Some Fine Swiss Craftsmanship
Federer Wins Fifth Straight U.S. Open

By Liz Clarke
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, September 9, 2008

FLUSHING MEADOWS, N.Y., Sept. 8 -- Roger Federer was hardly a master shot-maker these last two weeks as a series of challengers did their best to derail his march toward a fifth consecutive U.S. Open title.

Errors of judgment, a lapse in form and a lack of confidence had crept into his game. And with each less-than-convincing victory, the distinct possibility hung in the air that the Swiss champion's reign on the hard court of Arthur Ashe Stadium was about to end.

If Federer has indeed fallen from grace, he proved Monday that he's more than capable of picking himself up again, soundly defeating Andy Murray, 6-2, 7-5, 6-2, to hoist the U.S. Open trophy again.

Federer dropped to his knees when the 21-year-old Scot sent one last forehand into the net. The champion rolled on his back and buried his face in his hands, overcome with elation and relief.

When he strode on court for this rare Monday final, forced by Tropical Storm Hanna's drenching rain, Federer was one loss from ending a season without having won one of the sport's four majors for the first time since 2002.

But he strode off having made history and nudged his career achievements, at age 27, one step further from the reach of every player who has tried to knock him from his perch.

With the victory, Federer became the first player to win two major titles (in his case, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open) five consecutive times. He also claimed his 13th major title, leaving him just one title shy of Pete Sampras's record of 14.

"I didn't feel I was under pressure to prove myself, but this definitely feels very sweet," Federer said afterward. "I played great. I felt like I was invincible for a while."

Few predicted the breathtaking efficiency of Federer's rout, particularly given the way Murray played over the two days that it took to oust top-seeded Rafael Nadal.

But Murray, playing in the final of a major for the first time, simply wasn't the player of sustained brilliance that he was against Nadal. He was sluggish on his feet and sloppy with his serve. Worse, he wasn't courageous or creative after letting slip his only real opportunity to win a set, squandering a triple break point against the Swiss star midway through the match.

Instead, he scowled at his racket, gestured toward his sore right knee and hung his head as he trudged along the baseline between points -- points that he contested only sporadically in a doomed third set.

"I'm disappointed right now," Murray said later. "I wish I could have done a few things better and given myself a few more opportunities."

Murray, of course, had played 90 minutes of wearying tennis the previous day in completing his rain-interrupted semifinal against Nadal. Federer, by contrast, enjoyed two days of rest, finishing his semifinal on Saturday.

While Murray conceded he would have preferred Federer's situation, he said it wasn't the reason he lost.

"If he played like that, and I was absolutely fresh, it still would have been a very tough match for me to win," said Murray, who called Federer the best in the sport's history.

Federer seemed to take on an aura of invincibility once he stepped onto the Ashe Stadium court, where he has ruled longer than many New York mayors and governors.

The capacity crowd cheered Federer like a returning hero. And the beauty of his strokes, as well as the grace of his movement, made the season's disappointments irrelevant. Yes, Nadal had humiliated Federer at the French Open. Nadal had broken his heart at Wimbledon, too, then snatched his No. 1 ranking on the eve of the U.S. Open.

But the muscular Nadal wasn't the foe across the net. It was the 6-foot-3 Murray -- a dangerous opponent, to be sure, with a rich repertoire of strokes, but one who hadn't been tested in the final of a major.

In many ways, Murray was fortunate the moment didn't come at Wimbledon. The mere fact that he reached the U.S. Open final touched off a mania in Britain, where sports fans have waited since 1936 for one of their own to win a men's major singles title.

The ranks of British media swelled here after Murray reached the semifinals. And newspapers throughout Scotland and England made plans to hold their final editions so they could splash coverage of Murray's triumph, should he pull it off, even though the match didn't start until after 10 p.m. London time.

But Federer's skill and Murray's sub-par effort made for a quick result. At 1 hour 51 minutes, the match was 13 minutes shorter than Sunday's women's final, in which Serena Williams beat Jelena Jankovic in two sets.

It's not that Federer was flawless. He finished with 36 winners and 33 errors; at his best, he hits twice as many winners as errors.

But Federer was exceptional at identifying Murray's weakness and taking advantage. Against Nadal, the Scot had taken full command, blasting 17 aces and storming the net 20 times.

But against Federer, Murray hugged the baseline as if in a fog of uncertainty. Federer was delighted to seize the initiative, and he charged the net 44 times, crediting his newfound appreciation for serve-and-volley tactics to his gold medal doubles performance at the Beijing Olympics.

That was the memory he drew on when the U.S. Open began, he explained later, putting the losses in Paris and Wimbledon out of his mind.

"I came in with good spirits," Federer said. "I guess I stayed on that cloud and kept on going here. The relief was enormous."