Federer finishes season with a win
Roger Federer finished a long 2008 tennis season on a winning note by defeating James Blake in a one set exhibition match in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday night.
Federer, 3-1 down at one point, rallied to force a tie-breaker before defeating Blake 10-7 in the ensuing showdown. It was the first time Federer had faced Blake since losing to the American in the singles tournament at the Beijing Olympics.
Following the match Federer admitted to suffering from fatigue after a seemingly endless season.
"It has been a tough season with lots of traveling and I could just sleep for a month," Federer was quoted as saying by the AFP. "I felt fine during the game, but obviously after a hard season I would need some time off. I'm glad we are at the end of the season and I will take it easy for a few weeks."
Federer will begin the 2009 tennis season one grand slam short of equaling Pete Sampras record for grand slam wins.
While Federer was off to enjoy some much needed time off, John McEnroe was left gloating after beating his old rival Bjorn Borg at the other exhibition match at the Showdown of Champions Tournament.
McEnroe defeated Borg 7-6, but needed a 13-11 victory in the tiebreak to put away his opponent.
“I'm delighted to have won this match as it was really tough," said McEnroe, who is famous for angrily disputing line calls. "I hate to say this but the linesmen did a good job."
