It's strange to discuss whether a 27 year old should retire from professional sport. However, when Roger Federer is the name being mentioned, we are talking about no ordinary figure.
His record now stands at 3 Australian Opens, 5 US Opens, 6 Wimbledons and of course that 1 French Open which had eluded him with alarming regularity. Now with 15 Grand Slams, 1 more than the legendary Pete Sampras, the only likely opposition to his claim for being the greatest are relatives of Bjorn Borg and Rod Laver.
The Roger Federer trophy cabinet is complete and some would argue there is nothing left to prove. Claims against this could be Federer's 2-5 record against Nadal in Grand Slam finals or the possible lack of depth in men's tennis relative to the era of Sampras. However, all this seems petty and pedantic.
Silverware and honours are indeed important, they serve to eternally illuminate one's talent and determination, but sport offers more than this. Competing with the world's best and performing under the watchful eyes of the world should galvanise any sportsman, no matter how many medals they have won.
So what about bowing out at your very best? The name Eric Cantona sends electricity through Manchester and yet one wonders whether his legendary status would be the same had he played professional football well into his 30s?
Even though Federer holds 3 Grand Slams, the tennis world is more or less in agreement that his powers have somewhat dwindled. In previous years you knew Roger was going to win, now it's you think. The Swiss Wizard is indeed a mere mortal but to some extent none of us want to believe it.
For Federer to continue playing with his powers diminishing would certainly chip away at the illusion that he was unbeatable. However, your career should mean more to you than your legacy and so long as Roger gets a thrill out of tennis, he should continue playing.
Sundip Tailor - Editor of The Binocular
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