NEW YORK – There had been too many errors, too many opportunities offered and frittered away, and now came the moment when everyone, including Roger Federer, understood: There would be no return, after three years out, to the Grand Slam winner’s circle. He would not solve the man who has so often denied him on the biggest stages. He could not give the howling crowd in Arthur Ashe Stadium what it so desperately wanted. The ball hung there, way above the court. It was unlike any that you’ve seen him hit.
The paeans to Federer’s physical grace fill volumes, of course; the Swiss maestro could make laundry day look like a night at the opera.