Defining the Swiss tennis maestro in 2010 – Part Two
World number two Roger Federer once again took a break for four weeks after the year’s final Grand Slam, the United States Open in New York back in September to come fresh in Dubai, his second home, and also to spend some time with his wife and twin daughters,
Charlene Riva and Myla Rose.
The Swiss tennis maestro made a comeback on the tour by competing at the Shanghai Rolex Masters in China. He did well to make his way into the finals after getting the better of Novak Djokovic from Serbia in the semis. In the title battle, the right hander,
however, was toppled by the number one Brit, Andy Murray in straight sets.
Just a few days later, Roger who turned professional in 1998, picked up his third crown of the season, lifting the If Stockholm Open on the very first occasion in his career. The next week, the Basel born also surpassed Pete Sampras’ record by lifting his
home town crown at the 2010 Swiss Indoors Basel men’s singles competition. Only three contenders have won more competitions in the Open Era namely, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl.
The Swiss native while commenting on his overall performance in 2010 reflected, “Compared to my best years, 2010 was not that great. It could have been better, but it could have been much worse. All except one player would be happy to get these results.
I am very positive that I can end the year on a high note at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London.”
When the 29-year-old Federer arrived at the Swiss Indoors in his former hometown Basel on the eleventh occasion in his career, more than eight thousand fans welcomed him by giving him a standing ovation prior to his opening match. The Swiss is in a class
of his own when it comes to fame in Switzerland.
The Fed Express claimed his fifth and final title of the season at the season finale Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London. It was his fifth elite eight man field trophy on the tour. He reached the finals without even dropping a single set and successfully
completed his tournament’s campaign with a title victory after beating the world number one Rafael Nadal in final. The score line was 6-3 3-6 6-1. The battle concluded in a time period of one hour and thirty seven minutes in London.
Thus, Roger’s not so perfect season ended on a high note with impressive performances over the last two months on the tour. Nadal, on the other hand, couldn’t manage to win his maiden title at the prestigious London event as he was overpowered by Federer
who proved too strong for him in the end.
Although, the World Tour Final’s title battle between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer never quite matched the heights of their previous encounter in London, Rafa’s epic 2008 grass court Grand Slam win, it showed without any question that the world number
two Roger Federer will be chasing hard on Nadal’s heels in 2011.
The right hander who has so far won a total of sixty six titles in his career was the first living man to appear on a Swiss stamp. He also received, “The Swiss of the Year” award by the Swiss TV-viewing public back in 2003, when Federer had just a single
major crown under his belt.
The 1.85 meters tall is one of the most famous and highly respected people in his country and has impressed a great variety of people from all ages and classes with his outstanding sporting aptitude. Despite of not having an ideal season on the tour, Roger
Federer is still satisfied with his performance and current form and is looking forward to once again start the 2011 by successfully defending his title in Melbourne.
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