Roger Federer: Humiliated and Helpless in Landmark Loss to Rafa Nadal

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: April 2, 2011

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Roger Federer's humiliating defeat to Rafael Nadal Friday night was a bit shocking for a few different reasons.  Of course, the beatdown on the court was jarring enough as Nadal destroyed Fed, 6-3, 6-2. 

But, the largest jolt, for me, was watching how Federer lost that awful second set.  I've never seen Federer essentially "lose it" on the court like that.  I don't mean "lose his temper," but, rather, lose his confidence and concentration to the extent that he did.  He hit many shots WAY beyond the baseline.  He hit many shots into the net.  He hit a few volleys right back toward Nadal rather than angling them for winners.  He even missed an opportunity to hit an important forehand — an easy, playable shot — in the ninth game of the first set by shanking it into the stands.

I got the sense that Federer was feeling so totally frustrated, that, unlike in the past, it impacted his game significantly.  His attitude contributed to his poor play.  He was psyched out by Nadal, but, then, as he began to play worse and worse, he seemed to grow more rattled and played even worse as the match winded down.  He often appeared to be just going through the motions.  He certainly didn't seem "determined" and "eager" to win.  No, he seemed deflated, and, for a change, he couldn't hide it.

It was as if Federer was holding up a poster that said:  "I don't know how to beat this guy and I'm really sick of it, so, I'm just waiting for this match to end."

Federer looked so helpless toward the end, I was reminded of how helpless another favorite champion of mine, Muhammad Ali,had looked at the end of his boxing career in 1980 against Larry Holmes. Ali had taken some medication that weakened him that night and he stood on the ropes as Holmes pummeled him.  He couldn't do anything to fight back and he knew it.  Like Roger di...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis

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