Fans Win When Federer and Tiger Lose

He was shrinking into someone else, wilting and cracking and melting down. Try as he did, he couldn't generate sufficient torque and let his first serve turn wilder than a podunk mayor throwing out a first pitch. He lost tiebreakers, which rarely happens, and he committed 15 unforced errors in the fifth set to merely four for a 20-year-old foe in his maiden Grand Slam final experience. Worse still, Roger Federer did something unbefitting a dignified, placid champion who speaks elegantly, wears stylish sweaters and counts Vogue editor Anna Wintour among his friends.

A gentleman lost his famed equlibrium, crashing for the shocked masses to see after Juan Martin del Potro challenged a shot via the electronic line-calling system -- which, by the way, Federer loathes. "No, no, no. I wasn't allowed to challenge after two seconds. The guy takes, like, 10. Every time. You can't allow that stuff to happen. Do you have any rules in there, or what?" he barked at chair unpire Jake Garner. When he was basically told to shut up, Federer responed with the latest obscenity in an expletive-filled tournament that should have been called the U.S. Bleeping Open.

"Stop showing me your hand, OK? Stop telling me to be quiet, OK?" he said. "When I want to talk, I talk. I don't give a s--- what you said. I say he's waiting too long."

Was this an alien? Was the real Federer abducted? Two points from his 16th Slam title, the one that would have solidified his place as the greatest tennis player ever, he collapsed Monday in an all-time tennis shocker. His invincibility at Flushing Meadows was toppled by del Potro, a 6-foot-6 force with a killer serve who crushed 38 forehands for winners. That quickly, a familiar argument was reborn: Can Federer truly be considered the best ever when he has struggled so often against Rafael Nadal and was ousted in his event, on his court, by del Potro? Doesn't he have to prove more in the next couple of years, when del Potro and Nadal will be dogging him along with Andy Murray, Andy Roddick and who knows who else?

Yes, he does.

And isn't it great to know?

Count me among those who'd prefer to watch Federer and Tiger Woods, partners in TV commercials and individual-sport pre-eminence, struggle in major events periodically rather than dominate them. Poised as we were to see Federer claim his third Slam of the year, his stunning takedown by del Potro was much better theater and adds more drama to a long-dormant sport that grabbed our attention -- for good reasons and bad -- the last two weeks. Suddenly, everywhere he looks, Federer has rivals who can conquer him at any time on any surface.

"I thought he hung in there and gave himself chances, and in the end was the better man," he said. "It's one of those finals, maybe I'll look back and have some regret. In the end, he was just too tough. That's the way it was. His effort was fantastic."

Sure beats watching Federer win his sixth consecutive U.S. Open title and 41st straight match in New York, a streak that began 2,200 days earlier in September 2003. And the result did succeed in revealing a surly, whiny side of Federer that is important to file away when discussing pantheons in sports. Nothing compares, of course, to the pathetic sportsmanship, rude behavior and threatening language of Serena Williams toward a line judge after her semifinal loss to Kim Clijsters. But Federer did seem disingenuous when he said this defeat will be simpler to swallow because he got married this year, became the father of twin girls and won two Slam titles at Wimbledon and the French Open.

Ever hear Michael Jordan talk that way after a major loss? Or Woods? Or any of the greats? The most competitive champions never justify losing.

"I think this is easy to get over just because I've had the most amazing summer," Federer said. "I tried everything, you know. It didn't work. It's acceptable. Life goes on. No problem ... Being in all major finals and winning two of those and losing the other two in five sets -- sure, I would have loved to win those two as well. Being so close, that's the way it goes sometimes. But the year has been amazing already and it's not over yet. Got married and had kids. Don't know how much more I want."

He doesn't know how much more he wants? Like that, the fire is out? That's a complete turnaround from the scene in February, when he broke down in tears after Nadal beat him at the Australian Open and said while sobbing, "God, it's killing me.'' Yes, Federer was able to break Pete Sampras' men's record for most career Slams. But it wasn't long ago when he was a slave to Nadal, who may have continued to carve up Federer if not for the injuries -- abdominal for the short term, knees for the long term -- that threaten to sabotage his body of work.

Which is why it's vital to have a new rival and conversation piece in del Potro, who was last seen collpasing on the court and weeping after his 4-hour, 6-minute conquest. He hails from the small mountain town of Tandil, Argentina, a nation known for producing clay-court champs but not prodigies who bring down hard-court legends. Who didn't smile as he lay sprawled on the court, spread eagle, with his hands over his face? Who cared if it was on American soil? He was that warm and respectful after his first significant triumph in a career that should have many.

"When I would have a dream, it was to win the U.S. Open. The other one is to be like Roger," del Potro said.

"One is done."



Can he be the next Federer? Or, maybe the better question is whether he's about to overtake Federer. Certainly, del Potro has a power game that's fueled by his signature shot, the punishing forehand, along with a monster serve and effective two-handed backhand. He eventually wore down Federer, who looked surprisingly soft and increasingly sluggish. Best of all, he's a humble young man who is close to his family, asking during the victory ceremony if he could say some words in Spanish. Initially, CBS' Dick Enberg said there wouldn't be time, but the network wisely changed course. Later, he called his parents in Argentina, having told them not to come to New York for the men's final. Together, they cried over the phone.

"It was difficult to speak, but they are so happy for me,'' del Potro told reporters Tuesday, before he flew to his homeland and launched a party with 150-some relatives. "It's amazing for me. This will be in my mind forever in my life. I don't have words for it. You know, since I (was) young, I dream of this and take trophy with me. I did my dream, and it's (an) unbelievable moment. It's amazing match, amazing people. Everything is perfect.''

This is new territory for him, including a first-prize check for $1.8 million. How will he spend it? "Maybe cheesecake for my birthday," he said.

It's refreshing to have him around. Not that we're tired of Federer, but it seems he's a bit weary of the scene after an astonishing 22 Grand Slam finals. "Six would have been a dream, but you can't have them all," he said of his U.S. Open streak. "I would never have thought five or six years ago, I would win 40 matches in a row here. I've had a wonderful year and I'm still No. 1.''

Woods likely will be able to make the same claim, even in a year when he didn't win a major and remains stuck on 14, four short of Jack Nicklaus' career record. Savvy observers will give him a break on that because he's only 15 months removed from reconstructive knee surgery, making his six victories this season a remarkable feat. Yet some will say his big-moment failures -- losing a duel to unheralded Y.E. Yang at the PGA Championship, bogeying the last two holes and falling out of contention at the Masters, missing the cut at the British Open -- overwhelm the fact that he now has 71 career wins, only two shy of Nicklaus on the career list.

In my mind, Yang is del Potro. He stared down Woods on a Sunday in Minnesota and beat him, which created much more intrigue than a routine Tiger victory. Is Woods' aura of invincibility gone in majors? You don't dare suggest that after last weekend in suburban Chicago, where he plundered the field at the BMW Championship. But the fact he didn't win a major -- when Angel Cabrera, Lucas Glover, Stewart Cink and Yang did -- is good for golf. It's nice to know Woods can have bad putting days on red-shirt Sundays like the rest of us.

"To play as well as I have of late and not get the Ws has been a little bit frustrating, no doubt, because I've been so close," he said. "It's just been a matter of making a couple of putts here and there, and I would have won the tournaments. It's as simple as that.''

The fact he didn't win keeps us more interested. And the fact Federer didn't win Monday keeps us more interested. In the end, unpredictability trumps inevitability every time.