Roger Federer on Saturday produced a shot of his career which left his opponent Nick Kyrgios speechless by the 37-year-old’s masterclass in a third-round showdown at the US Open.
In the third set, Nick Kyrgios hit a drop shot at a tough but Federer scrapped across the court into the doubles alley to reach the ball, which was inches away from the ground and flicked a stunning winner around the net post. ‘Oh my god!’, sighed Kyrgios in disbelief as the Arthur Ashe Stadium stood in adulation at Federer’s insane piece of magic.
The around-the-net shot is considered a legal shot in Tennis with no requirements on the height of the ball (below/above the net) unless the shot bounces outside the playing area.
The US Open's official Twitter handle tweeted a clip of the shot:
Fun Fact:@SwissOpenGstaad has a tradition of gifting cows to @rogerfederer. With Roger's Moooves today we totally get it...
@swiss_tennis #USOpen pic.twitter.com/uqt3uEsSw3
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 2, 2018
Federer ripped 23-year-old Kyrgios in straight sets 6-4, 6-1, 7-5 to storm into the fourth round at the Flushing Meadows. He will take on unseeded Australian John Millman on Monday for a spot in the quarter-finals.
Twitterati went gaga over Federer’s cheeky shot:
Kyrgios’ reaction when Federer hit THAT shot is fantastic #USOpen pic.twitter.com/dg9O1OdjM1
— Usman (@101usman) September 1, 2018
Roger Federer just hit a shot so brilliant that Kyrgios stopped, laughed, and held off serving so he could watch the replay.
— Abolish Ice-aac Butler (@parabasis) September 1, 2018
Federer is 20 again.. UNREAL shot from Federer against Nick Kyrgios woahhh #USOpen #Federer pic.twitter.com/bnrF7wbqjA
— wajii (@itswajiii) September 1, 2018
Roger Federer is 37 and still makes me laugh out loud at the absurdity of his skill level at least 3x a match. That around the pole shot was just unreal.
— Salil (@REALsalilgulati) September 1, 2018
Best shot of 2018 #federer #Goat #usopen pic.twitter.com/TUwWuDRrT5
— Jithin Radhakrishnan (@jithin018) September 2, 2018
The 20-time Grand Slam champion is eyeing his second Majors win in 2018 after clinching the Australian open earlier in January. Five-time US Open champion, Federer last won the title at Flushing Meadows in 2008. He had beat Britain’s Andy Murray 6-2, 7-5, 6-2 in the final.
