Comment On Men's Year End Championship

There’s been a lot of talk about a “giant” being “slain.” I’d like to say: no. The giant has not been slain. David Nalbandian played a great match against Roger Federer, especially to come back from two sets to love down. But Federer, even Nalbandian admits, was not at his best. Federer had just gotten off crutches three weeks prior, so to come within two points of winning the match is a remarkable achievement.

Some people are saying Nalbandian’s win will erase the Federer fear factor and give hope to Roddick, Hewitt, Agassi, etc. Unlikely. All this loss proves is that if you give 110% and Federer is recovering from an injury, you have a chance of winning if the match goes the distance. The Fed still wound up 81-4 on the year and, when healthy, is utterly dominant.

With every loss this year, he bounced back quickly and rattled off another win streak. I think we can expect Federer to not only return to form next year, but to be even better.