Wimbledon 2017

Last month, the tennis world witnessed the extraordinary moment when Roger Federer captured his EIGHTH Wimbledon title. His trajectory to the Gentlemen’s Final was tougher than the actual last match, which was anti-climactic due to his opponent’s inexplicable lack of effort.

Marin Cilic explained in the post match press conference that he was nursing a painful blister on his left foot and thus was unable to concentrate on his game plan due to the pain.

Sports commentators were kind in their praise for Cilic’s journey to the Finals and were careful not to be critical. Few commentators expressed dismay that a blister could thwart the player’s ability to give Federer a tough match.

Since the Wimbledon Finals are one of the greatest competitions in sports, it is important to review what happened and why it caused dismay among some critics.

First of all, by the time a player reaches the Finals of a Grand Slam, he should have enough experience, mental toughness and preparation to be ready for a good match. Cilic – up until that Sunday – had displayed solid match play and a Tarzan-like cheer after winning points that made people truly believe he was a force to be reckoned with and would be a very tough opponent.

Yet on match day, as Cilic prepared to do the “walk” – which is the traditional walk from the locker room to Centre Court – one could immediately sense that his bravado was gone. He looked scared, uncertain and his lack of confidence was palpable as he walked ahead of Federer.

Anyone who has ever been on Centre Court when Roger Federer walks unto it can attest to the enormous fan base the Swiss enjoys at Wimbledon. The crescendo of cheers is almost deafening and – for the opponent – intimidating at the least. The press often says that 99.9% of spectators – anywhere in the world – will cheer for Federer and his opponent will only have the members of his players’ box for support.

Perhaps Cilic planned to play the injured card to gain spectator sympathy. Perhaps when he realized that he was not in a position to battle it out with Federer – whether it was the injury or his mental state – that he resorted to breaking into tears during the changeover after he lost the first set. Controversial as this may sound, it was effective in swaying the crowd who began to cheer for him, almost in an effort to improve the match.

What is so bothersome about the lack of effort on Cilic’s part is his lack of mental toughness. Champions often say that by the time you reach the finals, your “game” is there and it is your mental toughness that takes you to the end. It is hard to understand that Cilic lacked so much toughness that he let a blister ruin his chances at the Wimbledon trophy. Harsh as this may sound, tennis players are not strangers to injury and can often play with injuries far more serious than a blister!

Is this cruel? yes, it is. Even Roger Federer said it during the trophy presentation.

Tennis fans would have liked a tougher match. We are certain that Roger Federer would have preferred a tougher match. His muted reaction after clinching the Championship with an ace down the T reflected the lackluster match.

Gaining a slot in the coveted Cathedral of tennis should mean something. It should mean that a player will rise above pain and doubt to play the match of his life. It is the respectful thing to do for all the fans who are present and watching worldwide. And, it is the chance of a lifetime as a tennis player, most of whom dream of going to Wimbledon.

There is one player who does understand this concept. And he is the one holding the Wimbledon trophy today.

Lion and the GOAT

Three weeks after the Australian Open Men’s Final, we discovered that tennis legend and winner of 18 Grand Slams, Roger Federer, had seen the movie Lion the night before his match.

Prior to the match, tennis commentators all but gave the championship to Rafael Nadal, Federer’s long-time rival. Head-to-head statistics were rolled out and ESPN analysts and commentators alike predicted a Nadal win in four sets. Only Chris McKendry “bravely” gave her support to the 35-year-old Swiss.

Millions of Federer fans worldwide were not amused that so little faith was placed on a man who is considered by most tennis professionals as the “greatest of all time”. Fans travel far and wide to see the Swiss Maestro and, since he had not played in six months after his knee re-injury at the Wimbledon semi-finals, it seemed almost insulting.

For me, a long-time tennis player and sports writer, the very idea that Roger had reached the men’s finals was a clue to his new style of play. His decisive match against Tomas Berdych revealed that he could still dance. And, in his matches against Kei Nishikori (ranked #5) and Stan Wawrinka (#3), Roger showed a much more accurate backhand – its motion so balletic that visions of Mikhail Baryshnikov come to mind – and a stronger forehand. In the past, his nemesis were long rallies where he often netted the ball due to its topspin. In Australia, he accumulated more winners in long rallies.

In their rush to point out statistics, pundits forgot that in their last meeting in 2015, Roger had beaten the Spaniard at Basel. Even though this was not a major tournament, it still showed me that Roger was showing a different way of playing Nadal.

During the telecast, it seemed clear that the McEnroe brothers were confirming their predictions by saying things like ‘Roger looks tired’ and repeatedly how Nadal ‘doesn’t look like he played five hours’ in his last match. Nadal was always finding his game while Roger seemed to be losing it, they said. For a Federer fan, this did not seem to be very objective. Many went to bed when Nadal broke Roger at the start of the fifth and final set.

It may be hard to evaluate how Nadal lost. Federer said – in his post-match interview with ESPN – that by the time you reach a final, your game is there. The rest is all mental toughness.

Watching Nadal’s players’ box was quite the contrast with Federer’s. At every point, Roger’s wife, coaches, manager, friends and family would jump, clap, scream and shout. Each winning point was celebrated like a birthday. In contrast, Nadal’s friends and family looked – mostly – like they were at a funeral, especially his “girlfriend”. Uncle Toni was the only one who occasionally stood up to clap and shout support.

It is Nadal’s signature “brute force” manner of playing that won him 14 Grand Slams, up until 2014 when he was besieged by one injury after another. At 30+, he expends too much energy in all his “rituals”, fist-pumping and gestures. Contrast Roger who spends his energy flying around the court.

Which brings us to Lion, a movie based on a true story, about a 5-year-old Indian boy who gets lost from his brother in a train station and spends months alone, trying to find his way home although he is not sure exactly where that is. The portrayal of Saroo by Sunny Pawar is astonishing. As a father, we are certain that Roger felt tremendous sympathy and concern for his plight. As a human, we can’t imagine how painful his abandonment must have felt. How scared, hungry and sad he must have been. A tiny boy lost in a sea of humanity as he navigates through Kolkata.

Once Saroo is adopted by an Australian family (hence the reason Roger chose the film), he begins a life far different from his past. Fast-forward to 25-year-old Saroo, played by Dev Patel. The difference is so striking it almost comes as a blow. There is very little to like about the adult Saroo. He is no longer cute (with long hair and beard), vulnerable or even nice. He comes across as a jerk quite frankly. So you miss the little boy who clutched a cardboard as he ran across India looking for his brother.

Being that this journey really happened must have resonated with Roger Federer. There are no similarities except for one thing: adversity. For five years, Roger has faced the racquet of Novak Djokovic in semis and finals of Grand Slams. Each time, Roger has lost to the same things that gave him his victory in Australia: hitting into the net, too much spin on the backhand and maybe not believing enough. Chris Evert says that Roger’s biggest kryptonite is not Nadal or Djokovic but his inability to convert break points. His adversity.

His stunning Grand Slam victory included breaking Nadal TWICE in the fifth set.

Thanks in part to Lion, Roger won a record-breaking 18th Grand Slam. He has cemented the title and can now be considered – according to Chris Fowler and Brad Gilbert – the Greatest of All Time. And, to millions of Federer fans all over the world, he is our Lion King.