By JA Allen August 23, 2008
Like Marat Safin, who temporarily left the ATP tour in 2007 to climb Cho-Oyu on the Tibet-Nepal border, Roger Federer began 2008 at the foot of a mountain of expectation.
2008 was to be the pinnacle of his career, the piece de resistance…afterwards he could begin a quiet descent while still enjoying illustrious fame having conceivably conquered Roland Garros and Olympic Gold.
This would mean a career grand slam and perhaps a calendar year Golden Slam. All of these feats were within his grasp and certainly within the scope of his immense talent. Even so, he must have sensed that his reach was too far. Yet, what was he to remove from his plate?
For Roger, as always, anything was possible. He needed only three more Grand Slams to surpass Sampras. He needed only another 78 weeks at No. 1 to equal Sampras’ total, and he needed to end 2008 and 2009 at No. 1 to equal another Sampras record.
If he could defeat Nadal just once at Roland Garros, he could win the only Grand Slam to elude him. It was the perfect scenario for tennis’ golden boy…as if the stars were aligning just for him.
2008, however, has not proven golden for Roger. It began with food poisoning and a mysterious illness that left him weak and tired. He was later diagnosed with mononucleosis. The effect of the illness diminished his reaction time and his ability to recover energy.
He cannot bounce back as quickly as he could. He lost in the semi-finals of the Australian Open to Djokovic. The world sat up straight. Roger Federer lost in a Grand Slam not on clay.
Some on his team advised Roger to take time off and recover fully. He decided to “play through it.” In other words, he felt he could continue to play well enough to maintain his ranking and resume his edge once the effects of the illness dissipated.
It was risky. But even Roger could not have predicted the vehemence of the media characterizing this momentary lapse as a career crisis of monumental proportions—he had created a monster, and it was on his back as he tried to climb to the summit.
Losses at Dubai, Indian Wells and Miami only added to the media frenzy. Losing to players like Fish and Roddick—players he routinely defeated—began to play on his mind, eroding his confidence. The load was growing heavier by the moment. The weight of all this expectation loomed large.
The clay season that found Roger returning to form for the most part ended in a disastrous final with Nadal at the 2008 French Open, where Roger was embarrassed by the scope of his defeat.
The Wimbledon final broke his heart and what was left of his indomitable spirit. This was his chance to sit alone ahead of Borg with six consecutive Wimbledon championships. He fought back brilliantly to regain his pride, but he lost the match.
The hard court season has so far been unkind. The rhythm is off—so goes the serve…and the forehand. While Roger has shown moments of brilliance—it only takes one “off” match to be out of the tournament. So went Simon, Karlovic and Blake.
Now comes the U.S. Open and Federer is tired. One wonders what would have happened if he had taken off those months after the Australian Open when the diagnosis was confirmed?
While we are considering this option, let us not overlook the fact that even a step off Roger Federer was in the finals of the French Open and Wimbledon where he played in what some call the greatest final ever.
He also was a semifinalist in Australia, where he lost to the eventual champion, Djokovic. He won an Olympic Gold medal in tennis doubles.
Regardless of whether Roger wins the U.S. Open, 2008 has not been a good year when you consider the expectations going in—that it has been a disappointment for Federer fans is putting it kindly.
2009, however, offers promise and relief. After rest and a chance to practice and work with a new coach—after revising a schedule that nearly killed him, Roger Federer will be back, winning again. He will try to wipe 2008 off the books.
There are still new heights to scale and peaks and valleys to endure. He needs that, and tennis needs that, because Roger Federer will always be in the conversation of who is the greatest tennis player of all time.
Comments:
Andrew McNair posted about 1 year ago
Great article mate. 5 stars
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