It wasn’t meant to be: Roger Federer failed in the semi-final of the Nitto ATP World Tour Finals in London, missing out on his seventh World Tennis Championship title.
London. What is there left to rely on in world tennis? Anyway, after the semi-finals at the ATP World Championship in London, Roger Federer is no longer the target. As a household favourite, he had gone into his first-round match against the Belgian David Goffin, not least because of a previously flawless 6-0 win in head-to-head comparison – but then Federer’s splendour and glory against his alleged favourite opponent only lasted for one set in the sold-out 02-Arena. After the first semi-finals, nothing had happened but the next big sensation this season, but for the first time to the detriment of the Swiss Maestro. And not, as is so often the case in the amazing year 2017, to its glory and benefit. After one and a half hours, Federer’s serve returned to the edge of the net, sealing the 2:6,6:3,6:4 victory of 26-year-old Wallonen, who, in the first few seconds after this biggest career triumph, gazed at his support team with complete amazement,”This is a very special moment in my career as a professional. This is really unexpected, it’s totally overwhelming,”said Goffin.
Federer could have won his seventh WRC title, as well as the eighth title this season in a fabulous injury comeback. But it was the master of the big points, the man with the grabbing energy in the important situations, who left far too many chances against Goffin – it was all the more astonishing since Federer loves the role of the front runner, exactly the position he took after the sovereignly won first set. But the statistics later showed clearly and relentlessly what Federer was sick of. He had eleven break chances against the weak, only 68 kilograms light Belgian, but he was only able to transform two of them. Again and again Goffin escaped from trouble like an escape artist, had the right answers when he needed them most:”I didn’t really feel comfortable on this very fast course, even with the balls,”Federer said afterwards,”but that doesn’t take away from David’s victory” Goffin meets either Grigor Dimitrov, the Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov in the final game.
Upon his return to the Centre Courts at the beginning of the season, Federer was the man for the regularly outstanding headlines, no one, not even himself, would have dreamt that he would finish this year 2017 with seven titles, including two Grand Slam triumphs. That’s why the semi-final defeat was only a relatively easy mistake for the 36-year-old old champion, a defeat that had nothing to do with:”David played so well today that he deserved to make it to the final. I told him that, too,”says Federer,”he’s a nice guy who can make a big dream come true.”
Actually, a first big dream. Goffin is also one of the main players in the Davis Cup final, where Belgium will be playing in the French city of Lille next weekend. Goffin is also a comeback phenomenon this season, after an unfortunate crash in his third round match at the French Open, he had to pause for two months and also forego a start in Wimbledon. Nevertheless, as in the previous year, he secured a place in the World Cup field in this tennis world of the big and strong once again – the Belgian’s final spurt, for example with the victories in Shenzhen and Tokyo, was particularly impressive.