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14.11 - Fernando lost to Andy Roddick in straights sets 6/1 6/4. Roddick becomes the first player to qualify for the semi-finals of the Masters Cup. Fernando and Roger Federer will fight to have the second ticket for the semi-finals. Fernando has to beat Davydenko and Andy Roddick has to defeat Roger Federer. Federer won today and will be motivated to qualify, so it will be difficult for Fernando to qualify. But, we never know…
[From the Masters Cup website]
For Gonzalez, the performance was a puzzling as it was frustrating, coming just two days after his stunning performance to snap a 10-match career losing streak against Federer. Gonzalez never recovered from a very shaky start. He dropped his opening service game and fell awkwardly twice in the space of four points, ending on his backside on both occasions. The Chilean, who made 13 unforced errors in the first set, also conceded his second service game as Roddick raced to a 5-0 lead.
Fernando said :
“Today I was really, really tired. I mean, with my body, I feel really like heavy. It was really hard to me to move to one side to another. I need like maybe one or two more step to stop and go the other way.
“It wasn’t a really good day for me. And Andy plays really good. I mean, he have an early break and then he get a lot of confidence winning the match.”
[Fernando's interview - in spanish]
[Fernando's interview - in english]
13.11 - Day off for Feña – From his official website (transl. by the webmaster)
Hello friends,
First of all, I’d like to thank you for the big amount of messages you sent me through my website. One hour after the match, there was about 200.
The good thing in the Masters is that you have one day off and this gives you more time to “celebrate” the victories. Yesterday was special, except the victory against Federer, my parents were here in Shanghai. It’s not often that they come together to see me play outside Chile and yesterday was a great memory
Today, we had lunch. It was the first day that we could go out to dinner outside the hotel or the club. Since I arrived in Shanghai, we didn’t have the opportunity to go outside, because the hotel is at about 1 hour by car from the club. It’s very far.
I’m very happy but the tournament continues. Now, i have to play against Andy Roddick. It will be tough, like all the matches here. He’s just won a good match and the courts suits him well
The only deception is that my physical trainer, Carlos Burgos, didn’t have the possibility to come. They didn’t gave him the visa and he did the formalities twice 
But, I’m in contact with him everyday 
I’m sending greetings to the players of the chilean team. I suppose they are together. I wish them the best of luck and I hope we’ll win in Uruguay. Le mando un gran saludo a los jugadores de la Selección. Supe que ya están todos reunidos. Les deseo la mayor de las suertes y ojalá que ganemos en Uruguay.
Fernando
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
CENTER COURT start 3:00 pm
L Dlouhy (CZE) / P Vizner (CZE) vs A Clement (FRA) / M Llodra (FRA)
Not Before 5:00 PM
R Federer (SUI) vs N Davydenko (RUS)
Not Before 7:30 PM
A Roddick (USA) vs F Gonzalez (CHI)
M Knowles (BAH) / D Nestor (CAN) vs S Aspelin (SWE) / J Knowle (AUT)
Shanghai Time
- 7 hours for Central European Time
- 13 hours for Eastern Time, USA
12.11 - Finally, Fernando defeated his black beast, Roger Federer, in a 3 sets match, 3-6, 7-6 (1) y 7-5. It’s the first victory after 11 matches. Everything is possible in tennis !!
Fernando Gonzalez ended almost four years of torment against Roger Federer at Tennis Masters Cup Monday night, snapping a 10-match career losing streak against the World No. 1 with a 3-6, 7-6(1), 7-5 victory.
Energized by a rout of Federer in an explosive second-set tie-break, Gonzalez claimed his first win in 11 career meetings with Federer in their first match-up since Federer’s straight-sets win in January’s Australian Open.
Perhaps emoldened by David Nalbandian’s use of aggression in his back-to-back ATP Masters Series wins over Federer in Madrid and Paris, Gonzalez unleashed the full force of his mighty groundsroke weaponry as he took the fight to Federer. The Swiss did win the first set after breaking Gonzalez’s opening service game and had dropped just nine points on his own serve heading into the second-set tie-break. But that’s when Gonzalez turned the match on its head.
