Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on Clay: A Reversal of Tennis Fortunes

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: April 12, 2010

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The 2009 season did not begin well for the man from Switzerland, Roger Federer.

He made headlines after the Australian Open, but not because he won—because he cried a river after his loss. As did his fans.

He did everything better than Rafael Nadal except win the big points when it mattered, losing 5-7, 6-3, 6-7, 6-3, 2-6. His tears were out of frustration and anger at himself when he felt the match should have been his.

Federer understandably started the year under pressure—recovering from a back injury suffered in the waning months of 2008.

In the early moments of '09, the World No. 2 lost in the semifinals at Abu Dhabi to Andy Murray. Then he lost again to Murray in the semifinals at Doha. Finally he captured a win in the finals over Stanislav Wawrinka at the exhibition in Kooyong just prior to the Australian Open.

During the lead-up matches to the finals of the 2009 Australian Open, Federer played well enough. He defeated his early opponents in straight sets. In the fourth round he came back from two sets down to defeat Tomas Berdych in five sets. Then he took out both Juan Martin del Potro and Andy Roddick, respectively, in the quarterfinals and semifinals to reach the championship match, where Nadal awaited.

After he lost the 2009 Aussie Open final, Federer blamed his erratic first serve for his loss; up until the final, though, the Swiss maestro appeared to be hitting the ball well. Regardless, he left Australia distraught over this lost opportunity. A win would have pulled him equal to Pete Sampras’ record of 14 Grand Slam titles.

Feeling he needed additional time to heal from his back injury and as a further precaution, Federer decided to withdraw from Dubai and a much-anticipated Davis Cup tie with the United States.

Later, Federer arrived in the United States for the two mandatory hardcourt Masters Series tournaments. The World No. 2 played bo...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis

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