The Legend of Federer Continues Rising

Let's get things into perspective here.

After the dust has settled on the Australian Open of 2017, we have witnessed a married father of 4 children beat four top ten opponents, win three 5-set matches (2 of them back-to-back) and defeat his nemesis and toughest challenge in the final, to lift the trophy. It is also his 3rd major as a father.

All this was done at the ancient (by tennis standards) age of 35 after not playing competitive tennis for the last 6 months while recovering from knee surgery.

Even for the immortal Roger Federer, this was an utterly astonishing achievement.

We have witnessed something truly historic. At 35 years of age, Roger Federer is the second-oldest male singles player to win a major tournament. The oldest to do so, Ken Rosewall, was not even in my lifetime (1972).

It will go down as one of his very finest major wins, for all the compelling reasons listed above. The following are some of his other impressive major triumphs:

WIMBLEDON 2003

The first is always special and to date this remains Roger's tidiest major win, hitting just 91 unforced errors in his 7 matches.

AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2006

This win saw Roger go 7 for 7 in major finals, an astonishing run. He broke down in tears after receiving the trophy from one of his idols, Rod Laver.

AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2007

For the first and only time, Federer won a major without dropping a set.

FRENCH OPEN 2009

Finally Roger won in Paris, completing his career Grand Slam after losing in the final the previous 3 years. Despite not having to face Nadal in the final, who lost in an earlier round to Soderling, this was a legendary event as Federer tied equal with Pete Sampras' record of 14 major wins.

WIMBLEDON 2009

A piece of legendary history was made when Federer beat Roddick in the final, winning his 15th major and becoming the most successful major champion in the history of the sport. 

After poring through piles of statistical data of Roger Federer's 18 major wins, I discovered that he has NEVER hit more winners than in the Australian Open 2017! He hit a total of 402 winners throughout his 7 matches in Melbourne! His attacking instincts are sharper with advanced age, keeping the points short to his benefit. But it's his enduring class and quality that continue to stand out.

There is something sacred about the way he plays.

He constructs points in a holy silence. A muffled audible of exertion on the occasional second serve is the only anomaly. Even the greats have to struggle through some shots.

Federer creates his masterpieces with no more than the hallowed sound of his feet dancing around the canvas accompanied by the sound of the ball bouncing off the fibres of his instrument of choice - his Wilson paint brush.

Humans' common origins result in godlike gifts and talents which lead us to admire the divine, the unexplainable, the out-of-this-world feats we often see when Roger enters the court.

He was born for tennis.

He has become tennis.

Roger Federer is not God, but the devotion and loyalty he generates lifts him into a royal, deity-like figure.

Murray and Djokovic bowed out with a whimper, Nadal with a thousand grunts of valiant effort, and though they will undoubtedly make noise again later in the year, it is the hallowed silence of the maestro which speaks the loudest.

Australian Open 2016 Reflections

Now that the dust has settled and the trophies presented to the victorious competitors, I have a few reflections from the fortnight at the Australian Open.

1. Nadal losing to Verdasco in the 1st round.

This was the stand-out moment of the entire fortnight for me. First and foremost, there was some top quality tennis on show. People point out the errors from Verdasco but choose to ignore the equal number of winners he hit. His forehand was on fire and Nadal had no answer to it. After struggling with illness and further injury coupled with a tentaive comeback for the last 16 months or so, the question on my mind is "Why is Nadal still playing tennis? What is his motivation?" The guy has won 14 majors and is a legend of the game. But he is seriously looking weaker with each year and he may not win another major. His records and career stats can only go one way now and I wonder how much longer he can stand to see his stock fall. This will be a key year for Rafa. Can he remain in the top 8? Can he capture another Roland Garros? Just how deep can he go at Wimbledon and the US Open? Can his body handle this busy Olympic year? Will he dump Uncle Toni and try a fresh coaching appointment? There are certainly more questions than answers right now for Nadal.

2. Angelique Kerber winning the ladies singles title

Who saw this one coming? Not many, apparently. Beating Serena in the final is obviously the best way to triumph and represents a defining moment in the German's career. With the win, she has risen to #2 in the rankings and will now feel the pressure to maintain the sort of performances she showed in Melbourne. To be honest, the draw opened up nicely for her - she only faced 2 seeded players in the entire competition (seed 14 Azarenka in the QF and seed 1 Serena in the final). So she had some luck in that respect. However, she also showed a lot of fight and character, coming from match point down in the very first round to go on win the championship.

Can Kerber now establish herself as one of the world's finest? Will she win another major this year? Can she keep up these performances with added pressure of increased status and high ranking involved?

