As Roger Federer hit the shot long, there was a stunned silence on the court and fans all around the world could not believe what they had just witnessed. Roger Federer was out of Wimbledon in the second round today in four sets.
Witnessing the match was painful for every fan and even for non-tennis fans who were speechless. Can this be an end of an era was the question asked by many analysts and reporters immediately after the loss?
Let's look back in the history of tennis and if anyone remembers, Pete Sampras exited Wimbledon in second round in 2002. Many people speculated the end of his career too but what did he do? He came back with a vengeance and won US Open.
We always have to remember that for champions like Roger Federer, Pete Sampras - predictions are normally proven wrong as they don't belong to the category of normal human beings. The power of mind is so strong in their case that it can propel them to achieve the impossible. Indeed, it is the same power of mind that made them the champions and separated them from the rest in the first place.
Beyond the very extreme of failure and disappointment, champions find extraordinary amount of will and determination they never dreamed to own, sources of strength never explored before as they never faced the obstructions. Strength never comes from physical capacity but an indomitable will. For people who are the bravest, they fall down seven time and get up eight times. That is why they succeed. In case of Roger Federer, I truly believe that he has the will and strength to achieve what he wants. Pete Sampras, Jimmy Connors , Andre Agassi did it, so can he.
A journalist asked Federer after the match: What do you do after such a tough loss?
Roger Federer: You follow the 24 hour rule, go back, train harder and comeback stronger. ( For people, who don't know 24 hour rule, it means you celebrate your victories for 24 hours and go back to training. Same way, you mourn your disappointments for 24 hours and go back to training even harder.)
What an amazing answer by Federer and shows how much of a positive attitude he has towards anything in life. He believes that he can play for many more years and indeed this is not an end of an era. Age is just a number which we have in our own minds. If age is indeed a huge parameter, then how can a 61 year old run an ultramarthon (Cliff Young)?
I also don't doubt Roger Federer either as like Ernest Hemingway said that the world breaks everyone , and afterward, some are stronger at the broken places. So Roger Federer might have been snapped out of his 36 QF streak, but I believe that he has the ability to bounce back from this loss even stronger than before. After all there is a crack, a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in and in case of Federer, this might be the crack which will allow him to reflect, train harder and inspire him again to achieve even higher in tennis.
PS: In the end, I also want to add what my friend had to say as a reply, "I still feel lucky to get to watch Roger Federer play. As a tennis fan, he is a delight to watch. In the end, watch him for his flair, elegance, shot making, unbelievable reflexes and not records:):)."
In my humble opinion, he can still win a couple more but to me, the pure joy that he brings to the table when he is playing is simply unsurpassed.
If you have any questions, please e-mail me at apekshaha@gmail.com