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2009 French Open – Men's singles final
The 2009 French Open men's singles final was the championship tennis match of the men's singles tournament at the 2009 French Open. It was contested by three-time finalist Roger Federer and Robin Söderling. After years of heartbreak in Paris, Federer finally lifted the Coupe des Mousquetaires[2][3] for the first and only time in his career. This match was historic as it was Federer's fourteenth major title, which brought him to a tie with Pete Sampras for the all-time record of major championships. He also became only the third man in the Open Era (after Rod Laver and Andre Agassi) to complete the career Grand Slam of capturing the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open singles championships. BackgroundAfter falling to three-time French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten in 2004, Roger Federer's frustration in Paris was due solely to his rival Rafael Nadal. They first played in the 2005 semifinals and then again in the final in 2006, 2007, and 2008. During this four-year period, Federer compiled a 23–0 record against all other players at Roland Garros and an 0–4 record against Nadal, whose high-bouncing left-handed forehand strategically devastated Federer's one-handed backhand on the dirt year after year. Federer entered the 2009 tournament with some momentum, having defeated Nadal on clay in the previous tournament at the Madrid Masters.[4] However, the four-time defending champion Nadal was a massive favorite, still having never been defeated in Paris. Federer struggled through difficult matches in the early rounds, while Nadal bulldozed his way into the last 16. The entire complexion of the tournament changed when Nadal was blitzed off the court in four sets by Robin Söderling, who took Nadal's high bouncing shots at chest height and punished them for winners.[5] Many observers labeled this match one of the most shocking results in, not just tennis, but sports history.[citation needed] With Nadal's early exit, all the pressure was suddenly on Federer to capture the French Open without having to face his kryptonite on clay (this would prove to be the only year Nadal did not win the French Open title between 2005 and 2014). The next day, Federer came out tight against former world No. 2 Tommy Haas and was virtually buried being two sets and a break point down at 3–4 in the third set. Federer then hit an inside-out forehand on the line to save the break point and went on to complete a miraculous five-set comeback, 6–7(4–7), 5–7, 6–4, 6–0, 6–2.[6] After dismissing Gaël Monfils in the quarterfinals, Federer faced rising star Juan Martín del Potro in the semifinals. He again came under trouble, losing two of the first three sets before bearing down to win in another five-set thriller, 3–6, 7–6(7–2), 2–6, 6–1, 6–4.[7] With this victory, Federer reached his fourth consecutive final in Paris and his first against someone other than Nadal. Meanwhile, Söderling had backed up his momentous victory over Nadal with wins over Nikolay Davydenko and Fernando González to meet Federer in the final.[8] Match detailsThe chair umpire was Pascal Maria (fr) of France. Unlike in the three previous years that Federer had contested the final, the day was overcast and soggy, creating slower conditions and lower bounces. Federer started strongly by capturing the first set 6–1.  The second set was interrupted with Söderling on serve in the fourth game, when Jimmy Jump charged onto the court and ran towards Federer waving a flag and placing a jester's hat upon the player's head. The fan then evaded security and leapt over the net and ran towards Söderling before being tackled by a security guard and removed from the court.[9][10] This was a serious violation, especially following the on-court stabbing of Monica Seles by a spectator in 1993. Following the interruption both players held serve in the set and it went to a tiebreaker. Federer then played what he later described as the greatest tiebreaker of his career, taking it by a score of 7–1. The third set opened with Federer breaking Söderling's serve. Both players then held serve for the next nine games, culminating in Federer serving out the match. In the final game Federer faced a break point and said in his post-match press conference that the emotions in the final game made "it almost unplayable." However, he saved the break point and converted on his first championship point to claim the title. Directly after the match, rain began to pour, which meant that if Söderling had broken back and forced the final to a fourth set, the match would have been suspended to the next day.[11] During the trophy ceremony, Federer was presented with the trophy by American legend Andre Agassi who, along with Rod Laver, was the only other man in the Open Era to complete the career Grand Slam. As the Swiss national anthem played, Federer was overcome with emotion, having finally captured the elusive title at Roland Garros. Statistics
SignificanceThis match was momentous in the history of tennis. After missing the chance to equal Pete Sampras' then-record of fourteen Grand Slam championships of all time when he lost to Rafael Nadal in the final of the Australian Open earlier in the year, Federer finally did so by winning the French Open for the first time. Sampras himself commented on Federer following the victory saying, "Regardless he [Federer] goes down as the greatest ever. This just confirms it."[12][13] Federer also filled the only void on his resume by capturing the French Open and becoming only the third man in the Open Era to capture the career Grand Slam.[14] Many tennis analysts and commentators proclaimed Federer the greatest male player of all-time, including tennis legend John McEnroe who called the match for NBC. The call by Eurosport on match point was thus: "Federer wins the French Open for the first time in his career; and in addition must surely be regarded now as the greatest male player of all-time."[15] This tournament also transformed Söderling's career as he went from a top thirty player to a perennial top ten player, reaching a high of number 4 in the world. Söderling remained a fixture in the top ten from 2009–2011 until he was forced to stop playing, while still ranked number 5 in the world, and ultimately had to retire after contracting a serious case of mononucleosis.[16] See also
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