Opinion Days of the Rog
Looking back on a year in tennis....
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As the ATP finals wind down to a fitting close,with Roger Federer assuring his year-end number one ranking,as well as making it to the semi-finals,this has been a historic year not just for Federer,but also for tennis as a whole. In a sport that is known for its ups and downs,and which is just a year removed from witnessing what is almost universally being acknowledged as the greatest match ever,namely the Wimbledon 2008 finals,this has been a see-saw of a year,with momentum shifts,feel-good stories,injuries and unfortunately,controversy as well.
What is certain is that this was Federers year,but,ironically,he has a feeling of vulnerability about him,and his winning is no longer a foregone conclusion. Rather,his turnaround year can be attributed to some support from a person who was barely known in his home country of Sweden,but in the ATP finals defeated two of the top three players in the world. Robin Soderling was the protagonist of what is now considered the greatest upset of all time,when he defeated Rafael Nadal at the French Open and opened wide the window of opportunity for Roger to kill three birds with one swing of his racquet: slam number 14,his first French Open,and a career grand slam. More importantly,it was a far cry from when he literally cried his heart out during the prize distribution ceremony at the Australian Open,seemingly unable to decode the Nadal puzzle.
Nadals,of course,is another story that started as a fairytale year,and is ending in a heap of unfulfilled expectations. Before the Soderling match,Nadal was peaking,and in every which way El Toro de Oro,or the Golden Bull: the defending Wimbledon champion,Australian Open champion,Olympic gold medallist,and well on his way to remaining undefeated at Roland Garros. Since that match,Nadal has looked a pale imitation of his once immortal persona: aching,woebegone,and seemingly unable to come to terms with his body not being a hundred per cent. He wins against the worlds top players on increasingly rare instances; and in recent months,has not been considered the favourite by a long shot,fighting to hold on to his ranking. With his high-impact game,his reliance on endurance,speed,stamina and physicality,a Nadal less than a hundred per cent fit is a sitting duck even for players not named Roger,Andy or Novak (and now,Juan and Robin).
Tennis has changed now,and the depth is significant. Andy Murray,Novak Djokovic,Juan Martin del Potro,Robin Soderling,Jo-Wilfried Tsonga,and of course Andy Roddick,not only compete with,but often have a fairer than even chance of beating Federer or Nadal. While their overall consistency is questionable for all the grand slams,they are more than capable of raining on the potential champions parade,and also winning their own share of grand slams soon. Federer is winning harder,and savouring each victory with more relish with each passing year,and each grand slam he wins is more a testament to his greatness,and less a stain on the deep competition.
Tennis was in a great spot and for all intents and purposes had never looked better. Womens tennis too was on the upswing with Serena doing well,Venus re-emerging,and Clijsters going on to win a Cinderella grand slam.
And then came Agassi,and his book. Open has thrown the tennis world into disarray,and angered most tennis purists,especially the players. That there seems to be no purpose behind the revelations from one of tenniss greatest ambassadors and biggest stars makes it seem that much more futile. The doping stories caused a crackdown,with two Belgian players being banned for not reporting for drug testing under the now infamous WADA whereabouts clause,and threatening to sue the ATP and WTA. Agassi,of course,will face no legal action since his acts all stemmed from over 10 years ago.
The next few years will see many new faces and hopefully some Indian ones as well,as the changing of the guard takes place. This is why 2009 will not only represent all the records that were broken,but also a paradigm shift,with depth replacing dominance,and power replacing finesse. One should savour these last few pulses of the tennis calendar with relish. Tennis has had a year of paradoxes,and fittingly,there will be no epic ATP Finals featuring Federer and one of his young nemeses,in a thrill a minute encounter. One must get used to the fact that a Nadal or a Federer will not be a part of every tournament finals from here on,but should also reflect on just how much each man has achieved in the last two years. 2008 was Rafas year,but when the dust settles,this will be seen as one of the most momentous years in the history of tennis: when a gracious superstar stamped his legacy against all the odds. The days of the Rog continue.
The writer is a sports attorney
express@expressindia.com
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