Roger Federer Wins 20th Career Masters 1000 Title, Returns To No. 2 Ranking – Highlights/Interview [Video]

Too bad, Raonic is out of Rome.

Who can stop Rafa ?

I think Federer’s No.2 ranking will be short lived.

May 13th, 2012 at 3:15 pm

Roger winning is no great surprise, especially on a slippery surface where he can glide around…the shocker was watching Rafa choke.

Nole has always been a little suspect but I wasn’t expecting Rafa to gift a match.

Well done Roger

May 13th, 2012 at 3:16 pm

Federer now depends on Nole to beat Rafa to hold on to his ranking.

Go Nole.

May 13th, 2012 at 3:17 pm

Damn. I was looking forward to watching Raonic show Nadal the exit in Rome.

May 13th, 2012 at 3:28 pm

nice win roger…the three setters against berdych lately have been close and this one was as well. usually you can count on a brain fart or two from berdych and he didn’t disappoint today. but nice to see a tight match instead of a blow out, no matter who wins.

May 13th, 2012 at 3:52 pm

From now on, all tennis must be played on slippery blue clay courts so that the Arrogant One can maintain his #2 ranking.

May 13th, 2012 at 3:54 pm

BTW have to say how adorable Rogers twin daughters are,in there pigtails and spotty dresses,growing up so fast,sooo cute.

May 13th, 2012 at 4:00 pm

very happy roger won today, but i too, fear his #2 ranking will be shortlived. sure would love 2c roger win a major. raonic get knocked out?? i was curious 2c how nadal would have played him, although i do think nadal would have won if they had played. i am not a nadal or djokovic fan so i hope someone other than those 2 make it to the final in rome, although me thinks nadal will win it. hope federers up to playing in rome. federer has won 2/1000 tournaments. now if only he can get a major win, that would be quite an accomplishment.

May 13th, 2012 at 4:10 pm

For All Fed Lovers a must see!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eImxTIh0JE

Celebrate in style!

May 13th, 2012 at 4:25 pm

It will cause a War with Nadal fans, but I find it Hilarious.

May 13th, 2012 at 4:26 pm

I hope Fed plays Rome though. Hes got a relatively easy draw this time round and he needs to give himself a chance to maintain the no.2 rank till the French.

May 13th, 2012 at 4:47 pm

With Berdych needing to hold to stay in contention at 6-5 down and tension mounting, Federer conjured another break, converting his fourth match point when the world number seven netted a forehand.

The statistics show how evenly matched the pair were, with Federer hitting 44 winners to Berdych’s 42 and the Czech making 27 unforced errors to Federer’s 30. The Swiss won 103 points to his opponent’s 101.

Ad Feedback “On one side right now I’m upset that I lost the final but in a couple of hours I am going to see it in the positive way that I made a great week and beat a lot of good guys,” Berdych told a news conference.

“It was just about a few points and I think Roger’s experience won through today.

“One thing I am sad that I was not able to beat him but the other one is that losing to him is something special.

“He just showed what a great champion he is that playing in the conditions that were here he was able to win the title.”

It was a really, really tight match.

I don’t think it is going to make that much difference to be honest about being no.2 or no.3 to Federer.

He seems pretty laid back about it to me. If he is even thinking of not playing Rome, means he is sort of happy at where he is at and has his eye on the bigger prizes this year.

Listen to the coach I think.

May 13th, 2012 at 5:18 pm

Fed SHOULD play Rome IMHO- NOT for the ranking BUT if he is serious about RG he CANNOT go there with just playing Madrid as a warmup!

May 13th, 2012 at 5:27 pm

As Rahul wrote, Federer has a pretty fine draw in Rome and if he plays I would be shocked to see him not make the semis at least.

Unless he is harbouring an injury that he needs to rest up before Roland Garros I will be equally shocked if he does not show up to compete in Rome – here is why:

1) For FEDERER, to retain #2 prior to Roland Garros, EVEN IF NADAL WINS ROME, he (Fed) has to reach the Rome final. If he fails to reach the final of Rome, he will still be #2 if Nadal does not go further than Federer in the Italian tournament.

1a) Here is the math on the above –

Nadal now has 9705 with Madrid added on but tomorrow he loses last year’s runner up points from Rome which is 600 points. So on Monday he will have 9105 points.

Fed has 9520 points with Madrid added on and he only loses 90 points from his loss last year in the third round of Rome, so he will have 9430 points and he will move up to 2nd spot.

Now, this week someone gets 1000 for winning Rome, someone 600 points for losing in the final and two players get 340 points for a semi-final appearance. So – in scenarios affecting the #2 – #3 outcome –

NADAL wins ROME, beating FEDERER, will give Federer 10,030 points and Nadal 10,105. Nadal regains #2 spot.

