Federer Puts It in Fifth Gear

The kid from Spain was on a fantastic joy ride. It was a thief’s dream. He had stolen the first two sets Sunday and was driving toward the men’s title here in the Nasdaq-100 Open.

Then the Swiss guy who had been run over for two hours pulled himself together, caught the teenager and claimed the prize as the rightful owner after a 3-hour 43-minute marathon. That was the Lone Roger -- aka Roger Federer -- who travels the high road without a coach, manager, agent, and public relations personnel but is the game’s sheriff at No. 1.

Trailing by two sets and down a service break, Federer showed the customers, an international TV audience and, most important, Spain’s 18-year-old Rafael Nadal, what the No. 1 player is made of with a 2-6, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (5), 6-3, 6-1 victory in the final, winning the last six games.

Nadal’s reaction: “He hits balls on lines. He is No. 1, no?”

So the question is: Who can catch the guy who caught the joy-rider? Federer’s current win streak is 22 matches (48 of the last 49) and 18 consecutive title-round successes.

Nadal had been streaking too -- 15 consecutive matches and two titles. Although he eventually fell Sunday, he rose in the ATP rankings, having arrived here at No. 31 and departed at No. 17.

“It was uphill. I tried to force Rafael too much, but I finally got myself to relax,” Federer said. “I thought I’d be all right if I could get him into a fifth set.”

Doing that wasn’t easy because Federer was in-and-out in his shot-making as he chalked up 74 unforced errors to Nadal’s 54. But he also topped the teen in winners, 51-32.

One of the champion’s goofs, a botched overhead as Nadal advanced to 5-4 in the third, caused the customarily placid Federer to pitch his racket. He heard boos from the crowd that had been urging a recovery by chanting his name.

“Why? Because I was very happy. That’s why I threw my racket into the stands,” a prize for some fan after the match, Federer said, then realized the confusion.

“Oh, you mean the first time?” he laughed at his offense. “I was disappointed, angry. I’d missed so many opportunities.”

In the next game, holding to 5-5, Federer was pinched at 30-30, two points from defeat, but dodged with an ace and a winner.

Still, Nadal had the upper hand as they reached their second tiebreaker, in which -- at 5-3, 5-4 and 5-5 -- he seemed so close.

It was during that pivotal time that Federer’s deadly forehand came into tune and became his saving shot. He cranked two of them for winners to knot the tiebreaker, at 5-5. Then, a big serve set up a smash, taking the Swiss to set point. Next he forced Nadal to miss a backhand in a rally that lasted 17 shots.

Nadal, hero of Spain’s conquest of the U.S. in the recent Davis Cup final, taking Andy Roddick apart on opening day, gave much of the same mistreatment to Federer for a long, sensational stretch. His roaring crosscourt backhands and inside-out forehands had Federer reaching. Nadal’s speed afoot robbed points that seemed Federer’s. A superlative hustler, he even belly-flopped on the pavement, giving up on nothing.

“I am happy for my tennis, playing good,” Nadal said. “I won two sets to love, 4-1. Then 4-3. At 3-4, he’s serving, it’s love-30. He hits a forehand out, but referee say good,” shrugged Nadal. (The TV replay backed his claim.) “Important point. At 5-3 in the tiebreak he play a forehand on the line.”

The Spaniard said that he tired a bit physically and mentally in the fourth and fifth sets. “I had the feeling he wasn’t hitting the ball as hard anymore,” Federer said.

Nevertheless fiery infighting continued. It wasn’t until the 3-hour 30-minute mark that Federer -- broken at the very beginning -- was at last ahead. A ripping forehand gained the break to 2-1, and the rest Federer controlled. The Lone One at the top.