Us Open 2014: Match of the Tourney
The master of the hard court, Roger Federer was down two sets and looked like he was going to fail miserably in the third set when he was broken back by his opponent, 20th seed Gael Monfils of France. He was tested almost to the limit. I had but given up in the 4th set at match point for Monfils. But Roger Federer will not go down easily. Showing true grit, steel-strength will, and endurance, he bounced back to win the match in 3 straight sets. The 9th time he had to go through the same situation, 2 sets down.
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| 2 sets down, the players on a break before the 3rd set |
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| Wonder what he was thinking here. Probably how to get back into the game. |
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| The crowd wait with baited breath at the Arthur Ashe Stadium |
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| Double match point with Federer serving to stay in the match. Totally nerve wracking, heart-attack inducing. |
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| Saved the 2 match points to even out the scores. |
The variety of shots was amazing. Volleys, net plays, drop shots, cross courts, lobs, down the line...it was like the whole US Open played out in that little rectangle at the Arthur Ashe Stadium. Both players went after every shot and Gael even flew a few times! The big guy could sideline as a flying superhero. Really. And the power behind his every shot...I don't even know how he can sustain that. Add it to his antics on the court, even I'm exhausted. And I'm just watching him!
Federer, ever the elegant player, stayed cool. For most of the match, that is. He did dish out a few frustrated outbursts in the 3rd and 4th sets. At one point he even slammed his racket on the center of the net. Something he rarely does. It was the first time I've seen him lose his cool. As a fan--YES I AM A BIG FAN--I felt frustrated, too. I couldn't even follow the full match (I was at work, but I was keeping tabs via USOpen.org's slamtracker) because it was killing me! Federer was killing me. Aaaarrrrggghhh! At the 4th set, I had to leave the slamtracker watch.
I went back to the game when I saw that they had gone into a 5th set. Whew! The great Roger escaped losing by a hair! By a freakin' hair. And once he evened out the field, he took the driver's seat all the way to the finish line. It was absolutely amazing! Just one of the many reasons why I love this game.
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| On to the Semis for the Fed Express (Photo from USOpen.org) |
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