Roger Federer: Eight and Eighteen

Federer winning against Andreas Seppi at the Gerry Weber open, 2015

An awkward behind-the-back, backhanded stab from Andreas Seppi resulted in the ball ballooning up invitingly on to his opponent’s half of the muddy green court in the small German town of Halle.

The man in the purple Nikes, with practiced perfection, danced to the scene of the ball landing. An overhead slice-smash and a blink of an eye later, the 2015 Gerry Weber Open crowned its champion.

Roger Federer did not roar. He did not fall to the ground in victory, nor did he do the famous finger-wag.

In what can only be described as a been-here, done-that-7-times-already, even-got-a-street-named-after-myself celebration, he did a little hop, clenched his fists, raised his arms to the adoring crowd and smiled.

He has a very similar record at his next tournament.

Victory there however, would probably provoke a celebration fit to be the love-child of the Rio Carnival and Oktoberfest.

His record at the oldest and most prestigious tournament in the sport’s illustrious history, needs little introduction.

Wimbledon was the site of the wildly talented 21-year old Federer’s first Grand Slam victory. From 2003-2007, Roger Federer and the Wimbledon Gentlemen’s Singles trophy were inseparable. To quote ESPN’s columnist Rick Reilly, “they all came at him and they all fell to him”.

2008 saw Rafael Nadal, in a match I’d like my grandkids to watch, thwart Federer’s plans of being the first man in the Open Era to win six consecutive Wimbledons. In the years that followed, despite suffering lean patches, the golden boy of the All England Lawn Tennis club went on to add two more titles, bringing him level with Pete Sampras.

Right before the 2014 Championships, Federer’s record read 7-17-79 (7 Wimbledons, 17 Grand Slams, and 79 Career Titles). For fans of the Maestro, “8-18-80″ became a prayer chant. Some thought about it, some only whispered it in hushed tones while others, shouted it. He was destined for this, surely?

The Gods of the hallowed turf though, had other plans.

In one of the best fought five-set classics of 2014, Novak Djokovic, after a rousing comeback in the decider, broke Federer’s and a million other hearts.

Since then, Federer has taken his tally of total titles to 86.

The number in the middle, however, has refused to budge; seemingly carved in stone.

The problem for Federer seems to largely stem from inconsistency.

Till 2012 (year he last won a Slam), he was the very personification of sporting consistency. 23 consecutive Slam semi-finals and 36 consecutive Slam quarter-finals will leave no one in doubt of that particular bit of praise. Looking at the record pages though, in the 11 Grand-slams following that victory, Federer has suffered some shocking losses. Second and fourth round losses to Sergiy Stakhovsky and Tommy Robredo in the 2013 Wimbledon and US Open respectively, spring to mind.

His straight set crushings of Novak Djokovic in last year’s Shanghai Masters and this year’s Dubai Open coupled with his inexplicable, early losses in 2015 (3rd round Australian Open – Seppi, 2nd round Madrid Master’s – Nick Kyrgios) are the reasons that this post lacks any ‘analytical insight’.

You can crunch the percentages and probabilities all day, but if Federer has an ‘off day’, unlike his glory days, he is likely to lose. In full-flight though, even in his 17th year on the tour, only Novak Djokovic – at his best – has shown himself capable of going toe to toe with the Swiss.

The as yet irreversible march of time has expectedly and markedly, taken a toll on the man they used to call ‘The Mighty Fed’. Flashes of unadulterated brilliance, the kind that cannot be taught by coaches or learned from a book, still flow from his racquet. But stringing together seven wins to claim his 18th has so far proved a hair’s-breadth beyond him.

To people who are yawning away his chances, I say this:

Sports history is littered with ‘experts’ and armchair critics who have ended up with egg on their faces after writing off declining heroes. That should serve as sufficient warning for anyone willing to attempt a similar stunt with Federer this summer.

So, what do you say to man before he embarks on a two-week journey chasing the unprecedented on the pristine lawns of the world’s most famous tennis court?

Godspeed Champion!

This article has been contributed by a member of the SK Featured Bloggers Club. It was originally published on blog Liquid Whip Forehand here.