|
November 19, 2007
Federer Is, Once Again, In a Class All His Own
By Tom Perrotta, New York Sun
SHANGHAI, China — Roger Federer hasn't had to prove himself for
a while now. He's won 12 major titles and 53 titles in total. No one
has stayed at the top of tennis for as many consecutive weeks. No one
has earned more prize money in a season. No one has dominated both
Wimbledon and the U.S. Open so thoroughly. And no one has possessed so
many shots and so much mental fortitude.
But this week in Shanghai, where Federer won the season-ending
Masters Cup over David Ferrer, 6–2, 6–3, 6–2, Federer acted as if he
wanted to show us something a little extra — something to end the talk
about whether a few men on the tour, namely Rafael Nadal, 21, and Novak
Djokovic, 20, were closing in on him. Something to let everyone know he
is fully in his prime and intends to remain there for a while yet. For
the rest of the field, it's a scary thought.
"It was a nice victory, especially proving it to myself and to the
world, you know, that I can do it over and over again," he said.
After arriving here on the heels of two consecutive losses to an old
nemesis, David Nalbandian, Federer started slowly, losing his first
match to the erratic Fernando Gonzalez. Gonzalez didn't win another
match. Federer didn't lose another set and polished off three top
opponents — Andy Roddick (6–4, 6–2), Nadal (6–4, 6–1), and this week's
human highlight reel, Ferrer — as if they were lowly first-round
qualifiers, not three of the best players in the world. It took Federer
less than four hours to go from so-so, with a 1–1 record before his
match against Roddick, to superior. The Masters Cup title is his for a
fourth time; only Pete Sampras and Ivan Lendl have won five.
This was some finishing kick from the best player in the world, a
perfect ending to a season that, despite a few worrisome moments —
consecutive losses to lower ranked opponents and a loss in the French
Open final, which in truth is hardly a worry when Nadal is on the other
side of the net — brought Federer three major titles and the
season-ending championships. Tennis has five big events. Federer won
four of them. Though he won fewer titles overall, he suggested that a
lower total is the inevitable result of having priorities.
"It's been in some ways a breakthrough year for me," Federer said.
"Beating Nadal for the first time on clay. I've beaten my closest
rivals, Nadal and Djokovic, more times than they've beaten me. Maybe I
didn't win 10 titles, but it's not necessary to stay no. 1 in the world
all the time. If I keep this level of play up, I'm in a great position
for next year as well."
The Wimbledon final against Nadal was Federer's best match of the
year, probably the best of his career. But in the last days of this
tournament, he found a form he hadn't found since the Australian Open,
which he won without losing a set. Roddick and Nadal could only hang
with Federer for an hour (in one stretch, Nadal lost 14 consecutive
points and 19 of 20). Yesterday evening in Shanghai, Federer gave
Ferrer a dose of the same poison, breaking open the match early in the
first set — 11 straight points in one stretch — and never looking back.
Ferrer, given the benefit of an extra set (the final was best of five)
forced Federer to play (or practice?) for an hour and 38 minutes.
Ferrer's legs had won him four matches leading up to the final, but
he couldn't run enough for Federer, who now holds an 8–0 record against
the Spaniard. After Ferrer defeated Roddick in the semifinals, Roddick
said he hadn't seen anyone move the way Ferrer does. Federer moves
better. He might not be as fast, but his anticipation is such that
every step looks effortless. On several occasions in the final, Ferrer
looked stunned that Federer not only had a reply for a sharp angle, but
that said reply had such power and precision. Federer's volleys were
crisp, his slice backhands deep and low to the ground. He served
something close to perfection as the tournament concluded, more than
80% on first serves against both Roddick and Nadal. Among his many
clinical performances, these last three days have to rate very near the
top.
"[He's] for me the best of the history," Ferrer said. "Maybe I play
with a little bit nervous, but him do it all, no? Serve, volley, slice.
It's very difficult."
Difficult indeed, especially when there's an important title on the
line. Federer's record in finals now stands at 53–17, or 76%. He's 12–2
in Grand Slam finals and 4–1 in Masters Cup finals. He's more confident
against Nadal, his most difficult opponent, now than ever before. Based
on Djokovic's performances of late, there's still a long way for the
Serb to go before he can make good on a major title, as he had the
chance to do at the U.S. Open. Federer may lose more matches in coming
years. But is there anyone who can beat him when it matters most? So
far, only Nadal has done it, and even then only on clay.
There's one opponent left this season, of course: Pete Sampras,
whose record of 14 major titles is within Federer's reach. Federer
leaves today for three exhibitions against Sampras in Seoul, Kuala
Lumpur, and Macau. The one time they met on the tour, at Wimbledon in
2001, Federer won a five-set match that he has called the most
memorable of his career. He said he didn't plan on showing one of his
idols any mercy now that no title is on the line.
"I'm happy I played well this week, so hopefully I can carry that
over to next week and beat him not just once but three times," he said
with a smile. Look out, Pete. He's closing in.
|
