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Unknown phase for Federer
Rise, peak, plateau, fall. These are four inevitable phases of life and sport. Roger Federer has been the quintessence of perfection in the first three phases. But it’s the last one, the decline, that has been thoroughly atypical, unpredictable and probably, the most interesting one.
His performance curve in the last six US Open tournaments (2008-2013) could be used as a standard to define the word 'fall'. Winner, runner-up, semis, semis, quarters, 4th round. What's so curious and atypical then? Six years after he last lifted the trophy at Flushing meadows, the 33-year-old went to this US Open as the favourite to win the tournament. Yes, even though the odds favoured world number 1 Novak Djokovic, Federer held the slight edge over the Serb because of their recent form and the draws.
The Swiss had a brilliant run in the tournament until he faced Marin Cilic, the 25-year-old Croat who was ‘in the zone’, playing the best tennis of his life.
On the whole, it’s been a good year for Federer in the Grand Slams. Having reached two semifinals and one final in the four Slams, he is perhaps the second best player of the year after Novak Djokovic. But being Roger Federer is not easy. The ‘retirement’ question pops up unless you win every match you play.
The R-word starts to surface in the media
The criticism had started as soon as he lost that epic Wimbledon final to his arch nemesis, back in 2008. The mighty Swiss was no more insurmountable. But he silenced his critics in style by winning at Roland Garros and Wimbledon the very next year. We knew he was far from over. But for how long?
His performance was mediocre in 2011 (by Federer standards) and the talks about his retirement resurfaced. He is human after all! But Federer cast some serious doubt on that when he won back his favourite Grand Slam again at 31.
He had an abysmal run in 2013. He was sent packing out of Wimbledon in the second round, his ranking reached an all time low since 2003 and he was suffering from a back injury that everyone thought would end his career.
Perhaps everyone except Federer.
The maestro came back stronger in 2014, defeating almost everyone in the top 10 (except Nadal, of course), and came as close as anyone can get to winning Wimbledon. Aged 33, it was just a treat to watch him dancing across the court, destroying younger and stronger opponents with grace. Can we imagine Rafael Nadal or even Novak Djokovic doing this five years from now?
The secret of Federer’s longevity
Federer hasn’t missed a single Grand Slam since 1999. More astonishing is the fact that his ranking has never dropped below 10 since 2002. While his rivals like Andy Roddick, David Nalbandian and Lleyton Hewitt have either hung up their boots or are competing in Slams just to get knocked out by teenagers in the first week, the great man is still a formidable force.
In his glorious career spanning 16 years, Federer has never, not even once, retired in the middle of a match. Craig O’Shannessy, lead analyst for the ATP Tour, says, “In Roger’s case, the guy floats around so lightly, almost as if he’s skipping rope, that you can hardly hear him. He’s not carrying a huge amount of muscle – just the right amount to get the job done.”
Federer’s fluidic movement, deft footwork and impeccable stroke mechanics save him a fraction of energy on every point he plays. While the other top players have piled on their muscles, the Swiss remains physically unchanged. As Ben Dirs once rightly said, “In the hands of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray, a tennis racquet is a rock hammer and a tennis court a quarry. In the hands of Roger Federer, a tennis racquet is a paint brush and a tennis court a canvas.”
The secret of Federer’s longevity? An old quarryman is an old man and an old painter is still a painter.
What keeps Roger going?
Federer knows things will never be the same. He might never win a Grand Slam again, he almost certainly will never be world number one again and he will likely never beat the likes of Djokovic and Nadal consistently again. So what keeps him going even when he knows winning is never going to be easy again?
It is the same thing that inspired him to pick up the racquet 25 years ago. It’s the same thing that made Michael Schumacher return to F1 at 41, the same reason that made Sachin Tendulkar play cricket even after winning the World Cup. His love for the game.
Federer will continue to find joy in hitting tennis balls like only he can. He might not have a perfect Sampras-esque ending to his career, but it doesn’t matter. Pete Sampras, in his twilight years, once said, “All I cared about in tennis, was winning.”
It is perhaps the only thing that depicts the difference between the otherwise similar careers of Sampras and Federer. It would come as no surprise at all, if Federer, in a press conference five years down the line, says with a winsome smile, “All I cared about, was playing tennis.”
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