Roger Federer will be 35 when the US Open commences next month and is looking more human than ever before. The 17-time Grand Slam champion seemed to have an excellent opportunity to capture another Wimbledon crown with Novak Djokovic sent packing early, but Federer let a two-sets-to-one lead slip away against Milos Raonic.
The question now is, will Federer ever win that elusive 18th major?
Amato: Sadly, this was it for Federer. With Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka out early, this was his last shot, but he couldn't capitalize. As Federer approaches 35, the rest of the men's field is quickly catching up, and some have already caught him. The Raonic victory and near Cilic win didn't even feel like upsets.
Wolfond: They didn't feel like upsets because Federer hasn't had a chance to get his legs under him this season. He's been hurt, he's been sick, he's been sidelined for weeks at a time, and he just played back-to-back five-setters. The fact that he was as competitive as he was this tournament actually bodes well for him going forward.
Amato: He's 35. The ailments are only going to continue to creep up and next time, Djokovic is probably going to be a roadblock. Federer took a big spill in the match against Raonic and in his postgame comments he wasn't completely convinced he avoided another injury there. We've been so used to Federer being superhuman and avoiding injury, but given his age, it's unlikely he'll ever be firing on all cylinders again.
Wolfond: Well, this is sort of my point. If this tournament proved anything to me, it's that Federer doesn't need to play like his old, best self to win another major. Maybe it doesn't happen unless someone else takes care of Djokovic, but he was a whisker away from the finals. His last four Slam results? Semis, semis, finals, finals. He's still really flippin' good. I have to believe things will break right for him before all's said and done.
Amato: No one is disputing Federer is still really good, but that doesn't mean he'll win another major. Both Tomas Berdych and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga have made five Grand Slam semifinals and a final in their careers, yet no one expects them to win a major. They just don't have the game to beat the Djokovic's and Murray's of the world, and as sad and hard as it is to accept, Federer doesn't either anymore.
Wolfond: I mean, Federer's won five straight matches against Murray, so I don't really buy that. He's also the one guy who looked capable of consistently pushing Djokovic last year. A healthy Federer is still the second-best grass-court player in the world. He still excels on the faster hard courts at the US Open. I'm not reading too much into the Raonic loss. Any player on tour would look ragged at the end of a second straight five-set match in the second week of a Slam after coming back from injury. I want to see what he looks like fresh before I decide who he can or can't beat.
Amato: Health aside, what was most noticeable to me is the mystique that's disappeared from his game. Federer's always had an advantage over his opponents at being this juggernaut that's superhuman, but the daunting task that it once was to take him down doesn't seem so unfathomable anymore.
"You're playing who Roger is today and not who he's been the past few years" -- Raonic on how to handle the aura of Federer at #Wimbledon
— Christopher Clarey (@christophclarey) July 8, 2016
Raonic's words are a bitter reality to accept, because even though Father Time catches up with everyone eventually, Federer made us all believe he was the one exception.
