No more worlds to conquer for Federer

Anand Philar

There are times when you tend to commiserate with the loser rather than celebrate with the winner.

Sunday night at Wimbledon was one such occasion when more sympathised with Andy Roddick than the ones who got swept away by a tsunami of euphoria in the wake of Roger Federer's astonishing 15th Grand Slam title.

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It was a night when the better player lost, but class eventually won in the end.

Down 2-6 in the second set tie-breaker, Federer dug into his reserves to come up with a magical backhand crosscourt winner, bending almost to his shoelace.

That shot, for me, separated the two as it revitalised Federer and sparked his revival after he had lost the first set.

In fact, I thought Federer had to work more hard for his victory on Sunday night than at any time in the past and I doubt if he has ever been pushed to the brink in a match he won as much as he was by Roddick.

I still cannot digest the fact that Roddick contrived to lose a match that was his purely on merit.

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He played better and committed fewer errors, but was punished heavily.

His capitulation in the two tie-breaks neutralised the two service breaks that won him the first and fourth sets.

In the end, Roddick's hitherto unbreakable serve let him down just once and that was enough to give Federer the fifth set and the record-setting title.

In the process, Federer only confirmed his place in the tennis pantheon that, in my book, is topped by the immortal Rod Laver, the only player to achieve two Grand Slams, and seven years apart and in two contrasting environments (first as an amateur and then a professional).

Sure, Federer, only 27 now, might go on to win a few more Slams as Pete Sampras remarked after watching the Swiss ease past his record of 14, but it will only get harder for him from here on.

In the 2007 final against Nadal, it took Federer four sets to subdue the Spaniard who won in five next year.

This time around, the Swiss ace looked patchy against Roddick and even vulnerable like never before.

The cracks in Federer's faƧade were far more evident considering the unforced and uncharacteristic errors he committed, but the American just failed to jimmy the door open and force his way to a victory that was well within his reach.

In fact, I would say that Federer escaped from a prison with the jailor (Roddick) leaving the key behind in the lock and going for a walkabout. Thus, Roddick invited death while Federer went in for the kill with a kind of tenacity and determination that makes the champions who they are.

Federer is a legend: Sampras

There has been no tennis champion without a blot on his record.

Sampras never won the French Open and Borg could not conquer the US Open.

In the case of Federer, he won all four majors, but it will always be pointed out that his French Open success earlier this year was in the absence of Nadal who limped out in the early round with a problematic knee that also kept him out of Wimbledon.

To me, Federer's ultimate test would be to win at Roland Garros and Wimbledon beating a fully fit Nadal.

Conversely, with the records behind him, one could yet see Federer playing with greater freedom, for he has little else to prove or achieve.

With the monkey off his back, he might begin to enjoy tennis far more, but it is debatable whether he would be able to play as well as he did say two years ago.

A greater challenge for Federer would be to maintain focus on tennis with fatherhood just a month away. With a family in tow, priorities do change and necessarily have to as spending time away from home becomes a bit of a chore.

There are more qualified writers to sing hosannas of Federer, but I am eternally grateful to the man who brought back certain old-world charm, grace and yes, the elegant one-handed backhand that have revived tennis from a monotonous power game to a thing of beauty.

In these days of reinforced featherweight racquets and duck strings, big serves and shorter rallies, Federer stands out much more than his peers did in their respective eras.

That, for me, is the essence of RF and I will remember him for these gifts as much as his records.

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