The crown is back with the King to lead him to be the all time Great Champion of the sport. A career Grand Slam (win at each of the four Grand Slams) with the total tally of 15 – a feat never achieved by any tennis player. History bows to Legend Roger Federer.
Winning at Rolland Garros earlier this summer, which eluded him for years, must have been the most significant achievement in his career which made tennis pundits hail him as the greatest. It wasn’t easy for him to win that championship. Loosing on previous three occasions in the finals to Nadal (considered the king of clay), it seemed he would have to repeat a Pete Samprass – win the most number of slams without the French title under his belt.
But destiny as it seemed was in favour of Roger this time. The exit of Nadal in the fourth round having lost to Soderling, was a blessing in disguise. He grabbed the opportunity with both hands and finished the tournament with perfect execution and fine play to become only the sixth player to win career Grand Slam. It was also his 14th title, equalling Pete’s record. It was the tenth tine Roger had beaten Soderling who gracefully conceded that he lost to the “greatest player ever.”
Come Wimbledon it was all Roger in the news. Will he break Pete’s record was the centre of every sports column. And with the withdrawal of Nadal owing to his knee injury, it seemed all probable that Roger would get it. But the battle still had to be fought. And wow, how well did he rise to the occasion!! The road to his finals was not as smooth as we would have expected, but Roger, the champion he was, passed all the obstacles to reach final.
And what a final it turned out to be. Roddick was great. Roger was much greater. With a fine display of talent, skill, power and nerves, both played awesome tennis.
It might not be the greatest of the matches for a purist, who expects more of rallies, playing closer to the net, serve and volley (It was more of an Ace marathon dominated by service points win.), but indeed a great match of it own league to show how a duel would be, when one wants to show that he's made a real comeback and another in pursuit of the Ultimate record!!
But in the end, Roger has the last laugh in what was the longest fifth set in any Wimbledon final when Roddick succumbed to strain in the 30th game and committed two errors to allow the champion win the title, win the record, and win the sport tennis!!
From his front row seat in the Royal Box with Bjorn Borg and Rod Laver, Pete Sampras was left with no doubt about who is the greatest male player of all time. "I have to give it to him," said Sampras, a seven-time Wimbledon champion who never thought his record of would be surpassed so soon. "He's won all the majors. He's won 15 now. He's only 27. He's going to win a few more. So in my book he is (the greatest)."
With this triumph, Federer reclaimed the No. 1 ranking he surrendered last August to Nadal. “He's a stud,” Sampras said. “The guy, he's a legend. Now he's an icon.”
True, arguably, Roger Federer is the greatest player tennis had ever produced and his name will be in the history for as long as the sport is played.
