Roger Federer has won everything there is to win in the world of tennis. He is no longer playing for the money or the glory, but an undoubted love of the game that defines true sporting greats.
I don’t think anyone is calling for the retirement of a tennis legend, but for his fans it is tough seeing Federer being beaten in straight sets by players of inferior talent to the great man. One may wonder whether he is still enjoying playing, but there is no other reason for him to remain playing.
There comes a point in a successful sporting careers where their run of dominance starts to slip, opponents no longer feel an impending sense of dread when they face you and the belief they can win makes them psychologically stronger. People now regard the chance of beating Federer as a fantastic scalp and if they’re relatively unknown, a sign that they have arrived.
If you’re Federer the idea of retirement has to be a consideration, losing all the time cannot be fun for one of the most prolific champions the sport has ever produced. However, I think he still genuinely does love it: he’s never been the hardest trainer in the world and hasn't needed to be, but he loves the competition. Only he knows if it is worth it.
The idea of him winning another Grand Slam at this stage does seem far fetched, but then again who would have though Pete Sampras would have won his last Slam at Wimbledon after all that time had passed. If Federer is to win another, he probably only has a chance of winning Wimbledon as it is best suited to where his game is at now.
Many of Federer’s fans just want to see more of him and even if he loses it quite often a great sporting spectacle. He is that good, that even when he isn't at his best it is still marvellous to watch.
Recently he was talking about the presses reaction to Nadal’s decline in form, stating ‘You guys write off players a bit too quick’ – and maybe he’s right.
Over the last few weeks he has been talking about next year being a big year. Maybe there will be a renaissance next year – but how big that renaissance will be remains to be seen.
Federer’s claim to being the greatest of all time shouldn't be affected by a slow fade anyway. Let’s say Federer retired after winning Wimbledon. Why would that make his legacy any better than if he spends the next two years hovering around the top 20 without any more major wins? Everything that happened before is still on his résumé and will remain there forever.
To be honest I just feel It is fantastic that we have witnessed one of sports true greats in his prime.
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