There is more meaning to Roger Federer being one of the world's famous athletes than merely being etched in the history books along other sport greats. For one, Federer's inclusion in ESPN's list of world's famous athletes suggests tennis still needs the Swiss Maestro.
Federer has been included by ESPN in their "World Fame 100," a list of well-known athletes around the world, which is based on an athlete's earnings in terms of prize money and sponsorships, number of followers on social media sites and most names searched on Google.
The chronicled record puts the 17-time Grand Slam winner at fifth spot, behind Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, NBA star Lebron James, Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Neymar. Such achievement has become the fruit of Federer's consistency in winning titles all through-out his career, with his 17 Grand Slam titles as the testament of his tennis greatness. But looking at it from a different angle, this may suggest that tennis, and the sport's fans, may not be ready to move on without the Swiss just yet.
Federer broke his 65-consecutive Grand Slam appearances when he announced his withdrawal from the French Open in Paris due to a back injury he has been nursing prior to the second Grand Slam event of the year. The latest setback became the basis of many to raise questions about Federer's capability to be as great as he is despite his age, especially after recovering from a knee surgery earlier this year.
With Federer out of the French Open, there has been less attention on the clay-courts of Roland Garros, aside from Rafael Nadal's unfortunate exit from the tournament. Patrick McEnroe, former American tennis pro, believes Federer has a special way of drawing fans to matches even when the world No. 3 plays in first and second round blowouts.
"They do not bring in the fans the way that Mr. Federer does," McEnroe said on Twitter, referring to Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka.
"Maybe Rafa Nadal does, and certainly one Serbian fellow is writing his own history as we speak, but as they are on the same half of the men's draw in Paris, they will be always playing on the same way during this tournament. They have brilliance in their own ways, but the magic of Federer?'
Federer, who is set to play at the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart, is arguably the major factor in tennis' popularity around the globe even in places where the sport is not recognize.
Before his participation at the Italian Open in Rome, Federer had a practice session at the Foro Italico grounds, which attracted record crowds, according to the tournament organizers. The fact that such huge crowd of fans swarming on Federer's practice game says it all that tennis still needs Federer as the face of the sport.
Tennis will have next generation players like Dominic Thiem, Nick Kyrgios and other youngsters ready to take away the center stage from the top players in the world. Then there is Novak Djokovic, who has been dominating the tennis scene in the past two seasons and has formed an intriguing rivalry against Federer. They could all draw people to watch games, but not in a way Federer does.