When it finally came, the win against Robin Soderling was straightforward, clinical and dominant. Much like most of his previous 13 grand slam victories. By his own standards these last couple took a while coming but it was only fitting that he pulled level with Sampras' record at Roland Garros. That once and for all puts him above Sampras in the all-time pecking order.
My argument for Fed as the greatest ever is simply based on the way he plays the game. He is the single most gifted tennis player I have ever seen. And in the early years of his dominance, 03-06, the way the game was played allowed him to fully display his all-court game. There is no shot in the game that he can't play with elan. He is the only player who would have probably dominated any era the way he has this one. And if Wimbledon hadn't slowed down drastically over the years, we'd still be seeing him serve-and-volley his way to a title. In this French Open, his touch with the drop shot, from both flanks, was a sight to behold. Quite the contrast to a certain Mallorcan's heavy topspins. Just watching him wield a racquet is one of the great joys of watching the sport.
But like in any other sport, players are not measured merely by skill and talent but purely by success. And today that validation came for most of the doubters. He has now won everything there is to win and he's only 27. For me the one statistic that stands out the most, that is even greater than his 14 slam titles, is his streak of reaching 20 straight grand slam semi-finals. And 15 of the last 16 finals. Something like that is unheard of in the open era. Speaks volumes for his consistency, his ability to stay injury free and his desire. And the only person he has lost to in his slam finals is Rafael Nadal. He has never had a Soderling day. Given how competitive the men's game is, that is the most remarkable of statistics. Ofcourse, I'm sure all of us would like to see Rafa back across the net on the second Sunday at Roland Garros, but its upto Nadal to hold up his end of the bargain.
Anyway, I hope this doesn't take away from Fed's hunger and motivation for playing the game coz I think he has a good 3 years left in him and London 2012 at Wimbledon would be a great place to end his career with a singles gold.
But until then, lets enjoy the privilege of watching the greatest player of all time!
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