Anyone who thought Federer was going to fade away for the final part of the tennis year after his defeat in the US Open to layman John Millman got a big wake up call at the weekend. Federer proved that he still has what it takes when putting on a majestic display of tennis vs Nick Kygrios and coming through in a tight affair against the steam train of John Isner whose serve was virtually unbreakable with exception to a few tie break points.

Federer's forehand was on fire against Kyrgios which left the Australian youngster with a look of dismay on his face on numerous occasions as the 20 times Swiss Grand Slam champion was hitting winners effortlessly, at times from what were defensive positions. He played the sort of tennis reminiscent of his emphatic victory against Nadal at the Australian Open in 2017 stepping into and taking his backhand very early with no answer from Kyrgios.

Check the highlights out below where a red faced Kyrgios and his team captain John McEnroe were left to squabble with the umpire over a contested point they were that desperate to take whatever scraps from the table they could.

Watch: Federer Win Effortlessly vs Kyrgios at the Laver Cup

Where as Kyrgios struggled to hold serve throughout his match vs Federer, his fellow Team World Counter Part pummelled Federer on serve. John Isner has had the best year of his tennis career having won his first ever Masters in Miami at the age of 33 and making it to his first Wimbledon Semi Final. His forehand has been as potent as his serve which is what has made the difference this year vs previous. So Federer had no easy task when facing the 6ft 10inch giant American. A slip up against him in the early third day proceedings could have allowed a late comeback by Team World to snatch the Laver Cup.

Where as vs Kyrgios it was all about Federer dominating, here it was all about a game of patience and waiting for his moment to strike in each of the tie breaks. He got very few looks at a break point on the Isner serve - none in the first set he lost, only 2 in the second. Federer also had to save three match points in the second set showing a steely resolve as he overcame Isner in the second set tie break before a third tie break produced an uncharacteristically wobbly display of serving by both men involving 9 breaks of serve.

Watch: Federer Battle it Out & Prevail Against Big John

Both victories showed different sides of Federer, both of which will be needed to topple the Tower (Del Potro) next month in Basel where the Swiss Maestro looks to defend his title where last year he beat Del Potro 67 64 63. What's quiet remarkable is Federer is an 8 time champion here, Del Potro 2 time, both of which were victories vs Federer. They have faced each other in the final 3 times in total in Basel, so Del Potro has history on his side in this event although Federer won in their most recent meeting last year.

The Tower Can Move!

Del Potro has better mobility on court compared to Isner which is not surprising, he is 4 inches smaller than Isner but still 6ft 6inches. This one key variable allows him to set to hit his big forehand more times which converts to more points won in play. Isner's serve is obviously unstoppable but his sheer height always means tie breaks are where he wins or loses against Federer, where as Del Potro has broken Federer on countless occasions including last year where he knocked Federer out of the US Open in the Quarter Finals and when he won in the final at the ATP World Masters Indian Wells this year.

Watch: Federer Prevail over Del Potro in Last Year's Final

Federer still dominates their head to head with 18 wins to 7. Out of the last 10 three set matches these two have played, 8 of gone to 3 sets.

The Laver Cup showed Federer is still going strong this year so I will make two predictions.

The Takeaway

(1) The Basel Indoor ATP Final will see Federer face Del Potro again

(2) Federer will prevail in the final in three sets, possibly two of which will go to tie break