By Matt Trollope
It’s amazing how fortunes change in a year. On the second Sunday night of Australian Open 2009, Roger Federer imploded in the fifth set of the final against arch-rival Rafael Nadal before breaking down in tears during the trophy presentation. With Nadal then firmly entrenched as the world No. 1 and holding three of the sport’s four major titles, it appeared Federer was a fading force. It was, arguably, the low point of his career.
But while much the world was writing him off, 2009 turned out to be one of Federer’s sweetest seasons. He completed his Grand Slam set with a long-awaited victory at Roland Garros, and broke the record for the most major singles titles won with his sixth Wimbledon crown. While the Spaniard succumbed to a knee injury, Federer returned to world No. 1. Marriage to long-time girlfriend Mirka Vavrinec and the birth of twin girls were icing on the cake. He could now walk onto tennis courts the world over more relaxed - and with nothing left to prove.
Australian Open 2010 proved that Federer’s motivation is as high as ever. It also showed that aside from Nadal, the Swiss is without peer. After a tough road to the final four that included four-set struggles against Igor Andreev and Nikolay Davydenko, Federer went up a gear, eviscerating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semi-finals before brushing aside Andy Murray in a straight-sets final.
In the championship match this time around, it was the Swiss reducing his vanquished opponent to tears. Murray struggled through his acceptance speech, ruing missed opportunities and possibly affected by the enormity of playing in a Grand Slam final against one of the most distinguished champions in world sport. Federer said he felt sympathy for his young opponent during this time.
“I thought he was actually doing fine until he told me, ‘I think there will be some tears’. I'm like, ‘don't worry, it will be all right’. And he actually did (cry),” the Swiss said.
“In a way it was hard to watch, but at the same time I like seeing players who care for the game … It's nice to see, you know. So (I) wish, you know, only the best for him.”
The Scot will look back on those missed opportunities with regret; poised to take the match to a fourth set, he could not capitalise. After Federer won the first two sets relatively comfortably, the third went up a notch in intensity, with Murray securing a break in the sixth game but being broken back as he served for the set. A compelling tie-break ensued – the most exciting and memorable of the tournament – as Murray let slip four set points before Federer claimed the crown on his third championship point.
Like all great champions, the Swiss simply played better on the big points. He shrugged off the disappointment at his failure to convert his match points – particularly when he played a drop shot and then let Murray’s winning reply go by despite having a play on the volley – and played solidly to repress the rampaging Scot, exultantly raising his arms as Murray netted a backhand.
Federer said he was lucky to escape with a straight-sets win.
“After losing that point (with the drop shot), I'm thinking, ‘my God, he just grabbed the trophy out of my hands. I might end up losing this thing’. Two or three points later, I'm the winner after all,” he said.
“It was very much a rollercoaster with the emotions. You just try to stay focused. I guess the match point was over, and I was like, ‘Oh, my God, this is it.’ That's kind of how I felt. It was great.”
Come Monday, there will be a significant rankings shuffle after the Australian Open 2010 results are computed. Murray will rise to world No. 3 behind newly-crowned No. 2 Novak Djokovic, while Nadal will fall to a distant fourth, the first time he has been outside the top three since June 2005.
Yet Federer will remain at the top of the rankings ladder, and the only man capable of sweeping a calendar year Grand Slam. After reaching all four finals in 2009 for two wins and exhibiting excellent form at the beginning of this year, his chances of claiming the rare feat – the last man to do so was Rod Laver in 1969 – would have to be considerable. However, he says it is not something that he is thinking about too much.
“I won't just put (my) entire calendar just around trying to win the calendar Grand Slam,” he said.
“I mean, it's something (that) if it happens, it's great, but it's not something that's like my number one goal. Not at all … I really want to try to enjoy, you know, my end to my career, because I've reached already so many goals I thought were never possible. I really want to just enjoy the tour, and that's what I'm doing at the moment.”
One thing getting in the way of the Swiss achieving tennis’ greatest feat is the depth of competition on the ATP World Tour. Federer said he felt like he is being increasingly pushed by the new generation of stars competing for the sport’s biggest prizes. “When I came on tour, matches were played very differently ... there was always a weakness you could go to,” he said.
