By Art Spander
The Sports Xchange/CBSSports.com
NEW YORK — It was the night disbelief took over center court, the night fantasy overcame logic, the night Roger Federer lost control, the night a dynasty tumbled.
There’s a new champion in the U.S. Open, Juan Martin Del Potro, who’s still a few days from his 21st birthday but already has come of age in tennis.
Del Potro, the 6-foot-6 guy those homeboys from a meatpacking town in Argentina have nicknamed the Tower of Tandil, indeed towers over all the improbability of sport.
In an upset that must rank among the great ones ever, the Jets beating the Colts in Super Bowl III, Buster Douglas knocking out Mike Tyson, Del Potro defeated Federer, 3-6, 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2, to take America’s tennis title.
When Federer, the reputed finest player in history, winner of the last five U.S. Opens in succession, hit the final shot wide on Monday night, Del Potro flopped on his back as much in bewilderment as elation. He had done what nobody believed could be done.
“My dream done, it’s over,” Del Potro said. “When I lay on the floor, many things come to my mind. First, my family and my friends and everything. I don’t know how I can explain, because it’s my dream.”
No explanation is needed. We learned what we needed from the longest men’s final in 21 years — 4 hours, 6 minutes — a brilliant display of forehands and courage, embellished by the chants, “Oh-lay, oh-lay, oh-lay, ohhhhh-lay,” and the cheers of 24,821 who packed Arthur Ashe Court.
Federer, winner of a record 15 Grand Slams, was supposed to make it 16, was supposed to tie Bill Tilden’s 85-year-old mark of six straight U.S. titles. It was a cinch, the 28-year-old Federer against a kid who until Monday had never been in the final of a Slam.
But something went wrong. Or went right. Del Potro, a bundle of nerves, barely could get a ball over the net in the first set. This was going to be painful. And it turned out to be. For Federer.
“I thought I had him under control the first two sets,” Federer said. Already this year the one they call the Swiss Master had won the French Open — finally breaking through — and Wimbledon. He was going to be the first in 40 years, since Rod Laver, to win three Slam tournaments in succession. Except he didn’t.
“I should never have lost so many chances,” he said. “It was just a pity. I think if I win the second set, I’m in a great position to come through. Unfortunately I don’t win that, and that was it.”
Del Potro won that, on a tiebreak. Federer sounded like most of the men who have faced him through the last five or six years, implying what might have been, talking about the should haves and could haves. That’s not the language of a champion.
“It’s one of those finals maybe I look back and have some regrets about,” said Federer, “but you can’t have them all, can’t always play your best. He hung in there. In the end he was just too tough.”
Federer’s failing was what normally is his strength, the serve. He was successful on only 50 percent of his first serves, compared to 65 percent for Del Potro. And while Federer had 13 aces, he also had 11 double faults.
And so for the first time, someone other than Rafael Nadal, whom Del Potro knocked out in Sunday’s semifinals, beat Federer in a Grand Slam final. And now, another Argentinean has won a Slam. Guillermo Vilas won four major titles in the 1970s, including the 1977 U.S. Open.
Don’t cry for them, Argentina. Stand up and cheer. The soccer team may not make the World Cup, but Del Potro is atop the world of tennis.
“I thought Juan Martin played great,” said a gracious Federer. “He hung in there and gave himself chances and in the end was a better man.”
In the beginning, however, you wondered if he would win a set. Not until the middle of the second set did Del Potro even have a break point, and when he got the break, Federer, as usual, broke right back.
But Del Potro fought Federer and also fought himself, winning both battles.
“When I won the second set,” Del Potro said, “I think if I continue playing the same way, maybe I have chance to win. But after I lost the third set, after going a break up, I start to think bad things, you know. It was so difficult to keep trying. But the crowd helped me a lot to fight until the last point. I have to say thank you to everyone for that.”
Federer didn’t want to thank the people who developed the electronic line decider known as Hawk-Eye. He’s never liked it. And when a Del Potro shot Federer thought was out was shown on the big screen to be in, Del Potro prevented Federer was taking a two-sets-to-none lead.
Later, in another incident, when Del Potro was going to ask for another ruling — each player has three challenges — he delayed and then didn’t request electronic verification. Federer came over to the umpire and grumbled, “The guy has two seconds [for a decision] and he takes 10.”
When chair umpire Jake Garner told Federer to be quiet, Federer, out of character, yelled back, “Don’t tell me to be quiet. I’m going to talk. I don’t give a spit what you say.” Federer didn’t say spit.
Federer had won 40 straight matches in the Open since he was beaten in 2003 by David Nalbandian. He’s from, yes, Argentina. They’re doing something right down there.
For the last year-and-a-half, Del Potro, who entered the Open ranked No. 6 in the world, has been doing a lot right. The question was when he could win a big one. We have the answer.
“At the beginning of the match, I was so nervous,” said Del Potro, who added that he couldn’t sleep the previous night and couldn’t eat breakfast Monday morning.
He can dine now. He took the winner’s trophy and $1.85 million in prize money and bonus money. He also took the glory, at least temporarily, from Roger Federer. If it wasn’t unbelievable, it certainly was remarkable.
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