Federer’s Dream Of An 18th Grand Slam Go On

I had hoped this summer on two occasions now to be writing about the great Roger Federer capturing his 18th Grand Slam title. Sadly, it has not to be.  

The great man found himself in two consecutive Grand Slam finals for the first time since he was in back to back finals at the US Open in 2009 and then at the Australian Open in 2010.

Unfortunately, in both the Wimbledon and US Open final he came up against an inspired Novak Djokovic. Having said that in both finals Federer had his chances. This is especially true in the US Open final where his failure to convert 19 break points saw his chance of an 18th Grand Slam and 6th US Open disappear.

This year I had the opportunity to go to the US Open and it was a fantastic experience. I saw a number of matches including the eventual winner Djokovic defeat of Seppi however to see the practise court seats and the surrounding area rammed with people just to see Roger Federer train was startling. If anything sums up his status it was seeing that. People were in their seats hours before he was due to turn up hoping to get a glance of the widely recognised GOAT in mens tennis.

He has had another good year with titles in Brisbane, Dubai, Istanbul, Halle and Cincinnati. He has also appeared in the final at both Indian Wells and Rome. His performances at Wimbledon were special, that semi-final demolition of Andy Murray was incredible to see.  It was a shame he was unable to repeat the form in the final, arguably something he used to do when he was in his prime.

He continued such form into Cincinnati, defeating Djokovic in the final, and then on to the US Open reaching the final without dropping a set. He is without doubt the main player on the circuit who I try to watch whenever and wherever he is playing.

It is difficult to come up with superlatives for Roger Federer that haven't been said before.

If you can see Roger Federer play you must. No matter how much you've read or watched on the television, seeing him live is a total different experience. Nobody plays the way he does and who knows if we will ever see the like in our lifetime.

He has been written off in recent years, especially after 2013, and I even wrote a piece debating whether it was the end. I have always had faith, maybe blind faith, that he would come back and get himself back in contention for the slams. It has been fantastic to watch his almost re-rise to the top.

He is without doubt the greatest role model a sport could hope for. He along with Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic have taken the game up a level in quality but also popularity. Too often people wish away the greats likes Federer and Nadal but there is no doubt there will be a lull after these two exit the game.

For Federer who is arguably in the greatest form of his life, even though saying that about a man who is now 34 and achieved so much in the game sounds crazy, an 18th Slam is not out of the question.  I hope he does win an 18th Grand Slam however of course with every passing tournament and given the fact he has just been in two finals it seems less likely. Although I still hold out hope and look to forward to witnessing it.

I am of the belief that all of these near misses will just make seeing him finally succeed again at a Grand Slam that little bit sweeter.

Burgess Named In The England Squad

Its happened. Sam Burgess has been named in England's World Cup squad.

I, for one, am delighted by his inclusion. He is a fantastic player who showcased his talents in Rugby league year after year. There is no doubt Australia do not want to see Sam Burgess playing against them on October 3rd.

He is also a player who performs, if not raises his game, on the big stage as he had does time and time again in the Super League and NRL as well as for England and Great Britain.

I know he has only played for 10 months and there is still plenty of debate over what his best position is, however when you look at the options at centre his selection is a no-brainer. Luther Burrell for me should have been in the squad at the expense of Brad Barritt, who seems immune from criticism in the press. For me, his performances do not merit such an untouchable status.

Now obviously not everyone is happy with his inclusion, ex-england scrum half Matt Dawson has already commented he doesn't believe Burgess should be included. His opinion is perfectly valid however as I said when you look at the alternatives his selection should not come as much of a surprise. The likes of Billy Twelvetrees have failed to impress despite being given countless chances.

One certainty about the tournament already is that if England perform well or even win the World Cup it will be nothing to do with Sam Burgess, however the moment England lose whether in the Final, Semi-Final or even in the group stage you can guarantee he will be the main point of criticism. The rest of the squad and management will certainly get off lightly in comparison.

It may be 2015, but the snobbery from the former Rugby Union players and media towards Rugby League is still as strong as ever. It was the same in the beginning with Jason Robinson. Initially I remember the great Jeremy Guscott savaging Robinson on television, yet he is now a Rugby Union legend and treated as one of their own.

I do hope Burgess and England have a successful tournament however I am sure many in the media are already writing their articles bashing Burgess' selection just waiting for England to lose.

Surely the person to criticise is Stuart Lancaster by stating the lamentable fact that after having 4 years to prepare, a Rugby League convert who has only played the game for 10 months is the best option England have got.

In my opinion England will not win the World Cup and the main reason I believe this is Stuart Lancaster.  His selections, and more importantly his substitutions, have cost England matches in recent years. I do not understand why he is so obsessed with making so many changes in the final 20/25 minutes of matches all over the field. I hope he has learnt from past mistakes and we will not see it again in this tournament.

Ultimately, worst of all I will watch Sam Burgess being wasted at this tournament wishing he was with the England Rugby League for their 3 match test series with New Zealand in early November.