Roger Federer came to Queens as the heavy favorite to reclaim his throne, looking to win his third major of the year and his first U.S. Open title in nine years.
After two matches, the Swiss superstar shouldn’t look too far ahead.
Less than 48 hours after nearly losing a five-set, first-round match to 19-year-old Frances Tiafoe, the 36-year-old tennis legend again barely avoided a stunning upset, coming back to pull out a second-round win over Mikhail Youzhny, 6-1, 6-7 (3), 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, Thursday at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
It is the first time in Federer’s career that he has opened a Grand Slam with back-to-back five-set wins, and just the second time he has played consecutive major matches that went the distance, following this year’s Australian Open.
The third-seeded Federer next will face 31st-seeded Feliciano Lopez, who is 0-12 all-time against the 19-time Grand Slam champion.
“You’re on a high, and you’re thrilled that you got through, so you don’t look at the negative, or I don’t,” Federer said. “I might be more tired than I’ve normally been in the third round, but that’s OK.
“My preparation hasn’t been good at all here. I knew I was going to maybe struggle early on. Maybe I struggled more than I would have liked to.”
What started as an easy day became an unlikely test of Federer’s experience and endurance.
Entering the match 16-0 all-time in the second round at the U.S. Open, and 16-0 all-time against the 35-year-old Russian, Federer predictably steamrolled through the first set, not losing a game until more than 20 minutes had passed.
In the second set, Federer looked shaky on the simplest of shots. He pushed backhands long. He hit volleys wide. He mixed brilliance with bafflingly poor shots, dropping hints of why he had gone nearly five years without winning a major before this year’s renaissance.
Federer committed 68 unforced errors in the match and often lacked the rhythm and poise that have defined his dominance, while Youzhny bounced around the court between points, showing a confidence that made the head-to-head record irrelevant, after the Russian claimed the third set, to take the lead.
“It really put me in a tough spot there,” Federer said. “I had to come up with something. I wasn’t feeling it so much at [that] stage all of a sudden.”
Federer then received some unfortunate help. In the fourth, Youzhny began battling cramps. In the fifth, he fell awkwardly to the ground while chasing a lob and hobbled during much of the rest of the match, with Federer finally picking up his play.
“I feel for Mikhail,” Federer said. “This was probably our best match.”
Still, it ended the same as the others, with Federer grabbing a 4-2 lead after breaking Youzhny’s serve. For Federer, it wasn’t as frightening as his first-round scare.
“Just the unknown of being back in the first round, the pressure of being back on Ashe, the rust was clearly there, not quite knowing can I pick up my game,” Federer said. “Today, I knew I was going to be able to pick it up. I didn’t disappoint myself.”
When Federer last won the U.S. Open, Shea Stadium was still standing across the street and George W. Bush was sitting in the White House.Nine years later, Federer, who missed last year’s tournament due to injury, hasn’t lost a major he has participated in since last year’s Wimbledon, having skipped the French Open this season. The decision to pass on Paris looked brilliant in London, where Federer won his eighth Wimbledon crown without dropping a set the entire tournament.
In New York, Federer has looked vulnerable and worn down through just two matches.
But for another round, the U.S. Open — already missing injured stars Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka — still has its most popular player in the draw. For another day, the dream of Federer facing Nadal in Queens for the first time remains alive.
“I see things very positively right now,” Federer said. “I’m pretty confident that I’m only going to get better from here.”