WATCH | Roger Federer produces fantastic backhand drop shot against Mikhail Youzhny

WATCH | Roger Federer produces fantastic backhand drop shot against Mikhail Youzhny

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Roger Federer’s backhand shot has been a big strength for him all this year, in which he has remained unbeaten in Grand Slams, having won the Australian Open and Wimbledon. Yesterday, he produced such brilliance as a lavish backhand drop shot left his Russian opponent Mikhail Youzhny stunned.

Despite winning Wimbledon just a month back, Federer's preparation for Flushing Meadows didn’t exactly go as planned as it was disrupted by a back injury. This has resulted in him being taken to the limit in his US Open opener against American teenager Frances Tiafoe who forced the match to a fifth set on Tuesday. 

However, the second match against 101-ranked Youzhny, who had not beaten Federer in his past 16 attempts, was supposed to be a hunky-dory affair for the Swiss maestro, and the opening set was exactly that. The World No. 3 dominated the game from the outset and didn’t give the Russian any chance by winning the first set 6-1. However, what caught the eye of the spectators for the way he managed to cap off the set. At the set point, on Youzhny’s serve, the 35-year-old returned the ball spectacularly with a backhand drop shot that dropped just across the net. Although Youzhny tried to reach near the ball, it was too late. 

After Federer’s drama-free 20-minute effort to win the first set, many would have signed off the Russian 34-year-old to pose any challenge, but he made a stunning comeback to win next two back-to-back sets 7-6 (7-3), 6-4. 

However, the pendulum swung back violently when Federer raced to a 4-1 lead in the fourth set as he rediscovered his fluency. The 19-time Grand Slam champion didn’t look back further as he took the fourth and final set 6-4, 6-2 to keep his unbeaten record in the 2017 Grand Slam intact and enter the third round of the season’s last Grand Slam.

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