Roger Federer
achieved tennis greatness with an intoxicating blend of athleticism,
artistry and unflinching nerve. Yet for all his fluid genius, the
measure of a career often boils down to cold numbers.
Seventeen grand slam singles titles, three more than any man who has played the game, have been won by the Swiss maestro.
But it is eight grand slam events and counting since the graceful
sportsman, who ticked off major accomplishments like clockwork during
his years of dominance, has won a grand slam.
At age 33, with the clock ticking down on an extraordinary career, the
father of two sets of twins faces a golden opportunity to add to his
majestic legacy at the U.S. Open starting on Monday at the U.S. National
Tennis Center.
Federer is
in form and his primary nemesis, 2013 U.S. Open winner Rafa Nadal, has
withdrawn due to a wrist injury, elevating the Swiss to second seed and
ensuring he can only meet top seed Novak Djokovic should they both reach the final.
World number two Nadal, the
Spaniard with 14 major titles of his own, has beaten Federer 23 times in
33 career meetings, and taken nine of their 11 career collisions in
grand slams.
The other
member of the ‘Big Four’ who have dominated men’s tennis the past
decade, 2012 U.S. Open winner and 2013 Wimbledon champion Andy Murray of
Britain, is still struggling to regain top form after having back
surgery, further suggesting a possible storybook run by Federer.
SWISS MARVEL
After a disappointing 2013 season in which Federer was affected by a
bad back, skeptics wondered whether he might be heading down a slippery
slope toward retirement.
Federer believed otherwise, proclaiming his continuing love for the
game, even down to the long hours of practice, and insisted he would
remain a grand slam threat.
The Swiss marvel has proved there is plenty left in the tank.
Federer has been the best player over these summer months, battling
Djokovic in an epic five-set Wimbledon final before falling just short,
and reaching four successive finals during the lead-in to the U.S. Open
including a victory at the Masters 1000 Western & Southern in
Cincinnati.
He scoffed at
the notion of an imminent changing of the guard after impressive results
from some young, big hitters at Wimbledon, including semi-finalists
Milos Raonic of Canada and Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, and Australian
teenager Nick Kyrgios, who was ranked 144th when he ousted Nadal in the
fourth round.
“If I'm playing well I feel like I can control the field to a degree,” said Federer.
“I do believe the top guys are the ones we know and who are still going
to be deciding outcomes of the bigger tournaments, like the Masters
1000s and the grand slams and the World Tour Finals.”
He may well have more to add beyond his record streak of reaching 23
successive grand slam semi-finals through the 2010 Australian Open.
Beyond his record 36 consecutive grand slam quarter-finals through the 2013 French Open.
Beyond the 10 successive grand slam finals he appeared in through the 2007 U.S. Open.
A victory at Flushing Meadows would make him the oldest grand slam
winner since Andrew Gimeno won the 1972 French Open at 34, and oldest
U.S. Open champion since Ken Rosewall’s triumph as a 35 year old in
1970.
Victory for Federer
would bring him a sixth U.S. crown, snapping his tie with Jimmy Connors
and Pete Sampras once again allowing him to hoist a gleaming grand slam
trophy - a sensation he has enjoyed more than any man in tennis.
Date: 22nd August 2014, Source: Reuters
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