Last Sunday the top two seeded tennis players battled it out in Ashe Stadium at the US Open, one of the four Grand Slam tournaments. The stadium, located in Flushing, Queens, is still under construction; once finished, it will be the world’s largest tennis stadium with a retractable roof. At 34, Roger Federer faced the 10-time major title winner Novak Djokovic, playing an energy-draining three hour and 20 minute game in four sets that saw Djokovic pick up the 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 victory.
“I thought it was an amazing match. Novak Djokovic showed us why he truly is somewhat of a superhuman on the tennis court, and Roger Federer showed us that he has still got it. Even in his 30s, he is the only player to year in and year out complete at a high level of tennis,” said Danny Buono ‘17, an avid tennis fan and member of the club tennis team. The two have competed against each other in the past, this game being their 42nd battle since they’ve gone professional.
Djokovic has been ranked No. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals for the past three years and still seems to be unbeatable after this game. He follows in Federer’s footsteps by reaching the final round in all four of the Grand Slam tournaments in a single season, but still has a ways to go before he catches up to the Swiss player. Federer has been on his game and recently claimed to be in the best shape of life since his injury back in 2014, and this final match was there to prove it.
Federer gave the Serbian a difficult time in the first hour, though he dropped the first set 6-4. He later won the second set 7-5, averaging at a serve speed of 115 mph, the fastest being at 125 mph. In this set showing off his fluid backhand, Federer’s age simply proved his expertise at the game.
Even though he is behind Federer by seven major titles, Djokovic is slowly catching up to him after this win. Though this game may have seemed to be just another easy win for Djokovic, in the end he showed his exhaustion through a roar of victory. “Playing against probably the best player in the history of the game adds a little more pressure,” ESPN tweeted Djokovic saying after his win. Many believe that Federer still has it in him to win another title and all the Federer fans support him to do just that.
However, no one expected the loss of Serena Williams in the semifinals, leaving the two Italians — Roberta Vinci and Flavia Pennetta — to compete in the finals. The women played under the watch of the Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. Also unexpected was the announced retirement of the US Open Women’s Champion Pennetta: “@flavia_pennetta congrats I’m so happy you won. You deserved it. I am also happy for the rest of your life’s journey. I will miss your smile,” said a tweet by Williams.
I am already looking forward to the next Grand Slam tournament in January, where we are bound to see top-seeded players serving at the Australian Open. We may even possibly see Federer and Djokovic butt heads again, but for now, Djokovic is still celebrating his win. Serbia is proud of you Djokovic.
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