By Chris Oddo | Saturday, November 15, 2014
Roger Federer saved four match points to take down Stan Wawrinka in London on Saturday.
Photo Source: Getty
In a battle whose third set had as many twists and turns as the waters of the Thames, Roger Federer edged past his compatriot Stan Wawrinka, 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(6), saving four match points to set up a dreamy final clash on Sunday against Novak Djokovic at the ATP World Tour Finals.
Video: Federer's Dad Swats a Backhand into Roger's Bum
Federer, who had never lost to Wawrinka on a hard court, entered the match with a 14-2 career record against this year’s Australian Open champion. But it would be Wawrinka who took the initiative in the early going, forcing Federer to scramble time and time again as he unloaded massive ground strokes and built a double-break lead in set one.
Federer would reclaim one of the breaks back, but he didn’t get a sniff in the last game of the set, as Wawrinka set up set point with another massive crosscourt backhand and closed the opening frame on the next point.
Federer, easing into the match and countering Wawrinka’s bold game with craftiness and the dazzling net play that has become his trademark in 2014, would fail on three break points in the sixth game of the second set, but six games later he would break to love against Wawrinka to force the decider.
Drama would quickly heighten in the decider as Federer and umpire Cedric Mourier would have a misunderstanding on the first point of the set when Federer didn’t notice the Frenchman’s subtle overrule of a Wawrinka volley (which replays showed was out). After dropping the next two points Federer was unhappily surprised to hear the score called as “0-40” when he’d assumed it was 15-30. He briefly spoke with Mourier to vent his disappointment, then went on to lose the game, and the momentum in the set.
That break of serve held up until very late in the match, but the best drama came at the close of the two hour and 48-minute affair as Federer fought for dear life while Wawrinka did everything in his power to keep him at bay.
All the while, the intensity and quality of tennis rose.
Wawrinka would save two break points to hold for 5-3, using penetrating groundstrokes to hold off Federer.
With Wawrinka serving for the match at 5-4, Federer would save three match points, all of which saw an anxious Wawrinka try to end the points quickly with serve-and-volley. On the first Federer lashed a clean forehand down-the-line winner; on the second Wawrinka overcooked the volley; on the third, a crisp backhand pass forced Wawrinka to net his volley, and Federer would break a few points later on his second break point of the game when Wawrinka netted a backhand slice.
An ill-timed forehand error on a sitter from the mid-court left Federer staring at two break points in the next game, but the six-time ATP World Tour Finals champion would rise in the clutch again, saving the first with a money serve out wide and the second when Wawrinka floated a return long. In the third-set tiebreaker, Federer would see his 5-3 lead quickly evaporate before bearing down to save yet another match point—the fourth—with a big serve that Wawrinka returned long.
Federer had spent much of the match playing passive, somewhat reactionary tennis, but on the final two points of the tiebreaker he took matters into his own hands, sneaking into the net to deaden drop volleys that Wawrinka could not get a racquet on.
After sealing the victory, Federer looked to feel more sympathy for his friend than elation for reaching a ninth career final at the tour’s season-ending championships.
It was a well-played, well-deserved victory, and one in which both players produced sublime shotmaking and the drama and electricity that fans had been yearning for during a long week of snoozefests in London, but it was obviously bittersweet for Federer to beat the man that he hopes to win the Davis Cup with in one week’s time in such heart-breaking fashion.
That quest will reach its conclusion next weekend in France. As for Federer, his next quest will see him battle Novak Djokovic for bragging rights in London on Sunday afternoon.
Notes, Numbers, Tweets
Federer will face Djokovic in Sunday’s final. He improved his record in the semifinals at the World Tour Finals to 9-3.
Federer is the oldest player in 35 years to reach 70 wins in a single season (72-11).
Federer has won 21 of his 82 career titles indoors. Only Jimmy Connors (52), John McEnroe (52), Ivan Lendl (42), Boris Becker (30), Bjorn Borg (23) and Pete Sampras (23) have more.