If FEDERER wins ROME he will have 10,430 points and clearly will still be in the #2 spot.

If DJOKOVIC wins ROME, defeating both Federer in the semis and Nadal in the finals Federer will have 9,770 points and Nadal will have 9705 points. In this case Federer would stay at #2.

The bottom line is that Nadal needs to collect 330 more points than Federer gets in the tournament in ROME to overtake him and regain the #2 spot in the world.

2) WHY IS THIS #2 – #3 TALK SO IMPORTANT?

It’s all about the French Open (Roland Garros) draw.

Because #1 and #2 are on opposite sides of the draw in any tournament it means whoever is #3 will probably have to play both the #2 and #1 seed in order to win the French Open.

This means – if NADAL is #2, that DJOKOVIC will probably play the winner of FEDERER-NADAL or else NADAL will have a clear run to the final and DJOKOVIC will face FEDERER in the semis, which is what happened last year.

But if FEDERER is #2, there is a 50-50 chance that FEDERER could have an easy march to the final if NADAL as #3 winds up in DJOKOVIC’s half of the draw.

Let’s be honest – Federer, even at his best cannot compete with Nadal at his best on the red clay of Rolland Garros. But Djokovic can, even though Federer matches up well against Djokovic.

So remaining #2 after this upcoming ROME tournament is critical for Federer, if he is to have any realistic chance of collecting another French Open crown.

May 13th, 2012 at 5:49 pm

^you actualy get 360 for semi finals

May 13th, 2012 at 6:01 pm

and nadal is at 9015 points not 9105 as stated above

May 13th, 2012 at 6:03 pm

my bad nadal does have 9105

May 13th, 2012 at 6:07 pm

Come to think of it Gordo he’s probably got a niggle that he wants to rest otherwise it makes no sense to even think of skipping Rome. Afterall he has returned after a 5 week break to a clay court that had shorter points than Wimbledon. So it couldnt have taken the same toll as one normally expects from a regular clay master.

Having said that Fed’s always been very good at managing his schedule so I have no doubt that if he does skip it it will be for a good reason. (Was I mistaken or did he call for the trainer during a changeover?)

May 13th, 2012 at 6:24 pm

@rahal yes he did, took some medication, I don’t know for what though.

May 13th, 2012 at 6:28 pm

*rahul

May 13th, 2012 at 6:29 pm

congrats to federer… but to the fans??? why?
raonic let me down, i was looking to a good match againts nadal and he loses, well…
as for federer playing rome for the ranking, it will play rome not for the french but for the return to number 1, really 2 or 3 ranking is irrelevant, its just “luck”
if nadal 2 and federer 3, federer could play either djokovic or nadal in the semi and the other in the final.
if nadal 3 and federer 2, same, federer could ending playing nadal in semi and djokovic in the final.
and “god” tell me that if federer got to 2, he will had nadal in his half, and if 3, he will be in djokovic half.
maybe the french will be won by luck, the one of the top 3 who play the final versus the other who played a hard match and won versus the other one.
federer may need the 400 (more or less) points for his quest to number 1 later in the year, and he can get them just taking rome as “practice” just making act of presence until saturday.

May 13th, 2012 at 6:30 pm

My power ranking for the week – http://tennisabides.com/2012/05/13/power-ranking-for-the-week-of-may-14-may-20/ There I have Fed #2 but it is for 2012 only – looking at the past 52 weeks I’d still have Rafa at #2 by a decent margin

May 13th, 2012 at 7:00 pm

Well done to federer to fight the tricky court and Berdych off. I also heard he spoke to trainer briefly about a hip, too, and even before this match, he was mysteriously not giving a full “YES” to playing in Rome.
He needs to do what keeps him healthy for RG.

Well done to tomas, too, he lapped up the quick conditions and made the most of it, giving us a great final, too.

As for #2, I am glad that Roger is making inroads, but may not make that big of a difference at RG. Some are saying that #2 gives him the chance to dodge Rafa, true, but its not guaranteed even then and and imagine the glory if he went THROUGH rafa to get another major.
Also,its not worth risking injury to fight for world number 2 for a few weeks!

Congratulations, Roger. Best of luck and health in the coming weeks!!!!

May 13th, 2012 at 7:01 pm

^hip? Usually not a good thing if he injured it. Hope for the best.

