‘It’s not a bad thing’ says Federer after losing first set to qualifier Nagal
Ragged Roger Federer recovered from dropping the first set of his US Open campaign to squeeze past Indian qualifier Sumit Nagal.
Nagal, a 22-year-old from New Delhi playing in his first grand slam, could not believe his luck as the 20-time major champion made 19 unforced errors to gift him an unlikely lead.
The Swiss great’s timing seemed to have deserted him as straightforward forehands floated wide and backhands looped high and long.
The build-up to the firstround match centred around not confusing Nagal with nearnamesakerafaelnadal yet,35 minutes in, the scoreline only seemed credible had Federer been facing the Spaniard.
However, Federer also lost his first set at this year’s Wimbledon to little-known Lloyd Harris, and went on to reach the final.
The 38-year-old bucked his ideas up at the start of the second set, breaking Nagal with a fourth break point, and then repeating the dose to take a 5-0 lead.
Federer was by now hitting the lines he had previously been missing by a distance and the match was quickly level, although Nagal was still enough of a nuisance to save six set points before succumbing. But Nagal’s hustling was no longer hassling Federer, a double break in the third putting him firmly in control.
There was no way back for Nagal, despite another break in the fourth, and a relieved Federer went on to clinch a 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 victory that was wrapped up with an unreturnable serve.
“It’s never easy to come out and play your best even though it’s kind of what you live for, you dream about, playing on the big stage. So I think he did that very well,” said Federer.
“I think he (Nagal) knows what he can bring. That’s why I think he’s going to have a very solid career.
“Trying to forget the first set is never easy in a first round, under the lights. People expect a different result. I expect something else. I just wanted to pick up my game really, and start to play better.
“I was able to do that. That was a relief, going up 3-0 in the second set and realising that it is in my racket.
“The thing is I wasn’t serving consistently enough. I was hitting double-faults that usually I don’t do. Also I was just hitting too many unforced errors. I was in two minds, I guess.
“I was able to clear that a little bit. Maybe it’s not a bad thing to go through a match like this.
“It was very similar at Wimbledon. At the end you look at the last three sets, and they were good. That’s encouraging.”
Federer faces Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia in round two. tiring. Twice Norrie served for the match, but lost out on both occasions.
As the match went to a final tiebreak, Barrere raced into a 6-1 lead and, although Norrie saved one matchpoint he was helpless when defending the second as Barrere’s winner was so powerful it knocked the racket out of his hand. ● Sloane Stephens, the 2017 US Open champion, and Madison Keys, the runner-up that year, are among five new members elected to the WTA Players’ Council.
They are the two new top20 representatives and join Donna Vekic, Aleksandra Krunic and Gabriela Dabrowski as additions to the council.
The eight-person board alsoincludesjohannakonta, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Kristie Ahn.