Roger Federer Could Launch to New Heights in 2009

With the 2008 tennis season now complete, it is no surprise that many are reviewing and previewing, assessing and guessing, judging and predicting this year and the next.

It has been a fascinating and an uplifting 12 months for fans of tennis. With a new cast of exciting athletes stepping into the limelight, there are great rivalries and fluctuating fortunes; real drama and new benchmarks in quality.

And at the centre of much of this drama has been the ever-present icon of Federer: the sun around whom the other players orbit. But has he burnt out? Or will he burn brighter again in 2009?

I began to record my year with Roger in order to preserve my personal Wimbledon story like a piece of glowing amber. But his story took me by the hand to an entirely unexpected and wonderful conclusion in Shanghai. His journey from the very first month to the penultimate one of 2008 was tumultuous and unexpected, plunging and soaring.

I followed in his path, holding onto his shirt tails with clenched fingers, some tears, and many thrills.

Thinking back to the start of the season, I remember an interview with John McEnroe after Roger’s 2007 Shanghai victory, closing the year as No. 1 again, counting down the slams towards Sampras’ record. JMac—often blunt but usually astute and an inveterate admirer of Roger—believed that, yes, he could do it all again in 2008 and add the grand slam record to his bulging portfolio. Then JMac added something to the effect that "this is always supposing the hunger stays and the body holds up.”

When Roger's losses began, the first surprise being his capitulation of the Australian title, it was clear to anyone who has been absorbed by this magician’s game and demeanor that there was something physical amiss. But the media—and some tennis experts too—questioned his hunger.

So it was almost a relief to have the confirmation of glandular fever. It explained so much: the food poisoning in Australia, the heavy-footedness at Melbourne, and later the shock of that inflamed cyst attached like an alien to the slant of his cheekbone.

But the diagnosis did not silence the baying critics, possibly because Roger’s work ethic ensured he continued with the required tournaments, media, ATP and sponsor commitments. However, he was clearly tired. Nadal was eating away at his ranking points, Djokovic was preening from his first Slam victory and further Masters success.

New stars were picking him off—not least Murray. He lost his Hamburg title and then the vultures started to gather over Roland Garros, where a fatigued Roger put a valiant face on a dreadful loss.

So the year went on. Wimbledon, the Olympic title, and No. 1 ranking fell in succession, yet still he stayed upbeat and worked hard. He looked tired and drawn through the summer hard court tournaments and eventually stepped off the treadmill at Stockholm.

Some (probably myself included) thought he should stay away from Madrid. Missing Paris may have saved him from injury and brought a different result at Shanghai. So many ‘what ifs…’. But he needs, in an almost primordial way, to be playing and, this year in particular, to prove to his critics that he is the best in the game.

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