Monday, February 4, 2008
No Djok(ovic): Federer Finally Challenged
So it finally happened. For the first time since early 2005, something other than the perfect storm (read: Rafael Nadal in Paris in June) finally got the best of Roger Federer in a major.
But it wasn't just that Novak Djokovic knocked off King Roger in Australia. After all, even when Marat Safin (the last guy to pull off the non-Nadal, non-French trick) beat Federer Down Under, he needed five gripping sets and had to fight off a match-point. No, this wasn't just a majority decision against Federer; this was a sixth-round knockout.
The most relevant imagery that hatched out of this upset surrounded not the talent of the Djoker or even the skills of Federer. Instead, what I couldn't get past was how fragile Federer's psyche looked as he plummeted toward defeat.
And this wasn't the first we've seen of this. Federer's temper in his junior days is fairly well-chronicled. But as recently as last summer in his kingdom of Wimbledon, Roger the Impecable showed signs of poor focus. After he got the short end of a player-challenge against Nadal in the final, Federer asked the chair umpire to turn off the replay system.
For those of you unfamiliar with the fine print of tennis' replays, this would be akin to Bill Belichick telling the officials in the Super Bowl to stop checking out the challenge reviews. Needless to say, Federer's request was not anywhere near the realm of the ground rules. On such a great stage, it was unthinkable that such a graceful champion would be unraveled to that degree.
Of course, it's easy to find reasons why someone so dominant would find his most immediate shortcomings between the ears. Federer's unapproachable talent leaves shockingly few matches in which he needs to dig through the rubble of frustration piling up in his brain in order to win. That is one of few categories in which Federer is at a distinct experience disadvantage to his opponents.
Like golf, tennis is a game of great potential frustration. Anyone who has picked up a racquet understands the angst that can come as serve-after-serve sails past the service box or collects harmlessly in the net. Why wouldn't the exact same motion that earned dozens of service points yesterday do the same today? Several smashed racquets later, most of us still never learn the answer to that question.
So what now? Unfortunately, as it always seems to, this year's Aussie Open was a tasty appetizer to a meal that is still months from service. We can't really judge a Federer bounce back at the next major, the French, where he's never won. Instead, all eyes should be on the Swiss Mister in June and July in England.
It's one thing for Nadal to handle Federer at Roland Garros or for Djokovic to pick him off on neutral turf like Melbourne. But not the All England Club. Not the grass courts and respectful crowds at the most famous tournament where Federer seems to simultaneously draw from and build on tennis lore.
When Nadal offered his five-set challenge to Federer at Wimbledon a year ago, we all raised an eyebrow. Now that Djokovic has drawn a gasp from the tennis world with his stunning upset, Federer finally needs to answer a challenge that we've been waiting on for a few years.
The question of whether Federer is the greatest ever has been on the table for a while now. What he does in the next six months to answer this challenge will go a long way in deciding that case.