Where does Roger Federer go from here?

Being a Roger Federer fan has always been a weird experience. One minute you’re reveling in his near-invincibility, ooh-ing and aah-ing as he approaches the net to become the Tennis God incarnate. But the very next moment a backhand slice hits the net, and you're sure you'd be better off flinging yourself off the nearest cliff.

Like I said, being a Federer fan has always been weird. But never this weird.

Roger Federer belongs at the other end of 6-0 drubbings. Roger Federer doesn’t need the crowd cheering him on with obvious pity as he rescues a point while serving to avoid getting bageled at Wimbledon. Roger Federer is not in danger, Skyler; Roger Federer is the one who knocks.

Sure, there was the 0-6 set in the 2008 Roland Garros final at the hands of Rafael Nadal. But that was Roland Garros. And against a Nadal whose knees hadn’t been pushed to their limits and beyond. There was no shame in losing 0-6 in those circumstances. But this?

Hubert Hurkacz towers over most humans at 6 ft and 5 inches, but he doesn't stand as much above the pack when talking about tournament results. Bursting on to the scene - or in his case, ambling on to the scene - in 2018, Hurkacz's best Slam result prior to this had been a third round finish at Wimbledon 2019. He had been knocked out in the first round as many as seven times.

At ATP Masters 1000s events, the Pole's best result apart from the 2021 Miami Open outlier had been reaching the third round. And it must be noted that the Big 3 weren't present at Miami; in fact, Marin Cilic was the only Slam winner in the draw.

All the metrics considered, before this Wimbledon, Hubert Hurkacz wasn't a player you would have ordinarily talked to your mates about. But now, he might have found his way into tennis folklore and bar trivia forever; he has handed a bagel to Roger Federer for the first time ever at Wimbledon.

In isolation, this might not mean anything. Losses happen even to the greatest players of all time, and some of those are harder to take than others. But it is sitll part and parcel of the game, and any fan who demands that their favorite player/team wins every single match is simply too naive.

But the problem here is that this loss is not a setback in isolation.

Roger Federer too has to bow before Father Time

Roger Federer at Wimbledon 2021

For starters, Roger Federer is now 39 years old. The oldest men's player to ever win a Grand Slam is Ken Rosewell, who was won the Australian Open in 1972 at the age of 37. The second oldest? A 36-year-old Roger Federer, at the 2018 Australian Open.

With the game becoming far more aggressive and fluid, Rosewall's record might never be broken. For once in his life, Federer might have to settle for being second best.

We like to think some people are beyond the confines of something as silly as time. When you watch Federer in full flow, you can almost convince yourself that he is one of those people.

I mean, it is Federer after all. When he has never played by the same rules as other players, why wouldn't he break the rules of time too?

Surely the crowd in Wimbledon would want that too. It is not hard to imagine applause from the Centre Court crowd as an 80-year-old Roger Federer serves an ace.

But as a fan who has watched Federer at his absolute zenith, it feels like the time has come to stop indulging those fantasies.

As Federer plays longer, there will be more days like the one he had against Hurkacz. Days where almost nothing goes right. Days where it is physically painful to watch him against opponents blessed with the vigor of youth.

Older players can be spry, but that is the problem; they can only be spry any more, and never young.

Don’t get me wrong; I will still watch every match he chooses to play, and I will still be flabbergasted every time he sends one down the baseline. I will still be baffled by his balletic net play and I will still grin like a child every time he fools his opponent with a drop shot. But they might become rarities now, instead of the bog-standard Federer thing to do.

In the end, Roger Federer has become a victim of his own success. Any other 39-year-old player even winning a second-round match at Wimbledon would lead to their own Hollywood movie co-starring Scarlett Johansson. But not Federer. The yardstick for a 39-year-old Federer is a 26-year-old Federer, and believe me, no one can measure up against that Federer.