roger federer
Admit it. The 2008 tennis hard-court season was filled with enough drama to put the soaps to shame, as the press wondered aloud whether Roger Federer could retain his transitory hold on the No. 1 ranking. Soon the question became not “if” but “when” would Rafael Nadal overtake him.
It seemed more like a roadrunner vs. roadrunner contest with two winners and no losers in the race—except, in this case, the persistent press. The unrestrained tribe of sports reporters remained relentless in their pursuit of the event, hounding the hapless and unwilling participants—in this case Federer and Nadal.
Through it all, Roger’s fans thought the prospect of Nadal capturing the No. 1 mantle preposterous. Hard courts ranked right up there with grass as Roger’s surface of choice. Oops. Remember Wimbledon...
Hard courts were injurious to Nadal’s knees, they proposed. The Spaniard could not win on hard courts. Federer fans remained self-assured and confident. Roger would fight back against the challenge of the lefty Spaniard again.
In July of 2008, the hard court season began with a little-known French player, Gilles Simon, winning the Indianapolis Tennis Championships by upsetting the No. 3 seed Dmitry Tursunov, 6-4, 6-4. It marked the opening salvo in a breakout year for the 23-year-old Frenchman.
Then Juan Del Potro won his first hard court title at the LA Tennis Open, defeating Andy Roddick in the final. The 19-year-old Argentine had just finished capturing two clay titles. It would prove to be a breakout year for the young man from Argentina as well.
Next up was the Legg Mason Tennis Classic Tournament held in Washington, D.C. Del Potro again seized the trophy and his fourth straight ATP title. By conquering the hard court in D.C., Del Potro extended his winning streak to 19 matches. The man was sizzling.
But these tennis events were just warm-ups for the Masters Series Tournaments, where the race to see if Nadal could capture the No. 1 ranking was heating up. The rhetoric was intense as all wondered...could it happen—could Federer fall?
The action began in Canada. The Rogers Cup (not named for Roger Federer) was played in Toronto in 2008. It was Federer’s first tournament back after his devastating loss to Nadal at Wimbledon—the final to end all finals.
On top of dealing with the overwhelming loss of the Wimbledon crown, Federer now had to deal with the press nitpicking about the No. 1 ranking. Nadal was breathing down his neck, and the press made his life miserable, always questioning and commenting on the ranking.
The result was stunning. The tennis world sat bolt upright when Federer lost in the second round of the Rogers Cup to that pesky Frenchman, Gilles Simon. Simon made his way through the tournament, eventually falling to Nicolas Kiefer in the semifinals.
It was Nadal, however, who won this tournament, sending shock waves through the Federer camp. He was now within 300 points of the mighty Swiss, who had held the No. 1 ranking for 234 weeks.
Could Federer stem the tide? The next stop on the ATP tour was Cincinnati. The press salivated at the possible headlines. Would Nadal do it here?
The die was cast. Roger lost at Cincinnati to the giant Ivo Karolovic in the third round, 7-6, 7-6, without losing his serve. Nadal made it to the semifinals, where he lost to Novak Djokovic.
But the damage was done, and so was Federer. He would lose his No. 1 ranking after 237 weeks prior to the US Open. For the first time in many, many years, Roger Federer would be playing in a major where he was not the No. 1 seed.
In addition to this unending saga, 2008 was a crazy summer because it was also an Olympic year. In early August, the tennis world moved to Shanghai, where Roger hoped to win the Gold Medal.
In fact, he did win a gold medal, but it was for doubles with his esteemed partner and countryman Stanislas Wawrinka. Nadal won the gold medal for men’s singles.
When the tour finally moved to New York, indeed, Roger was seeded No. 2 at the bottom of the draw, and Nadal was the No. 1 seed. It was a departure of enormous proportions.
Not only had Roger Federer lost his No. 1 ranking, he had not won a major in all of 2008. Previously, he had won three majors each year for the past three years—all except the French Open.
When the Swiss express rolled into Grand Central Station, Federer had much riding on the outcome of the US Open Tennis Tournament.
Federer rose to the occasion. He powered his way to the final and faced Andy Murray, who had eliminated Nadal in the semifinals. When Federer won the US Open in 2008, he salvaged his hard court season and the year.
When the rest of the hard court season moved indoor, Federer continued to flounder, and he continued to trail Nadal, remaining No. 2.
What a difference a year makes! After winning the 2009 French Open and taking back the Wimbledon crown, Roger Federer heads into the hard court season of 2009 once again ranked No. 1. Nadal is ailing, and his knees continue to be suspect.
But he is only trailing Federer by a mere 485 points...could we be seeing a repeat of 2008? Rafael Nadal plans to return for the Rogers Cup in Montreal...who will be No. 1 by the end of the season? Stay tuned..
