Nadal gives Federer run for his money in finals
KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. – Roger Federer waited until late in the third set Sunday to unleash his most forceful forehand, raising the racket and slamming it to the hardcourt at his feet.
This was the winner of the ATP Tour sportsmanship award, on the ropes and pitching a fit in the final of the Nasdaq-100 Open.
The outburst seemed to help. Twice two points from defeat, the top-ranked Federer rallied for his fifth tournament title this year, beating 18-year-old Rafael Nadal 2-6, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (5), 6-3, 6-1.
“I was missing one opportunity after the other,” Federer said. “I really felt like I was climbing uphill all the time, and I just had enough. So I threw my racket hard. Maybe it did me good and I kind of woke up. Who knows?”
Facing the stylish Federer, Nadal showed up with a flashy outfit and game to match. He led 4-1 in the third set and 5-3 in the ensuing tiebreaker, but Federer’s shots became more accurate and aggressive as he overtook a tiring Nadal in the 3-hour, 43-minute marathon.
The performance by Nadal, the youngest men’s finalist in tournament history, was no fluke. The left-hander was a Davis Cup hero in Spain’s victory over the U.S. last December, and he’ll be among the favorites at this year’s French Open – and future major events as well.
“For me this was a big match,” Federer said, “because I know what a great player he will be one day.”
An upset would have been a streak-snapper: Federer has won 22 consecutive matches this year, and 18 consecutive finals since July 2003. Like Kim Clijsters, who beat Maria Sharapova in the women’s final Saturday, he earned his first Key Biscayne title.
“It was extremely close,” he said. “I consider myself lucky to get through.”
Wearing white clamdiggers, an orange sleeveless shirt and a white bandanna, the No. 29-seeded Nadal appeared ready for a day at the beach. And he made the match look like one at first.
The Spaniard’s deep groundstrokes with heavy topspin left Federer hitting balls chest high behind the baseline, and the result was a rash of mistakes by the four-time Grand Slam champion. He finished with 74 unforced errors.
Federer overcame a two-set deficit for the third time in his career. The five-setter was the tournament’s first since 1985, the year it began.
Federer improved to 32-1 this year, the best start on the men’s tour since John McEnroe was 39-0 in 1984. He’s 48-1 since the start of the U.S. Open, with his lone loss to Marat Safin in the Australian Open semifinals.
He earned $533,350 for this title and became the first top-seeded man to win the Key Biscayne championship since Pete Sampras in 1994. Nadal made $266,675.