R
OGER FEDERER walked up to the net slowly, on the Miami centre-court. It was almost as if he wanted to give Thanasi Kokkinakis enough time to flash a smile and then roar into the crowd with both fists clenched. This was Federer’s 252nd career loss on the ATP circuit, so he knows the drill well. He was graceful in defeat, giving the young Australian a hug, a pat on the shoulder with a word of congratulations. The match had dragged on for two hours and 21 minutes, but within the next 30 seconds, the Swiss had packed his bag and humbly walked off court. Kokkinakis’ celebration thereafter was justified. On paper, beating a 36-year-old should never be so difficult. It defies logic, especially since the sport is becoming increasingly brutal in its demands for physical conditioning. But this was Roger Federer he had just beaten. A man, who even on days when he’s not hitting the ball well, when he’s almost human, is still a ‘monster.’ It’s a moniker the record 20time Grand Slam champion had coined himself 10 years ago. On that occasion, he’d been upset in the semi-final of the 2008 Australian Open by an upcoming 20-year-old called Novak Djokovic. “Of course, I’ve created a monster,” he’d say. “So I know I need to always win every tournament.” That monster fell dormant, as Federer steadily faded after the high of Wimbledon 2012 – what many thought was his last major title. No longer was he the domineering force, as he’d be overtaken by his long-time rival Nadal, and then Djokovic, and Andy Murray too joined the race to the No. 1 spot. Stan Wawrinka would also stake his claim on three Grand Slams in the process. 6
In January 2016 would come a cruel moment that would spark a crucial decision six months later. Federer slipped and hurt his knee while preparing a bath for one of his sets of twins. He’d gamble the readiness of his body by coming back too soon, and then crash out in the semi-final of Wimbledon. That was the last that was seen of him that year. Those six months though gave back to him more than it took away. And when he returned to the circuit, at the Australian Open in 2017, he brought back the monster that had made him one of the most feared opponents. At that point in time, he was a record 17-time Grand Slam champion and had spent a record 304 weeks as world No. 1 in a career that had started in 1998. He’d been there, done that, had nothing left to prove, and had no reason to continue to struggle on in the tour that can be lonely, frustrating, and even heartbreaking. But now Federer is finding joy in, quite simply, just playing tennis. “I always tell people that when you watch Federer, don’t just watch him play the point. Watch what he does in between points,” former world No. 1 and seven-time Grand Slam champion Mats Wilander once said. “He’s always fiddling with a tennis ball or with his racket, and he’s hitting an extra shot, trying some crazy drop shot when the point is over, or flicking the ball to a ball kid after a missed serve. Nobody else does that. Nobody has ever done that. And he still does it. Wimbledon final — it doesn’t matter. He just seems to enjoy the feeling of having the ball on his strings.”
Advantage Tennis Grand Slam Yearbook 2019
Photo: Fred Mullane/Camerawork USA, Inc
Greatness Unlimited
