Miami 2016: Roger Federer is scheduled to play Juan Martin
Del Potro but pulls out due to an illness.
A year on, the 2 are
in red hot form and fans at Crandon Park will be treated to a marquee matchup
in the 3rd round itself.
Federer, the Australian Open and Indian Wells Champion, will
go up against Juan Martin Del Potro who is on red hot form this year and has
only been beaten by Novak Djokovic (both matches were 3 setters) and Milos
Raonic.
In anticipation of this clash (their first since the ATP
World Tour Finals in 2013) let’s look back at two of the legendary battles
between these two.
U.S. Open Final 2009
Del Potro beat Roger Federer 3-6 7-6(4) 4-6 7-6(4) 6-2
The match was their 3rd meeting in a Grand Slam
that year. Roger Federer had comprehensively destroyed Del Potro at the
Australian Open and once again dispatched of the same opponent en route his one
and only win at Roland Garros.
Federer won the first set at Flushing Meadows and was leading
in the second set before he uncharacteristically lost his cool over Del Potro
being allowed to challenge a call after 10 seconds. He ended up losing the 2nd
set in a tie break but recovered to win the 3rd.
What came next was an exhibition of brutal hitting from the
Tower of Tandil who won the next 2 sets and ensured Federer was not holding 3
consecutive Grand Slams on 3 different surfaces for the first time.
London Olympics 2012
Roger Federer beat Del Potro 3-6 7-6(5) 19-17
Federer was aiming to complete the Wimbledon and Olympic
double which he said he would do when it was announced that The All England
Lawn Tennis and Croquet club would be the host for the Tennis event of the
Olympics. He reached the semis (the same stage he had lost at in 2000 and went
on to lose the Bronze Medal match as well) He didn’t want to be a part of the
bronze match again. Roger Federer lost the first set 3-6. He launched a
comeback from 1 set down and took the 2nd 7-6. The third set
shattered records and lasted 2 hours and 43 minutes. The match of 4 hours 26
minutes was half an hour longer than the previous Olympic Singles match and
broke the record for the longest 3 setter in the Open Era. Federer won the
decider 19-17 and advanced to the Olympic Final (the effort drained him out and
he lost the final convincingly but at least with the win, he was assured of a
medal)
Honourable mentions:
Federer beat Del Potro 3-6 7-6(2) 2-6 6-1 6-4 at the French
Open 2009
Federer had to come back from 2 sets to one down to win the
match and enter his fourth consecutive French Open Final.
Del Potro beat Federer 6-4 6-7(5) 7-6(4) at Basel in 2012
Their last 7 matches have all gone to a decider and expect
nothing different.
No comments:
Post a Comment