Can Roger Federer win his sixth US Open title? (Part Two) - Tennis Special
This second part of the two series articles on Roger Federer’s chances of winning his sixth US Open title discusses his past performance at the fourth and last Grand Slam of the tennis season and his recent form.
Federer won Wimbledon and US Open titles side-by-side from 2004 to 2008. He dominated these two Majors in a way that as soon as second half of the season started, his fans used to get sure that their favourite player would have
two more Grand Slams under his belt at the end.
However, after losing to Federer in the previous two Wimbledon Finals, Nadal dethroned the Swiss Maestro from his reign at the All England Club. That was a shocking loss for Federer and his fans, as the Swiss star had developed
a situation where it looked like only he could win that title. As soon as Federer lost his Wimbledon crown, tennis followers started to doubt his chances of retaining his US Open title.
However, Federer rose to the occasion and defeated British number one, Andy Murray, in straight sets to win his fifth US Open crown in 2008. This was only for the first time in the history of tennis that a player had won two different
Grand Slams for five straight years.
The Swiss start was relieved, as he had also silenced his critics. Talking to the media after his triumph, Federer said, "It definitely feels great. This is a very special moment in my career. I had a couple of tough grand slams
this year ... so to take this home is incredible. It means the world to me."
However, that was the last time when Federer won the US Open. The right-hander was so close to winning his sixth title but he was stunned by Argentina’s Juan Martin Del Potro in five sets 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-7(4), 2-6 in the 2009
final. Federer had the two set to one lead but was unable to win the third one.
The Basel, Switzerland resident lost to Novak Djokovic of Serbian in the last two semi-finals, after squandering match points in both of the matches. This shows that the five-time former champion never got far away from winning
title in the last three years.
After losing last year’s semi-final, Federer said about Djokovic, “He was mentally out of it, already, and just gets the lucky shot. Snaps one shot, and then the whole thing changes. I should have won here, it was just one of those
matches, I set it all up perfect but I couldn’t finish it. The sport, it’s very cruel and tough sometimes.”
Though, Federer was confident even after the loss and his comments proved that the legend would bounce back. He added, “I’ve always been successful here. I don’t think I’ve ever played a bad U.S. Open.”
Now in 2012, Federer is on the top of the tennis world once again. He remained away from the top ranking for two years but defeated Murray in the Wimbledon final in July to get back to the top spot.
Before Wimbledon, Federer had failed to win any Major title for more than two years and his critics had started to say once again that his ability to win Grand Slams has vanished but the legend rose again, capturing his 17th
one.
Federer’s superb performance during the winter hard court season helped him to get to his current position, which further cements his favourite tag at the US Open.
Keeping in view his current form and fitness level, Federer should be able to win his sixth title at the Flushing Meadows this year.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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