Roger Federer's worst year, ever! continued with a dismal loss in the third round to servin' giant Ivo Karlovic at the Cincinnati Masters championship.
It's all over for Federer, I mean when was the last time he held serve for the whole match and lost? Fed had to lose before the semi-finals and Rafael Nadal had to win the whole thing for the No. 1 ranking to change hands.
This was pretty inconceivable a few months ago, actually, even a month ago. Fed has had the No.1 ranking for a record 234 consecutive weeks (that's consecutive!). That's a remarkable achievement. I honestly had no idea that he would lose the rank within a month of the Wimbledon finals.
However, Pete Sampras held the No. 1 year-end ranking for six consecutive years (at one point piling on a bunch of tournaments at the end of the year to hold on to that streak). And he was ranked in the Top 10 for 12 straight years. 12...straight...years! Now that Federer's assault on his Grand Slam record is no longer a certainty, it starts putting Pete's own career records into perspective.
I was never a huge Sampras fan, but he was undoubtedly the most underrated and under-appreciated great sportsman in American history. I did feel that it would have been sad if Roger had raced through his records so soon after Sampras's retirement and removed him from the record books.
Roger may finally pass Sampras's 14 Grand Slam titles, but the fact that he's not going to obliterate that record (didn't Brad Gilbert once put that number at 20?) or the fact that he may not get to it all (unthinkable not too long ago) certainly helps frame Sampras's greatness. And even if Fed gets this record, it is clear that he will not stay No. 1 for six consecutive years, and it may even be unlikely that he would stay ranked in the Top 10 for 12 consecutive years.
Federer's career is not over, but his losses since Wimbledon have been troubling. While he lost to two quality players, Nadal has chugged on. He's taken on difficult opponents, he's gotten through difficult matches, and he's done it all with the single aim of taking over the No. 1 ranking. In the face of great pressure he has thrived, while Federer has wilted.
I love Federer, and always will, and his achievements are incredible. The job that he has done on behalf of Tennis has been nothing short of miraculous (I will riff on this more one day, a lot more) and his rapid descent from the mountaintop has been awful to watch.
I like Nadal, I really do. But he's no Roger Federer and will do well to use him as a template on how true World No. 1s behave.
LINKS
AP: Federer Out in Cincinnati Could Slip From No. 1
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