Comebacks: Never write off the legends
After Federer’s resurgence, Woods keeps sporting world asking for more
NEW DELHI: In a world where sporting mortality shadows young men and women as they push to the limit, three stalwarts are chasing new frontiers of longevity. Roger Federer’s stunning comeback in 2017 has left every fan willing him to go on forever and Serena Williams has set out to be a tennis super mom.
Tiger Woods too has set exalted standards, but proved all too human, injuries and the 2009 scandal tearing up his image.
The golf legend is feeling the love again, the 14-time Major winner promising a great revival of a career that looked over.
The golf swing places enormous stress on the back and glute muscles, and the pioneer of the power era has borne the brunt of wear and tear. Four back surgeries since 2013, last year’s spinal fusion the most serious, seemed to have ended the career of the man who helped golf climb down from its lofty perch, building a massive endorsement industry and fan club.
However, the buzz is back. On Friday, in only his fourth fullfield event, Woods was anointed the comeback king in a matter of few hours as he briefly took the second round lead at the Valspar Open, leading in a PGA Tour event after almost three years.
His 12th place finish in the Honda Classic already saw broadcaster CBS reporting best viewership for six years. On Friday, the Woods news hit the internet. The PGA Tour website’s overloaded live streaming app went down. Social media was in a frenzy over chances of his winning his first PGA Tour event since 2013 and next month’s Masters. Tiger already has the third best odds of winning in Augusta. At the Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead course, organisers made arrangements for bigger crowds. On Friday, even mobile connectivity sagged under pressure.
The Woods nostalgia comes nine years after his popularity crashed following revelations of cheating on his wife with multiple women. His arrest last May for driving under the influence suggested he was struggling to adjust to life from the limelight.
But for his peers, he is gold standard. Five-time Major-winner Phil Mickelson, 47, who won last week’s WGC Mexico Championship, paid tribute. “He’s always one-upped me,” he said in a TV interview. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he went out and won this weekend to one-up me again.”
Roger Federer’s image as a role model has gone up many notches. The ultimate feel-good story would have hardly been predicted when knee and back injuries in 2016 – the only year since 2001 he did not win a title – saw predictions that a great tennis era was ending. He was 34, and had not won a Slam since 2012 Wimbledon. The world watched with incredulity as the Swiss maestro made a great comeback at the Australian Open, outlasting his great Spanish rival Rafael Nadal in an epic final.
Federer, 36, has added three Majors since, and looks good to add to his 20.
Serena Williams at 36 is looking to emulate Federer. The rise of Serena and sister Venus battling racial prejudices has already been a great story beyond the tennis court.
Her 2017 Australian Open win while being seven weeks pregnant with daughter Alexis, surviving pulmonary embolism after giving birth and making a comeback is seen as carrying a bigger message.
For cricket’s inspirational story, there is Don Bradman, whose career was interrupted for eight years due to World War II. The break, and his return at 38, didn’t dim his class. The greatest batsman, whose career average of 99.94 is beyond everyone, averaged an astounding 105.72 in his final 15 Tests from 1946-48.