The tennis gods may not always be kind but they typically play fair. So it was this past Sunday in Toronto: a hard court, opponent and times for Roger Federer at the Rogers Cup. Unquestionably, the better player prevailed in the final, still there was much to be admired in Federer’s performance, particularly his grit and resilience when saving match point down 5-6 in the second set.
His backhand up the line and serve may have betrayed him for most of the match but his desire and concentration endured. The loss to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga – whom he leads 11-5 head to head – doesn’t portend doom for Federer despite the incessant proclamations of his detractors; on the contrary – it forecasts future success for the remainder of the hard court season.
The critics will proclaim that once again, Roger Federer crumbled when it counted most and lost in a final – the others being Brisbane, Indian Wells, Monte Carlo and Wimbledon. I would counter that argument by asserting he was in the final; where were Djokovic and Murray? They lost in the 3rd round and quarters respectively, both at the hands of Tsonga.
Roger Federer took out a resurgent Marin Cilic and a relentless David Ferrer in 3 sets in back to back matches so those who claim he no longer has the strength and lungs to battle in the August heat don’t have a leg to stand on! Roger has proven he is fitter than ever by playing deep into the French Open this past spring – losing in five tight sets to Gulbis – and going the distance against Djokovic in the Wimbledon final last month.
In my estimation, it’s the mind – not the body – that is most fragile and ultimately betrays even the greatest of champions. No one player has competed as well for as long as Roger Federer. His run of 23 consecutive grand-slam semi-finals is a testament to his mental stamina and physical resilience and a feat not likely to be duplicated.
Certainly, there have been lapses in concentration and as one gets older and has more off-court distractions, the lapses are bound to multiply. I marvel at Federer’s ability to remain focused week after week and over the course of five sets. He is better than most at compartmentalizing devastating losses and rebounding to exceed the critics expectations.
In 2012, after having lost a grueling five setter to Tsonga in the quarters at Wimbledon the year prior after being up 2 sets, no one expected Roger Federer to win another slam let alone Wimbledon against Andy Murray. Number 17 was secured in addition to the number one ranking, when at age 30, most had written him off. Undeniably, this was an outstanding achievement and I would caution his detractors to once again, not rush to judgment.
In the Rogers Cup final, Federer and Tsonga both hit the same number of winners; what distinguished them however, was the number of unforced errors and first and second serve points won. One may look at the scoreline (7-5, 7-6) and immediately surmise it was an exceptionally close match.
On the contrary; a more telling statistic is the total number of points won. Tsonga won 14 more points than Roger due in large part to exceptional serving. Tsonga never faced a break point; Roger Federer’s inability to create break-point opportunities inexorably led to defeat.
Despite his erratic play from the baseline, he was exceptionally efficient at the net and with his exquisite footwork, should do more of the same at the Western and Southern Open and the US Open. Federer possesses new found confidence not only in his restored health, but in his remodeled racquet and revamped coaching staff.
Roger Federer need only reflect upon his most recent resurgence in 2014 (7 finals, 2 titles), let alone his remarkable career, to glean inspiration from which profound belief will emerge. The skeptics will cite this and that statistic to illustrate his precipitous decline. My retort has and will always be – Roger this and Roger that!
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