Federer dignified to the end

It is one of the realities of sport that the clock refuses to stand still and the talent – no matter how great that talent may be – invariably begins to wane. So it was this week with Tiger Woods.

A man who rolled the dice to up the ante in modern professional golf to bring unprecedented riches into the game, racking up 14 Majors along the way and recording 106 wins – 79 of them on the US PGA Tour – along the way, had sunk to No 666 in the world rankings as he set out to reignite the magic.

His tilt at getting his mojo back in this week’s Dubai Desert Classic on the European Tour’s swing through the Gulf States ended in a disappointing five-over first round 77 and an overnight withdrawal with back spasms.

About as much unlike the imperious Tiger prowl of old as you could hope to imagine.

It actually hurt to watch his struggles.

But you have to remember that Woods is now 41, has not won a Major since his 2008 US Open victory and is certainly not the whipcord youngster who turned professional in 1996.

In Melbourne a week earlier, the advancing years showed less on the slimmed-down frame of Roger Federer.

The Swiss master might have already turned 35 – an advanced age for a top tennis player – but he showed all the shots, finesse and determination of a decade ago as he fought his way through the draw to set up an epic final with Rafa Nadal.

Perhaps the route was opened for the final duo by Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic making early exits.

But that aside, you are unlikely to see another final as good as the one Federer and Nadal dished up Down Under.

This was no meeting of the golden oldies and, though both players called time out to be treated for injuries (Federer’s was cramp-induced), no quarter was truly given by two greats of the game as the Swiss duly chalked up his world record 18th Grand Slam singles title.

But, bowing to the inevitable, he hinted later that he might not come back to Melbourne again.

This, you would feel, was a far more pleasant way of watching someone bow to the inevitable than having to endure the sight of a former Tiger being gut-shot by a golf course.