Roger Federer will renew his rivalry with Novak Djokovic
in the Italian Open final on Sunday, giving the 17-time Grand Slam
champion another chance to add an elusive title to his collection.
Federer
dispatched Swiss countryman Stan Wawrinka 6-4, 6-2 in less than an hour
in the semifinals on Saturday, while the top-ranked Djokovic delivered
his best performance of the week, downing David Ferrer 6-4, 6-4.
Along with Monte Carlo, Rome is one of only two Masters series titles that Federer has never won.
''I
just like winning a title. Now OK, this is Rome, and it's one I've
never won so you might think it's extra special but for some reason it's
not for me,'' Federer said.
As was the key to success against Nadal, Wawrinka stepped into his
shots from the baseline, taking his backhand early and not allowing
Federer to find a rhythm off the ground. But the World No. 2 would have
an immediate authoritative response, breaking back to 15 and pulling
level at 3-all.
Federer maintained a swift response to Wawrinka's initial run, reeling
off six of seven games to snatch the opening set. He would secure a
second break for 5-4 behind a stunning backhand winner that clipped the
far edge of the tramline.
With Wawrinka's quick start far in the rear-view mirror, Federer
relinquished just six points in grabbing a 5-1 lead in the second set
and the three-time finalist would claim victory in 55 minutes. The
second seed reached his 41st ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final and 129th
overall.
"I was happy with how I played, I was able to impose my game. Basically
rock solid from the moment I got my game down," said Federer.
Federer had 18 winners to Wawrinka's 14, and won 12 of 14 points at the net.
This
will be Federer's fourth final at the Foro Italico in 15 appearances:
He was beaten by Felix Mantilla in 2003, by Nadal in a fifth-set
tiebreaker in 2006, and by Nadal again in 2013.
''Tomorrow,
I feel like I have a chance to play for it,'' Federer said. ''Novak is
not Rafa on clay so it's a totally different situation. I've done fairly
well against him in the past.''
So far this year it's one apiece
between Djokovic and Federer, the former winning their last final at
Indian Wells to make amends for Federer's win in Dubai.
The only truly worrisome moment
for him came midway through the first set when his feet got stuck in a
hole on the court that gave Djokovic and Sharapova trouble earlier in
the day. Federer was wrong-footed when Wawrinka hit behind him and
couldn't turn around.
Workers came onto the court during the middle of the game to smooth the clay over.
"The problem is, it kind of breaks away, so that's not ideal. When it
happens once or twice, three times, you get a bit worried," said
Federer.
"I don't think it's going to be an issue tomorrow it's the end of the
tournament now and they'll do everything they can. It's clearly not
ideal and I hope they can fix it to some extent for tomorrow."
Date: 16th May 2015, Source: AP, ATP and AFP
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