MELBOURNE, Australia -- On the day before the start of the 2018 Australian Open, Roger Federer reached out to his 11.3 million Twitter followers with one of his random Photoshop requests. Make me "a superhero" is what he asked, and some of the responses -- including Federer as Superman -- were somewhat predictable.
But after 21-year-old Hyeon Chung retired in the second Friday set after being overpowered by 36-year-old Federer throughout their brief match, there's one superhero who comes to mind for the best men's tennis player in history.
Iron Man.
Remember how the public and media went crazy celebrating the fact that Cal Ripken Jr. played 2,632 straight baseball games until ending the streak in 1998? Even Ripken would have to bow down to Federer, who -- after watching an opponent 15 years his junior beg out of the biggest match of his life because of a blister -- won 6-1, 5-2 and will face No. 6 seed Marin Cilic in Sunday's final.
Make that another win for Federer, who has not lost to a player ranked as low as the No. 58 Chung at a Grand Slam since falling to 116th-ranked Sergiy Stakhovsky in the second round of Wimbledon in 2013.
So, in the 1,338 matches Federer has played since turning pro in 1998, he has completed every single one.
Just think about how amazing that is, playing a sport in which he is constantly lunging and sprinting. Playing through ankle tweaks and muscle aches and bad backs. Pushing his body through intense heat and tough opponents.
Federer has not only survived, but he has thrived to maintain his status as one of the top players in tennis today.
He's the guy people showed up to see Friday, people paying top dollar in anticipation of a match against an up-and-coming talent in Chung. Earlier in the tournament, the South Korean took out Novak Djokovic. So, yes, this was one of those true enthralling generational battles.
But fans didn't get to see Federer for too long. The crowd at Rod Laver Arena let out an audible gasp after Chung approached the chair umpire and waved his hand, signaling he was done.
There was brief disappointment, but that dissipated quickly as most stood and applauded Federer, who will play for his second straight Australian Open championship -- and 20th Grand Slam title -- on Sunday.
Federer is not the quickest guy on tour. He has never been the fastest and definitely not the most buff (did you see the guns on display by Rafael Nadal last week before he retired?).
In terms of being physically fit? Yes, Federer has had his ailments. And, yes, he withdraws from the occasional tournament.
But when he shows up, he finishes what he starts. His ability to play an entire career without ever quitting a tournament is one of the most remarkable feats in all of sports.
So he's due an occasional easy night, and Federer certainly wasn't apologizing for Friday's brief match.
"You do take the faster matches when you can because there's enough wear and tear on the body," Federer said. "There's enough tough matches throughout the season that when they happen, you take them."
Remember the Federer who came into last year's Australian Open? He was badly banged up, hadn't played a tournament in six months. He told reporters then that he would have been happy to reach the fourth round.
But his old-man knees carried him to an exciting five-set win over his biggest rival, Nadal, in the final as he became the oldest man to win a Grand Slam singles title in 45 years.
After his match against Chung, Federer turned center court into somewhat of a confessional. He told the crowd that he went into last year thinking he "would have been happy to win one more major."
He won the 2017 Australian Open.
He won Wimbledon, as well.
And now he's starting the new year with a chance to win the 2018 Australian Open, and, in not dropping a single set, he hasn't shown any signs of slippage.
"In terms of tennis, I think I see things a bit different," Federer said. "A bit more wiser to some extent, maybe more laid-back."
Here's how he has become wiser: Federer said he battled mono when he fell to Djokovic in the 2008 Australian Open semifinals. He would later say he would have been smart to have not played the event and allowed his body to rest and heal.
The older, more rational Federer would have sat that one out. He has cut back on the number of tournaments he plays. Last year, he competed in only 12 and had one of the best seasons of his career in winning seven of those events. That selective process has allowed him to excel when he gets on the grand stage at majors.
"I never thought I was going to play a bit of a lesser schedule, which actually is quite enjoyable," he admitted. "I always thought, 'I'm just going to keep playing from January to November every single year -- 20-something tournaments.' But I was able to adapt to that.
"Maybe that's also one of the reasons why I'm still here."
Even if Chung had stayed healthy, it appeared Federer would have easily survived. The only lowlight for Federer came late in the first set when he completely whiffed on a forehand from the baseline. But he won 94 percent of his first-serve points, won all seven of his service games and breezed into the final.
With the exception of 40-year-old Tom Brady, older athletes just don't have the level of athletic success that Federer is enjoying.
Will Federer be playing into his 40s? That's doubtful.
But at the moment, at 36, he appears incredibly sharp.
The 14-year, 284-day age difference between Federer and Chung was the fourth largest in any Grand Slam semifinal in the Open era. In the previous three, the young guy prevailed each time.
Not so Friday night. Chung never had a chance.
Mere mortals simply don't beat superheroes.