Playing in final #105 did not bring good fortune to Roger Federer, as he lost to former rival and good friend Tommy Haas 76(5) 64 in the final match at Halle. Haas played the best match he's contested in three years, and Roger could not find the right form when he needed it. But full credit to Haas, who played phenomenally well and certainly deserved to win.
Roger started the match in fine form, breaking Haas right away and jumping to a 3-1 lead. He had a couple of break points to go up the double break but could not convert, and that's when the momentum switched into Tommy's favour. He broke back and Roger needed to be clutch to send the set to a tiebreak. Fed opened the breaker with a 2-0 lead but then relinquished it and gave up four straight points. Haas closed out the set with a massive serve at 6-5. The second set was even until the 9th game when Tommy broke and then he served out the match. A well-deserved win for a guy that has had more than his fair share of struggle throughout his career.
Tommy Haas is one of tennis's most special talents and even though I am a big Roger fan, and am slightly disappointed that he lost, I can't help but feel happy for the German. It was obvious that the win meant more for Tommy than it did Roger, and both seemed to know it, and played accordingly. As far as Fed is concerned, he got some good match practice on the grass and got some good match play with the tight win over Raonic. I think he'll be very motivated to do well at Wimbledon.
Speaking of motivation, if Fed wins Wimbledon and Djokovic doesn't make the final, Fed regains the #1 spot, so you know that he'll be giving it his all once the real play begins. Seeing as it's likely Roger will be placed in Djokovic's half, a semifinal match between them would be absolutely huge, and it'd be Roger's biggest semifinal match at Wimbledon since his 2003 semi vs Andy Roddick.
Immediately after the match, I heard plenty of panic among Federer fans in the form of "Fed lost to HAAS in Halle so therefore that means he'll likely get upset early at Wimbledon OH NO!" Well, first of all, that's not a very positive attitude to take. Second of all, Roger did say in his press conference that he had been suffering through a cold. Considering he could have gone out in the quarters to Raonic, a loss to a very deserving friend in Haas is the lesser evil. I'm pleased that he got some good match play and he still looks very good on the grass. He served well all week and that is a good sign because he will need that serve to be firing on all cylinders if he is to win Wimbledon.
I said many months ago that Roger winning close matches will help him when the right time comes. He's had a handful of them this year, and that is one of the major reasons why he already has four titles. He came through another tough challenge against Raonic and even though he faltered in the end against Haas, there is really no reason to worry just yet. Let's give ourselves a break and wait until he's a set from losing in Wimbledon before we panic and start jumping to conclusions, shall we?
Losing to Tommy Haas is not a shameful thing. The guy is a former World #2 and even now, is still one of the most talented players on tour. As he showed throughout the week, he is a formidable opponent on grass, and it was plainly obvious that he was inspired and that was what led to his winning the title. And the assumption that Roger played poorly in the final is kind of blown out of proportion. Sure, his level dropped after losing the break in the first set, but that was also because Haas was on his game and did not let up for one second. Had Tommy not been playing so magnificently, it would be Roger winning the title because his standard form would have been good enough to beat a regular-form Haas. On the bright side, as I said before, Roger was serving amazingly well and hit many clutch serves throughout the week, and after the bad serving performance in Roland Garros, Roger will take comfort in the effectiveness of that shot. (He was only broken 3 times in 4 matches.)
Upwards and onwards to Wimbledon!
PS: In my opinion, it is better for Roger to lose to guys like Roddick and Haas over the younger generation of Raonic, del Potro, and the likes. Because Roger wants to play a few more years, the young guys are the ones that are going to be the real consistent threats week in and week out. Losing to Haas seemed to not effect Roger at all, and while this may seem like a bad thing, I think it's a good thing. Roger is obviously putting everything he has into Wimbledon with everything that is at stake (#17, the #1), and I have no doubt that when his favourite tournament gets underway, he will be as sharp as the knife by which his native land is named after.
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