It was October 14, 2000, when nineteen-year-old Roger Federer, with long hair and pimples, lost to Tim Henman in the semifinals in Vienna 2-6, 7-6, 6-3. An expected defeat against the British top 10, at the end of a tournament in which Federer, then world number 31, was able to knock out second seeded Magnus Norman (world number 4) and former Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek.
But also painful because the Swiss, with 6-5 in the second set, had two precious match points at his disposal to reach the second final of his career after that of Marseille last February, lost against his giant brother, Marc Rosset .
Two double faults by Henman, raised Federer at 15-40, but the Swiss could not, in a good first outing for the Briton, who then also annulled the second chance by intercepting, with a solid backhand volley, the backhand passing from Federer.
A few seconds later Henman had caught up with his rival in the tie break, winning by 7 points to 4 and then stretching the distance in 2 hours and 9 minutes. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have dominated the men’s tour for nearly 15 years, winning 58 Grand Slam titles between them and garnering all the accolades the game has to offer.
Recently world No. 9 Diego Schwartzmanm was incredibly complimentary of the trio, stating that they continue to learn even after the experience they have gained over the years.
Schwartzman on Roger Federer
During the course of a lengthy interview with ESPN, Diego Schwartzman also praised 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer. The Argentine said he is ‘at the mercy’ of the Swiss master while playing against him and also praised his charisma.
“With Roger Federer you are at the mercy of whether he wins or loses the points. He doesn’t let you do anything,” said the world No. 9. “He has charisma, class, education, he goes anywhere and says hello to everyone” Federer recounted some positives from a failed comeback campaign, adding that there was still some ground to cover to reach the desired level of fitness and form before the match. grass court season.
In an interaction with reporters following Thursday’s loss, the former world number one said there were times in both rounds he played in Qatar when he realized he was “not 100 percent yet.”
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