The two spiked spikes on which Roger Federer retired

For a spectrum of today’s generation of tennis fans divided by its difference is the ‘Big Three’ it is non-negotiable. The beauty and skill of his game, these sentiments inspire, stimulate and inspire Roger Federer forever more than everyone and everything, regardless of Grand Slam accounts and they fatten them even more Rafael Nadal (22) and Novak Djokovic (21) than the Swiss genius, stopped at those 20s. But the ultimate made tennis is as indisputable as the two imperfections of his record, slight but evident.

Two works are missing: the single issue aspiring for his luxurious collection of titles, the Olympic gold, and the one that will always remain in Paris, a matter of pride rather than honor, that won. Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros when Manacorí knocked him out at Wimbledon. As for Olympic gold, there are few Machiavellian questions that can be formulated on such a trivial matter Switzerland, Roger and the ultimate gem of the Games in conversation: Has there ever been a Swiss individual Olympic champion in tennis? Yes, but not Federer but Marc Rossett, the ‘lanky’ player who stripped Jordi Arrese of gold in the Barcelona ’92 final.

Four individual participations

Federer at the Olympics

1

Sydney ’00 – 4th – Lost vs. Arnaud Di Pasquale

two

Athens ’04 – 2nd round – Lost vs. tommy haas

3

Beijing ’08 – 1/4 finals – Lost vs. james blake

4

London ’12 – Silver – Lose vs. Andy Murray

5

Rio ’16 – Absent due to injury

6

Tokyo ’20 – Absent due to injury

So Federer was never an Olympic champion? Yes, but in doubles. In an iconic postcard to depict all the great Swiss talent of the 21st century, the tennis player from Basel hung gold in Beijing ’08 with Stanislas Wawrinka. But he fell short of climbing Olympus alone. The closest time he had it, he was only one step away, in London 2012. He was relegated to silver in the final Andy Murray (6-2, 6-1 and 6-4).

Even if it’s short-lived, the winning character of the Scotsman finally thrived on the same grass at the All England Club and against the same rival that seemed to have buried him forever a month before the 2012 Wimbledon final, where the Swiss proved fourth loss in a Scottish Grand Slam final (he would lose eight), lifting the US Open in both 2012 and Wimbledon in 2013 and a 2016 where he would validate Olympic gold against of foals.

Murray’s symbiotic history at the Games contrasts with Federer’s, who has two clear blots on his individual resume. In 2012 he wore silver and in Sydney ’00 almost the bronze in his just 19 when he lost the battle for the final drawer of the podium against the French Arnaud Di Pasquale, one of the players most remembered for who they beat and where rather than what they were. But the Swiss fell in 2004 and 2008 as world number, both because of early retirements, and because of the perceived inferiority of his rival, especially in Athens, where he fell to Thomas Berdych -number 79 in the world-, by 4-6, 7-5 and 7-5. In Beijing she finished with him in the quarterfinals james blake -7 of ATP-, of 6-4 and 7-6.

Without being able to participate in Rio ’16 or Tokyo ’20 due to injury, such is the illusion of Federer to complete his record and reach. Andrew Agassi, the only person in history so far to have lifted all the great titles in tennis: the four Grand Slams, the Davis Cup, the Masters Cup and the Olympic gold. lacking Novak Djokovic also, apparently in Paris 2024 as the last time, an Olympic title hung in Beijing ’08 Rafa Nadal, who misses that in his museum Masters Cup that resists the manacorí. At the age of 35 and 36, time prevents ‘Nole’ and Rafa to avoid the irony that none of the three best in history equals Agassi’s milestone, his legacy is huge but less than half of the ‘majors’ ( 8).

Nadal and Roland Garros, an indefinable combination

Wimbledon was and still is the exclusive garden of Roger Federer despite the fact that the snout of the Serbian jackal appears -eight from the Swiss to seven from Djokovic-, and Roland Garros continues to be the ‘promised land’ for to Nadal whose true barbarity is measured in 14 titlesonly in Paris did he gather the same number of ‘majors’ Peter Sampras throughout his grand slam. But there were times when strict tradition was broken, with Rafa accepting the most prestigious trophy 2008 and 2010 and Roger, finally, the Musketeers Cup, in 2009. The difference, how, because Nadal once managed to break the rules at Wimbledon before the famous presence of the Swiss master, in which was an unforgettable and solemn end to 2008 after five sets, more than 4 hours and two delays due to rain, reason for a large parish to consider this the best match in history.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YACXinUeiM4

Nadal violated the non-aggression pact that the two apparently established in those years. A ‘friendly cast’, each to him, for Rafa the Roland Garros finals of 2006 and 2007 against Roger, for Federer, at Wimbledon both years against Nadal. But in 2008 Rafa hid everything after endorsing him in a painful 6-1, 6-3 and 6-0 in the Paris final and Federer accumulated a lot of grief that too after losing against Manacorí in the final of 2009 Australian Open cried Who would have told the Swiss at the time that, with the flamboyant and energetic 22-year-old Nadal already established at the top of the ATP rankings, this would be the year he would smile for the first and only time in Paris .

