It was in January 2005 when
I saw Roger Federer playing tennis for the first time in the semi-finals of the
Australian Open while changing channels on TV. I ended up watching the entire
match which went on for more than 5 hours. Before that, I had never seen tennis
because cricket was my only religion, like every Indian.
That day I fell in love
with this man, tennis and I don't remember missing any grand slam event ever
after that.
Over the years, watching
tennis became a part of my life. Watching the big 4 Roger Federer, Rafael
Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray play was sensational and like a
festivity for me. Federer became my all-time favorite, Djoko kept getting
better, became my favorite, and I ended up arguing with friends who were fans
of Nadal.
Federer's character stood
out with his conduct, both on and off the field. His matches that went on for 5
sets were a treat to me as I learned how he kept his cool and won from losing
positions, shocking everyone. I can write 1000 pages to describe how beautiful
his service was. He started using more aces to not let his age affect his game.
I thought he would go on forever because every year he promised to come again
the next year.
But his retirement
announcement last week made me numb. I wanted to see him play the last time,
and I did that yesterday night. It was beyond my imagination to see the Big 4
together. For any fan of tennis, that was probably the best sight.
Since 2005 I have seen them fighting hard to defeat each other. Literally, there was a rivalry that could be felt every time they faced each other. But the magic happened when Federer and Nadal played together yesterday. They were laughing together, playing together, and in the end, they cried together. Nadal's tears were flowing non-stop. Federer was seen consoling Nadal when it was getting hard for him to even breathe properly. It was definitely the most beautiful moment in my history of watching sports. The moment is imprinted in my heart forever. To see your rival cry for you isn't a small thing. But this is what sports are all about. Being competitors, but admirers too. Federer has been a great ambassador of tennis and my heart can't accept that I'll never see him lifting the trophy of Grand Slams again. An era has ended, and I'll continue watching tennis, but tennis will never be the same again because last night Federer beautifully broke my heart.
Ending with a quote by Federer - When you do something best in life, you don't really want to give that up - and for me it's tennis.
ORDER - THE MASTER( A Book On Federer)
Thank you for reading.
Garima Soni
WORDS WORLD
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