Love the way Rog navigated this match. He wasn’t going to out bludgeon Birdsh!t today, he was crushing everyone in his path this tourney, so he chose his spots wisely and pounced. His crucial break late in the 3rd (4-3, Birdsh!t serving ) he rifled 3 returns to quickly go up 0-40. Although B got it back to deuce, the damage was already done. This helped Fed later on to win with a break again at 5-6. Feds strategy is always a mystery to me, mostly brilliant, sometimes too stubborn, and sometimes WTF?

May 13th, 2012 at 7:13 pm

Hopefully, Roger’s hip problem is only caused by the rust from not playing for six weeks and hopefully he’ll be in top shape for Rome because he needs to practice on clay that is more similar to the Roland Garros clay rather than just playing Madrid as his tune-up event. I feel that he needs to take advantage of the opportunity he has here in Rome. He has afairly easy draw and he can really improve on his performance from last year seeing as he only mad the 3rd round (90 points). If he does makes to atleast the final, he should be safe.

May 13th, 2012 at 7:32 pm

We should get word about whether Fed will play shortly after his Tuesday afternoon practice session.

May 13th, 2012 at 7:41 pm

My take on federer’s present position:

First off- congratulation to him and his fans! They all entered the tourny, fed was the last one standing! SIMPLE and DECISIVE FACT!

Re ranking: He’s in the lead- well done to him for that- but it’s not a great one. Will it mean that he avoids rafa at FO? NO. Seed 2 usually meets Seed 3 most of the time at RG anyway (check the draw at RG, even AO/USO- a pattern does emerge there).

HOWEVER, i do NOT imagine a 16 times slam winner would think like that at all.

KEY question is this: Should he play rome or not?

IF he believes he can be no.1 then he HAS to. He needs to win a slam or AT LEAST defend/ add some points in them if he wants no.1 again.

NOW if he is serious about RG- then he MUST play at rome. He cannot have madrid as his prep tourny for RG.

I AM SURE even his own ardent fans will recognise that as a disastrous strategy- if indeed it is one.

The ONLY reason he may not play Rome, which some have alluded to, is fitness concerns. IF he does have such concerns (unfortunate of course) then yes he should skip rome.

Personally, i believe he doesn’t care between 2 or 3. The only no. he is interested in is 1. And he knows he ultimately NEEDS a slam win for that. Next chance is FO- he needs Rome to prepare for that, since madrid is not good enough prep for that.

May 13th, 2012 at 7:53 pm

I couldn’t care less about all the computations and permutations about Roger’s ranking. I am very happy that he won again. Even if he does not become number one again, he can always say, “…been there, done that”.

May 13th, 2012 at 7:53 pm

Also, Roger has 9430 points after winning Madrid, and Rafa has 9105. So even if Nadal wins Rome, Federer just has to make it to the quarterfinals to edge out Nadal in the rankings before the French Open. If Roger makes it to the quarters, he will gain 90 points to have 9520 points and if Nadal wins Rome, he will gain 400 points so he will have 9505 points. He has a really easy 2nd and 3rd round opponents, so making the quarterfinals should be a breeze. It is OK if he loses in the quarters because he never really does well there anyways and he will be no. 2 for the Franch Open which will give him a better chance of making the final if Rafa is on Nole’s side of the draw.

May 13th, 2012 at 7:55 pm

Latest news of the Mutua Madrid. Why no mention of Serena winning the WTA title. Her rap song gets a headline and winning a tournament doesn’t on a Tennis site. What’s up with that!

May 13th, 2012 at 7:59 pm

‘ If he does makes to atleast the final, he should be safe.’

SAFE from whom rafa? Its a dangerous strategy for federer if that is all he is planning for this week. Hope that i avoid rafa at FO? LMAO.

How often does seed 2 meet 3 in FO SF i wonder? Recent history shows most of the time. Lol, he would meet rafa in the SF stages then. And guess what? he most likely will lose close to 500 points IF he loses to rafa there, as he was RU last year.

BUT i think only his fans may think like this. The man himself isn’t as AFRAID- otherwise he wouldn’t have won 1 slam let alone 16!

Message to fed fans: Have more FAITH in your guy! Surely, he’s earnt it by now!

And by the way- he’s beat rafa twice on clay- the same as nole. So surely he has as good a chance as him to beat rafa!

May 13th, 2012 at 7:59 pm

@Polo:

That’s a GOOD ATTITUDE to have re fed atm. He’s a MS – enjoy that.

No POINT calculating what he has to do in order to AVOID a certain someone. Usually such things backfire on people.