That 2009 everything aligned with Federer. The first thing, which is the odyssey of getting Rafa out of Paris, is cold but fierce Robin Soderling in the eighth. The second, a Nadal reduced by tendinitis in the knee. It just so happens that a player like Soderling brimming with confidence is made to counter the mighty and rise topspin right said Rafa who took the others off the track. He wasn’t afraid of it but rather delighted in it, leaning on that high ball that gave him more room to stab the opponent with his flat right jab.

Wimbledon

Federer vs. Nadal (3-1)

1

2006 – Final – Federer (6-0, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (2), 6-3)

two

2007 – Final – Federer (7-6 (7), 4-6, 7-6 (3), 2-6, 6-2)

3

2008 – Final – Nadal (6-4, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-7(8), 9-7)

4

2019 – Semifinals – Federer (7-6, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4)

The only thing missing is that Nadal isn’t at 100% to push his knees up and take that ball down a bit. top rotation so to you Federer, feeling but overcoming the pressure at the same time, suffocated another attempt at tommy haas to make his life bitter after Athens: he had to come back from two sets (6-7, 5-7, 6-4, 6-0 and 6-2). And Del Potro suffered too much in five sets in the semis to easily bury his ‘accomplice’ Soderling in the final in three sets.

He now has ‘his’ Musketeers Cup, but according to whom, he never achieved a ‘complete’ victory at Roland Garros by never being able to beat his current farewell tennis partner in Laver Cup, with 6-0 in meetings in Paris and 18-4 in sets on clay in the French capital. In fact, he was always far from achieving it, because Nadal didn’t need to five setsalthough in the 2006 final the Swiss managed to finish fifth after taking fourth in a tie-break.

In fact, Federer made a significant joke in 2011 after stopping Djokovic in the semi-finals of Roland Garros, triggering the Serb that year, just on the day of the Spaniard’s anniversary, June 3. “Isn’t it your birthday? Maybe it’s a good birthday present for him that he beat Novak.”released Federer, who would lose the final to Rafa in four sets.

In addition to an iron mentality -which is important on a surface where the rallies are longer-, and his love of the ground, Rafa’s energetic topspin forehand is the enemy of Federer’s exquisite beauty, his one-handed backhand. High ball upside down from Basel chained the Helvetian as it denatured him. Unable to control the force of that ball, he returned it short and was dominated by Nadal’s point and his powerful and multidirectional forehand. Federer was forced to open up a lot of angles on the crusader to make Rafa uncomfortable leaning into his ‘drive’ or, well, and to force Rafa to switch back, to abuse the parallel, because in addition, and especially in the early years, it was more difficult for the Balearic Islands to open the court with the backhand cross.

Roland Garros

Nadal vs. Federer (6-0)

2005 – Semifinals – Nadal (6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3)

2006 – Final – Nadal (1-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (4))

2007 – Final – Nadal (6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4)

2008 – Final – Nadal (6-1, 6-3, 6-0)

2011 – Final – Nadal (7-5, 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-1)

2019 – Semifinals – Nadal (6-3, 6-4, 6-2)

Many times it happened that the straight hit fell and Nadal could return or, to keep the pressure on the Swiss backhand, return it parallel, the most favorable option for Roger because Rafa’s ‘backhand’ is more reachable -so than overflowing right. Federer, always too very fast legsyou can also reverse the drive to cover the backhand, a dangerous option as it leaves the entire track open unless you get a winner and an equally limited alternative because you don’t have the same freshness in your legs to execute a good reversal throughout the match, and even less against Nadal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSjJNpXC2vg

Over the years and going through the ‘box’ of Swiss coaches that took him to the limit in his final stage the aggressiveness of his tennis as Stefan Edberg and Ivan Ljubicic, Roger -forced to do this to reduce physical wear-, learned to shorten points more with new things like climbing the net more in the volley and he also achieved it on the ground. The Swiss found remedy to Nadal’s high balls on his backhand entering the court and hitting the bounce as soon as possible before the ball rises. A good example is their last meeting at Roland Garros, in the 2019 semifinals.

But during that time Nadal did not have to repeat that pattern of play with the Swiss, because he also enriched his tennis a lot, an evolution that also included the backhand, with amazing ease for. open angles with the crusader with that ‘backhand’. The result was in no doubt: 6-3, 6-4 and 6-2 for Rafa, the kryptonite Roger’s Grand Slam on clay. If he delays his farewell, the French capital offers the Swiss one last chance in 2024 to find the Olympic gold he so desperately seeks. So between one thing and another, Roger Federer is always pending Paris.