So, I worte a post about the great man last year, after he lost Wimbledon. And what a year this has been for him. Till recently, I didn't know that he hadn't won the French Open till this year. So last year, when he lost the French Open, he was upset, but when he lost Wimbledon, he was devastated.
This year, he won both - and is clearly over the moon. I'll tell you what I've seen this year. I've seen Roger Federer talk directly to his fans on Facebook. I've seen him depressed after the Australian Open and then ecstatic after the French.
I watched the Wimbledon finals and ... I was conflicted. I'm a Federer fan. Will always be because he's a fabulous player. But I felt quite bad for Roddick. He played well, played hard, and lost. Was he outclassed? I'd like to say so. Mainly because the final set went to 16-14. If he was not outclassed, he would have won it 7-5 or so. Could it have gone on longer? Certainly! Could Federer have lost? Certainly! But here's what I think makes him special - he didn't want to lose. He played some points badly, was on the verge of break of serve several times, but he always got out of it. He was calm, collected and cool. He played with the conviction that if Roddick had to win, he would have to comprehensively beat Federer. A single double fault wouldn't do. A bad passing shot wouldn't do. It would have to be a sold drubbing.
Will Federer be solidly drubbed? I'm sure he will, at some point. But for the time being, he's World No. 1 again, and all's right with his world.
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