So, the US Open begins today, and I figured that an entry on tennis was in order.
And if we're going to discuss tennis, it should be noted that not long ago, you could hardly discuss tennis, at least on the men's side, without mentioning Roger Federer, one way or the other.
I mean, just look at the list of his accomplishments: he ended up the top ranked man five times in a six year span, and during that time, he had the longest unbroken run at Number 1 of any man in history. Collectively, he spent more weeks enjoying this top ranking than any other man in history. He compiled an incredible resume during this time, with jaw dropping accomplishments that made most people stand up and take notice. He reached more consecutive Grand Slam Finals - ten - than any moan in history, and earned a 7-3 record during that stretch. He won over twenty consecutive tournament finals once he qualified for them. In 2005, he compiled an 81-4 overall record, second only to John McEnroe's 82-3 record in 1984 - and that final loss came in the final match that year, after breaking his hand with a two sets to none lead over David Nalbandian. And the biggest accomplishment of all: the seventeen Grand Slam championships, significantly more than Pete Sampras's previous record of fourteen Grand Slam championships, as well as seven other Grand Slam Finals appearances, making a total of 24 so far. Ivan Lendl had held the old mark for most Grand Slam Finals appearances with 19, so Roger Federer easily eclipsed that.
In 2009, he became only the sixth man in history to have won the career Grand Slam (Nadal has since joined this exclusive club). Last year, he narrowly missed becoming only the third man in history to have won the career Golden Slam, making it all the way to the Olympic Gold Medal Match, before losing to a red-hot Andy Murray that was on the rise. So, he had to settle for the silver medal. But he still did manage to win an Olympic Gold Medal in 2008, in doubles tennis. Just not in singles.
Last year, after seemingly falling to obscurity for a couple of years, which had many people prematurely calling an end to his storied career, he managed to surprise everyone by not just winning another Grand Slam (Wimbledon), but reaching the number one ranking again. He almost was able to get finish the year with the number one ranking, although that distinction ultimately went to Djokovic.
How good is he? Well, so lofty have his accomplishments been, that people are claiming that his career is basically at an end, and that he is well past his prime, even though he is still a top ten player! Most professional tennis players dream of breaking into the top ten, and some very talented players either never do, or break into it very briefly. Federer is currently ranked seventh in the world, yet after such a storied career, this looks almost insignificant. He is 32 years old, and still in the top ten, though! That's saying something.
Still, the inevitable calls for him to finally step down are growing. Below, there are a couple of articles that suggest this growing expectation for Federer to step down from the sport. One is from none other than fellow tennis great John McEnroe, who insists that Federer's days of winning Grand Slams are over. He did say that another Grand Slam Finals appearance or two is not out of the question, however. That seemed strange to me, that Federer could make it to another Final, yet McEnroe seems to be saying that he would have no chance of winning.
Of course, McEnroe has been wrong before. I remember him claiming that Patrick Rafter of Australia was a "One Slam Wonder". This was in 1998, just before he successfully defended his 1997 US Open title. He would also qualify for a couple of other Grand Slam Finals, and even reach the number one ranking in 1999, albeit for only a couple of weeks. Still, McEnroe was dead wrong about Rafter, and he acknowledged this, as well. He was wrong before, and he could be wrong again. And if there has ever been a man in professional tennis that should not be written off or underestimated, it would be Federer.
Yet, the chorus of naysayers is growing. He won the Wimbledon last year, and started to enjoy another resurgence in his career. One year ago, he was the number one ranked player in the world, although admittedly, not with the same level of dominance that he enjoyed earlier in his career.
Whether or not this is the end for Federer, I for one feel privileged to have been able to watch him. He has had some incredible performances and accomplishments over the years, and I have enjoyed them. I remember them well, and that is the reason that I, for one, am not writing him off. In fact, let me go out on a limb and predict that he will still amaze everybody and win another Grand Slam!
After stellar career, Roger Federer's next challenge might be to figure out how to leave the game by Martin Rogers, Fri, Aug 23, 2013 2:19 PM EDT
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/tennis--after-legendary-career--roger-federer-s-next-challenge-might-be-to-figure-out-how-to-leave-the-game-181917490.html
John McEnroe says Roger Federer won’t ever win another grand slam event By Jay Busbee | Busted Racquet – Thu, Aug 22, 2013 11:01 AM EDT
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/tennis-busted-racquet/john-mcenroe-says-roger-federer-won-t-ever-150135065.html
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