The US Open gets underway tonight in New York and looming large over the field is the presence of 17-time grand slam winner Roger Federer. On the surface, that doesn’t sound unusual for a man who will go down in history as the greatest of all time. Yet the truth is that Federer’s presence near the top of odds – where he is listed at $3.50 to go all the way behind only Novak Djokovic at around $2.40 – is a stunning testament to the Swiss star’s resilience.
You need only to look back 12 months to understand why the very real possibility of Federer adding an 18th grand slam title to the resume in a fortnight’s time is so remarkable. 2013 was the year in which the reign of Federer at the top of the men’s game had supposedly come to an end. At 32 years of age, he saw his ranking drop to world number seven – the lowest it had been in 11 years – and he didn’t reach a grand slam final for the first time since 2002.
In fact, Federer won just one ATP title in 2013 and was a mere passenger in the two grand slams he has traditionally excelled at with a fourth round exit at Flushing Meadow and more surprisingly a second round defeat at Wimbledon. The man who once swept aside all-comers without breaking a sweat not only looked fallible for the first time in memory but seemed to have lost all confidence in himself to compete at the highest level any longer.
Federer’s last grand slam win came at Wimbledon in 2012
This wasn’t a complete surprise. Statistical analysis of tennis players in the modern era has shown that they are generally at their best in their mid to late 20s, so Federer was always on borrowed time – which is why his resurgence in 2014 is so impressive.
At 33 years of age, Federer has not only stopped his slide down the rankings but moved back up to world number three. His three titles so far in 2014 have taken him to 80 in his career and he celebrated that unique slice of history by winning his first Masters title in more than two years at Cincinnati just a few weeks ago.
There is no doubt that Federer’s US Open hopes have been boosted by the withdrawal of his long-time nemesis Rafael Nadal through injury, but he had already proved more grand slam titles aren’t beyond him at Wimbledon when he surged to the final before losing an epic five-setter against Djokovic which could have gone either way. That Djokovic has since struggled for form with two early losses in his last two events only adds intrigue to this week’s US Open.
Which brings us to Federer’s legacy and whether he can indeed make it 18 career grand slams. Or 19, or even 20. Certainly the opportunity is there in New York. But even if he falls short, the simple fact that we’re talking about him again shows just what a special player he is at an age when most players have long since drifted from the spotlight.
Let’s hope for at least one last hurrah.
