BRISBANE TENNIS HAS A NEW CHAMPION, ROGER FEDERER’S COLD/ FLU MADE HIM A BIT “WOBBLY” THE RICOLA HELPS… BUT MILOS RAONIC WAS AWESOME!

Written by: Staff on 10th January 2016

Brisbane International Tennis Tournament - Men's final

BRISBANE TENNIS HAS A NEW CHAMPION, ROGER FEDERER'S COLD/ FLU MADE HIM A BIT "WOBBLY" THE RICOLA HELPS... BUT MILOS RAONIC WAS AWESOME!

epa05095015 Milos Raonic of Canada holds up the winners trophy after defeating Roger Federer of Switzerland after the Men's Final of the Brisbane International Tennis Tournament in Brisbane, Australia, 10 January 2016. EPA/BRADLEY KANARIS AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT |

Brisbane Final Report From Sunday’s Men’s Finals

It’s a small compact site and surroundings and people here are knowledgeable about their tennis, which somehow makes it just a little more special. It reminds me alittle of “Cincy” Cincinatti, minus the great Graeters ice cream … Not a bad thought ! Now… if it had something equivalent to Graeter’s concessions then it would be perfect!

Alas though Roger Federer’s preparation coming into Brisbane had been far from perfect – a cold (being the last man in the family to get the big) meant a late start and the prospect of four matches back to back.

By the time he got to his semi-final against Dominic Thiem he really was cooking on gas. He seemed to be over the cold and was feeling the court and the ball very well as he routed the young Austrian.

It looked at the start as though the story was headed for a different ending. Three aces in the first two service games for Federer, and it looked as though he was aiming to fight 232kmh serving fire with fire of his own.

But just as quickly, it became a lot harder work for the 17-time Grand Slam champion. He had to fight off two break points and the a sloppy error strewn game started to set the scene for the evening. A simple break and a hold for the Canadian saw him take the lead.

Roger Federer of Switzerland returns a ball to Milos Raonic of Canada during the Men’s Final of the Brisbane International Tennis Tournament in Brisbane, Australia, 10 January 2016. EPA/BRADLEY KANARIS

Frustration was setting in – while Federer is too classy for a racket smash, ( he did toss it to the ground ) there was a dismissive drop as errors crept in. In the end there wasn’t much that Raonic had to do, as Federer succumbed to a break that was enough to stamp Raonic’s name on the trophy with a 6-4 6-4 win.

Despite the loss though, there was plenty of positives to take out of it for the former World No. 1.

He said: “I definitely didn’t play my best, because when you play a big sever first you focus on your own game, and then see what you can do on his game. Both sides were not really happening. I was struggling on the serve. Quite inconsistent. Kind of felt like that throughout the week.

“Still, considering the week I’ve had, I’m actually quite happy. That’s why I’m not down or anything or disappointed. If I would’ve known I would’ve made the finals five days ago I would’ve been unbelievably happy.”

And what of coach Ljubicic?

“The idea was to do it here at Brisbane so Melbourne wouldn’t be the first week. So I think that’s good. There was no negative surprises anyway. I think it was very comfortable, very natural first week for us.

“Severin is going to arrive on Tuesday to join the team now. Yeah, so I’m very happy how the first week went. We just discussed quickly the week. We were both thrilled that I got to play as many matches as I did here this week, because we saw how bad I was doing on Tuesday.”

Perhaps Raonic preferred to leave the circumstances of their split unsaid, preferring to say: “With the difficulties I’ve had last year, it’s maybe a good way for me to show the other guys I will face going in Melbourne, you know, I’ve got my stuff back together and I can play some good tennis again.”

One tournament does not a championship performance make, and to be honest with Novak Djokovic crushing Rafael Nadal in Doha – the next few weeks should give us all something to savour.

The Global Chick roadshow will next pop up in Melbourne, via Sydney. I have yet to see a kangaroo bouncing down the road, yet to cuddle a koala, swim with dolphins, or come face to face with a Tasmanian devil. But… there are a few days before the Australian Open door, so I will see what I can do!

Milos Raonic of Canada holds up the winners trophy after defeating Roger Federer of Switzerland after the Men’s Final of the Brisbane International Tennis Tournament in Brisbane, Australia, 10 January 2016. EPA/BRADLEY KANARIS

Topics: 10sballs.com, Atp World Tour, Brisbane International, milos raonic, Roger Federer, Tennis News

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