Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
A standing ovation, a cacophony of genuine affection.. and that was BEFORE Fed played any tennis
A STANDING ovation, four walls of raised smartphones, a cacophony of genuine affection. And that was before Roger Federer had even laid an impossibly elegant backhand on ball. At Wimbledon, he is one of their own. There might be no more familiar a figure in these parts, yet the latest stage of his headbanded odyssey has captured the hearts and minds of Britain’s tennis-loving public. The incredulous jeers that greeted Alexandr Dolgopolov’s white flag-waving were a mixture of disdain for the Ukrainian and crushing disappointment at the realisation Federer’s exhibition was going to be brief. The fond reunion was all too fleeting. For his swishing talent, for his mild manners, for his family-man ways, for his monumental achievements, they have loved him a long time. This feels different, though. A quest to become the oldest man in the Open era to win the Wimbledon title has captured the imagination. The refusal to glide quietly into history has given his legend another layer of sheen. The remarkable triumph at this year’s Australian Open has set the scene for another chapter in his brilliance-packed Wimbledon tome. No wonder he kept referring to a dream. “The dream continues,” he said. “I have already achieved my dream to be back here and it feels great. It would be beautiful to get eight Wimbledon titles. It was a dream come true to win the juniors back in ’98 … we will see how far I can go now.” This was one of his least satisfactory victories – Dolgopolov quitting at 3-6 0-3 – but significant. It moved him ahead of Jimmy Connors, with the most Wimbledon match wins in the Open era. Notch No.85 will not live long in the memory, but it will for Federer. “The crowd were great and treated me like one of their own,” he said. Just a month shy of his 36th birthday, Federer is the bookmakers’ favourite to win the title. “I am healthy, but the question is who makes you the favourite? It would be beautiful to win, but everyone has a chance,” he added. Post-match, Federer cut a typically relaxed figure, talking eloquently on players quitting – but still counting the cash. And relaxation, more than ever, is the key. After losing to Milos Raonic in the 2016 semi-finals, Federer, who bypassed this year’s French Open, took off the rest of the season, and returned to win the Australian Open. He explained: “To have this sort of big distance to playing matches and understanding that I won’t be around for a long time, put me in a place where I could relax and do other things, not think about tennis day-to-day. “And when I’m playing, I’m really into tennis. The moment I leave this room, I’ll get in the car to go home, I’m in a different place. I’m family, I’m a husband, I’m a dad. I’m easy, I’m a friend.” It might have been disappointingly brief, but he made some new ones and met an awful lot of old ones yesterday. The dream continues.