18th beckons
Federer played Bjorn Phau in the second round of US open. He won with consummate ease with a score of 6-4 6-3 6-2. You may ask who is Bjorn Phau. Bjorn Phau is same age as of Federer. They first met in 1999 when Bjorn Phau defeated Federer in straight sets. But since then Federer has went on to capture 18 grandslams, however Phau has managed only four grandslam matches. So the result was never in doubt. However his age had great symbolic meaning. Federer had not only gone on to became greatest player of all time. He has also outlasted all the players from his generation. Andy Roddick, former US Open champion, who is actually 2 years younger than Federer, will retire after the US Open. Leyton Hewitt, former World Nor 1 who is of same age as Federer is languishing outside world top 100. Several players much younger than Federer have slipped in the rankings due to injuries. Nikolay Davydenko, who consistently was in top 5 for 5 consecutive years, has lost his form after wrist injury. ...