Federer on fire in Cincinnati
Originally published on 24/08/15
The 34-year-old defeated the world No.1 7-6(1) 6-3 at the Western & Southern Open in Ohio to return to world No.2, a week after Andy Murray leapfrogged him in the world rankings.
Federer, who knocked out Murray in the semi-finals, did not face a single break point and won 79% of points on serve (Djokovic 61%) as he captured his 87th career title, preventing Djokovic from completing the set of nine Masters events. Cincinnati is the only Masters 1000 title to elude Djokovic, who has finished runner-up in Mason on five occasions.
It is the first time in his career that Federer has beaten both the world No.1 and No.2 in consecutive matches en route to winning a title.
"We really get the best out of each other," said Federer, who has won 21 of the pair’s 41 meetings. "We have improved a lot playing against each other over the years.”
Federer will now head to New York to prepare for the US Open, where he will attempt to win the title for the first time since 2008.
"Now I've got the confidence, I've got the matches, and I'm actually still feeling really fresh even after this week, because the matches have been rather short," he said. "I think I moved well. I was explosive moving forward. Volleys were good. I think from the baseline I was hitting my forehand very well."
Now get the WORLD’S BEST TENNIS MAGAZINE here
