by Bob Stockton
Roger Federer has known victory throughout his career at the Miami Open and this year was no exception. The 37-year-old Swiss defeated defending champion John Isner 6-1, 6-4 in a remarkably one-sided final.
The title was Federer’s fourth in Miami and his 101st career title – and it lasted only 64 minutes in what was predicted to be a tough battle.
Federer could not hide his joy after the win. He explained that he played at the same event 20 years ago for the first time as a wild card entry into the event. Federer broke in the opening game of the match and two more times in the first set. Isner tried to gain an upper hand with a big serve but Federer managed to neutralize that serve and won 32 out of 35 on his own serve.
Unfortunately, in Isner’s attempt to stay in rallies, he hurt his foot late in the second set. The injury put him at a great disadvantage in the final points of the game. However, he managed to finish the match without retiring.
After Federer’s win, he paid tribute to his competitor and explained that Isner is not only a great person but a great player as well. He also empathized with Isner on his foot injury. Isner fears that the injury he suffered could be a stress fracture. The 33-year-old said he has never had that kind of injury throughout his career.
Isner also mentioned that he wishes that Federer will continue to play even in his old age. His wish may not be a wild wish considering how Federer continues to make strides at a time that the Swiss’ tennis generation have quit the game to do other things.
The Swiss first played in the final of the Miami Open exactly 17 years to the day of his 2019 final back in 2002 when he lost to Andre Agassi. It was not until 2005 that he managed to grab the trophy, when he defeated Rafa Nadal in an exciting five-set final. He successfully defended the title in 2006, beating his current coach Ivan Ljubicic in the final. He won the title again in 2017 after recovering from knee surgery, again defeating Nadal in the final.
The win for Federer has continued a strong stretch of play for Federer as he won his 100th career title in Dubai and also reached the final in Indian Wells, where only a short spat of poor play caused him to lose a tight three-set final to Dominic Thiem of Austria.
The final gained a lot of attention and it gained a tournament record attendance of over 17,000 fans. Since many people took an interest in the game there has been a surge in the rate of online betting. Websites like Bet365 India have been busy throughout this period. The biggest online betting sites must be smiling by now.
