Roger Federer: Carving a legacy that defies time

It is over two decades since Roger Federer first stepped on to Centre Court and showcased the greatest act of seduction tennis has ever seen. July 2001. A talented but untested teenager in the white heat of a Grand Slam battle. On the other side of the net stood Pete Sampras, the greatest grass-court gunslinger of them all, with a menacing serve and volleys as crisp as a hard candy shell.

The American had won seven of the previous eight Wimbledons and more Grand Slams than anyone else, yet such was the audacity of Federer’s shot-making in his epic fourth-round victory that he quickly held the crowd in the palm of his hand.

Sampras gave the equivalent of a papal blessing to the deceptively slender, preternaturally determined, ponytailed 19-year-old Federer. “There are a lot of good players coming up, and Roger is one of them,” he said. “But I think he is a little more extra special than the other guys.” And so it proved. In the many years that passed by.

It took a further two years for him to win his first Grand Slam, at Wimbledon in 2003, but he soon dominated the game like no other, on and off the court. A certain beauty, grace, and sophistication existed unique to Federer’s game. He successfully transformed tennis into an art form, seemingly inventing shots on the fly. The way he would go about contorting his body each time to hit serves or snap his wrist to unleash his demonic forehand looked so effortless because of his masterful execution.

With a quick pitter-patter of his nimble feet, he would almost hover above the court. I seem to think that in another life, he would probably give Fred Astaire a run for his money on the dance floor, who knows! He is one of the most romanticised athletes ever to walk the earth’s surface, and it is easy to see why.

Beyond the genius shot-making and overwhelming success, he has swayed spectators with his charming persona. On the court, you see a player who is icy cool even in the face of pressure that would make others crack. And his affable, down-to-earth personality makes him someone easy to adore without limits. Perhaps those traits are what still make him so beloved. Even 10 months after he hit the hay.

At this juncture, some might even point to Rafael Nadal and talk about his dominance over Federer. Sure, the persistent thorn in his side arrived in the form of Nadal more often than not, the ferocious bull who has frazzled Federer over the years with his lefty game and clay-court wizardry. In 2006 and 2007, Nadal beat him in six finals. Two of those losses came at the French Open, keeping the Swiss maestro from winning a calendar Grand Slam both years.

Also Read: Roger Federer reveals hilarious incident when a fan mistook him for Rafael Nadal

A straight-set shellacking at the hands of Nadal in the 2008 Roland Garros final raised many eyebrows and escalated Federer's malaise. Never before had he been so thoroughly outplayed; it was an ignominious day for the man who is obsessed with perfection.

At Wimbledon, Federer had beaten Nadal in the last two finals, including a five-set thriller the year before.