Roger Federer - The man with endless possibilities

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Federer’s greatness does not merely lie in the 20 Grand Slam titles that he has won

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When he is on the court he seems to be dancing on air, when he is at his pristine best, the ball seems to move as he commands with unabashed obedience and it seems as if the passage of time and the laws of nature do not apply to him. Roger Federer continues to do what he loves at the ripe age of 38, and in the process makes us gape at him and marvel at the gifts that are bestowed on him.

Federer’s greatness does not lie in the 20 Grand Slam titles that he has won, it does not lie in the record number of weeks he has spent as World No.1, it does not lie in his eight Wimbledon crowns. In fact, it does not lie in the numbers that we so fervently dish out to prove our point about athletic greatness.

Instead, his greatness lies in the experience he gives the average fan. When Federer is at his aesthetic best, we forget our mundane troubles of life as we are carried away into the peaks of unbridled joy that the Swiss maestro takes us through. It lies in his child like enthusiasm in caressing the ball for over two decades, it lies in the stream of tears that flow from his face every time he lifts a Grand Slam title.

In fact, Federer has time and again stated that he is not playing the game for records and milestones. This what the genius who is nine titles away from the Jimmy Connors's 109 titles record said when asked why he plays on,

"I know that in this day and age everybody wants every record to be broken. With the 109, I’m not going to aim for it. It seems kind of close, but it’s still very far away as well. Titles are not won every week, especially for me now that I’m not playing every single week. So I’m just content I reached 100 and I don’t need to break every record.

That’s not why I’m in the game today."

This is a very subtle thing that has to be understood. For men like Federer, the sport is not just an option of livelihood. Federer would have surpassed all his childhood dreams, he would have won more accolades than he would have ever imagined. But, even today he is still in the game of tennis because of the joy and bliss that he experiences whenever he steps on to the court.

And with Federer, the possibilities are endless. He swatted aside Steve Johnson yesterday without breaking sweat, in his typical nonchalant way. He is still a strong contender for a Grand Slam title whenever he competes, he still garners the utmost respect in the sporting world, and he still stretches the limits of possibility whenever we see him in action.

And at the age of 38, he is not done yet. Federer will carry on doing what he loves, and in the process also provide us moments of unparalleled athletic excellence.

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