Sports Then and Now

A month shy of his 36th birthday, Roger Federer has claimed his eighth Wimbledon singles title.

In case there was any question entering this year, with his performance winning both the Australian Open and now Wimbledon in 2017, Roger Federer has clearly cemented his place as the greatest champion in men’s tennis history.

Memories in sports can be very short. While seven years may seem like just a blip in time for most of us, in sports it can be an eternity.

Even though it has just been seven years since the end of the dominant run that saw Federer win 16 of 25 major titles and reach the finals in six other, the fact that others (most especially Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic) had overtaken him at the top of the tennis rankings made his run sometimes feel like ancient history.

So when injuries knocked Federer out of the top 10 for the first time since October 2002, most were beginning to talk about how long it would be before he retired.

Certainly, few were expecting him to return to the top of the game and build on his record number of major championships with his first grand slam titles since last winning Wimbledon in 2012.

However, when Federer returned for the 2017 Australian Open he looked like someone who had been drinking from the Fountain of Youth.

He reached the finals with a five set victory over Stan Wawrinka and then claimed his first grand slam title in nearly five years with another five set win over longtime antagonist Rafael Nadal.

Even after his Australian victory and decision to bypass the French Open to be rested for Wimbledon, there was still some doubt as to whether Federer could claim a record eighth Wimbledon title.

With his straight set victory in the finals over Marin Cilic, Federer not only claimed another Wimbledon title and his 19th Grand Slam singles title, but did it by becoming the first men’s player since Bjorn Borg in 1976 to go through the tournament without dropping a set.

Given that Federer and Nadal have now claimed all three major championships and are currently at the top of the rankings, it is now clear to call 2017 the “Turn the Clock Back” year in men’s tennis. The duo will certainly enter the U.S. Open as the top seeds and honestly anything short of the pair meeting in the finals would be a disappointment.

Regardless of whether Federer is able to keep building on his record number of grand slam titles or if his 2017 win on Centre Court is the last time he raises a grand slam championship trophy, there is now no question that his legacy as the greatest champion in men’s tennis history is secure.