Published 11:00 IST, October 28th 2019
Roger Federer continues magnificent run as he wins 10th Basel title
Swiss great and 20-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer won his 10th Basel title after defeating Alex de Minaur 6-2, 6-2 to claim an incredible 103rd ATP title
Advertisement
Roger Federer continued rewriting history books after winning his 10th Basel Indoors title on Sunday evening. Federer defeated Alex de Minaur 6-2, 6-2 in a match that lasted 68 minutes. The Basel title, along with the Halle Open are Federer's most successful tournaments, having won 10 of each.
Federer emotional after the win
Federer, who started as a ball boy in the tournament in 1993, was emotional during the presentation ceremony and took time to open up to talk about his reactions. He said, "It might be remembering back at all that went into this week, the family of maybe the (coaching) team aspect. People think I just go out there and do it at will – but it’s not that way at all. Sometimes I stand there and look back at what I’ve gone through. The ballkids running onto court (for the trophy ceremony) – that can get me going. Also thanking the fans at the end."
The final was relatively easy for Federer, who had a comfortable week, with a walkover in the quarterfinals after fellow countryman Stan Wawrinka pulled out of the tournament and a straight-sets win over Stephanos Tstsipas in the semifinals. Federer was on the offensive right from the start of the finals and although the young Australian tried to target the Swiss' backhand, he was unable to create much damage. Federer broke twice in the second set and took advantage of de Minaur's loose service to claim the first set. In the second set, he broke as early as the second game to continue the momentum.
Before the match, Federer had said that in his heart, he will always be a ball boy and after the final, he continued the tradition of distributing medals and his tradition of sitting with the ball boys and girls and eating pizza.
This was Federer's fourth title of the season, after winning the Dubai Open, ATP Miami Masters and the Halle Open earlier this year and 103rd title of his career overall. Federer, widely regarded as one of the best players in the sport is just six titles short of Jimmy Connor's record of 109 ATP titles. He has not decided if he will be playing the Paris Masters scheduled for the week starting Monday, October 28. He said he is scheduled to have a meeting with his team and will then decide if he will be playing.
09:19 IST, October 28th 2019