Starved of major titles since the 2010 Australian Open, the six-time Wimbledon champion matched the Sampras septet of crowns here while surpassing the American’s record of total weeks at #1. As Nadal continued to clench the clay in his bandaged fist, and Djokovic throttled him at hard-court majors, the window of opportunity shrank to barely a glimmer of light. The window flew open with Rosol’s loss and then looked about to slam shut on the Swiss star’s fingers when he lost the first two sets to the relatively anonymous Benneteau. For the rest of the tournament, though, Federer would not flirt so audaciously with disaster, losing three total sets in the second week and one to each of his colleagues in the Gang of Four. When crucial games arrived in the third set against Djokovic and the second set against Murray, he found the first serves to ward off danger and the resolutely blocked returns to prevent his rivals from extricating themselves too easily. A twenty-minute game in the final symbolized Federer’s tournament. Far from perfect, it featured five squandered break points and a flurry of unforced errors. These imperfections did not trouble him, however, for he won the points that he needed to sustain the pressure on his opponent and finally secured the pivotal break at the sixth opportunity. When he lost to Nadal in Melbourne and Djokovic in Paris, Federer seemed determined to become almost a superhuman version of himself, aiming for the perfect shot under the belief that nothing less would do. On the lawns where he won his first major, he played within his own game and returned to the crisp composure that made him the GOAT, proving that a genius with flaws is a genius nonetheless. Valedictorian
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