A swansong for stalwarts

This has been a month of bidding tearful farewells and leave-taking ceremonies. And even before the sport could recover from Serena Williams’ swansong, further irreparable damage has been caused with Roger Federer dutifully following her off the court for good. Last week, there was not a dry eye in the house when Federer bid a tearful adieu to the sport of tennis, during the Laver Cup at the O2 arena in London. Even his archrival, the Spaniard Rafael Nadal, could not hold back tears as Federer found himself overwhelmed while delivering his farewell speech.

These twin exits, that of Williams and Federer, have cast a giant shadow over the immediate future of tennis in what has clearly been an anti-climax to a season that began with hope and promise walking together hand in hand, standing shoulder to shoulder and grinning from ear to ear.

Spare a thought for the sport that currently resembles a toddler forced to take baby steps in the absence of two colossal figures who had been worn out from taking giant strides for nearly a quarter of a century. As well as excelling on court, both these 41-year-olds wore their heart on their sleeve and were always willing to lend their voice to a wide array of issues that demanded their attention.

Both these stalwarts were born only a month apart. The resemblance doesn’t end there for it wasn’t just age that they had in common. They were united by an unconditional love of their profession and an insatiable hunger for perfection. For them, success was merely a byproduct of it, and they kept pushing the envelope to unimaginable heights with enviable ease.

Their careers overlapped for much of the last two-and-a-half decades and each went on to dominate their respective fields in a manner never seen before, and maybe never after. Endowed with preternatural gifts that were constantly perfected by countless hours of toil, the duo, in the bloom of youth, was seen as extraterrestrials dropping by on planet Earth to parade their skills before ordinary mortals who watched them with gaping mouths and ineffable joy.

Indeed, such was the unbridgeable gulf in class between the duo and the chasing pack eager to dethrone them that they were quickly placed on a pedestal of divinity by awestruck fans, helpless peers and distinguished pundits alike. Statistics might throw light on the fact that both Roger Federer and Serena Williams haven’t quite done ‘enough’ to merit being called GOAT (Greatest Of All Time), but now is the time to celebrate them for what they’ve achieved and not what they’ve missed out on in a career studded with more ‘hits’ than ‘misses’.

Heated debates and polarising viewpoints can wait until a later date. Given the duo’s advancing years and long-drawn-out battles with time and injuries, it didn’t require much to know that it is time to pursue another vocation which doesn’t take as big a toll on their aching limbs and aging bodies as the racquet sport subjects them to.

It has to be conceded that fans of both these stalwarts were fearing the worst for some time now. But, once the dust settles, and time heals their wounds, they have a lot to thank them for. As for tennis, it is in dire need of someone who could serve an ace at this precarious moment! After all, hope springs eternal.