DOES ANOTHER WIMBLEDON DRAMA MEAN THE REVOLUTION HAS BEGUN?
LONDON – This cannot be.
The sky is falling.
Didn’t we just go through this?
The top three in London – Novak Djokovic, Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer, the glorious core of this golden era, were presumably going to continue their airtight reign. They had won 28 of the last 29 Slams.
Why then would Wimbledon, which so adores sense and sensibility, be any different?
Then an unknown Czech with a Maori tattoo locked into the zone and tattooed the Spanish demigod Rafa Nadal in one of the most shocking upsets ever scripted. Now another long shot had the temerity to challenge the Royal Raj – Roger Federer. It was as if the ATP’s 99 percent had finally rallied and rebelled, shouting loud, “We’ve had it and we’re not going to take it anymore.”
Granted, today, France’s veteran Julien Benneteau is hardly as shocking an insurgent as Lukas Rosal, the No.-100 ranked powerhouse who dismissed Nadal. The French artisan has been a solid campaigner for 10 seasons. He regularly reaches the third round or so of Slams. He’s ranked No. 32 and was seeded 27 at Wimbledon.
He has much in common with Federer. They’re friends who’ve known each other since they first played each other when they were 12. Both are 30-year-old fathers who live in Switzerland.
But there are differences too. Roger has six Wimbledons and 16 majors. He’s won 848 matches (5,459 games) and banked about $70 million in career earnings. He’s Roger Federer, the fifth-richest athlete in the world, the magician – Picasso and Astaire.
But Benneteau didn’t care. Before the proper English crowd had time to settle under Centre Court’s protective roof, he won the first set 6-4, survived three set points in the second set and collected the second-set tiebreak 7-3. Up two sets, Benneteau knew he had won his last five five-set matches.
But Federer is Federer. Seven times he has come back from two-set deficits. At his core, the Swiss maestro not only knew that Nadal was out of the tournament, but that he was on the clock. Grass is his best surface, the opportunities for him to collect Slams are contracting.
So moving with grace, displaying power, then finesse, he called on all his talents: patience, opportunism, the quick punch and been-there done-that savvy to painstakingly climb out of the hefty hole he had dug to craft a dramatic 4-6, 6-7 (3), 6-2, 7-6 (8) 6-1 win in three and half hours over Benneteau, who crumpled with painful cramps in his thighs at the end.
The fallen Frenchman told IT of Federer’s genius:
“Mentally he’s a rock. He was two sets down and he didn’t show anything. After that, if your level is a little bit lower, right here, right now he takes the opportunity. At the beginning of the third set I was a little bit not as good as I was during the first two sets, and in five minutes it’s [Roger leading] 4‑0.
“He has a capacity to improve his game during the match. He was more aggressive right after I serve the first shot of the rally, he tried to hit the ball stronger. You feel it … So you have to be focused [on] every point against him. You cannot make any mistakes. If you don’t make the right shot tactically at the right place, you lose the point … So it’s tough. Like I said, he was two sets down and [then] he’s a champion. He survived to win in five sets, and he was not in control. I think he was a little bit not panicked, but not comfortable.
But at the end of the day he’s here.” IT followed up asking Benneteau what, years from now, he would tell his son about the night in 2012 when he battled The Mighty Fed. He replied, “I will say, you can be proud of your dad … it was a magic moment.”
A relieved Federer agreed, saying, “It was a magical moment for both of us … I felt great … It’s always one of the best feelings coming back from two sets to love in a Grand Slam …When you come through, it’s even a better feeling because your spirits are lifted up and you’re still in the tournament and you’ll get another chance.”
“But what,” IT asked, “did you bring to the match that ultimately enabled you to emerge on top?”
“Having been there so often,” said Roger. “Down two sets to love; knowing how to handle the situation; not to panic; knowing that once I broke the beginning of the third set that this match is completely open, and I’m only going to get stronger from here.
“Physically it was not going to be an issue at all. It was more mentally just knowing that … I cannot afford any more mistakes. That was the problem at two sets to love down, because I did have my chances, particularly in the second set, which was a tough set for me to lose.
“Obviously in the third set I sort of felt it was going to be a nail‑biter … because I did miss a love‑40 situation early on in that set. So that was the toughest moment obviously, seeing him come back from love‑40 down and staying in the match and coming so, so close.
But I did start to play better … and that’s kind of what I expected of myself … That I guess comes with experience, but also experience alone is not going to win you the match. I had to push deep and extremely hard, and I’m very happy.”
IT continued, noting that “Within 24 hours, Rafa lost and Novak dropped a set and you had this incredible match. You could say in a way, Oh, my God, the top 3 players …”
Roger jumped in and joked, “Yeah, can’t play tennis no more, right?”
“Yeah, right,” we continued. “But you really could look at it a different way. It shows that the level of incredible dominance that you three guys have had, the ability to pull off 28 of the last 29 Slams. Can you just talk about the dominance of the three of you and how really difficult that has been?”
Roger replied, “I guess you can ask … every player is going to give you the same answer. They don’t know how it works”
“It’s giving your best every single day, every single point you play, staying injury‑free as much as you can, and then working hard on the practice court.
“Now, I have been around the block obviously, and I know how hard it is to every day beat the guy ranked 25, 65, 105 … They all present their challenges. Some playing styles suit you more and some don’t. That’s why I love this sport, that every day is a completely new day.
“You don’t know what to expect, and you have to react so much in our sport that you only control certain things. This is where I think it’s impressive that the other guys also for so many years have been able to be so solid.
“But what that victory of Rosol gives [me] great belief for other players that they can beat the top guys, which I think is great, even though it might not be that great for me down the stretch. Hopefully not.
“I think it’s great for the sport … [for] a victory for a lower‑ranked player … I hope it does give many other players great belief in playing us in the future.”
So does this shaky 24 hours mean that the times are changing, that the revolution has begun?
Don’t count on it.
