Tennis writers refer to back-to-back victories at the first two Masters Series events of the year as the Indian Wells-Miami 'double.' This impressive feat was last accomplished by Roger Federer in 2005 and 2006.

In doing so, Federer planted the seeds for two seasons that bloomed into some of the most dominant in tennis history. In 2005 he finished 81-4 and won two Grand Slams and four AMS shields. The following year, he bettered these achievements by winning three of the four Grand Slams, four more AMS shields and the Tennis Masters Cup.

Clearly, Federer is the most dominant player of this era, and going into this year’s Indian Wells
and Miami events, he was the clear favourite. In view of this, I don’t think it’s too outrageous to suggest that, even though Guillermo Canas can’t achieve the traditional 'double', the Argentinian deserves his own unique distinction for his recent efforts.

I only caught one point from the first set – it was the the final point that secured the set for Canas. I’m not sure if I was surprised at the result. Canas played excellently in another match I saw him play this week when he ousted Richard Gasquet on Monday. And of course, with the Indian Wells victory over Federer still fresh in my mind, I would have to give the mental edge between the two to Canas.

Add to this the fact that Roger hasn’t looked his usual dominant self recently, as evidenced by struggles against Sam Querrey and Nicolas Almagro in the earlier rounds, and I expected to see a close encounter. Still, if I had a gun pointed at my head, and someone said: “Who’s taking the first set in this rematch”, I’m going with the No.1 player in the world.

I was unsure what to think after the scoreboard read: '7-6, Canas'. I did feel one thing, though – tension. From the instant that I sat down and watched the match closely, this was a nailbiter. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one feeling the tension either – both of the competitors had a run-in as well. As the match progressed, it appeared that one of them was affected by it more than the other.

In the second set you wouldn’t have suspected that Federer would be the one who ultimately succumbed
to the razor-sharp tension in the Miami air. I watched nearly all of his matches in Melbourne, a few from Dubai, and of course, his contests at the two AMS tournaments. I can say, without a doubt, that the Federer that I saw in set two was the closest I’ve seen to the vintage Federer of the past few years.

As a Federer supporter, you can imagine that it was refreshing for me to see some of his classic forehands – each with great depth and incredible placement – whizzing past a flailing Canas. His backhand  possessed the spin and curve that you’d usually see from a bowling ball coming down the lane. Federer’s shots flirted with similarly mind-boggling angles. There was even trickery at the net, with no volley being too tough to pull off.

Level at one set apiece, Federer secured an early break in the decider, and consolidated it with a hold of his own. Canas, serving at 0-2, was walking on thin ice when he gave Federer a number of  break points which, if converted, would have effectively ended the match. But Canas amazingly saved all of them and in so doing saved himself from certain defeat. It was clearly the turning point, and Federer missed his chance.

Federer let Canas stick around, and the Argentinian didn’t disappoint his many compatriot supporters. After saving a few more break points late in the set, Canas forced a tiebreak which he eventually won – and then he took the match.

To say that Canas is a nemesis of Federer’s is fair, in my opinion. Indeed, he is a nemesis of this author as well as he eliminated my two favourite players in successive rounds. Defeating one of the greatest players of all time, two tournaments in a row, in the midst of his nearly unbeatable stretch run, is something that  nobody could possibly have predicted.

Remember that not long ago I tossed around the idea that Federer might not lose a match all year on hard courts. Canas is this year’s Rafael Nadal for Roger, and with the clay-court season coming up, I’m sure the Swiss master would like to avoid Canas in the opening rounds on clay.

I don’t want to classify Canas as a true 'rival' of Roger’s, like Nadal, since Nadal is the No.2 player in the world, and he and Federer have such a history. But it goes without saying that the next time Canas and Roger meet, it will be even more anticipated than Tuesday’s rematch.

  • *** For more tennis coverage, go to www.gasquetandracquet.com ***
Could Roger Federer be human after all? Sportingo would love to hear your views on the world No.1.