Tennis Masters Cup News
Alix Ramsay  |  November 20 , 2004

If betting were not frowned upon by the governors of tennis, it would have been wise to have put a little money on Roger Federer as the Masters Cup began. The odds would have made the wager worthless - who in their right mind is going to bet against the Swiss? - but it would have been the safest dollar you would ever have waged.

As expected, Federer is in the final after his 6-3, 7-6 win over Marat Safin and he will now play Lleyton Hewitt, the 6-3, 6-2 winner over a pitiful Andy Roddick.

For once there were signs that Federer is human after all. For a set and half a game, the Swiss was in his usual place - in charge. It did not matter whether Safin was playing well or badly, Federer was simply untouchable. In fact there was little point in Safin being there at all other than to make up the numbers.

But then, from holding break points in the opening game of the second set, Federer started missing. So used to watching perfection on legs, the oddsmakers were taken aback. There were oohs and ahhs and sharp intakes of breath. By the time the No.1 was 4-1 down the situation was on the verge of being declared an international crisis.

Forcing his way back to 4-4, the two men set off for the tiebreak - and that is where the fun started. Safin held six set points, Federer had eight match points. They manufactured chances with cracking winners - and then wasted them with errors, forced or otherwise. Careening wildly between hope and despair, Federer finally closed it out 20-18.

At least the match was some reward after the disappointment of the first Semi-final. Hewitt was good, probably as good as he can be, but Roddick was simply awful.

Roddick's collapse was both swift and stunning. The familiar weapons had not been firing as well as he would have wanted this week - he did not serve particularly well against Tim Henman and he has been relying on his backhand rather than his trusty forehand - but he has still been winning. He is still a work in progress but the changes he has made recently have been obvious an effective.

Determined to keep the momentum going - and to make this volleying malarkey feel more natural - he had claimed that he was ready for the fight over the weekend. But when he faced Hewitt he just looked like he wanted to go home. Not even he could explain it.

"I definitely lost my rhythm," he said. "I can't explain it. I mean, I feel like I hit a forehand well and I missed it by four feet. I just didn't feel like the ball was doing what I wanted it to do today.

"I just think it's plain and simple; I didn't play well. He took his chances when he had them. You know, it's pretty self-explanatory. I didn't step up. Lleyton makes you play at a certain level to beat him, and I fell far short of that today. A lot of times I didn't even set up a point and miss a volley. Just felt like not a lot felt right today."

Hewitt, on the other hand, felt right from the very start. The weather forecast was appalling and so he did not want to waste any time if he got the opportunity to play. And there was the small matter of the No.2 ranking to consider, too. If he wins the title here he will overtake Roddick in second place. As well he will avoid Federer until the final at the Australian Open. It would also show the world that he really was back to his best.

"I heard Cliff Drysdale talking," Hewitt said, "he sounded like there was only two players playing the game. I know there's been one stand-out for the last year and a half. But if you look at the points, I think there's a couple of us right up Andy's butt at the moment."

Playing like a man on a mission, he was quietly pleased with the results. He has been getting better and better since the summer and now that he has his goals in place - the Australian Open is always foremost in his mind and a good result here can only help with his preparations - the fire has returned to his game.

"I was ready to go out there today," he said. "Obviously, it's an awkward situation, not quite knowing if we're going to be on time or whatever. As soon as the bell rang, I was up for it and ready to play my best tennis.

"I felt like I was moving extremely well out there. I felt like I was able to dictate play. I was just seeing the ball well. It makes it a lot easier playing against a guy, if you're in a zone like that, playing such a big hitter as Andy."

Still, looking on the bright side for Roddick, he has had four matches against the best players in the world and now he can return to his Davis Cup preparations.

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