Wimbledon 2012…At the end of the first set, and through most of the second, Andy Murray had Roger Federer on the ropes. Some excellent, aggressive stroke-play combined with the urging destiny of 80 million Britons seemed to inspire Murray to achieve what no Brit had for 74 years – win Wimbledon.
In fact, all through the first and second sets, Federer was being tossed around like a bobbing cork in a stormy sea, unable to find his rhythm and just hanging on for dear life. At 5-All, and managing to hold on to his serve, Fed’s best hope was to try and best Andy in the inevitable tie-break that was to follow. But the tie-breaker never happened. Federer won the second set 7-5. Suddenly he was back and didn’t look back after that.
I have seen this happen with Federer’s opponents often enough. Everything seems to be going their way when, for no explicable reason, Federer wins a crucial point that changes everything. In this case, Murray was serving at 1 set up, and 5-6 down in the second – and for one, tiny moment gave Federer one, tiny glimpse at a potential set point. And Federer took it. Just like that. It is this quality of Roger Federer that makes him one of the greatest tennis players ever – his ability to remain calm and forever opportunistic to the possibility that opportunity comes suddenly, rarely knocks twice and can completely change a lost cause into victory. Federer is always on the lookout for such moments of opportunity – and almost always makes the most of them. No matter how dire the situation is, and no matter how depressed he may feel, if you give Federer a chance, he’s going to take it.
Nadal learnt this the hard way, as have so many others. Roger Federer doesn’t lose matches, you have to win them. To beat him, you need to play at a consistently, divine level because he is anyway doing so – and then some. Wavering of any kind, and suddenly you find him at your throat. It’s called taking your eye of the ball – in this case, it’s letting your mind wander for just that tiny-winy moment and that moment will haunt you for the rest of your days! Moments and matches like this crushed Roddick’s spirit – I hope it doesn’t crush Murray’s – and it takes champions made of equally stern stuff, like Nadal and Djokovic to first survive and then triumph over Roger the Great!
Roger Federer may be getting older, and a shade slower, but his primal instinct to smell blood, to instinctively sense the opportunity to kill remains as keen as ever. At highest levels of sport, with all else being equal, it is mind over matter – and Roger is the Buddha of his sport.
SAMEER NAIR 