First of all, I am still “recovering” from the huge disappointment I have (as a fan) with Roger Federer’s monumental loss in the 2nd round of Wimbledon 2013, to Sergiy Stakhovsky, who is a journeyman tennis player (at best).
After 36 consecutive Grand Slam QuarterFinals over 9 years (I repeat, 9 years!), the streak comes to an end.
Some quick thoughts:
– Am amazed at the equanimity with which Federer has handled this devastating loss
– Do you think Stakhovsky has a good story to tell his grandchildren? Who broke what is the most remarkable of all of Federer’s numerous records? “Me, Stakhovsky!”
– The tennis landscape is soo deep nowadays and the Big4 has been so consistent over the past few years that people lose sight of the fact that if a top player is slightly below his standards and the opponent have a brilliant day, anything can happen. Let us not allow the remarkable consistency of the Top4 to mask the basic fact that Tennis, as a true global sport, is ultra-competitive.
I am sure Federer will be wondering “What next?” over the next few days/weeks/months.
I sure hope that he does not linger on and on and keep losing to the guys like this.
http://gattokaran.com/2012/07/09/why-i-think-roger-federer-should-retire-right-now/ (I wrote this right after Federer won Wimbledon 2012 and rose to No:1, for what must surely be the last time he will be No:1)
For 9 years, Federer did not lose to folks other than other all-time greats, Grand Slam winners and big-hitters (Tsonga, Berdych, Soderling).
I hope it now not the turn of “Ranking 100-1000” folks to get their chance at the Greatest Of All Time (GOAT)! 🙂
Is this the greatest upset in Tennis? Hardly, IMHO. I can think of the following which should rank higher:
– Pete Sampras, as 4-time defending champion, going down to Richard Krajicek in Wimbledon 1996, while Sampras was at his absolute peak
– Rafael Nadal, as 4-time defending champion, going down to Robin Soderling in French Open 2009, while Nadal was at his absolute peak and having won 3 of the previous 4 Grand Slams
Yes, Federer losing in the 2nd round in a Grand Slam where his record over the past 10 years: 7 Wins, 1 Finals, 2 QF, is remarkable. But not the biggest upset IMHO.
Adios!
Hello fellow blogger,
Excellent article. Federer-Stakhovsky is probably on par with Sampras-Bastl circa 2002. Federer has been on the wane for some time now and it is a testament to his incredible skill that he still performs so consistently at Grandslams. He will surely go down in tennis history as the best ever but imho the crown would have sat more comfortably upon his head if he had managed to sneak atleast one victory over Nadal at Roland Garros.