Federer's French Open glory in "The Lion King" style

The most awaited and a glorious chapter has been etched. A name not to be easily forgotten for years and generations to come has been permanently chiseled in the annals of tennis history. Roger Federer, the Swiss maestro has clinched the three time eluding Coupe des Mousquetaires (French Open) trophy. In doing so he has equaled Pete Sampras’s record of 14 Grand Slam championships and also becoming only the sixth player in history to achieve a career Grand Slam by winning all the four majors at least once. He also equaled Ivan Lendl’s 19 Grand Slam Finals appearances. He created a record of 20 successive Grand Slam Semi-Finals appearances.

Let us look at Federer’s latest French Open victory in “The Lion King” movie style for a change.

The setting: The night before the finals on Philippe Chatrier while Federer was asleep. In his dreams…

The Past Greats: You’ve forgotten us.
Federer: How could I.
TPG: You’ve forgotten who you are and so you’ve forgotten us. Look inside yourself. You are more than what you’ve become. You must take your rightful place in the history of the game. Remember who you are. You are Federer, the one true king.

Just before entering the dressing room before the finals, the weather was a little cloudy and there was a cool breeze blowing across. And, Federer was with Mirka.

Mirka: What was that? The weather, very peculiar, don’t you think?
Fed: Ya, looks like the winds are changing.
Mirka: Ah! Change is good.
Fed: Ya, but its not easy. I know what I have to do but going into the match means I’ll have to fight the demons in my head and the burden of pressure. I’ve been unable to handle it for so long.
Mirka: It doesn’t matter. The way I see it, you can either run from it or learn from it. So, what are you going to do?
Fed starts moving towards the dressing rooms.
Mirka: Hey, where are you going?
Fed (emphatically): On to the court.
Mirka: Good! Go on.

While Mirka was trying to get to her spectator box, she saw a few people talking to her in-laws. By the time she came close…
Media: Hey, have you guys seen Federer?
Fed’s parents: We thought he was with you.
Media: He was. But now we can’t find him. Where is he?
Enters Mirka and responds to that question...
Mirka: You won’t find him here. The king has returned.

Click here for my other articles on Roger Federer in the last one year or so.

Nadal brought down to tears in Australian Open 2009

Confused??? Everybody knows that it was Roger Federer who was all tears after he lost the Finals to Rafa. And who can forget the now famous words “God… its killing me” by Roger during the presentation ceremony, after which he couldn’t control the stream from within.

The audience on that day witnessed something incredible – the two best tennis athletes on the planet fighting it out till Rafael Nadal ended up victorious. The efforts of both the players who put their heart and soul, and everything else that an athlete could squeeze out, are worth inspiring scores of generations. I would even go to the extent of that becoming “a legend” in the days to come. But unfortunately, the cruel side of sport surfaced. Only one of them can win and the other has to wither down for that moment.

It so happened that Roger had to bite the dust this time as well as Rafa once again proved too superior. It was really heartening, though soul-wrenching, to see Roger break down during the ceremony. It showed how dearly he wanted to get hold of the magical figure of 14 grand slam titles, sharing space with the one and only Pete Sampras and the amount of dedication he put in to achieve. To go with Roger, he hadn’t done much wrong till the fifth and the deciding set. He played a tremendous game and at times he surpassed his own standards. But alas! It wasn’t enough against an inspired Rafa who desperately wants to prove that he is equally supreme on all kinds of surfaces and not clay alone. Who best than Roger to prove that point against? And he did exactly that.

Now, you must be thinking – why in the hell did I use such a title for what I’ve explained above – right? In fact Nadal was brought down to tears, but that happened in his semi-final match against compatriot Verdasco. He confessed with the media after that epic victory saying, “I was crying on the court”. It happened and I stand witness to it. That was the last game of the match and Nadal had three match points on Verdasco’s serve. One point was brilliantly saved and that was the moment when Nadal started to crack. The second point was also saved with another exceptional winner, one of 95, from Verdasco and Rafa cracked. It’s a pity that a double fault brought home victory to Rafa.

It’s the train of thoughts that goes within that makes anybody on the field. Nadal, in the semis, used all his powers to win and Verdasco seemed to have answers to break free and push the match further. Similarly, Roger, in the finals, used all his powers to win and Rafa seemed to have answers to break free and push the match further. The only difference is that Rafa’s effort paid off in the semis and ended up winning – the reason why we haven’t seen physical tears in his eyes and on the other hand Roger’s effort fell short and he ended up losing the match – the reason why he couldn’t control the emotional turbulence.

When somebody puts her/his heart and soul and are prepared to go any distance to achieve something s/he desperately wanted. And if there are hurdles not in their control stopping them time and again from achieving it, the agony is excruciating and if the hurdle is the same each time, the pain is all the more harder. And that’s exactly what happened to Roger and that’s exactly what Rafa meant when he said “I can understand what you are going through” to Roger during the award ceremony on the podium. Because, Rafa too felt the same agony during the semifinals.

The central figure

Come Sunday, history is going to be rewritten on Wimbledon center court. History beckons both Federer and Nadal. One might break the record, long held by Borg, of 5 consecutive Wimbledon championships and one might equal the record, once again, long held by Borg, of winning French Open and Wimbledon titles in the same year. Whichever way the championship ends, Borg is the central figure who shares the limelight along with the winner.

Any match between Federer and Nadal is sure to tap high voltage tennis, matching the expectations of the crowd. And this match on Sunday on the Wimbledon center court will have all the ingredients that mark any fierce contest. Roger, without dropping a set so far in the tournament looks good for a straight sixth and Rafael, playing like never before on his worst surface has lost only one set in the second round against Gulbis. The equations are pretty even.

Federer has won twice against Nadal in the previous years here on his best surface and Nadal is riding high with exceptional ability on the court and defeating Federer consistently, almost everywhere else in recent times, other than on grass. Considering a lot of factors, both stand an even chance of getting their hands around the coveted trophy.

It all boils down to one fact; who will handle the pressure better on that particular day. Though, as an after thought, Federer has a better chance of reigning supreme again here at Wimbledon, his second home. Fingers crossed, we need to see the fact unfold itself on Sunday.