Federer Caps a Near-Perfect Year With Another Trophy
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
No tennis player matches up well against Roger Federer, but James Blake is at a bigger disadvantage than most. If Federer could construct an ideal opponent, he would play much like Blake: inconsistent first serve, flat strokes with lots of pace, and a tendency to commit errors by the bunch.
Against Blake, no ball bounces too high for Federer, and he rarely has to worry about extreme spin or off-speed shots. The result is fewer shanks, more winners (thanks in part to Blake’s power), and dazzling angles, like the down-the-line backhand winner Federer hit from outside doubles alley yesterday in a 6–0, 6–3, 6–4 victory in the final of the Masters Cup. Federer, no stranger to easy victories, can consider this one among the great drubbings of his career.
What a career it has been so far. This has been Federer’s best year, coming within one victory, in the French Open final, of producing the best season in the history of the game. Instead, he’ll have to settle for the best since 1969, when Rod Laver won all four Grand Slam titles, three of them on grass. Federer’s 2006 numbers are astonishing: a record of 92–5, 12 titles, three majors and the final of a fourth, his third Masters Cup, and a record $8.3 million in prize money. Federer is so far ahead in the rankings that if he decided to vacation until March, he would remain no. 1 in the world and break Jimmy Connors’s record for consecutive weeks on top (160).
All this in a year when, for the first time, Federer faced questions about his place among the greats. After an uninspiring French Open final, he had lost four matches to Rafael Nadal, three of them on clay, causing some (most famously Mats Wilander in Sports Illustrated) to question his resolve. When Federer swept the summer and fall, others said his dominance owed much to the lack of quality of his competition (see Goran Ivanisevic’s remarks in a fine article in the November 12 Houston Chronicle).
Neither argument is convincing. Federer showed plenty of grit last week, recovering from being a set down against David Nalbandian (last year’s winner), saving three match points against Andy Roddick, and outplaying Nadal in every facet of the game during Saturday’s semifinal. As for the rest of the field, they are not as bad as Federer often makes them look. The two most abused members of the group, Tommy Robredo and Nikolay Davydenko, are not superstars, but they are legitimate top 10 players.
The competition was not lacking last week. Federer was too good — and he can do better. This year alone his backhand, once a reliable source of errors, improved considerably, and his backhand volley, while not yet comparable to that of his part-time coach, Tony Roche, is increasingly crisp. He is more willing to take chances when returning serve, especially on the backhand, rather than settling for a chip or a block that merely gets the point moving.
Federer is only 25 years old; if he remains healthy, he could continue on this path for another three seasons, perhaps even four. In 2007 and 2008, he’ll have his best opportunities to win the French Open. If he does that, history will be his.
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A few closing thoughts on the last singles tournament of the year.
Rafael Nadal: After missing the Australian Open with a foot injury, Nadal got off to a fast start, defeating Federer in Dubai and barreling through the clay court season without losing a match. In Rome, he won the best match of the season, a five-hour, five-set gem against Federer in which he saved two match points. Most surprising of all, he reached the final of Wimbledon, taking a set from Federer. Nadal’s season seemed to stop there. He took a month off after Wimbledon, and when he returned to the hard courts, he was too eager to rely on his defensive skills. After two years on the tour, Nadal does nothing to surprise his rivals (all his victories last week were struggles). He’ll have to change that if he is going to succeed for years to come.
James Blake: Blake ends the year as the highest ranked American and the no. 4 player in the world, and there’s no reason to think he’ll fade next year. If he can improve his serve, and discard those down-in-the-dumps looks when trailing, he’ll continue to flourish.
Andy Roddick: Roddick finished the year strong, though it remains a mystery why it took Jimmy Connors to convince the 24-year-old American to play more aggressively and charge the net, as numerous other coaches have told him. Against David Nalbandian last week, Roddick perhaps followed this advice too closely (he often approached to the backhand, and Nalbandian made him pay). Roddick should have a good year next year, and would be a long-shot slam contender if Connors can teach him the finer points of returning serve.
David Nalbandian: Nalbandian had to cope with tragedy last week, after his 9-year-old godson was killed in an elevator accident in Argentina. He turns 25 on January 1 and has reached the point in his career where he needs to decide whether he’s going to work harder, or settle for near misses. He’ll lead Argentina in the Davis Cup final beginning December 1.
Ivan Ljubicic: The Croat has a great serve and backhand, but a terrible reputation in big tournaments. He reached a Grand Slam quarterfinal and semifinal this year, after failing to escape the third round in previous years. He’ll need to reach a final next year or risk finding himself beyond rehabilitation.
Nikolay Davydenko: The workhorse of the tour was denied the honor of having played more matches than anyone else. His 96 fell one short of Federer’s 97.