2 July, 2001.
Center court, Wimbledon.
7 time grand slam champion Pete Sampras, widely expected to win his 8th title, a fifth consecutive Wimbledon, is serving to stay in the fourth round match, trailing 5-6 in the fifth set.
On the other end of the court is this 19 year old Swiss, with his hair in a ponytail, a headband, and wooden beads around his neck. His name is Roger Federer.
Sampras sends his first serve long. His second serve is returned with a majestic single-handed backhand that fizzes past him.
0-15.
Sampras serves, and charges towards the net as he always does. Federer returns. Sampras attempts his trademark volley which goes long.
0-30.
There are murmurs in the crowd. Not many saw this coming.
Sampras serves wide and Federer can't return.
15-30.
Federer returns the Sampras serve this time. The defending champion’s volley hits the net.
15-40. Two match points.
Sampras serves and this time, Federer’s return is too good for him.
Game. Set. Match. Federer.
There’s a deafening roar from the crowd. 19 year old Roger Federer has beaten Pete
Sampras, widely regarded as the greatest men’s tennis player at that time.
That image of him with his hand covering his mouth, crying with ecstasy, unable to believe the fact that he had just beaten his idol, is my earliest memory of Roger Federer.
I’ve been hooked since.
21 years, and 20 grand slams later, the greatest male tennis player in history, has retired.
I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach the moment I saw the news, although I’ve been expecting it for a while now. The kid in me desperately hoped for him to return to Wimbledon one last time, but I knew that was too much, even for Federer.
He is 41 years old now. There’s only so much the human body can take.
20 years of exhilarating highs and excruciating lows. He gave his all. And we lapped it up.
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have obviously overtaken him in terms of sheer numbers, currently at 22 and 21 grand slams respectively. But no one played the game like Federer did. No one got as close to perfection as he did.
The pin-point serve.
The majestic forehand.
The sumptuous volley.
And of course the one-handed backhand.
Poetry in motion, as they say.
It's all come to an end now.
Federer’s story wouldn’t be complete without the mention of Nadal, his greatest rival. The man who pushed him to his limits, and beyond. The man who made him literally cry after defeating him at the 2009 Australian Open final.
And the man who sat there crying alongside his friend, holding his hands, during Federer’s farewell at the Laver Cup.
“When Roger leaves the tour, an important part of my life is leaving too…” he said.
There will be no other like Federer.
Thank you Roger, for all the memories.
