The most extraordinary aspect of Roger Federer’s arrival in yet another Wimbledon final is not that he has put off the ravages of time, or that he has somehow managed to sustain a level of play almost beyond comprehension, but that at just short of 36 years of age he is playing the best tennis of his life. He’s gone up a level.
For this observer, the most exhilarating experience in watching tennis for too many decades to mention came in 2003, when Federer tamed and tore to shreds the big-hitting game of Andy Roddick in the semi-finals at Wimbledon.
It didn’t take a genius to conclude, and inform this newspaper’s sports desk, that we had seen a man who had set a new standard and would dominate the game for years. Hitherto, Federer had given glimpses of his capabilities, beating Pete Sampras in the fourth round in 2001, for example, but losing his quarter-final.
By thrashing Roddick, and then taking his first Grand Slam title by defeating Mark Philippoussis in the final in straight sets, Federer showed he had arrived.
“Federer will not be defined by the records but by the beauty of the way he played
Roddick recovered, won the US Open title that year and became world No 1. He still had that status when I inquired what it was like to play against Federer. “Well, basically you go onto court and start hitting with him and get the match going to see how he’s playing. If he’s on his A game, you know you have no chance. If he’s on his B game it could be a good match.”
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So has it been for the legion of players who have traded strokes with Federer in the years since. But not, of course, for Rafael Nadal, who coincidentally made his first appearance at Wimbledon in those 2003 championships, falling in the third round.
Nadal, with his burning intensity and savage game, became Federer’s nemesis. For years, he denied Federer the French Open title and therefore the full set of the four Grand Slam championships. Moreover, he established a win-loss ascendancy over Federer that threatened the claim made on the Swiss player’s behalf that he was the greatest tennis exponent of them all.
How could Federer be the greatest ever when one of his contemporaries, Nadal, beat him by a ratio of two to one? Even today, Nadal still holds the head-to-head advantage over Federer by 23 matches to 14, and Federer has won their past four meetings, three of them this year.
But here, as Federer has shifted the balance in their rivalry, is the key to Federer’s recent improvement. As well as Nadal’s near-invincibility on clay and ferocious competitiveness, he used to enjoy, and ruthlessly exploit, a technical advantage over Federer that turned every close match, on any surface, the way of the Spaniard.
Nadal’s left-handed whiplash forehand, hit with violent top-spin, made the ball rear alarmingly when it landed near the baseline on Federer’s backhand side.
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With his one-handed backhand, Federer seemed unable to solve the problem. He would be driven deeper and deeper, both in the court and in frustration. Well that problem has been solved. Federer has transformed his backhand drive, partly through a modification of grip, but mostly by taking the ball early, on the rise, even on the half-volley. Only a player with Federer’s extraordinary hand-eye coordination and timing could contemplate such an attacking option.
It appears that the credit for convincing Federer to make the change should go to Ivan Ljubicic, the Croatian who has been coaching Federer since January 2016. We can be confident that Ljubicic told Federer that whatever happens he must not be driven backwards by Nadal’s forehand. Apparently, he also told Federer before he played Nadal in this year’s final of the Australian Open that he must not believe that Nadal would probably win if the match went to a fifth set and therefore strive too hard for a fast finish. In the event, it was Federer who won in five.
The weapon specifically developed to overcome the Nadal problem has proved effective against all-comers, as if they didn’t already have enough problems against Federer. It used to be the case that players would mostly play to Federer’s backhand wing to at least get some relief from his devastating forehand. Now he does damage from both sides.
In Friday’s semi-final, Tomas Berdych employed the clever strategy of hitting primarily to Federer’s forehand. It caused some discomfort, for Berdych’s cross-court forehand, hit flat and hard, is a formidable shot. The tactic did not tilt the balance as Federer won in straight sets.
Cilic will face the same problem as Berdych and Roddick all those years ago. If you rely on a massive serve and stay back, never employing the serve and volley, Federer can block the ball back, high and deep, and get into a rally, with every chance of winning it. Federer’s all-round brilliance, especially with his new backhand missiles, will usually overcome any stereotyped opponent, however powerful. If Cilic lacks subtlety and creativity today, he will be lost.
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As favourite to win, without a set dropped in the championship, Federer will enter Centre Court once more on the threshold of a host of records, with an eighth Wimbledon singles title the most momentous. He has a chance to leave an impression of greatness that will be remembered by millions today and will resonate down the years.
For when all is finished — and one day Federer really will decline and retire — it will not be the records that define him, or even his longevity, but the skill on the extreme edge, the unmatched beauty of the way that he played the game.
