1 Response to wb05_federer.hewitt

1. Voo de Mar says:

   July 7, 2023 at 1:55 am

   Points won by each set: | 31-25, 30-24, 43-43 |
   Points won directly behind the serve:
   32 % Federer – 31 of 94
   20 % Hewitt – 21 of 102

   Weird period in men’s tennis at the top. Federer was the best in the world second year running, while his two – theoretically – most dangerous opponents (Hewitt, Roddick) couldn’t have even won a set against him! Enough said that between Wimbledon ’04 and US Open ’05, Hewitt lost 17 consecutive sets to Federer! In that Wimbledon ’05 semifinal, Hewitt, trailing 3-6 2:4, changed his tactics – he increased the speed of his 1st & 2nd serves, began to attack the net frequently, and he finally put himself in a position to win a set vs Federer for the first time in five meetings, leading 6:5 (30/0) on Federer’s second serve in the 3rd set; the Swiss took the tie-break 7/4 though… Federer’s two years of overwhelming advantage over the No. 1 contenders would end in 2006 with a huge improvement of the 20-year-old Nadal…

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