December 4, 2008
OPINION COLUMN
Column: Roger Federer will falter eventually
Whether it's this weekend, or at one of next year's Slams, or the year after, the inevitable will happen: Roger Federer will falter and fail to reach a Grand Slam semifinal.
That didn't happen Thursday, despite fears that the 12-time Grand Slam champion, winless at majors this year and demoted to No. 2 in the world at age 27, is on the decline.
Instead, Federer moved into his record 18th straight major semifinal on Thursday, albeit with an oddly wrenching three-set defeat of a qualifier.
Glimpses into Federer's fallibility -- errors on break points, vocal self-derision, a bout with mononucleosis -- have unnerved fans who took Federer's titles to be the natural order of things, like Michael Phelps touching the wall first.
Related links
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U.S. Open
Photos
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Roger Federer through the years
Photos
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Andy Roddick: Roger Federer's still the favorite at the U.S. Open Audio
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John McEnroe: Epic Nadal-Federer Wimbledon match may be turning point for fans Audio
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John McEnroe: I'll be shocked if U.S. Open champ isn't Nadal, Federer, or Djokovic Audio
The rise of top-ranked Rafael Nadal, also a semifinalist at this U.S. Open, has boosted that measure of nervousness in the lives of those who have "RF" insignias on their caps.
Federer has shown hunger and some wounded, threadbare emotion so far at this Open, giving pause to fans like me, who are unaccustomed to anything other than cool confidence from the champion.
Federer has said he will play at least through the 2012 Olympics, when he would be turning 31.
I wonder: Who will I root for when Federer has ceased to compete professionally? Are we Federer fans or tennis fans?
We are tennis fans, and when time finally brings Federer's dominance to heel, we'll absorb the lessons of his excellence and continue to appreciate the game he plays so well.
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Copyright © 2008, AM New York
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