How I wish those subdued days be numbered; how I long to see Federer getting back to his winning ways; how I crave to see my champion lift his next Slam( the seventeenth one) or for that matter, at least 20 Slams before he calls it a day.
Last night, one more defeat at the hands of Djokovic at Indian Wells-how long this would continue? Three losses in the season and all against the same man? No doubt Djokovic is in great form but Federer is arguably the greatest ever! It was not just bowing out of the tournament; it was also usurping of No2 Ranking by the Serb.(The only consolation was he did take a set off Nole ). I know Federer cannot be the numero uno any more( literally) or remain at the top unchallenged. The golden era of tennis would ever return back with Federer rattling everyone who comes on his way to glory.
Still the hope lingers. It’s this hope that drives the passion for the sport; for the man; for the God. If the man has still the urge to give an effort; if he does not give up; how can I? Every time he steps on the court, a billion expectations circumscribe him. He carries the weight of expectations of being ROGER FEDERER. He has created a monster of himself over the past decade and I feel, this is what leaves me and every other crazy fan shocked at his each and every loss. Once tagged as the “Only man to beat” he has now shifted his gears to be a mere “dark horse” who cannot be written off. It hurts, it indeed does to see your champion fall from the edifice ; to get used to any other prefix than No1; to cope up with the harshest media comments about the champion as being a spent force.
The dilemma continues. After every loss, I console myself- ” Maybe this is the end”. But with every match he plays and every win he registers, the heart says- “Cheer for him once more”. It would be the weirdest of wishes to expect him to win day in and day out but still in my heart, I do. Still I do envisage the picture of my champion lifting his 20th Slam; a gold medal in singles at London Olympics. I yearn to see the career of Federer ending on a high with a winning record over all his rivals. Though I am aware of the limitations, yet my heart does not permit to settle for anything less because the man I revere is ROGER FEDERER and the world knows, when it is ROGER FEDERER on the other side, nothing is impossible.
