Federer Keeps Rolling Toward Record 15th Major Title

Posted Jun 24, 2009 5:30PM By Mark Hasty (RSS feed)

Roger Federer celebrates his second-round victory at Wimbledon, June 24, 2009.

Another day, another big pile of Euros: Roger Federer had little trouble beating Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez at Wimbledon on Wednesday, dispatching the Spaniard in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2, 6-4. Federer is through to the third round and still well on track to play for a record 15th major title. Federer currently shares the record of 14 majors with Pete Sampras.

Of course, in the internet age, there are always people who can see the cloud behind every silver lining. Reading message boards and article comments, it's clear that more than a few tennis fans feel that Federer should get an asterisk next to his record if he wins out at Wimbledon. Why? Because if he wins and sets the new record, he will not have beaten Rafael Nadal to do so. Since Nadal is the top-ranked player in the world, it would seem that any title which doesn't pass through him is tainted.

It's certainly true that, if Federer wins out, he will not have to face Nadal. It's also true that he won't have to face Bjorn Borg circa 1979, Superman, the 3rd Infantry Division, or a bunch of sharks with laser beams on their backs. What do they have to do with Nadal? Easy. They're not playing at Wimbledon either.

I mean no disrespect to Nadal. I mean little disrespect to his fans, but the argument that Rafa is the greatest tennis player in the world, and possibly the greatest of all time, is somewhat undermined by the fact that his knees are betraying him. He's not the best tennis player in the world if he doesn't have healthy knees any more than a Formula 1 car is the fastest racer if the track is icy. You can think that he's the greatest player in the world, or even the GOAT, if you want. You really can't say he's the greatest player right now, though, because he's not playing.

Of course, all this has to be tempered by the fact that Federer hasn't won Wimbledon yet. It's not like the rest of the draw is made up of YMCA rec league players, after all. The road to the title at least goes through Andy Murray, and at Wimbledon, that's a local road.

But please, enough of the talk about an asterisk. Injuries are part of the game, and nobody plays hypothetical tennis. The game is played on the court, and you can only beat the players who actually show up.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

6-24-2009 @ 6:22PM

karl said...

When Nadal plays in 20 consecutive semi-final Slams and plays in 15-16 Slam Finals and consistantly beats Roger on grass, hardcourt, and rebound ace surface down under, like he has beaten him on clay, perhaps we can mention Rafa in the same sentence; not before! Take Rafa's native clay surface away and and the 5 year senior Federer is 5-4 lifetime and 2-2 in Slams vs. Nadal! If you want to crown Nadal BEST clay court player, along with Borg then do so, but NO ONE has EVER been as GREAT on all 4 surfaces consistantly, period. Nadal seemed at full speed vs Hewitt the match prior to Soderling and beat the Aussie 6-1 6-3 6-1. He did not complain about or ice his knees during post match interviews. His knees may be sore but I believe it's being over dramatized and b/c Rafa is a gentleman he is getting a "pass" from media. It is his choice not to compete and defend at Wimbledon (first time ever) is not Roger's fault and to say Rafa would have beaten him this year is optimistic supposition at best. Last year's match was as close as a match can be between two great players. Enough said......

6-24-2009 @ 6:33PM

jacobsiv said...

Excuse me, but Roger beat Rafa in Spain and no one seemed to worry about Roger when he was trying to recover all last year from Mono. Rafa is a dirt bag. He needs to put some sleeves on his shirts and grow up and so should all of you. Roger is the best ever.

6-24-2009 @ 7:17PM

arnold said...

Has anybody explored the possibility that rafa may use steroids? I really love the kid's style both on and off the court, but having been a personal trainer and power lifter for many years, I know from my studies that the first thing to suffer from steroids are the joints. He is also probably the most muscular player I can recall in recent years; a difficult task to maintain muscle with all that running he does.Rafa is awfully young to have knee problems, particlarly because he has played tennis mostly on the softer clay surface. I am not a diagnostician, but I am a suspectition; I am not accusing but this fan wonders.......

6-24-2009 @ 8:19PM

ashleigh said...

I couldn't agree more with the comments here so far... I am sick to death of people saying Roger has to play Rafa to legitimize any of his wins! Are they all on drugs?!

Roger doesn't need to prove anything to anyone --he just needs to play one match at a time, and beat whoever is across the net from him!

No-one has a record like his! 40 Grand Slams, 20 CONSECUTIVE Grand Slam Semi-Finals, 15 out of the last 16 CONSECUTIVE FINALS, a Career Slam on all 4 surfaces, 5 CONSECUTIVE Wimbledon wins, 5 CONSECUTIVE US Open Wins, etc, etc...

Novak only won the Aussie Open in 2008 because Roger had Mono, but I don't hear anyone trying to downplay Novak's win... No-one saying "it doesn't count because Roger was sick"... Puh-leez!

Rafa is good, but Roger was #1 for nearly 5 CONSECUTIVE YEARS! Rafa has been #1 for less than even one lousy year, and he's beaten on clay in Madrid, he's out at the French Open, and he won't play Wimbledon if he can't win... You know, as Andy Roddick stated, all tennis pros play with tendonitis -- it's not career-ending or life-threatening -- he wasn't taped or iced in Madrid, at the French Open, or at the 2 grass court matches he played, either! He played fine, too, he just lost is all... And his ego can't handle that! If he had won, he'd be playing Wimbledon, but because he lost he can't take it like a man... He can always say he didn't "lose" his Wimbledon crown, he simply didn't play...

Roger had Mono last year, and lost weight, and couldn't train, and was very ill, and knew he would lose matches because of it, but he played anyway... And yes, he lost, and people wanted to think it was because he was terrible and Rafa was so great, but greatness is also about character and class and graciousness and sportsmanship, and Rafa isn't all that sporting...

The best player will win, and won't need to have played Rafa to legitimize anything!

6-24-2009 @ 8:28PM

tennis-bol said...

ou are not the first to wonder about anabolic steroids. Look at the muscularity here: http://www.gototennisblog.com/2009/05/20/rafael-nadal-many-players-are-fitter-than-me/

6-24-2009 @ 8:34PM

Another thing, Roger not only Mono for nearly a year, he's also had severe back pain, too, yet he managed to be #1 for nearly 5 years straight, and be in 20 consecutive Grand Slam Semi's & 15 out 16 consecutive Grand Slam Finals, and win a Career Slam & tie Pete Sampras's Grand Slam record...

Rafa, mere MONTHS at #1, which he will lose if Roger wins Wimbledon, mere months, and he is already falling apart! He only won Wimbie last year because Roger had Mono, and with that confidence, along with his new #1 ranking, propelled to win the Aussie Open this year, but again, I don't hear the media say it was because Roger had Mono and severe back pain...

Why? Because Roger didn't belly-ache about it or pull out of tournaments -- he played, because he's a champion... he played, even though he knew it wouldn't be pretty... He played... Rafa backs out if he doesn't think he can win... Rafa himself said he's fine but not fine enough to win, and he won't play unless he can win... So truly, this is all about ego... No *****'s needed on ANY of the record books for Roger...