Sampras to Stakhovsky: The flipside of Roger Federer (Part 1)

It was June 2001. The All England Lawn Tennis Club was gearing up for another day of the Wimbledon Championships. The top-seeded Pete Sampras was to face 15th seeded Roger Federer in the fourth round.

As the day dawned, few would have realised this was the dawn of another era in tennis. Everyone expected Pete Sampras to glide through the draw. Nearing the age of 30, Sampras had eased past his first three opponents with grace. Everyone expected Pete to humble the up-and-coming 19-year-old Roger Federer with ease.

Who would have known that was the day the world of tennis would get a new star. After an extraordinary five sets, the 19-year-old Swiss had defeated the man who was probably the most formidable player at the net, an extraordinary server and above all, the greatest player of that era.

Every great team has a downfall, a successor. Someone was destined to take over from this man who had until then been immortal on these courts.

The same crowd would, after two years, cheer for the ebullient Swiss. This time it was Philippoussis on the receiving end. Great players often get carried away by their achievements that they fail to realise the change of times. Philippoussis was one such man. Federer, on the other hand, was the epitome of calmness on a tennis court, someone who valued dignity higher than anger.

Federer’s entry into the mainstream was at a time when the Serve and Volley game was nearing the grave, while the physical baseline game was waiting for its coronation. Federer, however, was ill-suited to both. He was a different player. He was a man who controlled the game with his amazing touch. The way he won the Wimbledon final was inspiring.

Although he lost the US Open, he returned to win the Australian Open, defeating Marat Safin with consummate ease in the final. While Federer’s game was suited to synthetic and grass courts, clay was one surface that would haunt him for long. He lost in the 3rd round in the following year’s French Open.

Federer returned to his favourite hunting ground, the place where he had announced himself to the world, the hallowed grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis Club. Federer, yet again, proved his mettle as he just lost two sets throughout the tournament. The silky Swiss had established himself as the the best player in the world. Experts believed he would go on to rule the tennis world for the next decade. Everyone was sure that he would be the numero uno for the next decade. They had never seen such an amazing player.

But fate thought otherwise.

Every great tale has an antagonist. Every great man had a rival. Pele had Maradona, McEnroe had Bjorn Borg, Albus Dumbledore had Lord Voldemort, Shane Warne had Muttiah Muralitharan, Allen Border had Sunil Gavaskar, Albert Einstein had Niels Bohr. Federer was destined to have one, someone who would master him and dominate the then-unbeatable Swiss.

Unfortunately for Roger Federer, this rival came earlier than expected, in the form of Rafael Nadal. It was the 2005 French Open. Rafael Nadal was seeded 4th after winning the Monte Carlo Masters, but not many expected him to win the title. He was the villain waiting in the shadows to be unleashed.

He had already beaten Federer once, but everyone believed that was due to Federer’s foot injury and was supported by the fact Federer beat him again immediately. But the French Open semifinal was the day when the world recognised Nadal’s calibre. He had defeated Federer in straight sets with a supreme display of athleticism and courage. Federer looked clueless against a ferocious Spaniard who was determined to finish on the winning side.

Sampras had been untouchable for seven years, with only Agassi rivalling him, but Roger Federer’s pinnacle at the top was cut short by this raging Spaniard who bullied his way past opponents. His very face showed his indomitable spirit, extreme courage and a burning desire to win. But he was a young man, who had his weaknesses, and could not dominate the game. The beleaguered Swiss took advantage of this and sealed many titles during Nadal’s rapid growth into an equal for Roger Federer.

Just like Pete Sampras, Roland Garros remained a tad too far for the Swiss, who had so convincingly won on the green grass for 5 years in a row. Rafael Nadal was getting stronger by the day and no one could beat him in the following French Opens. The Spaniard had played to his strengths in the French Open, but had not exploited the Swiss’ weaknesses at Wimbledon. That was the reason Federer won the Wimbledon for 5 years in a row. Furthermore, Nadal was uncomfortable with high bouncing courts and courts where he couldn’t use his pace to the maximum. Grass only helped this cause.

In part 2, we’ll venture into the rise of Nadal in Federer’s domain.