The Telugu headline in the image below, on the day Federer retired, traces its origin to lyrics of a composition of Shri Thyagaraja in the 18th century.  It roughly translates to “Can we ever see such beauty/elegance...”. The rough translation does not render any justice to the elegance of how the original line is pronounced/delivered and the context with which it has been used for Federer. 

The closest any English headline came to describe what crores of people go through while watching Federer play came from the New York Times, way back in 2006. 

That the followers of this religious experience continued to grow manifold for the next 16 years after the article was written is simply a testimony to how Roger Federer has been an integral part of the lives of countless millions of people in the world. If one were to be asked what specific aspect of Federer’s game and persona makes it a religious experience watching him play, I bet there will not be a singular answer for it. 

Is it because he doesn’t overtly show his emotion during the course of the game? Or is it because he’s shown us that he’s afterall human when he lost to Nadal in that dreadful 2009 Australian Open final? Is it because only he could script one of the greatest comebacks in sport when he won 3 slams in 2017 and 2018? Or is it something beyond just winning and losing? Is it because of the shots that defied logic? Or is it because of THAT backhand? Is it because of the constants in his game – his stride, his serve, his innovation, his wife? Or is it just because Federer has been a constant for us at the highest level of the game for so many years?

A lot has been written about the 20 Grand Slams he won and the total 31 finals he has played. A lot has not been written about the 46 semi-finals and 58 Quarterfinals he has reached at the Grand Slams – an unparalleled record that may perhaps never be broken. From his 2004 victory at Wimbledon to his Quarterfinal defeat at the 2013 French Open, Federer was the only constant up until the Quarterfinals (More often than not, up until the Semi-finals!).  To give you a better context, from the time he won his first Wimbledon in 2003, Federer has reached the top 8 of Grand Slam tournaments (most difficult ones in Tennis) a whopping 88% of the time; and the top 4 a whopping 73% of the time; and the top 2 a whopping 50% of the time. 
Have you ever wondered how it is even possible to maintain such remarkable consistency? His records at other tournaments and his record streak as the World number 1 are of course yet another proof of his constant presence in the tennis top echelons. What kind of discipline, determination, and talent is needed to sustain so well for so long at the top of such a competitive sport? The story of Roger Federer as a religious experience lies in this remarkable consistency. And it is the story we should all perhaps imbibe – just be consistent at what you do. 

The first of the big three (Federer, Nadal and Djokovic) has hung up his boots.  Nadal’s injuries don’t show us a rosy picture of how much more he will be able to compete. The retirement has left a void in how we will experience tennis from now on. Countless of us yearned to hold the racquet like him, stand in a receiving position like him, hit a forehand like him; and try THAT backhand to understand how he does it! 

“Game. Set. Match. Federer” is now history. Thank you, Roger Federer!  

PS: I found this writing by SPORTSTAR to be very exquisite. 

Title image source: NBC, text images provided by the author.