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July 7, 2007
Roger uses licence to thrill after tricky start
By Ivan Speck, Daily Mail
The Man with the
Golden Racket needed
the help of a special
agent on Centre Court
against Juan Carlos
Ferrero yesterday.
To say that Roger Federer was
floundering, having lost the second
set, would be a tad dismissive of
the Swiss Meister's capacity for
extricating himself from tricky
situations. But there was no denying
the timing or the source of the
transformation which carried him
into a fifth successive Wimbledon
semi-final.
On serve, early in the third set,
Federer was being matched by the dogged Ferrero, whose cat-like
scampering around the court was
allied to groundstrokes that were
the basis of his French Open triumph
four years ago. For the first
time this fortnight, inspiration was
lacking in the world No 1.
Enter, stage right, Pierce Brosnan
returning to his seat in the Royal
Box. In a trice, Federer reverted to
James Bond mode, used his licence
to thrill and swatted away the baddie
on the other side of the net with
ridiculous ease.
He had been clearly shaken but
not stirred. Less than an hour later
a 7-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-3 victory was his
and he was on his way out of the All
England Club by the time his
prospective semi-final opponents,
Andy Roddick and Richard
Gasquet, were walking on to No 1
Court to begin their match.
It was nothing less than we should expect
from a superhero.
With his suave delivery and selfassurance,
the four-time Wimbledon
champion was every bit as
smooth as he defended his employers,
er, hosts, the All England Club,
against the criticism from other
players, including arch rival Rafael
Nadal, that play should have gone
ahead last Sunday because of the
rain.
Federer said: "I don't think it's
really the right way to go after the
tournament. Wimbledon has raised
prize money. They're building a
new roof over Centre Court. They
built the Millennium Building in
2000. We're not upset when they do
those things. When it rains once
and we have a scheduling problem,
I don't think we should start going
after the club right away. I disagree
with what the players said."
Never someone afraid to stand
apart, James Bond could not have
put it better.
So is there an anti-hero out there
who can prevent the Swiss star
equalling Bjorn Borg's record
of five successive Wimbledon
triumphs in front of the Swede
tomorrow afternoon?
There is certainly no one who can
match the relaxed preparation that
Federer enjoyed while all around
were waiting for the rain clouds to
clear since last Friday.
Typically
untroubled by the elements which
affected lesser mortals, a light cold
notwithstanding, Roger's week had
been a serene stroll through some
of life's gentler activities.
"I was waiting like all the other
guys but instead of being in the
locker room, I was at home which
was a bit more cosy. I went to the
city once or twice. Went to the hairdresser.
Watched movies. Played
cards. Hung out. My mum went
home to Switzerland after the Safin
match and came back on
Wednesday. She didn't miss a thing."
Even James Bond's mum isn't that
cool.
Having been stranded at 5-5,
40-40 overnight, Federer eased his
way to a tiebreak and kept the ball
in play while Ferrero struggled to
find his range. Normal service
resumed, we thought.
Not so. The Spaniard played his
role to perfection, foiling our hero
at every turn while the 15,000
spectators slapped on their shades
and sun hats. Suddenly, the
strawberries and suncream pre-Wimbledon motif to this year's
Championships did not seem quite
so absurd.
Out of nowhere Ferrero levelled
the match, serving more forcefully
than he does on clay and surprising
Federer with the tactic.
Something had to be done. Enter
007 in the Royal Box and his alter
ego with the Nike headband on the
court. Suddenly, Ferrero was
swamped with shots fizzing at him
from every which way.
The Swiss
Meister unleashed the secret gadget
which Q had furnished him for
just such a difficult occasion — an
imperious backhand that struck
winner after winner past his tottering
opponent.
For comic relief, Federer fluffed a
serve so ridiculously at set point
that the ball floated on the wind
and plopped down close to the
baseline. Only Ferrero, the fall guy,
wasn't laughing.
A final, wickedly sliced backhand
on to the sideline and a whipped
forehand pass and the baddie was
beaten.
Pierce Brosnan rose in admiration.
It takes a superhero to recognise
one.
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