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TENNIS

Swiss star Federer battles into quarters at the Shanghai Masters

Roger Federer said that he did not want to lose in front of his young family as he was pushed all the way for the second match in a row at the Shanghai Masters on October 11th.

Published: 12 October 2018 11:15 CEST
Swiss star Federer battles into quarters at the Shanghai Masters
Roger Federer reacts after a point against Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain during their third round match at the Shanghai Masters. Photo: Johannes Eisele/AFP.

The reigning champion squeezed into the quarter-finals after eventually defeating the 28th-ranked Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut 6-3, 2-6, 6-4. The top seed will play Japan's eighth seed Kei Nishikori, while Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev are also through, albeit with far less hassle.

The 37-year-old Swiss great was forced to fight in his opening match on Wednesday against Russia's Daniil Medvedev.

Normal order appeared to have been restored when the 20-time Grand Slam champion comfortably claimed the first set against Bautista Agut. But the Spaniard earned a piece of personal history after that, winning the second set — the first time he had taken a set against the Swiss maestro. The 30-year-old Bautista Agut had the whiff of an upset in his nostrils and the prospect of a first victory over the Swiss at the eighth attempt.

But in the ninth game of the deciding set, Federer made the breakthrough on his opponent's serve, pumping his fist as another hard-won victory loomed into view.

Federer's wife Mirka and their four children were in the arena and he said afterwards: “I'm not sure if they give me more courage fighting on court, but they were here today. I was telling myself, particularly tonight I cannot do this (lose) because they were there, but I don't know how much I draw from that, quite honestly.”

Federer said that two stern encounters had set him up nicely for Nishikori on Friday. “I hope it's going to help me that I played against Medvedev and also Bautista Agut, two really good baseliners. “From that standpoint, I feel like I found a rhythm.”

Delpo injury woe

One player who will not be in the quarter-finals is Juan Martin del Potro after he hobbled out of the tournament. The Argentine world number four, who had already been suffering with a virus, lost his footing at 5-5 in the first set against Croatia's Borna Coric.

The 30-year-old Del Potro had lengthy treatment and strapping put on his knee, but conceded the match after losing the first set 7-5. Coric, the 13th seed, faces Australia's unseeded Matthew Ebden next.

Second seed Djokovic enjoyed a measure of revenge as he booked his spot in the quarter-finals with a 6-4, 6-0 demolition of Marco Cecchinato. 

The Serbian was stunned by the Italian — ranked 72 in the world at the time — in the French Open quarter-finals earlier this year. It was part of a wretched run of form Djokovic suffered after elbow surgery in February. But he exploded back to life mid-season, winning Wimbledon, the Cincinnati Masters and US Open.

The 31-year-old says he is back close to the kind of blistering form that has brought him 14 Grand Slams. Djokovic will play South Africa's seventh seed Kevin Anderson and said he was arrowing in on Rafael Nadal's top ranking. The Spaniard is not in Shanghai due to injury.

“Obviously, I'm going to try to do everything I can to get to number one,” said Djokovic. “That's one of the — probably the — biggest goal of the end of the season.”

Rising star Zverev was similarly emphatic as he brushed aside Australian teenager Alex de Minaur, 6-1, 6-4. The German fourth seed will next play 11th seed Kyle Edmund.

READ MORE: Swiss tennis star Federer warns rivals he is ready for Shanghai Masters title defence

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?

Published: 11 June 2020 16:22 CEST
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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