Swiss Tennis God Roger Federer Wins Fourth Masters Championship Title!!

                Spaniard David Ferrer is a revelation the tiny man does not appear to have the “weapons” to beat the top players but he has the heart of a lion. Ferrer defeated Novak Djokovic, Andy Roddick, fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal and Richard Gasquet to reach the Masters finals. However, once in the finals Swiss tennis god Roger  crushed Ferrer 6-2 6-3 6-2 in about ninty minutes. Federer simply has too much experience and firepower for Ferrer. Federer improves to an 8-0 record against the Spaniard.

Although some in the “media”  have  been salivating waiting for the “moment” when Roger loses his throne and crown he is still number one. Numerous press reports have claimed Roger Federer is more “vulnerable” this year. The truth is he is still dominating men’s tennis like no man has ever done before. Roger Federer is more dominant then Steffi Graf, Monica Seles, Williams Sisters, or Martina Navratilova ever was on the WTA tour. Women’s tennis is used to periods of dominance when one or two women are running the show. Although the media claim Rafael Nadal is Roger’s main rival the truth is the ATP tour is a one man show. Roger Federer has crushed all his competition and dominated the ATP tour with an iron fist for the past four years. He continues to shatter the record books in men’s tennis because the men’s game is simply so deep in talent yet Federer proves he’s a class above everyone else.

  According to the statistics yes, Roger did lose four more matches this year it simply is difficult to be “perfect” all the time. Its simply amazing the length of Roger’s dominance over all the other men. Its also obvious Roger Federer is human he loses matches but still he only lost nine matches in total this year. The bottom line is Roger doesn’t lose when it “matters” the most and that’s the statistic the media consistently ignores. Some tennis fans are upset about the supreme domination Roger has had over men’s tennis for the past four years but he’s a living legend. People need to accept the fact that this gentle Swiss is making history every single time he steps on the tennis court. Roger also has twelve grand slam singles titles two away from being equal to American Pete Sampras.

 Roger won three out of the four grand slams for the third time in his career this year and he also once again reached the French Open finals. He won the Australian, Wimbledon, and US OPEN tennis championships, he also won two Masters series titles, and the year end championships for the fourth time in his career. Roger is the first man since Borg to win five consecutive Wimbledon titles. He also was the first man this year to win a grand slam without dropping a set at the Australian Open. Roger is also the first man in the Open era since 1968 to have won three grand slams at least three times. Roger also won the US OPEN for the fourth year in a row and that’s the first time any man has achieved this since Bill Tilden in the 1920s.  Roger now has fifty three ATP tour titles. The scary part is that Roger Federer is only twenty six years old he still has time to improve and become French Open champion.

Another important statistic is in the beginning of the rivalry between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal the Spaniard won six of the seven matches leading Federer 6-1. However, Roger has turned the series around he has won  five  of the last seven meetings against Nadal. Nadal still has an edge 8-6. However, Roger destroyed Rafael Nadal 6-4 6-1 in less then an hour in the Masters cup semifinals.  He no longer has doubts or questions if he can defeat Nadal he now has the  self confidence and belief he can beat Rafael Nadal.

Another point to consider is Roger finally defeated Rafael Nadal on clay at the Hamburg Masters snapping the Spaniard’s eighty one match clay winning streak. Rafael Nadal should of won Wimbledon this year he had many chances to finally breakthrough and claim the title. Nadal could of became the first Spaniard since Manuel Santana to win Wimbledon but for the second year in a row he failed and crumbled under the pressure. It was a shock that Nadal captitulated under the pressure. Nadal was distraught after the Wimbledon loss and he has not recovered. Nadal once again faded into oblivion as usual in the second half of the year.

The cynics and critics  will say the clay in Germany favors Federer’s game because the clay is slower, more heavy, and damp unlike the more faster, humid weather in Rome or Paris. However, the win is significant because he knows he can beat Nadal on clay.  The final step in Roger Federer’s quest for ultimate domination of the tennis universe is to win the elusive French Open title. Roger wants to become French Open champion and he is adding another clay court event to his schedule next year electing to play the Estoril Open in Portugal.

