Filed under: Tennis, French Open
Roger Federer produced one of his finest performances to earn a place in the French Open final and inflict Novak Djokovic's first defeat after going 43 matches unbeaten.Federer's 7-6 6-3 3-6 7-6 victory, setting up a clash with Rafael Nadal in Sunday's final, was a Roland Garros classic. Djokovic had the benefit of extra rest after a walkover, while his opponent used all of his experience to find a way to win.
Perhaps it is harsh to say Federer rolled back the years, given the Swiss' genius and the incredibly high standards he still regularly reaches.
But there have been questions about how long he will go on as younger players power their way to the top. This offered an emphatic answer.
The first set took 70 minutes and led to a standing ovation from the crowd at Court Philippe Chatrier, with fans witnessing high-quality tennis from both players.
Breaks of serve were exchanged but a key statistic of 18 winners from Federer to Djokovic's 14 told the story. It was gripping drama served up from the second and third seed.
The opener went to a tie break, with Federer edging towards a set point at 6/5 before Djokovic crashed a forehand into the net.
In the second set, Federer established a lead by breaking in the fourth, taking advantage of Djokovic's errors, with the Serb's body language looking like a man defeated.
Federer showed his full range of deft touch volleys and passing shots that angled past Djokovic. Inevitably it was difficult to sustain and he was broken at the first opportunity in the third set.
There was a spring back in Djokovic's step, despite a poor record when it came to winning after falling behind two sets.
Federer, on the other hand, simply does not lose when he goes two sets up, yet this was not a run-of-the-mill clash and Djokovic was on the front foot again, taking the third 6-3.
But Djokovic was still not happy with his game and kept glancing up to his coach in the stands. A backhand pass down the line, executed on the move, was the pick of Federer's winners in the fourth as momentum switched back and forth.
The Swiss broke back immediately when Djokovic had the levelling set in his sights, with the crowd willing him to finish the job on the evening rather than play a fifth set the next day. It went to a tie-break, which was won by Federer 7/5, sealed with an ace.
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Source: http://www.fanhouse.co.uk/2011/06/03/french-open-federer-brings-an-end-to-djokovics-incredible-unbe/
Feliciano Lopez Fernando Torres Fernando Verdasco Filippo Inzaghi Florent Malouda
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