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As his backhand hits the ball, and it flies off the left of the baseline, Ernests Gulbis celebrates with delight, claiming a major scalp at the French Open.
The victim? None other than one of the greatest of all time, Roger Federer.
This has been the scene since 2010 where, apart from his Australian Open that year and Wimbledon in 2012, Roger Federer has failed in his golden quest to silence the critics. After the loss to Gulbis he revealed his disappointment.
“I’m personally very disappointed as I felt I could have won it today, because everything has been going fine in the build-up to this,” he said.
Fatherhood has played a major part in his fall from grace on court, without a doubt. Having to juggle between family and work, with two pairs of twins, has taken a toll on his mind. Opponents that used to be beaten easily are now rubbing their hands with glee, looking at every opportunity to exact revenge.
Federer has nothing much left to achieve on court, apart from proving his critics wrong. For a player that is so used to winning the number of early exits has not gone down well, not only for him, but for those around him. Does he have another Grand Slam in him? Certainly, if he doesn’t have another off day at a Grand Slam.
Now, with Wimbledon approaching, this is Federer’s best chance to silence the critics who wrote him off after last year’s second round exit. It’s also a chance to overtake Pete Sampras to eight Wimbledon titles. Make no mistake, Wimbledon will always present Federer his chance to grab an outstanding 18th Grand Slam, but there must not be an off day in those seven matches.
He must be prepared mentally, and physically in order to lift his beloved Wimbledon. He will be needing to bring back the form of 2006-07 season in order to lift the trophy in 2014.
This may be Federer’s last genuine chance to lift Wimbledon. He will be 34 next year and the younger players will only be getting stronger against him. A bloody battle awaits, but Federer knows that he just needs seven perfect games. If he can do that, his quest for another Grand Slam is within his sights.
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