King Roger reclaims tennis crown
Roger Federer is the king of tennis again and for sporting romantics everywhere the world is a slightly happier place. The Swiss maestro demolished an injured Marin Cilic in straight sets yesterday morning (NZT) to win a record eighth Wimbledon men’s singles title, nudging ahead of another grasscourt legend, Pete Sampras. As a match, the final was a slight anti-climax compared with Federer’s nailbiting comeback win over Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open in January but no one could deny his coronation was well deserved. Unlike Venus Williams, who looked tired in her loss to the exciting young Spaniard Garbine Muguruza in the women’s final, Federer turned his age into experience. At 35, he becomes the oldest man to win Wimbledon and the first to go through the tournament without dropping a set since Bjorn Borg in 1976.
The achievement is even more remarkable considering Federer looked washed up this time last year. Overshadowed by first Nadal and then Novak Djokovic, he had gone five years without winning a Grand Slam title and was bundled out of the 2016 Wimbledon semifinals, nursing an injured knee. He responded unconventionally by taking the rest of the year off, missing both the Olympics and the US Open. Many critics suggested his rehabilitation was likely to lead to early retirement.
Federer then stunned everyone — including perhaps himself — by storming back to win the Australian Open. He skipped the clay court season, letting his rivals grind themselves down, and turned up fresh for the world’s most prestigious tournament. To the delight of his global army of fans, he seems to be back to his old imperious self, hitting winners from apparently impossible angles and finding an extra gear to glide past even the toughest opponents.
This is why the world loves Roger Federer. Ultimately it is not about statistics, because even after this display it is still difficult to claim he is the indisputable GOAT (Greatest Of All Time). Federer may have won more Grand Slam titles (19) than Nadal (15) or Djokovic (12) but both have a superior record against him, especially in majors. In this golden era of men’s tennis, he is still ranked only No 3 in the world and has not been No 1 for the past five years.
But for many fans, Federer will always be the ultimate player because he represents tennis perfection. His game has everything — power, style, finesse and tactical cunning. He mixes blistering groundstrokes off both sides with delicate volleys and the most outrageous drop shots and lobs. His serve is not the fastest on tour but brilliantly placed and hard to read. And he has probably done more than anyone to keep the endangered one-handed backhand alive.
At a deeper level, Federer also reminds us of the pure joy of the game. Tennis can be brutal — “so damned lonely” as Andre Agassi put it in his candid autobiography — but Federer plays with both the intensity of a prizefighter and the grace of a dancer. He inspires middling club players to imitate their hero and remains as gracious off court as he is ruthless on it. Let’s hope his renaissance continues.