Paul Annacone: 'Roger Federer had a chance to beat Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros..'

Between 2010-13, Roger Federer had worked with Paul Annacone, with the American leading the Swiss towards two ATP Finals crowns and Wimbledon in 2012. Two years after lifting his first and only Roland Garros trophy, Roger had another chance to go all the way in Paris, winning the first five matches in straight sets and building momentum ahead of the semi-final clash with Novak Djokovic who was yet to lose a match that year. Playing better in the decisive moments, Roger ousted Novak in four sets to advance into the fifth Roland Garros in the last six years, facing the ultimate challenge in Rafael Nadal en route to the crown. Just like in 2006, 2007 and 2008, Nadal proved to be too strong for Federer, delivering a 7-5, 7-6, 5-7, 6-1 triumph in three hours and 40 minutes, overcoming a massive deficit in the opener and bouncing back in style in set number four to grab the sixth title in Paris. Speaking about that tournament, Annacone said that Federer wasn't disappointed with the outcome, playing well for two weeks and drawing positive conclusions ahead of upcoming tournaments.

"Roger had a great chance in Paris that year. He beat Novak in the semis, with the Serb winning all matches of the season up to that point. Against Rafa, he was 5-2 in front in the first set and had set points. He went for a drop shot and that didn't come up nicely, losing the set and falling short in the end," said Annacone. "When the match was over, Roger was very proud of what he had done in the tournament. He's excellent at naturally detaching from that emotion, while not rejecting it and not coming up with excuses after a defeat, blaming no one. He can process defeats healthily; that's why he still plays at 38."

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