As a newspaper read, “15 reasons to celebrate”.
“Sorry Pete, I couldn’t hold him off.” This was what Roddick managed to say to Sampras when he was asked how difficult it was to play against Federer in the final. I’m sure Sampras would have felt that his record has been broken by someone who not only matches him in the way he plays but also serves equally good, if not better.
It was on the 5th of July, 2009 that Federer beat Andy Roddick to win the Wimbledon and along with it the record for 15 majors to become the undoubted king of tennis. The script couldn’t have been written any better, the match was a thriller, a cliff hanger, a match where in everyone in the great Rod Laver arena were on the edge of their seats for four and a half hours. The first set was a cakewalk for Roddick. A break and a win, it was simple. The second set gave a hint of what was to come. Down 6-2 in the break, Federer brought out that unending bundle of energy and served his way to victory in the set. The spoils in the third and fourth sets were again divided equally. And, then came along the 95-minute long final set. With no tie-breakers and with no one relinquishing their serve, it went on, on and on. 1-1, 2-2 and so on till it got to 14-14. Federer held serve for 15-14. As if epitomizing his 15 majors, it was the game after game number 15 that won the match for Federer. He managed to drag the game into deuce and finally a couple of miss-hits from Roddick sealed the match for Federer. Spare a thought here for Roddick, who managed to battle all odds and still remain smiling at the end of the match.
As he exulted, like a gladiator does after conquering his foes, like a lion roars after beating its prey, as millions of his fans cheered for him, as the great Sampras himself couldn’t help but applaud the champion, as his wife clapped for him, Roger Federer registered his name as the greatest ever in the annals of tennis history. The only thing he managed to say was that everything about tennis was crazy, Roddick losing after such a big battle was crazy; he winning the French Open and Wimbledon after losing the Australian Open was crazy, he making his pregnant wife wait for so long was crazy, winning it in front of greats like Sampras, McEnroe, Borg was crazy. There were no tears, it was all smiles. He took the cup, kissed it, and took all the accolades with a trademark Federer smile.
Now, to what makes Federer the champion he is. His forehand is unbelievable, let it be the half forehand with both his feet in the air, or a mere flick of the wrists to get the ball in place, his forehand is impeccable. It is always hit and always hits the line. His backhand is awesome. His slice or his shot as if he is waving away mosquitoes in his garden has the finesse of an artist. His serve is no boom-boom. It comes in softly at 120-125 mph, but is unreachable. Sampras couldn’t help but applaud Federer as he aced Roddick away. The final itself had 51 aces, something which Sampras would have been proud of. His volleying is perfect, his drop shots have the silken touch, and his unbundled resources of energy never deplete.
As I tried to decide whether I should be happy or sad, whether I should be happy for Federer, or feel sorry for Sampras, who to this day is my personal favorite, as millions of fans applauded the king, as Roddick sat crest-fallen, as Federer continues his journey to many more majors and records, there was one thing that I felt at the end of the day – It was the game that triumphed. The spirit of the game did win. Why else would someone fly across two continents to see a game of four and a half hours only to fly back immediately? Why else would someone like Sir Alex Ferguson or Russel Crowe come and watch this epic? Records are meant to be broken. When Sampras won 14, no one thought someone would beat him. A Federer came along. There might be someone else on the way. It is all about the desire. As someone said, “the man who wins is the one who thinks he can”, and as Sampras said, “it is all about the hardwork and dedication that goes in”.
Whether you play or whether you don’t, your legacy will remain etched in our hearts. Even if someone else breaks your records, you will to us remain FedEx, or the king Federer.
Cheers !