May 13th, 2012 at 8:01 pm

Yes, fed does need Rome for warming up, but not at the slightest expense of injury. If he doesn’t go to Rome, I don’t think that it will be the end of RG hopes, not ideal of course, but maybe with his own slower clay practice, a good couple of easy rounds in a major, anything is possible.
I believe if he doesn’t play Rome, its for good reason, amd then- HE’LL ADJUST. Cause that’s what champs do ;)

Also, its doesn’t have to be a win at RG to get to number one (wouldnt hurt the cause!), he does have big finals points do defend, but there’s plenty to gain from Wimbledon on, and some to lose for novak.

This all amounts to a big WE’LL SEEEEEE!

May 13th, 2012 at 8:23 pm

Sheila, fed isn’t even officially number two and you already fear his losing that ranking? Don’t fret, he just won on a surface many couldn’t manage! Not to mention you’ve gotta thibk bigger picture here, no. 2 is not the goal!

PS to fed fans, that was one of the more tense matches of fed’s ive watched in a while, no? So glad he pulled that one out, I like the fed who is winning by the skin of his teeth these days! Bring that to the majors, homie!

May 13th, 2012 at 8:29 pm

as a fed fan, even i don’t want to see another FO final between him and nadal. the match up is so poor on clay, we all know roger will never win. if nadal gets some big, flat hitters in his draw at the FO like a raonic or del potro, they may cause some trouble for him.

May 13th, 2012 at 8:30 pm

Congrats to Fed and fans on the win. Looks like Serena blew away Azarenka – missed it.

May 13th, 2012 at 8:42 pm

Yes jane, thanks.for reminding about congrats to serena. I watched the matxh this morning, serena was moving great, serving great, returning tremendously. i will say the same tjing as i say to fed: BRING IT TO THE.SLAMS!

May 13th, 2012 at 9:01 pm

Its truly amazing – Fed won on a surface the other champs could not put a decent show on. Shows the superior tennis skills of Fed and why most of the people consider him goat.

May 13th, 2012 at 9:10 pm

dari, I missed the matches due to Mother’s Day – actually went horse-back riding! I followed the scores on the Fed/Berdych one for a bit when I was getting ready this morning, I think it was in the second or third set, and there were breaks and breaks back. But didn’t see any of it. Serena’s scoreline looked dominant on the other hand. I can’t see her winning the FO, though, or I’d be surprised anyhow. I don’t think she’s had much success on clay. She could be a force at Wimbledon however. And hopefully Petra will play well again there. She’s been very inconsistent this year.

May 13th, 2012 at 9:10 pm

Happy Mothers Day to all the Moms :-)

jane…horse back riding? awesome :)

Happy Mothers day to all!

(That includes you,… mark and RFF)

May 13th, 2012 at 10:33 pm

Cheers skeeze – hope you enjoyed Fed’s win today.

May 13th, 2012 at 10:35 pm

Latest news of the Mutua Madrid. Why no mention of Serena winning the WTA title.
—
Big Woman doesn’t fit most on web pages.

May 13th, 2012 at 10:41 pm

A. Latest ATP singles rankings and points for May 14, 2012 (based on countable results over the past year)

1 Djokovic, Novak (SRB) 11,200
2 Federer, Roger (SUI) 9,430
3 Nadal, Rafael (ESP) 9,105
4 Murray, Andy (GBR) 7,500
5 Tsonga, Jo-Wilfried (FRA) 4,930
6 Ferrer, David (ESP) 4,460
7 Berdych, Tomas (CZE) 4,410
8 Tipsarevic, Janko (SRB) 3,090
9 Del Potro, Juan Martin (ARG) 2,970
10 Isner, John (USA) 2,725
11 Fish, Mardy (USA) 2,660
12 Simon, Gilles (FRA) 2,545
13 Almagro, Nicolas (ESP) 2,255
…..
21 Raonic, Milos (CAN) 1,495
http://www.atpworldtour.com/Rankings/Singles.aspx

B. Latest Year-To-Date singles ranking points from January 1, 2012 to May 14, 2012 from ‘Singles Race to London’ list (i.e., total points this year 2012 only). These are the hottest players this year with the momentum. To win Madrid, Rusty Roger had to beat 4 of the top 10 hottest players this year (only Gasquet is No. 22)

1 Djokovic, Novak (SRB) 4,320
2 Federer, Roger (SUI) 3,865
3 Nadal, Rafael (ESP) 3,750
4 Ferrer, David (ESP) 2,220
5 Murray, Andy (GBR) 2,150
6 Berdych, Tomas (CZE) 2,145
7 Del Potro, Juan Martin (ARG) 1,970
8 Raonic, Milos (CAN) 1,255
9 Tipsarevic, Janko (SRB) 1,240
10 Almagro, Nicolas (ESP) 1,225
11 Tsonga, Jo-Wilfried 1,205
12 Isner, John 1,155

