As Far As Vijay Amritraj Is Concerned, Roger Federer Can Achieve The Impossible If Needed
Federer has won 18 Grand Slams since 2003.
Vijay Amritraj insists that he always believed Roger Federer would win another major when most people were busy writing the Swiss off. And he was proven right on Sunday when Federer added another feather to his cap by defeating Rafael Nadal in a thrilling five-setter at the Australian Open.
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Amritraj, who has had a wine collection named after him by Grover Zampa Vineyards recently, spoke to TOI about what makes Federer the great he is, why it has been 30 years since India made a Davis Cup final and more. Excerpts:
Did you believe all along that Roger Federer had another Slam left in him?
You never write off players like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. I have been saying this all along as one thing you cannot question is greatness. Federer is so great a player that there was no question that the 18th was only a matter of time. A player of Federer's calibre wouldn't have continued playing after so many years if he didn't believe he had it in him.
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From being a break down in the crucial fifth set to totally owning it...
Pulling off a win from being a break down... that is the beauty of Federer. He can pull off almost anything. I think this time around, he was much more prepared for Rafa than in the past. You could see him strategies and read Rafa so well. The fact that he was playing so far up on the court made the difference in his belief that he could win. At this age, to dig deep after being 1-3 down in the final set and winning when no one expected him to as the 17th seed was commendable.
Was this the best Federer vs Nadal match?
I will definitely put this at the top but the Wimbledon final in 2008 comes a close second. That was honestly quite spectacular. I was there and I truly got to witness magic. But in 2008 both were young and when you are young, passion is different. Today nine years later, to see both of them fight again was magnificent because they dug so deep. Look at the fifth set in both matches. Both had their own characteristics. Nine years ago Federer cracked after putting up a grand fight but this time he held his nerve.
18th Slam done, is it time to leave on a high for Federer now?
He is definitely not getting any younger. It all depends on how his body holds up and how much he can endure. See what he has done with his body in the last six months. Kudos to him. But great players like Federer know when to stop and they will quit only when they feel that they don't have the hunger anymore.
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Do you think that Federer is the closest possible to perfection in tennis?
I don't think anyone can be perfect and neither is Federer. See a year-and-half ago, Novak Djokovic looked unbeatable and Andy Murray had a great season last year. You definitely have to laud Federer for coming back after an injury layoff and he was playing at that level. But then, so did Nadal in the Australian Open. At the moment, all four are great. Federer, maybe, a little more than the others. But that's all
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India will face New Zealand in the Davis Cup this weekend. But news off the field has taken centre stage. Could it affect the performance?
As long as we don't have players in the top-50, we will never make it in the Davis Cup beyond a point. Ramesh Krishnan was the last person in the top-50 and there has been no one else since. We don't have anybody consistently in the top-100. We don't have anybody playing Grand Slams regularly. As long as that doesn't happen, we cannot expect to be in the top bracket.
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What do you think is the reason behind India failing to produce quality singles players?
Because we focus too much on doubles and mixed doubles. It has been 30 years since India reached a Davis Cup final and the only reason is the lack of single players. I think it is time to focus on what is really important for the sport.
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