Set aside, for the moment, Roger Federer’s athleticism and artistry, his sturdiness and strokes. Start instead with the pure numbers, simply because they serve as an objective – and overwhelming – measure of his supremacy on a tennis court:
-15 Grand Slam singles titles;
-21 Grand Slam finals overall, and 17 of the last 18;
-22 consecutive Grand Slam semifinal appearances;
-237 consecutive weeks (about 4 1/2 years) ranked No. 1;
-24 consecutive victories in tournament finals;
-65 consecutive victories on grass courts;
-56 consecutive victories on hard courts.
Go ahead, scan that list again.
All are records, some by large margins, surpassing the achievements of such greats of the game as Pete Sampras, Bjorn Borg, Rod Laver, John McEnroe. All were achieved during a remarkable run of dominance that began in 2003, building a case for Switzerland’s Federer to be selected as The Associated Press’ Athlete of the Decade.
“What he’s done over the past five years has never, ever been done,” Sampras said the day Federer won the 2009 French Open, “and probably will never, ever happen again.”
That title in Paris this June was significant: Federer tied Sampras’ career record of 14 major championships, a mark he would go on to eclipse a month later at Wimbledon; he finally ended his seemingly quixotic quest for a first French Open trophy; he became the sixth man in tennis history with a career Grand Slam.
And to think: On May 26, 2003, a 21-year-old Federer lost at the French Open to Peru’s Luis Horna (it’s OK to ask “Who?”), his sixth first-round exit in 16 career Grand Slam tournaments to date. That made Federer a combined 29-16 – a .644 winning percentage – at his sport’s four most important sites, with zero semifinals in that span.
“I was so weak mentally,” Federer once said, recalling that setback-cum-turning-point against Horna. “I had to toughen up a bit, you know? It was just one of those moments when I finally realized I have to still change a few things. Because I thought I had everything figured out by then. But I didn’t.”
He soon would. The very next major tournament, Wimbledon in 2003, represented the breakthrough. Starting with that fortnight, which culminated with Federer in tears on Centre Court after winning his first major title, his record at the past 26 Grand Slam events is 159-11, a .935 winning percentage.
Federer owns six championships from Wimbledon, five from the U.S. Open, three from the Australian Open, and that precious one from the French Open, part of his tour-leading haul of 61 titles this decade.
But enough with the numbers for now, because as informative as statistics may be, they hardly tell the full tale. Federer must be seen with racket in hand to truly appreciate the way he reshaped the geometry of tennis with an all-surface, all-around game full of verve and versatility.
At times, he’s elegant. At others, overpowering. Serves, returns, forehands, backhands, volleys – name it, Federer excels at it, and can discuss it in three languages (his postmatch news conferences are routinely conducted in English, French and Swiss German).
Sourced via ledger-enquirer.com
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