The Greatest
Sporting greatness is a very difficult thing to settle much more when you consider the element of time. Time is possibly the arch rival of any sporting legend feeding over his prowess with each passing day. When it is difficult to maintain even a shadow of yourself when you are past your prime what unraveled on Wimbledon Centre Court yesterday was a chapter which will go down as ‘The One Where Greatness is Re-defined’.
Roger Federer won his 19th Grand Slam title the highest by a male player in the Open Era of Tennis (i.e. from 1968 when professionals were also allowed to play Grand Slam tournaments). The achievement is Himalayan when one realizes that this man will turn 36 next month and that he did not play six months of competitive tennis after a knee surgery last year.
Federer in Wimbledon 2009. His elegance and aggressive style of play was most expressive on Grass
Photo Courtesy: Justin Smith
Game:
Even before this victory, Federer was agreed by most as the Greatest of All Time (GOAT) by many analysts. Though the fact that he had the most number of Grand Slam titles is a factor, it was Federer’s game which gave him the status. Federer’s game is a pure Symphony to the eyes.
Federer was the closest to perfection, any technician playing tennis could arrive at. His game is poetry in motion where the difficult of shots look incredibly easy. As every legend, his technique evolved with time. His forehand generated impeccable variation, the backhand which was considered a liability has become his biggest weapon following his return, footwork feather-light and the serve sharp as an arrow.
Federer's Serve was a luxury which he deployed at crunch moments
Photo Courtesy: Yann Caradec
He was possibly the only player who felt at home on all surfaces – Hard, Grass, and Clay. Federer’s clay court game is vastly underrated. He was the second only to Nadal on Clay in his prime.
The rare tweener, surprising lob, concealed drop shot, deft backhand flick and the reflexive baseline half-volley was all arsenals which were added to his weaponry as he became older. Federer began to keep his points shorter as he knew that longer matches take a heavy toll on his body. There are multiple parallels with the God of Cricket whose style of play evolved with time.
Possibly the only player who felt at home at both the Net and the Baseline
Photo Courtesy: Marianne Bevis
Longevity:
When Federer went without Grand Slams in the year 2013 most tennis analysts had written him off. This was in spite of the fact that he consistently made quarter finals and the semi finals of Grand Slam tournaments. In an interview to Roddick, Federer talked about the issues with age, that beyond thirty years strains on the body take longer to heal.
He had difficult losses in Wimbledon itself in the years 2014 and 2015 to Novak Djokovic. Being a father of four with 17 Grand Slam titles and acknowledged as the GOAT even back then, it was ridiculous that Federer would still continue playing. There couldn’t be a better factor than a love of the game to justify going on. This was in spite of the fact that he went Grand Slam less from 2013 to 2017. For a man who had won three Grand Slam titles in a year thrice, not once this was an under achievement.
The Feather light foot work meant minimal exertion on the body.
Photo courtesy: Marianne Bevis
But listening to his speeches post the win, when he said that he always wanted to win on Centre Court one day cemented something very fundamental about Greatness – the levels of Perseverance and the willingness to improve against all the odds.
The Greatest:
Rod Laver won four Grand Slam titles in a single year, not once but twice in 1962 and 1969. In the intermittent years, he did not participate in Grand Slam tournaments as professionals were not allowed to take part until the relaxation was made in 1968 which is now the Open Era. Analysts have argued that if the rules were different Laver would have played more tournaments and Laver’s tally of 11 Grand Slam titles would definitely not have remained the same.
Rod Laver
Photo Courtesy: National Archief
Though it is hard to disagree, the level of physicality, competition and the demands of the Game take Federer an inch further. His win a month before he turns 36 a mile away. Laver was 31 when he won his last Grand Slam title, Roger is the oldest to win one in the Open Era.
Federer has faced contrasting rivalries throughout his career and still managed to win 19. He rose to prominence in the dusk of Sampras and Agassi era. He battled the likes of Hewitt, Roddick, Safin, and Nalbandian in his prime, rubbed shoulders with the Nadal, Djokovic, and Murray when his powers were declining and still defeats youngsters like Kyrgios and Raonic.
Nadal his arch rival is 4 short of Federer on the Grand Slam list
Photo Courtesy: Nick Step
Nadal has 15 Grand Slam titles. Djokovic is not far away and has 12. There is a possibility that they could overhaul number 19. But as the saying goes Greatness was never about the Number, it was about something which cannot be quantified. Not just perseverance, not just longevity, maybe not perfection alone not stand-alone pristine artistry but a pinch of everything. Federer is the Greatest.
Photo Courtesy: (External Link)
(1)Justin Smith
(2)Yann Caradec
(4)Nick Step
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