Admit it. The 2008 tennis hard-court season was filled with enough drama to put the soaps to shame, as the press wondered aloud whether Roger Federer could retain his transitory hold on the No. 1 ranking. Soon the question became not “if” but “when” would Rafael Nadal overtake him.
It seemed more like a roadrunner vs. roadrunner contest with two winners and no losers in the race—except, in this case, the persistent press. The unrestrained tribe of sports reporters remained relentless in their pursuit of the event, hounding the hapless and unwilling participants—in this case Federer and Nadal.
Through it all, Roger’s fans thought the prospect of Nadal capturing the No. 1 mantle preposterous. Hard courts ranked right up there with grass as Roger’s surface of choice. Oops. Remember Wimbledon...
Hard courts were injurious to Nadal’s knees, they proposed. The Spaniard could not win on hard courts. Federer fans remained self-assured and confident. Roger would fight back against the challenge of the lefty Spaniard again.
In July of 2008, the hard court season began with a little-known French player, Gilles Simon, winning the Indianapolis Tennis Championships by upsetting the No. 3 seed Dmitry Tursunov, 6-4, 6-4. It marked the opening salvo in a breakout year for the 23-year-old Frenchman.
Then Juan Del Potro won his first hard court title at the LA Tennis Open, defeating Andy Roddick in the final. The 19-year-old Argentine had just finished capturing two clay titles. It would prove to be a breakout year for the young man from Argentina as well.
Next up was the Legg Mason Tennis Classic Tournament held in Washington, D.C. Del Potro again seized the trophy and his fourth straight ATP title. By conquering the hard court in D.C., Del Potro extended his winning streak to 19 matches. The man was sizzling.
But these tennis events were just warm-ups for the Masters Series Tournaments, where the race to see if Nadal could capture the No. 1 ranking was heating up. The rhetoric was intense as all wondered...could it happen—could Federer fall?
The action began in Canada. The Rogers Cup (not named for Roger Federer) was played in Toronto in 2008. It was Federer’s first tournament back after his devastating loss to Nadal at Wimbledon—the final to end all finals.
On top of dealing with the overwhelming loss of the Wimbledon crown, Federer now had to deal with the press nitpicking about the No. 1 ranking. Nadal was breathing down his neck, and the press made his life miserable, always questioning and commenting on the ranking.
The result was stunning. The tennis world sat bolt upright when Federer lost in the second round of the Rogers Cup to that pesky Frenchman, Gilles Simon. Simon made his way through the tournament, eventually falling to Nicolas Kiefer in the semifinals.
It was Nadal, however, who won this tournament, sending shock waves through the Federer camp. He was now within 300 points of the mighty Swiss, who had held the No. 1 ranking for 234 weeks.
Could Federer stem the tide? The next stop on the ATP tour was Cincinnati. The press salivated at the possible headlines. Would Nadal do it here?
The die was cast. Roger lost at Cincinnati to the giant Ivo Karolovic in the third round, 7-6, 7-6, without losing his serve. Nadal made it to the semifinals, where he lost to Novak Djokovic.
But the damage was done, and so was Federer. He would lose his No. 1 ranking after 237 weeks prior to the US Open. For the first time in many, many years, Roger Federer would be playing in a major where he was not the No. 1 seed.
In addition to this unending saga, 2008 was a crazy summer because it was also an Olympic year. In early August, the tennis world moved to Shanghai, where Roger hoped to win the Gold Medal.
In fact, he did win a gold medal, but it was for doubles with his esteemed partner and countryman Stanislas Wawrinka. Nadal won the gold medal for men’s singles.
When the tour finally moved to New York, indeed, Roger was seeded No. 2 at the bottom of the draw, and Nadal was the No. 1 seed. It was a departure of enormous proportions.
Not only had Roger Federer lost his No. 1 ranking, he had not won a major in all of 2008. Previously, he had won three majors each year for the past three years—all except the French Open.
When the Swiss express rolled into Grand Central Station, Federer had much riding on the outcome of the US Open Tennis Tournament.
Federer rose to the occasion. He powered his way to the final and faced Andy Murray, who had eliminated Nadal in the semifinals. When Federer won the US Open in 2008, he salvaged his hard court season and the year.
When the rest of the hard court season moved indoor, Federer continued to flounder, and he continued to trail Nadal, remaining No. 2.
What a difference a year makes! After winning the 2009 French Open and taking back the Wimbledon crown, Roger Federer heads into the hard court season of 2009 once again ranked No. 1. Nadal is ailing, and his knees continue to be suspect.
But he is only trailing Federer by a mere 485 points...could we be seeing a repeat of 2008? Rafael Nadal plans to return for the Rogers Cup in Montreal...who will be No. 1 by the end of the season? Stay tuned..
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