I have an idea that some may think is bizarre. I don’t agree with the ATP tour to schedule two Masters events the Indian Wells and Miami events back to back in March. In my mind tennis should revolve around the grand slams. The American spring Masters events are not important in the grand scheme of things.  I think Roger should skip the Miami Masters event next year and concentrate preparing for the French Open. Roger needs more time to train on the clay surface. After the Miami event the ATP tour players only have two weeks to prepare for the Monte Carlo Masters. I notice there is a formula to winning the French Open the previous winners tend too win either Monte Carlo, Barcelona, or Rome. Roger Federer has never won the Monte Carlo or Rome Masters events. It appears to me that this is the key. How can Roger have the “confidence” to believe he can win the French Open if he doesn’t win the most important clay court events? Yes, Roger has won the Hamburg masters in Germany on clay four times but the clay in Germany is not the same clay surface that is used in Paris.

The critics and the cynics proclaimed the year 2007 Roger was on his way down because he did lose a few more matches. Roger did lose at the French Open against Nadal but an important statistic is the fact Roger had fifteen break point opportunities in the match. If Roger had converted his break point chances he could of won the French Open. In March 2007 Roger lost to Argentine Guillermo Canas twice. Its important to point out Canas did snap Roger’s forty one match winning streak at the Indian Wells event. However, the second meeting in Miami was very close Canas edging Federer 7-6 in the third set tiebreaker. Roger made sure he crushed Canas at the Madrid Masters  with a 6-0 6-3 victory over the Argentine last month.

David Nalbandian once criticized for being overweight and out of shape transformed himself into a new man at the end of the year. Nalbandian is the first player to ever defeat both Federer and Nadal in Masters finals this year. He beat Roger in Madrid and Rafael in Paris. Nalbandian has lost a ton of weight and he’s improved his serve. Nalbandian is clearly one of the few players that can seriously challenge Federer and Nadal. The problem for Nalbandian is his consistency. Can Nalbandian win a grand slam only time will tell? It is not a question of whether Nalbandian has the talent because he does its whether he can win seven best of five set matches and be a winner.

Andy Roddick well he’s still a top ten player but his futility is suspect. Roddick is no longer a part of the ATP tour elite. American journalists will state otherwise but the facts are in the results. Roddick lost all four meetings against Federer and Nadal in 2007 he also lost to David Ferrer twice this year. Roddick is a top ten player but he refuses to improve his game. Roddick’s problems are more “internal” then “external” he is fighting a war within himself and he’s losing. James Blake proved he was never a “real contender” and that is just lazy journalism to compare him to the elite players. Blake is a top twenty player and he finished 2007 at number fourteen he’s good, he’s solid, but he’s not great. Blake is hyped by the American media because he’s a black man in a white dominated sport. The media have made illogical comparrisons to the legendary Arthur Ashe and James Blake. Blake is shrewd he realizes he is not a champion and he is profiting off of “being different” by publishing a best selling book this year. Blake is making money but he is not even close to Arthur Ashe’s league as a tennis player. Ashe was a winner Blake is not.

 Roddick was humiliated by Roger Federer which is no surprise. However, Spaniard David Ferrer destroyed Roddick 6-1 6-3 in the Masters Cup semifinals beating the American for the second time this year. Ferrer will have to prove 2007 was not a fluke. It is also interesting to point out Ferrer reached the US OPEN semifinals this year. The stereotype is that Spaniards love the clay only but Ferrer has proven he can play on hard courts. Ferrer is one of the few players I believe can challenge Nadal on the clay. Despite the lost to Roger Federer David Ferrer should have a lot of confidence now that despite his small size he can beat the bigger men. Ferrer is also a solid clay court player he may be a threat to Nadal’s French Open crown next year.