Australian Open 2019: The loss to Tsitsipas may not mean the end for Roger Federer

Roger Federer lost 7-6. 6-7, 5-7, 6-7 to Greek youngster Stefanos Tsitsipas in the fourth round of the Australian Open on Sunday. This loss has sent shockwaves throughout the tennis world among people who cannot believe how the defending champion lost the match after winning the first set with gritted teeth.

The match was anticipated to be a clash among styles and generational age differences given that Tsitsipas is just 20 years old and Federer, 37. It was a means of passing the baton on by Federer onto the next challenger and although Tsitsipas has had to break into a sweat, he has certainly earned his stripes.

It did not appear to be catastrophic when the Swiss maestro lost the second set in a tiebreaker to the young Greek but panic definitely set in when he conceded the third quite easily. The fourth set was set to be an exciting one with the aged artist fighting tooth and nail to assert his supremacy over the match but sadly, another tiebreaker meant another Tsitsipas set.

Federer did not have any trouble coming into the fourth round of the Australian Open this year and faced his first real challenge on Sunday. On a day when his racquet was not quite subdued and the shots flowed with a certain ease and grace that we have got used to, Roger Federer's disheartening loss to Stefanos Tsitsipas has been heartbreaking for tennis aficionados all across the world.

Coming into this match on the back of three straight-set wins, Federer's confidence would certainly have been high but nothing could have prepared him for the grit and toughness shown by Tsitsipas on Sunday. The Greek was equal to every challenge set upon him by the great Swiss and could dispatch any of the freebies on offer. Federer tried his best, but alas, his body just couldn't quite react as quickly to a 20-year-old's fiery backhands as it did five years ago.

This defeat will sting Federer but it does not mean the end of the road for him. He has been around tennis long enough to understand his own fragilities and weakness but this loss is just a hiccup to his already star-studded resume. Tennis needs Roger Federer to be around, as does everyone who places beauty over utility.

2019 Australian Open - Day 7