The People's Champion

After so many years of placing Roger Federer upon a high pedestal, the past year has been particularly disconcerting. Federer went from being called "The Greatest of All Time" to being considered possibly the SECOND-best of his GENERATION in the blink of an eye.

Over a twelve-month span, wrapped around his fifth straight U.S. Open title run, we saw Federer beat down in Paris, shellshocked in London, and brought to dejected tears in Melbourne. In March, the weight of the combined experiences seemed to come to a head in Miami when he furiously crushed his racket on the court and talked about being "glad the hard court season was over." Mind you, this is the same man who used to rule the hard courts, setting the all-time mark with fifty-six straight surface victories in 2005-06.



Apparently, though, there was a method to the former King Roger's madness. As the weekend ended in Paris yesterday, Federer was brought to tears once again. But this people time didn't feel the need to turn away from the sight of a "broken man." Instead, they cried tears of joy with him.

Three weeks ago, when Federer knocked off Rafael Nadal on the clay in Madrid, it was a much-needed confidence boost for a man who'd been the epitome of self-assurance not that long ago. But, still, it was hard to tell how much the victory would mean in Paris. After all, Federer had ended Nadal's record 81-match clay streak in Hamburg in '07, but it didn't stop the Spaniard from winning in Paris again and then extending his consecutive victory mark over Federer at Roland Garros to four in the final a year ago in a fashion so discouraging to Federer.

But then Nadal lost.

The four-time champion's upset at the hands of Sweden's Robin Soderling last weekend was one of those moments that opened the door wide for history to pass through. At its core, it elminated the biggest obsacle in the path of the rebirth of the Federer legend. But it didn't assure it.

For half of this Roland Garros, Federer had to withstand possibly the heaviest burden of his career, as likely his best chance to complete the career Grand Slam and tie Pete Sampras' all-time slam title mark of fourteen was there, plain as day, for all to see. Especially Federer himself. If he failed to do it this time, the sense of loss and disappointment might have been crushing. He nearly lost twice, having to come back from two sets down against Tommy Haas on Monday, then from a two-sets-to-one deficit against Juan Martin del Potro in the semifinals on Friday. Ultimatley, he survived and lived to stare down history once again.

But that's why Federer is Federer, or maybe I should say, that's why Federer is STILL Federer, recent evidence to the contrary notwithstanding.

Sunday's final was one of those rare instances where nearly everyone on hand at Court Chatrier (or watching from afar), save for a few stalwart Swedes in the corner of Rafa-conquering finalist Soderling, yearned to see the same result. They wanted to see Federer win, as even Nadal had expressed a week ago a wish to see his hard-working and deserving rival raise the Coupe des Mousquetaires for which his quest has been such an arduous and previously fruitless endeavor, but everyone was holding his or her breath. It was as if millions around the world had planned for a big celebratory parade, but a slight threat of rain planted a seed of doubt that grew into a worry that everything would be ruined.

But there was on reason to despair, for the revelry went off without a hitch.

Of course, it wasn't going to be a TOTALLY easy day for Federer, even if his first-time slam finalist opponent didn't come lose to replicating his play against Nadal. The elements wind, rain and cold were conspiring to make calamitous this day of expected bliss, toying with the idea of becoming factors if the match lasted long into the day.

But it didn't.

Resembling the Federer who, when he was at the top of his game, could create a quick victim of an opponent in a slam final (ask Lleyton Hewitt), the Swiss Mister was more than ready for his re-introduction to immortality.

Federer broke Soderling to take a 1-0 lead in the 1st set, then again to go up 3-0. He won the set 6-1 and it seemed like we could just fast forward to the post-match ceremony. During the fourth game of the 2nd set, though, some yahoo rushed out of the stands, waving a flag and trying to put his hat on Federer's head before leaping the net in a mad scramble away from security forces. (Seriously, even the flying wedge-like tackle from one guard in no way made up for such a lapse sixteen years after Monica Seles' life and career, as well as WTA history, were altered forever in Hamburg.)

Federer was visibly rattled. The crowd was uneasy. How much the closeness of the proceeding set had to do with the incident, or whether it was more a case of Soderling slowly getting his footing, is hard to tell. But the moment had no long-term deleterious effect on the match, as it was still all-Federer. He handily won the 2nd set tie-break. After badly overhitting a volley that briefly gave Soderling a break point at 5-4 in the 3rd set, Federer promptly served out the game to win 6-1/7-6/6-4.

