Federer deserves ovation tour, but not just yet

At the fourth and final Grand Slam event of the tennis year, poignant goodbyes can sneak up on us, like an old friend covering our eyes from behind and saying, "Guess who."

In 1981, at 25, Bjorn Borg lost a U.S. Open final to John McEnroe, packed his bag and never played in another major. Pete Sampras won the same tournament by defeating his career rival, Andre Agassi, in 2002 and never played another tour match. One year ago, Andy Roddick announced his pending retirement during the first week of the tournament and was gone days later. (Also see: Pics -  What the Federers have been doing at the US Open)

Marion Bartoli didn't even make it to New York this summer, bowing out at 28 in Mason, Ohio, just weeks after her climactic career victory at Wimbledon.

The R-word no doubt still sounds profane to Roger Federer, but I think I am speaking for most fans of the sport when I say: whenever the time does come for him to exit the stage, some serious advance notice would be appreciated.

In the way the global tennis village said so long to Agassi, the Vegas showman, at Arthur Ashe Stadium in 2006, it will want to bid Federer - the modern standard-bearer for graceful, artistic tennis and the leader in Grand Slam men's singles titles (17) - a sincere and appropriate farewell.

Even as Federer, 32, has slid in the rankings from a surprising No. 1 at this time last year to a current No. 7, nobody really wants to broach the subject of his departure from the sport. For one thing, he has consistently made it clear that he hopes to play for several more years. For another, nobody who appreciates greatness wants to see him go.

Finally - and perhaps most persuasively - he tends to become defensive and prickly when questioned about the view beyond the next big tournament.

Case in point: Questioned about his rankings decline recently in Ohio, and what, if anything, that meant to him, Federer snapped, "What do you think?" I tend to think there is a possibility that Federer would at least consider quitting by the end of next year. But that's only if, as expected, he rededicates himself for next season and continues to slide.

In Ohio, Federer said he was no longer playing for the money, the lifestyle or even the pursuit of regaining the No. 1 ranking. In doing so, he invoked the R-word, if only in the most general sense.

"If passion doesn't overweigh the rest, the end is extremely near," he said.

But he added: "And for me, there's no question about that - my passion is sky high. That's why I'm still doing it. I love what I'm doing."

Even assuming he is past his recent back issues, what happens to the passion when one so accustomed to playing deep into major events begins to be sent off much sooner? The lower Federer drops in the rankings, the more difficult the draw and the greater the chance of losing during the first week - as he did at Wimbledon this summer.

"If he is going to be No. 9 in the world, or 11, is he going to be around? That's the question," said Jimmy Arias, a broadcaster and a former top 10 player. "That one no one will know but him. But great players like him always believe they'll get it back."

Federer briefly tried a larger racket head, which some had been urging him to do. Not Sampras, though.

"I don't think he needs to panic and feel he needs to change everything," he said. "He's still a great player."

Granted, Sampras might have formulated this take based on his storybook ending after many had counted him out. Conversely, John McEnroe's decline in the mid- to late 1980s was irreversible, and he, like Federer, played in his prime with a sprinkling of magic dust. McEnroe, the realist, countered Sampras by saying, "Obviously, Roger just turned 32, and it's not going to get any easier."

To the expert eye, Federer's seeming decline has to do with age, as well as stiffening competition. "To me, the reason he's dropped off a little bit - and I noticed it in the Australian Open this year after one match - is that he's a half-step slower," Arias said. "He always had this giant recovery step; I'd never seen anything like it. But you could see he wasn't on the ball every time. He needed an extra step as he moved in to it. That little margin is all it takes."

© 2013 New York Times News Service