Wicked Backhand» Roger Federer

Cañas Beats Federer Again

Kelly — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 23:44:58 +0000

Yes, Guillermo Cañas has done it again! In an epic match, Cañas upset world number one and top seed Roger Federer for the second time this month yesterday (7-6 (2), 2-6, 7-6 (5)). Two weeks ago, Cañas beat Federer at Indian Wells, abruptly ending Federer’s infamous winning streak. This second win proves conclusively that his victory at Indian Wells was no fluke. The Argentine has just recently rejoined the tour, he had been suspended for 15 months on doping charges. Next Cañas faces Spain’s Tommy Robredo, here’s hoping for a fascinating match.

Indian Wells Quarterfinals

Kelly — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 19:04:31 +0000

In women’s quarterfinals action at Indian Wells, Li Na of China defeated Vera Zvonareva of Russia (6-4, 7-5) and Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia overcame Shahar Peer of Israel in a match lasting 2 hours, 43 minutes (6-2, 5-7, 7-6 (5)). Still to play in the women’s quarterfinal round are Bammer vs. Golovin and Vaidisova vs. Kuznetsova.

With Federer out of the race, the men’s title is totally up for grabs. The men’s quarterfinal round will include Ferrer vs. Djokovic, Murray vs. Haas, Ljubicic vs. Roddick, and Chela vs. Nadal.

Federer: He’s Only Human After All

Kelly — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 02:10:38 +0000

Just when tennis fans were beginning to believe that Federer might have fathered the WiiBot, Roger faltered. In the men’s upset of the year, Guillermo Cañas of Argentina defeated Roger Federer in two sets in the second round of Indian Wells (7-5, 6-2). Cañas was impressive where Federer was immobile. Currently ranked 60th in the world, Cañas capitalized on Federer’s unusual propensity for errors to defeat him soundly (39-8 errors).

Is Federer disappointed that he didn’t break Vila’s record for longest winning streak? It seems he actually enjoys the rare defeat now and again.

It’s just a guy put me away when he had to. He played a perfect match in the end. He didn’t give me anymore chances. I was just playing too poorly in the end to come back. So the right guy won. I’m a very positive thinker, and I think it’s going to be good for me eventually this season. I’ve had a very relaxed opening to the season… just playing the Australian Open and Dubai and having enough time to rest. So I definitely won’t be worn out towards the end of the season. That’s a good thing. Over the last one-and-a-half years, I’ve been in all the finals except Cincinnati and now here. I was just pushing the limits all the time. So something like this is actually maybe good for me, (I can) just get away from it, have time to rest up again, and practice real hard before Miami.”
– Roger Federer

As for Cañas, he lost the next round to Carlos Moya (6-4, 6-4). At least he can enjoy the infamy of having cut short Federer’s winning streak.

Federer, Meet WiiBot

Kelly — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 03:16:45 +0000

Roger Federer may have finally met his match! Check out the WiiBot, it wields a nasty racquet. And hey, if WiiBot can’t beat Roger fair and square, he also has the option of wielding a sword instead. Look out, Federer–you may be losing your records to a robot one of these days.

Federer Ties Borg

Kelly — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 04:20:44 +0000

Wow!! Roger Federer won the Dubai Open (of course) but more importantly he won his 41st straight victory, tying Bjorn Borg’s streak. Gulp, if he wins another match, he’ll tie John McEnroe’s record; three more, he’ll tie Ivan Lendl. With eight wins, he’ll tie Guillermo Vilas’ 1977 record. If Roger Federer wins just nine more games in a row, he’ll hold the record for most consistent wins at 50. Didn’t he set a world record last week? Tune in to Indian Wells later this week to watch history in the making.

Federer: Stamp of Approval

Kelly — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 00:58:57 +0000

Roger Federer set a new record in tennis this week, celebrating his 161st week at #1 in the world rankings. Jimmy Connors held the former record at world number one, achieving 160 consecutive weeks between July 1974 and August 1977. Federer’s streak at number one began on February 2, 2004 and will seemingly continue indefinitely. He is currently 3,415 points ahead of his closest rival, Rafael Nadal.

I’ve been looking forward to this day to come and I’m very excited. That is definitely one of the biggest records I’ve broken so far in my career. I am profoundly proud of not only being able to compete with my opponents today, but also with history. One hundred and sixty one weeks is a long time and being able to lead this statistic from now on is a terrific feeling. As you can imagine it has taken a lot to come this far.” –Roger Federer

Federer’s homeland is gracing him with a rare honor as well: beginning April 10, Roger will adorn the Swiss one-franc postage stamp.

