Wimbledon - End of the road for Federer?
It is a widely acknowledged fact that Roger Federer is one of the greatest tennis players of all time. The Swiss Master has accumulated more grand slams victories than any other man. Like the other modern-day great, Pete Sampras, he also asserted his ascendancy by being indomitable at the most prestigious Grand Slam, Wimbledon.
Question marks were raised about Federer’s superiority after he lost the epic five-set battle against his arch rival, Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon. But soon after, Nadal’s career took a nosedive as he was ravaged by injuries. Most pundits wrote off the tireless Spaniard, pontificating that his style of play was not sustainable and that his knees would not be able to withstand the pressure.
Federer regained his ascendancy, as Nadal battled injuries. Last year’s Wimbledon victory re-established Federer’s greatness; and it was only a month ago, at Roland Garros that we saw his streak of 23 consecutive Grand Slam semi-final appearances broken.
Meanwhile, Nadal returned with full force, chalking up victories at nearly every tournament he participated in. On clay, he has become peerless again; and chalked up a comfortable victory at the French Open.
However, Wimbledon was always going to be the biggest test, and once again there were some major upheavals in store for Federer’s fans.
The number one tennis player in the world was already going to lose his top rank as Nadal’s victory in Paris and performance at Wimbledon – the tournament that he missed last year due to injuries – provided him enough points to over-take his great rival.
Nevertheless, it was the performances of these two greats at this tournament that generated the most buzz.
Federer was on the verge of a shocking first-round defeat against an unknown qualifier, going two sets down and twice being on the brink of losing. However, Federer still has the composure of the champion and the tenacity and experience to overcome almost insurmountable odds.
His first-round victory was a tense five-setter and also showed signs that Federer was nowhere near his best.
However, Nadal also struggled to victory in the early rounds of the tournament. Meanwhile, other big guns like Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Roddick fancied their chances of dethroning the Federer-Nadal ascendancy.
As the tournament wore on, Federer showed glimpses of his best form; but experts and fan agreed that he was never near his best. Every time he was on Centre Court, there was anticipation. No one wanted Federer to lose; be it the fans, the commentators or the neutrals. After all, there never has been a man who plays a better drop shot; nor can anyone make those unbelievable cross court returns and passing shots that Federer creates out of nothing.
But there was a foreboding feeling each time Roger stepped on court. Fans across the world had a sense of what was happening. The greatest player of all time wasn’t yet in freefall, but his star was surely on the wane.
Finally, that happened: against the giant Czech Tomas Berdych, Federer wilted. He seemed to have no answer to Berdych’s strong drives down on the line on either side of the court. But Federer is known to fight till the very end; he has conjured some of the most amazing comebacks in tennis history.
After the Swiss ace recovered to win the second set, people expected him to just up the ante a little more and cruise away with the game. However, Berdych had other plans. He blew the champion away in the third set, winning 6-1.
On the return, Federer started the fourth set strongly, and people were expecting another five-setter from their champion. Even the commentators – supposedly neutral – cheered every Federer point.
There were no breaks, though Federer had a golden opportunity at 0-40 in a game he failed to take his chances. Then the unexpected happened; Federer lost his composure more than once, over-hitting his drive, missing a straight-forward shot. That was not the champion that the world knew. Everyone’s loss was Berdych’s gain.
The Czech superstar scored a vital break at 4-4 to take a 5-4 lead, and then went on to win the match thanks to his speedy serves and powerful shots.
A disconsolate Federer walked off Centre Court with his head dropped. There was an ominous feeling in the air. The sense in the crowd was that maybe they have seen the best of Federer and what is to follow will not be to their liking.
The indomitable Swiss had been tamed.
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