Roger Federer didn’t get off easy – but in the end the Maestro had a confident start into the ATP finals.
When Roger Federer started into a tournament adventure in 2017, his opponent could be frozen with awe before the first rallies. At the age of 36, the Maestro was an untiring, tireless match player who set new records, constantly setting new records for eternity and at the same time spreading this intimidating aura to the rest of the world. Why the introduction? Because Federer’s first victory at the London ATP World Championship on Sunday was probably also due to his unrealistic but undoubtedly existing impact on the rivals – especially in those few moments when tennis matches decide at this level.
First Federer match in this world championship, second set, tiebreak, 4:4, the American Jack Sock can take the lead with his own serve, maybe even force a deciding set after the 4:6 in the first round. Sock knows that he has to offer something special at this moment, an extraordinary serve, he also knows about Federer’s strength and quality at the Big Points. It comes as it often happens for Federer and the man on the other side of the net. Sock serves a double fault, it’s 4-5. And two points later, Federer won the tiebreak, the set and the match with sovereignty and usual nervousness 6:4,7:6 (7:4).
A made-to-measure start, at the end of a dream season, a dream comeback after last year’s injury for the old master:”The basis for a good tournament has been created. I’m satisfied,”Federer said afterwards,”the second set was very close. Federer is not a romantic, he is a great pragmatist. And as such, he is also happy about the victory at work, which turns out to be dull. But a special refinement is given because it is now the 50th anniversary of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the company. Success this year is, with only four defeats.
As I said, wherever this revitalized Federer is currently pitching his tent, he is the first to stand out from the crowd – even if his eternal rival Rafael Nadal is included in the equation. Federer is in London in 2017, his 15th birthday. World Cup start, the only player who has won this championship at least once. Actually, six times, 2003 and 2004,2006 and 2007,2010 and 2011. He made ten final appearances in the final ten times, only once in all those years he got stuck in the group stage, in 2008 it was. It goes without saying that he will be the World Cup favourite at the end of this surprisingly great season. And Federer loves this role, just as he has always done when he was a frontrunner in a tournament,”If you’re high on the bargain, it proves that you’ve shown strength before. That gives you self-confidence and confidence,”said Federer. It will be interesting to see how shooting star Alexander Zverev fights against Federer in this group. At first, however, the Hamburg man, currently number 3 in the world, had to solve his opening task against the Croatian Marin Cilic on Sunday evening.
Against World Cup debutant Sock, Federer didn’t have to show the great virtuosity and playful variety to clinch his first group victory. He could rely on a strong serve that left Sock little chance. Throughout the match, the American, who was last in form, did not play a break point. Sock fought hard, showed courage and a hint of imperturbability. Especially when he defended six breakballs of the not determinedly enough grabbing Swiss in the second set. But then, when things got tough, the fatal double error in the tiebreak came – and with it the defeat.
Can the nominally best player of the season, world number one Nadal, stop his friend and opponent Federer? Under normal circumstances, this would have been a rather rhetorical question. But Nadal is hurt once again, the knee of the problem causes worries and pain. But Nadal wants to try in any case in London, on Sunday, at the award of the number 1 trophy for 2017 at the Centre Court, he announced his start for Monday. Then he plays the Belgian David Goffin.