Rafael Nadal gets the French Open. Ivan Ljubicic used to get Indian Wells.
But if it's Roger Federer's birthday, this must be Canada.
The above photo was in Montreal in 2003 when a 22-year-old Federer, still with the rebel ponytail, was on the cusp of becoming No. 1 for the first time.
He could have done it there if he had beaten Andy Roddick in the semi-finals that year, but it would be for another day.
A few years later, here he is celebrating his 25th in Toronto in 2006. (And he ate some of that cake).
Next, he turns 26, also in Toronto.
Federer turned 29 in Toronto in 2010.
Today in Toronto, Federer turns 33. The ponytail is long gone. There are little Federers galore. But he's still bringing it.
The ATP turned this into a social media opportunity, inviting fans to send in greetings and artwork and that sort of thing with the hashtag #Roger33. They poured in.
Friday night, the sellout crowd in Toronto spontaneously sang Happy Birthday to him at the 1-0 changeover at the beginning of the second set. No problem: a smile, a few waves to the crowd, a wave of apology to opponent David Ferrer for holding things up, and carry on.
He's 3-0 in Canada when he plays on his actual birthday, going into Friday night.
How many more will Federer have in Canada? We shall see.
He celebrated it in Beijing in 2008 at the Olympics, and it's likely he will do the same in 2016 in Rio (which sort of beats out Toronto - no offense to Toronto).
sports.yahoo.com
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