Subscribe2008 was the year when Roger Federer, men’s tennis’ world number one, considered as the best player of his generation, was supposed to make history. It was supposed to be the year when he would finally catch and ultimately surpass his former idol, the former king, Pete Sampras. Well, that wasn’t the case.
The past year has proved to be anything but great for Federer. He started the year by losing his Australian Open title to the Serbian hotshot, Novak Djokovic., He then went on to lose the French Open yet again, with Rafael Nadal giving him the beating of his life. It got worse, as two weeks later, Nadal beat Federer in an epic Wimbledon Final, a match many consider to be the greatest tennis of all time.
Soon afterwards, Federer lost his top ranking to Rafael Nadal after more holding it for more than four years. His gold in the Olympic doubles as well as his US Open Title, his 13th slam, were mere consolation prizes.
Fortunately for Federer, a New Year beckons, and with the New Year comes a new hope and a fresh outlook. Could 2009 finally be the year when Federer gets a 14th slam, or perhaps more, to separate him from Sampras once and for all?