In Roger Federer's words: 'Michael Chang's second serve is mediocre, I had chances'

Winning just one match after s-Hertogenbosch and losing his first coach and close friend Peter Carter, Roger Federer experienced a terrible summer of 2002, struggling to find the form and not being able to hit the top-10 again before the end of October. The Swiss was hoping for a better result at the US Open after early losses at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, beating Jiri Vanek in the first round and setting the clash against Michael Chang in the second. Playing his best match in the last couple of months, Roger scored a dominant 6-3, 6-1, 6-3 triumph in an hour and 35 minutes, getting broken once and securing six breaks from nine chances to seal the deal in style and advance into the third round. After the match, Federer said it was easy to return Chang's second serves and get the upper hand in the rallies, happy with the way he performed and seeking the same level against Xavier Malisse in the next match. 

"It was a different match in comparison to the first one when I had little confidence. Against Michael, you always get into the rally because his second serve is not very good, you can put it back in play quite easy. For me, it's quite useful because either I can chip and charge sometimes on big moments or I can just play deep and then get into the point. From the baseline, I feel like he can't really hit a winner against me, I can always run them down. I don't put too much pressure on myself to hit the winner right away. I know even if he attacks me, it's not dangerous as it would have been against somebody else. I'm happy the way it went today, I played on a high level for a set and a half or two. I hit some excellent shots and that always helps; it makes me feel good when I'm in the rhythm."

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2S1iKks