How a player goes about things in a 5-set encounter can easily give out hints on his stamina and mental toughness. When such matches happen in the final of important tournaments, it’s even more demanding. Federer will know all about it, having won and lost quite a few titles playing a finale that went the whole distance.
But, in today’s slideshow we are going to concentrate only on the positives, that is, his victories. So, here are the Top 5 countdown of 5 set victories of Roger Federer in finals:
#5 Miami Masters 2005 vs Rafael Nadal
This match was back when the finals of Masters tournaments were 5-set affairs. This was also the first time that Federer met Nadal in a final. He had already lost to him in straight sets a year before, in the Round of 32 of the Miami Open. It looked like a repeat of that performance was on the cards when he was 2 sets down, losing the 2nd in a tiebreaker after having a couple of set points at 5-3.
The 18-year-old Spaniard raced to a 4-1 lead in the 3rd set before being pulled into another tiebreak. Trailing in the tiebreak 3-5 with his opponent on serve, the Swiss maestro won 4 points in a row to stay in the match. That seemed to be the momentum shift he so desperately needed as he won the 4th set 6-3.
Federer broke Nadal in Game 3 of the 5th set from a game point down and there was nothing that the latter could do thereon. Roger Federer destroyed Rafa 6-1 in the final set, to complete a great comeback.
#4 Wimbledon 2007 vs Rafael Nadal
The 2nd Federer-Nadal final on our list swung back and forth throughout the 5 sets. This was Roger Federer’s chance to equal Björn Borg’s record of 5 consecutive Wimbledon titles. He got into a lead early in the first set but was held to a tiebreaker, which he won eventually. Rafael Nadal countered well by taking the second set 6-4.
Both the players served strong in the 3rd set to take it to a tie-break which Federer won for a 2-1 lead. Nadal though came back again, winning the first 4 games of the 4th set and took it 6-2. In a dramatic final set, Roger saved a total of 4 break points in the 3rd and 5th games. He then dominated the rest of the set to take it 6-2 and won the title 7-6, 4-6, 7-6, 2-6, 6-2. Roger Federer won the Wimbledon Trophy and equalled the record of 11 Grand Slam titles.
#3 Australian Open 2018 vs Marin Cilic
Having won 2 out of the 4 Grand Slams in 2017, Federer was looking to get his 20th Grand Slam in the Australian Open.
Federer got off to a great start in the final, breaking Cilic twice in the first 3 games and taking the set 6-2. In the second set, his opponent struck back holding his nerve in a tiebreak. The Swiss Maestro didn’t let Cilic go on a roll, grabbing the 3rd. He was a break up at the start of the 4th set too, but Cilic wasn’t prepared to let him off the hook yet.
In a great display of forehand hitting the Croat suddenly surged ahead taking the set 6-3. In the very first game of the 5th set, Federer was facing two break points. Once he saved them, he absolutely roared ahead, taking the set 6-1. With that, Roger Federer won the Australian Open for a record-equalling 6th time.
#2 Australian Open 2017 vs Rafael Nadal
Both Federer and Nadal came into the 2017 Australian Open after long injury layoffs. The title meant a great deal to both and maybe that’s why the final was so exciting.
Roger Federer was the first to strike, breaking Nadal in the 7th game and won the first set 6-4. But, he faced the perfect response in the second, being broken twice before eventually losing 6-3. Federer saved 3 break points with aces in Game 1 of the 3rd set and broke Nadal twice to win 6-1. The provoked bull charged back by winning the 4th set before getting a 3-1 lead in the 5th.
The Swiss Maestro looked down and out, but somehow in an otherworldy resurgence, he won 5 games in a row. At last, he had beaten Nadal in a Grand Slam after 2007, first time outside Wimbledon. Roger Federer got his hands on Norman, like he called the Australian Open trophy, after 7 years.
#1 Wimbledon 2009 vs Andy Roddick
The most gruelling Wimbledon final ever happened in the 2009 edition. Still the longest Grand Slam final in the open era(games), the match lasted for 77 games. Facing 2-time finalist Andy Roddick, Roger Federer had to bring his A-game.
The first set was a close one with Roddick breaking very late and taking it 7-5. Federer was unable to break serve but won the 2nd set in the tiebreaker(8-6), saving 4 set points. Things unravelled similarly in the next set giving him a 2-1 lead. Reacting beautifully under pressure, Roddick won the next set to take the match into the decider.
In a marathon decider, Federer saved 2 break points at 8-8 with huge serves. Finally, after 29 games of deadlock in Set 5, he broke Roddick for the first time in the match and won 16-14. Not only Roddick’s serve, but Roger Federer had also broken the record for most Grand Slam titles.
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