The lawns of London emanate a pristine feeling. Since 1877, the revered turf has been privy to many great champions who have left a lasting impression on the sport. It is home to the one tournament that every player on the professional circuit aspires to win and conquer. Though there are other Grand Slams on tour, none can match the aura that Wimbledon exudes. The Championships stand alone in terms of following and likeability.
And it is here, on the hallowed grass, that most of the tennis legends have stamped their dominance. From Bjorn Borg to John McEnroe and Boris Becker, they’ve all made it big on these lawns. And then came Pistol Pete, the big serving American who vowed us with his deft volleys and high precision stroke play. He dominated the last decade of the 20th century with ease and simply owned the Centre Court at SW19.
The formative years of Wimbledon’s greatest male champion
But as Sampras was cementing his legacy, another bloke from Switzerland was working hard on his temper and attitude. The teenager had the talent and the charisma, and he drew attention wherever he went because of the purity of his stroke-play, but temperament was a chronic issue for him. As a teen, he broke racquets at will and drew the ire of his parents, who were actually willing to pull the plug on a potentially superb tennis career if the lad did not mend his ways.
Transformation was needed and it was not easy. As he was beginning to stamp his presence on the professional tour, personal tragedy occurred. He lost his childhood coach Peter Carter in a car accident, and life was not the same after that. Roger Federer was not the same after that.
He became measured, controlled and let his tennis do the talking. He knew he had to make it big and do justice to the efforts put in by his near and dear ones, and he worked hard towards that.
Federer let the world know of his intentions at Wimbledon in the year 2001. An epic five-set victory over defending champion Sampras in Round 4 was an indicator of things to come. He had dethroned his idol from “his” fortress, but none of the pundits back then would have been able to predict what Federer would go on to conjure 16 years down the line.
A match made in heaven
Wimbledon and Roger Federer are a match made in heaven. The Centre Court at SW19 is his blank canvas, and he comes up with the most beautiful art forms on it whenever he is at work. From 2003 to 2007, he racked up five consecutive titles, matching Bjorn Borg’s record, defeating Rafael Nadal (his biggest rival) twice in the finals of 2006 and 2007.
And then came the finale of 2008, widely regarded as the greatest match of all time, where Nadal got the better of him in the 5th set – but not before the champion mounted a spirited comeback in the 3rd and 4th sets, saving match points in the process. Who can forget Federer’s backhand pass on match point when Nadal served for the championships. It still gives me goosebumps.
He might have been deflated after that heart-wrenching loss, but Federer’s love affair with Wimbledon continued when he defeated Andy Roddick in an epic finale next year to surpass Sampras’s record of 14 Slams and emerge as the most successful player in the history of men’s tennis. But he was not done yet.
In 2012, he mesmerized us again with his tactical genius to lift an unprecedented 7th title on grass, matching Sampras’s record of most titles on the hallowed surface in the process. What I remember the most from that entire tournament is the image of Mikhail Youzhny looking towards the Royal Box and asking for advice from Andre Agassi, as he was being subjected to a clinic from the master.
Many opponents have been given similar treatment by Federer on grass. It all happens so quickly that by the time you get your bearings, you are already so far behind that a comeback is impossible to mount. Almost every time he has reached the final, the amount of time spent on court by Federer is considerably less than his opponent. Such has been Federer’s dominance on the court over the years.
2013 was a low point in the Swiss ace’s career. He was plagued by an unhealthy back and his performances were not reflective of the standards he had set earlier. So when he went down to Sergiy Stakhovsky in the 2nd round of the 2013 Championships, many pundits were of the opinion that it was the beginning of the end of an illustrious career. Age was not on his side and the likes of Nadal, Djokovic and Murray were not making it easy either.
But he shut everyone up with a stellar comeback in 2014, wherein he reached the final of Wimbledon by playing aggressively and rushing to the net at every opportunity. He repeated the same heroics in 2015, when he came up short against an imperious Djokovic in a tightly contested final.
But he was easily playing his best tennis. Despite being 34, his movement was fluid, he was attacking at will, and he even invented the “SABR” or Sneak attack by Roger, wherein he picked the serve just outside the service box. But somehow, No. 18 didn’t come his way, despite the fact that he badly wanted it.
The 2017 fairytale
After an injury-curtailed 2016, when he took a 6-month layoff to rehabilitate his knee, the Federer story that we have witnessed so far is beyond the realms of our imagination. He has a sharpened backhand, he’s hitting winners from both sides of the court, he has decrypted Nadal’s topspin forehand, he has endured gruelling five-set matches at 35 against far younger opponents, and he has racked up titles like he used to do in his heydays. Even his staunchest fans would not have dreamt of all this.
If the Australian Open victory was the most satisfying one, #19 at Wimbledon is probably even bigger. To win a Grand Slam without dropping a set and that too when you are nearing 36 is unprecedented. He is still playing unbelievable tennis and whipping forehands like only he can. Be it the young guns or the old guard, no one has been unable to find a solution to this Fed express that continues to roll. Is he the real Benjamin Button?
Watching him play, it seems that way. As ridiculous as this may sound, Federer is getting better with age. He is playing freely, like a 21-year-old who has no fear. And he is enjoying every moment of it.
There is no denying the fact that his passion and love for the game are increasing with each passing moment.
The Federer story of 2017 is something that we will be telling our grandkids about. It is not everyday that you witness such a spectacle, in any sport. And as tennis fans, we can only hope that this story continues for many more years to come!
Thank you Roger. We are honoured to have lived in the era when you vowed the world with your excellence and craft.
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