Not only is Roger Federer one of the greatest players of the game to have ever graced the court in terms of talent and skill but also because he studies the game to perfection. The keen observer that he is, he has measured the court from almost every possible side. His observational skills came to the fore during an ATP tour game against Tomas Berdych at Toronto in 2010. Serving 2-5 down with a game point on serve, Berdych hurled a powerful serve towards his opponent. Trying to use the pace on the ball, Federer sliced the return which was called long by the linesman. Technology has been a boon for many a game and Federer immediately decided to make use of the same.
Replays suggested that the ball had landed inside the baseline. The distance: Barely a millimetre. The decision was overturned and the game was back to deuce. Berdych was clearly not impressed. He first plastered a wry smile on his face and then proceeded to take his case to the chair umpire. The chair umpire too resisted all of the Czech player’s advances and told him that if he was so sure of the ball not being out, he should not have let go of the same. Berdych lost the challenge as well as the match but not before stretching Federer to a deciding set.
