[ad_1]
“There, Fernando destroyed Rafa and I got some ideas from that match and others. One of the things we talked about was that I had to be ready for five sets on a mental level.” Federer famously went down a break to his long-time rival in the final set of the championship match but managed to turn things around and beat the Spaniard for the 12th time.
Ljubicic recalled: “Even in the fifth set, when I was breaking down I felt – I’m not going to say confident and I felt like I could win, but I felt like it wasn’t all over.” Before 2017, Federer had a losing 23-11 record against Nadal but ended up winning all but one of their seven meetings after 2017, closing the gap to end his career with a 24-16 record against his greatest rival, with Ljubicic pinning the Australian Open final down to his regained confidence against the world No 2.
“I think after that Australian Open, he started to feel more confident,” he said. “He played very well in Indian Wells and Miami against Rafa, taking the ball early, hitting flat and attacking Rafa’s forehand a little more than he had in the past. Many things that perhaps Rafa did not expect.”
[ad_2]
