Seventeen years ago, a pony-tailed Swiss teenager lost in the second round of the qualifying tournament for the US Open. That was the last time that he would miss the main draw for the next 17 years.

When Roger Federer announced in July that he would miss the rest of the season, it sent a bit of a shock wave around the tennis world. It was only the second Grand Slam Federer would miss since 1999, unlike his longtime rival Rafa Nadal who has skipped eight majors since he first competed in one.

Federer’s consistency at the top has long been a testament to his fitness and style of play which, unlike Rafa’s, is relatively gentle on the body. That may be why he has been able to last this long at such a high level. Think about it. When was the last time you saw Federer hobble on court or, for that matter, even look fatigued? In fact, can you remember ever seeing him sweat?

A few years ago, in a rare show of public disagreement with Federer over the need to fix the schedule of matches on the tour, Nadal snapped at a news conference, saying that Federer’s body might be like a rose, but not everyone was so lucky. But this year, the rose has revealed a few thorns.

Annus horribilis

Federer’s annus horribilis began back in February, when he was drawing up a bath for his twin daughters. A sudden, awkward movement led to a creaking sound in his left knee. It turned out to be a torn meniscus. At age 34, remarkably, Federer underwent the first surgery of his career. He knew what it meant. “Going into surgery was difficult,” he added. “That’s when it hit me. I just got really disappointed and sad about it because that’s when I really understood what the road was going to look like.”

The road may have turned out to be even more rough than he had anticipated. He withdrew from the Madrid Open in May and skipped the French Open because of a back injury, thus ending a record streak of 65 straight Grand Slam singles tournaments. And in the semi-final at Wimbledon, where he faced a dominant Milos Raonic, he fell awkwardly towards the end of the match and had to call the trainer to check on his knee. He has not played since losing that match, and even skipped the Olympics, which means he probably will never win a singles gold medal.

To recap, since February 2016, Federer has reached zero finals, and failed to win a single match against a top 10 player. Federer won't win a title in a season for the first time since 2000. He is missing the US Open for the first time this millennium, which means he will drop the 1,200 points he acquired from his runner-up finish a year ago. As a result, when he returns, his ranking will have dropped to at least number eight if not lower. The week before the US Open began, Federer said at a press conference in Manhattan, "My god, I never thought I was going to have a year the way I had it.'' Finally, after all this time, Federer knows what it’s like to be Rafa Nadal.

Forced to put aside his disappointment, Federer joined forces in New York with Mexican chef Enrique Olvera to make scallop aguachile dressed with cilantro oil, serrano oil, red onion, serrano peppers and cilantro. And right now, as his rivals battle on the courts at Flushing Meadows, Federer is off hiking in the Swiss Alps. While he admitted it was “painful” to be in New York and not be able to compete for a title he’s owned in the past, it seems like he’s resigned himself to sitting out the rest of this year, and resolved to come back strong. “I don’t see it as the end of something,” he said. “I see it as a beginning… I want to be as strong as possible when I come back to the Australian summer and the Australian Open.”

From the pictures he’s been tweeting of the Alps, it looks like Fed’s doing ok. But what about the US Open? What about Novak Djokovic, Rafa Nadal, and Andy Murray, none of whom has competed at the event without Roger Federer? What about the New York crowd that adores Federer? How are they doing in his absence? Are they pining or have they already moved on?

Flushing Meadows without Federer

Before the tournament began it may have been hard to imagine Flushing Meadows without Federer. Between 2008 and 2015 he reached at least the fourth round every year, and has provided many memories over the years, not only in victory but also in defeat.

Having turned 35 this summer, Federer, who is now a father of four, is one of the most well-loved players anywhere in the world. His wife Mirka has become a familiar sight in the players’ box along with occasional glimpses of his parents and long-time coach Severan Luthi. Federer’s easy manner with the media and crowd, and the way he ambles casually through the grounds at every event he competes in, demonstrates a level of comfort that only comes to those who have been around a long time.

Sixteen years after his first appearance In New York, the five-time champion is now officially the sentimental favorite at the US Open, the veteran, the underdog even. The way the crowd pulls for him is reminiscent of Jimmy Connors towards the end of his career when the American soldiered bravely against younger opponents in his mid to late thirties. It harks back to Andre Agassi’s final years at the Open, when spectators were rooting not just for the player but for his aging body and soul.

But Federer is not even American, and yet when he plays Americans, the New York crowd still roots for him. That’s how much he is loved here. This is where American writer David Foster Wallace watched Federer play (on TV) – in 2005. The match between Federer and Agassi led to Wallace’s iconic tribute, “Roger Federer as Religious Experience”, which was published in The New York Times the following year.

No lack of drama

And yet, how often do we pause while watching dramatic matches in the present to think about Connors or Agassi or any of the past legends of the sport? The truth is that in Federer’s absence, the New York crowd has found other sentimental stories – like the comeback of Del Potro, the last hurrah of Venus Williams, or Angelique Kerber’s race with Serena Williams for number one.

The first week has already seen many upsets, as well as some exciting tennis by young Americans. Rafa Nadal – with a little help from the new roof – generated a buzz during his night matches. The Djokovic-Murray rivalry continues to thrive. The US Open is an especially colorful, vibrant event this year with many changes in the facilities. The draw looks quite open. There’s no lack of drama or edge-of-your-seat tight matches, or interesting characters to root for. There’s no evidence – yet – that ticket sales are going down because one person is missing. On the contrary, this year the US Open has already enjoyed record attendance!

This is life. Legends retire, and are given emotional sendoffs, such as the one Agassi received on Arthur Ashe Stadium exactly 10 years ago. But the game finds new stars and new narratives.Make no mistake. Federer will be back at Flushing, and will get a night match, and the crowd will roar, even louder because of this year’s absence. He will get his chance to say goodbye, after playing some brilliant shots first and winning a few big matches. But one day, not far from now, the time will come to say a final farewell to even Roger Federer. And this year’s US Open proves that life will go on.

Oindrila Mukherjee tweets here.

Corrections and clarifications: An earlier version of this article wrongly stated that Federer reached no finals in 2016. The error has been rectified.