Until yesterday, American Pete Sampras shares with Roger Federer the distinction of having the most number of major titles in men's singles tennis by pocketing 14 Grand Slam victories. Now Federer holds that distinction alone with his latest Grand Slam title by having a total of 15 - coming only a month after finally capturing the French Open title in June.
Grand Slam
The term "Grand Slam," which is also being used in professional golf to refer to victories in all major tournaments in a year, refers to the four major tournaments in pro-tennis, namely: Australian Open, French Open (also called Roland Garros), Wimbledon and US Open.
Aside from surpassing Sampras's record of 14 slam titles, Federer edged him out by winning the French Open in June this year. Federer's French victory earned him titles in all Grand Slam events. Sampras never won the French Open which is being played on clay surface.
Losing to Rafael Nadal
The 2008 season was a big disappointment for Federer when the Spaniard Rafael Nadal broke his five-year winning streak at Wimbledon that started in 2003. Nadal defeated Federer in an epic five-set match that lasted for four hours and 48 minutes - considered to be the longest-ever Wimbledon men's singles final. This defeat came on the heels of Roland Garros, wherein once again the Swede failed to win against Nadal who has remained undeafeated on clay until this year. Federer also lost his number one ranking to Nadal in that match.
If there is anything that Federer values most in his career is his Wimbledon title. His defeat from Nadal is considered the darkest hour in his career. During the press interview after the match, Federer said losing the French Open was nothing, but losing the Wimbledon was a disaster. At the conclusion of the interview, Federer said "[t]his is probably the hardest loss of my career so far."
2009 Wimbledon Men's Singles Final vs. Andy Roddick
If 2008 proved disastrous for Federer, this year proved most rewarding and historic for him. First, he finally captured the French Open which has been eluding him for some time already, with Rafael Nadal being his toughest rival. Although it was not Nadal against whom he played, it nevertheless proved a sweet victory for him as it completes his career Grand Slam titles. And second, Federer recaptured his Wimbledon title which is considered his prized possession.
Federer's latest victory did not, however, come easy. A determined Andy Roddick put up a tough fight in as epic a manner as Federer's match with Nadal in 2008. According to SI.Com (a CNN Network Site), in a July 5, 2009 article entitled "Federer Beats Roddick in Epic Final, Supplants Sampras with 15th Slam," this match is the longest men's Grand Slam final in history with 77 games, topping even the Federer-Nadal match last year which lasted only for 62 games. It is also billed as having the longest fifth set match with a total of 16 games as against the previous record during the 1927 French Open between Rene Lacoste and Bill Tilden (reaching only 11 games). As a testament to Roddick's mettle, Federer broke his serve only once, which was during the last game. In contrast Roddick broke Federer twice during the first four sets.
Best Tennis Player of All Time
Although Federer has surpassed Pete Sampras's record of having the most number of Grand Slam titles, Sampras, who has developed a friendship with Federer during their exhibition matches, has only good words for Federer. Citing Sampras, SI.Com says Sampras is among those who are already calling Federer the greatest tennis player ever.
But according to Brad Gilbert (an American tennis commentator and coach to tennis greats like Andre Agassi), cited in Christopher Clarey's New York Times June 5, 2009 article "At French Open, Federer Makes Case for Greatness," Federer cannot be said to be the greatest of all time since too much has changed already to make a real comparison. The article goes on to enumerate the different conditions in the sport between the pre and post-1968 eras, chiefly among them is the opportunity for players of the post-1968 era (called the "Open era") to join in more competitions that allow for more titles and winnings. Clarey, for example, cited the case of Australian player Rod Laver who would have won more than 11 major titles had there been no restrictions against professional tennis players in joining Grand Slam events prior to 1968.
Until Federer's ascent to the top, Rod Laver has been consistently considered as the best tennis player ever for winning all four Grand Slam tournaments twice in a single season or year (1962 and 1969). This is called the real Grand Slam, as against a career Grand Slam where a player wins a title in all four major tournaments at any time. Federer, like Agassi, has won the Grand Slams not in succession or in a single year. But Gilbert concedes last June that if Federer wins the French Open his record would be the greatest in the Open era. Indeed, by winning the French Open and regaining Wimbledon Federer is arguably one of the best, if not the best, tennis players alive. And at age 27 with a good physique, there's no telling how many more titles he can win.
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