Federer a Swiss not to miss as the world roots for his success

My dad was a useful tennis player in his time and he introduced me to the sport at an early age in the then Transkei.

The tennis courts they used were not much, but my old man and his friends took the sport very seriously, insisting on emulating the strict Wimbledon dress code by donning all-white outfits.

My father’s favourite players changed with time but he eventually settled on a 21-yearold Swiss who demolished Mark Philippoussis at the All England Club 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 7-6 (7-3) to win Wimbledon in 2003. He developed a soft spot for Roger Federer after that maiden Grand Slam triumph and enjoyed watching the Swiss in his later years.

Federer had won 17 Grand Slams when my dad passed away in January 2013 and I couldn’t help wondering what he would have said when the 36-year-old beat Croatia’s Marin Cilic 6-2 6-7 6-3 3-6 6-1 in Melbourne in January to win his 20th Grand Slam title.

Better yet, it would have given him a kick to see Federer become the oldest world No 1 in history this week after he beat Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov 6-2 6-2 in a one-sided final at the Rotterdam Open on Sunday.

Federer reclaimed the No 1 ranking he last held in October 2012 when the new rankings were published on Monday. The Swiss is three years older than the flamboyant André Agassi was when he held that record for the oldest No 1 some 15 years ago.

Federer has been a true ambassador of the sport over the years and you can almost feel the crowds rooting for him when he plays, willing him to continue to flip his middle finger at Father Time.

Granted, the white-bearded old man and his hourglass have never been defeated but we’ve all enjoyed watching Federer continue his defiant stand. We’re all emotionally invested now and I fear for anyone who plays Federer in 2018 will have to contend with the overwhelming support he has on and off the court.

Cilic got a taste of that when he faced Federer in Melbourne, and even though Australia is half a world away, you could almost feel the tension inside the Rod Laver Arena as the crowd willed him to put them out of their misery and win.

Federer shed tears as the emotions spilled over after the tough five-set win and it is perhaps this display of his human side that has won him so many fans around the world.

Federer admitted he was starting to wonder if winning 20 Grand Slams was possible when rivals Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal had the sport in a stranglehold.

As Djokovic and Nadal dominated, the Federer Express suddenly stalled in 2012 after winning Wimbledon. The critics sharpened their pens and his obituary was written several times when he failed to win another title between July 2012 and January 2017.

This man is one of the greatest athletes of our time and we are privileged to have seen him play tennis.

His sixth Australian Open title in January was his 20th Grand Slam, four ahead of Nadal, six ahead of Sampras and eight more than Djokovic.

Nadal, 31, and Djokovic, 30, could conceivably reach the 20 Grand Slam milestone in the next few years, but, quite frankly, it will take a lot to top what we’ve witnessed in Melbourne and in Rotterdam.

Buti Tami, as my dad was affectionately known, would have loved it.