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Thursday January 29, 2004
Federer ready to scale new peak
By Stephen Bierley, The Guardian
Of the four men's semi-finalists at
this year's Australian Open, only Roger Federer has never been the
world No1. If he beats Juan Carlos Ferrero tomorrow, a match that pits
the Wimbledon champion against the French Open champion, then the
Swiss, aka the Fed Express, will become the 23rd man to reach this
pinnacle since the modern rankings began in 1973.
It was not something Federer wished to dwell on after beating
Argentina's David Nalbandián 7-5, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 in the fourth
quarter-final in the Rod Laver Arena yesterday - Ferrero having
previously defeated Morocco's Hicham Arazi 6-1, 7-6, 7-6. "Being No1 is
secondary right now," he said. "I need to concentrate on trying to win
my second grand slam."
The simple truth is that no matter what his ranking, Federer is the
best player in the world. This has nothing to do with ranking points,
nor matches and titles won - it is a subjective assessment based
entirely on the fact that of all the leading players Federer is the
one, way above all the rest, that tennis fans most want to watch.
This week, because he is still without a coach - having parted from
Peter Lundgren last year - he has been practising with the juniors, who
have their own tournament during the second week of every grand slam.
Federer was a junior Wimbledon champion himself, and the youngsters
here have been clambering to get a hit with him.
So many of them want to play tennis the Federer way. Perhaps none
ever will, but the fact that he has brought style, elegance and touch
to the modern game - and a one-handed backhand - has thrilled everybody
who feared the template for the future was double-fisted baseline
bashing.
There is room for all styles, but against the odds Federer has
proved it is possible to beat the power hitters through a mixture of
style and grace. This is not to say that the 22-year-old Swiss does not
give the ball a most fearful clump, notably on the forehand, but it is
the sheer variety that makes the aficionados purr.
Nalbandián is much less gifted but a wonderful fighter. His arrival
in the Wimbledon final two years ago caught everybody on the hop, but
it was no fluke. Many had thought he might win his first slam here;
coming into the quarter-final he held a 5-1 lead over Federer,
including a five-set victory here last year in the fourth round, and a
further slam win at last year's US Open.
Crucially Federer downed the obdurate Argentinian for the first time
at the end-of-season Tennis Masters Cup in Houston. Federer won that
tournament, in the process defeating Ferrero, Andy Roddick and Andre
Agassi, the latter twice, including the final. It was an enormous week
for the Swiss, and one that proved to him that his rightful place was
at the very top.
Having now beaten Lleyton Hewitt and Nalbandián in successive
rounds, Federer should be well and truly in the groove against
baseliners. However, Ferrero, who reached the final of last year's US
Open where he lost to Roddick, has a little more to his game than
either of the other two, notably his ability to hit searing winners off
either flank.
The Spaniard dealt efficiently enough with the gifted but
temperamentally volatile Arazi, yet he has both thighs protectively
strapped, and may lack the mobility needed to tackle Federer at his
best. And Federer's self-belief is growing with every win, a confidence
that liberates him to pursue the full range of his glorious stroke-play.
Against Nalbandián he knew he had to be slightly circumspect - "I
took too many chances against him in the past and that's why I lost".
But when the Argentinian cornered him in the first set at 5-5, forcing
two break points, Federer responded with four aces, then ripped apart
Nalbandián's service game.
It was never less than close, with Federer making more errors than
in his previous match against Hewitt. "I couldn't find my rhythm," he
complained, which had much to do with Nalbandián's cussed defence. The
difference between Federer now and Federer a year ago is that he has
learned to play his very best tennis when it most matters.
It is possible he may lose to Ferrero, who would then himself regain
the No1 spot. But if this should ha ppen, it would not prevent
everybody believing that the best player in the world was still the man
from Switzerland.
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