Roger Federer doesn’t lose very often, and when he does, he only loses to Rafael Nadal. Not so much at this year’s US Open, where Federer was defeated by Argentine Juan Martin del Potro in the final. Roger not only lost the game, he lost his US Open winning streak, having to settle with a five-year winning streak rather than a six-year streak. Afterwards, Federer was ever the gentleman, saying “Five was great, four was great, too. Six would have been a dream, too, can’t have them all…I’m not too disappointed just because I thought I played another wonderful tournament. I had chances today to win but couldn’t take them. It was unfortunate.”
I think Roger was obliquely referencing an incident that happened during the game, where he basically bitched out the umpire in a more contained Serena Williams-esque outburst on live television. It came when Federer thought Martin del Potro took too long to challenge – he berated the umpire, “You have two seconds. He took 10 seconds. He does it all the time… You can’t allow that stuff to happen. Don’t you have any rules in there?” When the umpire told him to be quiet, Federer snapped, “Don’t tell me to be quiet, OK… When I want to talk, I talk. I don’t give a sh-t what you say.” Diva!
NEW YORK — Juan Martin del Potro dethroned five-time defending champion Roger Federer 3-6, 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 to capture the US Open on Monday, ending an era to win in his first Grand Slam final.
Firing consistent winners, the 1.98m Argentine giant kept the pressure upon the player many hail as the greatest in tennis history, one he had never beaten in six prior attempts, and won a shocker after four hours and six minutes.
“A dream came true,” said a tearful Del Potro. “I don’t have words to explain how I feel.”
The shocker made Del Potro only the second South American to win the US Open men’s crown, after countryman Guillermo Vilas in 1977, and denied Swiss world number one Federer a 16th career Slam crown.Sixth seed Del Potro, who turns 21 next week, snapped Federer’s 41-match unbeaten streak on the Flushing Meadows hardcourts to win 1.85 million dollars and destroyed the Swiss superstar’s aura of US Open invincibility.
“I would like to congratulate Juan Martin on an unbelievable tournament. I had a great one but he was the best,” Federer said. “I would have never believed I could win five in a row here. It has been an amazing run for me.”
Federer’s 11th double fault gave Del Potro another chance and he made the most of it, winning when Federer sent a forehand over the baseline.
Del Potro fell to the court on his back and began to cry.
Federer lost his cool as well as his crown, the usually mild-mannered master shotmaker cursing at umpire Jake Garner during a third-set changeover for being told to be quiet.
Federer was two points from taking the second set in the 10th game before Del Potro fought back to break and went on to win the tie-break to level the match.
Del Potro and Federer exchanged breaks in the seventh and eighth games of the third set before Federer held to 5-4 after a failed Del Potro challenge that came far too late for the Swiss star’s liking.
“You have two seconds. He took 10 seconds. He does it all the time,” Federer told Garner as he took a seat on a changeover. “You can’t allow that stuff to happen. Don’t you have any rules in there?”
When Garner asked Federer to be quiet, the superstar erupted.
“Don’t tell me to be quiet, OK,” Federer said. “When I want to talk, I talk. I don’t give a sh-t what you say.”
[From AFP]
Well, it was no “I swear to God, I’m gonna take this f-cking ball and shove it down your f-cking throat.” But Federer’s cool, gentlemanly Swiss exterior was definitely rattled. And the networks who covered the exchange live will probably have to pay fines for airing the word “sh-t”. What’s in the water at the US Open?
Here are photos of celebrities at the final of the US Open including Justin Timberlake, Charlize Theron, Gwen Stefani, Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen, Ed Westwick, Djimon Hounsou, Bruce Willis, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Constantine Maroulis taking a cell phone picture with Tony Bennett. Credit: WENN.com
Wow, he looks like a crazy old woman in that photo! lol
he does look like the apple core nylon stocking lady. if anyone gets that reference, I will be surprised. my school was probably the only one who made those. but he is looking rather ‘madame- like.’
sorry I missed that…
Bros.. I know what you are talking about! LOL
Well at least he didn’t threaten to shove a ball down someones throat or kill someone.
Naughty is naughty, just different degrees of it.
They all pitch fits!! I’ve seen Andy Roddick break rackets (racquets? I hate that word!) because he was losing in a local tournament for St. Jude.
And maybe he was a little pissy that everyone was all “Serena needs to take a cue from Federer, he’s so calm and reserved” and he was like “I’ll show you!!!”
All this makes me want to get back playing/watching tennis!
Love Fed, but he was out of line just as Serena was out of line (no pun intended).
Del Potro played his a$$ OFF. It was an awesome match. Still love both Fed and Serena though, but to me wrong is wrong no matter the degree of outburst. Fed doesn’t get a pass on this and should be fined as well. It’s fine to question with a call, but to direspect the people in the sport is just not cool. It annoys me to this day that John McEnroe got away with this type of stuff back then and that some athletes feel they can direspect people like coaches, linespeople, umpires in any sport just because they don’t agree. It sends a bad message all around.