C. 2011 last quarter singles (after the 2011 US Open to the WTF)

1 Federer 3,000
2 Tsonga 2,135 plus Davis Cup 145 (drop date?)
? Murray 1,930
? Ferrer 1,540 plus Davis Cup 225 (drop date?)
? Berdych 1,350
? Tipsarevic 950
? Nadal 590 plus Davis Cup 280 (drop date?)
? Djokovic 560
? Isner 360
? Del Potro 330 plus Davis Cup 220 (drop date?)
? Raonic 190
? Almagro 145

Note: List C probably does not contain all the top 10 performers in the last quarter of 2011. However, by adding points from list C to list B, you’ll see the points made since after 2011 US Open… by this year’s best performing players (e.g., (1) Federer leads with 6,865; (2) Djokovic 4,880; (3) Nadal 4,340 to 4,620; (4) Murray 4,080; (5) Ferrer 3,760 to 3,985; (6) Berdych 3,495; etc.). In other words, there is a good possibility that Federer might regain the No. 1 ranking as I explained last year.

May 13th, 2012 at 11:10 pm

Hearty congratulations to Roger on his record of 20th Masters win. He once again showed as to how true a Champion he is by combating adversity. A Champion should prove himself in tough conditions and Roger did that again and set an example to the likes of Nadal and Novak who were making a big issue out of the colour of the playing surface and slipperiness. Although he equals Nadal in Masters win, yet I feel Roger’s achievements are a shade higher because he has even distribution of wins in all courts compared to Nadal’s whose accumulation of Master titles are more lopsided towards Clay. Now fitfully he becomes World No.2 but it will all depend on Nadal’s play in Rome as there are doubts about Roger’s participation in that event. Roger made good use of the opportunity of the early exit of both Novak and Nadal whom ofcourse with this form he could have well beaten. Now his fans are waiting eagerly for his 75th tournament win and what more if that one happen to be a major possibly Wimbledon ????

May 13th, 2012 at 11:12 pm

This guy Berdych has real power and his game has improved quite a lot. I was quite impressed with his performance. He was outplaying Roger in the first set and he was also making the life of Roger tough in his service games. Berdych was able to read Roger’s serve well and some of the shots that he hit were out of the world. I rate Berdych as one of the favourites in this year’s Wimbledon. The only condition is that he should not meet Nadal enroute. Against him his game just collapses.

May 13th, 2012 at 11:19 pm

Roger wants Rafa in the RG final. Just like last year.

Roger has the champion’s mindset that he would always prefer direct confrontation with his biggest rival to dodging him through luck draw.

#2 or #3 is of indifference to Roger.

Believe me, the biggest dream for Roger is to defeat Rafa in RG final, since no one had threathened Roger like Rafa.

May 13th, 2012 at 11:59 pm

@ Michael

“He once again showed as to how true a Champion he is by combating adversity.”

Well said Michael, no giving up or throwing matches as some claim for others, its blue, it stinks, so I am going to practice on a surface I can play well at. I only play well at surface a & b, no mas on d & c.

Sticking with it, not whining, and battling through, a true Champ.

May 14th, 2012 at 12:59 am

grendel

If your around some comment for you;

If you have DVR…play the point at 3-6, 7-5, 5-6, 40 all ( birdsh!t serving ). Watch Feds footwork on this point and defense on the supposed bad surface ” I can’t play on it cause its too slippery “. Awesome stuff…

May 14th, 2012 at 1:13 am

Since becoming No. 2 for the first time on the 11th of August 2003, Roger Federer is now the all-time leader of the ATP’s top two positions with 377 weeks — holding the no. 1 spot for 285 of those weeks and No. 2 spot for 92 weeks. Sampras occupied the ATP’s top two positions for 376 weeks, just one week less than Federer. Sampras is the all-time No. 1 leader with 286 weeks and Nadal the all-time No. 2 leader with 234 weeks.

Federer is the only player in the ATP era with at least 10 titles on clay, grass and hardcourt: 10 clay (Vilas’ ATP record is 45), 11 grass (Federer holds ATP record) and 51 hardcourt (Federer holds ATP record). Federer also has 2 carpet title but unfortunately cannot add to that as the surface is no longer used in ATP tourneys. Federer has 54 outdoor titles (Vilas’ ATP record is 56) and 20 indoor titles (Connors’ ATP record is 54).

Federer won 70 of his 74 titles since 2003. The only men left with more successful records in the ATP era are Jimmy Connors (109 singles titles), Ivan Lendl (94) and John McEnroe (77) — their resumes include several minor tournaments with smaller draws.

