Fourth seed Roger Federer and seventh seed John Isner face off for the first time in four years in Sunday’s final at the Miami Open presented by Itau. Federer leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 5-2, but given the trajectory of their careers since their last battle at the 2015 Rolex Paris Masters, won by Isner in a third-set tie-break, they will arrive on Stadium Court with a clean slate.

Since that match, Isner has earned a career-high ATP Ranking of No. 8 (in July 2018), reached his first Grand Slam semi-final (2018 Wimbledon) and picked up his first ATP Masters 1000 title last year in Miami (d. Zverev). He’s now one match away from a successful title defence after powering into the final without dropping a set.

After undergoing knee surgery in 2016 and taking the second half of that season off to recover from it, some critics wondered whether Federer would get back to the top of the game. He’s silenced them all by winning 12 more ATP Tour titles, including three Grand Slams, three Masters 1000 titles and his 100th tour-level title earlier this month at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships (d. Tsitsipas). After surviving an opening-round scare in Miami against Radu Albot of Moldova, he’s dropped an average of six games in his past five matches.

There will be no secrets when Federer and Isner meet. It’s one of the best serves of all time against one of the best returns of all time. Almost all of their matches have been highly competitive affairs and Sunday’s clash should be no exception.

“He’s definitely got one of the serves that you basically can’t read. It’s that simple,” said Federer. “You just hope that the stars align, that you pick the right side, he picks the wrong side, maybe he misses a serve, that you can put him in uncomfortable situations time and time again, and at the end somehow find a way.”

Familiarity with the moment could play a factor. Federer is playing in his 50th Masters 1000 final (27-22), while Isner is competing in his fifth (1-3). It will be important for Federer to get off to a hot start as he’s done in his past two matches against Kevin Anderson and Denis Shapovalov. If he can grab an early break, Federer will establish that that he can run away with the momentum.

Isner has been the tie-break king in Miami, winning nine of his 10 sets this fortnight with a 7-6 scoreline. His tie-break record against Federer is impressive, but less dominant at 4-4. Isner will need to take care of his service games and continue to keep the scoreline close. The deeper a set goes, the more the odds will favour him.

The American downplayed his chances at defending his crown at the start of the tournament, but his low-key approach didn’t reflect his unwavering confidence that he could. While some fans may be surprised to see him produce another inspired run, Isner is not and believes he has the tools to leave Miami with back-to-back titles.

“I believe personally that I can win any tournament I enter because of how disruptive I can be and because of how well I can serve at times,” said Isner. “I’m not surprised that I’m sitting here back in the final again.”

Saturday’s doubles final will see third seeds Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan pursue a sixth doubles title in Miami and 118th ATP Tour doubles title as a team. The Americans take on Dutchman Wesley Koolhof and Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece. Koolhof is playing in his first Masters 1000 final and Tsitsipas is competing in his first ATP Tour doubles final.

ORDER OF PLAY – SATURDAY, 30 MARCH 2019

STADIUM start 1:00 pm
WTA match

Not Before 3:00 pm
[3] Bob Bryan (USA) / Mike Bryan (USA) vs Wesley Koolhof (NED) / Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE)

ORDER OF PLAY – SUNDAY, 31 MARCH 2019

STADIUM start 1:00 pm
[7] John Isner (USA) vs [4] Roger Federer (USA)

Roger Federer has the picture already formed in his head: He’s crouched behind the service line, on his tip toes, ready to pounce on anything that comes his way, and John Isner, his opponent in the Miami final, stands across from him, throwing down bullet serves.

The question that might determine if Federer wins his 28^th ATP Masters 1000 title on Sunday: How many serves can he stop from hitting the back wall?

“I honestly love big servers, to watch them, [to see] if they’re going to ace every second or third point. For me, that’s exciting because it’s like a penalty shootout in [football], it’s just in tennis,” Federer said during his on-court interview with ESPN. “I’ll be the goalie on Sunday. I’ll try my very best. I’ll try to get as many balls back as possible.”

The three-time Miami Open presented by Itau champion has done David de Gea impressions well in the past against Isner. Federer leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 5-2, which includes a straight-sets win in the 2012 BNP Paribas Open final in Indian Wells. Isner won their most recent tour-level meeting, at the 2015 Rolex Paris Masters.

“I know what to expect – that he will not miss many serves. He’s got an amazing serve. One of the best in the game, forever. It’s really hard to play against him,” Federer said.

The Swiss moved into his fifth Miami final with ease on Friday night, beating #NextGenATP Canadian Denis Shapovalov 6-2, 6-4. Federer hasn’t dropped a set since his tournament opener against Moldovan Radu Albot.

But the 37-year-old’s semi-final against the 18-year-old Shapovalov wasn’t just any other match, Federer admitted. He feels a bit more amped when facing members of the #NextGenATP.

“I told my daughters before I walked out tonight that he wasn’t even born yet when I actually played on the pro tour already,” said Federer, who turned pro in 1998, one year before Shapovalov was, in fact, born. “So they’re like, ‘What? Hold on a second.’ They did the calculations. ‘So this guy’s really young?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m really old.’ But it’s all good. It definitely gives me an extra pep. No doubt about it.”

Isner, the defending champion, returned to the Miami final with a 7-6(3), 7-6(4) win against Shapovalov’s friend and countryman 18-year-old Felix Auger-Aliassime. The teenager served for both sets.

“Hopefully we’ll have a good match,” Federer told ESPN. “I’m excited to play John because he really had a tough match against Felix today. That was an awesome performance by him.”

The 33-year-old American has won all 10 sets he’s played and is 9-0 in tie-breaks.