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On Sunday, the day before the United States Open, Matt Manning, a 38-year-old technology consultant, was strolling the grounds in the breeze and the sunshine while wearing an “RF” T-shirt.
This has been a difficult period for Manning, as it has been for many a Roger Federer fan.
Memories of Federer’s loss to Novak Djokovic in last month’s Wimbledon final have been particularly hard to shake, all the more so because Federer held two match points on his serve in the fifth set.
“I woke my 10-year-old son to watch it with me at 4 or 5 in the morning,” said Manning, who followed the final on television at home in Seattle.