Roger Federer has been working his way around this very complicated season. So perhaps this end of season win in the O2 Arena comes certainly as a big relief for the talented athlete. The season has been filled with ups and downs for the Swiss Maestro. He was brilliant at the Australian Open but things got very complicated in the other three Grand Slams. Federer was sent off before the French Open semifinals. Federer has always struggled in the clay courts of Roland Garros. What the fast paced courts of the Meadowlands in New York in the US Open is to Rafael Nadal, the clay courts in Paris where to Federer.
Federer then fell very early, in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. He had been the most prolific and succesful player in the grass courts of Wimbledon during the last decade. And yet this year he had failed to make it into the quarterfinals.
In the US Open, Federer played one of the most intense games ever against Novak Djokovik in the semifinals. He really couldn’t overcome the pressure, and saw how his early exit in the US Open gave Rafa Nadal his Career Grand Slam and assured the Spaniard his position atop the ATP professional rankings.
Federer was not capable of making it back to his best shape. He went on to hire a new coach and for a moment gave signs of a very significant improvement. But still it was not enough for the King of the Slams to get as competitive as the biggest tournaments required him to.
But on this game, it all went for Federer. Rafa was really not able to play a very strong match. Sure, he managed to push the game into a 3 set game, but as the game kept evolving, little by little, it seemed as if Rafa was growing tired by the minute. This was the 22nd match between the two players. Still, Federer proved that he was the strongest player in London. With a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, Federer won his 5th World Tour Finals on Sunday and kept on his dominance on this Round Robin, top 8 ranked player in the world, season finale championship. So, yes, not a bad ending for Federer.
Nadal had never made it into the finals of this tournament. But he had to pay his duties to get here. Nadal spent over three-hours to bring down Andy Murray and that was a bit too much to deal with, 24 hours before playing no other the Federer on the final. We have to be since with you guys here. It really seemed that at the end, Nadal just gave up a little. He knew that no matter whether he lost or win this game, he was going to walk his way into the next season sitting atop of the ATP rankings.
Nadal also knew that he had had one of the most extraordinary years any professional tennis player has ever had or even dreamed to have. Sure, Roger’s win would cut down Nadal and Federer’s personal record down to 14-8 for Nadal. But it didn’t matter much. Federer was just outstanding. He was almost flawless, he hit 92 percent of his first served plays and lost only 13 points on serve in the entire match.
That’s it for the season. It has been a great year in the ATP circuit. There has been room for some exciting upsets and many record breaking moments. But that’s it. We might have a new king. Its now a matter of time to see if Federer is going to make a comeback and reclaim what is his.
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