Match of the year? I’m thinking yes.

It seemed like we were destined for a repeat of last year’s semifinal. Novak would get deep into sets, then collapse at the end of them. It sure seemed we well on our way for that after the first set, the third set, and even deep into the fifth set.

But there was something else at work. Nole showed he’s got some balls after all.

The second and fourth set were absolute textbook Novak tennis, and they were also great exhibitions on how to play Fed. Nole was pushing every single ball and taking nothing for granted. It kept Fed off his usual attacking game, and brought a ton of errors out of him too.

Of course, the most impressive part was Nole’s ability to save two match points with incredibly aggressive play. After the match he said that he closed his eyes and swung, and if it went in, good, if not… well, bloody hell, they went in, and you could never ask anyone to play better match points against Fed in a slam. By the end of the set, Novak rose up and took his break chance and served it out like a boss.

Say hello to number 2.