Winning was always there but today was Hurkacz’s day to impress his idol. You don’t get to meet Roger Federer more often these days. He is not going to be around forever either. It is more like the now or never kind of situation for Hurkacz. I mean, who doesn’t love a second look from their idol? A tiny bit of appreciation?
He knew it wasn’t going to be easy. With crowd support out of question, Hurkacz needed something to keep himself going. He went for everything. He really did. Federer began to miss a few, and as he nets, Hurkacz got the first set 6-3. It seemed easier, but it wasn’t. Especially, the last game. He started nervously then there was a service winner, a forehand winner and then Federer gave the last point away.
It’s a no brainer that Federer would come back stronger in the next after the first set loss. He did. Hurkacz, however, held on, hung in there, waited for Federer to make errors, who by this time, had made it a habit. He saves a break, takes it to the tie-breaker and Federer luck had different ideas. He slipped during an easy smash, a passing shot that he would’ve got 99 out of 100 times. It just wasn’t Federer’s day or it was Hurkacz’s day.
The 24-year-old was just too good for Federer. The third set looked like Hurkacz was all by himself. Federer had failed to secure multiple chances, and he was punished for doing so. Hurkacz’s superiority in points made Federer looked small, and the latter was barely participating. Hurkacz was just too good for the old legs of Federer as the former made the latter run through the baseline time and again, and at some point, Federer had to stop. He was waiting for the mistakes from Hurkacz, praying for short balls. Neither arrived.
Federer could’ve got to a few shots if he had anticipated better, but Hurkacz wasn’t all about the speed but also the angle. As the ball went past Federer, he looked up to see the score that read 5-0. The change of ends swept the crowd on their feet. Some were worried, some were anxious while a few, probably, his team rooted for Hurkacz as he was ready to crown a bagel to his idol.
The chant, ‘Let’s go, Roger, Let’s go’, grew stronger.
It must have been emotional, but he didn’t allow them to get in his way. Maybe, it would’ve, had Federer pushed it further. Fortunately for Hurkacz, he didn’t. Federer, being the nicest man in the world, gifted Hurkacz a couple of easy points and took the bagel as a return gift. He shook his hands with Hurkacz, smiled, congratulated him and walked back immediately. Maybe, to give the court to the youngster to enjoy his moment as he has done something remarkable. A star was born today from the dying shadows of a legend. Of all the players, Federer knows that very well. Hurkacz has got what he had wanted, A win, an appreciation but if this is going to be Federer’s last, that is going to haunt him forever too, after all, he is his idol.
As Federer walked through that door, ‘One more year, Roger, One more year’, cried a fan who spoke for everyone. Federer, kept it all to himself as he adjusted his hair, smiled and acknowledged the crowd who gave him a standing ovation as he faded from the view. Nobody knew what he was feeling, and of course, nobody wanted him to finish this way. Through the filtered emotions he chose to show us, he was upset to walk through that door for the last time this year, but only he knows if it is THE last time.
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