Hard-to-fill vacuum

This is turning out to be a season of goodbyes and also the birth of new champions in tennis. Swiss maestro Roger Federer's retirement announcement through social media was expected, though, from a fan's point of view, it was sad to see him struggle with fitness in recent years.

Modern day sport is very hard on athletes, whatever be the discipline. The pounding which the body undergoes is enormous. In tennis, where you have to run front and back, sideways, lunge and use every human part and joint to win matches, fitness is of paramount importance. Federer had undergone three knee surgeries and realised he was not going to be like the vintage Swiss boy we knew.

He has broken a billion hearts, yet he must be complimented for taking this huge decision. The best of champions have struggled with coming to grips over retirement.

The farewell will be the Laver Cup, again, a marketing gimmick. If he is not fit, then to play in London next week is because of the money involved, where he will be representing Europe. Some crazy tennis lovers are ready to cough up 1,000 British Pounds for a ticket to see Federer play one last minute.

They may not get to see the famous backhand or the inside-out forehand, something he had mastered. Yet, to see glimpses of a gentleman and true champion, who played clean tennis, may well be worth it if you have that kind of money.

For the common man, though, Federer's farewell message through a video spoke volumes about his humility and what he means to the sport. He has been generous in calling himself a ball-boy at heart, which is where he started as a kid in Basel.

When Federer knocked out Pete Sampras from the 2001 Wimbledon, it was a shocker. The tectonic shift came in 2003 when he won the hearts and hormones of fans at Centre Court at The Championships, as Wimbledon is known. The emergence of a new king on grass was welcome. That Federer got better and better on it was a sign of how he could dominate with skills and finesse. Champions are of various hues and Federer had that aura which was there in Pete Sampras.

His Toblerone-chocolate smile was loved by one and all. By nature, he is soft and kind, a total family man. All that would have helped him make the big decision, say goodbye to tennis, a sport which brought him fame, fortune and following.

To say that Federer was part of a very famous tennis triumvirate would be stating the obvious. There are any number of contests to pick on digital media to see how he was involved in combats against Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. There was intensity, some driving fans to a point of insanity. Sadly, each champion has a shelf life and Federer did well not to drag his career any longer.

Back to the US Open 2022, Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alacaraz emerging as champions at the US Open brings into focus fresh faces, fresh legs and how latent talent can explode on the big stage.

For the entire fortnight at the US Open, the hype was over Serena Williams. The American legend, who turns 41 on September 26, did reasonably well to make it to the third round before losing. To be sure, there was mass hysteria of sorts when Serena was competing this time in New York.

Once she departed, possibly finally, there was a hush in the stands. To many, it was like the one last wave from the diva. However, one cannot be sure, as she still speculates on coming out of retirement!

Apart from Serena, once the hype over Rafael Nadal was over, the US Open, proper, actually began. Till then, it was all noise and news, with the business end of the tournament getting camouflaged. How and why Nadal lost is not important. He was mentally distracted for sure, though family reasons being cited for defeat are not relevant. For the record, his wife is expecting.

The second week of a Grand Slam is always hard. The intensity increases, even as the players are not that fresh. The players legs are a bit more tired, the body has undergone beating and pounding and the joints are not noise free. This is when managing the body and mind and upping the level comes into play. Pure tennis was what mattered in the last few rounds. After all, it takes seven rounds to win a Grand Slam title.

Even as the focus was initially away from Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz, the results they were registering had become big. It looked, all of a sudden, the conversation was veering towards the arrival of new Grand Slam champions. Could this be true or would the two new champions choke on the big stage?

No, what the tennis world witnessed was a metamorphosis of sorts as Iga and Alcaraz emerged champions.

Iga Swiatek had swagger, substance and style as she pounded Ons Jabeur in the final. Becoming champion at the US Open was big, even though Iga had served notice of her talent at the start of 2022. Her results in the initial months were breath-taking. The wins she registered appeared just too fast, even as she broke the record of Martina Hingis.

Law of averages demanded, there had to be a snap in the winning run. And when that happened before The Championships at Wimbledon, it was good. No player can go on winning.

In the case of Iga Swiatek, she used the energy at the US Open to a nicety. The Polish girl has loads of talent and has been worked upon very well. Maybe, she was already an uncut diamond and we are now getting to see the refined version. Under arc lights, she shone, while competing against Ons Jabeur.

Ons is a brand ambassador of sorts for Arab women. Ons has power and hunger on court. Yet, to beat Iga, she needed more than her normal range of strokes and energy to come good. The sad part was, Ons was losing a Grand Slam final for the second time, after being bested at Wimbledon.

Iga Swiatek's tennis is simple and she actually has the game to excel on any surface. Women's tennis had promise and poise when Ash Barty was winning. That the Aussie chose to retire means the world needed a new champion. Iga has arrived, though the challenge for the Polish will be to polish her game daily.

Winning the first Grand Slam title is hard. The harder part will be to repeat the feat over and over again. When the 2023 season begins in Australia, she will have to deal with pressure of expectation. When you are somebody, handling media and adulation is easy. From somebody to champion, there is a transition which brings with it pressure and hype.

At the same time, Alacaraz winning the men's title was big. His win against Casper Ruud was exciting, though the Spaniard knows comparisons will now go on non-stop. After all, it was another Spaniard, Rafael Nadal, who was touted to win the US Open.

There is a mild similarity between Iga Swiatek and Alacaraz in 2022. Both had hot runs at the start of the season. And then, there were slumps. Alcaraz has lived up to the hype. He knows he comes from a country which has a rich history in tennis.

In the good old days, the Spanish Armada would excel only on clay. All that has changed in the last few years. Alcaraz belongs to that category of Spanish players who are all-court suited. The acid test begins from now on.

Nadal is the GOAT, numerically, in men's tennis, though the war among tennis fans is always on. However, just as eras in any sport cannot be compared, Alcaraz will have to live with hype.

His coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, has made big statements on how Alcaraz will be the biggest player in the coming years. Well, if wishes could turn into Grand Slam titles, so be it. The race in 2023 will be far more intense.

To think that Novak will not be hungry or Nadal has played his last Grand Slam would be absurd. Alcaraz will have to deal with a more intense field in 2023. If he can beat players like Novak Djokovic, we can say a true champion has been born. Until then, Alcaraz can enjoy all the attention he is getting.

Views expressed are personal