2 Responses to dubai05federer_ljubicic

1. Voo de Mar says:

   February 8, 2022 at 7:55 pm

   Points won by each set: | 31-20, 42-41, 32-25 |
   Points won directly behind the serve:
   35 % Federer – 36 of 102
   29 % Ljubicic – 26 of 89

   Just February ’05 and already a third final between these two players who will be working together many years later, as coach & pupil. After 38 minutes seemed it’d be a repeat of their previous Arabian final, Federer [1] had a break point leading 6-1, 2:0 – if he had converted it, the final would have been actually over within sixty minutes. It was strange that the Swiss overwhelmed his two years older opponent, because a week later they had played a very tight match in Rotterdam, and Ljubicic [14] began the Dubai final in a good style. He had three break points at 1-all, and trailing 1:2 (40/15) he perhaps served an ace, but no hawk-eye system yet, and instead of a potential 3:1 lead, he lost seven straight games. He avoided a double break deficit twice in the 2nd set though; there was *1:3 (0/30) too. In the tie-break he fought off a match point at *5:6 with a service winner (188 mph DTT). Through two sets he was very calm, but in the decider he lost his patience, his problem with a right calf could make an impact on it. He took a medical time-out as he came back from an early break, but at 3:4 he lost his serve again.

   Federer’s route to his 25th title:
   1 Ivo Minar 6-7(5), 6-3, 7-6(5)
   2 Juan C. Ferrero 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(6) – 2 m.p.
   Q Mikhail Youzhny 6-3, 7-5
   S Andre Agassi 6-3, 6-1
   W Ivan Ljubicic 6-1, 6-7(6), 6-3

   # Federer saved BP trailing 1:3 in 3rd set vs Minar [119], trailed 4-6, *0:2 (0/30) vs Ferrero

   Serve & volley: Federer 7/16, Ljubicic 1/3

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2. Voo de Mar says:

   February 8, 2022 at 8:06 pm

   Defeating Ferrero, Federer won his third straight match needing a deciding set tie-break! First the Swiss triumphed in Rotterdam (5-7, 7-5, 7-6 vs Ljubicic), three days later in Dubai against Minar which shocked the audience that he was struggling so much against the much inferior opponent – in both those matches Federer was three points away from defeat. Minar finished his career losing all his 15 matches against Top 10 players…

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