The scoreline read : 6-2,6-0,6-2.
The whole match was over in just 77 minutes…

A layman could have been forgiven for contemplating that it was a first round match at the Wimbeldon championships. For such a scorecard is rather reminiscent of the first week matches at the most prestigious grand slam event of the year.
But how wrong could one be??

For this was an almost inexplicable & grotesque display of monumental quality by the living God of tennis at the zenith of his powers. Yes, infact it was the first semifinal match at Wimbeldon 2006 between the Swiss maestro Roger Federer & the miserable Swede Jonas Bjorkman.

Ah!! And what a majestic performance it was by the one & only federer. For this sensational effort could not be dared to be described in words, let alone to be written down on paper. Such was the charisma & grandeur, it was an unprecedented display of highest brand of quality tennis imaginable so much so that it looked almost inconceivable & unrealistic.

The Swiss prodigy who has inherited the throne of the “King of Wimbeldon” from the legendary Pete Sampras had dropped just four games & did not face even a single break point on his own serve en route to this relentless spanking.
It was like an artist at work showcasing the multifarious dimensions of his beautiful art very much like Beethoven’s soul stirring performance, Mozart’s voice which transcends all the boundaries or like Leonardo Da Vinci’s fantabolous painting of Monalisa.

The hapless Bjorkman stood in disbelief, absolutely bewildered, shaking his head from time to time seeking some mercy from the eternal champion. But on that day the old warrior was doomed, for “Roger, the Great” proved once & for all that at the moment he is on a different level altogether & an unparalleled class act at the pinnacle of glory.

In yester years, tennis has produced some great champions from Rod Laver, Emerson to the golden era of Bjorn Bjorg & Mc Enroe to the awesome rivalry between Sampras & Agassi.
But now the time has well & truly arrived to acknowledge that this human being, born in Switzerland, and after years of mind blowing spectacular performances consistenly over time deserves a place right there at the very top. Federer is in a league of his own, he is simply, concisely & precisely a “perfectionist”.
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Now the champion whose last loss at wimbeldon was in 2002 meets another teen sensation, the only player who has defeated him this year, not once, twice, thrice but four times & most recently in the French open final at Roland Garros : Rafael Nadal. So as the number one player in the world walks out at the Center Court on Super Sunday, another treat of unadulterated classic tennis will be on display once again from the great champ. And I can only say “God help Nadal!” because “The Lord of Tennis” is going to unleash again in full fury & the world will stand up to witness one of the greatest sporting extravaganza on this planet!!!

Hail the champion…