Not just about elegance: Seven times Roger Federer showed nerves of steel to win ugly

One of the reasons why Roger Federer is considered by many to be the greatest men’s tennis player is the consummate elegance with which he dominates at the highest level. The artistry of it all.

Tennis, like most other individual sports, is very physical. And over the years, the power and athleticism involved has only increased. Which is why fans have always marvelled at the ease with which Federer goes about his business.

Racquets have become better, strokes have become more powerful, players have become faster, grunts have become louder... but none of it has ever unsettled the Swiss maestro, who seems to have all the time in the world to do his on-court ballets.

When it comes to Federer, it really is hard to look beyond how aesthetically pleasing his game-style is. From the silky service motion, to the trademark inside-out forehand, to the oft-attacked but marvelous single-handed backhand, to the deft touch at the net – every shot he plays has oodles of style and class in it.

All of this, along with the staggering numbers, of course, will most-likely define Federer’s legacy. After all, how does one look beyond the fact that he won these many trophies with such grace in his over two-decade-long career.

But while it’s only natural to be besotted by his wizardry, one aspect of Federer’s game that tends to get neglected is his will to win. You don’t claim 103 titles at the pro level, including 20 Grand Slams, with easy elegance alone. It takes boatloads of courage, grit, determination, self-belief, and an undying spirit to achieve that kind of success.

As a matter of fact, for many, Federer’s biggest weakness has been his mental strength. The squandering of break points and match points, and the inferior head-to-head record against his two greatest rivals – Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic – compels one to believe that there is indeed a case of mental fragility. But, that wouldn’t be entirely fair.

Over the many years, Federer has also shown time and time again that he has it in him to win ugly, so to speak. There have been umpteen matches when his touch deserted him completely, when the shanks just wouldn’t go away. His game has gone off at the start of matches, when he was cruising and even in phases. But he has found ways to win... to tough it out and get the job done. He may look stoic for the most part but the steely resolve has been present in abundance.

Here’s a look at seven such matches in Federer’s illustrious career, when he had to dig deep to climb out:

2001 Wimbledon 4th round vs Pete Sampras

Federer was all of 19 when he defeated Pete Sampras at Wimbledon 2001. He went on to conquer the Centre Court of the All England Club like no other men’s player but in that match against the legendary American, he was the firm underdog.

Sampras had already won seven Wimbledon titles by then, including the four previous editions, and was expected to tame the up-and-coming Federer. But the young Swiss was in good form, having won his first ATP title in Milan a few months earlier, and didn’t back down till the very end.

In many ways, the match was a serve-and-volley exhibition. While Pistol Pete did what he usually did – send down those unreturnables with ridiculous consistency – Federer did remarkably well with his serve too and matched Sampras’s ace count of 25.

Two-sets-to-one up, it seemed Federer would run away with the contest. But Sampras hung in there to win a tense fourth-set tiebreak and take the match to a decider. Things then went from bad to worse for the Swiss as he found himself two break points down at 4-4 in the fifth set.

But Federer proved his mettle by holding his serve and breaking Sampras three games later to close out the match. The 7-6(7), 5-7, 6-4, 6-7(2), 7-5 victory was the first sign that Federer had it in him to hold his nerve at the biggest stage. To be a teenager and beat the champ in his own backyard was no mean feat.

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2005 Miami Open final vs Rafael Nadal

It was the first time Federer and Nadal – two players with arguably the greatest rivalry in men’s tennis – faced each other in a final on the ATP Tour.

Federer was in a league of his own at that time, having lost just one of his previous 48 matches. But everyone was well aware of the threat posed by the then 18-year-old Nadal. The Spaniard had beaten Federer in their only other encounter up until that point – in the third round of the same tournament the previous year – and was expected to give the Swiss a serious run for his money.

And that’s exactly what happened. Nadal raced to a two-sets-to-love lead and was even 4-1 up in the third. But just when Federer seemed down and out, he produced some clutch tennis.

Throughout his career, one of the key attributes of Federer’s game has been his ability to attack no matter what situation he is in. He rarely hesitates in mixing things up and his opponents have often spoken about being surprised by him going for his shots.

That rare quality helped him get out of jail in that match against Nadal. From being two points away from defeat, Federer somehow managed to turn things around and complete a 2-6, 6-7(4), 7-6(5), 6-3, 6-1 win.

He wasn’t used to smashing his racquet those days, but he did. He wasn’t used to battling it out for three hours and 43 minutes those days, but he did. He did what he had to to get over the line that day.

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2009 French Open 4th round vs Tommy Haas

Federer had lost to Nadal in the previous four editions of Roland Garros – in the semi-final in 2005 and in the final the following three years.

He had won 13 Grand Slam titles heading into French Open 2009 – three at the Australian Open and five each at Wimbledon and the US Open. His Achilles heel was, of course, the red dirt in Paris.

Which is why Nadal’s fourth-round defeat to Robin Soderling felt like a once in a lifetime opportunity for Federer. It was now or never for him. He knew that and so did the rest of the tennis world.

But a day after Nadal’s exit from the tournament, the Swiss found himself in a massive hole in his fourth-round match against Tommy Haas. The German had gone two sets up, partly due to some brilliant tennis and partly due to the many unforced-errors by his opponent.

