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Roger Federer destroyed Alexander Zverev 6-1 6-3 for his ninth title in Halle. The key factor of Federer's win was the fact that he was the better player in and out, leaving his opponents no chances. Also, that amazing drop shot of his. My verdict is that Roger Federer is the favorite to win Wimbledon this year.
Road to the Final
Alexander Zverev from Germany is the world's NO. 12 and he came into Halle as one of the fans' favorites and started strong, eliminating Paolo Lorenzi in the first tour 6-3 6-2. Zverev did not even allow Lorenzi to think about breaking him and it was clear from the beginning that Alexander Zverev has big hopes to break into top 8 this year. In the second round, Zverev faced another local guy Philip Kohlschreiber. I expected this match to be more even as Kohlschreiber loves playing in Halle, but Zverev once again tarnished his opponent and moved straight to the quarter-finals, where he met Roberto Bautista-Agut. Zverev won 2-1 after losing the first set in a tie-break. Zverev once again defended his serve without any problems, but this time he had problems with returning the tricky Bautista-Agut's serves back into the game. And yet, Zverev found a way to finally break Bautista-Agut in the third set and had a chance to play in semi-finals against a experienced Richard Gasquet. Zverev lost the first set, allowing Gasquet to break him twice, but got himself back together and clinched his spot in the final.
On his way to the final, Federer hadn't lost a set and defeated some strong opponents such as Mayer, Khachanov, and Alexander Zverev's older brother, Mischa Zverev. Roger Federer faced some problems against players with stronger serves, but he still kept his composure in the most important stages of the game and won all three tie-breaks and defended some set points. That can only show us that Roger Federer's form is not yet the best, but he is definitely full of confidence, despite the fluke against Tommy Haas earlier in Stuttgart.
The Final
Roger Federer started the final as if he was 25 years old again, playing his best tennis. Poor Alexander Zverev had no chances against the beast on the other side of the court, and we could see a scoreboard saying Roger Federer 4:0 Alexander Zverev after 15 minutes into the match. It looked that Roger Federer could make any shot in the world and some of his backhand drop shots surprised even the most experienced tennis experts. On top of that, Alexander Zverev made some unforced errors, and the first set ended 6-1 in Federer's favor. It is pretty much useless to analyze any stats of the first set as they could not reflect how dominant Federer was. The only thing we must note, though, is that Roger Federer only made 47 percent of his first serves in the court. It was not a sign of his serve not working, but rather his tactic to serve his first serve with much more power because of Alexander Zverev's aggressive returns. It paid off, and Federer won all 7 of his first serves.
The second set started with hope in Alexander Zverev's camp as he got an early break point on Roger Federer's serve, but sadly he could not capitalize on that. Federer kept his composure and made some stunning serves, drop shots, and backhand winners. The set continued without breaks till 3-2. It looked like Zverev was feeling the game already. He even started landing those shots on the line and making winners instead of unforced errors. His serve was also working. However, Roger Federer showed once again why he is one of the best players ever to play in the tennis courts and broke Zverev's serve in the sixth game with some stunning returns. After that, Federer calmly served his way to the trophy. The main decisive factor of the second set was Federer's returns on Zverev's second serves. Roger Federer was timing those shots so perfectly that even fast Zverev's second serves could do any damage.
Can Roger Federer Win Wimbledon Again?
First, I must say that Alexander Zverev is a very promising young talent. He already won a couple of tournaments on clay this season, including Rome, where he beat Novak Djokovic in the final. He has all the right skills to become a top 4 player in the upcoming years, and even hit top 8 this year if everything goes according to his plan. However, this guy is not yet good enough to be considered a contender to win Wimbledon. He needs a couple more years.
As for Roger Federer, I can see no reason why he could not win Wimbledon this year. Roger made a very wise decision to rest during the clay season and prepare for Wimbledon. This upcoming tournament is his priority of the rest of the season, and he is coming into Wimbledon as ready as a tennis player can be. His shots selection is perfect, he is feeling the rhythm, and his physical condition is stunning for a guy in his late 30's. Of course, there are many good players on the tour who could upset Roger Federer on any given day, but if I needed to put my life on one player, I would choose Roger Federer.