Roger Federer started strong, securing a break at the 15th in the second game and overcoming a minor scare in the third to carve out a 3-0 lead. Both served well at the end of the set, and Federer claimed it 6-3, setting up another attack in the second.
There, he got a break in the third game after a double fault from Juan Carlos and securing another one at 3-1. The Swiss overcame the third match point in game seven to advance to the semi-finals with three wins. Asked about the upcoming stars, Roger said that he was not afraid of Rafael Nadal and Richard Gasquet, citing his experience compared to them.
At 17, Nadal and Gasquet were the youngest players in the top-100 at the end of the season, and the Spaniard has made significant strides toward the top, including a victory over Roger in March 2004 in Miami. “For a couple of years now, young players have emerged and come closer to the top.
Sampras has retired and we all have to prove ourselves. Also, we are not that young; we are all 22 or 23 years old. There are young promises younger than us, like Rafael Nadal and Richard Gasquet. I am not afraid of them because I have more experience; I’ve been on the Tour for five or six years,” said Roger Federer.
Fish pays tribute to King Roger
In the documentary, former World No. 7 Mardy Fish lauded Roger Federer for his ability to grind out wins despite not playing his best tennis. “He figured out a way to win every time, every single time.
Roger had this aura of invincibility around him where you just could never breathe ’cause he could turn it like that. Boom point’s over,” mentioned Fish. “We played in the final of 2004 in Halle, Roger went up 6-0, 3-0, in like 25 minutes.
I am like, ‘unbelievable, this guy is gonna beat me 6-0, 6-0 in the finals of a tournament.’ I think he probably felt bad for all the people that had paid money to come and watch and I am still, to this day, convinced that he prolonged the match a little bit longer, so it was 6-0, 6-3.
He made it like an hour,” concluded the former World No. 7 player. Currently ranked 26th in the world, Roger Federer recently resumed training after eight months off due to a knee injury. His comeback date is still uncertain.
