Fed Express no longer the fastest train in town

What should we make of Roger Federer’s loss in the Wimbledon quarterfinals to Tomas Berdych? The facts say that the Swiss maestro has won 16 Grand Slams, participated in every Wimbledon final between 2003 and 2009, and perhaps the most important of all given the context of his loss to Berdych: he is turning 29 this year.

An excellent piece by the very respected American journalist Art Spander was the catalyst for this blog, and having read Spander’s piece, he certainly makes a valid point. Did Federer lose or Berdych win? Judging by Federer’s reaction, the former world number 1 did his best to discredit Berdych while complaining about being sore etc.

Does that sound like the champion tennis player fans around the world have come to respect and love watch playing? It certainly doesn’t, and though Federer’s behaviour can be classed as slightly unsporting, all credit should go to Berdych for cracking the nod and putting himself up against the highly skilled Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals. Andy Murray faces Rafael Nadal. And though the British will be craving a home player to win the title for the first time since 1936, Nadal and Djokovic start as favourites, with Nadal, who has impressed since becoming fully fit after overcoming the knee problems that stunted him over the last year, to win the title.

But back to Federer. What of his future? Will he win another Grand Slam? Tim Henman, a pundit for BBC, seems to fall in the sheep herd with comments along the lines that Federer can still win many more titles. Though no one wants to be that person to break ranks and suggest that Federer’s time, much like Sampras and Agassi before him, is about to end, the cracks are beginning to show. His past achievements and the aura he carries on to the court obscure what is really happening.

Tennis, like swimming, favours the younger man due to the physical demands the game places on the body. Federer is, after Nikolay Davydenko by a few months, the second oldest player in the top 10. Andy Roddick, at 27, lies in third place. So, in comparison to his colleagues, Federer, no matter how technically brilliant he is — that being one of the reasons for his dominance — is fighting against the ravages of time and a playing career that has passed a decade.

He might very well be the one, if not the greatest tennis player of all time (that is very contestable), but right now, and from now on, he isn’t the best tennis player in the world. The sooner he realises that, the sooner he can take his place in the new dispensation in a way that will reflect the tag of “greatness” that, at least till now, he does deserve. All good things come to an end eventually.