The Swiss maestro Roger Federer has a plethora of variety in his arsenal of shots. His SABR, balletic backhand or his swift serve and volley, everything seems like ‘poetry in motion’. Barring his usual signature shots which create rapture on the court, Federer’s ‘tweeners’ or the in-between the legs shots are watched on repeat by his fans.
One of his most incredible tweeners came at US Open 2009 when Federer was playing the semi-final match against Novak Djokovic. The Serb was on his serve and Roger was leading by 7-6 7-5 6-5 (30-0*).
God Mode – Roger Federer
The point began with a few baseline rallies, with Roger Federer returning with his backhands. Djokovic charged the net and opted to place a witty drop shot and Federer sprinted to place the ball on Novak’s court.
The Serb again played some smart tennis. He came up with a lob and made it risky for the then-five-time defending US Open champion Federer.
Under such a circumstance, most of the professionals would just aim to place the ball inside the court. Or simply play the point. But with Federer coming from another planet he produced the shot of his career.
Following Novak’s lob, Roger raced towards the baseline. He perfectly timed his point of contact with the ball and delivered an amazing passing shot. The tweener was right past Djokovic, it blew him up as he was left stranded on Arthur Ashe Arena. The point gave rise to three match points and Federer eventually converted one.
Federer’s god-like tennis and the ambiance created in Flushing Meadows just can’t be explained by words. It’s better to watch the beautiful shot-making from Roger.
The shot of his life
Roger Federer claimed to be the shot of his life, he said: “Well, I would think so,” Federer’s reply to the shot of your life question. “I mean, even though it’s I think the third or fourth time I hit it in a match now, the way I was able to hit it, you know, with pace and accuracy, it’s something that happens so, so rare.”
“You know, it was a semifinal of a Grand Slam after all. So to come up with that, to get match point against Djokovic here in the semis is amazing, and I think that probably is why, yes.”
That day the Swiss won his 41st-consecutive match at US Open and his unprecedented streak was snapped by the then-20-year-old Juan Martin del Potro in the finals.
Years later, Novak revealed he wasn’t amused with the passing shot, but he appreciates the shot-making by the Swiss maestro.
“From my perspective, it wasn’t fun seeing Roger doing that shot in 2009. That’s definitely a fact, yeah. It was a fantastic shot, definitely,” Novak said.
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