After four dominant years on the Men’s Tour, Roger Federer had to slow down a bit in 2008, winning four titles and suffering 15 losses, a significant number as he had 24 between 2004-07.
Novak Djokovic knocked him down in straight sets in the Australian Open semi-final, Andy Murray in the Dubai first round, and then with the Swiss traveling to Indian Wells eager to improve his form and restore order at the event, he won three titles at the last four years.
Federer lost 14 games in the first three rounds to Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, Nicolas Mahut and Ivan Ljubicic before Tommy Haas stumbled him in the quarters to set up a clash with no.
98, Mardy Fish. The American started the season ranked inside the top-40 but lost ground in the first few months, entering Indian Wells ranked just inside the top-100 after failing to defend points in previous tournaments.
He regained form in the desert and played one of his best matches to defeat Federer 6-3, 6-2 in 64 minutes, advancing to his second Masters 1000 final after Cincinnati 2003! It was his sixth meeting and the first win for Mardy, who lost the last nine sets played against the great Swiss.
On top of that, it was Roger’s worst loss on hard courts in terms of rival rankings since Indianapolis 2000 when James Sekulov (191) toppled him 6-4, 7-5 just short of his 19th birthday, and his toughest loss overall. since Monte Carlo 2005 with Richard Gasquet.
It was even more unusual to witness such an imposing victory for Fish when we learn that he served only 34%, making the most of the serve and losing only 13 points in his games, saving the only break point he faced to keep the pressure on the other side. of the network.
In 2008, Roger Federer suffered a major loss to Mardy Fish
Roger struggled to find a rhythm, and his serve was attacked by deep and accurate returns from Mardy, losing 43% of the points in his games and giving up his serve three times out of seven opportunities offered to the American.
Fish controlled his punches more efficiently, ending the encounter with 26 winners and 19 unforced errors, compared to 14 winners and 25 errors for Roger, who was unable to fight for at least one set.
It was the best start for Mardy, who landed a forehand to break Roger in the second game and set the tone for the rest of the game. Federer could have recovered the break in the next game, getting a break chance, the only one he would create in this match.
The American completed the game with two aces and took a 3-0 lead in just nine minutes. The Swiss was well below his usual level, having to save two break points in the fourth game to put his name on the scoreboard and cut the deficit to 3-1, hoping to improve his game and get back on the bright side. of the marker.
That didn’t happen, though, as Fish confidently closed the first set with a 15-3 serve after Federer’s forehand error. Things went from bad to worse for the world number one, who missed his serve early in the second set following a return winner from Mardy, who consolidated the lead with an ace in game two for one set and one lead. break.
Roger’s return stayed somewhere on the practice court, and Fish took another game with a winning serve to increase the lead to 3-1 and get closer to the finish line.
His triumph became inevitable after a break in the fifth game, opening up a 5-1 lead with a solid serve turn and forcing his opponent to serve to stay in the match after just an hour.
Roger saved two match points to extend his campaign, though it all ended when Mardy held to 15 in game eight for the most significant victory of his career and the place in the final where he would lose to Novak Djokovic.
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