Once a champion, always a champion!

It’s that time of the year again when I, probably for the only time, long for the sophistication that sport, especially tennis, has to offer. I’m not a fan when it comes to witnessing stringent rules and stern schedules, but when a certain ‘King’ ascends to his throne every year around the time of my birthday everything else can go take a hike. Yet another Wimbledon has come and gone. Yes! Roger Federer made the final. No! He did not win it. Yes! He’s still the greatest of all time. No! That’s not my heart talking.

There comes a time in a tennis player’s life when all that he’s thinking about is how much more his body can handle the grueling sport. At 31 years of age, Pete Sampras probably had the whole world get inside his head and force him to contemplate retirement. He did retire eventually after winning the last of his 14 Grand Slams titles at the 2002 US Open where he was seeded a shocking 17th. At 32 years of age, Roger Federer is World No. 3 in an era that is bullishly dominated by impeccable fitness and sturdy stamina.

I know what people are thinking about right now. You’re not wrong you know. I thought the same thing as well. What about Andre Agassi? The American was ranked No. 1 in the world at 33 years of age and is hence the oldest player to have achieved that feat. But what people miss out there is that the whole Agassi era was not about ‘power’. It was all about ‘technique’ and ‘craftsmanship’.

 What Agassi did brilliantly despite being at the fag end of his career was to master the art of technique. Indeed that era had young guns like Andy Roddick, Xavier Malise and Lleyton Hewitt, but they were all just getting started and the feisty epoch of fitness, speed and power was yet to start. And that is where Roger Federer comes in. The reason why Federer has achieved what he has achieved is because he has mastered the blend between artistry and power to such levels of brilliance that the whole world just cannot not stop doing what they’re doing and watch a genius execute some serene immortality.

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic is currently an epitome of discipline in the field of fitness. He has an inflexible diet regime, his stamina is next to being unconquerable and his vigour is supreme. Add some beautiful tennis to that and imagine being on Centre Court against him. There’s a count-on-one-hand list that can stand up against that sort of domination. And in that list is a 32-year old, father of 4, Swiss maestro who, even in this indomitable power era, can go out at the biggest stage of them all and derail a Swiss compatriot’s swift bandwagon, produce master class to deflate a Canadian hero and implement some unprecedented tennis to push a Djoker right till the edge of a cliff. And to top it all, it’s on grass.

People should not be judging any player on the basis of just one match. I agree that Federer’s back hand in the final was not at its destructive best. However, Federer played some heart-stopping tennis at SW19 this time around. His new attitude is what drove him further to achieve greatness even at a time when he has surpassed all set levels of perpetuity. It’s that intent to enjoy the game that drove him to being so ridiculously great at it. Losing just 4 sets in total at Wimbledon 2014 (3 of which were in the final) should be more than enough to figure out the dominating persona that the 17-time Grand Slam champion has.

Over the years Wimbledon has become synonymous with Roger Federer. To put it more delicately, Wimbledon is incomplete with the essence of Federer. And why not? Federer was an integral part of the three most epic finals that SW19 has ever witnessed.

2008, a time when Centre Court was without its ‘Royal Roof’ and Rafael Nadal was still in his shady sleeveless shirts. Federer being 2 sets down roared back in heart-thumping manner to win the next two only to lose the 5th set 9-7 in partial darkness. It was the longest final in terms of time in Wimbledon history. And who was part of it? Roger Federer.

2009, a time when Federer broke down at Rod Laver arena after losing to Nadal only to complete his career Grand Slam 4 months later in Nadal’s own backyard. Federer and Roddick battled it out in the longest final in terms of games played in Wimbledon history that ultimately witnessed Federer pip Roddick 16-14 in the 5th set. Again, who was part of it? Roger Federer.

2014, a time when Federer, who probably for the first time was the least favorite after a shocking second round exit in 2013, reached his 9th Wimbledon final after shutting out young and fast players by moving around the court like a gazelle. He saved a championship point in the 4th set, pushed it to the 5th against all odds, and smashed 29 vintage sniper aces only to lose it at the end. Indeed the world was gutted. Some even wondered whether it’s time for his majesty to throw in the towel. But then we heard those 4 magical words “See You Next Year” and everything was ok with the world once again.

Federer no doubt has gained the love, appreciation and respect of the world. His majestic inventions still make me find something soft to keep under my face so that I don’t break my jaw when it falls with astounding awe. To win against Federer is like winning against the whole world. And just thinking about the fact that Federer’s opponents still thank him for letting them win is a testament of his greatness and without a shadow of a doubt speaks a lot about the quality of exquisite tennis that the King still has left to offer.