3. The Match-fixing Scandal

This is one I didn't want to mention but had to because of the coverage it has received. The names of Novak Djokovic and Lleyton Hewitt, amongst others, are the more recognisable names linked to the scandal, perhaps slanderously. Only time and investigations will tell, but match-fixing is something tennis needs to eliminate as quickly and harshly as possible.

4. Lleyton Hewitt's Farewell to Tennis

This was one of the enduring moments of the Australian Open of 2016. He put up a good fight in his final defeat to David Ferrer, and the Spaniard was very discreet in his own on-court interview, preferring to allow Lleyton to enjoy his moment. Hewitt was the pioneer of the baseline game for these modern players. He showed it could be successful when courts were faster than what they are today. He battled injury to play with passion and ignite crowds with his never-say-die attitude and fired-up demeanour. The video tribute to Lleyton featuring Federer, Nadal, Kyrgios and Murray was also an excellent touch as Australia said goodbye to a tennis hero.

5. Zhang and Konta's Deep Runs

Two unseeded women, one Chinese, one British. Zhang, a qualifier, reaching the quarters while Konta went all the way to the semis. Zhang defeated Halep in the first round, while Konta knocked out Venus Williams. Impressive statements that led to their quarter-final clash. I was very impressed with Konta's tennis, playing aggressive with a fabulous forehand. Will this be a one-off showing for these two players, or is it the start of something great?

6. Federer's Masterclass against Goffin

There have been so many adjectives and metaphors used in an attempt to describe Roger Federer's tennis genius, and it was on display in the 4th round against poor David Goffin. Federer was hitting every shot in and out of the book with such clean fluency and pinpoint precision while dancing around the court like a majestic ballet dancer. His movement was tremendous and his execution of the backhand down the line sublime. It was a real treat, real tennis, and really, really awesome.

7. Emergence of Milos Raonic

Yes, this was the tournament where Milos Raonic really announced himself as a genuine challenger at major tournaments. His route to the semis was achieved with a monster serve and forehand as well as an improved all-round game. Perhaps most impressive was his composure. Nowhere better was this highlighted than in his 5-set win over Wawrinka. He stayed calm throughout Wawrinka's comeback in sets 3 and 4 and then stepped it up in the 5th. If he can stay injury-free he can be a decent challenger to Djokovic with a different power-play style of tennis. He looks ready to go deeper and perhaps cause a shift in dominance of mens tennis.

8. Djokovic winning his SF and Final too easily

As impressive as Djokovic's consistency in hitting balls deep is, his SF and Final victories seemed too easy for him. Granted, Federer finally woke up and gave Djokovic a minor scare in the 3rd and 4th sets of their semi-final, but before that, it really was one-way traffic. As it was in the 1st set against Murray in the final. Despite the 7-5, 7-6 scoreline in the 2nd and 3rd sets, you just never felt Murray was in it and was going to really present Djokovic with any problems. Who is going to test Djokovic in 2016? Who has the ability to step it up and hurt the Serbian #1? Can he complete the Career Grand Slam this year? The Calendar Slam?

9. Bruno Soares

Yes, the unheralded Brazilian, Bruno Soares, won two major events at the Australian Open. He teamed up with Elena Vesnina to win the mixed doubles title, and also triumphed in the mens doubles with Jamie Murray. A memorable tournament for him personally. 

With Hingis and Mirza also enjoying huge success in womens doubles, just how important are the doubles events in tennis? Do we take them seriously? Should they be taken more seriously? Is a doubles major title less significant than a singles major title? Or do they carry equal weight?

Australian Open 18-31 Jan, 2016

The draw for the 2016 Australian Open is tomorrow and excitement levels are elevating rapidly. The first major of the year is upon us again and the ageless Roger Federer will once more be competing at the hottest slam on the calendar. He has been under the weather but should be fine come Monday. Federer has made it to the last two major finals, showing that he still has what it takes on the big scene.

However, it's Novak Djokovic who is the hot favourite to sizzle once more Down Under and add another major to his growing resume. He is in unbelievable form and I'm struggling to reason who can stop him before the final.

Stan Wawrinka is one man who has stopped Djokovic in Melbourne, in fact he is the last person to beat him there, 2 years ago in the quarter final. Wawrinka is always dangerous on the hard courts, particularly when his backhand is on song. But there remains too much inconsistency of performance to back him to go all the way.

Rafael Nadal is having somewhat of a resurgence following illness and injury during 2014. He is slowly climbing his way back up the rankings but is still a long way from lifting another major, so rudely highlighted last week by Novak Djokovic who slaughtered him 6-1 6-2 in the Qatar final. On the hard courts I would expect Nadal to consider it a success to reach the last eight.

