Bernard
Tomic, the youngest player left in the draw, locks horns with the oldest player
Roger Federer in the round of sixteen on Sunday, the 22nd. In spite
of having played very long matches, he will come out in extra gear to meet his
idol for a place in the quarterfinals.
Tomic has
fared beyond expectations so far, but now it is reality check time. Tomic is a
bright prospect, but is not yet there. Federer has been there and is not yet done. Tomic serves first serve at less than 180
kmph. Even if he places it well, it is difficult to get past Federer’s racquet.
Federer has very good anticipation. He sights the direction of the serve
earlier than others. Tomic might have hard time sending aces. He will have to
send 70% of first serves in. Even that might get him only half of the points.
Where will he go for other winners? His ground strokes are not in the class of Novak
Djokovic or Rafael Nadal. Net play does not come naturally to him. Federer has
good capacity to pass and he had good practice passing the rushing Ivo Karlovic
in the last match. Federer opens up court by creating acute angles. Tomic moves
all right, but he has some limitations being a tall guy. Running shots are not
his forte. Given Federer’s superiority over serve, return of serve, mobility,
forehand, anticipation, footwork, it is difficult to see how Tomic will
overpower him. Yet, he did take a set in their Davis Cup encounter last year,
the only time the two have met. And Tomic is a better player now. He will have
to recall what he did in that set and play to his own strengths. Federer does
not have history of getting overawed by a partisan crowd. If he does, Tomic is
in with a realistic chance.
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