Australian Open 2019: Has mortality finally caught up with Roger Federer?
Mortality can be a very tough thing to deal with, especially in sport. And it can be even tougher if you are madly in love with the craft you pursue.
That is exactly why, for a master craftsman like Roger Federer, sunset is the last thing that will cross his mind. Men like Federer have basked in the sunshine for far too long; they have almost become one with their art, and are just obsessed with it.
But mortality is a cruel killer, and it starts raising its ugly hood when a sportsman reaches the wrong side of 30.
We have had numerous examples - the great Sachin Tendulkar appeared just like any other player in the last 2 years of his otherwise illustrious career. And Don Bradman got out for a duck in his last Test innings, which prevented him from finishing his career with a Test average of over 100.
As far as Federer is concerned, the master is now closer to the sunset of his unmatched career than its peak. He is now 37 - an age where the likes of his kind have retreated to the luxurious comforts of the commentary box.
Federer has outlived all his peers, and has converted tennis into an art. Geographical barriers have melted when it comes to adoring him. No tennis player has managed to capture the hearts of so many people and stay relevant for such a long period of time as Federer has.
But then, after winning the Australian Open in 2018, Federer has shown us a very rare side of his- he has shown us that he too is mortal.
In the quarterfinals of the Wimbledon Championships last year, Kevin Anderson beat Federer after being two sets to love down. In the US Open, a little known Australian called John Millman got the better of Federer in the 4th round. And now, in the 2019 Australian Open, Stefanos Tsitsipas has bundled out the Swiss Maestro.
Being a Genius can be a very difficult thing in sport. For a genius will not only trick himself, but also trick his millions of followers into believing that sunset is always far away.
The thing with Federer is this: for you, me and the millions of tennis lovers around the world, he and tennis have almost become inseparable. The man has, for two decades now, given fans around the world unbridled joy. Which is exactly why looking beyond Federer is the most difficult thing to do.
If we have to meet reality head on though, we have to admit that mortality has started to slowly catch up with Federer. Yes, he can still conjure that ethereal drop shot, he can still bewitch us with his magical single-handed backhand. But then the master has, at some crucial stages of a match, found it difficult to force the pace.
The question that now occupies our mind is: does Federer have another Grand Slam title left in him? At 37, it would be extremely difficult for the maestro to add to his glittering collection of 20.
Still, we can be sure of this one thing: the day Federer decides to walk into the sunset, it will mark the end of the greatest era in the history of the sport. And most importantly, it will mark the end of an era that we will never return to.