Roger Federer brings down curtain on his career with a defeat, but still dazzles alongside longtime friend and rival Rafael Nadal
This article is more than 1 year old
This article is more than 1 year old
The biggest surprise of Rafael Nadal’s career has come as little foreseen, but has seen him return to an era that has come to define the game.
It came to be known as the “Nadal era”, though the world’s best tennis players have won the most majors under anyone’s watch – a total of 39. They have won more career matches in the majors than any other era, and more games in them than any other era, and have won the most overall.
Nadal’s dominance in 2019 may be surpassed only by his friend and rival, Roger Federer, who has not only been dominant at all three major tournaments this year but has also seen his career peak grow in its wake.
Federer, the only man to have won all four Grand Slams, is now 40. With his first retirement ceremony coming in September, Federer has finished his career with 13 Grand Slam victories, having broken his own record and eclipsing it. It’s his first time at the head of the line in the men’s competition since he took the trophy away from John McEnroe in 1992.
While none of the big three have retired before, this may be Federer’s last hurrah as he enters a period when he will be on a par with his friend, and a period when his career can be judged solely on the best-ever single-season performance.
It’s never easy to judge the peak of someone’s career or the very best player to have ever graced the tennis court. The best ever to have won the Wimbledon title, for example, was the man who first turned it into a competition, Rod Laver.
Federer’s dominance has been hard to ignore. He has been the man who has won more Wimbledon titles and more Masters