Roger Federer is one match away from his first title in Monte Carlo. The Swiss no 4 seed must be pleased with his decision to take a wildcard into one of the few events to have eluded him.
And he is no doubt even more pleased that his rival Nadal, the man who stood in his way in the finals in ’06-’08, will not be on the other side of the net on finals day.
Who will be there is practice partner and countryman Stanislas Wawrinka. Wawrinka, the Swiss no 1 and Australian Open Champion, has stepped out of Federer’s shadow somewhat the past year and will be determined not to be pulled back into his legendary compatriot’s dark outline too soon.
Federer will not have it easy against Wawinka, despite his 13-1 career head to head. Wawrinka’s sole victory over Federer came at the Monte Carlo event in 2009, the year Federer went on to win Roland Garros. And while Federer might not be too displeased to see that pattern repeated, he would prefer to see himself take a Monte Carlo-French Open double.
If he plays anywhere near the level he displayed against Novak Djokovic in his semi-final today then he has a good chance of doing just that. For Federer, every shot was on while his opponent’s rich vein of form, taking in 16 consecutive wins, was hampered by injury. Federer took full advantage of it, placing the ball wherever the fancy took him in the court, with the emphasis being on making his Wopponent move and drawing gasps from the crowds as he beat the defending champion 7-5, 6-2.
Wawrinka meanwhile also put in a fine performance of his own, his flair and touch drawn out by the clay as he ended Ferrer’s famous Nadal beating run 6-1, 7-6.
Federer will have his work cut out to get his first Monte-Carlo title, but it is work he was born to do. The Swiss no 2 should prevail tomorrow and add another Clay court title to an underrated resume on the red stuff.
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