Gonzalez began the tie-break with a big ace down the ‘T’, much to the delight of Chinese fans, who roared their approval. After claiming a mini-break to go ahead 2-0, the Chilean then produced a piece of magic to bust open the tie-break. Allowing the ball to bounce inside the service line, Federer rocketed a smash directly at Gonzalez, who was postioned behind the baseline in the center of the court. He reflexed back a forehand lob over the head of Federer, who chased it down, but was unable to slingshot the ball back into play. Gonzalez raced to a 6-0 lead and evetually closed out the tie-break 7-1.
Federer faced his first break points in the third game of the third set when he fought back from 15/40 to hold serve. He also saved one break point in his next service game. Gonzalez struck the decisive blow at 5-5 on Federer’s serve. He crushed a massive crosscourt forehand winner that eluded the outstretched Federer and followed up by dancing around a second serve to blast a clean off forehand winner that painted the line to go ahead 15/40. Another huge forehand on the next point set up a put-away volley clinched the decisive break.
Congratulations campeón !!! That’s why we love to watch you play, you always give 100 % and fight until the end of the match !!!
Few words after the match :
“It feels good. After 10 times, it’s my turn now… Now that I beat him, the group is very close because I still have two matches really hard to play, and nobody knows what is going to happen”
“I think my best match of ever was in the Australian Open against Tommy Haas in the semifinals… But today I play really good. I mean, the last two games were in the top of my level.”
“If we compare to Australia, the court, here, is faster, even if I had my opportunities in the first set, and he, at the moment, was also very tired, but I’m happy because I recovered my energy so I played very well”.
“I didn’t defeat him 6/2 6/2, but to do it, I had to work very hard during the two hours, running a lot and having luck a little bit, believing in my strokes, but I did it”
“I think [Roger] say that I kill him with my backhand because he didn’t expect that. He expect I’m going to do that with my forehand. Today I was hitting really good my backhand. I know I surprise him a lot with down the line, try to keep the cross one.”
“The first five games he plays like a real No. 1, more than No. 1. I was feeling really bad on the court. But after he went down a little bit and my level went up. So I think the key of the match was my serve and don’t be scared to go for my shots… I play like three unbelievable points to broke him in 5-all in the third…
About his double fault on the match point:
“I was a bit nervous with the double fault but I had three opportunities (40-0). When I did the double fault, it made me more nervous”
Now, Fernando will face the player from the USA, Andy Roddick :
“He’s a great player. I love playing against him, because he’s a great competitor. He has a great serve, but mine is working well”
Federer’s words about Fernando :
“Fernando played a great tennis. He served very well in the two last sets”
“I’m not surprised because I’ve known him since we are juniors (…) His great forehand, I know it since a long time, even if today, he impressed me a lot with his regularity”
[To download - Fernando's interview after the match in english]
[To download - Fernando's interview after the match in spanish]
[To download - Shanghai highlights - Day 2]
[From Fernando's official website - translation by the webmaster]
Hello friends,
What can I tell you except that I’m happy. I’m very pleased to have beaten the world number 1 and one of the best number 1 in the history, maybe the best. The good thing is that nobody will beat me 11 times in a row, ha ha !!
It has been a long time that I didn’t feel like that, with a great motivation and to feel slight (light) on the court. They asked me if it was the best victory of my life. I think that it’s one of the best, even if we can say that the hierarchy of the tournament and the opponent, it was the most brillant. The thing which make me think is the time when I defeated Andre Agassi in Washington. It’s one of my other good memories in my career, especially because I grew up seeing him play. With Roger, we did all our career together.
Federer is one of the best players in the history, with Borg, Sampras and others. And, I have a lot of proud to have defeated him. I was a little bit nervous, I was lead in the scoreboard, but I had nothing to lose and after calming down, everything worked well. Federer continues to be the world number 1 because the ranking is made on the 18 tournaments and not on 1 only. He ended 4 years in a row as the world number 1, but sometimes, he has to lose. It’s human and sometimes the opponents win great strokes and he can lose a match.
