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TENNIS

Wawrinka claims year’s fourth title in Tokyo

Switzerland's Stan Wawrinka won the Japan Open on Sunday after thrashing Frenchman Benoit Paire 6-2, 6-4 to capture his fourth title of the year.

Wawrinka claims year's fourth title in Tokyo
Photo: Toru Yamanaka/AFP

French Open champion Wawrinka took just 65 minutes to complete victory in Tokyo with Paire, who underwent a scan on his left ankle before the final and needed pain-killing injections to play, clearly in discomfort.
   
“It feels really great, it's been a special week,” said Wawrinka, sporting a red “Stan the Man” T-shirt and snapping selfies with the silver trophy.
   
“I took my time to get to the top but once I get somewhere, I stay,” added the Lausanne native after winning his 11th career title.

“Once I started to beat the top guys and win trophies, I got the confidence to know I can do it. But four in one year is amazing.”
   
Wawrinka, the top seeded player in the tournament, quickly found his groove and fierce pressure earned him a break for 4-2 in the first set.

The world number four pressed home his advantage with a thumping crosscourt forehand which wrong-footed his close friend Paire.
   
With little left in the tank after toppling defending champion Kei Nishikori in Saturday's semi-finals, Paire took a tumble early in the second set but gamely battled on despite being obviously in pain.
   
The “lucky” sneakers held together by tape he wore in his win over Nishikori granted Paire no such mystical powers against Wawrinka as he looked to become the first Swiss to win the Japan Open since Roger Federer in 2006.
   
Several times Wawrinka's dipping one-handed backhand, one of the most potent weapons in men's tennis, whistled past a grimacing Paire, whose brave resistance finally ended when he coughed up a double-fault on match point.
   
Wawrinka, who is a perfect 4-0 in finals this year and is one of four players — along with Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Federer — already qualified for next month's season-ending ATP Tour Finals in London, confessed to having mixed feelings after his victory.
   
“I knew before the match Benoit was struggling a little bit physically,” said Wawrinka.

“But I played my best tennis. I played very aggressive and kept him on the back foot.”
   
Paire, meanwhile, has pulled out of next week's Shanghai Masters event because of his injury.
   
“When I woke up today I couldn't walk,” said the Frenchman, projected to rise from 32 to around 25 in the world rankings following his fine Tokyo run after finishing an injury-hit 2014 season at 118th.
   
“An hour before the match I wasn't sure I could play. I had injections in my ankle and just couldn't feel anything.
   
“It's tough to move when you don't feel your feet,” he added.

“But I gave everything I could give. I lost to my best friend so I'm not really sad.”

Meanwhile, at the women's China Open in Beijing, Switzerland's Timea Bacsinszky lost in the final to Spain's Garbine Muguruza, 7-5, 6-4.

Bacsinszky's strong performance in the tournament, however, means she will jump into the top ten WTA rankings from 17th.

The tournament marked her fourth final appearance this year, including two wins in Acapulco and Monterrey. 

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ROGER FEDERER

Is this the end of the road for Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer?

Roger Federer is talking optimistically about returning to his "highest level" after knee surgery, but does tennis have to start adjusting to a future without the Swiss star?

Is this the end of the road for Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer?
Is it the end of the line for Roger? Photo: Martin BUREAU / AFP

The 20-time Grand Slam winner announced on Wednesday that he would be sidelined until 2021 after his second operation in a matter of months.

Federer remains upbeat, tweeting: “I plan to take the necessary time to be 100 percent ready to play at my highest level.”

In some ways 2020 is a good season to miss after the coronavirus ravaged the tennis schedule. Writing Federer off in the past has proved dangerous.

He returned from a six-month injury lay-off to claim the Australian Open in 2017, winning his eighth Wimbledon crown later that year.

But he will be 40 in 2021 and is now heading into uncharted territory.

Despite his groaning trophy cabinet, there are two factors that will motivate Federer to keep going — the risk of losing his grip on the men's Grand Slam title record and a missing Olympics singles gold medal.

Rafael Nadal has 19 majors, just one shy of Federer's mark and Djokovic has 17.

Spain's Nadal will be fancied to draw level with Federer at the French Open, rescheduled for September, while few would bet against Djokovic winning in New York weeks earlier.

In April, Federer said he was “devastated” when Wimbledon was cancelled for the first time since World War II. Last year he fell agonisingly short at the All England Club, failing to convert two championship points on his own serve against Djokovic.

The Wimbledon grass probably remains his best chance of adding to his Grand Slam collection — he has not won the US Open since 2008 and his only title at Roland Garros came in 2009.

Even though Federer has slipped from the very pinnacle of the game, he is still a major threat to Nadal and Djokovic.

'Golden' ambitions

Last year, the world number four had a 53-10 win-loss record and he reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open in January in his only tournament this year.

Federer, who is still six ATP titles short of Jimmy Connors' all-time record of 109, has one glaring omission from his CV — the Olympic title.

The Swiss won doubles gold in Beijing in 2008 with compatriot Stan Wawrinka but lost in the singles final to Andy Murray in London four years later.

The postponed Tokyo Games will almost certainly be Federer's last opportunity to complete a career “golden” Grand Slam — he will turn 40 on the day of the closing ceremony next year.

Tennis will feel the loss of the elegant Federer keenly when he walks off the court for the last time.

Djokovic and Nadal have been the dominant forces in recent years but the Swiss remains the biggest draw and last month topped Forbes' list of the world's highest-earning athletes.

His last appearance on court was in front of nearly 52,000 fans — touted by organisers as a world record for tennis — at a charity match against Nadal in Cape Town in February.

Federer is nearly always the crowd favourite wherever he plays and has proved a perfect ambassador for the sport since he won his first Grand Slam title in 2003.

He certainly expects to be back and competitive next year.

“I will be missing my fans and the tour dearly but I will look forward to seeing everyone back on tour at the start of the 2021 season,” he tweeted.

The avalanche of support from his adoring fans showed they would miss him too, but they will have to get used to a time when he is gone for good.

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