Tennis

It has been an absolutely scintillating week for tennis fans. Especially for fans of the legends! No, I am not talking about Djoker and Murray(Hahahaha) But Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. These two are among the greatest ever to have played the sport. And they will meet each other once again at a Grand Slam final at Melbourne on Sunday.

First off, I am a Federer fan. I wanted Federer to keep doing well, and he did. Federer is playing competitively for the first time in 10 months, having taken an extended break to recover from a knee injury. This saw him drop off the rankings from World No. 3 to No.17. His first Grand Slam since the injury was the Australian Open. His road to the final is quite remarkable. He decimated Tomas Berdych in straight sets, struggled a bit against Kei Nishikori, but was on fire against Mischa Zverev. The draw was brutal for him: he would have faced Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic, had they both not decided to fall to lesser known opponents. In the semis, he faced his country man and friend, Stanislas Wawrinka. I watched the Nishikori game, and was confident Federer would pull through. But Wawrinka is made of tougher stuff. Even after leading 2 sets to love, I wasn’t so sure about Federer, since he just came off a long injury and the game was turning out to be very physical, which suited Wawrinka. It went to the fifth set, and Federer turned on God mode, to ensure his passage to yet another Grand Slam final. It seemed he had enormous reserves of energy hidden deep inside, and in the fifth set, he unleashed it on the hapless Wawrinka. So much fun to watch Federer on song.

Now, I am not a fan of Nadal, but I have huge respect for the guy. Even Nadal had his season curtailed by injury, so much so that he was on one leg while inaugurating an academy in Majorca, with his friend and on field foe, Roger Federer. Both were joking about each other's prospects this season, and look at them, fighting it out for the first Grand Slam of the tennis season. While I always felt Rafa's play style will take a toll on his body, I never expected him to fall this much! And he too made his comeback, in some style. He demolished Gael Monfils and big serving Milos Raonic. He faced a tough opponent in Grigor Dimitrov, who just won't give up. After a marathon 5 set game, he finally reached the finals of the Australian Open to set up a clash with Roger. Any tournament without FedEx and Rafa feels incomplete, which says a lot about these two men.

Federer's longevity is something of a wonder, if you watch the other players. Federer is still going on strong at the ripe old age of 35! Tennis is not a sport where players continue to play in their thirties. The level of the game has risen so much that most athletes fall off in their early thirties. Yet Federer defies logic and continues to prove the critics wrong. He continues to amaze fans and hope he conjures some magic on Sunday against his archrival.

How lucky have we been to have witnessed two absolute legends at their primes at the same time? Their domination of world tennis has been unmatched, and should serve as an example to young players. Just look at Federer, how he handles the pressure of being a top athlete, a father of four kids, a husband, and a role model for many, while opening academies worldwide. He is indisputably the number one for me. The way he plays, the way he wins, the way he graciously loses, is a shining example of a model professional. His style, his panache and his aesthetic style of play, will continue to live in the hearts of millions. We might never get to see the likes of him in action in a few years(Hope this never happens), so enjoy it while it lasts. Go Roger Federer!!! Forever World Number One!!!