Roger Federer’s win over Andy Murray at the ATP World Tour Finals means he finished the year as world No 1, becoming only the second player ever to win back the top spot after Ivan Lendl.
But the big question remains; is he the greatest ever?
It’s such a simple question, but almost impossible to answer. Tennis is a game that has evolved so much, from the amateur era to professional, from wooden rackets to graphite, from three of the four Grand Slams played on grass to just one, it’s comparing orange barley water with electrolyte drinks.
Perry, Roswell and Laver
One thing we can be sure of though, tennis has always produced great rivalries, and a handful of truly great players. Our own Fred Perry overcame class snobberies to win all four Grand Slam titles, including of course Wimbledon, the last home-grown player to do so. His forehand up against Federer’s would be quite a match-up, but Perry had perhaps more showbiz about him.
Australians have contributed massively to the history of the game. In Lew Hoad they had a handsome Adonis who hit the ball harder than anyone, and who also liked a good time. Ken Rosewall had arguably the best backhand in the game, and it’s a shame he is remembered in this country mostly for his four losing finals at Wimbedon. Bjorn Borg lost four US Open finals and we remember him more fondly – more of him later.
The greatest Aussie perhaps was Rod Laver. He took opponents apart unapologetically with his brutal left-handed forehand. Mentally he was probably the greatest ever, but there is an Achilles heel there – after his history-making second Grand Slam, he never won another title, a strange stat but there it is – his decline was slow and somewhat painful.
Connors, McEnroe and Borg
Laver spanned the amateur and professional eras, and he would thoroughly approve of the five-time holder of the top spot, Jimmy Connors. He had a weak serve and a poor forehand, but was so mentally tough he simply never gave up. The ‘street fighter’ thought it was him against the world, and played like it. The French Open was the only missing piece from his jigsaw, and that’s another story.
He lost his crown to Bjorn Borg, another man made of mental steel, but Borg could never conquer Australia – he gave up too soon after a row with the organisers – or the US, where he didn’t like playing under lights.
The man who kept beating him was John McEnroe, perhaps the most gifted player in terms of ball-striking but who let things get to him too easily. He has the Australian and French missing from his mantelpiece.
Ivan Lendl ushered in a new era of raw power, fuelled by graphite rackets and ferocious training, but Lendl never captured people’s hearts with his brutal power and austere personality. He hated the grass of Wimbledon too, apparently forgetting what surface the game was invented on.
Sampras and Agassi
Then we had the great Sampras-Agassi rivalry, with Sampras dominating but Agassi claiming one big record. Sampras set a new Grand Slam mark of 14 with his final US Open win, but Agassi did manage to win all four slams, the first man to do it on four different surfaces. Sampras’ game was ruthless and efficient, but never elegant, Agassi’s style was more exciting.
Federer continues to defy younger pretenders
Then we come to Federer, the man who overtook Sampras at Wimbledon this year after matching Agassi’s feat of all four Slams. It looked like Rafael Nadal was going to stop him ever getting that French Open title, but when Nadal lost for the first time at Roland Garros in May Federer held his nerve and made history. His Wimbledon win was a celebration, and it was a surprise when he lost the US Open final to Juan Martin del Potro.
Nadal had his number for a while, surprisingly taking his Australian Open title after embarrassing him at the French, but Federer had his revenge eventually, and now Nadal’s knees might be letting him down.
With two Grand Slam titles in 2009, and after reaching all four finals, there is no doubt Federer deserves to be No 1 again. Watching him at the O2 Arena was a reminder of what a pleasure he is in full flow – that full forehand swing, the beautiful backhand, the deceptive serve, the elegant volleying and delicate drop shots. It really is a thing of beauty – Sampras and Lendl were never that, Agassi was but lacked that variety.
When Federer beat Murray it was also a reminder of how much the game means to him – the yelp at the end was a joy to behold. Federer bestrides the game of baseline buffers like a colossus. His encounters with Murray, Nadal and Roddick have been fantastic, and he always behaves in a way that does credit to the game. He’s the greatest.