MASON, Ohio – Roger Federer has regained his No. 1 form after taking time off for the birth of his twin daughters.
Federer’s 6-1, 7-5 victory over Novak Djokovic on Sunday brought him the Cincinnati Masters title, his first championship since his twins were born last month.
“That’s the special part, especially winning for the first time as a dad,” Federer said. “It gets me going emotionally a little bit, because I know it’s been a wonderful summer.”
His season can get even better beginning next week at the US Open. The Swiss star has won the last five titles there, and his performance on Sunday suggested he’s fully capable of another. Djokovic hadn’t lost a set all week, but was never in the title match.
“The closest I was going to get to the first-place trophy is now,” the world’s fourth-ranked player said, standing a few feet (meters) away from the crystal bowl that goes to the winner of the $3 million Western & Southern Financial Group Masters.
Federer’s glass-enclosed trophy case in Switzerland has gotten a lot of precious additions lately. The 28-year-old star won his first French Open championship, then outlasted Andy Roddick in an epic five-set Wimbledon match that brought him a record 15th Grand Slam title.
He shuttled between hospital and practice court for three weeks after his wife, Mirka, gave birth to twins in July. He lost to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the quaterfinals in Montreal, blowing a 5-2 lead in the final set, then came to Cincinnati to work off the rust and get ready for the Open.
“I felt like my game was already pretty well in place in practice, so knew coming over here it was not just to show up,” he said. “That it paid off so quickly, I’m a little bit surprised, you know?”
Federer will be trying to win a sixth straight US Open title, something no one has accomplished since Bill Tilden did it from 1920-25.
“The fans for me really turned it around, and that’s why this year I’m so excited going back there,” Federer said. “I’ve had even better results, so I hope I can again show them what I can do on a tennis court.”
Last year, he was struggling when he showed up in Cincinnati and took an early loss, which opened the way for Rafael Nadal to end his four-year run as the world’s No. 1-ranked player. (AP)