Tennis - Is it all over for Roger Federer?
Roger Federer is proclaimed as The Greatest Tennis Player of all times, thanks to the 16 Grand Slam title wins including the Australian Open, Wimbledon, French Open and U.S. Open which surpassed Pete’s 14 Grand Slams. Often referred to as the Fed Express or Maestro, Roger Federer holds the record of reaching the semi-finals or better of 23 consecutive grand slam events. A unique record many consider may never be broken in coming years where player lack physical strength to remain at top every time. Dominating the ATP tennis rankings to stay at No. 1 for 7 consecutive years, the major peak in his career came after he claimed the French Open Title of 2009 becoming only the sixth player in tennis history to complete the winning combination of all the four major Grand Slam events.
The Swiss player who started his career in 1998 as the junior champion at Wimbledon didn’t win any Grand Slam title till he was almost 22. The breakthrough for him came when he claimed his first Grand Slam Title after beating Mark Philippoussis in 2003 to lift the Wimbledon. After that Federer was like a canon ball shot from The Tsar Cannon, levelling every opponent that came through. His versatility and fluid technique allowed him to conquer five consecutive Wimbledon titles, five successive US Open crowns and four Australian Open titles. With a total of 62 career titles Roger Federer is no less than a legendary player. He also holds the world record of holding the No. 1 position for 235 consecutive weeks and the second best record of holding the 1st spot for 285 weeks in total, trailing behind Pete Sampras by only 1 week.
But even the mightiest warriors taste the bitterness of defeat. In his seven year rule, Roger Federer lost one match at Wimbledon in 2008 – The Final. The player who brought down the mighty king of tennis was Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard defeated him 6–4, 6–4, 6–7(5), 6–7(8), 9–7 to claim his first Wimbledon and 5th Grand Slam title. This match was termed as the best match of modern tennis era by many critics. The Federer – Nadal rivalry, which makes one think of the popular Sampras - Agassi rivalry, was not a new thing for the tennis world. Both played every French Open and Wimbledon final from 2006 to 2008. They also have the unique record of staying at the top two rankings on ATP Tour from 2005 to 2009. Though Federer held the top ranking, Nadal always proved to win more matches by having a head-to-head lead of 14 – 7.
After seven years of maintaining the top position the ‘king’ suffered a setback when he was beaten by Tomas Berdych 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4. A victory that was both surprising and shocking at the same time. This defeat, while knocking Federer out, also put him to a No. 3 spot in the ATP rankings, for the first time in seven years, behind Nadal and Djokovic. Another of Berdych’s win came in Miami this April ending his eight match losing streak against Federer. "Of course I learned something from that win," Berdych said, "but it is difficult to describe what." The world had their eyes on Federer who said “You know I am struggling with a little bit of a back and a leg issue. That just doesn't quite allow me to play the way I would like to play.” But the main competition to Federer comes from Nadal, who eyes for the ‘title’ of the best ever tennis player.
Soon after this defeat the critics bombarded the news arena with all kinds of news regarding Federer’s career and its future. Where it truly was a big upset considering the expectations linked with a record holder, it’s also true that it would be an exaggeration if it is said that his career as the legend is over. As they say that legends never die. Roger Federer came to define tennis and continues to do so. One lost Quarter Final can’t take away the value he gave to the sport. The sport of tennis gave the world an icon that was not only a sportsman but is also famous for his integrity and dignity in his personal life. Undoubtedly the most versatile player tennis could ever produce. In the words of Jimmy Connors: "In an era of specialists, you're either a clay court specialist, a grass court specialist, or a hard court specialist...or you're Roger Federer”. One defeat cannot possibly dent the career of the sports ambassador that he is.
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