Roger Federer’s retirement from tennis appeared to be a foregone conclusion. He was approaching the age of forty-one and had had one accident after another in the last few years. The hourglass was slowly filling with sand. Even renowned athletes can stop competing.
Like Serena Williams, Federer has altered the normal course of a tennis player’s career. In their fourth decades, they kept setting records and winning prizes, further consolidating their reputation. Amazingly, however, they were both still in good health and in their sixth decades.
While their longevity allowed us to recognize their talents, enjoy each tournament, and count down the years, it also provided us a false sense of security, making us think they would always be there even as injuries resulted in prolonged absences in subsequent years. But, of course, they would come back. Every time, they came back.
Federer won the first of his 20 grand slam titles in 2003, the year before the US and UK invaded Iraq. Many people at the time were ecstatic about the newest Nokia phone. Federer’s 24-year professional career made him a constant in our lives as sports fans. As we were all gradually and silently becoming older, Federer kept on competing, winning, defying time, and making us believe that neither the world nor ourselves had changed all that much.
However, on Thursday—two weeks after Williams took the court in what is likely to be her final professional match—we were made to understand that a new era had begun.
Since Wimbledon last year, when he underwent his third knee surgery, the Swiss player has not competed in a professional match. As a result, he was forced to call it quits on one of the most illustrious tennis careers without potentially giving it the proper send-off.
Federer became the first person to win 20 Grand Slam competitions. However, he has played in (429) and won more grand slam matches than any other man, including eight at Wimbledon (369). Only Jimmy Connors had more titles won in the Open Era than he did, and he leaves the sport with more than $130 million in winnings.
Roger Federer transformed tennis.
During a five-year period in the early years of the century, when he won 12 of the 18 grand slams, Roger Federer redefined tennis excellence for the male game.
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, the two outstanding sportsmen who eventually gained prominence to make the past 15 years the sport’s Golden Age, have surpassed many of the incredible benchmarks he set.
Federer, who held the top spot for 310 weeks, has been surpassed by Djokovic. Djokovic currently holds 21 major championships, while Nadal holds 22.
Federer’s records will undoubtedly be surpassed in the future, but statistics can only fully express the extent of his skill. A Google search revealed that his statistics fall short of accurately describing his grandeur or popularity. Nevertheless, for a continuous 19 years, this person has received the fan-favorite award at the ATP Awards.
Federer is praised for his performance as well as the way he went about winning, not just because he succeeded. No one has ever graced a court like him. Will we ever see another person like him? Of course, but as a player, it might take place.
In his article “Roger Federer as a Religious Experience” in the New York Times in 2006, author David Foster Wallace described Federer’s forehand as a “giant liquid whip.”
Federer was still a young guy when Wallace wrote the essay, but by the time he was 25, he was already being referred to as the greatest athlete to ever live.
Six years prior to the publication of Wallace’s article, no one expected Pete Sampras’ record of 14 grand slam triumphs to be surpassed. But then came Federer, who was later joined by Nadal and Djokovic to form the “Big Three,” which eventually also included Pete Sampras, Sampras’ adversary.
Of course, a lot of people will argue that Nadal is the best of all time or that Djokovic is the better all-around player.
It is undeniable that neither Nadal nor Djokovic have the Swiss player’s visual appeal, despite the fact that the power relationship may have shifted.
