Roger Federer will not feature in a Grand Slam final in the same
calendar year for the first time since 2002, after he was knocked out of
the U.S. Open by Spain's Tommy Robredo.
The winner of 17 Grand
Slam titles, including five in New York, suffered a straight sets defeat
in his fourth round match at Flushing Meadows, losing 7-6 (7/3) 6-3 6-4
late Monday.
The defeat denied the
Swiss star, arguably the finest player to have played the game, a
quarter-final showdown with long-time nemesis Rafael Nadal, after the
in-form Spanish star beat Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-7 (4-7) 6-4
6-3 6-1.
Robredo had never beaten
Federer before their latest rain-delayed encounter on the Louis
Armstrong Stadium court. But with 43 unforced errors to his name and
only two break points converted from 16, the former world number one
looked unlikely to extend that run.
"I'm going to feel like I
beat myself," Federer told reporters after the match. "It was up to me
to make the difference and I just couldn't.
"I self-destructed, which is really disappointing. When things came to the crunch I just couldn't do it. It's frustrating."
Robredo, by contrast, was
full of confidence as he hit 70% of his first serves and sent numerous
forehand winners whistling past his illustrious opponent.
"I'm delighted. It's unbelievable. The difference is I won the break points today," said Robredo.
With the ignominy of another early exit
from a Grand Slam tournament, Federer, whose ranking has slipped to an
unfamiliar No. 7, will face renewed speculation about his future.
At 32, some question whether he can arrest the recent decline in his fortunes -- his last major title was at Wimbledon in 2012.
"Roger is in a very
vulnerable state. He's in a vulnerable position because he's moved down
to No. 7 now," said legendary coach Nick Bollettieri in a recent
interview with CNN.
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