Federer retires: who are the seven Argentines who could beat him

Roger Federer announced his retirement at the age of 41, after a 24-season career in which he led the charts for 310 weeks (a record 237 in a row), won 103 titles (20 Grand Slams) and got tired of beating rivals on the pitch. The Swiss was the protagonist of two epic rivalries, which have forever marked the history of tennis: with Rafael Nadalwith whom he played 40 games and won 16, and with Novak Djokovic, which he faced 50 times, with 23 wins. But he has also crossed paths with the Argentines many times. And although most of his Albicelesti rivals never managed to beat him, there were seven who had the pleasure of celebrating at least once against one of the best tennis players of all time (for some the best).

The most sensational victory of a national racket against Federer was, without a doubt, the one obtained by him Juan Martin del Potro at the end of US Open 2009. The Swiss, then number one in the world, arrived with skyrocketing confidence. That year he had captured his first and only title in Roland Garros and, shortly after, the sixth in Wimbledon and his 15th “big”, to beat the record for best winner in that category with which he shared Pietro Sampras.

On the way to the decisive instance of the American Grand Slam he had given up just two sets and was the big favorite in the duel against the man from Tandil, who was 20 and was sixth in the standings, but owned only six trophies and had no never reached that round in a major.

But Delpo – who had lost the first six duels he had played with Roger – surprised and prevailed 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 7-6 (7-4) and 6-2in four hours and six minutes of play, and became the first Grand Slam champion off the pitch Large 3 since Roland Garros 2005. The man from Tandil was the last non-European player to be crowned in a “big”.

In the same year, del Potro beat Federer again, in the Italian round of ATP Finals From London. He then put together three straight wins, in the final of basel and in the group stage of the Masters at the end of the year, both in 2012, and again in the clash for the title of the Swiss tournament, at the home of the former number one, the following year. He also defeated him in the quarter-finals of the 2017 US Open and in the decisive duel of the Masters of Indian Wells 1000 2018, the last game played.

Total, there have been seven wins for the Tandil Tower. Of course, on the whole, Federer had a big advantage over him, because he beat him on the pitch 18 times. The first, in the second round of Wimbledon 2007, when he was already number 1 and the Argentine was 56th in the standings. And the last one at the end of Basel 2017.

david nalbandian He also celebrated an unforgettable victory against the Swiss. It was at the end of Masters Tournament 2005, which was played in Shanghai and which Cordovan entered at the last moment, through the window. Is that after closing his season with a fall in the second round of the Paris Masters 1000, the king David He was back in Argentina and had everything ready (even his suitcases) to go on holiday fishing with his friends. But a flurry of late retirements opened the doors for him to play that tournament on Chinese soil. The Cordovan swapped the fishing rod for the racket and ended up lifting one of the most important trophies of his career by beating a tennis legend.

In Shanghai they have played twice. In the first match of the group stage, Federer won 6-3, 2-6, 6-2. The Swiss then defeated Iva Ljubicic Y William Coria; Already Gaston Gaudio in the semifinals. Nalbandian, he beat Coria and Ljubicic and left on the way to Nikolai Davydenko to enter the decisive duel. And in that match, against all odds, Unquill’s man, then 12th in the standings, beat Roger, number one, in five vibrant sets of 6-7 (4-7), 6-7 (11-13), 6-2, 6-1 and 7-6 (7-3).

Was Sixth victory for Cordoba over Federer, to score 6-4 in his favor in history. The top five had been consecutive among the Master Montecarlo 2002 and the US Open 2003. The Swiss eventually topped the stats and lost the 11-8 record to him with a 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 win in the third round of Wimbledon 2011the last time they crossed paths.

Iconic was also the triumph he signed Luca Arnoldo against Federer, one of two Argentines who has a positive record against the Swiss. It is that the man from Buenos Aires was, without realizing it at the time, a secondary actor in the first chapter of Roger’s extraordinary history with the racketeering.

In July 1998, a teenager Federer, not yet 17 and ranked 702nd, but who already promised great promise, received a wild card to play in gstaad his first ATP tournament. The draw left him face to face with Arnold, who was 23 and ranked 88th in the world. The Argentine – who then concentrated completely on the double – showed no mercy and defeated him with a double 6-4. The game, the only one they played between them, did not have great importance at the time, but then it went down in history.

“I had to play against a junior Swiss and at that time Switzerland didn’t have much history in tennis.. Roger showed good serve, good forehand, but his backhand was weak, not good at all. I never thought or imagined it would be one of the best in the world and history. It is amazing that he has progressed as a player to be what he has become, “Arnold commented a couple of years ago in a conversation with the ATP.

The other tennis player from our country who leads his head-to-head with Federer is Franco Squillari. The southpaw, who reached 11th step of the standings, faced the Swiss twice, once on clay and once on concrete. And both times he won. The first, in the opening round of the Hamburg Master 2011, in which he won 6-3 and 6-4. He was 19th in the standings and his rival, 18th. The second, debuting at the Sydney ATP 2003. The Swiss was already number six in the world and the Argentine, who was ranked 81st, beat him 6-2, 6-3.

Mariano Zabaleta has a particular history with Federer: they met four times, all in tournaments Masters 1000. Tandil’s man, formerly 21st in the standings, celebrated in the first of those clashes, in the second round of Miami 2000. The Swiss then won the other three, in Monte Carlo 2002, Rome 2003 and Miami 2005.

Another one who only played with Roger in tournaments of that category was William Canas, who scored three wins against the Swiss over the course of his career, in a 3-3 heads-up draw. Former world number eight, the Tapiales-born man beat him in the first round of Toronto 2002 and Indian Wells 2007 and in the round of 16 in Miami that same year. And he lost in the semifinals of Indian Wells 2005, round of 16 in Madrid in 2007 and second round in Rome in 2008.

The last on the list of Argentines who managed to beat the Swiss on a field was Frederic Delbonis. He was in the semifinals of Hamburg ATP 500 2013. Fifth-placed Roger was the title favorite. Azuleño, 114th, started from the dock and became the big surprise of the race. And in that clash he defeated the Swiss in two tie breaks, who he defeated 7-6 (9-7) and 7-4 (7-4) to access the first final of his career, then lost to Fognini. .

Federer got his revenge five years later, beating him 6-3 7-6 (8-6) in the second round at Indian Wells to level the matchup record at 1-1.

The other Argentines who had the pleasure of facing Federer once, but ended up giving up early His Majestywere Massimo Gonzalez, Giovanni Ignazio from London Y Brian Dabul (all were 0-1); Carlo Berlocq, Guido Pela Y Diego Hartfield (0-2); William Coria (0-3); Giovanni Monaco, Diego Schwartzmann Y Leonard Mayer (0-4); Gaston Gaudio Y Giuseppe Acasuso (0-5); Y Juan Ignacio Chela (0-6).