The pros always say that anything can happen out there, that no match is a sure thing. It sounds like a cliché, but it also happens to be true. Tennis matches can turn on a dime, and players are subject to bad days. Until Roger Federer, that is. For six years, twice as long as anyone else in history, Federer defied the tennis player’s normal fate. Twenty-three straight times, from Wimbledon 2004 to the French Open of 2010, he reached the semifinals of a Grand Slam. No bad days, no blown chances, no loss of motivation. But even this most supreme of streaks had to end. At the French Open, Federer lost to Robin Soderling. In the quarters. To get some perspective on the streak, consider this: The previous men’s record of 10, held by Ivan Lendl, had seemed to be a colossal achievement at the time. Of course, even the greatest records are meant to be broken, but most of them aren’t meant to be *doubled.
*Originally published in the November/December 2010 issue of TENNIS.
2010 Aces & Faults
—Sock Hopping: Sock goes from high school to pros
—After the Hype, Miller Doesn't Bode Well: Skier tries tennis, again
—Booted: The story of Serena's injured foot
—Match of the Year: The Isner-Mahut Wimbledon epic
—Unwelcome Milestones: American mens' struggles
—Gone...And Back Again: Querrey's quick turnaround
—Swimming the Channel: Rafa does the clay-grass double
—Biggest Disappointment: Dinara Safina
—All in a Day's Work: Blake's beef with Shriver
—Coach of the Year: Hernan Gumy
—Seizing the Clay: Schiavone's unlikely title run
—Struck Out: Soderling ends Federer's semifinal streak
—Comeback, Interrupted: Henin's return cut short
—Wayne's Shame: Odesnik caught with HGH
—Dee Worst, Judge Says: The world's worst player
—Most Improved: Sam Stosur
—Player of the Year: Rafael Nadal
—Newcomer of the Year: Larry Ellison