What did the Cincinnati Masters teach us about Andy Murray and co?
Tuesday 25 August 2015 15:29, UK
The race is on for the US Open after the final warm-up tournament, the Cincinnati Masters, concluded with a Roger Federer victory.
But what did the tournament in Ohio tell us about Federer, Andy Murray and the usual suspects?
Here are some post-Cincinnati contemplations...
Federer can win an 18th Grand Slam
If you needed proof that there's life in the old dog yet, then Federer's scintillating dash to the Cincinnati title demonstrated his worthiness.
The Swiss legend's 17 Grand Slams are the most by any men's player in the Open era but only two of those titles have arrived in the past five years, indicating his ability to win when it really matters might be dwindling.
The emergence of Novak Djokovic as the world's top player hasn't helped but Federer's Cincinnati Masters final butchering of the world No 1 demonstrates that, even aged 34, he can still hang with anyone.
One-sided masterclasses against Andy Murray and Djokovic in consecutive days should also go a long way to underlining how Federer's court-craft can overcome the speedier legs of his younger rivals.
It's just got harder for Murray
Repeating his 2012 triumph at Flushing Meadows – Murray's first ever Grand Slam title – was always going to be a monumental challenge, but the result of the Cincinnati final means it just got harder.
The British No 1 could be forgiven for wincing as he watched Federer v Djokovic because the outcome would directly affect his US Open hopes. Federer, who eliminated Murray the day before, would also take his world No 2 ranking if he beat Djokovic.
Murray will now definitely be drawn in the same half of the draw as either Djokovic or Federer, making his route to glory significantly harder. He now faces the daunting prospect of having to defeat both of the world's top two players in order to win the title.
Still, all hope is certainly not lost. New world No 3 Murray can console himself safe in the knowledge that his previous US Open win came as the third seed, when he beat Tomas Berdych in the semi-finals then Djokovic in the final.
Djokovic is beatable - but it won't be easy!
Two final defeats in as many weeks, losing to both of his top rivals Murray and Federer, suggest that Djokovic's dominance is liable to be broken by an elite opponent.
We saw him toppled by Stan Wawrinka in the French Open final before Murray beat him in Montreal and, most recently, Federer outclassed him in Cincinnati. The world No 1 has a chasing pack of hungry dogs ready to devour his pursuit of further glory.
But the Cincinnati tournament also illustrated quite what it takes to knock Djokovic off his perch. He was given a rough ride by Benoit Paire and Alexandr Dolgopolov but held firm, and it took the very best of Federer's repertoire to hand Djokovic a defeat.
The Serb will head to Flushing Meadows as the firm favourite to capture his third Grand Slam of the year and knows it will take a colossal effort from the rest of the field to prevent him doing so.
Which Nick Kyrgios will turn up next?
All signs point to an under-motivated and deeply unpopular Nick Kyrgios heading to the US Open after his Cincinnati antics – but with this guy, who knows?
Entering the Ohio tournament on the back of his notorious insult to Stan Wawrinka in Montreal, Kyrgios cut a stricken figure as he was booed upon his arrival to the court.
Wawrinka and Donna Vekic insisted they hadn't heard an apology from Kyrgios following his scathing remarks the week before, making the temperamental Australian a marked man in Cincinnati. Sky Sports expert Mark Petchey underlined his own anger at the situation.
A lacklustre first-round exit to Richard Gasquet, marred by a back injury, made Kyrgios appear to be an isolated figure in Cincinnati, which doesn't bode well for his chances in New York. He remains a prodigious talent who has beaten Rafa Nadal but, at the moment, it appears Kyrgios' unpredictability remains his biggest strength but also his most damaging flaw.
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