Roger Federer topples Tomas Berdych to grab title – Mutua Madrid Open 2012
Swiss tennis legend, Roger Federer, grabbed his record levelling 20th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title by beating Tomas Berdych of Czech Republic in three sets 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 in the Mutua Madrid Open final in Spain on
Sunday. Federer needed two hours and 38 minutes to undo Berdych in a hard fought contest.
With this win, the Swiss Maestro also returned to the number two position in the ATP World Rankings, surpassing Rafael Nadal of Spain. Federer continued with his amazing run of form, as he has compiled a win/loss record of 45-3
since getting down at the hands of reigning world number one, Novak Djokovic, in the US Open semi-finals.
Berdych made an ideal start, as he allowed Federer to claim just four points in the first three games, racing to a 3-0 lead. The Czech sustained his advantage till the end of the opening set, sealing it 6-3.
In the second set, Federer responded in the same manner by winning opening three games and moving ahead 3-0. Berdych broke back in the ninth and held his following serve to level the score at 5-5. The Swiss Maestro struck final
blow in the 12th game to triumph 7-5.
In contrast to the first two sets, Federer and Berdych started steadily in the decider, holding their serve in the first seven games to take the score to 4-3 in the former’s favour. The Swiss star hit a blow in the ninth but failed
to serve out the match, losing two in a row to even it out at 5-5. However, it was Federer who had the last laugh, grabbing two consecutive games to close it 7-5.
Talking to the reporters after in the post match press conference, the Swiss legend said, “I was worried about getting through the first round and was not even thinking about who was going to be my second round opponent. I was
very realistic coming into this event. Confidence is coming back. I was away and it didn’t take much for me to get my confidence back, especially now that I’ve been playing so well for the past nine months."
He added, "It’s been a great spell and I couldn’t be more happy right now coming off a break winning right away. It’s always an ideal scenario for what’s to come."
This was Federer’s fourth title of the season, winning his previous crowns at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship and BNP Paribas Open.
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