‘I’m just happy it’s over,’ says Federer after US Open exit
ONE unexpected line in Roger Federer’s post-defeat press conference, which took place at around 2.0am yesterday, gave a sense of how uncomfortable he felt during his 3-6, 7-5, 7-6, 7-6 reverse at the hands of John Millman.
“At some point I was just happy that the match was over,” said Federer, who also admitted that “it was very hot... one of those nights where I felt I couldn’t get air”.
The line was dramatically out of character. Even when short of his best form, the Swiss superstar has always projected a sense of joy and playfulness in his tennis. Yet here he was, admitting he was relieved to get off court.
The explanation had something to do with Millman’s unblinking excellence on the other side of the net. But the bigger factor was undoubtedly the oppressive weather.
Speaking yesterday on ESPN, Mary Joe Fernandez – whose husband Tony Godsick is Federer’s agent – revealed that Federer had not returned to the locker room immediately after the match, preferring to stretch out in the holding room next to the court.
“He was not feeling well,” said Fernandez. “He took a long time to lie down and get his breathing under control.” This may have been a night match, but the temperature was still hovering above 30C when it finished just before 1.0am. You could hardly walk a block without sweat dripping from your brow.
Federer is famous for normally remaining cool and dry-skinned, even when his opponents look like they have just completed a military assault course.
But these are strange times in New York, featuring such ferocious conditions that the tournament brought in an unprecedented “heat rule” for the male players at the start of the fortnight.
Benefit
During day matches, there can be a benefit to performing on the bigger stadiums, where the high stands provide some shade. But as Federer pointed out, there are also disadvantages to playing under the huge roof canopy that arrived on Arthur Ashe Stadium two years ago.
“I do believe, since the roof... that there is no air circulation in the stadium,” said Federer. “I think just that makes it a totally different US Open. You have soaking wet pants, soaking wet everything.”
Millman – a late developer who needed seven years as a professional to land his first tour-level victory – was also drenched from an early stage. But then, as Federer pointed out, “John was able to deal with it (the heat) better. He comes from one of the most humid places on earth, Brisbane.”
Crucially, Millman also managed to stay cool mentally. He benefited from Federer’s wastefulness in the second set, when a 5-4, 40-15 advantage went begging.
But the key passage was the third-set tiebreak, and Millman’s great achievement was to risk everything with a series of gung-ho forehands.
So where now for Federer? The most popular response to last night’s defeat was to say that the 37-year-old “looked his age” – which is true, but could also have been said for almost any loss he has suffered over the past five years.
Clearly Federer was off his game. Even Millman admitted that “I felt a little bit guilty because he didn’t have his best day”. But he has also won 36 of 42 matches this year. Only Rafael Nadal has better numbers. And if Federer has another strong off-season, he will go into January’s Australian Open with a realistic shot at the title. After all, he has won it for the past two years.
Meanwhile, Millman – who is 29 – will have to reproduce a similar level of intensity against Novak Djokovic tonight if he is to pull off a rare double. Again, he will start as an extreme outsider, but Djokovic has also been struggling with the conditions and left the court twice during the third set of his fourth-round match against Joao Sousa. (© Daily Telegraph, London)