It was never in doubt.


AP / Christophe Ena

Thus, Soderling became the eleventh different victim in Federer's fourteen career slam wins. Meanwhile, Federer (the "anti-Ivan Lendl," the former Czech #1 that a Sports Illustrated cover once dubbed "The Champion Nobody Cares About") re-entered the discussion he used to dominate concerning who is the greatest player of all time.

Which brings to mind the question of what it is that defines athletic greatest. Winning, of course. But also consistency, endurance and gameday dependability that no one will ever question a player's desire to win.

Remind you of anyone?

As there is now talk about Nadal's knee possibly preventing him from attempting to defend his Wimbledon title, it's even more important to note that Federer has played in thirty-eight straight slams, reached nineteen career slam finals and twenty consecutive slam semifinals. He's not only tied with Sampras as the winningest slam champion ever, but he's also just the sixth man to win all four slam crowns and the second (with Andre Agassi) to do so on three different surfaces. Greatness pretty much describes Federer to a "service T."

Against other Open era contenders, Federer's versatility pushes him past Sampras, and his depth and dimension of accomplishments spirit him past the likes of Agassi, John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg. There'll always be an argument from those who saw Rod Laver play just who is THE best player ever, but this win means that Federer is assured of being no worse than #2 in the mythical all-time rankings.

But Federer's not just one more slam victory from unquestionably being "history's numerical champion," he's become the "people's champion," too.

He's emerged as the most human of all the great men's champions in recent years. Oddly, unlike players such as Agassi and McEnroe who became "beloved" as they shared so much of themselves (good and bad) through the years, Federer has always played the part of the reserved gentleman of the game. Oddly, Federer was once a player about whom it was so easy to make only half-joking comments about his omniscience and God-like traits (an original Federerism: "Bono asks Roger Federer for his advice on how to cure all the world's ills "). Also, the irony that THIS Federer is the same person who once managed to so routinely flash such an all-knowing, imperiousness before he was surpassed by Nadal is quite a feat. Or maybe not. After all, Federer's old persona, in spite of it all, never projected arrogance (though it would have been seen as only that if sported by almost anyone else) because he pulled it off with such class and panache that he came off as supremely polite even while casually agreeing that yes, he just might be the best tennis player who's ever lived.

What is it that they say? It's not being cocky if it's true? For a while, it was. And it might be again.

As he's recently seemed more vulnerable than any other superiorly gifted athlete in any sport, he's gone from the exalted, untouchable FEDERER to the likable man being brought down to the level of a mere mortal as his humanity was uncovered by way of his defeats at the hands of Nadal.

After seeing his aura of invincibility crack, becoming confused and sometimes seemingly helpless to do anything about it, Federer's triumphant trek back to the top on the surface and at the tournament that had been his most vexing, has not only added yet another level to his legend but also allowed tennis fans to embrace him as an individual as much as tennis luminaries always have as a player, before he edges into the late stages of a career when the intervals between big wins begin to get longer and longer.

The only thing missing from the equation on Sunday was Nadal himself. But, then again, none of what happened to Federer in Paris this year would have been possible, or meant as much, were it not for Nadal denying him of it for so many years.

In the end, what we recaptured at this Roland Garros was our preferred image of Federer. Fully recovered from his bout with mono that might have played a larger role in this drama than we'll ever know, newly married with a baby on the way, and now the reigning RG champion. On this day, Federer has it all. THAT'S the Federer who fits so neatly into our collective memory banks, and now it's the Federer who'll forever remian there.

I guess we were a bit premature to even consider writing off or revising the man's place in tennis history, huh?

Of course, the signs of Federer's place in the sports landscape were everywhere on Sunday. His partner-in-the-crime-of-greatness, Tiger Woods, took his friend's cue and won a title this weekend, too. (All that we needed was Derek Jeter or that soccer guy and we'd have a Gillette commercial.)

Then, during the post-match ceremony in which Federer effortlessly drifted between French and English during his acceptance speech and tears fell down his cheeks as the Swiss national anthem played while the newly-crowned Roland Garros champion stood shoulder-to-shoulder with presenter and fellow career Slam achiever Agassi, the rain came down harder than it had all day long.

Could it have been the tears of the tennis Gods? Maybe. After all, they only weep for their own.




All for now.

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