In July 2016, Roger Federer looked like he might be calling time on his illustrious career. He was 34, old for an athlete and especially so for tennis, a game in which Federer was at his best in his mid- to late 20s. His knee gave out on him in the semifinals of Wimbledon, and he announced that he would take off the rest of the year to heal. Federer was doing what he had to do, but like everyone else, he worried that the outlook was grim.

By now, you know how everything went. Federer hasn’t just played well in 2017. No, that would be the mildest of compliments, like saying Babe Ruth was a decent hitter or that Wayne Gretzky knew how to skate. At age 35—he turns 36 next month—Federer is better than he’s ever been. He won the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the season. He has the most impressive record in tennis this year: 31-2. And, best of all, he collected the title he loves most: Wimbledon, for the eighth time, the most wins by any man in history. He has now won 19 Grand Slam titles in his career, 4 more than anyone else.