Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka
each faced questions heading into Switzerland's Davis Cup final in France.
For Federer, how would his tender back hold up?
For Wawrinka, would he recover after a tough -- and contentious --
loss to his higher-profile Swiss at the World Tour Finals in London last week?
We got our answers Friday at the Stade Pierre Mauroy on a record
setting day in Lille -- but for once Federer wasn't the one rewriting the
history books.
In front
of the largest ever tennis crowd for a pro match -- at 27,432 it eclipsed the
27,200 that turned up to watch Spain beat the U.S. in a converted Seville
bullring in the 2004 Davis Cup final -- Federer not only fell to Gael Monfils
but couldn't put up much of a fight. Continue..
The 6-1 6-4 6-3 result against Monfils -- who piped down his
histrionics -- marked his most lopsided defeat in 45 singles matches in the
competition.
"You accept the fact that you're playing the way you
feel," Federer told reporters. "But it wasn't all negative. I started
to feel better as the match went on. That's very encouraging, I must say."
Also encouraging for Federer and the Swiss, Wawrinka thumped a
listless Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-1 3-6 6-3 6-2 to begin the day.
Federer's performance, coupled with France's apparent advantage in
Saturday's doubles, means it's the home team who'll be happier come the end of
play.
One of the two major titles to elude Federer in his glittering
career is a Davis Cup crown and how disappointed he must have been that on his
debut in a Davis Cup final he was at less than full strength.
Monfils, however, remains one of the most athletic players in the
game and owned a pair of wins over Federer.
With French captain Arnaud Clement able to rein him in during
changeovers, he played focused tennis.
"Definitely one of the top three matches in my life,"
said Monfils, who squandered two match points against Federer at the U.S. Open.
Monfils broke early in the first and facing an immediate break
point, struck a courageous second-serve ace that delighted his many fans.
Clay can
be classified as the least forgiving of surfaces when it comes to unforced
errors, which made Monfils' tally of 44 winners and 18 unforced errors
extremely impressive.
In truth at times he was quick to pounce on short Federer balls.
He earned the key break at 2-2 in the third in breath-taking
fashion, slamming a forehand down the line and later in the game sliding into
his backhand prior to sending it past Federer and down the line.
And what
a way to end it: Monfils produced another shot down the line, a backhand from a
difficult angle.
Wawrinka, meanwhile, sparkled against French No. 1 Tsonga,
displaying some of the artillery that won him the Australian Open in January
for a maiden grand slam title.
His stats were even better than Monfils' -- 61 winners and 29
unforced errors.
"I know how to play those matches," Wawrinka said.
"I did so many big matches, so many important matches this year.
"Today it's important to show them that I'm there. They
(were) maybe too focused (on) Roger and maybe they forgot about me."
He showed no after effects of the loss to Federer, when he blew
four match points and was reportedly taunted by Federer's wife, Mirka.
For large parts of the affair he targeted Tsonga's backhand with
his own sublime one-handed backhand, easily getting the better of the 2008
Australian Open finalist.
At one stage, even the crowd -- most of course were rooting for
Les Bleus -- admired Wawrinka's laser-like backhand in reply to a slack Tsonga
forehand volley.
Wawrinka stormed to the first set and when he held a break point
to begin the second, it appeared as if the Swiss No. 2's better form would see
him cruise in three.
But Tsonga hung on, altered the momentum and for a brief spell in
the third set was in the ascendancy.
The
loudest the crowd got in the opener was in that third set, when an agitated
Tsonga implored them off their feet when he saved a set point with an ace at
2-5. The outstretched arms of Clement at precisely the same time suggested an
expression of, 'It's about time,' and the Swiss cow bells were temporarily
silenced.
There's no doubt that Wawrinka was slightly rattled.
Tsonga smelled blood when Wawrinka trailed 0-30 on serve, but the
latter rallied to close out the set -- and the match, realistically -- despite
double faulting on one of his set points.
Tsonga was annoyed with his performance but also with the French
fans, who he felt weren't vocal enough.
"When the teams were introduced, they applauded Stan more
than us, Roger more than us," he said. "We hear the Swiss spectators
more than we hear the French ones.
"Stan, for example, announced that the ball was out, and it
was in.
"I just went to check the mark, and I was booed in my own
country -- maybe not by the French spectators but by the Swiss spectators. It's
annoying."
With Monfils' victory over Federer, it guaranteed so-called 'live'
action Sunday and Clement would surprise a few if he stuck with the
out-of-sorts Tsonga to begin the reverse singles.
For the time being, Federer isn't ruling himself out of Saturday's
doubles.
"Now I'm coming out of the match without any pain, which is
good, too," said Federer. "It was not a five-setter (that left) me
totally exhausted. So if I have to find something positive about it, I'll say
that.
"But it is clear that I want to play better. If I play the
doubles and the singles, it needs to be a lot better than today. Now I have the
information and I know exactly what I have to do."
Wawrinka and Federer both aren't scheduled to play doubles but
they can be called upon Saturday.
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