On August 8, 2020, Roger Federer turned 39–and in doing so began the final countdown of life in his thirties. At this stage, most professional sportsmen have been retired for a number of years and are enjoying whatever second act in life they have chosen. Indeed, with their financial futures secured and in some cases accolades aplenty, life after the rigors of professional touring can be one of the most satisfying times in the life of a retired sportsman.
None of this applies to Roger Federer, though. The Swiss legend is preparing for Grand Slams–not retirement–as he continues to train (when healthy) in the hope that he enjoys one last hurrah. How realistic are those expectations and can the Fed Express become the oldest-ever Grand Slam winner?
Time is one luxury Federer doesn’t have
The oldest ever winner of a Grand Slam is Ken Rosewall, who managed to triumph at the Australian Open in 1972–at age 37 and 63 days. Federer came close to breaking that when he won the 2018 Australian Open at 36, but since then the slams have dried up with the 39-year-old still stuck on 20.
Needless to say, it gets a lot harder to win Grand Slams once you pass 35, and Federer will be hoping the same is true for Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal–who are both creeping towards his record. Time may not be on his side, but it is also beginning to run out for his two nearest competitors. With that said, and with Rosewall’s exploits at the Australian Open some 48 years ago in mind, it does seem like the major Down Under may well be Federer’s best chance of enjoying one last day in the sun.
Age is just a number Down Under
Unfortunately, the brutal nature of being one of the oldest players on tour, despite the legacy he has as the Grand Slam record-holder or even number one earner among athletes in the world, is that there is now genuine doubt about whether or not Federer still has the legs to survive seven best-of-five-set matches.
In some ways, this was proved in the summer of 2019 when Federer served for the Wimbledon championship in the fifth against Djokovic. This is a position that tour players around the globe would give anything for, seemingly a mere formality to claim the Grand Slam spoils. However, Federer couldn’t see it through as Djokovic rallied to win from the most unlikely of positions.
You all of a sudden get a sense for how difficult it is for the elder statesmen to get across the line for more slam titles. Can their legs stand up to the challenge? There is no guarantee that their minds will cooperate, as well, given the amount of pressure they are under.
However, the Australian Open seems to always produce older winners and it has been four years since anyone younger than 30 has won it. Federer naturally feels very comfortable in the Rod Laver Arena and to date has won six Australian Opens with two coming in the last four years. The Swiss champion knows how to win in Melbourne, but despite this prolific record both Djokovic and Nadal are at better odds to claim victory at the 2021 Aussie Open. That isn’t conjecture or opinion but rather the consensus around the world with the bookies. It doesn’t matter where you look, it could be the best sports betting sites in India or even further afield; they all come back with the same narrative and long odds of Federer getting one over his two old foes.
If there is one man that can do it, however, it is the great Roger Federer. Irrespective of another Grand Slam win, punters should try to soak up every lost shot that this magician plays at the Grand Slams next year. This will surely be his last dance on tennis’ biggest stage.
Maybe if NoVax goes down…but AO is the Old Djoker’s best event. Wimbledon, maybe. Can’t see Jolly Old Roger winning RG or the USO again.
PS Ricky did you mean *lost* shot in the penultimate line? Freudian slip?
I don’t think so. With such an extended hiatus post-surgery, it must be even harder. But then again, I didn’t think he was a chance in 2019 and yet he somehow came within an inch of winning Wimbledon. Obviously disappointing that he lost it, but frankly amazing that he even went extremely deep into a 5th with *any* player, let alone Djokovic.
The physicality of BO5 has probably been Federer’s main issue since 2014 – that + a slight decline in consistency. If you look at the tactics and who is dictating in the Federer/Djokovic match-up, it was actually Federer at both the WTF and (to a lesser extent) Wimbledon in 2019. But physically, even if Djokovic is having a bad day, five sets with long rallies is an enormous hurdle. Most players can be dealt with in shorter rallies, as Fed’s best aggressive tennis remains a benchmark, even at this point in his career. But unless Djokovic somewhat declines defensively (ala Nadal) in the near future, it’s hard to imagine Fed winning another slam. Even if that did happen, other players *should* prove enough of an impediment. However we are yet to see anyone from the Next Gen do anything significant on grass, which leaves the Wimbledon door ever-so-slightly ajar.