Roger Federer: from legend to centurion

ETEMADONLINE| For the last two decades, the face of tennis has always been Roger Federer and it looks like that image will remain, with no end date in sight. Roger Federer became only the second man in history (behind Jimmy Connors' 109) to enter the 100 plus club on the ATP circuit.

In his late 30's, the Swiss icon is still setting records. Only last year, Federer had reached the No. 1 ranking again, a staggering 14 years after first attaining the accomplishment.

"I won my first title in Milan. It's been a long wonderful journey, it's been great and I wouldn't do it any differently. I've loved every minute," Federer says.

The speed, breathtaking variety of strokes, and powerful serve were a combination of genius unparalleled in tennis. Even more impressive, he employed his arsenal of shots without any indication of where he was going to hit.

Federer was a sports artist. He played like that while remaining humble and generous in spirit. It's why he so beloved. Federer's gone through trials and tribulations. He faced-- and lost many times-- to his great rival Rafael Nadal, mostly on clay, and mostly at the French Open.

He's defeated the past generation of players (Sampras, Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick), his own generation of greats (Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev), and now even the next generation (Borna Coric and Stefan Tsitsipas at the Dubai tournament alone).

Roger Federer is not only one-of-a-kind. He is a force that comes only once a century.

Staggering humble tribulations century

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