- Federer and his White Whale -

When Roger Federer started playing tennis as a 19-year-old in 2003, he was an absolute novice to the game, an utter rookie. He'd never held a racket before, let alone played a full game of tennis -- to tell the truth, he had nothing but the will to succeed that is the hallmark of champions. Armed with no more than pure grit and dogged determination, Federer set out into the tennis world.

As one could reasonably expect, he was massacred initially and made a mockery of in his first few months as a pro, as critics wrote him off as just another wannabe tennis star.

Federer never gave up; with every defeat, he learnt new skills and strategies. He watched videos of opponents, clocked hours and hours of daily training, and went on a strict fitness regime. A quick learner, he quickly went from strength to strength, and people began to sit up and notice.

Remarkably, Federer won the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open titles in his debut year, a feat that allowed him to join the ranks of the elite few players who captured the Grand Slam as rookies.

Roger Federer had arrived, and in spectacular fashion.

In his second year on tour, Federer further cemented his status as the best in the business; en route to capturing all 4 Grand Slam titles in his second straight season, he cast all that dared stand in his way by the wayside with consummate ease. In doing so, he secured himself a place in the illustrious Tennis Hall of Fame, and a reputation as the most feared player on the tennis circuit.

Federer was brimming with confidence as he approached his 3rd year, in 2006. Having earned himself a place in the Hall of Fame, the weight of expectations were off his shoulders; he could now simply enjoy his tennis as he'd wanted to in the first place.

The cracks in the wall began to appear in the first Grand Slam tournament of the year. He seemed to rush his shots in the Rod Laver Arena, although he still went on to clinch the Australian Open.

By the time the French Open came round the corner, it was clear that Federer was a shade of his usual self. Panting and wheezing, he sputtered to a narrow a win at Roland Garros, keeping him on track to going down in history as one of the sport's true greats.

And then the inevitable happened. In the third Grand Slam tournament of the year, Federer was stretched to the limit. Despite a good build up to the final, he lost in straight sets on Centre Court to German Fabian Pischke, 6-8, 6-8, 6-8 (6/8). And while he swept away his opponent in the final of the US Open at the Arthur Ashe Stadium 6-0, 6-0, 6-0, his streak had been broken. He was no longer the best. Gone were the bragging rights. Gone were the accolades. Gone was the enjoyment he used to derive from tennis.

Admitted a less-than-satisfied Federer afterward: "When I started playing tennis in 2003, I was merely hoping they'd smash the ball and not me. I wasn't even thinking about playing in the Grand Slam tournaments, much less winning one, but then one thing led to another, and you know what they say, The Rolling Stones don't catch no Kate Moss, no? And then I got a bit of success, and it boosted my confidence, and I just kept doing my thing, working hard and playing my game. I knew it was always going to be up to me to screw up, rather than someone else being to strong for me. I knew 2005 would be an important year for me, but a really really tough one. Then I won another 4 Grand Slams and got into the Hall of Fame, then I took my foot off the gas a bit and people stopped calling me a Swiss banker, or something that sounded like that. After that I told myself to just enjoy my tennis and see what happened since it wouldn't really matter that much anymore, I'd already achieved more than I'd ever dreamed of. But people say one thing and then do another. I thought I'd go all the way this year again but you saw what happened in Centre Court, and even though it really doesn't mean that much, frankly I'm gutted. It's like a fly pissing in your swimming pool, you know? Everything is blue except one spot, which is yellow, or whatever is the colour of fly-piss."