Federer the Conquerer

Watching Federer is like watching poetry in action. His exquisite shots, timed to perfection, are a blend of subtlety and class. His game is a divine delight for the eyes.

So, when one of my friends told me that Federer was the indisputable king on the court because had absolutely no rivals untll Nadal came along, it put me in perspective and made me think.

After thinking and debating with myself, I came to a conclusion that may be at least partially correct.

Federer did have rivals and does have them now. The only difference between the former and the latter is CONSISTENCY.

Federer who was the world No. 1 for a record 238 weeks was not invincible at that time. He used to lose matches, he used to lose finals, but converted them by rectifying his errors.

His opponents, on the other hand, failed to do so because of lack of consistency.

Safin, Hewitt and Roddick can be considered as Federer's immediate peers. They were the players who had held the coveted position before him, but couldn't retain it for a long period of time.

When I say this, I don't mean to say that these players are inferior: they have immense potential and are great players in their own right.

But what shots they have, Federer has, and what shots they don't have, inevitably he has. But most importantly, he has consistency, which unfortunately these players lack.

Except for Roddick, who is currently ranked No. 8 in the world, Safin and Hewitt don't even feature in the top 30 rankings.

Even when he had mononucleosis, he didn't let it affect his consistency. He managed to reach the Finals of three Grand Slams, winning one. He reached the semifinals of the other Grand Slam.

Federer has the fire within him to win. He doesn't take any opponent lightly. For him, every opponent is Goliath, which he, the David, has to defeat. That is what consistency is!

He doesn't dwell on the past, nor does he think about the future but concentrates on the present and tries to conquer it.

That makes all the difference between Federer and the rest. It is this ability of his that has helped him scale such heights, and it is this ability of his that will propel him to heights never before reached!