Roger's Turning Tables

After his defeat to Rafael Nadal in the semis of the Australian Open, Federer looked set for yet another disappointing season. Nevertheless, after swallowing a tough loss to Isner in the Davis Cup in front of his crowd, the Swiss bounced back stronger than ever. A successful outing in Rotterdam opened the door to some exceptional performances. First came the final win in Dubai over long time foe Andy Murray and, now, the great fortnight in Indian Wells. Drawn against some of the most dangerous opponents on the tour, Federer shook off the fever that almost made his retire and battled his way to become the first player to win four titles in the Californian desert. 

It wasn't easy though, but he found a way to get himself out of trouble, especially in the early rounds when he faced young guns Denis Kudla, Milos Raonic and Thomaz Bellucci respectively. After a routine triumph over Juan Martin del Potro in the quarterfinals, the Swiss faced his stiffest rival, Rafael Nadal, in the last four. Showing that he has learned his lesson, Roger was extremely aggressive throughout the match, dictating the procedures with precise groundstokes and exquisite volleys. However, the biggest improvement was in his ability to capitalize on his chances. With a backhand that was working perfectly, he broke his opponent four times, as Nadal failed to adapt to the windy conditions. The score might suggest an easy victory, but a success over the Spaniard can never be easy. Roger played unbelievably though and, most important, he remained mentally strong in the latter phases of the dispute when Rafa was threatening to turn the match around. At 5-1 down in the second set, Nadal embarked on an amazing comeback, but Federer served an ace on match point at 5-4 to close the encounter. 

I think there's nothing sweeter for the Swiss than beating Nadal. Such a win usually generates a huge confidence boost which could be lethal for his next opponents. The first one to tackle a rejuvenated, overly confident Federer was John Isner. Playing the biggest final of his career in front of a partisan crowd, the home hope was not able to stay close to Roger for more than a set. After the Swiss sealed the first set tiebreak, he proved untouchable for the big serving American, who ended up losing 6-7,3-6.

In his last 41 matches, Federer lost only twice, to Nadal at Melbourne and to Isner in the Davis Cup. However, with his straight set wins this week, he has now avenged both defeats. He has also turn the tables on this arch rival, equaling Nadal's 19th Masters 1000 trophy record. With three consecutive titles indicate that sun has finally came to stay in Roger's life. The only thing missing to complete the rejuvenation is another Grand Slam crown and hopefully he can get it the next time of asking, at Roland Garros.

Federer avenged an earlier loss to Nadal, defeating the Spaniard 6-3,6-4 in the Indian Wells semifinals.

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