Andy Murray has been runner-up in Melbourne 4 times, losing out to Roger Federer in 2010 and 3 times to Novak Djokovic. He had a great rebound year in 2015 and will be looking to get 2016 off to a flyer with a run to the final once more. now ranked #2 in the world, the Scot will avoid Djokovic until a potential final. Murray would like Wawrinka in his half, leaving Novak and Roger to fight out a possible semi in the other half of the draw.

That covers the top 5 players in the world, and other than them, I can't see anyone else making huge strides in Melbourne. It will be a big year for Grigor Dimitrov, who with so much potential, had an awful 2015 and will find it necessary to go much deeper in slams to convince the tennis world he is the real deal.

Milos Raonic looks likely to enter the draw at #14 and is one to watch. He has improved his all-round game dramatically from a year ago and can now complement his booming serve with a big forehand and solid backhand. He comes into Melbourne having beaten Roger Federer in the Brisbane final on a wave of confidence and optimism.

For the home boys, Bernard Tomic, Nick Kyrgios, Sam Groth and Thanasi Kokkinakis will all be hoping for a good run in the tournament with Kyrgios the most likely for me to spring a surprise or two.

Mens tennis resumes now! Who is your tip for the title in Melbourne?

Matches to look out for in the US Open 1st round

The 4th and final major of the year is upon us. Serena Williams is seven matches away from completing the Calendar Year Grand Slam and equalling Steffi Graf's record of 22 major titles. Novak Djokovic comes to Flushing Meadows hoping to win his 10th major to complete a highly successful year winning 3 of the 4 major titles.

Here is my selection of matches to watch out for in the US Open 1st round.

1. All eyes will be on #1 Serena Williams in her first round match against Vitalia Diatchenko. If she starts well, talk will only grow over her chances of clinching the Calendar Year Grand Slam.

2. An all-American tie including Coco Vandeweghe and Sloane Stephens features in the top half of the ladies draw. Vandeweghe put on an impressive showing at this year's Wimbledon while Sloane Stephens tries to elevate herself into major contention.

3. The demise of Eugenie Bouchard has been rapid and has seen her slip to seed 25 for this year's US Open. She has caused a stir over her unsportsmanlike behaviour in the Davis Cup and is in real need of a re-imaging on the court. That always starts with winning matches, and in the 1st round she will be up against Alison Riske of the United States. Expect the crowd to be behind the home player. Bouchard needs to turn the corner soon.

4. Perhaps the tie of the women's 1st round is 7th seed Ana Ivanovic versus feisty unseeded Slovak, Dominica Cibulkova. This is an intriguing match-up. Ivanovic has fought her way back to form while Cibulkova has struggled to live up to her own high standards following her thrilling run to the final in Melbourne last year.

5. On the mens draw, two really good players who have never made the breakthrough on the major scene. Fernando Verdasco, the 'other' left-handed Spaniard versus Tommy Haas, the German who continues to defy his age. Both players struggle with consistency, but on their day can play some top tennis. I favour Verdasco in this one, but it could be a good match.

6. Another golden oldie, Lleyton Hewitt, is in his farewell year on the ATP World Tour as his retirement from the sport draws ever closer. He will definitely be looking to go out with a bang during the penultimate major of his career. He is well-loved and respected throughout tennis for his battling skills and he will be ready for a typical battle in the 1st round against Aleksandr Nedovyesov.

7. Wherever there is Roger Federer, there will be an admiring audience. The Swiss legend is in town again, in some of the best form of his career, eyeing an 18th major title after his back-to-back wins over Murray and Djokovic in Cincinnati. He is up against Leonardo Mayer, the 33rd ranked player who held 5 match points against Federer earlier in the year, but couldn't convert. May be a little closer than most expect but I still back Federer in straight sets.

8. The first of the two tastiest mens 1st round match-ups involves teenager Borna Coric versus 14-time major champion Rafael Nadal. Coric is a rising star on tour who comfortably beat Nadal in Basel last year before the Spaniard went on a lengthy injury/illness layoff. Nadal has never recovered his full form since then and has endured a torrid year, falling to defeats to players ranked outside the top 100 amongst others. I class this as a potential upset but still expect Nadal to call on his experience to pull him through this one.

9. For me, the most intriguing match of the 1st round is Andy Murray versus Nick Kyrgios. You could say Murray drew the short straw with this 1st round tie. (We are glad it wasn't Wawrinka who ended up with this one!) Kyrgios is under intense scrutiny after he brought the game into disrepute with his disparaging remarks on court aimed at Wawrinka recently. He is fast becoming the bad boy of tennis, though his opponent, Murray, is not exactly a saint either. Kyrgios has the ability and weapons to win this match, so this is another potential upset, but it really depends on the state of his mind and his ability to block out what could be a very hostile crowd.

