Roger Federer’s coach, Stefan Edberg, was known as an attacking player during his day.
Serving and volleying, as well as chipping and charging the net, helped the Swede amass six grand slam titles in the 1980s and ’90s. But not even Edberg employed some of the audacious tactics Federer has used in the past month.
The Swiss approached the net at the Cincinnati Masters after half-volleying second-serve returns, and the unconventional ploy contributed to Federer ousting both top-ranked Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, then the No. 2, en route to a seventh title.
All eyes were on Federer — well, they usually are — to see if the men’s record 17-time grand slam winner would stick with it at the U.S. Open.
He did, with success, and Leonardo Mayer was the unfortunate recipient in the first round.
On a second consecutive day of sweltering conditions in New York — the heat wave isn’t expected to subside anytime soon — Federer crushed the Argentine 6-1 6-2 6-2 on Arthur Ashe stadium.
Mayer isn’t a household name, even if he won the longest singles match in Davis Cup history in March in a shade under seven hours, but he entered Tuesday’s clash just outside the seedings and held five match points on Federer when they met at the Shanghai Masters last October.
Left in tears
Federer rallied, leaving Mayer in tears.
Tuesday’s loss could hardly be classified as agonizing for the world No. 34, since it lasted a mere 77 minutes. Federer struck 29 winners — one of which came when, airborne, he pummeled a smash to conclude the second set — to only 13 unforced errors and claimed 84% of his first-serve points.
Federer’s game plan seemed to destabilize Mayer: He hit seven double faults and made 31 unforced errors.
Those half-volley returns, Federer said, started in practice after Wimbledon and he was urged to continue by his other coach, Severin Luthi.
“Happily I was able to use it today,” Federer said in an on-court interview. “I enjoy it and hope I can keep it up.
“When you lose a point it’s a bit ridiculous but when you win it’s a great feeling.”
Federer, who recorded his 73rd U.S. Open victory to pull level for third with Ivan Lendl, added that center court was playing quicker than usual. If true, it’s probably a result of Arthur Ashe stadium being partially covered as organizers are well into constructing a retractable roof that will be fully operational for next year’s event.
The faster the better for Federer, who is bidding to win a first major in three years.
There’s now less wind on tennis’ largest regularly used stadium, according to Federer, and the 34-year-old insisted it would “increase the level of play.”
“It used to be the windy place to play,” said Federer. “Here on center court you (now) avoid that.”
The main event
It’s unusual for matches involving the Swiss master to be overshadowed, but tennis fans in New York could be forgiven for saving themselves for the late-evening clash between 2013 champion Murray and the current “enfant terrible” of tennis, Australia’s Nick Kyrgios.
The 20-year-old Kyrgios — recently handed a suspended ban for a lewd sledge aimed at Stan Wawrinka on court in Montreal — was a tricky first-round draw for the Scot. The Australian is as talented as he is unpredictable, with shots to trouble anyone in the game.
And so it proved in a tight first set, which saw him pull off some incredible shots. But consistency is the ingredient needed to unseat the top players, and Murray, a master at reading his opponent’s game, soon began to dictate the play. After wrapping up the first set, 7-5, his younger opponent was soon muttering and swearing to himself as his focus took an inevitable dip. Murray, seemingly oblivious to these antics, wrapped up the set 6-3 to take a two-set lead.
But then from nowhere Kyrgios was back in the match, taking the third set — his first against the Scot — 6-4. In between smashing his racquet after passing up a succession of break points, he produced some wonderful shots as the two players traded service games. Kyrgios eventually prevailed with a Murray double fault.
But that setback seemed to re-focus Murray, who broke his opponent’s opening service game. It was unrelenting from there, as Murray raced into a 4-1 lead with some scintillating tennis. A warning for Kyrgios for his language could not distract Murray from closing out the match by taking the set 6-1.
“It was tough conditions, very humid, I had to do a lot of running and defending,” Murray said after the match.
“Nick is a great athlete and has all the shots.”
Earlier in the day, Donald Young, once considered the next big hope in U.S. tennis, rallied from two sets and a break down to defeat 11th seed Gilles Simon 2-6 4-6 6-4 6-4 6-4, but Simon’s fellow Frenchman, Richard Gasquet, won a five setter.
July’s Wimbledon semifinalist advanced when Thanasi Kokkinakis retired with cramps early in the fifth. Gasquet led 4-6 6-1 4-6 6-3 2-0.
Another upset avoided
In the women’s draw, World No.2 Simona Halep avoided the upset bug that bit her at the last four grand slams when New Zealand’s Marina Erakovic retired with a knee injury trailing 6-2 3-0. Particularly demoralizing for the Romanian, she lost in the second round at the French Open and first round at Wimbledon.
Refreshed coming into the U.S. Open Series, however, Halep duly made finals in Toronto and Cincinnati.
“Actually this is the first time when I start a grand slam well,” Halep told reporters. “I had a good match. I think I played very aggressive. I played with confidence and I didn’t let her play her game.”
But Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic, the French Open finalist, fell to Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko 6-4 6-1 four days after topping the Ukrainian in the semifinals of the Connecticut Open. Tsurenko, nonetheless, is playing the best tennis of her career, having recently won a maiden title in Turkey.
