Is the US Open Helping Federer to His 18th Title?

Fan Submission By: Brian Throne

Roger Federer has failed to win a grand slam since Wimbledon in 2012. However, he has surged to number two in the world. Given his fan following, a deep run at the US Open would certainly add to the interest level of the tournament. Is the US Open aiding his run to a potential 18th championship? There are a few things they could do to help him:

Courtesy: www.jantakareporter.com

1. Put Nadal and Djokovic in the Other Half of the Draw
Given that Djokovic is the number 1 seed and Federer is number 2, they automatically get put into opposite sides of the draw. However, putting Nadal on the other side of the draw guarantees that Federer would not see him until the final and that Fed would play either Djokovic or Nadal – but not both. Since Federer is 10-23 against Nadal, and 21-20 against Djokovic (and only 14-16 on hard courts), this helps Fed immensely. Instead of playing at least 2 matches in which Fed would have a 50-50 chance (or less), Fed now only has to play one. That is a big difference.

Many have the misconception that Nadal’s dominance of Fed is limited to clay. However, Nadal has beaten Fed 9 out of 15 times on hard courts. Nadal could have been placed in Fed’s half of the draw. He wasn’t.

Courtesy: www.bbc.co.uk

2. Put Nadal and Djokovic in the Same Quarter
If Djokovic ends up playing Nadal, it will mean that Djokovic’s path to the title will be a difficult one. Over seven matches, the wear and tear of the matches adds up. Given Nadal’s less than stellar play this year, Djokovic would be the favorite, but playing a match against Nadal (who is 22-1 in his last 23 matches at the Open) is always a physical affair. Nadal could have been put in Fed’s quarter, or in a quarter without either Fed or Djokovic. He wasn’t.

3. Keep Wawrinka Out of Fed’s Quarter
Wawrinka is ranked 5th, has recently upped his game significantly, and has beaten Fed twice recently, including the last time they played, at the French Open. He could have been placed in Fed’s quarter. He wasn’t.

4. Put Fed in the Same Quarter as Berdych
Fed is 14-6 against Berdych, and didn’t lose a set the last two times they’ve played. Fed could have been placed in a more difficult quarter. He wasn’t.

5. Give Fed Paddycake Opponents in the First Four Rounds
Other than Berdych, the US Open placed Fed in a quarter in which very few have ever beaten him. Of the players that have ever beaten him, the wins by Hewitt and Gasquet happened long ago. Thus, for the first four matches, Fed will completely escape playing most of the players who pose any significant threat to him – all of whom have beaten him, including: Wawrinka, Chardy, Monfils, Nishikori, Seppi, Robredo, Raonic, Baghdatis, Cilic, Isner, and Gulbis (not to mention Djokovic, Murray and Nadal).

Courtesy: thrtnds.hol.es

The Bottom Line:
US Open and Fed fans would probably say that “it’s all in the luck of the draw.” But somehow all of this luck happened. With Fed rapidly approaching an age where it will be increasingly difficult to win a major, this may be his last and best chance to make run to the final and win it. The US Open would never do all these things to help him along. Would they?