Home » Back in Canada, Novak Djokovic defeats Roger Federer for the first time.

In 2007, Roger Federer participated in his maiden Montreal-based Canada Open final and third overall. On the other side of the net, Federer faced world No. 4 Novak Djokovic, who was vying for his second Masters 1000 championship. In their fifth encounter, Djokovic triumphed for the first time over the top-ranked player in the world.

In two hours and thirteen minutes, Novak won 7-6, 2-6, 7-6 to win his sixth ATP championship and second Masters 1000 series match after Miami. The breakout season for Novak occurred in 2007. He won two significant titles, roughly 70 matches, and made deep runs in three successive Majors, cementing his position as the third-best player on the Tour after Federer and Nadal.

Djokovic‘s winning strategy in Montreal was impressive—he defeated the top three players in the world en route to becoming the first person to win the title since Boris Becker in Stockholm in 1994! Before saving all eight break points against Rafael Nadal in the semifinals to set up the ideal final against Roger, Novak defeated Andy Roddick in the quarterfinals.

To win the title, Djokovic outlasted Federer and showed excellent clutch in both tie breaks. After getting the opening serve in, the Swiss were more productive, hitting 15 aces and winning 77 percent of the points. To maintain contact and continue the struggle, Novak performed better in the second serve area.

Federer generated nine break opportunities and five serve steals from Djokovic. Despite only being broken three times, he ended up losing because he couldn’t play at his peak when it counted. Roger beat Novak by two points in that second set, but clearly not those vital ones.

In the first game, he dropped no fewer than six set points, which cost him the championship. Federer was the more aggressive player, making 48 unforced errors compared to 49 wins. Djokovic also put up impressive figures, ending the match with 24 winners and 23 errors.

Roger Federer lost to Novak Djokovic in Montreal in 2007.

While Djokovic won more games in the prolonged rallies to maintain a close race with the world no. 1, Federer had a tiny advantage in the shorter range up to four strokes.

1 when he won sets. In the second game, the youthful player took the lead. After a few mistakes from the Swiss, who realized he had to take hazardous shots to past the tenacious competitor from the baseline, he gained a break. Right away, Novak regained his serving rhythm and sped to a 3-0 lead, intending to hold it for the remainder of the set.

After that, Roger forehanded into the zone and the positions on the court were immediately altered. In game five, he made a comeback at the 15-minute mark to cut the deficit and turn the scoreboard around. Up until game 11, when Roger broke for a 6-5 advantage following Novak’s errant backhand, both players maintained strong serves.

After quickly building a 40-0 lead on service in the following game, Federer was about to win the set. Even so, he committed three unforced errors and dropped Novak to a deficit of two. Roger missed the final step and lost three more set points.

Djokovic displayed outstanding tennis to stay in the match and, with momentum on his side, broke back with a forehand down the line winner to start a tie break. He was now the player in command on the court, and he had the opening set in his grasp after converting a service winner at 6-2 to win the set despite facing numerous set points.

It was imperative for Roger to move on from this phase of the game as soon as feasible. After dominating Novak in set two to win 6-2 in just over 30 minutes, he accomplished that in style. The Swiss was the dominant player, scoring points from every angle of the court while Djokovic had little defense.

Novak managed to win game four, but his serve was broken at a net forehand at 3-2. At 5-2, Roger gained another break and won the set with a backhand down the line to establish himself as the favorite. However, the exact opposite occurred at the start of the final when Novak broke at game number 15 to take the lead right away and snap Roger’s string of four consecutive victories.

In the following 20 minutes, Djokovic breezed through his service games and was just two away from the victory. To even the match at 4-4 and set up a thrilling conclusion, Federer stole the break in game eight. For the first time since 1990, the match’s final four games featured four strong holds, forcing the third set tie break at the Canada Open to determine the victor.

The younger player had greater clutch and endurance and successfully secured two mini-breaks to take the lead 4-1. When Roger’s tweener hit the back of the net on the second match point, Novak converted it, sparking a raucous celebration of a well-earned victory.