Twice two points from defeat, top-ranked Roger Federer rallied to win the Nasdaq-100 Open by beating 18-year-old Rafael Nadal 2-6, 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-5), 6-3, 6-1 Sunday at Key Biscayne, Fla.
Federer, who unleashed a rare racket-slamming fit at one point, trailed 4-2 in the third set and 5-3 in the ensuing tiebreaker, but his shots became more accurate and aggressive as he overtook a tiring Nadal in the 3-hour-43-minute marathon.
“I was missing one opportunity after the other,” Federer said. “I really felt like I was climbing uphill all the time, and I just had enough. So I threw my racket hard. Maybe it did me good and I kind of woke up. Who knows?”
Federer has won 22 consecutive matches this year and 18 consecutive finals since July 2003 but was on the ropes against the left-handed Spanish Davis Cupper.
“For me this was a big match,” Federer said, “because I know what a great player he will be one day.”
