Roger Federer: Year in review

Roger Federer had an almost great 2015. That is, by his incredible standards. For any other player, playing at 34 would in iteslf be a champagne worthy achievement, leave alone competing at the top. He had a better second half of the year, reaching 2 Grand Slam finals, winning 3 ATP titles to add to the 3 he won in the first half. Only cyborg extraordinaire Novak Djokovic prevented the Swiss from adding more titles/Grand Slams to his kitty. So, what exactly went right for the polygot maestro? Also, as the world tries to come to terms with how a player as fit as Rafael Nadal could have a physical breakdown as serious as he did, its time to recognize what we have been oblivious to for so long now; the way Federer’s health has been, and the way he has handled it, not missing a Grand Slam in the last 12 years, speaks volumes about how intelligent the player is. It’s not always about the skill set you have, it is as much about your mental resilience and your body holding up to the rigours of the modern game. Nadal is a textbook example of what could have been, and in this light, Federer not having had any serious injury provides even more perspective to this oft ignored fact.
Another major factor in the year was the significantly less number of tournaments he participated in (14), compared to last year’s 19 ATP outings. He was a cool 63-11 this year, meaning that come 2016, the Swiss is going nowhere. The year started on the lowest of lows in the Grand Slams, where, after winning the Brisbane Open in the run-up, he fell in 3 sets to Andrea Seppi in the 3rd round of the Australian Open. In the process, he recorded his 1000th career win at Brisbane. This was followed by a record 7th title on the hard court of Dubai, with a victory over Djokovic to wrap up proceedings in the Gulf nation. Next up, after a defeat at the Indian Well Masters final, Federer clinched his first title on the red clay since 2009 at the inaugural Istanbul Open. Come French Open though, Federer flattered to deceive, going out to eventual champion, and countryman Stanislas Wawrinka. In straight sets.
Then, came the summers. The grass and the hardcourt season. The summers have always been kind to FedEx, and this year was no different, with the Swiss reinventing himself, pushing boundaries, coming up with new strokes and taking humanity’s collective breath away. He stormed to the Wimbledon SFs, where he was up against an in form Andy Murray. Just when the naysayers were saying that his tournament was over, Federer came up with a virtuouso performance, a staggering 90% of first serve percentage, winding back the clock to the glory days of the mid 2000s. He fell at the final hurdle in his pursuit of his 8th All England title and it was familiar foe Djokovic, who proved to be his undoing.
After this, came the whirlwind Harcourt season, and with it, Cincinnati, where the much aped SABR (Sneak Attack By Roger) was born, in the final against Djokovic, no less. He won the title, beating World No. 2 and 1 Murray and Nole in the process. The follow-up to this was the US Open, and inevitably, the final showdown took place between the Swiss and the Serb. And inevitably, it was the Swerb who came out on top, to round off what has been a remarkable year, next only to Serena Williams. What followed was a 7th Swiss indoor title, beating arch nemesis Rafa Nadal in the Final, his first victory over the Spaniard in 3 years. A Final ATP World Tour appearance rounded up the year for him, and fittingly, it mirrored the year gone by. Federer was by far the best, beating all and sundry, triumphing over Djokovic in the group stages, but the Serb coming out on top in the Final, when it really mattered. This also leveled their H2H at 22 apiece.
After the low of 2013, the last 2 years have proved that Federer is here and he will stay. 6 titles and 11 Final appearances stand testament to that. As another year goes by, Federer isn’t getting any younger. 2016 can be as productive a year if Roger can choose his battles wisely, pretty much like how he did this year. Missing the clay season, to gear up for the grass and hardcourt one to follow might sound like an outrageous idea, but at 35, it just might be what he needs to stay fresh at the business end of the season. Also, this is the year of the Olympics, and Roger Federer is still in pursuit of his first Gold at the grandest stage of them all. As things stand, it all looks more a case of how many will Djokovic lose, than how many will Federer win, but Roger has been around for more than 15 years now. He has weathered many storms in his heydays, and as his swansong rolls about, he’ll like to sign off on a high.
The sun never sets on Roger Federer. The world is still a good place to be.