No Finish Line
Roger Federer is on top of the world. Back-to-back wins at Roland Garros and Wimbledon gave the Swiss 15 Grand Slam singles titles, bumping him beyond Pete Sampras’ record, an achievement that Sampras expected to stand for decades.
“I know how much the record meant to him and he knows how much the record means to me,” Federer said. “In a way, I still feel like we share it, just because he was such a wonderful champion.”
Following Wimbledon the new rankings showed Roger had resumed the No. 1 spot. The consummate perfectionist had spent 10 agonizing months at No. 2 – the majority of ATP No. 1 record holders recover the top spot within one month of losing it. When Federer reclaimed No. 1 he did it without facing his arch rival, Nadal. That scenario stirred debate regarding the validity of his success.
“Roger needs to buy [Robin] Soderling some champagne for getting Nadal out of the way,” said John McEnroe, after Soderling’s surprise win at Roland Garros.
However, sports psychologist Adam Naylor said Federer earned the titles fair and square: “Critics that suggest Federer had an easy path to the finals fail to appreciate the level of performance of an elite athlete.”
Federer’s ultimate French Open goal was to face Nadal in the finals. “That’s just the way it goes. It’s not the mistake of the one who wins at the end. You never know how [Nadal] would have played – he had the injury. Tennis moves very quickly, you know.”
“I'm happy at least that I became No. 1 in the world by winning the tournament, not just by him [Nadal] not playing at all, or by me playing decent or someone else playing decent and getting to No. 1. That's not the way it's supposed to be. You’re supposed to win big matches and big tournaments to get back No. 1,” said Federer.
Nadal is a close second in the rankings. If his tendonitis of the knees improves and he returns to schedule, he will wrestle Roger for position. Remember, Nadal’s record against Federer is good. He beats him two-thirds of the time. Incidentally, when they have met on hard courts their record is even. That may soon change if they meet in Flushing Meadows.
The Swiss will bring calm confidence through the hard court season and continue to build on his staggering successes.
