RIDICULOUS really but just a matter of months ago the world wondered if Roger Federer had anything left to give. In two weeks it could be a question of what's left to gain.
Last summer he had looked a broken man as he once again failed to come up with the solution to the problem posed by Rafael Nadal on the red clay of Roland Garros. The career slam of all four major titles still evaded him and worse was to follow.
Aiming for his sixth successive Wimbledon triumph in an arena that had been his second home, serving up nothing but wins as an accompaniment to his strawberries and cream since 2002, he was usurped. Again by Nadal. He threw everything he had at him in a classic final but he lost. Not just the title but his aura of invincibility and, ultimately, his position as World No.1.
Fast forward 12 months and the picture has changed. Federer still hasn't regained that No.1 spot, yet, or the sense of imperiousness. Supporters and opponents alike now realise he is a mere mortal but he is still one heck of a brilliant tennis player. Arguably the best there has ever been. And this summer he is intent on proving it.
Key was the US Open victory in September as it reminded him he could still win big. It was something to cling to as Nadal started the year with another title – the Australian Open. But then came Paris. With Nadal the surprise casualty early in proceedings, Federer was free to finally complete his collection. The French Open title gave him the career grand slam, the fact it was his 14th slam victory allowed him to equal Pete Sampras's record. This time the tears signalled joy and relief rather than futility and frustration.
Now, instead of looking like a man about to be consumed by a black hole of despair and dreams unfulfilled, he is a man on the brink of greatness.
In his pre-tournament press conference at Wimbledon yesterday, the similarity of Tiger Woods' 14 golf majors and Federer's was raised. What makes them tick, he was asked. It was a succinct answer. "Success."
"I don't know what else to say," he added. "We've been at the top for a very long time. When you talk about golf, you talk about Tiger; when you talk about tennis, you talk about me. It's something we have, something similar, our mindset. We are driven. We try to not only just play well but we try to dominate."
One more grand slam title and Federer's domination of tennis in the modern era would be complete. He would eclipse Sampras and while pub arguments would still rage, Federer could rightfully claim to have triumphed on all surfaces – hard court, clay, grass and paper. On paper he would be untouchable. With 15 grand slam titles he would, statistically, be the best ever.
But he is trying to stay focused. The calm serenity as much a part of the man as the masterful groundstrokes and genius performances he delivers on court.
"In Paris I was just trying to win my first Paris. You know I didn't particularly enter the French trying to tie Pete's record, I was just trying to win my first Roland Garros. It is the same here. The focus is on the first round and the first point. I'm trying to regain my Wimbledon crown. That stands over trying to top Pete's record right now, but if I get to the semi-finals or final then that will also start creeping into my mind. It would be a dream come true, of course."
It is a tally which seemed to be approaching fast until Nadal threw a spanner in the spokes. In the last couple of years the rate of trophy consumption has slowed slightly but it has never halted.
"It's a different approach. I think when you have eight or nine majors then you are trying to get up there and you're maybe forcing it more. But since I have been close I knew I had some time on my side and I knew if things fell into place then I was going to win more majors. So it's the same thing here. I don't feel any pressure to beat Pete's record right now, but things are looking good for me."
He says the fact he triumphed on his least fruitful surface en route to London suggests he is in the form to win the one he is most closely associated with and that renders the fact Nadal is absent an irrelevance in his own mind.
"I've already beaten Rafa here in two finals so I can beat him and it's very disappointing that he can't play. But I don't feel any extra pressure, I mean, there's a lot of pressure off my shoulders since Paris."
That win drained him (he claims the pressure made it feel like playing four finals) which is why he pulled out of his usual Wimbledon warm-up event in Halle. But batteries recharged, Federer is a man reinvigorated. Success is what fuels him.
The full article contains 877 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
