Roger Federer is Wimbledon Champion for 2017 and all is right with the world.
Watching Wimbledon has been tradition in my family for years. Bless us, we are not an athletic family but we have opinions on tennis. I remember the end of the Borg/McEnroe era. I adored Jimmy Connors and booed Ivan Lendl (harsh). I remember Boris Becker’s wild card entry, his jumping the nets and then winning the whole shebang. The late 80’s and very early 90’s were brilliant as the new guard came through and there were five Champions in six years. It was exciting and unpredictable.
Then we had the power serve years. Agassi got the headlines because of the haircut but Sampras dominated. He won a record equalling 7 times. I think it was the start of the grunting but I stand to be corrected. Games were won on aces and for many the game lost it’s beauty.
Then came Roger. One of the best natural athletes the game has seen. He was balletic to watch. Graceful, powerful and dominant. He was never truly rivalled in the early years but Rafa Nadal came close.
He won his seventh Wimbledon in 2012 and five years is a long time in tennis. He’s had injury struggles and other players have risen to prominence but his is a story of hard work and consistency. On Sunday, at 35, he won his 8th Wimbledon title and his 19th grand slam. He makes it look effortless but never plays down his hard work. He’s been a pleasure to watch and gets a full fizzy ovation from me.