Fed in Straights

So Federer beats upstart James Blake in three straight sets (6-0 in the last) to win his third consecutive Pac Life. I failed to set TiVO and consequently missed the entire match (I switched the tube on just as they were interviewing Fed on his win). Ever since we moved to LA from NYC, I've struggled to get my internal sports-on-TV clock right. It just doesn't make sense to me that they'd play a Masters Series final—in the desert, no less—at 11am. But I guess that's the way it has to be for the broadcast to work back East.

Anyhow, I gather Blake had Fed on the ropes in the first set, cracking winners all over the place and generally giving Fed trouble. And then...ffftttt. The air went outta the ballooon. It's weird. Federer can seemingly raise his game to Grand Slam levels at these smaller events, if he needs to. When he does, pity the poor sorry bastard across the net. Heck, I love what Blake has been doing lately. But lordy lordy me! He closed out the match by losing nine games in a row! Fed is unearthly good.

My theory is that he respects Blake and his game and what the guy has done, climbing back from the nether regions of the lower reaches of the bottom of the rankings. But in the end, he doesn't take him to be a great, great player. Safin and obviously Nadal he sees as Big Time. Blake he considers a consistent hard court threat. But not a Big Dog, in the historical sense. I almost feel as Fed has decorously lost to Nadal and Safin in order to set up some kind of lively rivaly for himself. I don't think he considers Roddick and Blake, who are the two best American players right now, to be at that level. Yes, I know this attributes some sort of almost supernatural control of his destiny to Fed, but I feel it, all the same.

He does have a weakness, however. Note that in the photo above, his shirt collar is too large for his neck.