In the wake of a housing crisis, many subprime lenders could not pay back loans they had taken out. The falling of interest rates was the Fed(eral) Reserve’s response to a drastic economic outlook in the United States. Today, however, in the wake of an unnerving French Open final, with the “greatest player who ever lived”, Roger Federer, to have won only four games off of Rafa Nadal, we wonder if there is a imminent crisis in the sport of tennis. Is the tyrannic reign of Roger Federer finally coming to an end? Numerous past and current players have commented on the recent defeats of the Fed:

Bjorn Borg chooses his top three players to win the Gentleman’s Wimbledon title in this order: Nadal, Djokovic, and then Federer.

Nadal stated, “I only can say thanks to Bjorn for his words. A lot of times he spoke very nice things about me, so just thanks for this. But, you know, Bjorn is not magic.” He went on to claim that Federer is still the player to beat, noting his 59 (now 60) match win streak on grass.

Sampras also remained on Federer’s side: “He’s created this monster of winning so many tournaments and so many majors and doing it with ease. As great as Roger is, he’s going to have his losses and his bad days. It’s just human nature to go through some lulls.”

Djokovic, however, has agreed that Federer has become weaker, saying, “I think he’s a little bit shaken with that loss, and mentally he has been struggling in the last couple of months. New names are coming, fresh, talented players who believe more they can win against him, and I am one of them. Suddenly he is worried a little bit.”

Lastly, Roddick puts it to us the simplest: “I got the question, ‘Can Roger win Wimbledon?’ I found that to be one of the most ridiculous questions I’ve ever answered in my life. You know, he has won it five times. I’m not sure what else he has to do.”

I agree; What else does Federer have to do? He has won five Wimbledon titles already, and with such ease. A few losses are nothing but a blemish on Federer’s previously impeccable record. Just as Nadal was expected to have a win at the French Open, despite it being a clear blowout, I would expect Federer to have a clear win at the All England Club.

Nevertheless, the outcome of this years will Wimbledon could shape the game of tennis for a substantial amount of time. And how does Federer feel about this?

“I feel like I’m the big favorite, obviously,” he said. “It’s a huge year for me, going for my sixth. Getting the fifth one was a dream come true. It’s something that’s going to be very hard to match, I think, in the future. I hope I can also match Pete’s record of seven Wimbledons here. That’s what my focus is.”