Hearing the news that Roger Federer was skipping the Australian Open, I was reminded of a scene from the 1983 cult classic “A Christmas Story.” As Christmas Day progresses from morning to afternoon and evening, the Parker family’s mouths water with anticipation for the opportunity to savor the festive turkey.
But then, just as the wet, crackling entrée comes out of the oven, the neighbor’s dogs flip it over and consume the turkey themselves, leaving little more than an entirely devoured corpse. All Parkers are stunned and speechless.
“The heavenly scent still lingered in the house,” says the narrator, adult Ralph Parker, reflecting on memories of vanished hopes. “But it’s gone, it’s all gone! No turkey! No turkey sandwiches! No turkey salad! No turkey sauce! Turkey hash! Turkey a la King! Or gallons of turkey soup! GONE, ALL GONE! “
No cordial rights. No backhand delicately cut. No fancy servings. No kind comments. For the first time in his career, the man who dubbed the Australian Open “The Happy Slam” will not be in Melbourne. Our Federer soup, missing.
fake images
Of course, given what this year has meant to the entire world, there are worse possibilities than you even have to imagine.
That said, Federer and Australia share a deep affinity that will make their absence jarring and poignant. Because if Wimbledon is where Federer has most vividly ruled the world, Australia is arguably its source – the people, places and moments that shaped the king.
It was an Australian, Peter Carter, who coached Federer the most during his formative years in Switzerland. A contemporary of Australians like Darren Cahill, Mark Woodforde and Pat Cash, Carter’s death in a car accident in 2002 shocked Federer to the core, greatly motivating him to take advantage of the considerable skills they had both honed together. “I guess it was kind of a wake-up call for me,” Federer said in 2019, “and I really started training hard.”
When Federer was 13 years old, his family seriously considered moving to Australia. His father, Robert, made frequent long business trips there and was offered a job in Australia. Young Roger was excited at the prospect of living in this tennis-rich country. After Robert chose to remain in Switzerland, Roger broke down in tears. Although he soon came to accept life as a Swiss, there have been times when Federer has speculated about life as a Davis Cup teammate of his longtime rival, Lleyton Hewitt (who in 2003 beat Federer in a thrilling Davis Cup match in Melbourne). .
The Sydney 2000 Olympics were the place where Federer first began his romance with the woman he would marry, Mirka Vavrinec, a Top 100 player who also competed that year on the Swiss tennis team.
From 2005 to 2007, Federer was coached by Tony Roche, an Australian legend whose low-key manner and penchant for hard work, and then more work, deeply embodies the deep values of tennis that have propelled Australia to such success in tennis.
fake images
–
And it shows a lot about Federer’s affinity for many other great Australians, including Roy Emerson, Ken Rosewall and Rod Laver. He has spoken frequently about these champions and how they have affected his attitude towards the game.
But, of course, the most visible of all are the statements that Federer has made inside the Rod Laver Arena. By age 25, he had won the title three times (’04, ’06 -’07). Call this period the “Early Empire”, Federer in the final rejecting Marat Safin, Marcos Baghdatis and Fernando González. All three were good contenders – Safin beat Federer in a brilliant Australian semi-final in 2005 – but not on par with those who would soon emerge as his biggest rivals.
Federer’s “Middle Ages” in Melbourne began in ’08, when he lost to Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals. The Serbian claimed his first Grand Slam title and has since made his biggest mark in Melbourne, lifting the champion trophy a record eight times. A year later, Federer’s five-set loss in the final to Rafael Nadal brought tears to the loser. “God, it’s killing me,” Federer said, shortly before being comforted by Nadal.
Although Federer took the title again in ’10, the next six years were frustrating. Not once in that time did Federer make it past the semi-finals. Shortly after the 2016 Australian Open, while preparing a bath for his twin daughters, Federer felt a click in his left knee which in turn required the first surgery of his career. After the injury reappeared that year at Wimbledon, Federer did not play at all for the remainder of 2016. By then he was 35 years old.
Consider what came next, “A Regal Twilight.” In January 2017, Federer arrived in Melbourne optimistic but uncertain. 17th seed, could he finally take advantage of the technology of a racket with a larger hitting area? How would your body resist? What could you expect from your opponents, the surface of the court, the summer weather in a city where the saying goes “If you don’t like the weather, wait 15 minutes”?
fake images
To the joy of millions, the seas parted. Djokovic lost in the second round. Andy Murray, who had finished as world number one in 2016, came out in the fourth round. Federer’s confidence, boosted by five-set wins over Kei Nishikori and Stan Wawrinka, reached the final to face Nadal.
There he played what will be remembered as the most significant game of his career. Over the course of three hours and 38 minutes, the two played the kind of tennis on every court that had thrilled the world for more than a decade.
But there was something new this time. For years, Nadal had successfully attacked Federer’s backhand, and the Swiss often failed to hit hard enough or instead cut directly on Nadal’s powerful forehand. That night, however, Federer let loose frequently, catching the ball earlier, forcing Nadal to hot on his heels. Trailing 3-1 in the fifth, Federer put together a majestic five-game sequence to win his first Grand Slam singles title in more than four years.
A reasonable sequel took place within Laver Arena 12 months later, albeit in front of a slightly less formidable opponent. In the fifth set of the final against Marin Cilic, Federer struggled with a break point in the first game and then broke the deciding match, 6-1.
The last two years have been less productive. In 2019, a potential form of things to come came when Federer lost in the round of 16 to a skilled hopeful with a strong one-handed, Stefanos Tsitsipas. And last year, despite two quite similar escapes to Houdini’s against John Millman and Tennys Sandgren (the latter with seven match points down) that led him to the semi-finals, Federer’s body was barely able to carry him through a set against Djokovic before falling, 7-6 (1), 6-4, 6-3.
It’s appropriate that Federer coined the term “The Happy Slam” for the Australian Open. After all, for more than 15 years in Melbourne, you have given the world many charming moments. Australia has played an important role in shaping Federer’s tennis legacy. We hope you recover well enough to come back one more time; it is sure to delight, perhaps even surprise.
SITES THAT WE RECOMMEND 100%
–
–
