Roger's game and concentration looked exceptional until he was serving at 5-1 for the first set. And that's when ESPN switched coverage to the Monfils v Dimitrov match. Unfortunately for this fan, ESPN did not get back to Ashe Stadium until the 2nd set where Roger was down a break and missing his shots by a mile.
Due to the cover breakup I lost track of Roger's game. On the one hand it seemed that Roger was working on his attacking game. Big groundies and serves and throwing in s/v even though the odds were some times too low to win a point that way.
He also played like he was late for a plane. Even through his patches of mishits, which I attribute to loss of focus, he still moved beautifully around the court. In a fever pitch.
Roger played fast tennis in Cincy. What I'm looking for is how Roger adapts his game - and speed - when he hits rough patches. Against Giraldo, he wasn't tested. It's against the likes of Tsonga, del Potro and Berdych that speed tennis can get away from Roger when momentum shifts in a New York minute. I'll be looking for ways he modifies his aggression against better players when/if he loses focus and misfires here and there. Roger could benefit immensely by working more on his second serve for the remainder of the tournament.
All in all, it was another Federer match where his fans could feast their eyes on the best to ever play the game.
