It was an announcement we knew was around the corner.
Form changes, competition changes, rules might change - champions might find ways to beat them - but the impact of time, not many - especially sportsmen can change.
Time keeps chipping away - it treats the great the same way as the ordinary. Some humans might get longer shots at time, but succumb they must to its inexorable, unyielding influence.
The signs of his fall were visible for some time, never more than when he lost a set 0-6 to Poland’s Hubert Hurcacz on the courts of Wimbledon (where he strode like a colossus) in 2021. Fans across the world might have cried more on that day than any other day - because their God was looking human and all too fallible.
As a fan, I choose not to get maudlin on the gap his retirement leaves but on a great career that gave us a series of highs, sighs and statistics.
It all started at Wimbledon 2001 when all of 19, Federer stunned the world by defeating Sampras in an epic 5 setter cutting off a streak of 31 wins. He played a 5 setter, but did he break any sweat? And, we saw that one handed backhand. It was a rasping shot that the opponent had no answer to, but delivered with such effortless ease that every viewer started believing she could play it.
Slowly he stamped his authority on the game winning everything on offer. The decade belonged to him- everywhere he went - except the red clay where a Spanish bull proved to be his nemesis and his successor in the claim to greatness.
The tech world talks about immersive technology - there is almost nothing more immersive than Federer at play. No matter where he played, our eyes and our hearts were glued to Federer’s racket and the effect on the ball. He was the puppeteer who controlled our heart strings - every piece of brilliance gave us a high and every miss, our heart sighed. When the opponent double faulted or missed a winner, our heart sighed with relief and every forehand that screamed winner gave us an adrenaline high.
A Djokovic/ Nadal would pummel opponents with their power, a Federer would deflate them with dexterity. While the former left them thunderstruck, Federer left them wonderstruck.
The sport - any sport defines its athletes and gives them a place under the sun. But, there are some - Donald Bradman, Pele, Sergei Bubka, Usain Bolt - they take the game forward - like a Pied Piper - create a fandom that adds glitter, glory to the game. Federer belongs to this league.
There are some who say that Federer’s statistics don’t matter - what he made us feel matters. But, it is the statistics that made Federer matter. Sans them, there would not have been a thousand heartbreaks, a million moments of joy.
A Mozart, Da Vinci, Saint Thyagaraja or a Lata Mangeshkar would not have been celestial if they had not delivered a copious volume of greatness.
Federer will always be remember because he won - with his genius, despite his genius. With his humility, despite his humility.
Thank you Federer for the highs, sighs and the statistics. It has been a privilege to wander into your magical world for two decades.
