Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic are set to clash in an epic men’s semifinal at Roland Garros as the Serb looks to continue his 43-match win streak. Rene Stauffer, author of the Federer biography ROGER FEDERER: QUEST FOR PERFECTION ($19.95, New Chapter Press, www.RogerFedererBook.com) takes readers back to two important matches in the Federer-Djokovic rivalry – the 2007 US Open final and the 2008 Australian Open semifinal in this exclusive book excerpt below.
The next business trip led Federer to tournaments in Montreal, Cincinnati and the US Open in New York. Nadal’s body took its toll on the North American hard courts. In Cincinnati, he was forced to give up because of dizziness. During the US Open, his knee gave out on him and he lost in the round of 16 to his countryman David Ferrer.
Federer, meanwhile, reached the final in Montreal, only to lose for the first time against the 20-year-old Serbian Novak Djokovic, a new threat in men’s tennis who climbed to the No. 3 ranking. The loss turned out later to be a blessing in disguise as it served as motivation for him. In Cincinnati a week later, he played stellar tennis to win his 50th career title, and at the US Open, he reached the final where he again faced the Serbian and was poised for revenge. Djokovic played admirably in his first major final, but was a little too nervous in the important phases. Djokovic served for the first set leading 6-5, 40-0, but Federer fought off five set points to break serve and win the tie-breaker 7-4. In the second set, Djokovic was not able to convert on two set points as Federer claimed the second-set tie-breaker 7-2. Federer then clinched his fourth straight US Open title by winning the third set 6-4, earning $2.4 million that included an extra $1 million bonus for winning what is called the US Open Series. Federer collected the most points of any other player over the North American summer hard court tournaments and earned the extra payout by the U.S. Tennis Association.
Federer became the first player to win the US Open four times in a row since the American Big Bill Tilden, who won six straight titles from 1920 to 1925. With the fourth Wimbledon/US Open double, he also achieved something that no one thought would be possible before his era. At the age of 26, he drew within two titles of equaling Pete Sampras’ record of 14 majors. “I think about it a lot now,” Federer said of the all-time record. “To come so close at my age is fantastic, and I hope to break it.”
At the start of the 2008 season, Roger Federer stood in second place in the all time list of major men’s singles titles, tied with Roy Emerson with 12 major singles titles. Pete Sampras still ranked No. 1 with 14 major singles titles. The results of the now 26-year-old Swiss at the four most important tournaments were almost scary: he had reached ten major finals in a row and lost only two, both in Paris against Rafael Nadal. He was able to maintain his high level of play at the four majors for a span of four years. Federer was unique in tennis history as he was able to win three of the four major titles in one year for three years (2004, 2006 and 2007). He felt as though he could achieve the ultimate goal in his sport—the Grand Slam—and sweep all four major titles in calendar year as Rod Laver had done twice in 1962 and 1969 and Don Budge had achieved in 1938.
“The Grand Slam is not declared as a goal but I will do anything to improve my chances,” Federer said at the start of the season.
His plan did not pan out as desired. Before the Australian Open in January, stomach problems prevented him from properly preparing for the event. It was learned later on that his stomach ailment was so severe that he was brought to a Melbourne emergency room where he was diagnosed with a gastric virus, caused apparently by tainted chicken meat. He had a fever, was prescribed to take antibiotics and lost close to seven pounds. For about ten days, the virus threw him off track.
When the opening day of the tournament arrived, Federer was ready to go. However, he seemed to move slower than usual. In the third round, he had to fight through a four-and-a-half-hour epic against Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia before he prevailed 10-8 in the fifth set. He did reach the semifinals, but failed to reach his 11th straight major final when he lost 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (5) to Novak Djokovic. It was his first straight-set defeat at a major tournament since the French Open in 2004. The dream of the Grand Slam was put on hold for another year.
Even worse, Federer’s health was still an issue after the tournament. Before Christmas in 2007, he got sick in Dubai and said he was feeling “totally exhausted.” The illness caught up to him again in February, this time during a ski vacation in Kanton Graubuenden. At the hospital, the doctors made a surprising discovery: He was sickened with glandular fever, otherwise known as mononucleosis. In serious cases, this commonly spread viral disease can cause an athlete’s career to take a downturn or, in the worst case, end it. The symptoms are high temperature, painful limbs and joints, abdominal pain, heavy tiredness, sore throat and is often mistaken for the flu.
On March 7, 2008, Federer informed the public of his condition through an interview with the Zurich newspaper Tages-Anzeiger and the New York Times. “The doctors realized that I had mono for about six weeks and the sickness was in its final stage,” he said. He toned down his training until the end of February when the doctors in Dubai confirmed that the sickness was gone. “They said that I am producing antibodies and I am fully able to train again,” Federer said.