He was the favourite, according the figures, for all his career, but I had a great motivation and I was with full of dreams when I entered on the court. He played the first five games as the real world number 1 he is, and I felt very bad there. But, he went down and I went up. The key was my serve and I was confident on all my strokes, but with him, we never know, because he has always an extraordinary stroke in the important moments.
Regarding the match, I think that 2-0 in the tie-break, was one of the key points. He smashed powerfully in the middle, that I responded like a ball. It was a point that he had lost and I was leading 3-0, with two services in my advantage. It was a fast and important advantage.
This, is the most important tournament of the year and starting to win against the world number 1 is very important for me, but I still have at the moment two complicated matches to play and I want to stay focused to reach the semifinals.
Last but not the least, I’d like to thank the fans who supported me. The chileans are always with me, shouting and cheering me, and this give me a lot of help and support. I like when they shout and support because we are south americans and it’s our way to support. They supported me in the difficult moments, you feel abroad, but you can count of them. I am exactly at the furthest point from my country, I have to fly 27 hours to arrive here, so, the support was crucial.
Thank you for visiting the website and for your great support.
Fernando
11.11 – Order of play for monday
Not before 7:30 pm
Roger Federer (SUI) vs Fernando Gonzalez (CHI)
Some highlights from the opening ceremony in Shanghai
-From la Tercera – (Translation by the webmaster)
Fernando González : “I want to qualify for the semis”
Regarding his first match against Roger Federer, Fernando said : “it’s the match the most difficult, but a lot of times, it’s better to face the best player in the first match”
The Chilean tennis player, Fernando González (7th ATP), for the first time, will play the tennis masters cup after having qualified directly, before, he was there as a substitute, he has as a goal to arrive to the semi-finals.
“I want to qualify for the semi-finals, I have a very difficult group, but at the same time, it’s the same (for everyone), so I think that it will be a difficult work, but very reachable”.
The “bombardero de la Reina” will start on monday evening against the world number 1, the Swiss Roger Federer, against whom he lost 10 times.
The Chilean said that “it’s the most difficult match, with any doubts, but most of the time, it’s better to face the best player in the first match, then, the other matches may be less difficult”
“I clearly know that it’s going to be a difficult match”, but the opportunity to win against the world number 1 : “we enter with more motivation”.
Regarding the surface of the Qi Zhong stadium which will host the Masters Cup, he said that ” I’d like to hit more the ball, but it’s the same for everyone”, he insisted that “I spent several days to accostumate, so everyday, I’m feeling better”.
The Chilean showed his satisfaction regarding his qualification for the competition, and said that “it’s the goal of all the players, to arrive in a tournament where there are only the 8 best”, for him, it’s “an honour and a big opportunity”
[Video interview to download - spanish]
[From gonzaleztenis.com, translation by the webmaster]
Hello friends,
I am in Shanghai waiting here the match against Roger Federer. As I said before, we haven’t faced since the final of the Australian Open and I hope that this will be my revenge.
Except the Masters, I found out the news that has worried me a lot : It’s the state of health of Don Julito Martinez. In spite of the enormous distance that separates us, I want to send my greetings and a strong hug to him. I hope from the bottom of my heart that he’ll recover quickly.
I don’t remember exactly when it was the first time that I listened to him speaking of me, but I remember that on Sundays I didn’t miss his advises of the goals in the news. For me, the synonymous of a sport journalist was Julito Martinez. For that reason, c’mon Don Julio!
Here, in Shanghai, the inaugural ceremony of the Masters Cup was made. It was very nice. Tomorrow Sunday those of the Golden Group will make their debut and later it will be our turn, on monday.
Yesterday, I discovered my statue, the one that ATP ordered to do with copies in the style of the Chinese imperial terra-cotta soldiers. The truth is that it is impressive to see itself like a statue. Being sincere, the statue was better than I, ha ha!!
Thanks friends for visiting the page. Greetings to all !!
Fernando.
10.11 – According to the Chilean newspaper (emol), Fernando will face Roger Federer on monday, at 8.30 am (chilean time), that means 12.30 (in Europe) and at 19.30 (in Shanghai). The exact time will be confirmed later.
Here are the first pictures to promote the competition
