Federer sees red in Miami

Keystone

World number two Roger Federer has crashed out of the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 loss in the semifinal to Serbia's Novak Djokovic.

The Key Biscayne ATP match on Friday was played out in one hour, 46 minutes in part under the Florida afternoon sun and in strong winds.

Federer fell behind 2-0 in the third set, and when he netted an easy forehand to start the next game, he slammed his racket to the concrete, mangling it. The outburst was a shock coming from Federer, winner of the ATP Tour’s sportsmanship award for the past five years.

“I was just frustrated,” a red-eyed Federer said shortly after the match. “Didn’t feel great. It’s just a natural thing I did.”

The release of anger didn’t help. Federer lost the next two games as the match slipped away despite support from a sympathetic crowd.

The No. 3-seeded Djokovic’s opponent in the final on Sunday will be No. 4 Andy Murray, who became the tournament’s first British finalist by beating No. 6 Juan Martin del Potro 6-1, 5-7, 6-2.

Federer was betrayed by his forehand, long touted as the game’s best. It was the biggest culprit during the match’s pivotal span bridging the second and third sets, when he lost 24 of 28 points and seven consecutive games.

Djokovic said his tactics contributed to Federer’s frustration with his forehand.

“I tried to change pace and play fast, and then play a bit slower with more spin,” Djokovic said. “He usually expects a ball on the backhand side, because that’s where the players try to play him. But I’m not giving him any consistency on one side so he can really be comfortable.”

Federer shanked at least half a dozen forehands and blamed the breeze, a staple at Key Biscayne.

“I definitely struggled with my timing,” he said. “You kind of try hard, and then it’s just not working. Today it is different just because there’s so much wind. Once you start feeling bad, it’s tough to regroup.”

Model player

Federer had a reputation for tirades in juniors, and he broke a racket in anger in the 2005 Key Biscayne final against Nadal. But that’s the last such tantrum he could remember, and he has long been considered the tour’s model citizen.

So it was surprising when he kicked a ball in frustration after an errant forehand. Two games later Federer took out his frustration on his racket, which snapped at his feet.

The startled crowd jeered at first, then reconsidered its reaction as he trudged to his chair and unwrapped a new racket. When he walked back to the baseline, fans roared, and they were firmly in his corner for the rest of the way.

Despite the support, the Federer forehand kept misfiring, including twice in the final game before he sailed a backhand long on match point.

Defeats

Federer has endured wrenching defeats in recent Grand Slam tournaments, including a loss in February at the Australian Open that left him sobbing. But he has also struggled in Masters events, the most prestigious tournaments after from the majors.

With the Key Biscayne defeat, he came up short of a title at his 13th Masters tournament in a row since August 2007.

The drought was one reason his four-and-a-half-year reign atop the rankings ended last summer, when he was overtaken by Nadal.

Federer denied he’s feeling a lot of pressure to win. “I haven’t been winning 20 tournaments in a row, so nobody expects me to win really,” Federer said.

Federer, who hasn’t won any title since October, now heads to Europe to play on clay, his least-favourite surface. Or maybe it’s now hard court.

“It has been a tough last year or so, especially on the hard courts. My game never really clicked. Thank God the hard-court season is over,” he said.

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ROGER FEDERER

Age: 27

Career singles titles: 57

Grand slam titles: 13

Australian Open (2004, 2006, 2007)

Wimbledon (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007)

US Open (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008)