Australian Open 2014 draw

Roger endured a tough year in 2013, winning just one title in Halle, with his most notable defeat coming just a week later at Wimbledon, where he fell to Sergey Stakhovsky in Round 2.

It's a new year, a fresh tennis season, and the draw for the Australian Open was conducted this morning.

Here is the top half of the draw, where Roger is located:

I'm not even going to bother analysing anything beyond the 1st round, though a re-match against Stakhovsky would be welcome in the 3rd round should results pan out accordingly.

Federer's first match is against Australia's unheralded James Duckworth, but the pick of the round will obviously be Nadal vs Tomic in a night session on the Rod Laver arena.

Federer eases to 1st round win against Hanescu

I didn't believe my wife. I had just seen Federer win the first set before attending to my English class. When I returned to the living room my wife told me the match had finished. What I now saw on the TV were highlights!

Wimbledon 2013 has begun and I'm super excited as always at this time of year. Much excitement was made over the killer of a draw in the bottom half. With Nadal's catastrophic defeat in the first round to Steve Darcis, it doesn't look too bad now!

Federer walked onto Centre Court as the defending champion, donning a smart white jacket with orange trim, clearly dressed for the occasion.

And the match itself lasted just 68 minutes in a 6-3, 6-2, 6-0 victory for the Swiss. It was a walk in the park to be honest, and Federer also broke his own record for the fastest set of tennis - taking the 3rd set 6-0 in a time of 18 minutes.

A great start for the King, and with Nadal now no longer around in his quarter, we're looking towards a possible semi against Murray.

Next up in Round 2 is Sergey Stakhovsky.

Federer falls to rising Murray in semis

Roger Federer unfortunately lost his semi-final match to Andy Murray, but it wasn't without a fight. He eventually succumbed 4/6, 7/6, 3/6, 7/6, 2/6.

As much as I dislike Andy Murray, I have to credit him for a very solid performance, great serving, and even when he surrendered his serve at 6-5 in the 4th set for the match and lost the ensuing tiebreak, he still composed himself well to take the deciding set.

Roger Federer was always behind in the match, served very poorly by his high standards, and it wasn't his best match. Well done Murray for being the better player on the night and getting Federer frustrated at times.

I'm still proud of Federer for fighting and making a match of it, forcing the contest to 5 sets and giving his all again. It is important too, to be gracious in both victory and defeat. It was a pleasure seeing him play, even if the end result wasn't what we wanted.

He's made ten consecutive Australian Open semi-finals or better - that in itself is an achievement to be proud of!

We look forward to seeing you in action again Roger!

Fantastic Federer overcomes Tsonga storm!

Roger Federer held his nerve and kept his cool to beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Rod Laver arena in 5 pulsating sets tonight.

What a match! It was so tense and I was nervous as Tsonga rattled serves past Federer and won numerous long rallies. There were a few moments in the match when I wasn't feeling too confident about Fed's chances. But the great man pulled through and I'm so proud of him!

Federer won the important 1st and 3rd sets, both on tiebreaks, but Tsonga wouldn't go away. If it wasn't for his errors at vital times, the outcome may have been different.

Federer is 31 but showed no signs of fatigue as the match rolled into a 5th set. The final score read 7/6, 4/6, 7/6, 3/6, 6/3 to the Swiss in a little over three and a half hours.

Credit goes to Tsonga for a great performance too. The Frenchman appeared to be in the zone, on serve and with his dangerous forehand. He had Federer on the stretch a number of times.

But Federer's game held firm and I'm absolutely delighted with this win. I'm sure he'll take a lot of added confidence into his semi-final with Andy Murray after this match, and here's hoping he can make another major final!

Flawless Federer beats Raonic in three

Roger Federer defeated Milos Raonic in straight sets last night to set up a mouthwatering QF clash with Jo-wilfried Tsonga on Wednesday.

Federer comfortably won the match 6/4, 7/6, 6/2, taking his H2H over Raonic to 4-0. He also reached his 35th consecutive major quarter final.

It was a clean and impressive performance from Federer who controlled the match from the baseline against his considerably younger opponent.

Fans appreciate Federer's tennis; photographers also are kept busy snapping pictures of this legend:

Federer is currently playing the best tennis at the Australian Open. If it continues I would feel very good about his chances of winning major #18! The backhand has looked solid, the forehand is a dream, his serve is efficient, and he's keeping the errors down low.

