Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Roger Federer is the greatest ever' that was published in Newsband

Roger Federer is the greatest ever

Roger Federer, the Swiss maestro, has now won three of the last four Grand Slam events he has entered although he is in the mid-30s. Federer was the firm favourite. His striking, well-proportioned game looked in good order. His repurposed single-handed backhand was equal to the task. His more urgent style of play both conserves energy and discomfits the opponent although it is a method fraught with risk. But Federer is a genius.

Marin Čilić proved a formidable adversary in the title round. The 6’6” Croat has reserves of easy power and moves well for someone his size. Victory demanded a masterful calming of the nerves. It is this ability that allows Federer to outcompete and outlive much younger opponents.

All time great artist of Tennis Roger Federer has shown that he can master hard courts, grass courts, even when he is at 36 years of age. There are hard court specialists, there are clay court specialists, there are grass court specialists ....... and then there is Roger Federer - thus spake Jimmy Connors. Need one add more?

He is one who won’t be written off. Roger Federer has proven that his ability to surprise is undiminished. There was something else about Federer’s Australian Open final win last weekend: an unusual blend of razor-sharp intensity and vulnerable uncertainty.

Tennis critics have been talking about the “sunset” of his career for so long that it has surpassed the tenure of his prime years. Between 2003 and 2008, Federer won 13 Grand Slams; in the seven years since, he won just four, and two of those came in 2009. In 2011, it seemed as though Federer was treading the familiar path of ageing athletes. The intervals between his victories grew longer, especially compared to 2006, when he recorded an astonishing 92 wins against five losses.

However, he remained optimistic. The comeback was slow, but gradually it materialised. Federer at 36 years seized the crown in Melbourne, even as every opponent he played en route to his first Australian Open win in 2004 has retired. With this win, Federer has stamped his dominance in one era and yet stubbornly refused to leave the next.