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Lot Essay
“It definitely feels great. This is a very special moment in my career. I had a couple of tough grand slams this year, finishing in the semi-finals and two finals, and one epic in Wimbledon, so to take this home is incredible. It means the world to me.” (Roger Federer, Reuters, 2008)
Unlike in previous years, Roger was still searching for his first Grand Slam title of the season when he landed in New York in 2008. He had experienced painful defeats to his rivals in tennis’ newly coined ‘Big 3’, losing to Djokovic in the semi-finals of the Australian Open and to Nadal at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. The final at the All England Lawn Tennis Club has gone down in folklore as one of the greatest matches of all time, with Nadal finally overcoming the ‘King of Grass’ in the longest Wimbledon final in history. This brought to an end Roger's 65-match winning streak on his favourite surface.
However, his summer was dramatically improved by winning his first ever Olympic Gold medal with compatriot Stan Wawrinka in the Men’s Doubles at the Beijing games. He carried the flag for his country in the opening ceremony and was greeted as a hero upon returning to his home town of Basel with Wawrinka and the other Swiss gold medal winner, cyclist Fabian Cancellara.
By September, back in form following his Olympic achievements, Roger was looking to win the U.S. Open to move within one of Pete Sampras at the top of the Grand Slam rankings. The New York crowd could sense his determination as he defeated Djokovic in the semi-finals, going on to face Andy Murray, who had come through against Nadal in the other half of the draw. This was the first occasion that Murray had advanced beyond the quarter-finals in a Grand Slam. He faced a rejuvenated Roger, who dominated from the outset winning 6-2, 7-5, 6-2.
Unlike in previous years, Roger was still searching for his first Grand Slam title of the season when he landed in New York in 2008. He had experienced painful defeats to his rivals in tennis’ newly coined ‘Big 3’, losing to Djokovic in the semi-finals of the Australian Open and to Nadal at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. The final at the All England Lawn Tennis Club has gone down in folklore as one of the greatest matches of all time, with Nadal finally overcoming the ‘King of Grass’ in the longest Wimbledon final in history. This brought to an end Roger's 65-match winning streak on his favourite surface.
However, his summer was dramatically improved by winning his first ever Olympic Gold medal with compatriot Stan Wawrinka in the Men’s Doubles at the Beijing games. He carried the flag for his country in the opening ceremony and was greeted as a hero upon returning to his home town of Basel with Wawrinka and the other Swiss gold medal winner, cyclist Fabian Cancellara.
By September, back in form following his Olympic achievements, Roger was looking to win the U.S. Open to move within one of Pete Sampras at the top of the Grand Slam rankings. The New York crowd could sense his determination as he defeated Djokovic in the semi-finals, going on to face Andy Murray, who had come through against Nadal in the other half of the draw. This was the first occasion that Murray had advanced beyond the quarter-finals in a Grand Slam. He faced a rejuvenated Roger, who dominated from the outset winning 6-2, 7-5, 6-2.