On never get used to seeing our childhood idols hanging up. This was again the case with the announcement on Thursday of the retirement of Roger Federer. With his strokes of genius, his inimitable elegant style and his 20 Grand Slam titles, the Swiss is a legend not only of tennis, but of sport altogether. When we immerse ourselves in the last moments of his career, time immediately becomes more precious: each of his outings and his appearances on the courts was watched closely, with the apprehension of seeing this day arrive. For the native of Basel, the end clap in the tournament will therefore have been this Wimbledon 2021, with regrets, as often when we talk about Federer.
At the dawn of his 40th birthday, Roger Federer still wanted to believe in it and cling to this crazy dream: to push his limits, to get a 21e crowned a grand slam and at the same time become the oldest player to win a tournament of such importance. But this record held by Ken Rosewall, victorious at 37 at the Australian Open in 1972, had become an ambitious goal for an injury-worn Swiss. However, with Roger Federer, you always have to believe it. Capable of flashes, like his brilliant victory over Rafael Nadal in the final in Melbourne in 2017, the Swiss still has a little reservoir. If he protects himself at the end of his career by carefully choosing the tournaments he goes to, “Fedex” is well aware that the choices are limited to achieve his ends and be on top of the world again.
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Roger Federer is betting heavily on Wimbledon, his garden, where he has triumphed eight times. His year 2021 on the courts is minimalist: after having given up on the Australian Open, the Swiss is making his comeback in Doha where he passes a round. His career on clay is limited to Geneva, where he lost entry against Andujar, then at Roland-Garros, where he spent three laps before forfeiting to preserve his right knee. The former world number one therefore arrives in England with few certainties, but with the ambition to annoy Novak Djokovic, who has become used to occupying his London throne in recent years.
Federer’s course at Wimbledon could have stopped in the first round: facing an overexcited Adrian Mannarino, the Swiss was pushed to a fifth set, but the Frenchman was injured while slipping. Passed not far from the correctional, the Swiss can breathe. The following matches went off without a hitch: victory against Richard Gasquet in three sets, success in four sets against the Briton Cameron Norrie, then a round of 16 all in control against Lorenzo Sonego. A priori, his opponent in the quarter-finals, Hubert Hurkacz, should not represent an insurmountable obstacle: so far in his career, the Pole has never done better than a third round in a grand slam.
A bone named Hurkacz
While all observers already saw him in the final for a tantalizing shock against Djokovic, Federer will stumble on a bone. In a day of grace, Hurkacz will cause many problems for Basel. With 79% of first serves and 10 aces, the Pole is difficult to move. For his part, King Roger falters, and his 30 forehand fouls will not help him in a day without. After the loss of the first service, the eight-time winner of Wimbledon rebels and leads 3-0. But this burst of pride will not materialize: Federer is caught and the loss of the second round in the tie-break dampens his hopes. Federer’s last steps on the London turf will not go down in history: a 0-6 sec in the third set, which means the end of his hopes and an epilogue that none of his fans imagined.
No one suspects then that we will not see Roger Federer again in a grand slam. Approved by the Center Court, the interested party also maintained the mystery of what happened after this stinging defeat. “My greatest victories and my greatest defeats have taken place here. I will try to come back to it as a player. I’m really happy to have come this far in the tournament, and even to have been able to play Wimbledon at this level after all that I have been through. Of course I would like to play it again, but at my age, you never know what can happen. “But the Swiss will no longer have the opportunity to play again. After giving up on the Tokyo Olympics, he hoped to come back in better shape after a new right knee operation.
Weeks and months pass, but Roger Federer still does not return. He even disappears from the ATP rankings for the first time in 25 years and his debut on the circuit. Fourteen months and ten days have passed since July 7, 2021, and King Roger has therefore definitely hung up his racket. Obviously, with such a career, we will not remember this failure against Hurkacz, who since then has never done better in a grand slam. The shock wave caused by the announcement of his retirement is enough to demonstrate the aura that the Swiss still has today. The Laver Cup, organized from September 23 to 25, will therefore be an opportunity to come full circle. A final lap so that the Federian magic works a little longer, before leaving us orphans for a good while.
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