Keep going Roger, we love to see you perform!

Federer beats Tomic; records 250th major win

Roger Federer beat Australia's Bernard Tomic in straight sets in Melbourne, 6/4 7/6 6/1. In the process, he became the first man ever to win 250 matches at major tournaments.

Federer's class shone through, despite a valiant effort from young Tomic in the 2nd set, where Federer rallied from 4-1 down in the tiebreaker, to take it 7-5.

The tiebreaker really knocked the stuffing out of Tomic and Federer breezed through the third set to wrap up his 3rd consecutive straight sets win at Melbourne this year.

Up next in round 4 is the dangerous Milos Raonic. Federer's last couple of meetings with the Canadian have been extremely close affairs, with the Swiss coming out on top. We may see a couple of tiebreakers in this one, but I feel confident that Federer will make it to the quarters.

I was particularly impressed with Federer's backhand against Tomic. It looked solid all the way through, and I barely remember a single error from the backhand wing.

It's a joy watching Roger play, but especially when he has that winning look in his eye . . .

GO ROGER!!!

Federer's draw for Australian Open 2013

The draw for the Australian Open 2013 is out and Roger Federer has a 1st round match against Benoit Paire.

From then on, it gets more tricky, with a likely 2nd round clash with the unpredictable Nikolay Davydenko. I don't want to look beyond that. I'm intrigued as to how rusty Federer may or may not be after not playing a competitive match since November.

Roger won't have much time to get in a rhythm as he'll need to be on the top of his game right away, at least from the 2nd round onwards.

I'm excited for Monday, in particular a men's 1st round clash between Janko Tipsarevic and an in-form Lleyton Hewitt, who has just beaten Raonic and Berdych back-to-back this week.

It's been a long time waiting to see Roger play again, so let's hope he can go deep in Melbourne!

Why I love Roger Federer #5 - the single-handed backhand

The single-handed backhand is a thing of beauty.

Firstly for its flexibility.

Secondly for its aesthetics.

credit to http://www.flickr.com/photos/zawtowers/

Thirdly for its rarity.

Roger's is one of the best single-handed backhands there has ever been. And there are only a handful around today, including most notably Richard Gasquet, Nicolas Almagro, Tommy Haas and Feliciano Lopez.

Federer can do so many things with his backhand. Topspin cross-court or down the line, gentle slice, cutting slice, defensive lobs, backhand overhead volley, backhand drop-shot and reach more balls that other guys with a double-handed backhand can't. 

The single-handed backhand of Federer is particularly good at finding impossible cross-court angles by reducing the power, or by using incredible power to blast the ball past his opponents into the open court.

Why I love Roger Federer #4 - The Look

Roger Federer just looks like a legend every time you see him. He has grown into the position with ease.

Love this legendary image of Federer

I love his look when you just know that either he's totally zoomed in and focused on his job, or he's angry and will take it out on the ball . . .

Federer is an image of calm on changeovers

Even in defeat, he still looks every inch a champion

 

Federer looking up to the divine, a piece of which, lives in him

Why I love Roger Federer #3 - The Passion

I love Roger Federer's passion for the game of tennis...

Roger Federer shows his passion after beating Novak Djokovic at Roland Garros in 2011

We usually see Federer keeping cool and calm on court, not giving anything away, keeping his emotions under control.

But it's a special moment when he explodes into life...

Federer celebrates a point at the World Tour Finals in London in 2010

I love the moment Federer shouts "Come on!"

Federer shouts "Come on!" after getting the vital break in the 5th set against Gilles Simon at the Australian Open in  2011

I shout with him on all the big points...

Federer shouts in joy after beating Rafael Nadal at the World Tour Finals in  the championship match in London, 2010

It's the passion, dedication, commitment that show us all just how much Federer cares about winning, and if not winning, then losing after having given everything he's got.

Federer reacts after beating Tomas Berdych in five sets at the Australian Open in 2009

Keep the passion alive Roger!

Why I love Roger Federer #2 - The Federer Forehand

This is a series of why I love Roger Federer, detailing every aspect of his game, on and off court.

Today is the Roger Federer forehand. It is a thing of beauty, unique amongst his peers in execution and beauty. I particularly love the forehand up the line and the inside-out forehand.

Federer gets set for a forehand

Federer prepares to strike a forehand

Federer prepares for the moment of impact on his forehand

Federer skips around the backhand to hit a trademark inside-out forehand

I love this image of Federer's forehand in action

Look at the follow-through on this Federer forehand!

Have a look at Federer's forehand in slow-motion. It's amazing!