Roger Federer never ceases to amaze. How fascinating is the incomparable Swiss magician? Permit me to count the ways. Roger Federer had an incredible season last year. Though he did not win a Grand Slam title, he was a finalist at Wimbledon, losing to Djokovic in 5 brilliant sets, helped Switzerland win its first Davis Cup title, defeated Djokovic three times in five meetings, secured the year end number two ranking and won five titles – two at the Masters 1000 level.
Astoundingly, after a ridiculously truncated off-season, the 33 year old legendary Swiss maestro, came out of the blocks in 2015 relaxed but energized. On Sunday, January 11, 2015, in winning his first title at the Brisbane International-his 83rd overall-Roger achieved a career milestone: 1000 match victories.
Only two players in the Open Era have more match wins: Jimmy Connors with 1,253 victories and Ivan Lendl with 1,071. Roger, with an 81.5% winning percentage, won close to 74% of them in straight sets.
Roger further solidified his exalted status as one of the games greats in the presence of two Australian legends and multiple Grand Slam winners; Rod Laver and Roy Emerson. Roger defeated a more aggressive and free-flowing Milos Raonic in three sets in just under two and a quarter hours.
Incredibly, Roger out-aced Milos, had no double-faults, fewer unforced errors and 43 winners. Roger played with a freedom and purpose only a seasoned and supremely confident champion can summon.
As a result of his consistent and exemplary play throughout the 2014 season, Sir Roger will be seeded two behind Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open. By virtue of a walk over, Novak “won” the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals in London this past November without having to play Roger in the final. Heading into that final round, Roger had defeated Novak three times out of five over the course of the 2014 season, the last contested in October in the semis at Shanghai.
It should be noted, however, that Novak’s two wins-Indian Wells and Wimbledon-went the distance and included multiple tie-breakers. I am not particularly convinced that the number one player in the world is truly confident heading to Melbourne for the first Grand Slam tournament of the year knowing Roger has his number as did Ivo Karlovic last week in Doha, dismissing Novak in the quarters.
Roger Federer, a future inductee of the prestigious International Tennis Hall of Fame, is not quite ready to throw in the towel nor should he; his destiny continues to unfurl as history is re-written. His quiet power and formidable grace irrefutably distinguish him from his peers. I cannot imagine the ATP Tour or the global sport of tennis without him. Fortunately, die-hard tennis devotees, myself included, will not have to contemplate his absence for the foreseeable future. Roger that!
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