The End of An Era?

As the men's final is set at Wimbledon 2010, and a young star, Tomas Berdych, is poised to take on veteran Rafael Nadal, a sad realization is dawning on most tennis fans; the era of Roger Federer is nearing it's end.

Now don’t get me wrong, Federer proved me wrong once before after he lost in the finals at Wimbledon 2008. I thought his career was over, and so did many others. However, in the time that has passed since then, he has won four majors while on his way to breaking Pete Sampras’ record of career grand-slam titles (16.) He also in that time completed a career grand-slam by winning the French Open in 2009.

However, Federer is two years older and the field is getting that much better. Obviously, you have Nadal, but two others, Novak Djokavic and Andy Murray, are on the cusp of greatness, while others, such as Berdych, Robin Soderling, and Juan Martin Del Potro are almost there. One can’t count out veterans such as Andy Roddick and Nikolay Davydenko making runs either.

Federer is also nearing the age of thirty. Though in most sports thirty is still relatively young, in tennis it is about as old as it gets. Sure you have people hanging on to past glory by playing well past thirty, but most don't reach the same level of success they once had. Because of Federer's inevitable aging, he may not be able to keep up with younger, fitter players such as Nadal and Murray. Although Federer has the tools to beat these players, his body and age might hinder him.

So why is this sad to me? Well, here’s the thing; though Djokavic, Murray, Del Potro, and others are very good tennis players, Rafael Nadal is just that much better. He is extremely strong, incredibly fit, a little unorthodox, and can adapt his game to any surface. I have a sneaking suspicion that if Federer is to retire soon, or his form dips drastically, Nadal will take the ATP by storm and sweep almost every major. Though Rafa is exciting to watch and overall likable, it is never fun to see an athlete unmatched and winning everything, much like Federer was from 2003-2007.

Federer is arguably the best player in the history of tennis, male or female. His time as top dog is up, it seems, and the tennis world, especially the fans that enjoy great matches and tough championships, will surely miss him.