"I Beat Roger Federer!!!"
Not very many players can say that, but Julien Benneteau managed the (almost) unimaginable today beating World Number One, Roger Federer, in front of the hometown French crowd at the Paris Masters tournament. The twenty-seven-year-old thrilled the tennis fans packed into Bercy Arena in Paris and himself with his sparkling play, especially
when it mattered most, in defeating Federer. Sometimes one forgets that a surprise loss for a top-seeded player such as Federer can be a career win for his opponent. As Benneteau said afterwards, “It’s magic. It’s fabulous. Everything you can imagine. The memories will stay with me forever… Hearing the crowd when they are all behind you, the noise is enormous. I didn’t believe it was possible to experience something like this.”
On a day when Rafael Nadal fought off multiple match points in defeating fellow Spaniard, Nicolas Almagro, and Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray also struggled in beating tough opponents, one realizes how many “close calls” the top players have. As Nadal said, one of his hallmarks has been winning matches when he’s not playing his best. At the same time, his opponent needs to be able to manage the moment and often also play the match of his life as Benneteau probably did today. Currently ranked 49th, Benneteau has often been lost in the sea of talented Frenchman, but he has a game which translates well to all surfaces and has played tight matches in the past against the top players. Julien has yet to win a title, but his ranking has hovered in the 40s which means he’s always competing against the best players and he has wins over Nadal and Djokovic a few years ago and now Federer – not a bad career hat trick! This win over Federer might propel Benneteau even higher… on verra (we'll see)!
On a day when Rafael Nadal fought off multiple match points in defeating fellow Spaniard, Nicolas Almagro, and Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray also struggled in beating tough opponents, one realizes how many “close calls” the top players have. As Nadal said, one of his hallmarks has been winning matches when he’s not playing his best. At the same time, his opponent needs to be able to manage the moment and often also play the match of his life as Benneteau probably did today. Currently ranked 49th, Benneteau has often been lost in the sea of talented Frenchman, but he has a game which translates well to all surfaces and has played tight matches in the past against the top players. Julien has yet to win a title, but his ranking has hovered in the 40s which means he’s always competing against the best players and he has wins over Nadal and Djokovic a few years ago and now Federer – not a bad career hat trick! This win over Federer might propel Benneteau even higher… on verra (we'll see)!
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