Roger Federer keeps on defying father time as the Swiss Legend bested his fiercest rival Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-4 to bag the Miami Masters and complete a rare Sunshine Double on Sunday in Key Biscayne, Florida.
Federer was just coming off a grueling three-set classic with Nick Kyrgios 7-6 (9), 6 (9)-7, 7-6 (5) in the semifinals on Friday, but fatigue did not stop Federer from putting up another virtuoso performance before a packed crowd at Crandon Park.
Federer’s forehand was on point throughout the match. He scored 19 of his 29 winners on his forehand shots along with five aces.
The Swiss’ service game was virtually unbreakable while salvaging two of nine break points against Nadal.
The Spaniard had a chance to change the tempo of the match in the seventh game of the second set, where he overcame a breakpoint at 3-3 30/40. Unfortunately for him, Federer was simply too good in a pressure-packed situation as he gained a break for a pivotal 5-4 lead.
Nadal, who defeated Fabio Fognini 6-1, 7-5 to reach his second final this season, has now lost to Federer three in a row in 2017 (Australian Open final, Indian Wells Open round-of-16, and Miami Open final).
Although he still leads their head-to-head match-up 23-14, Federer’s unexpected resurgence after a six-month injury layoff poses a threat not only to him but the rest of the field (Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, and Stanislas Wawrinka) in the coming tournaments.
Return to No.1
After three successive victories in high-level tournaments, Federer finally admitted the recent results drastically changed his game plan for the remainder of the season. At 35-years old, Federer is aiming to reach the top of the world rankings by winning as many tournaments as he can. "I'm moving up in the ATP rankings, and I just want to stay healthy," Federer told Brad Gilbert of ESPN.
"When I'm healthy and feeling good, I can produce tennis like this. That's why taking a break and resting during the clay season and focusing on Roland Garros, the grass, and the hard courts after that is best. I would be great to be No. 1 again, but it's a long way away."
Federer, now 19-1 in the season, will be taking few weeks off from competition before plunging back to action at the French Open. At Roland Garros, he aims to emulate his performance in 2009 and capture his second clay-court Grand Slam title of his career.
