With the 2015 Australian Open set to start a week from today, Roger Federer has sent a clear message with his performance in Brisbane.
Despite having gone major-less since winning the seventh Wimbledon crown of his career back in 2012, Federer is coming off what was by far and away one of his finest ATP seasons in recent memory. With that being the case, the thirty-three year old is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
If the level of play we saw from the No. 2 player in the world at this year’s Brisbane International is any indication of what we can expect for the coming year, the rest of the field had better prepare to have to deal with yet another push form the seventeen-time Grand Slam winner.
While it may have taken a little longer than most had anticipated, Federer was able to secure his eighty-third career title with a thrilling 6-4, 6-7(2), 6-4 victory over Canada’s Milos Raonic in the finale of the 2015 Brisbane International. As if the victory on its own wasn’t already enough, it also marked the 1000th of his brilliant career…something only Jimmy Connors (1253) and Ivan Lendl (1071) have been able to accomplish.
After making quick work of Gregory Dimitrov during Saturday’s semi-final, the only thing standing between the top seed and an early season tournament victory was the towering Canadian. While the No. 3 seed has traditionally had his troubles with the Swiss Maestro, he would give Federer all he could handle in this one.
Following a rather routine opening set and up a break in the second, it looked as though Federer would cruise to yet another easy win over the twenty-three year old. However, that all changed when Raonic found a way to get back on serve with a break of serve and ultimately push the set to a tie-breaker.
To his credit, the world No.8 took his game to another level and forced the match to a third and deciding set. After essentially going quietly in each and every one of their previous head-to-head matchups, Raonic managed to finally beat Federer during the quarterfinal date at the 2014 BNP Paribas Masters.
While that result surely gave the hard-serving Canadian some much needed confidence when it came to facing the former world No. 1, it was a match in which Federer was nowhere near his best. That was not the case on Sunday evening in Brisbane. Roger was on his game but the big man still managed to raise this game to a level we have never seen against such competition.
Both men had opportunities to go up a break early in the third and both responded with some fantastic shot-making to get themselves out of trouble. After absolutely killing the ball for nearly two full hours, the young Canadian finally hit a wall serving at 4-5 to stay in the match and it was an opportunity the living legend would not allow to slip through his fingers.
With the score 30-15, Federer hit a breath-taking lob to get back on level terms and unfortunately for Raonic, he picked the worst possible moment to serve up his first double fault of the set and just fourth of the match. It was certainly a tough way for the Canadian No.1 to fall but he has nothing to be ashamed of. In all honesty, it was arguably finest match the young man has played and should leave him in a great frame of mind heading into the first major of the season.
