We didn’t see this coming.. not at all!
World no.116 Sergiy Stakhovsky beats the King of the Centre court Roger Federer in 4 incredible sets. It is difficult understand where to start from .
Comparing with Rafa’s upset
This upset was really strange and it was completely different than Nadal’s.
Rafa played really bad and he was completely unfit. Darcis played a “honest” match, but nothing spectacular. Stakhovsky played really an incredible match against a not very brilliant, but not that bad Federer. The Ukranian just overplayed the Maestro.
Sergiy displayed a truly incredible game of serve and volley (a sort of old school stuff) that was almost perfect. Even when Roger was returning well (meaning low balls on the back hand volley) Stakhovsky was playing incredible shots.
Some striking numbers
All this feat was really impossible to predict. Just to give some numbers. Stakhovsky is now world no.116 and he reached a career high of 31. Till this match Roger has won 13 titles on grass courts while Sergiy has won 12 matches (!!!). Stakhovsky’s record against a top 10 player was a dismaying 0-20…not to compare that with Roger’s career successes.
Roger: the pressed yoed too much
“I still have plans to play for many more years to come. It’s normal that after all of a sudden losing early after being in the quarters 36 times, people feel it’s different.
You guys hyped it up so much: me playing Rafa, and we’re both out. So there’s a letdown clearly. Maybe it’s also somewhat a bit disrespectful to the other opponents who are in the draw still. I think it sends a message to you guys as well that maybe you shouldn’t do that so often next time around.” said Roger
From Stakhovsky
A super excited Stakhovsky commented “You’re playing the guy and then you’re playing his legend, which is following him because he won it seven times, He’s holding all possible career records here, I think, winning matches and everything. You’re playing two of them.
“When you’re beating one, you still have the other one who is pressing you. You’re saying, ‘Am I about to beat him? Is it possible?’ I was saying that if I’m going to hold to him in the beginning of the match, then I have a chance of maybe even doing something. But if he would run away from me in the beginning, then you cannot catch the Federer train.”
Next vs Melzer
Stakhovsky will play Melzer inthe next round. This will be the first time between these two.
Reaction from fans
