Federer -- A Great Champion

It would be not be possible for me  not to write about Roger Federer and his 18^th Grand slam win at the 2017 Australian Open – to me , a diehard Federer fan , it was one of the most astonishing comebacks from injury to win the title and when no one  including himself was expecting him to do so.

The final itself was a fantastic match – Up against his nemesis and old rival Nadal ( who himself was coming back from injury )—Federer had all odds stacked against him – his record was poor against Nadal—especially in the finals of a Grand Slam event – he had not won a Grand slam since Wimbledon 2012. He had been in the finals subsequently, but was outfoxed by Djokovic..

He was no longer young –  He was coming back after a six month layoff --It was two old veterans clashing –

Few things happened in the draw that may have helped both men get to the finals – Andy Murray was sent packing by Mischa Zverev and Djokovic by an inspired Dennis Istomin who played inspirational tennis on that day and exposed Djokovic’s current vulnerability ..

Enroute to the final , Federer had challenging matches against Kei Nishikori ( 5 setter ) , Stan Wawrinka ( semifinal 5 setter )—Got to watch both these matches – Federer had to play well to win against the Japanese , while against hi compatriot, it was a match of errors – The quality of the tennis never rose to great heights but it was good that Federer got to the finals –

Nadal had a tough passage – A tough match against Sacha Zverev ( 5 sets )in the round of 32, a four setter against Monfils before he eased himself in to the semis beating Raonic quite easily. He was getting in to the range – But in the semifinal against Dimitrov ( nicknamed  Baby Fed ) , Nadal had a huge battle .. It was a match of the highest quality with some amazing hitting and retrieving by both players.. It was a pity that I could watch this match only from Game 7 of the 5^th set … Dimitrov did not deserve to loose --  Watch out for him and the Zverev brothers – they will soon be chasing titles –

Back to the final – Federer’s backhand which seem to desert him in the semis , got working in the final and in the first set , he had a measure of Nadal and seemed to be in full flow . But Nadal is a fighter, he came back roaring to win the second set . There were lot of mind games being played and Federer kept himself to the back court , being patient . As he started taking risks , the unforced errors went up but so did the Winners – the higher the risk you take , more the rewards and also pitfalls . Set 3 went to Federer but Nadal bounced back in set 4. I thought Federer gave away some cheap points to enable Nadal get back on level terms.. So . in the final set , first game Federer lost his serve and I thought , not again – one more final being lost – But just as I was giving up , Federer did the unthinkable. He broke back not once but twice to nose ahead. The final serve out for the title was high voltage game  . Nadal gave a hard time – Games went to deuce – and finally the Hawk Eye Technology  decided the winning point as Nadal challenged a winner from Federer – It was one of those tense matches to watch – I cleaned up most of the nails of my fingers – the final games were watched by all at home . cheering every point that Federer won. 

Some thoughts on Federer --

Age is not an criteria – key is to stay match fit – Some of these five setters go beyond 3 hours of playing time – need to be in great physical shape—Federer did just that – It must have been one hell of a training program that he would have pushed himself to get in to match fitness post the surgery and lay off.

It was also Federer’s 100^th match at the Australian open and that speaks volume of how consistent he has been the last 15 years or so-

Amazing confidence and freedom in playing – May be he did not have anything to loose and also to prove

Super back up team and support

Unruffled , calm and taking one match at a time

Respect for other players ( you should watch his interview with Jim Courier post his match with Wawrinka )

Consistency and relentless focus

Staying humble—

His behavior on court – impeccable—rare frustrations – no questioning of line calls – Challenges at the right time – Just reflecting the nature of his play on court – Smooth , suave . focus on the match only-- there is just that magic feeling when he is on the court

Master technician at work

Going by the hints , Federer may soon retire --- things go on but he has been one hell of a champion sportsman— he will leaving a big mark on this sport.