If Roger Federer wins his next two matches at the Australian Open, he will raise his career record to 18, and become the fourth oldest men’s grand slam champion.
Ken Rosewall is the man three in front of him. The now 82-year-old has never been given enough recognition and credit for his extraordinary longevity.
Rosewall won four Australian singles, in 1953, 1955, 1971 and 1972 – that’s 19 years between first and last.
He won two French in 1953 and 1968 – 15 years apart.
The stat that hurts ‘Muscles’ the most were the four losing Wimbledon finals in 1954, 1956, 1970, and 1974 – with 20 years separating first and last.
And he won two US in 1956 and 1970 – 14 years apart.
Rosewall missed 40 slams when he was a pro and the sport was amateur. It would be reasonable to assume he would have won 15 of them, taking his tally to 23.
It’s doubtful Federer will get that far, so if Rosewall suffers compared to modern day players, it hasn’t been a level playing field.
Rod Laver was another who suffered from missing 20 slams for the same reason. It would be realistic to assume he would have won at least ten of them, taking his career tally to 21.
There’s no argument the 35-year-old Federer has been a modern-day marvel, even though he hasn’t won a slam title since the 2012 Wimbledon. But he’s going gangbusters at Melbourne Park, with shots all over the court.
He beat Jurgen Melzer first up in four sets, then Noah Rubin in three.
Next to go was the very tough-to-beat Tomas Berdych, in straight sets, and the highly ranked Kei Nishikori, in five.
Last night he dismantled the giant-killing German Mischa Zverev, as a warm-up to take on compatriot Stan Wawrinka in the semis, with Federer leading 18-3 in the compatriots’ head-to-head.
If he reaches the final, Federer leads Milos Raonic 9-3 head-to-head, but trails Rafael Nadal 11-23.
One thing is for sure, if the Fed Express lifts the coveted trophy, it will be a universally popular victory.
The honour roll
Ken Rosewall: 37 years, two months and one day when he won the 1972 Australian Open
Rosewall: 36-2-12 winning the 1971 Australian Open
Rosewall: 35-10-11 winning the 1970 US Open
Andres Gimeno: 34-10-1 winning the 1972 French Open
Rosewall: 33-7-7 winning the 1968 French Open
Andre Agassi: 32-8-28 winning the 2003 Australian
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