Goodbye to an all-time great
There is no appropriate way to say goodbye to a sporting star who graced the horizon for nearly quarter of a century, gave countless moments of sheer joy to millions of fans around the world, and through it all stayed so gracious and charming that his fiercest competitors joined the farewell chorus too. There will never be, to use the word judiciously, another one like Roger Federer on the tennis courts, a sporting icon to whom the acronym GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) fits like a custom-made shoe. There will not be another Federer off the courts either.
Sporting achievements are counted in records and numbers. By these yardsticks, Federer ranks among the best in his sport. At 41, as he steps down after taking the court one last time at the Laver Cup, Federer has 20 Grand Slam titles, the most matches (369) in Grand Slam men’s singles in the Open Era, a total of 103 titles on the circuit, the only player to reach the finals of all four Slams in a season thrice, the player with the most number of consecutive weeks (237) at Number 1 position in the circuit, and the oldest such Number 1 in ATP history. However, with alltime greats like Federer, records reveal only a sliver of their distinction; their greatness flows from that indescribable quality they bring to their sport itself. Federer lit up the arena he played in. Watching him in his sublime fluidity across courts, seeing his famous forehand shot glide the ball across his opponent, agonising over the points he could have but did not get, shedding a tear or two with him as he got emotional after a match, rooting for him even against other greats such as Rafael Nadal, all this lent an additional meaning to life. Off court, like on it, Federer was ever gracious and correct, his greatness and wealth sitting lightly on him.
In his message announcing his retirement — not a surprise for those closely watching his game in the last few years — Federer said, “Tennis has treated me more generously than I ever would have dreamt… I was lucky enough to play so many epic matches that I will never forget.” In fact, Federer, whose movement on the court has been gloriously compared to poetry in motion or ballet, has treated fans and enthusiasts around the world more generously than we could have ever dreamt. We, who watched sports in his era, were indeed lucky enough to see so many epic matches that we cannot forget. Goodbye, Roger, tennis is poorer without you.