AP
April 4, 2024
KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. (AP) _ Rafael Nadal fell short in a bid to upset Roger Federer, the end coming when he dumped a weary backhand in the net on championship point.
But Nadal's just getting started.
Twice two points from defeat, Federer conceded he was lucky to win the Nasdaq-100 Open final 2-6, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (5), 6-3, 6-1. And he expects the 18-year-old Nadal to be heard from again.
``We'll see of course very much from him in the future,'' Federer said. ``For me this was a big match, because I know what a great player he will be one day.''
By becoming the youngest men's finalist at Key Biscayne, and then nearly beating Federer, Nadal stamped himself as one of the favorites at this year's French Open _ and future major events as well.
Wearing white clamdiggers, an orange sleeveless shirt and a white bandanna, the left-handed Spaniard displayed shotmaking worthy of his flashy outfit. He led 4-1 in the third set and 5-3 in the ensuing tiebreaker, but Federer's forehand then became more accurate and aggressive, and he overtook a tiring Nadal in a 3-hour, 43-minute marathon.
``Any time I play well and play a match like this, I have fun,'' Nadal said. ``But as soon as I lose the last point, the fun stops.''
An upset would have been a streak-snapper: Federer has won 22 consecutive matches this year, and 18 consecutive finals since July 2003. Like Kim Clijsters, who beat Maria Sharapova in the women's final Saturday, he earned his first Key Biscayne title.
``It was extremely close,'' Federer said. ``I consider myself lucky to get through.''
Nadal came out swinging. A Davis Cup hero in Spain's victory over the United States last December, he hit deep groundstrokes with heavy topspin. The result was a rash of mistakes by Federer, who finished with 74 unforced errors.
``His forehand is huge,'' Federer said. ``And because he's a lefty, it changes so many things. We don't have many great lefties in the game right now, so it's good we have one again.''
Nadal passed Federer repeatedly, kept him off balance with high-kicking 110 mph serves and showed jaw-dropping athleticism as he yanked winners crosscourt or down the line from either corner. The capacity crowd loved it, especially when Nadal punctuated his best shots with a leap and an uppercut.
Federer was less enchanted. When he shanked an overhead to fall behind 5-4 in the third set, he slammed his racket to the hardcourt _ a routine display for many players, but a rarity for Federer, a recent winner of the ATP Tour sportsmanship award.
``Of course it's surprising to see Federer throw his racket,'' Nadal said. ``It makes you think you're closer to victory because he's frustrated.''
Nadal was two points from the championship in the next game, and again in the third-set tiebreaker before Federer won four consecutive points, the first on an 18-stroke rally, to save the set.
From there, Federer settled into his characteristic groove to earn his fifth tournament title this year.
``I just started to relax and took a freer swing at it,'' he said. ``Somehow, the points turned out differently.''
He won the last six games, then celebrated the victory by throwing a roundhouse punch in jubilation. The five-setter was the tournament's first since 1985, the year it began, and Federer overcame a two-set deficit for the third time in his career.
``He is the No. 1, no?'' Nadal said.
**Please do not reproduce without giving credit to the original source and VamosRafael.com.**
Return to VamosRafael.com.
Return to VamosRafael.com Articles
.
