2004: FEDERER’S LUCKY 13
The countdown to London begins. As part of the lead up to start of the Barclay’s ATP World Tour Finals at the O2 Arena in London on November 22, WorldTennisMagazine.com is presenting a special look at some of the best moments in the history of the season-ending ATP championships, courtesy of the book ON THIS DAY IN TENNIS HISTORY ($19.95, New Chapter Press, www.TennisHistoryBook.com). Each day, WorldTennisMagazine.com will present the anniversaries of some of the best matches from the event.
ON THIS DAY IN TENNIS HISTORY – November 21
2004 – Roger Federer sets an Open era record 13th final in a row, defeating Lleyton Hewitt 6-3, 6-2 in the final of the year-end ATP Tennis Masters Cup in Houston, Texas. The victory caps a fantastic season for the Swiss world No. 1, who also wins the Australian Open for the first time, Wimbledon for a second time and the U.S. Open for a first time. The title in Houston was his 11th for the year. “It’s just an unbelievable end to a fantastic season for me,” Federer says
1993 – Michael Stich wins his biggest title since claiming the men’s singles title at Wimbledon in 1991, slamming 27 aces in defeating Pete Sampras 7-6 (3), 2-6, 7-6 (7), 6-2 in 2 hours, 57 minutes to win the year-end ATP Tour World Championship in Frankfurt, Germany. The win over the world No. 1 places Stich to the No. 2 world ranking. Says Stich, “It’s a great finish to a great year.”