Two days after putting Novak Djokovic to the sword, Roger Federer put in a stuttering display in a 6-3 6-4 defeat to Stefanos Tsitsipas as he tumbled out of the ATP Finals.
On Thursday night, Federer served metronomically, hit aggressively and simply overawed a man he had failed to beat for four years. Come Saturday, Federer failed to recapture that, as Boris Becker puts it, ‘sparkle’.
Two missed smashes during his first service game – in which he was broken – set the tone, with Federer always playing catch-up from that point.
Becker, a seven-time Grand Slam champion who enjoyed a hugely successful stint working with Federer’s great rival Djokovic, believes that at 38 it’s becoming harder for Federer to produce back-to-back performances of the highest calibre.
‘The problem with getting older is the recovery,’ the German legend told the BBC.
‘You can put on a great match and he’s certainly played many good matches this year but it takes you longer physically and mentally to recover, to find the motivation.
‘He’s been here 16 times before, it’s not new for him; to find the sparkle, to find the energy to go one more step – it’s not easy.’
Former British No. 1 Tim Henman added: ‘I don’t think he played his best. It was surprising that he elected to receive in the first game but he had break point on Tsitsipas’ first service game and again, indoors, it’s a bit dark up there but his smash is as good as it gets, to miss two smashes in one game is absolutely unheard of and this can set the tone.
‘This was only 10 or 12 points in, when we saw his start against Djokovic, he was just feeling it, his footwork was good and he was uber aggressive and he just wasn’t missing but today, first 10 minutes he wasn’t feeling it, Tsitsipas gets that break and he’s the one who has got the momentum.
‘Federer’s footwork was a little bit slower but he wasn’t allowed to move well because he’s always playing catch-up. It’s that minutiae that is the difference between him beating Djokovic playing one of the best matches I’ve ever seen him play and then him struggling.’
While it was a disappointing day for Federer, who lamented his own performance, Becker showered Tsitsipas with praise for his efforts.
‘What stands out for me, to my mind, is his mentality, his positivity – he was the only one believing here, honestly,’ he added.
‘18,000 were Federer fans believing Roger will win and all the experts believe in that but he was the one believing from the first point on.
‘That’s really what stands out and is a cornerstone of a great career, that you believe in your own abilities. Those are the things you can’t learn, no coach can teach you that, you either have it or you don’t.’
