Roger Federer has had some memorable encounters with tennis legend Andre Agassi over the years. As it so happens, in his entire career of more than two decades, Roger Federer considers one particular shot against Andre Agassi to be his favorite ever. In a video going viral on Instagram by Darth Federer, an account of Roger Federer fans, an incredible shot of Federer is doing the rounds.
This shot was from the 2005 Dubai Tennis Championships, where Roger Federer was playing against Andre Agassi. Agassi was 35 at the time and nearing the end of his career. Federer, on the other hand, was just reaching the prime of his career at age of 23. And that particular shot was the prime example of peak Federer.
The post by Darth Federer went, “Was this the greatest shot that Roger ever hit?! (In my opinion it definitely is!) He had to run from behind the baseline, all the way till the net, and then had to run backwards, against the court. The ball was moving fast as it was a decent push by Agassi, and the sheer athleticism of Roger to even get to the ball. And then the pure wrist-strength to flick it which so much force, all the way above Andre, and deep into the court, in completely the opposite direction! This is in my opinion, not just Roger’s but the greatest tennis shot ever hit.”
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To put more context into the game, it was the semi-final match of the 2005 Dubai Tennis Championships. Federer had already won the first set 6-3. It was a comfortable win for him. The second set started and Federer was ahead at 2-0, with 40-30 in his favor.
After his serve, Andre Agassi was smart enough to draw Federer towards the net with his shot, positioning himself for the Federer counter. As the Swiss great hit it back, Agassi sent it back towards the court.
This is where the magic moment happened. Federer, from no position to reach that ball, somehow reaches it and plays one of the best ‘lob’ shots in the history of the sport, which the Swiss called a ‘semi squash-court shot’. The ball went above Agassi’s head and the experienced legend gave up. In one shot, Federer went from conceding a sure point to winning that point. He won that set 6-1, won the match, and qualified for the finals. Here’s what Federer had to say about that shot once:
Federer said, “Break point in the second set, I remember. I tried to mix things up a little bit. It was a bad choice, he got in the net well and should’ve won the point here (talks about Agassi). I don’t know what I did, but I flicked it over, sort of on the back… and I couldn’t see how it landed because it landed behind him… I was happy and you could see by my reaction I was pleased I made that shot.”
Federer beat Ivan Ljubicic in the final and won the Dubai Tennis Championships, his first of many. The score was 6-1, 6-7 (6-8), 6-3. Coincidentally, this year also marks the completion of 20 years of Federer defeating Agassi in the semi-final of the 2004 Indian Wells tournament. He won that title too, beating Tim Henman in the final.