Federer has won at least 4 titles per season during the past 10 consecutive years (this equals Pete Sampras ). Only record-holder Jimmy Connors exceeds them in the ATP era with 13 straight years. [In 2006, when Federer won 12 titles, he won four titles by Miami, but none during the clay season. His 5th title came only at Halle… but from 2006 Halle to 2007 Dubai, Federer won 10 of his 11 tournaments.]

Clay makes up 6 (30%) of Federer’s 20 Masters titles. Clay makes up 15 (75%) of Nadal’s 20 Masters titles. Of the 9 Masters 1000 tournaments, only 3 are clay (33%) .

Federer has won 7 of his last 10 tournaments since the 2011 US Open

Federer won 3 of the last 4 mandatory Masters 1000 (Paris, Indian Wells, Madrid).

Federer’s 3 Madrid Open titles is the most since this event was first held in Madrid in 2002. [However, since this event came from Stuttgart, Essen and Stockholm, Boris Becker holds the overall record with 4 titles since the orginal event began in 1990 as an ATP Masters series event]

May 14th, 2012 at 2:17 am

Self-professed Djokovic fan says “Roger Federer is truly a class apart: Win on the Blue is a huge statement”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGhfbRN0Z5g

Federer and Serena — the two ‘grand slam leaders among active players’ — ended up with the men’s and women’s Madrid titles because they had the right attitude and made the adjustments.

– ESPN’s Peter Bodo: “Federer, Serena come to win — always. They couldn’t be more different if someone were actually writing parts for them, but Roger Federer and Serena Williams have one thing in common: When they come to play, they come to win. That was strikingly evident this weekend in Madrid, where the two emerged from a chaotic and unsettled battlefield to claim the singles titles. The tournament started with major questions about the blue clay, but though peevish, disgruntled No. 1 Novak Djokovic and No. 2 Rafael Nadal were bounced out of the draw, Federer and Williams demonstrated a superior willingness to play the hand dealt to them, and they ended up making the blue-clay refusniks look silly. It’s not like Federer and Williams had any great love for the new blue clay, either… Federer, unlike his two main rivals, took a more wait-and-see attitude. In this supremely versatile and flexible player, that ultimately translated into a wait-and-see-and-win attitude. This isn’t the first time Federer has shown that he’s more than capable of biding his time and then surprising those critics who are eager to write him off. In the final, Federer met another player whose chances were enhanced by the blue clay, Tomas Berdych. Entrenched solidly in the top 10 (No. 7 before Madrid), Berdych is considerably less nimble than Federer and also not nearly as versatile. But he can bludgeon with the best of them, which is what he did en route to an impressive 6-3 first set. But Federer worked his way back into it with his high skill and deep tool box, and he won the next two tight sets, 7-5, 7-5. But skill is not his only asset. He also ended up with 13 aces to the power-serving Berdych’s 10… Federer and Williams got an assist from the new clay in Madrid, but there was nothing out of the blue about their performances. What these two do is win. It’s a simple as that.”

– Richard Evans: “Roger Federer proved himself a man for all seasons, all courts and just about anything else the tennis world can throw at him by winning a title that Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal felt was unwinnable…. “(What) has impressed me most about Roger has been his ability never to get disturbed by things he can’t control,” said his coach, Paul Annacone. “He just realized these courts were tricky, and he had to get on with it.” Federer: “Look, it’s been a tough tournament and tough to move but you just go on with it and try to make the best out of it…There was some good tennis and there was some bad tennis as well, you see that in all the tournaments, but I thought the level of play under the circumstances was very good.”

– Berdych: “It was just about a few points and I think Roger’s experience won through today… One thing I am sad that I was not able to beat him but the other one is that losing to him is something special. He just showed what a great champion he is that playing in the conditions that were here he was able to win the title.”

– Australian Newspaper on Federer: “This is not the form of a prospective retiree and those who would dismiss Madrid as some kind of fluke when not enough people tried their best to win a Masters tournament, are making a big mistake.”

May 14th, 2012 at 2:34 am

Personally I feel Roger is in TMF mode. EVerything points to that except maybe his semi against Nadal in the 1 slam played this year. But he was injured in his tourney leading up to that one. You could make the case that had he not been injured he would have had more practise and would have een better prepared for his semie against Nadal. Like he was the next time they met.
Thanks Dave for putting up all those great stats and news items about Roger. It is really great to see him play like this.

He will try to stay second for the seeding at Garros although it probably means he will have to defeat Nadal in Rome. A tough coocky to crack.

Anybody knows something about Rogers fysiek after Madrid? If anything was wrong he surely would not enter Rome. When Nadal does falter in Rome he is in with an even greater chance at Garros I feel.

