The night of Friday of 23rd September 2022 was an emotional one– rivals cried and fans cried even harder. While it’s difficult to judge who has been the greater tennis play since its dawn, it is fairly easy to say that Roger Federer is been a player who has won our hearts and brought a new discipline to the sport.
Bidding adieu to his graceful presence on the court and the archrivalry between him and Nadal will prove to be arduous. But alas, his journey, passion and sportsmanship won’t be forgotten.
What started as a desire to want to be a pro-tennis player 24 years ago after his coach Peter Carter’s death, blossomed into making people fall in love with the game all over the world, winning hearts. The first grand slam to put him in the spotlight for the first time was Wimbledon in 2003. The nervous 21-year-old was unaware of what destiny was holding onto for him. Roger Federer before winning the Wimbledon darlings at the age of 19, much before 2002 itself was highly temperamental according to his parents.
His anger and behavioral problems were difficult for the parents to deal with. It was the time after 21, that helped him truly romanticize the game and regulate his emotions. Once he started doing that, it was his game that brought out the emotions from everyone in the stands. There is a unique charm in Roger Federer that does so – off and on the court. Unlike other Sports Legends, Roger Federer never tried to fight a controversy, nor did he shy away from openly admitting the problems with the game itself.
Federer has a record of winning 33 ATP World Tour awards. He has been the greatest grass-court player and had a time where he won 65 matches consecutively from June 2003 to July 2008. He has won the Laureus World Sports Award for Sportsman of the year, not once but five times. While his game has been described as impeccable by various professionals, he won hearts because of his character as well. He has won the ATP Fans’ favorite award 19 times. An interviewer asked Federer “What will happen to the fans once you retire?” very generously he said, they will love someone else. But we are not sure Federer, we are not sure.
While a lot of sportsmen have confessed that eventually they stopped loving the game or wanted to do something else, Roger Federer has breathed and lived tennis. He knew he was going to play for a long time, but nobody could have guessed it would be 24 years and he would retire in his 40s. Roger Federer is a tennis player but also the father of two sets of twins and a Husband to Mirka who he has defined as his rock. She attended all of his practices and was her media liaison and an incredible support system.
This phenomenal journey came to an end with a farewell that could not have been better. Along with Rafael Nadal, we saw Roger Federer play shots with his grace, his style. Toxic masculinity was put on hold when we two grown men, crying openly about an era that has ended who happened to be #1 competitors as well. The pictures quickly became the internet’s favorite for more than one reason. We saw two people who love the sport dearly, and who value the spirit of the game.
Roger Federer is not just a Swiss favorite, he was a world favorite. People have thoroughly dissected his game and most of them describe it as beautiful. Whether they are his sneak attacks, one-handed backhand, smooth service, and killer groundstrokes. His forehand had a separate fanbase. Watching Roger Federer play is like watching poetry in motion. He is a gifted player but he worked very hard to reach where he is. His knee turned out to be the real obstacle for him in 2016. He has had multiple surgeries to recover but more often than not, it stood in the way of Federer and his game.
Novak Djokovic called it the most beautiful moment he has witnessed and Nadal mentioned how much of an important part of his journey Federer has been.
Bidding a farewell to Roger Federer, thankful to him for leaving a legacy, thankful to him for showing us the true spirit of sports.
Written by Freya Dholakia
Edited by Mehak Vora