New Delhi: A two sets to love advantage followed by two match points in the fifth and deciding set, the winner of 16 majors, Roger Federer just could not bring himself to put the final nail in the coffin which would have sealed a place in the men’s singles final of the 2011 US Open for the maestro.
For the second year in a row, the Swiss ace had failed to close out the contest after having a couple of match points to his name against Serbia's Novak Djokovic in the last four stage at Flushing Meadows.
Also for the first time since 2002, Federer had now gone without a single grand slam title to his name in a calendar year.
One statistic after another that leads to heartbreak and depression if you are a Fedex fan; another one for the record books is that the great man had now allowed a two set lead to slip away for only the second time in 184 matches. Federer had lost to Frenchman Jo Wilfred Tsonga after winning the first two sets in their quarter-final clash at Wimbledon earlier this year.
Well, the match against Djokovic could be remembered for all the wrong reasons; Federer's backhand which has been under constant scrutiny by commentators and former players once again came under attack, on this occasion by his opponent on the other side of the net.
Apparently Djokovic was deliberately hitting balls to what is considered by 'experts' as Federer's weaker side but the disturbing aspect this time around was the fact was that the five time US Open champion at times was reverting to the sliced backhand rather than his favoured topspin one a little more than usual.
Was he conscious about something that now even his rivals have got wise to? Another aspect of Federer's game that has been brought to light in recent times is the number of mistimed shots that is on view and that is not just restricted to his backhand.
However, one has to keep in mind that out of the two losses suffered by Djokovic this year, Federer has inflicted one of them, which was at the semi-finals of the French Open and he came mighty close to repeating the act once again.
Also, the old cliche, form is temporary but class is permanent was epitomised magnificently by the former world number one (in the US Open semifinals against Djokovic) when he held on to a shot till the very last moment, waiting for the Serb to make his move and then executed a winner which was so typical of the master.
Rather than bringing up the question yet again about laying the wreath on a truly illustrious career, one could play the devil’s advocate by reiterating the fact that it was only a couple of years ago that Federer had reached the finals of all four grand slam events and had been successful in two those outings.
It was in 2009 that he not only won the French Open that had eluded him for quite a while but also followed it up by edging out Andy Roddick in an epic five-setter in the finals of Wimbledon a fortnight later.
Also there was a time when he used to win three of the four slams in a year, a feat accomplished by him thrice, the latest being in 2007. He brought an end to Pete Sampras' reign at Wimbledon and has even beaten the likes of Andre Agassi, Marat Safin and Lleyton Hewitt to win grand slam titles.
That was before Rafael Nadal became a force to reckon with and way before Djokovic arrived on the scene.
Agassi won his last major aged 33 and only retired when he was 36 and there is no reason as to why Roger Federer, one of the greatest of them all can't do the same if not more.
Comments
0 comment