May 14th, 2012 at 3:12 am

Let’s be honest – Federer, even at his best cannot compete with Nadal at his best on the red clay of Rolland Garros.

People are so friggin’ eager to lay down the law regarding Roger Federer, it’s practically a sport in itself. As if he was obliged to conform to their preconceptions!

Like Ali, he doesn’t just do what no one has ever done. He does what no one ever conceived of doing before.

He cannot be measured by the standards of those who came before him. He set the standard and is setting a new standard even as we speak.

He’s thirty and has just won his seventh title in the last ten events he entered.

They accidentally created a new surface–blue clay–and he came in cold after six weeks off and mastered it within a week, winning the title over the one player in the draw who appeared to be naturally suited to the novel surface.

The world #1 and the so-called King of Clay spun out early (despite having more match play) and threw up their hands, saying it was impossible to play on it, vowing never to return. They saw only an obstacle.

Federer saw a new challenge to master, and master it he did. He did what champions do: find a way to win in new and unfamiliar circumstances. It took every bit of ingenuity and persistence he had to topple Berdych, but topple him he did.

Let me tell you: we haven’t seen the best of Roger Federer yet. With his infinite arsenal of shots, tactical ingenuity, and unshakable will to win, he is playing a higher level of tennis at age 30 than he was in his twenties.

For him, there are no technical limitations and age is just a number. The only limits are those of his imagination.

Who is to say what he can or cannot do, except he himself? And he’s not listening to the naysayers. He pursues his vision.

May 14th, 2012 at 4:25 am

Did any one see a picture of the king of smurf in his locker room which caught a poster of Pamela Anderson on the wall????

May 14th, 2012 at 4:40 am

Congrats smurf king. You’re No 2 on my shitlist this week behind Tiriac the hairy clown!!

May 14th, 2012 at 5:01 am

Steve-o, like your optimism as it comes to Roger. In the last two three matches, I saw Roger make better returns and hit the BH more aggressively and consistently than I have seen him in a long time. What a privilege it is to live in the era of Roger Federer. In the era of one dimensional ball bashers or unyielding retrievers, his game stand alone in the summit of excellence like a golden jewel. What an astonishing achievement to take over the 2nd Rank, even if it is for a short while from a player five years his junior, presumably in he peak of his physical prowess. I hope we get to see a few more years and matches from this magician. When he hangs up his racquet, it will be a sad day for tennis fans..

May 14th, 2012 at 5:47 am

That trophy – perfect for hanging up his racquets!!

May 14th, 2012 at 6:02 am

Its funny how it is being argued that federer’s stay at no. 2 will be short lived,he might not even play Rome etc. etc., the person least bothered about the rankings is Federer himself.really like this approach of his as it allows him to play his game naturally.

May 14th, 2012 at 8:09 am

Would anyone here like to invite Mark to a party, preferably the other side of the world, pay for his flight, accommodation, look after him and teach him a few manners? He surely needs to relax and have a few drinks. I think Wog boy is the person who is furthest away? Australia? May be a walk in the bush?

No. Didn’t think so. Just going to laugh from now on.

It is great to watch Federer win, and I don’t know who mentioned it, I think it was dari, but not so sure about the tension Dari! and liking it! My livestream was unreliable. On and off. But I am glad that Federer came through, of course, and that it was a 3 setter, not a 2 setter blow out. He deserved it for his gritty play. And as Skeezer said,Federer just is incredible. Nothing fazes him. He seems to be super cool, when all his fans are screaming ‘blue’ murder. Crazy times for federer fans, but he still comes through.

Way to go Roger!

May 14th, 2012 at 8:27 am

Nice to wake up this morning and see this;

http://www.atpworldtour.com/Rankings/Singles.aspx

May 14th, 2012 at 9:08 am

@madmax: I’m often compelled to want to reply to Mark, but most of the time I just ignore him, which is my advice to you. He has nothing to offer in these situations other than trying, very lamely, to bring down Federer, whom he clearly hates for one reason or another (though I’d venture to guess that it’s pretty simple: Federer is winning when his favorite isn’t).

Most of us call this sore-losing, and it is a sad sight to see because really, while we mostly all clearly have favorites, the true joy of this sport is watching so many supremely talented players doing the incredible out there day after day. I take sides when I watch most matches, but I don’t think it’s any great feat of mine to appreciate someone else’s good play on a day when my guy loses — it’s just how this works.

Mark has shown us that he’s incapable of saying anything nice about the other side, which, in addition to being behavior most commonly seen in a five year old, is largely just his own lack of appreciation for the sport shining through. Let him fume in his own little world while the rest of us enjoy the next tournament.

