My 100% record of getting Roger Federer defeated in a Grand Slam continues. It started with the 2005 Australian Open semi-final with Marat Safin which Federer lost 5–7, 6–4, 5–7, 7–6(6), 9–7 in over four hours and Safin went on to win the finals too. Then I had a big break and came back to get Federer defeated in the Wimbledon Finals of 2008 at the hands of Rafael Nadal. And again yesterday, Federer lost the Australain open to his nemesis, Rafael Nadal and broke down on court, perhaps believing that he will now not be able to get his now elusive 14th Grand Slam to equal Pete Sampras. I personally believe that getting equal number of slams, even if he gets them which is highly unlikely now, will not make him one of the greatest tennis players of the era as a lot of people keep harping. In his early years, he had a free run at all the non-clay slams which he exploited to his advantage. I don’t say that he shouldn’t have done that but what I don’t understand is why he is considered among the greatest player when he has won his slams in a period of almost no opposition. Whenever he has been stretched, he has lost it and he hasn’t been on many occasions when he was collecting those slams so we should bemoan the lack of quality of Men’s tennis in those years.
Now we have some good players on the scene. Nadal is obviously there and then we have Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. Also the way Fernando Verdasco played in semis, he showed he can challenge anyone.
So I fail to see how Federer will now get to his 14th Grand Slam now which makes me very happy. Unless all 3 mentioned above are injured, it is going to be very tough for Federer to get a slam now.
