At the conclusion of the 2008 men’s singles final at Wimbledon, most tennis followers were predicting the beginning of the end for the great Roger Federer. The Swiss had just lost to his greatest rival, Rafael Nadal, in one of the most exciting finals in Wimbledon history and would later in the year lose his number one world ranking also to Nadal.
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Earlier in the year he had lost in the semi final at the Australian Open to rising star, Novak Djokovic, who went on to claim the title and with it his first Grand Slam. Federer then went on to Paris for the year’s second Grand Slam at Roland Garros, where he lost in the final to Nadal winning only four games in a one sided final.
That Wimbledon defeat came next and prevented Federer from breaking the record of five straight wins at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, which he jointly held with Bjorn Borg. The defeat also left Federer with only one Grand Slam title to his revered name that year and he knew that defending that one crown, the US Open, was going to be a tough ask.
Nadal was looking more voracious than ever and Djokovic wanted to go one better than he did in 2007, when he finished runner up. He would also have to contend with another emerging star from Britain, Andy Murray, who along with Nadal, were the only two players in the world to have a superior head to head record against him.
The scene was set therefore for the great Federer capitulation but he was having none of it of course. Nadal as it turned out had still not come to terms with hard court surfaces and Djokovic was unable to get the better of him in the semi final, losing in four sets. It was left to Murray in fact to deny Federer a 2008 Grand Slam win, but he was clearly overawed by the occasion leaving Federer to deny his detractors and finish the year off with at least one Grand Slam, something which he had achieved every year since 2003. It was his 13th Grand Slam victory too, meaning that he was only one behind the record of the 14 held by Pete Sampras.
In the first Grand Slam of 2009, the Australian Open, the great man was to meet with more disappointment however, losing yet another epic five set final to his nemesis, Nadal. More worryingly for Federer however was the fact that Nadal had won for the first time on a hard court surface, signalling his intent in the process to challenge the Sampras record himself. It was after all Nadal’s sixth Grand Slam crown and he was only 23 years old.
Fortune however favoured Federer at the French Open of 2009, in that Nadal, who had been carrying an injury lost for the very first time at Roland Garros. The Spaniard was beaten by Swede, Robin Soderling in the fourth round and his exit left the way clear for Federer to win his first ever French crown, after finishing runner up on three other occasions. Federer’s victory in Paris was his fourteenth Grand Slam title which of course meant that he was now level with Sampras.
At 2009 Wimbledon, Federer was named the number one seed as Nadal had failed to recover in time to defend his crown and without Nadal in the draw, the Swiss made it through to his seventh final running. Waiting for him on the Centre Court for a third time was American Andy Roddick, who was looking to avenge his two previous final defeats. In yet another outstanding final, that has been likened by some as a ‘war of attrition’ it was Federer who emerged as champion.
The fifth and deciding set which went to 30 games will long live in the memory and although it could have gone either way, it showed up Federer’s indomitable spirit, providing ample reason as to why he has become the greatest tennis player the world has ever seen. The win also gave Federer the all time Grand Slam record with fifteen titles with the US Open still to come and Nadal still injured.
Amazingly, despite being a red hot favourite, Federer was beaten in the final at Flushing Meadows by another young, up and coming player in the form of Argentine, Juan Martin Del Potro, who won in five sets, preventing Federer of winning his 16th Slam and his third of the year.
Federer’s good fortune returned in time for the Australian Open, the first Slam of 2010, which he won for a fourth time, defeating Andy Murray in the final. Nadal had returned by this stage but was still not in top form and could only make the semi final. For Federer victory was a fantastic moment, giving him an incredible sixteenth Grand Slam title in 22 Grand Slam finals and elevating him back to the number one spot in the world rankings. It also meant that he had won at least one Grand Slam in every year between 2003 and 2010.
That however is where the Federer Grand Slam story ends for the time being as he had to spend most of 2010, watching Nadal surge back to top form and win all three remaining Slams of the year. Federer lost in the quarter final in Paris to Soderling, he was beaten in the quarter final at Wimbledon by an inspired Tomas Berdych and lost in the semi final at the US Open to Djokovic.
A 29 year old Federer must now return to Melbourne, to defend the 2011 Australian Open, the one Grand Slam title he still owns. He knows that the resurgent Nadal and several others will be there looking to deny him, but as mentioned above, most plaudits were suggesting it was the beginning of the end for the ‘Fed Express' two years ago and now three Grand Slams later they are still eating their words.
It would be no surprise to see him further add to his tally in 2011 as he re-writes the tennis history books en route to re-affirming his position as the greatest tennis player of all time.
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