May 14th, 2012 at 9:11 am

Madmax,

:-)

Marky is not old enough to drink.

May 14th, 2012 at 9:12 am

the mind reels,

Well said!

May 14th, 2012 at 9:14 am

Haha, oh yea, and what Skeezer said too. Thanks!

May 14th, 2012 at 9:20 am

madmax,

First check if there are any Kiwis here, they are further away:)

Why me, what did I do now?

Ok, if I have to do it I will but only if you come over to give me a hand. Your name suggest that you are quite familiar with Aussie bush. I can ask Mick Dundee to come over from America, they droped his case for tax evasion so he is free to come home, he might be able to assist us:)

We can start with this bush song, my American customers love it:

HOME AMONG THE GUMTREES

I’ve been around the world
A couple of times or maybe more
I’ve seen the sights, I’ve had delights
On every foreign shore
But when my mates all ask me
The place that I adore
I tell them right away

Give me a home among the gumtrees
With lots of plum trees
A sheep or two, k- kangaroo
A clothesline out the back
Verandah out the front
And an old rocking chair

Now all together…. Give me a home….

There is more

May 14th, 2012 at 9:39 am

The next time anyone wants to have a GOAT debate, Federer has shown than more than the number of GS titles or head-to-head records, what really matters is longevity as a top-level competitor, consistency in terms of going deep into the tournament, and ability to adapt to any and all surfaces.

Federer has shown that is is head and shoulders above the rest on these criteria. We all know about his GS finals streaks (yes, there are two of them), his SF and QF streaks, winning 3 GS titles per year three times, etc.

What few people talk about is his ability to defend his titles. Except for the French Open, Federer has defended AO twice, Wimby & US open four times. Except for French Open, Nadal has never defended any of the other GS times…not even once…nada. So much for a GOAT contender. Heck, Federer even has more consecutive SF appearances at the FO than Nadal.

Can we put the GOAT debate to rest please! I really don’t much care about this debate because you can’t rate people across generations and the number of GS titles alone is not a good measure. You really need to look at consistency in terms of top or near-top finishes, and Federer leaves everyone else in the dust.

May 14th, 2012 at 9:45 am

@Wog Boy:

LMAO, that’s a good song:-)

Re players: it’s getting silly now, REGARDLESS of what any posters think nadal, federer and djokovic will go down in the hall of fame in the game as all time greats. EACH in a position of respect.

So let’s cut out the crap, and not hate on the one/ couple out of this trio that we dislike, since its not worth it.

May 14th, 2012 at 10:09 am

Brando,
Agree, I love it. I am bad with a links but if you go on U Tube you will find John Williams singing, live, in Australia Zoo at Steve Irwin tribute in 2006, everybody was singing and clapping, it was very moving. Have a look, you will not regret.

May 14th, 2012 at 10:21 am

“John Williamson” should say.

May 14th, 2012 at 10:24 am

@WB:

Will do so.

Steve Irwin- now there was an individual full of life and zest. Tragic loss. RIP

May 14th, 2012 at 10:55 am

@NK

The only GOAT contenders are Federer and Laver.

May 14th, 2012 at 10:58 am

Brando,
Yes that is the one, he was buried at the very place, Australia Zoo, where John is singing with his beloved crocodiles;(
though nobody knows exactly location but family.

May 14th, 2012 at 11:02 am

Wog boy, you are such a joy

May 14th, 2012 at 12:05 pm

Wog boy!

:)

LOVE THE SONG…AM SINGING IT NOW!

Spent time in the bush, in Australia. But too laid back for me.

I think Mark could like it though, there is a permanent place for him and I trust you that would look out for him, especially when the storms come.

May 14th, 2012 at 2:56 pm

Brando 7.59pm,love your post,have to say very much agree,why are Fed fans so worried about him avoiding Rafa in a GS final,why are they not happy that there fav has made it to the final in the 1st place,and think about them winning,rather than thinking about them loosing,it seems a shame to me Rogers the worlds greatest ever player,why dont some his fans treat him as such.

May 14th, 2012 at 5:09 pm

madmax!

:-)

I got it, I will do that for you but can I skip that storms part, that is tough ask, please?

We will star with the rule #1:

NEVER EVER put the tent under the gumtree, I guess you know why !

May 14th, 2012 at 8:20 pm

dari,

Thanks, my wife disagree with you but I am with you on this one:)

May 14th, 2012 at 8:38 pm

[…] Roger Federer has put and end to the speculation that he would skip the Rome Masters 1000 at the Foro Italico. After his big title Sunday in Madrid, Federer hinted that his body may not allow him to compete in Rome. […]

May 15th, 2012 at 10:35 am