It was precisely after the loss against Berdych in 2010 Wimbledon that Federer started facing words like decline and retirement. Add salt to injury, he lost both 2010 and 2011 USO to Djokovic after having match points. For the first time he didn't win a major in a year in 2011. He did comeback to win Wimbledon and secure number 1 ranking in 2012 but nothing after that. 2013 marred with injuries was his worst year. Now almost everyone including his fans believed that he would never win 18th.
But when the new stick came out in 2015 along with new Federer, I believed he could destroy any player just with his little finger. You call it bad luck or whatever he couldn't win a slam in spite of playing so well in 2 major finals.
2016. A major injury followed. It required him to undergo knee surgery and a 6 month layoff missing USO and his favorite Olympics. By then his critics(no, not the likes of KRK but the tennis think tank) had sword hanging over his head. If he was a team player, he would have been sacked!
Happy new year 2017. Yes, miracles do happen. But I prefer to call it restoration of world order. Federer comes to Australian Open with zero expectations. His fans prayed he should not go out in first round.
But to everyone's shock, he reached finals beating 3 top 10 players with 2 five setters. Thanks to faster courts this year.
Now the final was with none other than Nadal who has made him literally cry before. Fed had no grandslam final wins with Nadal in the last 10 years !! Nadal was the heavy favorite going into the match after his brilliant showdown against dimitrov in the semis.
The final match was tense. Both stole 2 sets apiece. 5th set. Federer was suddenly down 1-3. Deja vu ! Haven't we had seen n times before Federer surrendering meekly in the 5th? One more aaya ram gaya ram. Nadal was mercilessly attacking Federer backhand like he did in all the past 12 years. At this point something got into Federer. Don't know what it was. He stood there like a injured, tired but determined bleeding hero of our movies challenging the villain 'hit me as much as you can. But at the end I'll punch you one last blow'
It also reminded me of Arjuna's brahmastra that he had preserved over years and used only against his arch rival Karna. For Federer that brahmastra was well his backhand itself. He started hitting bullet like backhand winners, even the best athlete Nadal couldn't move an inch. Fed won 5 games in the trot and then finally he cried. He had conquered the elusive 18. Aah! The first expression was relief. Then the face of his wife Mirka loomed over fedfans. Poor lady has gone through so much. She needed this more than Fed himself.
