Roger Federer: ATP Player of the Week

Aug 23, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Novak Djokovic (left) stands with Roger Federer (SUI) after their match in the finals during the Western and Southern Open tennis tournament at the Linder Family Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

ATP Player of the Week: Cincinnati Champion Roger Federer

It was lucky number 7 for Roger Federer this week in Cincinnati.

Like my pick for the WTA Player of the Week, I have gone with the boring choice – the eventual champion.

To be fair, Federer really didn’t give me a choice this week.

The fast courts of Cinci are well-suited to Roger’s aggressive, elegant game – a fact that he didn’t let us forget throughout the five straight-set matches he played this week.

On his way to the title, the Swiss took out Roberto Bautista-Agut, Kevin Anderson and Feliciano Lopez. He then consecutively defeated world no. 2 Andy Murray and world no. 1 Novak Djokovic.

Federer was simply sublime this week. He frequently travelled to the net, served with exceptional pace and precision and kept his unforced errors to a minimum. His showing in Cinci really was deserving of any superlatives tennis fans can offer.

Taking out his two biggest competitors for the final grand slam of the year will surely give Fed a confidence boost heading into Flushing Meadows.

With Djokovic struggling with fitness, maybe Federer could take out the US Open after all.

Winner: Alexandr Dolgopolov

Taking a leaf out of the chaotic WTA’s playbook, the men’s draw in Cincinnati produced a shock semifinalist in the form of Ukrainian Dolgopolov.

Dolgopolov will always present a threat to the top stars on tour, given his aggressive, ‘hit-like-your-life-depends-on-it’ game. But it also means that he will never be a consistent member of the upper echelon in men’s tennis.

This week, he was sensational. Benefitting from Kei Nishikori’s belated withdrawal by receiving a bye into the second round; Dolgopolov took advantage of the handout, taking out Bernard Tomic, Jerzy Janowicz and no. 6 seed Tomas Berdych.

He continued to impress in the semifinal, where he was just two points away from defeating Novak Djokovic. He ended up gifting away the match with unforced errors, but Dolgopolov will be hard pressed not to feel positive about his week in Cincinnati.

Winner: Richard Gasquet

Wimbledon’s surprise semifinalist is continuing to impress, with a quarterfinals run in Cincinnati indicating a return to the top for Gasquet.

The lithe Frenchman was very solid this week. Not only did he gain numerous fans by taking out controversial Australians Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis with relative ease, but he also defeated reigning US Open champion Marin Cilic in straight sets.

After his fall from the top ten last year and struggles with injury, it seems that Gasquet may be back on his way to rival the world’s best players

Two years he reached the semifinal of the US Open. Could he do the same this year?

Winner: Mardy Fish

Can a second round loser really feel good about their week?

Absolutely, if you’re Mardy Fish.

Fish did very well to take out Viktor Troicki in the first round, and consequently set up a second round meeting with Andy Murray.

Few would have expected Fish to defeat Murray. And defeat Murray is exactly… what Fish did not do.

But the veteran American put up a fantastic fight against the world no. 2. He managed to break the Scot early and extended both sets of the straight-sets encounter to their limits.

Fish will be retiring in a few weeks, at the conclusion of the US Open. And the American can enjoy the fact that he’s challenging the world’s best right through to the very end of his career.

Who Was The Biggest Winner in Cincinnati?

Who do you think had the most impressive outing in Cincinnati? Let us know in the comments below!

Next: Simona Halep, Andy Murray and Highlights From Canada

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