Roger Federer's 100th title: Victory against Stefanos Tsitsipas perfectly sums up Swiss maestro's decades of excellence

What had been a nervous wait was turned into a triumphant home stretch by Roger Federer. [caption id=“attachment_6186281” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Roger Federer holds his trophy after winning the final match at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship against Stefanos Tsitsipas. AP[/caption] Since winning the Basel Open in October, his 99th title, Federer’s 100th was keenly anticipated. Though the Swiss stumbled in the next two tournaments (ATP World Tour Finals and the Australian Open) and looked far from his best in the early rounds at the Dubai Open, Federer showed some vintage form in the final. Showing no signs of the nervous nineties, Federer raced past Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-4 in an hour and 10 minutes to claim his 100th career title. America’s Jimmy Connors is the only other player to have achieved the feat – having finished his career at 109 titles. And as soon has Federer had reached his century of titles, a question was posed to him about whether he could reach or beat Connors’ mark. “We live in a day and age where every record has to be shattered,” said Federer after winning his eighth Dubai Open title, adding, “not for me. What Jimmy did was an unbelievable achievement. It was a very special evening, playing Stefanos and being able to play with the future stars of tennis. I’m so happy I’m still playing. I’ve loved every minute of the journey. Of course, it’s tough sometimes being away from your family or friends. But it was worth it and we’ll see how much more I’ve got left in the tank. At the moment, reaching 100 is an absolute dream come true for me.” The milestone encased not only the 37-year-old Federer’s longevity but the expanse of his achievements. He had won his first title in 2001 in Milan, a tournament that was played on a now-redundant surface called Indoor, carpet. En route to his maiden trophy, Federer had beaten Goran Ivanisevic (who went on to win Wimbledon that year) and former French Open champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov. Since then, Federer has won at least one title every year and won an amazing 12 titles (including three Grand Slams) in 2006. His success has straddled continents, spanned decades and lasted a few generations. Saturday was another reminder that he’s far from done. The Dubai Open final had an added edge as it pitted Federer against his stylistic successor Tsitsipas. The 20-year-old Greek had famously beaten Federer in the fourth round of the Australian Open in January in a match that was perceived by many as the changing of the guard. Ahead of the final in Dubai, the Swiss agreed there was a bit of a ‘revenge’ element to the match. “I was horribly disappointed and upset that I missed as many breakpoints as I did,” said Federer, who failed to convert any of his 12 break point opportunities in Melbourne, on Friday. The 20-time Grand Slam champion was quick to overturn that. He came out aggressive right out of the gates, attacking the Tsitsipas serve and converting the very first break point in the very first game of the match. As it happened, Federer won two out of two break points in the Dubai Open final to finish it in two entertaining sets. Having had a glimpse of Tsitsipas’ tenacity and his incredible range of shots in Melbourne, Federer consistently robbed him of time and space in Saturday’s final. He played almost 50 per cent of the shots inside the baseline, a startling stat in today’s tennis. With the ball zipping on the quick Dubai courts, Federer was quick to move in on his serve and gave a volleying masterclass. The lightness of foot and quickness of hand were vintage Federer. “He was very aggressive, didn’t give me any time today,” said Tsitsipas. “I was expecting it, for him to be a little more aggressive. He just seemed like he was having control over everything he was doing, taking the ball super early, on the rise, giving me no time to prepare. It was a very fast-tempo game. It felt like he was controlling everything on his own terms. He was just very, very aggressive.” The Dubai Open final seemed like a time capsule with the ‘best of Federer’ neatly encased in it. The forehand fired, backhand buzzed, volleys wowed. And all of it perfectly pinned down by a solid serve. The only hiccup came at the end of the first set, when Federer went from 40-0 up to break point down in the blink of an eye. The Swiss navigated the tricky situation, saving the second break point with an incredible jab volley. Two strong serves later, Federer was in lead and striding towards the 100th title. There were a few competitive interludes, when Tsitsipas went toe to toe with Federer. The third game of the second set saw a 17-shot rally (longest of the match) where the two exchanged some delectable backhands before a Tsitsipas forehand error decided it. But more than anything else, the Federer of old was visible in his mental agility. At his peak, Federer seemed to be two moves ahead of the rest, hitting the right shots, in the right space, at the right time. He seemed to be in that kind of a mood in Dubai on Saturday. Majestic, emphatic. Federer’s 100th title win was a crisp summation of all the virtues that have seen him rule so well, for so long.