End of an Era

Come Monday and the world of tennis fans would be engulfed in two contrasting emotions. For a large number it would be day of heartbreak, but for an equally large group, it would be a day of rejoice. Monday, 18th August 2008, marks the end of an era in the world of tennis, an era that we have been fortunate to witness. After nearly four and a half years of domination, for the most part of which he was unchallenged, Roger Federer would hand over he number one spot to his nemesis, Rafael Nadal.

This Monday we would witness something that had seemed impossible at the end of the previous year. Federer had ended 2007 by winning the Masters in addtion to his usual troika of Grand Slams; being defied only in Paris by the sultan of clay, Rafael Nadal. Rafael Nadal, it seemed was destined to be the number two forever. In fact he faced the danger of losing that spot to Djokovich.


However as 2008 dawned a different Rafa emerged from what we had known. He had added to his armoury a deadly backhand slice, he was even more focussed and more adapted to play at grass. At wimbledon he ended Federer's reign at grass and symbolically that in itself was the signal for the change of guard. ATP rankings and points were mere formalities, an official confirmation of what we all had known; Rafa had truly arrived! Even the most ardent Federer supporters would acknowledge, that if there was a person who deserved to dislodge Federer, it was Nadal.

Nobody is quite sure what led to Federer's decline. Some attribute it to a viral infection, some to slowing of reflexes and some simply to lack of motivation. Whatever may be the reason, it would be premature to write off the genius that Federer is. He will bounce back though it seems highly unlikely, if not impossible , that he would be able to dominate like he did in the last four and a half years.