It was the year he won the French Open to complete his grand slam of majors and added yet another Wimbledon to boot.
It was enough for most of the sport’s grand pooh-bahs to name him the greatest to ever wield a racket.
But it wasn’t, I learned last night from Eurosport, enough for him to be voted Swiss Sports Personality of the Year 2009.
what do I have to do to make you love me?
This honour was, apparently, instead bestowed upon the skier who came an oh-so-unlucky 6th in yesterday’s Olympic downhill.
Has the old saw about the prophet never being welcome in his own country ever been more vividly demonstrated?
Maybe if Roge manages to add the three remaining majors to his recent Australian crown he might be in with a shot when the votes get brought down from the mountains this December.
But if Switzerland strike gold in the combined Nordic yodeling later on this week, what chance another domestic disappointment for the great man?