It was quite clear that Federer was out of sorts. He knew what was at stake and his muscles had tightened up. And it seemed his dream of winning that elusive French Open title would indeed be shattered as Haas earned a break point at 3-4 in the third set.

But, again, Federer’s survival instincts kicked-in. In a point that reflected his genius and character in equal measure, he moved across the court with confidence and unleashed an inside-out forehand winner with pinpoint accuracy.

From that point on, it was all Federer as he roared back to notch up a 6-7(4), 5-7, 6-4, 6-0, 6-2 victory. It remains one of his greatest comebacks as he went on to lift the Coupe des Mousquetaires for the first time and become the sixth man to complete the Career Grand Slam.

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2010 Wimbledon 1st round vs Alejandro Falla

This was a match where Federer struggled to find any sort of rhythm in the first four sets. He was the defending champion, having beaten Andy Roddick in an epic final the previous year, and opened play on Centre Court on day one in accordance with tournament tradition.

He was expected to cruise through his first round match against Alejandro Falla. He had beaten the Colombian twice in the previous month and held an 11-0 head-to-head lead.

But Falla came out swinging and Federer just didn’t have any answers. The Swiss seemed to struggle with his footwork on the fresh grass and tried desperately to find his range.

The world No 60 took the first two sets and dropped the next one, but he earned an early break in the fourth and served for the match at 5-4. However, just when it looked like Federer would lose his streak of 24 consecutive Grand Slam quarter-final appearances, he found another gear.

All of a sudden, the stunning shot-making was back and Federer ran away with the contest 5-7, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(1), 6-0. It was as if a switch had been turned on and he was reminded of his prowess.

But even though the gulf in class between the two players was there to see eventually, what was unmissable was Federer’s determination to find a way out.

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2016 Wimbledon quarter-final vs Marin Cilic

Federer headed into this match in good form. Having finished runner-up the previous two years at SW19, he had won his first four matches this time around against Guido Pella, Marcus Willis, Daniel Evans and Steve Johnson in straight sets.

But there were two factors going against him in this match against Cilic, one of which the world would find out a couple of weeks later.

Firstly, the Croat was also coming in with confidence as he had won the pair’s previous encounter in straight sets – at the 2014 US Open semi-finals – and had dropped just one set in the tournament till that point.

Cilic served with great accuracy to win the first set tiebreak before powering through the second. He then had three consecutive break points at 3-3 in the third set and it looked like he would blaze past the finish line.

But Federer raised his level at just the right time to hold serve and close out the set. In the fourth, the Swiss faced three match points but somehow managed to clinch a nail-biting tiebreak. Then was no stopping him then.

What is remarkable about that 6-7(4), 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(9), 6-3 triumph is the fact that Federer wasn’t fully fit in that tournament. He had undergone an arthroscopic left knee surgery earlier that year but hadn’t recovered completely.

Such was the severity of his injury that he famously took the rest of the 2016 season off. Federer’s victory against Cilic that day is another reminder that he has never been one to throw in the towel.

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2017 Australian Open semi-final vs Stanislas Wawrinka

Federer’s next tournament after Wimbledon 2016 was perhaps his greatest. While everyone raves about the iconic final against Nadal at the 2017 Australia Open, it’s easy to forget that Federer’s victory against Stan Wawrinka in the semi-finals of that tournament was incredible as well.

In his fourth-round match against Japan’s Kei Nishikori, the then 17-time Grand Slam champion had survived a five-set thriller. He had won two five-set matches in the same event just twice in his career till that point and he knew it would take a special effort to get past his compatriot in the semis.

Luckily for the older Swiss, he served with authority and took the first two sets without much discomfort. But Wawrinka stormed back to take the next two and level the match. This put Federer in a position he wasn’t used to being in. He had come back from two sets down a bunch of times in his career but to lose grip over the match so dramatically from two sets up wasn’t familiar territory.

Wawrinka, a three-time Major-winner coming in fresh on the back of a US Open triumph, could smell blood. And he had his opportunity to go for the kill at 1-1 in the decider. But Federer, showing no signs of rustiness despite being away from the tour for months before the tournament, saved a break point and went on to register a 7-5, 6-3, 1-6, 4-6, 6-3 win.

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2020 Australian Open 3rd round vs John Millman

This has to go down as one of Federer’s grittiest performances in his career. He battled for four hours and three minutes to beat John Millman, the Australian who had got the better of him in the fourth round of the 2018 US Open.

There are a number of reasons why this win is epic. For starters, Federer was 38 coming into this tournament. And add to that, he was competing with an injury – a niggling groin pain which played a big part in his eventual downfall in the semi-final against Djokovic.

What was most fascinating, though, was how the Swiss refused to let doubts creep into his mind in the match against Millman. He lost the first set and just about managed to scrape though the second. He seemed to have found some momentum after winning the third set but the Aussie, one of the fittest guys on tour, squared things up by taking the fourth comfortably.

And then came the unforgettable fifth set. Federer was 0-3 and 4-8 down in the tiebreak for the decider but in a most extraordinary turnaround, he reeled-off six consecutive points to close out the match 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(8).

Federer’s tactical astuteness, his ability to dictate rallies and play within himself when needed, came to the fore as he served up yet another masterclass.

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