Federer’s 19th Slam

Roger Federer has won a record eighth Wimbledon title, and a record-extending 19th Grand Slam title. This is an incredible achievement, almost a miracle, for Federer is just three weeks short of 36 years of age. Federer seems to have turned the clock back, playing almost as well as he did in the 2000s, when he won Wimbledon five times in a row and three Grand Slam titles in a year three times (2004, 2006, 2007). Two of his main challengers — Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic — were hobbled by injuries; the third, Rafael Nadal, did not have the game to reach the final. The final turned out to be an anti-climax: Marin Cilic, his opponent, has the game to crush anyone on grass but a blister on his foot and the pressure of playing a dream final reduced him to tears.

Federer won with unseemly ease but despite his joy, his celebration was subdued because he didn't want to be exultant in the face of Cilic's grief. At Wimbledon, they refer to men’s singles as “Gentlemen’s Singles”, which seems a bit archaic, but “Gentleman” fits Federer perfectly. The Swiss master has played the game with more beauty and elegance than anyone else in living memory and in this era of some wonderful players who are utterly grounded, he stands out as a role model. And as a player, a very large number of his peers rate him as the greatest ever.

Federer won this year’s Australian Open after a thrilling final with Nadal, and Nadal took the French Open title yet again. They've won a combined three Grand Slam titles this year, with one to go, just as they used to do more than a decade ago. Sunday’s result will enliven the debate between the fans of these two great players — who’s greater among the two? The fans would do well to emulate the grace and decency of these two men, suspend hostilities and just watch them play, because this grand show is not going to last forever.