MELBOURNE – 20 times Roger Federer. For us ordinary human beings, it is impossible to predict how long the Swiss phenom will continue to win and amaze us with his magnificent tennis.
“I truly don’t know for how long I will be able to keep playing at this level,” Federer said in his post-championship press conference, with his eyes still a little teary after such an emotional trophy presentation.
“I am a little upset for not being able to express everything that I really wanted to say during the presentation. At the same time, it means that the sport is still giving me so many emotions and my passion is still strong. Quite frankly I don’t know when I am going to stop playing. If Mirka asked me to stop, I would do it immediately. We always discuss and decide things together,” the Maestro said.
A year and a half ago, many predicted that the end of Roger Federer’s career was near. After getting injured during a Wimbledon semifinal loss to Milos Raonic in 2016, Federer took a six-month hiatus from the game.
At the 2017 Australian Open, Roger shocked the entire tennis world when he captured the 18th Grand Slam title of his career and the first since 2012, defeating Rafael Nadal in a compelling five-set championship match. Roger said that he would have been happy with winning only one big title after his comeback, instead he went on to win title No. 19 at last year’s Wimbledon and No. 20 at this year’s Australian Open.
Nobody could have predicted that Roger would have won 3 of the last 5 Grand Slams. Novak Djokovic looked invincible in 2015 and for the first half of 2016, then Andy Murray ruled the second half of 2016 with an incredible winning streak that allowed him to take over the No. 1 ranking and Rafa Nadal – despite his usual knee problems – is still five years younger than Roger and extraordinary force in the game.
Federer’s class and exceptional talent were never in doubt, but 36 years of age and a 5-year drought of Grand Slam titles looked an insurmountable obstacle. Instead, Roger proved everybody wrong. At Wimbledon he won the title without dropping a set and in Melbourne he won back to back championships equaling Novak Djokovic and Roy Emerson at six Australian Open titles.
Roger could have won this year’s Australian Open without dropping a set, had he not lost a close second set to Cilic in the championship match. At the end of the day, the fact that Federer was able to defeat a rival who is 7 years his junior in a close five setter is probably even more impressive than winning the tournament without dropping a set.
Before the final, Cilic had a better record in five set matches than Federer, having won 27 matches and lost only 12. The Croat was also on a high after upsetting Rafa Nadal in the quarterfinals and avenging 5 consecutive losses against the Spaniard.
After a nervous first set, Cilic started dictating the rallies with his powerful forehand and caused Federer all sorts of trouble.
The final was probably decided at the beginning of the fifth set, when Cilic squandered two break-points allowing Roger to completely change the momentum of the match. Cilic was broken in the following game and never really recovered.
Roger was contesting his 30th Grand Slam final of his legendary career and this victory adds another remarkable crown jewel to a resume that now includes an astonishing 20 Grand Slam titles.
The crowd inside Rod Laver Arena celebrated Federer’s win with an extended standing ovation, which literally brought the Swiss legend to tears during the trophy ceremony.
Besides the impeccable stats and impressive numbers, the most amazing fact about Roger Federer is that he is becoming an even more incredible tennis player at 36 years of age. Throughout the two weeks down under, his level only dropped for a slight moment in the fourth set of the final, otherwise his game was pure perfection for almost 6 and a half matches. His backhand has now become as big of a weapon as his forehand with the perfect balance between slice and top spin.
Roger is now the overwhelming favorite to win the first two Masters 1000 events of the season in Indian Wells and Miami. He will also be the favorite at Wimbledon, where both Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic won’t probably be at 100% yet. Most likely Federer will skip the entire clay court season to prevent his body from going under major physical stress on Roger’s most difficult surface.
(Article translation provided by T&L Global – Translation & Language Solutions – www.t-lglobal.com )
