Undoubtedly
the best player to have graced the court, Roger Federer is an embodiment of
skill, intellect, precision and humility.
His immense talent on the court has
earned him seventeen major titles, three more than Pete Samparas and five more
than Rafael Nadal. Any accolade rained
on him wouldn’t have come if he doesn’t deserve it; Roger Federer has been able
to prove himself over the years as a man to be reckoned with when it comes to
Tennis biggest tournaments like the grand slam
Little
wonder many pundits were touting him as one of the tournaments favourites even
when it was obvious he is not in his best of forms. Were they sentimental? No I
don’t think so. Roger Federer over the years has shown how dangerous he could
be when playing a five set match. His resilience, focus and determination to
win have made him a tough nut to always crack. An early exit from the US Open! Who
would have thought of that, Admittedly Federer’s 7-6, 6-3, 6-4 defeat to
Tommy Robredo on Monday night was alarming in its wastefulness.
This was the first straight-sets defeat he had
suffered in a grand slam since 2002, and it was not as if he was blown off the
court by a virtuoso performance. As he said afterwards, “I feel like I beat
myself – I kind of self-destructed”.
Yet this was more than a story of a creaky
old-timer who is half a step too late on the ball. Federer was in position to
hit a clean winner in almost every point. He did, in fact, strike no fewer than
45 of them in the match. But he also misfired with alarming regularity,
particularly at the most important moments. He generated 16 break points, yet
converted only two of them.
The malaise, then, was less physical than mental.
Federer has not won enough matches this year. He has not banked enough
confidence to sustain him through a bare-knuckled brawl against a renowned hard
man like Robredo.You get the sense that Federer does not quite
know where to look for the old magic – perhaps because he never knew quite
where it came from in the first place.
When he speaks about his career, he often sounds
surprised by his own eminence, as if the 302 weeks he spent at the top of the
rankings were one long out-of-body experience.He might perhaps consider his coaching
arrangements. While Paul Annacone is respected for his tactical input, he is a
low-key character when a more energetic presence might be useful. And then
there is the cranky back that has afflicted him all summer.
Coming off his last winter’s break, Federer was a
genuine contender at the Australian Open,
beating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and taking Murray to five-sets in the semi-final. As
the season has gone on, the grind of the tour has exhausted his body and sapped
his spirit, culminating in his early exits both at Wimbledon and New York. But he is not ready to give up, and clearly still
has more tennis left in him. Perhaps not an 18th grand slam title, but at least
another few moments of god-like genius. Don’t give up the faith just yet.