Let’s move on to Roger Federer, who turns 39 on August 8, an unfading champion who, being a month older than Serena Williams, gets to go first in my speculations.
Just like Venus, just like Serena, Federer unmistakably highlights the fact that, a) he enjoys playing, and until he does he’s not going to stop (I don’t even think it’s a financial matter, even though money never seem to be enough even for those who have so much); b) he would stop only if Mirka asks him to, but she’s a practical woman and probably knows that still being able to travel to the most exclusive places on Earth in the company of a global icon isn’t a bad thing, especially until he can afford to bring twin girls, twin boys, chef, nannies, and so forth. And since he’ll always be able to afford it, why retire?
However… despite the fact that the Laver Cup seemed to have also been created to prolong his career indefinitely, and despite the fact that the knee surgery was so serendipitous as to happen right before the tour shut down (allowing him to come back without the stress of having fallen in the standings by the time Wimbledon started), despite all of this, Father Time has no mercy and Roger will be 40 next year – I think he’s fully aware of this. He too, like Venus, aspired to an Olympic medal – it would be the third one for him, after the gold in doubles in 2008 and the silver in singles in 2012 – but unlike her, despite loving the game even more than she does, Federer is too proud to keep playing while not competitive anymore. He’d never accept falling to N.67 in the rankings.
Even today, when Roger loses, he still thinks that it was him who lost it and not the opponent who won it. He might say, “He bested me today,” but he’ll never say, “He’s better than me,” simply because he doesn’t believe that’s true, with one likely exception – when he plays Nadal on clay.
And who could blame him for that, after he rose to a double match point at last year’s Wimbledon against the man who dominated the last Slam played, Novak Djokovic?
To lose a match (or multiple ones) in his Laver Cup, that wouldn’t leave a dent in his pride, not as much as a series of defeats in the first round of the Slams would, or, even worse, not as much as a streak of defeats in minor events would. This is why I think that he might keep playing in the Laver Cup until he’s 45 (allowing his manager and friend, Tony Godsick, to sell more tickets than any other player could) – he has too much class, deserves too much respect, commands too much authority.
Will an unintentional sabbatical lengthen or shorten Roger’s career? It’s a good question with an incredibly difficult answer. We all think, I believe, that among the third millennium’s best Roger is the one who can afford to come back after a long hiatus and find his best game quickly. That wouldn’t happen for Djokovic or Nadal, who need much harder training to get there.
This assumption is proven by what happened in 2017, when he came back after six months and won in Melbourne, Indian Wells, and Miami, starting with an insulting 17th seed… And yet, we’re talking about the 2021 Australian Open, which will take place four full years after that miracle – it’s the very long time between two Olympics.
We know how good Federer is, but even the greatest of champions aren’t immortal. I believe that if the virus were to be defeated before Wimbledon (unlikely), Roger would be the favourite going into the grass season, as there are fewer opponents who could give him a run for his money in the early rounds on grass than there are on hardcourts, and thus a good draw would give him a chance to reach the latter stages and take his chances against anybody, Djokovic included. But if the short grass season, or the entire 2020 one, were to be cancelled, in that case I don’t think that an almost-40-years-old Federer would be able to escape the grasp of his advanced age, losing match and match and dropping down the rankings. And then, not even the grass courts of 2021 Wimbledon could resurrect him. Clearly, I wish to be proven wrong, but if asked what I honestly think, well, this is it.
I’ll get quickly to Serena Williams, who’s going for her 39th birthday in September. Motherhood, the wish to actually enjoy family life, health and conditioning that are not that unflappable, some weight issues that seem like a tougher opponent than many rivals, multiple defeats in the Slams, the ninth place in the WTA Ranking (mainly due to a lower and lower amount of event entries, a trend that seems poised to get worse), the decreasing fear she exerts on much younger foes, all these reasons make me believe that 2020 – perhaps orphaned of Slams and therefore enemy to his dream of equalling Margaret Court’s record tally of 24 titles – might be Serena’s final run.
I apologise for betraying my own article’s title, but I’m going to stop now, lest going far too long. While I’m quite convinced of the correctness of what I’ve written (always ready to be proven wrong by reality, though), a guess on what 2021 might hold for Djokovic (who’ll turn 34) and Nadal (35) would be far from educated, becoming thus just a guess.
To speculate on what they might do would be utter gambling, whereas Roger and the Williams have actually let slip a Tokyo deadline through the years, and this is what I’ve based my hypotheses on. Those who differ can obviously comment however they want, but I’d be glad if they refrained from insults and slights. Thank you.
Article originally published on ubitennis.com and translated by Tommaso Villa
