As if one 35-year-old winning an important grass title in the week before Wimbledon was not enough, another, Feliciano Lopez followed Roger Federer’s lead at the Gerry Weber Open just hours later by winning the Ageon Championships at the historic Queen’s Club in London.
There are few men who have plied their trade on the tennis circuit as long as Federer, and there are few who have done so with that old-fashioned style of tennis that bears such fruit when it comes to the faster, slicker grass season. Lopez is one such, something of an anomaly in Spanish tennis in favouring serve and volley tennis over baseline tactics, and in blossoming on the grass rather than on the clay that dominates his homeland scene.
It is a style that has surely helped his longevity, even if it has not offered too many chances of titles. Two of the five in what is now a 20-year professional career have come on grass, and he made the final at Queen’s in 2014. Wimbledon has also been his most successful Major: Three quarter-final runs. And to give a broader context to his grass-court prowess, Lopez arrived in London with 71 grass-court wins, second only to Federer and defending champion Andy Murray.
And talking of longevity, he is the only man within touching distance of contemporary Federer in playing consecutive Majors. The Swiss star’s run came to a halt following knee surgery last year at 65. Lopez’s run is still alive as he approaches his 62nd at Wimbledon next week—and now as a very useful No19 seed.
Just a month ago, Lopez was outside the seedings completely. He went 14 tournaments without back-to-back wins from August 2016 through to March 2017. But after going 8-6 through the clay swing, he was up to 8-1 on grass after a final run in Stuttgart last week.
On paper, Lopez’s draw looked a shocker. But first he put out No2 seed Stan Wawrinka, 7-6, 7-5, then No7 seed Tomas Berdych in a gruelling 7-6, 6-7, 7-5, before gaining revenge over the man who denied him, despite holding a championship point, in his only previous final at Queen’s, Grigor Dimitrov, in another long test, 7-5, 3-6, 6-2.
Remarkably, Lopez would take another two and a half hours to get past the No4 seed and former champion, Marin Cilic, come Sunday’s final, grabbing a 4-6, 7-6, 7-6 victory, facing down a championship point in the process.
No wonder the Spaniard told the media afterwards: “It’s the best week of my career. To win this tournament at this stage of my career, this is so amazing. I was waiting so long to win this title.”
His admiration for the grass of Queen’s shone from his comments.
“Queen’s is the best. Outside of the Grand Slams, this is one of the most special tournaments…For me to be here on Sunday holding the trophy, it’s the best feeling I can have.
“Beating four players who have been in the top 10 is pretty amazing… From the very beginning I had the best players in the draw. So that gives me a lot of energy for the rest of the season.”
Good things come to those who wait, they say. But Lopez, like Federer, has done more than wait. He has continued the hard graft and long miles to stay in peak condition. He has also, it seems, kept that vital extra ingredient: the passion and desire to win.