Greatness is a scarce commodityThere are few people who leave an unblemished mark
One of these goes by the name of Roger Federer.
The king of grass as they call him, and rightfully so on 5/07/09
set an unprecedented record by winning most grand slam titles in Men's singles competition in the world of tennis on the prestigious grass of Wimbledon .
He faced his worthy adversary, Andy Roddick on the grandest stage of them all.
The match was a grueling display of talent , class and panache. The competition fierce in every sense of the word, back and forth went the tennis ball, as did the advantage.
A deuce was viewed as a breather. The greats flanked court side.. Bjorn Borg sat in the stand and then came, as promised the great Pete Sampras who held the record for 14 grandslam wins in singles competition , that Roger Federer had managed to tie with at The French Open. Pete had come as a show of respect to witness perhaps the breaking of his prestigious record and that too at the grandest stage of them all.
Roger was on a mission, but so was Andy Roddick with his dreams of winning Wimbledon locked safely in the glimmer in his competitive stare. He served with a fury as Roger struggled to wit hold. Twice did he cut through Rogers defence.Roger fought back and they were two sets each. On and on, back and forth , it was truly any body's ball game. The fifth set will perhaps go down in History as both worthy champions served up a storm. A feast it was for all who witnessed , talent served on a silver platter with multiple helpings. Passion oozing out and spilling all around. The crowd gasped and moaned at regular intervals... showing expressions of admiration and wonderment. The players performed, entertained and grasped and tugged and pulled..as a lot hung in balance that day, a lot more than usual. For one man it was about winning the most sought after prize in the world of tennis for the first time, for the other it was winning it for the sixth time and also sealing his place as the greatest ever, while at it.
Roddick refused to back down, he played with a fury unseen or unexpected off him. He rose to the occassion and bombarded the swiss master. Federer staggered , but refused to be overwhelmed by the assault of talent he faced from the other side of the net.
Roger perservered and held on, hoping he could break Roddick by not budging, by revealing no room for error.. the fifth set went on to a staggering 16 games in all which lasted for all of 95minutes as there are no tie breaks in the fifth set. The athletes were spent, however they refused to let it show. The passion, the yearning , the need was overwhelming. Their goals were set, their bodies responded accordingly, their minds battled.
Finally after Four hours and eighteen minutes it crumbled, The Swiss held on, while the American finally succumbed to perhaps his over anxious desire to win. He left a tiny door open, wide enough for Roger Federer to come crashing into and knock it right off its hinges. When the smoke was clear, the crowd were on their feet, Andy lowered his head , while Roger leaped up into the air with triumph. If Roger could bellow , he would. Applause rendered through the court as also in the homes of millions of Federer fans all around the world.
The match stood at 5-7, 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 16-14- Federer to Roddick.
Roger Federer had done it. He achieved what no other man had achieved in professional tennis. Pete Sampras had risen with the others in applause for a man who had just dethroned him and seemed genuine in his gesture of mutual respect and goodwill.
Not discounting the efforts of Andy Roddick who most definitely played the game of his life and nearly crushed Rogers dreams of breaking the prestigious record. Andy Roddick looked broken, He hung his head low, still clutching his racket in his hand twirling it around. The crowd acknowledged his effort, his talent, the magic that he had brought with him on court. They cheered for Andy Roddick who rose from his chair for a brief moment to acknowledge the accolades that were being hurled at him. This was a wonderful day for tennis, as great things had been witnessed. Records were broken, respect was earned and deserved. Roddick looked at Pete Sampras and said as he accepted his silver plate, 'I'm sorry Pete, I tried to hold him off'. The atmosphere became more lighter, as there was a round of laughter that trickled through the crowd.
Roger came for his prize and he held his bright golden cup up in the air as it gleamed against the sunlight. The crowd cheered , Sampras and Borg too cheered and so did Andy Roddick who clapped silently from where he was sitting, which was not missed by the cameras. A true show of sportsmanship.
Roger thanked Pete Sampras for coming and then gave Andy Roddick his due. He acknowledged that Roddick played a fantastic game of tennis, a level of that a champion would play at. He also summerasied by saying that ' Unfortunately in the game of tennis , there can be only one winner and today I was lucky to be that winner'. An applause broke out as both competitors walked out off the court. In the back Pete Sampras acknowledged the fantastic display of tennis that the world had witnessed before them, thanks to two marvelous players, both deserving enough to be champion. When asked about Roger Federer, Pete Sampras said that Roger is humble in spite of being a great champion and he truely deserved this victory. He further said that 'In my book ...Roger Federer is the greatest ever'.
On this day Roger Federer was crowned Wimbledon Champion 2009 along with breaking an illustrious record. On this day Andy Roddick proved that the best is yet to come.
On this day, this bright sunny day.... The game of Tennis was witnessed in all its glory.
And although as The Great Roger Federer has returned to the number 1 ranking, he did so in the absence of his one true nemesis, a fact that was acknowledged by Federer himself.
After all the Spaniard will heal and return to claim what was his and battle lines will be drawn again.
