SWISS TENNIS STAR ROGER FEDERER TRIUMPHS IN BASEL • LEAVES DEL POTRO WITH WORK TO DO FOR NITTO ATP WORLD TOUR FINALS BERTH

Written by: Staff on 29th October 2017

SWISS TENNIS STAR ROGER FEDERER TRIUMPHS IN BASEL • LEAVES DEL POTRO WITH WORK TO DO FOR NITTO ATP WORLD TOUR FINALS BERTH

epa06297079 Switzerland's Roger Federer kisses the trophy during the award ceremony after the final between Switzerland's Roger Federer and Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro at the Swiss Indoors tennis tournament at the St. Jakobshalle in Basel, Switzerland, on Sunday, October 29, 2017. EPA-EFE/GEORGIOS KEFALAS |

Federer triumphs in Basel, leaves Del Potro with work to do for World Tour Finals berth

By Ricky Dimon

The third time was the charm for Roger Federer. Having previously lost to Juan Martin Del Potro in a pair of finals at the Swiss Indoors Basel, Federer battled back from several deficits to prevail 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-3 in the title match on Sunday afternoon. The 36-year-old trailed by a set and by a break early in the third but ended up getting the job done in two hours and 31 minutes.

“I think we’re both tired from a long season,” Federer commented. “Plus he’s been playing four straight weeks now, very successful, so we tried to give it all we had. The crowd really enjoyed themselves and at the end there is always going to be a winner unfortunately in tennis. But I think we both can be very happy with the week.”

Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro in action against Switzerland’s Roger Federer during their final match at the Swiss Indoors tennis tournament at the St. Jakobshalle in Basel, Switzerland, 29 October 2017. EPA-EFE/GEORGIOS KEFALAS

Del Potro was aiming for a second title in as many weeks, having lifted the Stockholm trophy the previous Sunday. He twice recovered from a break down in the opening set against Federer before taking it in a tiebreaker. But the 19th-ranked Argentine missed few golden opportunities in the second set and could not consolidate an immediate break in the third.

Unsurprisingly, Del Potro gave all the credit to his opponent.

“You’ve been playing great tennis this year,” he told Federer during the trophy ceremony. “You are in fantastic shape; it’s unbelievable. I would love to be at your age in the same form, but I don’t think so.””

“You’ve been on a great run since the U.S. Open and before (it), so I’m very happy to see you playing so well again and being able to play every week,” Federer told the runner-up. “That’s something I would like to be able to do again. All the best for Paris and then I’ll hopefully maybe see you in London, too.”

Del Potro is now 190 points behind Pablo Carreno Busta for the No. 8 spot in the World Tour Finals heading into the Paris Masters. The 2009 U.S. Open champion must reach at least the semifinals in order to have a chance.

Meanwhile, Federer all but conceded the year-end No. 1 ranking to Rafael Nadal by withdrawing from Paris following Sunday’s Basel final.