Roger Federer ended the 2009 Grand Slam season the same way he started: losing in five sets in the championship. That's where the comparisons between the two matches end.
While Federer was visibly shaken and distraught after losing the Australian Open title to Rafael Nadal, with tears preventing him from getting through his post-match comments, he seemed much more at peace with his upset loss against Juan Martin del Potro in New York. Of course, the summer Federer has enjoyed would go a long way to easing any player's disappointment.
The Swiss star has experienced tremendous personal and professional highs this year. In addition to getting married and welcoming healthy twin daughters into the world, Federer also reached the finals of each of the four Grand Slams, winning two in spectacular fashion. By earning victory where Pete Sampras never could, Federer achieved a career Grand Slam with his French Open title. He then eclipsed Sampras' cumulative Grand Slam record with a thrilling, marathon victory over Andy Roddick in the Wimbledon championship match. While he was just as motivated to win the U.S. Open as he was those other tournaments, those successes temper the frustration of this defeat.
Any doubts he had after last year's tribulations were erased as he solidified his claim to the title of the greatest of all time. This U.S. Open failure does nothing to diminish those achievements.
What also makes the loss easier to handle is that it came against an opponent playing some of his best tennis ever. The tallest man ever to win a Grand Slam singles title, the 6'6'' del Potro showed off his big game at the U.S. Open. Not many people gave him a chance because of who Federer is, what he's accomplished and how well he played en route to the final. Add to that the fact that it was del Potro's first Grand Slam final, that he had never beaten Federer and that he was ripe for a letdown after beating Nadal, a result he described as the biggest win of his career, and the odds were solidly in Federer's favor.
But every great young gun has to have a breakthrough at some point, and this was del Potro's time. It was a life-changing moment and a dream come true for the emotional Argentine.
Although it had to be in his mind that he was playing the five-time defending champion, del Potro never succumbed to nerves late in this high-pressure match. Instead, it was Federer who unraveled as the match progressed. While Federer was giving away points, del Potro was battling for every advantage. When he was two points away from defeat, the Argentine displayed tremendous resolve, rallying with two big serves to get himself out of trouble.
Dudek wants Alonso reunionOne surprise after another at wild U.S. Open
