Don't Go Roger!

I find it interesting that we as tennis fans seemingly want Roger Federer to retire and go away because he's starting to lose somewhat consistently to his two main rivals, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Perhaps I'm overstating the position, but when I hear commentators discussing whether or not Roger will want to stick around now that he is losing these matches or read the comments of various people on the internet who think he is aging and won't win another major, I have to wonder what we really expect Roger to do based on his recent performances. It feels like we're driving him out of the sport, but we can't possibly want to do that, right?

Let's face it - the guy is still capable of top-level tennis and can basically beat everyone on the planet save for a couple of guys. Why would he quit? Conventional wisdom says that an athlete at Roger's age will only deteriorate from a performance perspective, but Federer's athleticism isn't normal. He's a superb athlete and I don't think there's a degradation in that area. As long as he feels good on the court, I can't imagine that he'll quit as he will always believe in his ability to rise to the top of the sport. And who are we to dispute that possibility?

We as fans have pushed other top players in similar ways with Pete Sampras being one of the most notable. In Sampras' case, he was able to weather that talk and eventually win his last Grand Slam event at the US Open which gave him the type of exit he may have wanted all along. Ultimately, Federer won't listen to the fans or the media when it comes to deciding whether to continue to play or not. Our opinions don't matter and nor should they. However, the paradox is that by constantly questioning this great player about whether he wants to continue or not, we are in essence trying to deprive ourselves of watching this great player. Even if you're not a Federer fan, you have to admit that he plays a beautiful brand of tennis that can be simply stunning. I say, let's ask Roger to stick around for another 10 years. The game is better with him whether he's winning or losing.