When it comes to Rogers Cup highlights, a handful of rousing matches really stand out. Among them is the 2007 contest between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.
That particular year, a young gun descended on Montréal and became the seventh player to raise the Rogers Cup winner’s trophy on his very first try—a feat that hadn’t been achieved since Marat Safin came onto the scene in 2000.
Starting the season off at World No.16, Djokovic had risen to No.4 by the time August rolled around.
A relative unknown in Montréal, he took everyone by surprise with back-to-back wins over the ATP’s Top 3—Andy Roddick (3) in the quarters, Rafael Nadal (2) in the semis and Roger Federer (1) in the final—without dropping a single set.
Even so, it wasn’t easy for the 20-year-old sensation to assert his dominance over the Swiss Maestro. At the outcome of their three-set battle (7-6(2), 2-6, 7-6(2)), Djokovic had secured his first win over Federer in five attempts.
“It’s unbelievable!” said Nole after the match, depriving Federer of his 50th career title and becoming the first player to topple the triumvirate at the same event since Boris Becker in Stockholm in 1994. “I had an incredible week. I really played the best tournament of my career.”
Since then, the Djoker has added the 2011 (Montréal), 2012 (Toronto) and 2016 (Toronto) crowns to his trophy case. Will the World No.1 secure his fifth Rogers Cup in just a few weeks? Stay tuned!
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