It would be nice if the public got all outraged when ANY athlete does this instead of picking and choosing when they’ll give a pass based on whether they like the athlete in question or not. At least Serena apologized. I’ll have to see if Roger issued one. I would be surprised if he didn’t as well.
@Meghan – please do come back to us! It’s getting great again to see “newer” players go for it and make their mark. Juan Martin Del Potro isn’t even 20 yet and has won his first Slam against the greatest of all time! I was pissed that Enberg wasn’t going to let him speak Spanish to his family back home all so that they could award him a freaking car. DP looked liked he wanted to say “B*tch please”. Lol.
He has always been spolit and very arrogant. You never see his true self when he plays just what he wants to project. When he lost to my main man Rafa he cried like a girl…he had a complete break down. People thought he would never come back to Tennis. I am glad he lost. We need someone new in Tennis, I love Pete ‘Pistol’ Samparas, Andre Agassi, ‘Bom Bom’ Boris Becker they had personalities and they loved the game. When they lost and when they won, their true self was always on court. Rodger always was a wanker and a control freak and you never see Rodger’s true self on court and that is boring and not a sign of a real true champion. If Rafa didn’t win I am glad someone else did. I do not think Rodger’s marriage will last either. Every time he loses he always brings up the kid, the wife …like he blames them for losing games. IMO Rafa should retire now before he cries on court or slaps the line’s woman…and he will do it. Rodger can be as professional as he likes, I really do not care. He is a fictional character and I want to see a player who is real. Bring back Pistol Pete, Andre or Boris any day…and I will pay good money to see it.
What a tournament, I love the game. Just a bit disappointed in the press making unimportant things (that happen in a momentum) more important than the game itself. Yes Federer said something, but he has been a rolemodel to date. Thanks, Ilse
If the rule is to be allowed 2 seconds and he took longer, then he has a right to be upset? Making a comment isn’t a bad thing. Sure what he said was a little distasteful, but that doesn’t even come close to some of the things players in the past have said.
Tania- a ficitional character? That’s a little dramatic. Federer is an amazing athlete that plays his heart out, for real.
The courts are always miked so cursing is not unusual. I thought maybe they would have a delay but guess not.
ash: When Tania says a fictional character, I think she just doesn’t understand how the Swiss are and their demeanor in general. Having been raised by a Swiss father, what you see is someone reserved, in control, well-mannered. It is is very unusual for the Swiss to display emotion in public. It’s my experience that what you see is not necessarily what you get, you have to dig deeper.
Ash, I couldn’t add a thing to what you said! cept maybe Tania,,bitch please.
People forget Roger was apparently a real hothead as a teen… he may have control now but obviously sometimes…. I’ve listened to the video several times and I’m sure he said “I don’t give a shit what HE says” I think he’s referring to del Potro not the umpire. But whatever – this swearing at umpires in whatever context needs to stop or be stopped with some bigger fines.
So..Where’s all the outrage that everyone was feeling and spouting off in their posts about Serena? So it’s okay for Roger?
oh, I think I was “modded”.
let me try that again without using the ACTUAL curse word.
lottaluvin, I think I can answer that.
“I don’t give a sh*t” and “I swear to G*d I’ll shove this f*cking ball down your f*cking throat” aren’t really on par with each other.
if you followed most of the matches in the u.s. open, the staff in general have made a lot of mistakes, including balls called out when they were in. i usually follow all the tournaments and the u.s. open has been the poorest. perhaps they should hire people w/ 20/20 vision and not just someone who needed a job.
as the cbs correspondents pointed out, roger brought up his issues w/ the umpire, which is proper protocol. granted, he lost his cool and i suppose i would too if someone told me to be quiet when i wasn’t done talking. at the very end, i thought rogers’ speech was gentlemanly and gracious as the loser. roger federer lost because of roger federer. he lost his game because he couldn’t get the ump out of his head.
del potro has a massive forehand, though. i gotta give him credit for the opportunites/chances he took as well.
Why does everyone call it a meltdown when somebody gets pissed off??
Roger has always been a true gentleman on and off the court. He was angry because the umpire did not let him call a challenge after only a few seconds , and del Potro was allowed to do it 10 seconds after the ball was called out. His comment was in no way as threatening and disrespectful as Serena’s . Del Potro was wrong anyway, and that one incident did not change the match’s outcome.
I’ve always rooted for Federer, but Juan Martin deserved to win last night, and he was such a sweetheart as he made his speech and teared up a little.
Off topic, anyone happen to notice Ilie Natase, 1972 US Open winner in the stands, watching, amongst all the celebs? He’s in the pictures.
Wow, there’s a header photo that begs to be printed poster-size and plastered all over the place..
17.Kikker:
I think it’s because they are having a temper tantrum (meltdown) like a 2 or 3 year old who can not control their emotions. 🙂 Well, I guess .
I like the photo series!!
All these peopel are so frustrated with so many camera’s and a lot of people. No privacy at all.
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