The much-awaited return of Roger Federer

Is Roger Federer well and truly ‘back’?

He had just picked his 17th Slam after a gap of two years and finished 300 weeks as the World No. 1. And despite the straight sets loss in his last match of the season in the finals of the ATP World Tour Finals to Djokovic, it was amongst the best matches of the year, for the sheer quality of tennis. But even as the legend began to be revived, Federer was closing in on 30 and the only words that rang in my mind were, “Time is a common curse and the greatest leveller in sport.”

I was apprehensive about the year to come, but believed (or was made to believe) that Roger, as always, would have an answer to everything that was thrown at him.  That endless hope. That fanatic expectation as a die-hard disciple!

But at the end of the next season…

The shots that once kissed the inner edges of the lines with clinical precision soared into the stands with mocking trajectories. The competitors who once froze in awe of their graceful destruction were pleading for an encounter with him, with vengeance conspicuously on their minds. Defeat; the once unknown alien, became a habitual uninvited guest!

Watching him pack his bags after being ousted from his very home in the second round of Wimbledon ’13 was perhaps the tipping point. It definitely was painful to see the emperor who once sat upon the throne with an authority and elegance unmatched, stumble on the lowly steps of the exit passageway.

A lone title for the whole year, a loss in the second round to a journeyman on his favourite hunting ground, his incredible journey of 36 consecutive Slam quarterfinals coming to an end, finishing the year at his lowest rank of the decade at No. 8! By his standards, the show was pretty frustrating and you had few reasons to take on the critics who vehemently went about announcing that his time was up.

He had completed a year of mediocrity troubled by injuries, burdened by time and haunted by the lingering shadow of his past invincibility. Or at least, so it seemed. It seemed only logical to throw in the towel and grab an armchair on the front porch with his children playing on his lap, while he basked in the laurels of a glorious past, of being a champion among the elite, of being emphatically proclaimed as the GOAT – Greatest Of All Time!

But then, it takes more than victories to earn that title. It demands an obsessive passion!

It takes a lot to rise to the top.

But it takes even more to rise to the top ‘again’!

Federer hadn’t picked a title in eight months. The opponent was a certain Serbian elastic gladiator coming off a hurting loss to his another Swiss at the Australian Open. Federer was a set and break point down in the semifinals of Dubai Duty Championships. It seemed like the days of the past year had come alive again.

But at that moment, he decided that enough was enough!

He shunned his tentativeness and advanced for the kill. He cut loose the ropes and began to sail on the edge, tearing through the winds and forcing the tide to his will. He was back to his creative best, having rolled back the clock. The long hidden genius was unleashed and nothing could stop the roaring spate of a cathartic love in search of its precious destiny.

And on that day, he had to succeed, not merely for the exalted game that was borne from his limbs but more so for the childish spirit that transcendentally danced on the hard courts of the glamorous desert. His oasis was discovered and our thirst was quenched!

And with the determined title that week, earned after seeing off another nemesis in the final with a three-set win, a fresh promise was given. He says the fans count on him to deliver, and he delivered in spades. It was indeed a declaration that the emperor was back, to take what was rightfully his, one way or the other.

Federer will perhaps fail at times as he did yesterday in the Indian Wells final – falling agonizingly short. At other days he will triumphantly swat all the competitors aside as he did all through the week preceding the final. But in victory or defeat, his intentions seem pretty clear – ‘If he was the supreme sun by the day, he shall only strive to be the star by his twilight!’

Are you ready for Wimbledon?