Roger Federer should’ve retired, right?
On the night of September 2, 2013, many wondered if one of the greatest tennis players in history was finished. You see, that night, Roger Federer had been stunned by Tommy Robredo – a player he’d never lost to previously – in straight sets at the US Open in New York, New York.
For fans, this match set them into panic mode. Federer was already coming off a disappointing few months that included a 2nd round loss at Wimbledon to Sergiy Stakhovsky, a sub-100 ranked player who wouldn’t have dreamed of even taking a set off Roger on grass in any previous year.
Yes, it’s true that many writers and fans were ready to write him off. Many said he should retire immediately, so he couldn’t “tarnish his legacy any further.” Seriously. These people weren’t joking.
I, on the other hand, am not one to question and insult legends of sport in this way. Roger Federer knew he wasn’t finished. In fact, before his hometown event in Basel last October, he straight up said he’s going to play until he feels like he can’t anymore. Federer told the press, ”As long as my body and mind are ready to go, to travel, and I am happy doing what I am doing and I’m successful, I will play for some time. That hasn’t changed due to a difficult six months right now.”
To me, that doesn’t sound like a man that wants to quit because he may “tarnish his legacy.” Has Federer shown up the critics, or what? Roger Federer is back.
Federer has started his 2014 campaign with a 22-4 record, which includes an Australian Open semifinal, a title in Dubai, and a final round loss to Djokovic at the Masters 1000 event in Indian Wells. As well as leading the tour in match wins heading into the clay season, Federer is leading the charge for his country in one of the few tennis championships he lacks.
Yes, the Davis Cup has become what Federer hangs his hat on this season. Federer beat Andrey Golubev of Kazakhstan in front of the home crowd in Geneva, Switzerland in a live fifth rubber to send the Swiss through to their first semifinal since 2003.
In past years, Federer has skipped many Davis Cup ties, either because he wanted to be rested for the majors, or because Switzerland didn’t have a realistic chance to win the Cup. However, when compatriot and friend Stan Wawrinka made a major breakthrough this January and won the Australian Open (and passed Federer in the rankings) perhaps something clicked in the mind of the Swiss Maestro.
With two of the world’s top eight players at the time of their first round tie against Serbia, I think Roger Federer realized this could be it for Switzerland. Finally, after all these years, he could accomplish the last thing he needed to complete his set.
Federer has played in every tie so far this year, and though Wawrinka wobbled a bit this weekend in the quarterfinals, losing his opening singles match, the Swiss find themselves matched up against the Italians in a September semifinal thanks to two singles wins by Fed. Roger has been non-stop Swiss pride on his twitter account, where he’s already talking about being excited for the next tie.
While many others, as well as myself, don’t see Federer as an enormous threat to run through Grand Slam events (bar Wimbledon) and win them this season, he seems to have a new goal in mind for himself this year.
While Rafa Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray may still be slight favorites at the majors over Federer, he is the only of the “Big Four” of men’s tennis left in the Davis Cup draw, and don’t for a second think he doesn’t realize it.
Wawrinka and Federer are currently ranked numbers three and four in the world rankings, respectively, and if they keep playing up to their current form, Switzerland shouldn’t be troubled by any team remaining.
Don’t get me wrong, the winner of the France-Czech Republic opposite semifinal tie will be formidable if they manage to get their top players to show up, but with long time Davis Cup-lover Wawrinka and a man-on-a-mission Federer, I’m not convinced anyone can stop this duo this year.
So next time you watch Roger Federer play, whether it be during the upcoming European clay season or the American hard court swing in August, remember that though he may not be the 26 year old man who thoroughly dominated the tour six and a half years ago, he still has plenty of talent, and with the new goal of a Davis Cup title in 2014, plenty of motivation to go with it.
But Roger Federer should’ve retired, right?
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