that year, where he became the first male tennis player to win five Masters titles, it was possibly even inconceivable to think that Djokovic wouldn’t make it to the final.

The forehand return at match point, that seemed to be an act of utter desperation but turned out to be a pivotal moment that completely changed the trajectory of the match, may have then been shrugged aside by Roger Federer. Even Nole remarked about how everything came together to his advantage towards the end of the almost-four hour-long affair.

But for Nole’s fans, emboldened by luck or not, it was testimony – all over again – that he wasn’t going to crack under pressure like he did earlier. The scoreline, too, was a testimony to that fact, especially in the fourth set which lasted just 33 minutes with Federer being completely routed by his younger opponent.

It is to Nole’s credit then that he was able to surmount the apparent lapses in his game over his more seasoned rival, to close out the game in the end.

In many ways, Nole’s performance in the final against Rafael Nadal was simply a continuation of this inspirational form that he was able to unveil against Federer.

It was truly a coming of age performance by the Serb, who had hitherto faced only jeers and scepticism about his inability to justify his inherent talent at crucial times during a match’s proceedings.

The scoreline of 6-7, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-5 thus speaks out a lot, even now. It speaks of the start of Federer’s slow-yet-unmistakable downward spiral – a prospect that was becoming a reality sooner than one might have anticipated; it speaks of the start of Nole’s absolute domination – a feat that captivated attention, not just then, but even now; and most importantly, it speaks of the continuation of a different era at the US Open – an era whose foundations were laid by Juan Martin Del Potro in 2009, who had – coincidentally – defeated the vintage war-horse Federer in a similarly thrilling manner.