Shocking development: Juan Martin del Potro ends Roger Federer’s 5-year reign at US Open

Del Potro leaves Federer in daze with US Open win

NEW YORK — Roger Federer sat in his sideline chair, listening to the music, gazing into the distance — the glassy-eyed look of a defeated man.

Shocked.

The owner of the most Grand Slam titles in history — maybe the best player of all time — finally lost at the U.S. Open, but not to Rafael Nadal, Andy Roddick or even Andy Murray.

Rather, it was sixth-seeded Juan Martin del Potro, the 6-foot-6 Argentine with the big serve and the bigger forehand, who did the deed — a 3-6, 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2 upset Monday in his first Grand Slam final.

“It’s difficult to explain this moment,” del Potro said.

Inexplicable.

That’s another way to describe the loss of the top-seeded, top-ranked player, who was two points away from victory in the fourth set in windy Arthur Ashe Stadium but couldn’t get his serve to click and had no answer for del Potro’s forehand, or his tactically superior game plan.

Thus ended a streak of 40 straight wins for Federer at Flushing Meadows and the quest to become the first person to win six straight titles at America’s Grand Slam since Bill Tilden in the 1920s.

“Five was great. Four was great, too,” Federer said. “Six would have been a dream, too. Can’t have them all.”

Federer beat everyone who got thrown at him in his five straight U.S. Open final victories: Roddick, Murray, Andre Agassi, Lleyton Hewitt, Novak Djokovic. Big hitters, finesse players, young kids, old men. Everyone. Until he met up with the kid from Tandil, nine days away from his 21st birthday, who had big plans growing up back on those courts at home.

“When I would have a dream, it was to win the U.S. Open, and the other one is to be like Roger,” del Potro said. “One is done.”

How did he do it?

It started with 37 forehand winners — many hit with such blunt crispness, smack in the middle of the strings, that it sounded more like the cracking of a coconut than the striking of a tennis ball.

With the forehand working so well, del Potro saw no need to ramp up a serve that can reach into the 130s. Instead, he simply spun it in, got himself into a rally, then waited for his chance to strike.

Federer, meanwhile, couldn’t get his first serve on track. He got only 50 percent into play after averaging about 66 percent through his first six matches.

That gave him few easy points, and as the strain built up, it became more than only physical. A staunch critic of the review system used in tennis, he lashed out at the umpire during a changeover for allowing del Potro to challenge a call well after the point was over.

“Don’t tell me to be quiet, OK? When I want to talk, I talk. I don’t give a … what he said,” Federer said in a profanity-punctuated exchange picked up by the TV microphone.

It wasn’t exactly the Serena Williams tirade that overtook this tournament during a wild weekend of tennis that spilled into Monday — one that also featured new mom Kim Clijsters returning to the sport to win the women’s title.

But it was uncharacteristic, much like Federer’s noncommittal fifth set. He lost a break early, fell down 3-0, and it was a matter of playing out the string.

“I thought he served twice, held twice; I got broken; then he got the 3-0 lead. Pretty obvious,” Federer said, not bothering to expand.

His empty stare at the end was much different than the tear-filled reaction at the Australian to start the year, when he lost to Nadal in five sets and was left still seeking Grand Slam title No. 14 to tie Pete Sampras for the record.

Federer got that at the French Open, then broke the record at Wimbledon.

Got married and became the father of twins, too.

“I think this is easy to get over just because I’ve had the most amazing summer,” he said. “I tried everything, you know. Didn’t work. I missed chances. He played well and in the end it was a tough fifth set. It’s acceptable. But life goes on. No problem.”

Life should change now for del Potro, who joined Guillermo Vilas as the second Argentine to win the Open. Vilas, the 1977 champion, was on hand to watch his countryman, who will move up to No. 5 in the rankings and now has signature wins under his belt.

Del Potro beat Nadal and Federer on back-to-back days — how many people can say that? — and got stronger as the matches went on. That’s unlike his meeting with Federer earlier this year in the French semifinals, when he held a 2-sets-to-1 lead but let it slip. This time, he came back from down 2-1, two points away from losing the match.

“I think, OK, you never lose until the last point, so keep fighting,” he said. “The crowd helped me, and they saw my fight in every point.”

When the fight ended after 4 hours, 6 minutes, del Potro fell to the ground, spread eagle, and put his hands over his face. Later, he was weeping.

“I think the first major is always a big deal,” Federer said. “Best feeling on the planet after all the hard work you put in. It was good to see him being so happy and emotional about it.”

About an hour after the match, del Potro conceded he hadn’t processed the whole thing, didn’t know what to do with the car they gave him, the trophy he kissed, the $1.85 million he won.

“Maybe cheesecake for my birthday,” he said.

Not bad for starters.