McEnroe on Federer

Kelly — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 06:00:20 +0000

The Sydney Morning Herald conducted a funny yet insightful interview with John McEnroe recently. McEnroe touches on everything from Jimmy Connors’ motivation to Federer’s similarity to Borg and admits that he doubts he could have beaten Roger even in his prime. McEnroe’s advice to Federer’s opponents? Stop being so nice, get aggressive, get in his head and under his skin. He feels that the modern players are too respectful, too restrained, and simply too nice when playing Federer. If Federer wins a French Open title, McEnroe believes that he will be inarguably the greatest tennis player of all time.

Federer vs. Gonzalez: 2007 Australian Open Stats

Kelly — Sun, 28 Jan 2007 05:54:48 +0000

Let’s gear up for tomorrow’s Aussie Open menâ€™s finals match by examining the tournament matches played so far. Below we list the statistics on Roger Federer and Fernando Gonzalez and their opponents and scores to date in this year’s Aussie Open. I would love to see Gonzalez speedy enough to slow down the FedExpress to at least a competitive level of play. Since Fernando’s performance inspired Serena’s game yesterday, perhaps he’s learned a few tricks by watching HER tapes backstage.

MR. ROGER FEDERER
Age: 25
Birthplace: Basel, Switzerland
Height: 6’1″ or 185 centimeters
Weight: 177 pounds or 80 kilograms
Career Titles: 45
Career Prize Money: $28,576,458
Current World Ranking: 1
Australian Open Draw: 1

First Round: Bjorn Phau (Germany) 7-5, 6-0, 6-4
Second Round: Jonas Bjorkman (Sweden) 6-2, 6-3, 6-2
Third Round: Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) 6-3, 6-3, 7-6
Fourth Round: Novak Djokovic (Serbia) 6-2, 7-5, 6-3
Quarterfinals: Tommy Robredo (Spain) 6-3, 7-6, 7-5
Semifinals: Andy Roddick (USA) 6-4, 6-0, 6-2

MR. FERNANDO GONZALEZ
Age: 26
Birthplace: Santiago, Chile
Height: 6′ or 183 centimeters
Weight: 180 pounds or 81 kilograms
Career Titles: 7
Career Prize Money: $4,728,990
Current World Ranking: 9
Australian Open Draw: 10

First Round: Evgeny Korolev (Russia) 6-7, 7-6, 6-3, 6-2
Second Round: Juan Martin Del Potro (Argentina) 7-6, 4-6, 6-7, 6-4, 4-0 (retired)
Third Round: Lleyton Hewitt (Australia) 6-2, 6-2, 5-7, 6-4
Fourth Round: James Blake (USA) 7-5, 6-4, 7-6
Quarterfinals: Rafael Nadal (Spain) 6-2, 6-4, 6-3
Semifinals: Tommy Haas (Germany) 6-1, 6-3, 6-1

Oz Men’s Finals: Federer vs. Gonzalez

Kelly — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 20:44:54 +0000

Fernando Gonzalez of Chile makes his first appearance in a Grand Slam final in this year’s Australian Open. On Sunday, this Olympic gold medalist takes on defending champion Roger Federer for the title. He swept by German Tommy Haas with ease in the semis, beating him in straight sets in just over 90 minutes (6-1, 6-3, 6-1).

Though seeded tenth, Gonzalez has a full bag of tricks and has played some of the more sublime tennis in this tournament to date. He faced Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals, prevailing against the second seed also in straight sets (6-2, 6-4, 6-3). In the fourth round, Gonzalez beat fifth seed James Blake in straight sets yet again (7-5, 6-4, 7-6).

Get ready for the biggest match of Gonzalez’ life on Sunday. Keep in mind, however, the FedExpress took just 83 minutes to dispose of his most recent victim and holds a 9-0 career win-loss record over Gonzalez. Here’s hoping for a competitive Australian Open men’s final and may the best man win.

Alas, Poor Roddick

Kelly — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 03:55:54 +0000

Is it just me or was watching the Federer/Roddick semifinal match akin to reading a Shakespearean tragedy? We all knew the outcome, it was simply a matter of time. Even the commentators during the match showed extreme bias, nearly groaning aloud on Roddick’s behalf at points. Federer hardly seemed to break a sweat, dispatching Roddick in three easy sets (6-4, 6-0, 6-2). The Australian Open championship final will feature Federer against either Tommy Haas of Germany or Fernando Gonzalez of Chile.