“Today, that doesn't exist anymore. I think that's also thanks to guys like (Andy) Murray. They've made me a better player, because I think this (the final) has been one of my finest performances, you know, in a long time. Or maybe forever.”
But while much the world was writing him off, 2009 turned out to be one of Federer’s sweetest seasons. He completed his Grand Slam set with a long-awaited victory at Roland Garros, and broke the record for the most major singles titles won with his sixth Wimbledon crown. While the Spaniard succumbed to a knee injury, Federer returned to world No. 1. Marriage to long-time girlfriend Mirka Vavrinec and the birth of twin girls were icing on the cake. He could now walk onto tennis courts the world over more relaxed - and with nothing left to prove.
Australian Open 2010 proved that Federer’s motivation is as high as ever. It also showed that aside from Nadal, the Swiss is without peer. After a tough road to the final four that included four-set struggles against Igor Andreev and Nikolay Davydenko, Federer went up a gear, eviscerating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semi-finals before brushing aside Andy Murray in a straight-sets final.
In the championship match this time around, it was the Swiss reducing his vanquished opponent to tears. Murray struggled through his acceptance speech, ruing missed opportunities and possibly affected by the enormity of playing in a Grand Slam final against one of the most distinguished champions in world sport. Federer said he felt sympathy for his young opponent during this time.
“I thought he was actually doing fine until he told me, ‘I think there will be some tears’. I'm like, ‘don't worry, it will be all right’. And he actually did (cry),” the Swiss said.
“In a way it was hard to watch, but at the same time I like seeing players who care for the game … It's nice to see, you know. So (I) wish, you know, only the best for him.”
The Scot will look back on those missed opportunities with regret; poised to take the match to a fourth set, he could not capitalise. After Federer won the first two sets relatively comfortably, the third went up a notch in intensity, with Murray securing a break in the sixth game but being broken back as he served for the set. A compelling tie-break ensued – the most exciting and memorable of the tournament – as Murray let slip four set points before Federer claimed the crown on his third championship point.
Like all great champions, the Swiss simply played better on the big points. He shrugged off the disappointment at his failure to convert his match points – particularly when he played a drop shot and then let Murray’s winning reply go by despite having a play on the volley – and played solidly to repress the rampaging Scot, exultantly raising his arms as Murray netted a backhand.
Federer said he was lucky to escape with a straight-sets win.
“After losing that point (with the drop shot), I'm thinking, ‘my God, he just grabbed the trophy out of my hands. I might end up losing this thing’. Two or three points later, I'm the winner after all,” he said.
“It was very much a rollercoaster with the emotions. You just try to stay focused. I guess the match point was over, and I was like, ‘Oh, my God, this is it.’ That's kind of how I felt. It was great.”
Come Monday, there will be a significant rankings shuffle after the Australian Open 2010 results are computed. Murray will rise to world No. 3 behind newly-crowned No. 2 Novak Djokovic, while Nadal will fall to a distant fourth, the first time he has been outside the top three since June 2005.
Yet Federer will remain at the top of the rankings ladder, and the only man capable of sweeping a calendar year Grand Slam. After reaching all four finals in 2009 for two wins and exhibiting excellent form at the beginning of this year, his chances of claiming the rare feat – the last man to do so was Rod Laver in 1969 – would have to be considerable. However, he says it is not something that he is thinking about too much.
“I won't just put (my) entire calendar just around trying to win the calendar Grand Slam,” he said.
“I mean, it's something (that) if it happens, it's great, but it's not something that's like my number one goal. Not at all … I really want to try to enjoy, you know, my end to my career, because I've reached already so many goals I thought were never possible. I really want to just enjoy the tour, and that's what I'm doing at the moment.”
One thing getting in the way of the Swiss achieving tennis’ greatest feat is the depth of competition on the ATP World Tour. Federer said he felt like he is being increasingly pushed by the new generation of stars competing for the sport’s biggest prizes. “When I came on tour, matches were played very differently ... there was always a weakness you could go to,” he said.
“Today, that doesn't exist anymore. I think that's also thanks to guys like (Andy) Murray. They've made me a better player, because I think this (the final) has been one of my finest performances, you know, in a long time. Or maybe forever.”
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