It’s just astonishing that, some two decades after his first appearance in Flushing Meadows, Roger Federer, 38, married man, father of four, 20-time Slam champ, winner of 102 career singles titles, pitchman for coffee makers and private jets, is on the short-list of favorites at the 2019 US Open.
We marveled at an aging Jimmy Connors when he reached the semis here in 1991, barking at umpires and spasmodically pumping his fists. Ken Rosewall was an oddity when, at the tennis-old age of 39, he muscled his way to the 1974 US Open final, ultimately losing to the aforementioned Mr. Connors. But Federer’s tricenarian exploits are another thing all together. They’re forcing us to reconsider the lifespan of the professional tennis player, to reexamine the bookend limits we’ve perhaps unfairly forced on elite athletes.
The Swiss arrived in New York seeking an Open era-record sixth US Open title, which would break up a three-way deadlock between himself, Connors and Pete Sampras. Forget the fact that he hasn’t triumphed on the hard courts of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center since 2008, when he outhit Andy Murray in straight sets in a rain-delayed final; as the world No. 3 has shown, he’s still very much capable of hoisting that Tiffany & Co. hardware on the second Sunday. Should he do so in 2019, he would become the oldest major singles champion in the Open era.
Of course, Federer was once untouchable in Queens, N.Y. Between 2004 and 2008, he reeled off five consecutive US Open titles. His winning ways stretched into 2009, and it took towering Argentine Juan Martin del Potro to finally halt his 40-match win streak inside Ashe Stadium, claiming a dramatic five-set final, 3-6, 7-6, 4-6, 7-6, 6-2.
“I just got on a roll, I guess,” Federer reflected in 2018. “I was also world No. 1 at the time. For a long period, I think I wasn’t losing much, and when I came to the Open, I had all the answers for all the guys, all my opponents, all conditions, wind, night, day. I really embraced everything about New York. I think that's why I rarely had bad tournaments here in New York because I like playing here. I think the court speed is good for me. I'm happy in this country. I'm happy in New York.”
“It was a pity I couldn't win '09. I still wish I could play that match again,” he added. “But Juan Martin came and showed the great champion he was. But my personal experience with the five in a row was an unbelievable one. I'm very proud of that accomplishment.”
USOpen.org looks back at Federer’s five consecutive titles in Flushing Meadows:
2004: Federer def. Lleyton Hewitt, 6-0, 7-6, 6-0
- Fed’s third Grand Slam of 2004 comes in New York, where he bagels 2001 champ Lleyton Hewitt in the first and third sets. “I think in the circumstances, against Hewitt, first US Open final for me, I couldn't have hoped for more, really,” Federer says. “I got the start I wanted, I was dreaming of. In the end, to win it in straight sets is just fantastic.”
2005: Federer def. Andre Agassi, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6, 6-1
- A title defense comes at the expense of home-country favorite Andre Agassi. Federer’s win over the 35-year-old makes him the first man in the Open era to successfully defend the Wimbledon and US Open titles in the same year. Afterward, Agassi calls his opponent the greatest to ever pick up a racquet—even greater than his career-long archrival Pete Sampras. “Pete was great. I mean, no question,” says the Las Vegan. “But there was a place to get to with Pete; you knew what you had to do. If you do it, it could be on your terms. There's no such place like that with Roger. I think he's the best I've played against.”
2006: Federer def. Andy Roddick, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1
- With golfer Tiger Woods watching from his players' box, Federer continues to be A-Rod’s nemesis, becoming the first man in tennis history to go back-to-back at Wimbledon and the US Open three years running. It marks Roddick’s first trip to the Flushing final since he won it all in 2003. “He's a hell of a tennis player and a hell of an athlete,” observes Roddick.
2007: Federer def. Novak Djokovic, 7-6, 7-6, 6-4
- Federer scores the single biggest payout in the history of the sport, pocketing $2.4 million for sweeping the US Open Series and US Open. His defeat of Djokovic, who was appearing in his first major final, makes him the first man since Bill Tilden (1920-25) to win four straight US Open titles. Just 26, he moves to within two of Pete Sampras (14) on the all-time honor roll. “New York has definitely grown on me the last few years,” says Federer. “Especially since that famous final against Agassi here a few years ago, I started to really love this tournament. I realize actually what kind of a big-time event this is, with 24,000 people in the stadium, the city. Just the difficulty to win here. I wasn't aware of it in the very beginning when I came on tour.”
2008: Federer def. Andy Murray, 6-2, 7-5, 6-2
- The 40th anniversary edition of the US Open closes with Federer setting an Open-era tournament record with his fifth consecutive men’s singles title, defeating Scotsman Andy Murray in straight sets. Surrendering his top ranking to Rafael Nadal just prior to the tournament turns out to be added incentive. “Losing my No. 1 ranking, that's also what meant a lot to me this season,” he asserts. “So to bounce back straightaway after losing the No. 1 ranking, this is the best scenario ever.”
