The Bryan brothers didn’t fare much better in the second set. After exchanging breaks with the top seeds , they found themselves down a break again at 3-4. This time, Nestor consolidated the break. And down 3-5, 15-40, Mike double-faulted to give Nestor/Zimonjic the match. While Nestor won his third Basel title in four finals, the Bryans were visibly gutted after their error-prone performance. Not even having their song, “Let It Rip,” played after the trophy ceremony seemed to cheer them up.


“Be Careful What You Wish for”

Serbian world No. 3 Novak Djokovic was playing in Basel for the first time and had delighted tournament organizers and crowd with his performance this week, from handing out his first career double bagel to Jan Hernych to fighting off three match points against Radek Stepanek. He wasn’t only the expected final opponent for Federer going by the seeding, but – judging by the crowd support this week – also the one most Basel tennis fans here had hoped to see on Sunday.


En route to the final, Federer had not lost a set, nor been broken in 39 service games, but he had also not faced a single seeded player, let alone someone of his final opponent’s level. “[Before today,] I hadn’t had to play at my limit the entire week,” Federer admitted after the match.

Djokovic, on the other hand, had had a much tougher path to the final, but, despite having been on court more than two and a half hours longer than his opponent, he seemed fresher from the start. He was the better player from the baseline and never allowed Federer to take control of their rallies. At 4-4, Djokovic got his first two break chances and converted the second when Federer missed a forehand.

Errors easily outnumbered winners in the match, but what it lacked in quality, it made up for in tension. The crowd was living and dying with every shot, especially at the marathon service game Djokovic played to serve out the first set. The game lasted 22 minutes, went to deuce ten times and featured five break points and six set points saved before Federer missed a passing shot on the seventh to lose the set. The draining game also forced Djokovic to take a medical timeout to get treatment on his back. Afterward, he said there was no reason to worry. “It was just some tension in the back from the 150 serves I hit that game,” he explained smiling. He considered the game the turning point of the match. “Once I won the set, I started to feel better and more confident."

Djokovic made a strong start to the second set, breaking Federer in the top seed’s opening service game, but gave the advantage back just two games later. Down 4-5, Djokovic played his worst service game of the day, hitting four errors to even the match and give Federer’s fans hope for a turnaround.

However, Federer couldn’t use the momentum and promptly lost four straight games in the third, before finally holding serve and even getting up 40-0 on Djokovic’s serve. But, again, he hit unforced errors at a critical moment and Djokovic toughed out the hold. The crowd had gotten rather silent – it was obvious that Federer would not be able to fight back today. He played a good final service game, but, with Djokovic serving out the set at 6-2, the better and more consistent player of the day had won.

After the match, both players assured they were happy with their week in Basel. “I leave with a good feeling for Paris,” Federer said. “I am feeling well and mentally fresh.” Djokovic, of course, was more then pleased with his fourth title of the seaon. “I played one of the best matches this season. [Beating Federer at home,] it makes my success even bigger, because I know how much the people support him here and how good he plays at home. He had a huge amount of pressure on him to win today.”

Djokovic will be dealing with great expectations himself very soon. The No. 2 ranking is still up for play this year, but learning from missed chances in the past, Djokovic said he is trying not to think about it too much. “If I do, things don’t go my way,” he said with a smile.


More photos from the 2009 Davidoff Swiss Indoors Basil.
Photos: Tina van Eickels